Indianapolis Public Schools alternative education sites like the Meridian Transition Academy and the Step Ahead Academy are used to being seen as places where students get back on track academically. But this year each academy also focuses significant time providing students with service learning experiences in addition to classroom time.

The numbers don’t lie. Overall, across the state education is grossly underfunded. It’s not urban versus rural versus suburban – it’s everyone. This legislative season Indianapolis Public Schools is focusing on four key areas—preschool, teacher resignation, takeover reform and the funding formula.

A new district calendar has been proposed to the IPS Board of School Commissioners for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school year calendars. The calendar was discussed at the January 13 Briefing Session, and commissioners are expected to take action at the January 27 Board Session.

Four out of the last five years a George Buck School 94 student has won the citywide Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year award for elementary students. That achievement is a testament to the energy and excitement both staff and students bring to the club. To win this prestigious award students must demonstrate in an interview their passion for service to their community and others.

Indianapolis Public Schools wants not only our students to be educated on financial wellness but also our employees!

At the January 20 Academics Briefing Session, the IPS Board of School Commissioners was presented with updates on several district initiatives.

We’re now officially halfway through the school year, and we’ve got some exciting things on the horizon for 2015!

More than 200 Indianapolis Public Schools students participated in a state-qualifying archery tournament at Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities. IPS and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources brought the National Archery in the Schools Program to 37 schools throughout our district.

The Indianapolis Public Schools planetarium is housed in Stuart Hall on the Arsenal Technical High School campus. Gail Schwoebel has been a Planetarium Director for over 20 years, both at Arlington High School when it was part of IPS and at Arsenal Tech when the planetarium moved there.

A group of compassionate IPS students saw a need in the community and took some amazing action to help! It all started when Mrs. Shari Peterson’s 2nd grade class heard about financial troubles at Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. A newspaper article on the rough conditions for animals there sparked a serious conversation among their Meredith Nicholson School 96 classroom.