Return of School Year
Yesterday was the return of the school year for most elementary and secondary students residing in Monroe County. Please be aware that your commute time will likely increase now that parents and buses will be sharing the roads during the morning and afternoon hours, bringing students to and from schools. Be extra conscientious of children at bus stops, and never pass a school bus with red flashing lights.
Alongside the return of most local students to school, is the announcement that Templeton Elementary School will soon be completed with phase one of their new playground, which has been under construction for much of the calendar year. The project is slated to debut the larger and more accessible play area toward the end of September. The first phase includes new playground equipment, outdoor learning areas, and a perimeter which is improved for safety. Once completed, the property will be opened up to members of the community from 6-9pm throughout the week, and during daylight on weekends. The total cost of the project comes in at just shy of $3.5 Million, paid for through an MCCSC general obligation bond.
Urban Forrestry Grant
Community Roots Program funding is available to community-based nonprofit organizations to help support urban forestry projects in underserved and often overlooked communities. Applications are accepted through August 12. Details available at Arborday dot org
Bloomington City Council to host session on homelessness
Bloomington City Council invites housed and unhoused community members, relevant city staff, and social service agencies serving the needs of unhoused residents to attend a consensus-building activity session on street homelessness. The Council invites anyone with interest or experience to attend and participate in a collaborative discussion on this topic. The session will be facilitated by the Community Justice and Mediation Center.
The driving question of the meeting will be: “What actions should the city council take to address street homelessness and support the work of others addressing street homelessness?” The Council seeks to achieve the following objectives in this session:
- To identify actionable policies, legislation, and funding priorities to address street homelessness.
- To build consensus on legislative priorities and budget allocations.
- To identify follow-up actions to make the above possible.
The Common Council values community input to help develop effective and sustainable policies to address street homelessness. “While Mayor Thomson has engaged in extensive discussions on the topic of homelessness ever since she took office (and before), the City Council can also play a positive role,” said Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith. “This session will help us to identify how we can use the tools of the Council to help our unhoused neighbors as well as the community as a whole in the face of this growing national problem.”
The Council will hold this session on Wednesday, August 14th at 6:30 pm in City Council Chambers (City Hall, 401 N. Morton St.), in lieu of its Regular Session meeting. Please consult the Council’s webpage for more information or email council@bloomington.in.gov.
Indiana Teacher of the Year Finalists
Officials with the Indiana Department of Education announced the state’s Top 10 Teacher of the Year finalists for 2025. The following finalists are ‘making a difference for Hoosier students’:
- Justin Allison, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
- Dayna Cade, Plainfield Community School Corporation
- Chet Dixon, Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation
- Molly Fountain, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
- Chelsea Haneline, Huntington County Community School Corporation
- Ellie Minoque, Tippecanoe School Corporation
- Graciela Miranda, Metropolitan School District of Pike Township
- Nicole Schadek, Purdue Polytechnic High School
- Susan Marie Shell, Michigan City Area Schools
- Shelly Swain, Richmond Community Schools
The Indiana Teacher of the Year will be announced this fall. For more information about the award, click here.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson