A School District Embracing Progress in the Heart of Rural Indiana

Putting students first while offering educational innovation

Frankton-Lapel Community Schools (FLCS) is building a solid reputation as a district dedicated to student success, community engagement, and innovation in education. Guided by the motto ‘Changing Lives and Impacting Futures,’ the district is committed to creating a positive and impactful experience for students, educators and support staff.

A Focus on Connection

Relationships are at the heart of the district’s philosophy, as District Superintendent Sterling Boles imparts, “We talk about having grace for individuals, and also for the teaching and learning process, and how much easier it is if you have a good relationship with students.”

That sense of belonging extends to educators, and the district is working hard to be a destination not only for students but for teachers. Recruitment strategies include career fairs and social media outreach, but at its core, the district fosters a school-family culture where staff members feel valued and supported. “We work on retention and on making sure that staff members feel like they are an active part of the process, and of our school and what we’re trying to accomplish,” shares Boles. “We talk about how family comes first, and they talk about their family as their school family. That makes a difference in what we stand for as a district. It makes it kind of a special place.”

Early Learning and Academic Excellence

Recognizing the value of early childhood education, FLCS offers programs for the youngest learners. Chief Learning Officer, Wendy Smedley, recounts, “We offer preschool at both ends of our district and in our elementary we offer a four year old program. We’ve also partnered with the local YMCA to offer daycare for not only our community, but for our teachers and faculty and staff.” The district is also expanding the reach of its preschool through community programs such as On My Way, which offers financial assistance to families, helping to minimize financial barriers that come with early childhood.

When it comes to academic achievement, the FLCS took a proactive approach to lessen pandemic-related learning gaps. ” We were very adamant about in person learning, even during the pandemic,” asserts Smedley. “We offered virtual as well, but when we could come back, we did. That helped us as far as decreasing the amount of gaps that we could have sustained.”

In addition, the state endorsed Science of Reading program has been a valuable tool in helping students who may have fallen behind. “We have teachers that have completed that certification and those who are working towards that, just to help us with any kind of gaps. We were strong to begin with, it was just a matter of getting the kids there and in person to maintain that strength,” she says.

One of the district’s most significant investments is in professional development through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). “We have 11 teachers that have gone through a two year training session through Indiana University, and now they’re training cohorts throughout the district. They take two or three colleagues and work with them throughout the year to implement Universal Design for Learning,” elaborates Smedley.

“It just speaks volumes that we have internal coaches that are willing to teach their peers and colleagues. The fact that we can do that internally and learn from each other, it just snowballs into better collaboration and better teaching and learning for our students.”

Innovations in Virtual and Blended Learning

Even before the pandemic, the district noticed the growing demand for virtual learning options. “We were losing Frankton-Lapel students to some big box school districts, who have partnered with some out of state companies to provide virtual learning,” expands Boles.

“We took a look at the numbers, and we said, we can meet the needs of those kids, and then they’ll get a Frankton-Lapel diploma.” Although this program was implemented at the high school level prior to the pandemic, it was expanded to elementary students during COVID to provide families with virtual options. “We no longer offer elementary, but we still have a strong virtual secondary program at this time,” he adds.

Frankton-Lapel has partnered with e-learning provider Edmentum, helping to support virtual students with career pathways. In addition, student success coaches have been hired to further assist with online learning. Smedley maintains, “Like anything else, you can turn students loose on a virtual platform, but they still need that coach and that facilitator to help them through the program.”

As for the expanded online options, Boles acknowledges, “We found through surveys and conversations that we had students going to college who had never taken a virtual class, and we had some online kids that were doing credit recovery, and so we started offering blended learning to try to better prepare them for college, and to offer them online opportunities.”

Investing in Facilities and Safety

To complement these enhanced online offerings, FLCS has updated its media centers, creating a more welcoming environment for learning. “We brought in different furniture and tried to make it an inviting place, because we realized with the internet and access to different resources, learning is not always going to be in a book,” Boles describes. “In one of them we’ve put in windows, we’ve got modern furniture that’s kind of relaxing and offers neat places and areas for them to work. It’s been well received, and it’s made a difference on the amount of traffic in our media center.”

Other facility upgrades include secure keyless entry points for staff, and secured entryways in all buildings. “A few years ago, we moved the football field back to the High School, which was kind of a big deal to get it reconnected instead of being a mile down the road,” adds Boles. “Also, we’ve done STEM labs at both of our secondary schools, as a way to promote our curriculum for hands-on activities and help students better understand the concepts they’re learning in the classroom.”

Another initiative is the addition of solar fields, contributing to energy savings, and providing a valuable learning opportunity for students. “We have a kiosk in our southern buildings so classes can look at that to see how much energy we’re saving,” Boles reports. “One building is 85% efficient, meaning the fields provide 85% electricity, and the other one is 100%.”

Career Readiness and Community Partnerships

Preparing students for life after graduation is a key initiative for Frankton-Lapel Schools, and in an effort to ensure every student has a clear post-secondary path, the district has revamped its approach to career pathways.

“This year was our first year with a work based learning teacher for the district, and she’s helping to establish our foundation for internships and potentially apprenticeships, making connections with businesses in the community,” Smedley conveys. As a rural district students have opportunities to explore careers related to agriculture, as well as manufacturing, automotive and healthcare options, working for companies such as MoFab, Reynolds Farm Equipment, and Community Hospital.

“We also have received a grant for a career awareness software program that we’ve implemented even at the elementary through junior high level, so that we can start those conversations younger,” Boles details. The intention is to get students thinking about their interests, skills and potential career options, prior to selecting a pathway in the eighth grade which will carry them into high school.

“Before in the district pathways were seen as a last resort way to get a diploma,” admits Boles. “We’ve really kind of changed the mindset here. We’re going to be proactive. You’re going to have a pathway, and you may or may not complete it, depending on what you end up choosing to do in high school. But instead of trying to backload classes during senior year, we’re trying to make them select pathways during that eighth grade year to promote our career awareness.”

A Commitment to Excellence

As the district moves forward, financial responsibility, safety, and community engagement remain top priorities. “I want to put systems in place that are there for the duration. Because in education now, it’s not like it used to be. People used to go to work in a district, and they would stay there 35 years and retire. We have more transitions now because there’s more opportunity,” stresses Boles.

For Smedley, Frankton-Lapel Community Schools’ strength lies in its people. “We have generations of families, and it’s not just because no one ever moves, we have teachers that move away, or families that maybe move away, and then they come back,” she portrays.

“There is a sense of family and caring, and knowing your student is going to be taken care of. It’s not always about all the most shiny, newest initiatives in technology and things like that. We are teaching students how to learn and to be lifelong learners.”

At a Glance

Who: Frankton-Lapel Community Schools
What: A rural k-12 school district rich with opportunities.
Where: Anderson, Indiana.
Website: www.flcs.k12.in.us