Civil Municipal - June 2024

of its adult population graduated high school and over 37% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Its median household income tops $76,000 per year. So, it’s not surprising that the town is also home to Yorktown Community Schools; a top-notch, high- performing school district. Yorktown Community Schools serves approximately 2,800 students over four campuses: Pleasant View Elementary School (K-2), Yorktown Elementary School (3-5), Yorktown Middle School (6-8), and Yorktown High School (9-12). Its mission according to Superintendent, Dr. Greg Hinshaw, is “to provide all students an excellent educational opportunity. ‘Commitment, Excellence, and Opportunity’– that is the vision statement we adopted some years ago,” he recounts. THE EARLY YEARS In Yorktown Community Schools, the commitment to its students begins in a child’s earliest years, those between kindergarten and third grade, when they develop their foundational skills in reading, writing, math, science and technology, social studies, and language and literacy. Building a strong base early is critical to future academic success. For example, students who can read at grade level by third grade are more likely to graduate from high school than those who cannot. In addition to staying abreast of the current research and literature on best practices for K-3 education, including what is known as PBL (Problem-Based Learning), Dr. David Sturgeon, the district’s Director of Education Initiatives, reports that Yorktown has been at the forefront of implementing Indiana’s most recent statewide science and reading legislation. “Our stated goal is a 95% passing rate for all third graders to be reading at third-grade level,” he avers. “We’re on the cusp of it; we fluctuate between 90 and 93%. And I believe our teachers and administrators have the passion and drive to do what we can to ensure that no student is left unserved.” LEADING THE WAY IN STEM EDUCATION In addition, STEAM education that integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM subjects) with the arts starts in elementary schools and continues through high school.“We have added 221 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 06 YORKTOWN COMMUNI TY SCHOOLS