The Portland Foundation is sponsoring all 7th-grade students to travel to Taylor University on Tuesday, April 4th during the school day. Students will be touring the campus and eating lunch in the dining hall.
It's time for a pre-spring break Early College teacher spotlight! Today, we are celebrating Mr. Todd Gibson. Mr. Gibson graduated from Wapahani High School in 1982 and received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Ball State University. For 30 years he taught social studies at Muncie Central High School where he also coached basketball for the majority of his tenure. He then went on to teach and coach for 4 more years in the Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan District. Mr. Gibson joined the Jay County social studies department in August of 2021, bringing with him a wealth of expertise. He currently teaches World History and dual credit Political Science. He and his wife, Kristi (JCHS class of 1986), reside in Albany. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters--Kenna and Kaylin. In his time away from school, he enjoys working on home renovation projects and fishing.
Jay Schools are on a 2 hour delay, Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Congratulations to our choral program for an incredible season!! Both groups have been competing since January and have placed 1st runner up on several occasions as well as Grand Champions. They have been chosen to compete at ISSMA State this weekend.
If you have an 8th grade student going to Washington D.C., there is a meeting this Tuesday, March 14th, @ 6 in the Auditorium. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!!
It's an Early College student spotlight kind of day! Today we are recognizing senior Lauren Brewster. Lauren is currently completing the Indiana College Core. In fact, by summer's end, she will have accumulated over 60 credits, enough to complete her associate's degree. Lauren has been involved in a number of extra curricular activities and has held several leadership roles during her high school tenure, including officer positions for the class of 2023, student council, and National Honor Society. During her junior year, Lauren was recognized for her academic achievements as a recipient of the Indiana Association of School Principals' Rising Star award. Lauren will be attending Indiana University Bloomington Campus in the fall. She plans to study either art or veterinary medicine. For more information on the Indiana College Core, visit https://transferin.net/ways-to-earn-credit/statewide-transfer-general-education-core-stgec/.
It's time for another Early College teacher spotlight! Meet Mrs. Annemarie McClung, better known by JC students as Frau! Born and raised in Kaufbeuren, a small town in Bavaria, Germany, Anni spent one year as an AFS exchange student in Portland, Indiana, in 1983-84. Here she originally met her husband of almost 31 years who would bring her to Indiana permanently in 1992.
She earned an M.A. in English Linguistics and minors in French Linguistics and Communication from the University of Augsburg, Germany, in 1992. She has been teaching English, French and/or German in Indiana since 1993. She was lucky to be asked to develop a German program at Jay County High School in Portland, Indiana in 1996, while teaching mainly French. Today, German is a full-time program with levels 1 through AP, with an active German Club and opportunities for students to travel to Europe to experience the language and its culture first-hand.
Anni has been teaching dual credit German 3 G150 and dual credit German 4 G200/250 through Indiana University’s Advance College Project since 2016. Some of her students who also completed the AP German exam have received the Today Certificate of Multi-Lingual Proficiency which is awarded annually to qualified students by the Indiana Department of Education.
She and her husband, Kent, have three grown children, Ian, Lillian, and Julia. In her free time she loves to travel, visit her family in Germany, cook, ice-skate, ride her bike, and spend time with her husband and children.
Jay Schools are on a 2 hour delay, Thursday, February 23, 2023.
It's time for another dual credit teacher spotlight! Mrs. Lisa Wood is yet another Jay County graduate. After graduating in 1983, she attended the University of Indianapolis where she earned a BS in nursing. She began her nursing career as an employee at Jay County Hospital. Lisa reports that assisting the delivery of babies was her preferred role while there. She went on to work in various nursing homes and as a home health care and hospice nurse. Then, after serving as the high school nurse for five years, Lisa joined the teaching faculty and has been in this role for the last ten years, during which time students have had the unique opportunity to learn from someone with a wealth of experience in the medical field. As part of her transition to teaching, Lisa wrote a children's book titled The Human Hotel. She has also been a certified CPR instructor and holds a variety of certifications in the medical field. Lisa currently teaches Principles of Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions, and Biomedical Innovations; all of these Project Lead the Way classes are dual credit offerings. Lisa also serves as co-sponsor of the Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) club. Students of this club have been responsible for serving the free meal at Asbury United Methodist Church on the 4th Monday of each month for the past few years. Lisa and her husband of 35 years, Steve, are the proud parents of Nate, Kelsey, and Drew, all of whom are also Jay County graduates. Lisa says she enjoys watching sci-fi movies and playing Texas Hold 'em in her spare hours. The accompanying photo shows students in the Biomedical Innovations class displaying their medical art projects.
Just a reminder that Jay Schools are in session on Presidents' Day, Monday, February 20, 2023.
The Early College program is excited to switch things up this week with a student spotlight. Destiny McManus is our first featured student. Destiny, a senior, will be attending IU East in Richmond beginning next school year. This motivated young lady has taken full advantage of the Early College program and the dual credit courses that we offer. As such, she will be enrolling as a sophomore! Upon graduation this spring, Destiny will have completed the Indiana College Core, earning 49 college credits as a high school student. Destiny has earned many accolades for her academic performance, including being chosen as the Portland Foundation's 2023 Lilly Foundation Scholarship recipient. Destiny is very involved with band and has many related achievements, including four gold Solo and Ensemble awards as a flutist. In November, she was selected for the East District IBA Honor Band. She was also a member of the marching band percussion section when they were honored as the outstanding percussion section at the Indiana State Fair Band Day competition in 2019 and again in 2021. Destiny will continue to share her musical abilities as a member of the IU East pep band. Please join us in congratulating Destiny and wishing her continued success! For more information on the Indiana College Core (ICC), please visit https://transferin.net/ways-to-earn-credit/statewide-transfer-general-education-core-stgec/ .
Yesterday, 58 students in the Early College program traveled to Anderson University to tour the campus and discover what the university has to offer. Students in the Early College program visit a different college campus each quarter. In the first two quarters of the current school year, students visited Butler and Manchester. Since the inception of the program, students have also had the opportunity to tour Purdue, IU, Ball State, St. Francis, UIndy, IUPUI, PFW (formerly IPFW), IU East, Taylor, Indiana Wesleyan, and Huntington. We aim to give our students opportunities to tour public and private schools of all sizes so that those who choose to attend can make informed choices. We are so grateful to have the support of the Rural Early College Network to assist us in making these visits possible. For more information about our partnership with RECN, visit https://cell.uindy.edu/our-work/early-college-high-school/recn-project.html .
Our third dual credit teacher spotlight features another Jay County grad. We are fortunate to have Katie Loy in our vocational department. Here is a bit about Katie in her own words:
I graduated from Jay County High School and went on to attend Ball State University for my bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication (2020). I then returned to earn a master's in Career and Technical Education (2022). I have had an active role on my family's farm since I was young, which is where I found my love and passion for agriculture. I began my career in education at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year as an ag teacher. I am proud to be back in the school and serving in the same role as some of my strongest supporters, doing the same for my students as my teachers once did for me. I teach Principles of Ag, Food Science, ALS Foods, and Ag Business for dual credit. I also am lucky to teach Intro to Ag for the 8th graders to get them excited about our high school department offerings. I am also proud to be an FFA advisor.
My husband Aaron and I are enjoying our newest adventure of being parents to our daughter Nora. In addition to that, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, adding the next species of livestock to our small farm, being involved with various non-profit organizations and boards in the community, and traveling when we get the chance.
The previously postponed Washington D.C. Pork Dinner is rescheduled for THIS Thursday evening, February 2nd. Bring your ticket and your appetite to door 25 at Jay County Jr-Sr High School between 5-7 pm. Your dinner will be delivered curbside!
Unfortunately, the Washington D.C. Pork Dinner Fundraiser scheduled for tonight is POSTPONED!!! T he Make up-date will be announced on MONDAY. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Jay Schools are closed today, Friday, January 27, 2023. A Remote Learning Day will be implemented.
Jay Schools are on a 2 hour delay tomorrow, Friday, January 27, 2023.
Reminder to all parents: January 26th, 2023 is our first Remote Learning Day. Please make sure your child is logged in and ready to participate in their online classes. The schedule has been communicated by your child’s school and/or teacher. If you need any assistance with technology or have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher. Let's make the most of this Remote Learning experience together!
If you want to learn more about Remote Learning, please visit https://sites.google.com/jayschools.k12.in.us/elearningvsremotelearning/home
This link can be found on the Jay School Corporation website (www.jayschoolcorp.org)
Jay Schools are closed Thursday, January 26, 2023. Remote Learning will be implemented.
It's time once again to feature one of our fabulous dual credit teachers! This time we're shining a spotlight on Mr. Zach Keller.
Mr. Keller is a 2008 Jay County High School graduate! We are so fortunate that he chose to return to Jay County after earning his degree from Huntington University. He is currently in his eleventh year as a member of the math department. Mr. Keller earned his master's degree in teaching mathematics from Indiana University East in 2020. He has taught a variety of dual credit classes, including College Algebra and Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry through Ivy Tech. Currently, he is teaching dual credit Calculus through a partnership with Indiana University.
Beyond the classroom, Mr. Keller devotes additional time to students by serving as a student council advisor and as a coach for the math academic team. Additionally, he has worked as an instructor for Ivy Tech and for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Summer Program.
Mr. Keller lives in Portland with his wife Heather and their children--son Thobe, daughter Decker, and exchange daughter Luna. In his spare time he enjoys reading, listening to records, participating in barbell club, and spending time with family and friends.
