When Concord High School graduate Diamond Burdine stares at himself in the room full of mirrors where he spends hours each week, he sees an Indiana University South Bend student with ambitions of becoming a professional dancer. But he saw something very different five years ago.&nbsp;Back then — before he joined Concord's Best Dance Crew — he saw a troubled teen who bounced among more than a dozen foster homes. He saw someone who'd just been arrested. He saw someone who would end up in jail.&nbsp;He saw a lot of things, but he didn't see hope.&nbsp;But now he’s taking home top honors from the Tremaine Dance Competition with the school's dance team and auditioning for “America's Got Talent” with the dance crew. He doesn’t have time to make trouble.&nbsp;"I was a foster kid. I really didn't care about anyone else's feelings, I didn't care about the world," Burdine said. "Dance sent me to a whole different world."&nbsp;Rich Matteson came on as the CHS resource officer about seven years ago, and very early in his time there he recognized the at-risk students and the challenges they were facing: peer pressure to join gangs or do drugs for the guys, teen pregnancy and self-esteem issues for the girls.&nbsp;But he noticed something else. Many of the kids notorious for making trouble were also the ones doing flips off bleachers and chairs, or dancing in the bathrooms and hallways during lunch.&nbsp;They were not the typical athletes, not like the football players, wrestlers or baseball players. They showed promise as dancers. That was the start of Concord’s Best Dance Crew.&nbsp;“The number of students ending up in jail and following in the wrong footsteps of parents, it’s astronomical,” Matteson said. “We have to find a way of pointing these kids in a different direction and giving them a way out.”&nbsp;Matteson recruited a handful of at-risk kids and gave them a set of strict stipulations: Show up every day after school for practice, keep grades up and racking up discipline referrals means dismissal from the team. The after-school practices were very intentional, Matteson said.&nbsp;“Most kids, especially young men and ladies in their position, they go home to an empty house or to a house where things aren’t going so well,” he said. “They turn to the street, running the streets all hours of the night. Getting arrested or involved in gang activity. But the dancers are here late at night; they don’t have that opportunity.”&nbsp;He teamed up with Stephanie Pairitz, who came to Concord to lead the existing dance program in 2009. Pairitz, who also acts as a coach, a mentor and a mom, said the dancers feel at home in their corner of the high school.&nbsp;They know they have an adult to talk to if they’re having a hard time or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich waiting for them if their cupboards are bare. For the original guys on Concord’s Best Dance Crew, that has made all the difference.&nbsp;“If Concord’s Best Dance Crew had never started, I would probably be in jail. Probably wouldn’t have graduated high school, to be honest,” Burdine said. “As soon as I joined, I learned from a lot of people that, hey, that’s not the way to go.”<h2>‘A SOUL THING’&nbsp;</h2>Burdine is just one of the success stories from Concord’s dance program.&nbsp;There’s also David Garcia, a junior, who started hanging out with so-called friends who were getting involved with gangs, drugs and alcohol. But then he joined the dance crew.&nbsp;“Ever since that, my life has changed,” he said. “These are the only people I hang out with. We have this bond. I feel like it’s unbreakable.”&nbsp;And there is Shimmy Sar, a senior who grew a passion for dancing by watching Michael Jackson videos.&nbsp;“I was conceited and thought I was better than everyone here,” he said. “I don’t like to ask for help, but I made a new family.”&nbsp;The success goes beyond the anecdotal evidence, Pairitz said. Every student who has committed to Concord’s Best Dance Crew has graduated from high school.&nbsp;That’s a 100 percent graduation rate, compared to the school’s rate of 87.5 percent. So, why has dance proven so successful at keeping kids in school?&nbsp;“Arts touch human beings in a way that nothing else can,” Pairitz said. “It touches our spirits. It’s a soul thing.”&nbsp;She said it gives students an outlet to express themselves and provides a distraction from their personal battles.&nbsp;One dancer lost her home and all her belongings in a fire her freshman year. Another was embroiled in a legal battle with her stepfather. Both said dance practice was a welcome escape from the confusion in their lives.&nbsp;The dance program is also successful because students get to act cool and listen to popular music, Pairitz said, but they’re not doing stupid things like stealing or getting in fights.&nbsp;“It fulfills that desire to go outside of your normal self and to live it,” she said.&nbsp;And, as insignificant as they might seem, it has to do with the mirrors that line three walls in the dance studio. They encourage introspection, Pairitz said.&nbsp;"It pushes you to be calm and incredibly aware of who you are and who you want to be," she said. "it's about taking up space, not trying to be invisible."&nbsp;<h2>‘AN AWARENESS THEY CAN DO ANYTHING’&nbsp;</h2>Pairitz trained as a professional dancer and spent time performing on national and international stages.&nbsp;She wants to give her students that same opportunity. “I knew that anything I really put my focus on I can really achieve,” she said. “That’s the most powerful thing to give to the next generation, is an awareness they can do anything.”&nbsp;With the financial support of the Elkhart community and scholarships from Tremaine, Pairitz took the team to regional and national competitions, where they challenged dancers from professional schools and studios.

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Concord High School dance program provides troubled teens with a way out

• Maintained relationships with the superintendents and school boards of Elkhart County's seven public school districts.&nbsp;• Visited all 55 public schools in the newspaper’s coverage area to learn from teachers and students in order to highlight positive and innovative education experiences.• Served on PBS panel discussion regarding standardized test scores alongside politicians and superintendents.

Education Reporter

education

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - Cool jazz tunes from Dave Brubeck waft down the hallways of the Roosevelt STEAM Academy.The music is heard outside of classrooms where students are tapping away on their keyboards or programming robots. In other areas of the school, it is drowned out by the sound of third-graders playing songs such as “Hot Cross Buns” on their wind and string instruments.The soft soundtrack played over the school’s loudspeaker is just one way the school is incorporating music into its daily operations.On Tuesday, musicians from the Longy School of Music of Bard College sat side by side with students and learned what has been happening at the school since it underwent a transformation at the beginning of the year.In addition to being the first school in Elkhart County to take a STEAM - science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics - approach to learning, the school is one of the first in the country to implement a music program known as El Sistema.El Sistema is a music education program from Venezuela that uses rigorous music study to develop contributing and productive citizens.Emily Kubitskey, the wind ensemble director of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and an El Sistema advocate, observed the program in action and said she was impressed to see the level of support and collaboration already in place at Roosevelt.“It’s incredible,” she told The Elkhart Truth.El Sistema was designed to serve the neediest students with the fewest resources, making Roosevelt a good test site for the program.Eighty percent of the school’s students qualify for free- or reduced-price meals, according to the Indiana Department of Education, and a quarter of them are English language learners.But El Sistema seems to be overcoming those challenges using music, the visitors noted.Each third-grader at Roosevelt is assigned an instrument - families were not required to pay anything extra to cover the costs - and they play together regularly as an ensemble.On the white board in Todd Neuenschwander’s music classroom is a guide to how students should act in orchestra.“Always act in a way that helps the group get better,” it reads in the center.From that bubble are arrows to directions like “Be responsible, “Use kindness in your voice,” ”Work together to solve problems” and “Come to school every day.”Bradley Sheppard, director of secondary instruction for Elkhart Community Schools, said those ideas also apply to being a good citizen.Kubitskey pointed out that that is what El Sistema is about - schools are not teaching students to play the flute to become a classical musician, but rather to be a strong leader.The Roosevelt students performed their first concert at an open house Dec. 17, when parents were invited to see what kind of projects are in the works.School events like literacy nights rarely get a large turnout, but more than 500 showed up to Roosevelt Elementary that night.Roosevelt Principal Jeff Komins said it was that night that he realized just how much of a difference El Sistema is making.He said students were dragging their parents around the building to show off their projects, and parents were comfortable in the school setting.Students are also excited about the program.Third-grader Maylina Forest-Shuler, who likes playing the drums and bells, said she feels smarter and knows more words since she has learned an instrument.She also said the daily music lessons help with the rest of her schoolwork.“It helps you to focus more because you have more hands-on and more learning to do,” she said.Although El Sistema and the focus on the arts is a central and unique program at Roosevelt, it is only one of five emphasized topics. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are also taught at the academy.The STEAM approach allows students to explore those topics through hands-on lessons in and out of the classroom.Students toured Conn-Selmer in October to learn about how the instruments - the same ones they play each day at school - are made.They started at the end of the tour, examining the completed instruments that come out of the major Elkhart-based instrument manufacturer, and then doubled back and watched as a tube of metal was shaped into a flute with a lip plate and keys.And at the Dec. 17 open house, students were demonstrating how they had programmed robots to score soccer goals.“It all becomes infused,” said John Hill, Elkhart Community School’s assistant superintendent for instruction. “When we stop looking at subjects in isolation, students start connecting.”Because it is only the first year of the STEAM Academy at Roosevelt, it is too early to look at quantitative measures of success like test scores or attendance rates.But stories from teachers, students, parents and administrators indicate the approach is changing the school for the better.Komins said requiring all students to wear a uniform takes the focus off of trendy clothing and puts it back on learning, resulting in better behavior among students.Retired teacher Jan Thomas, who taught orchestra for 22 years, can also testify to the better behavior. She volunteers as a mentor in the music classes and said she was impressed by how well Roosevelt students behave in the hallway.“Kids are paying better attention in class, they’re not sitting there like little machines,” she said. “They are all working together to help each other do something really good. How can it not succeed?”

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New music curriculum helps struggling school change its tune

On International Day of the Girl, KidzToPros celebrates the girls of the world and their limitless potential! The International Day of the Girl was declared by the United Nations to bring attention to the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment. It has been celebrated annually on Oct. 11 since 2012.&nbsp;“Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion,” the United Nations writes in recognition of the day. “As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movements, girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and future generations.”&nbsp;The United Nations has created a list of goals to achieve by 2030 as a roadmap for progress, and achieving women’s empowerment “is integral to each of the goals.”&nbsp;At KidzToPros, we believe that one of the best ways we can empower girls is to prepare them for the jobs of the future. According to the 2020 Jobs of Tomorrow report from the World Economic Forum, four of the seven fastest-growing career clusters involve computer science, data analysis, engineering and cloud computing. Hiring managers will be looking for technical skills when hiring for those jobs, so let’s give our girls a head start by helping them learn to code as early as possible.&nbsp;Even if a girl isn’t interested in a career in computer science or engineering, coding skills can be applied to other careers and other aspects of life. Coding teaches students to think in a different way and view the world more critically. It also requires an abundance of attention to detail, which many employers say is lacking in today’s jobseekers.&nbsp;The number of jobs that require some coding knowledge is expected to grow exponentially as we see more AI-powered robots and programs becoming a core part of many different industries.&nbsp;In celebration of International Day of the Girl, here are 5 ways you can empower the girls in your life to learn to code.&nbsp;<h2>1. Provide hands-on learning opportunities&nbsp;</h2>Introducing children to STEM learning can start as soon as they are toddlers playing with their first block set. The wooden blocks help encourage problem-solving skills and creative thinking — the possibilities of things to build is virtually endless.&nbsp;When the next birthday or holiday rolls around, consider buying a young girl in your life a toy that develops STEM skills. Amazon has a category devoted to STEM learning toys, which can be filtered based on age, price and ratings.&nbsp;<h2>2. Ask for help around the house&nbsp;</h2>The next time your Internet router needs reset or a wire wiggled loose on your television, consider asking your daughter to help fix it. They’ll need to practice problem-solving to complete the task, and the fact that you asked for help will build their confidence and sense of self-worth.&nbsp;Bonus: If you are a coder yourself, invite your daughter to keep you company while you finish up a few work projects. Letting her see what a job in STEM looks like will broaden her horizon.&nbsp;<h2>3. Ask your school to add coding classes or offer to lead a coding club&nbsp;</h2>Although computer science is a driving force in the U.S. economy and accounts for much of the future job growth, the subject remains marginalized in public education systems — especially in the younger grades.&nbsp;Now that most schools across the country have invested in 1:1 technology programs that provide computers for every student, the infrastructure is already in place to introduce coding in the classroom.&nbsp;KidzToPros has created ready-to-use curriculum that is teacher-trusted and easy to implement. If your school does not seem receptive to adding coding to the curriculum, you could offer to start an after-school coding club. Girls Who Code is one already existing network of clubs that allows girls to explore coding in a fun and friendly environment.&nbsp;Not only do girls learn the technical skills, but they’re also exposed to positive female role models with coding experience. Girls Who Code clubs are free to start and are targeted to girls in Grades 3-12.&nbsp;<h2>4. Spend time on the computer together&nbsp;</h2>This may seem counterintuitive to most advice that urges parents to get their kids outside and active, but the Internet can be a wonderful tool to help empower girls.&nbsp;Spend an hour or two in the evening or on weekends exploring free games and programs that teach coding in a fun and approachable way. Listed below are a few of the most popular free coding websites for kids: CodeMonkey: Move a monkey around the screen using code to fetch all the bananas stolen by a gorilla.&nbsp;The code used by the game, called Coffee Script, is in compliance with Javascript and is presented in a simple manner. The game includes 250 free challenges. ScratchJr: With this simple programming language, children can snap colorful blocks together to make characters move, run and sing. Scratch uses the same principles as any other coding language, but is fun for kids.&nbsp;Not only does ScratchJr provide a coding foundation, it allows young children to express themselves creatively. (KidzToPros offers several Scratch coding courses. An instructor will lead a small group through Scratch to improve their coding skills, creativity, reasoning and problem-solving.)&nbsp;<h2>5. Sign up for a KidzToPros Online Coding &amp; Game Design Course&nbsp;</h2>KidzToPros offers one- and two-week Online Coding &amp; Game Design programs. The project-based curriculum helps children reach proficiency in popular design and coding software. The programs prepare kids for high-demand careers by engaging them with fun and accessible projects like games, apps and robots. Courses are available for students in Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5 and Grades 6-12.&nbsp;The lineup of courses offers popular programs like Minecraft, Roblox, Python, Java, Web Design and Digital 3D modeling. The online courses are limited to 5 students each, which allows each student to receive personalized attention while also learning collaboration and teamwork skills.&nbsp;Learn more and enroll in a course today on the KidzToPros website.

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5 ways to empower girls and help them learn to code

Offer story-driven marketing services in the areas of content, design, strategy and development. Selected projects and accomplishments: Directed content strategy for Futurestay as the SaaS start-up successfully raised $11 million in Series A funding.<ul><li>• Used content (including webinars, ebooks, video, case studies, press releases, blogs &amp; more) to drive a 533% increase in organic traffic</li></ul>Served as the director of digital communications for the grassroots campaign of U.S. Congressional candidate Pat Hackett.<ul><li>• Earned media coverage from the New York Times, Newsweek, Marie Claire, NBC News, Time Magazine, among others</li><li>• 75% of voters contacted through campaign turned out to vote, compared with just 47% overall turnout</li></ul>Acted as copy lead on agile sprint testing campaigns. Used in-depth discovery work and user personas to draft, test &amp; iterate on messaging to drive growth.<ul><li>• Reduced CPC by 53% for electric vehicle rental start-up Borrow</li><li>• Achieved a CPI 33% lower than global iOS average for Morty, an app for escape room enthusiasts</li></ul>

Creative Director & Founder

technology

Baker wasn’t authorized to act as a police officer in Kentucky, council saysOfficers in the Kentucky State University police department would have lost $3,100 in annual pay if officials hadn’t terminated Belinda Baker’s employment.KSU jeopardized its participation in the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund by appointing Baker as interim director of University Safety and Security Affairs, according to correspondence obtained by The State Journal.A letter to KSU President Mary Sias dated March 14 said Baker is not authorized to act as a police officer in Kentucky — “not authorized” was underlined in the letter.“I must also advise you that in the event the University chooses to continue to allow Ms. Baker to act as chief of police, additional steps will be taken to remove the KSU Police Department from the KLEFP fund,” Dana Todd, legal counsel to the Department of Criminal Justice Training and the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, wrote in the letter.The fund pays each officer a $3,100 stipend per year so long as the department remains compliant with Peace Officer Professional Standards.State law outlines 17 minimum requirements to be a certified police officer in Kentucky.Some are minor, like being a U.S. citizen and possessing a valid driver’s license. Others require testing of agility and psychological suitability. To be certified in Kentucky, an officer must also not have had certification permanently revoked in another state.Even after the minimum requirements are met, an officer has no authority or power to act as a police officer in Kentucky until KLEC has verified the certification.“Ms. Baker has been contacted previously by KLEC to request her immediate submission of documentation to demonstrate her credentials and she has been advised by KLEC Executive&nbsp;Director Larry D. Ball that she does not have law enforcement authority within the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Todd wrote in the letter.&nbsp;“Please accept this letter as a formal notice to you that Ms. Baker has not submitted any of the requested documentation to KLEC to date.”Baker was originally offered the position of acting chief of police, which requires candidates to be certified law enforcement officers in Kentucky. But her offer was later amended to the position of interim director of University Safety and Security Affairs, which required only the eligibility to become certified.“Regardless of her announced job title, Ms. Baker is in fact presently acting as the Chief of the University’s police department,” Todd wrote in the letter.An investigation by DOCJT and KLEC revealed Baker was assigned an unmarked police vehicle equipped with blue emergency lights —&nbsp;a vehicle that, by law, may only be operated by a certified police officer.In her response to Todd’s letter, Sias said she was not aware of Baker’s lack of certification.“Please be assured that KSU seeks to remain eligible for participation in the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund (KLEFPF) and to comply with all KLEC requirements pertaining to police officer certification,” Sias wrote in the letter.&nbsp;“The stipend support that KLEFPF affords our officers is critical and we are fortunate to have access to this resource.”Baker was terminated March 31, according to a document obtained by The State Journal.Todd also admonished Sias for not informing KLEC within five days that former chief Stephanie Bastin had been fired and replaced by Baker.In a letter dated March 26, Sias assured Todd the university would comply with notification law.&nbsp;She also noted Barbara Hayes was named acting director of University Safety and Security Affairs, effective March 28. Assistant Chief Tiua Chilton assumed the role of acting director Monday when she returned from a leave of absence.The situation at KSU was not Baker’s first brush with certification issues. A lawsuit was filed at Delaware State University, where Baker has returned to serve as deputy chief of police.According to the lawsuit, filed in 2011 by former DSU police officer Stephanie Smith against the university, tension was high in the police department when Baker was issued a handgun despite lacking proper certification.“Although Baker was hired in the summer of 2006, she was not certified as a police officer under the Delaware Council of Police Training program until April 2009,” according to the court file.&nbsp;“Under COPT regulations, a person must be certified before carrying a firearm and wearing a badge as a police officer.”On Oct. 26, 2006, Baker’s supervisor, Department of Public Safety Chief James Overton, issued her a handgun to qualify at the shooting range.“Smith complained to Overton, and then to COPT administrator Major Harry Downes, that Baker had been permitted to carry a firearm without first receiving the necessary COPT certification,” according to the file.The role of director of University Safety and Security Affairs has been posted to a job site, although it only requires applicants to be eligible to become a State of Kentucky Certified Law Enforcement Officer.

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Records reveal Kentucky State University funding at risk under interim safety head

• Reported on education legislation from Kentucky's capitol with articles detailing the impact on teachers, students and taxpayers.&nbsp;• Filed dozens of open records requests and earned the trust of internal sources to expose a pattern of wrongful terminations by a state-funded university.&nbsp;• Monitored and engaged with members of the community through online channels to ensure the newspaper delivered relevant content.

Education Reporter & Web Producer

In 2014, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. hoped to become one of the first school districts in the country to offer free prekindergarten programming to all families. To fund the initiative, the district asked taxpayers to approve a referendum that would add 5 cents per $100 assessed valuation to their property tax bill.I spent the two months leading up to the election reporting on the referendum. A series of 9 articles published in The Republic examined the financial impact of the tax increase, the benefits of prekindergarten education and how the district planned to execute the new program.Taxpayers did not approve the tax increase, but my reporting was recognized by Indiana's Associated Press Media Editors.Check out a few clippings from the 9-piece series below:&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed">
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4 Is The New 5: Making The Case For Universal Pre-K

• Developed relationships and built trust with school and health leaders as a beat reporter.• Delivered daily news content while also working on in-depth investigative pieces.• Studied complex issues in health and education and distilled the information into interesting and informative articles.

Topic: education

Articles

Concord High School dance program provides troubled teens with a way out

New music curriculum helps struggling school change its tune

5 ways to empower girls and help them learn to code

Records reveal Kentucky State University funding at risk under interim safety head

4 Is The New 5: Making The Case For Universal Pre-K