**Rick Retires!**
After four years of dedicated service as our CPCSC Communications Coordinator, Rick Hightower is retiring. During his time with us, Rick was responsible for managing all of our social media platforms, capturing thousands of photos, and posting stories that provided families with a glimpse into the happenings at our schools. He also sent out important messages through ParentSquare and social media, and acted as our liaison with the media, coordinating their visits to cover significant educational events.
With 25 years of experience as a television news reporter and 14 years in public communications, Rick has made a remarkable impact. He and his wife, Cathy, are relocating west to be closer to their six children and 18 grandchildren. We wish you the best in your retirement, Rick!
2024-2025 End of Year Awards Celebration!
Whiteland Elementary hosted its end-of-year award ceremony on Wednesday. All grades were celebrated in separate sessions for their academic achievements. Congratulations to the students!
WES Teacher Mrs. Villarreal has been awarded the IDOE Distinguished Educator Recognition.
This prestigious award honors teachers who exemplify the highest standards of education in the state of Indiana. Recipients are emerging leaders who demonstrate leadership both inside and outside the classroom, positively influence school culture, and contribute to student achievement, all while having between 5 to 15 years of experience. Congratulations, Mrs. Villarreal, on this well-deserved honor!
CPCSC Early Release Day Wednesday, May 28, 2025!
Clark-Pleasant Schools will have an Early Release Day on Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Kindergarten students at Break-O-Day Elementary had a wonderful opportunity when they invited their parents and grandparents to school to read with them. The children's faces lit up with joy as they showcased their reading skills to their family members.
On Thursday, the 4th graders at Ray Crowe Elementary held a Famous Hoosiers Wax Museum. Some of the notable figures represented included big George McGinnis, astronaut Gus Grissom, Ray Crowe himself, James Dean, and Wilbur Wright, among others. This event provided a valuable lesson in state history as students learned about these famous Hoosiers!
**District Literacy Contest Announcement!**
Ruby Butler, the Culture & Belonging Coordinator, recognized the winners of the "3rd Annual CPCSC District Literacy Contest" at a school board meeting on Wednesday night. Students in grades 3-12 were allowed to showcase their poetry skills, with nearly 200 poems submitted this year!
The theme of the contest was “Moving Forward Together: Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” Here are the winners:
- **Division I (Grades 3-5)**: Dallas Steffes, 5th Grade, Clark Elementary School
- **Division II (Grades 6-8)**: Manvith Tanneru, 6th Grade, Clark Pleasant Middle School
- **Editor's Choice**: Elizabeth Maspawnge, 4th Grade, Ray Crowe Elementary School
Ray Crowe Elementary School took home the District Literacy Trophy! Congratulations to all participants!
Duke Energy recognized Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation with the "BEE (Business Energy Excellence)" Award, highlighting the recent participation by the Corporation in Duke's energy efficiency programs. The check presentation was made during this week's school board meeting.
Perfect!
Dr. Edsell recognized CPCSC students who received a perfect score on the Spring 2025 IREAD-3 Assessment during Wednesday evening's school board meeting. Congratulations to the following students on their perfect scores!
Eliam Fernandez
Manreet Dhillon
Quentin Nsiiro
Elana Van Deman
Julian Huesman-Ellis
Aubrey Koharchick
Ezra Reisz
Gunveer Saini
Lucas Weil
Ryan Faust
Kolton Gilbreath
Koto Hoskins
Jacob Lian
Stephen Luckett
Angela Mawii
Leon Fetz
Arthur Young
Bentley Buckallew
Kyson Craig
Rowan Holley
Silas Jones
Reyna Reynolds
Tailen Ross
Alexandra Statom
**Celebrating Excellence!**
Congratulations to our May 2025 Certified Employee of the Month, Jennifer Gragg, a 6th Grade English Teacher at CPMS, and our May 2025 Classified Employee of the Month, Gilberto Ramos, the Head Custodian at CPMS. Both individuals were recognized by Dr. John Schilawski at the school board meeting on Wednesday evening.
Memorial Day 2025 is Monday, May 26th!
Memorial Day is for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States.
There will be no school on Monday.
E-SPORTS WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN!
In just two years, our CPMS E-Sports Team has secured the state championship title twice. Mr. Rinehold and the team were recognized during Wednesday's school board meeting. Congratulations to them on this incredible achievement!
Whiteland FFA earned three State Champion titles last week. All students qualified for the National FFA Competition in October.
Jackson Brown was the state winner in Goat Production Proficiency, Jack Kelsay was the state winner in Diversified Agriculture Proficiency. The Nursery Landscape team, made up of Jack Kelsay, Lillian Nick, Cazmin Tomamichel, and Emily Neer, also won the state champion honors
All of these FFA Champions were honored during Wednesday evening's school board meeting.
Our 4th and 5th grade students at WES had a blast on Wednesday, May 21st exploring chemistry with WCHS students! After a short presentation on STEM careers, students dove into a fun pH experiment. A big thank you to Cooper Adams and Mrs. Spicer for making this experience possible. A big THANK YOU to Bob Evans on 135 for their generous donation!
Congratulations to WCHS students Freddie Bast and Iris Cook, who were recognized during Wednesday evening's school board meeting by Dr. Edsell for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
Congratulations to our CPMS Bands on a wonderful final concert on Tuesday! The students played wonderfully, our WCHS Band joined the 8th graders for the Fight Song, Mr. Sampson & Ms. Briel were given Legacy Awards from Seniors Jonas Ferrando & Ben Ambler, & Mr. Beck (Social Studies Teacher at CPMS) made his conducting debut as Doc Brown from Back to the Future! In addition, 5 8th grade students were awarded the "Director's Award" for 2025: Jack Diener, Pippa Gilbert, Stefan Milenkovic, Christopher Rodriguez, & Conner Sampson. Congratulations to all students & directors!
In addition, Band Director Ms. Briel received the 2024-2025 Indiana Outstanding Music Educator of the year from the National Federation of High Schools. Mick Bridgewater, Executive Director of ISSMA was at the concert to present the award.
CPCSC Early Release Day Wednesday, May 28, 2025!
Clark-Pleasant Schools will have an Early Release Day on Wednesday, May 28, 2025
The Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation School Board has been recognized by the Indiana School Boards Association
(ISBA) with an Exemplary Governance Award (EGA) for calendar year 2024 for demonstrating an outstanding
commitment to student success and professional learning.
Only 124 school boards in the State of Indiana earned awards through the EGA program this year.
The awards are conferred annually across four levels of distinction based on the points earned by school board
members for attending ISBA seminars, workshops, conferences, and other learning events, as well as the
completion of certain additional criteria, such as a retreat with an outside facilitator and goal setting to
elevate student achievement outcomes.
“On behalf of ISBA, I would like to commend this most exceptional group of school boards and school board
members,” said ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin. “School boards perform a vital public service for their
communities, and board members who actively participate in professional learning are better equipped to
govern effectively and meet the needs of students.”
Award recipients were formally recognized at ISBA’s Spring Regional Meetings during the month of May.
In addition to the board-level accolades, 239 school board members earned individual EGA awards.
ISBA provides a full range of professional learning opportunities at dozens of events throughout the year to
inform and educate school board members about best practices, legislative issues, policy development, school
law, and more.
For a complete list of individual and board award recipients for the 2024 award year, please visit
https://www.isba-ind.org/ega.html.
Join us for some family fun!!
BOLD Academy!
PLEASE NOTE: More information and registration can be found at www.LeadershipJohnsonCounty.org.
