Noblesville Schools is Our School Choice
The Miller Man signage greets students, teachers and visitors at the NHS main entrance.
When I was a kid, I rarely heard of any students attending classes other than at public schools.
But today, my Noblesville High School junior daughter finds that several of her friends outside of NHS are choosing alternative education, and many are being homeschooled.
Last week was National School Choice Week.
It was created to inform, inspire and empower parents to discover the K-12 education options for children.
Ind. Gov. Eric Holcolmb issued a proclamation recognizing the week, during which I was on vacation from The Times.
While this isn’t a column about the home school choices, it is a column about why we made Noblesville Schools public school system our school choice.
It started at age 5, when it was time to enroll her in school, and we didn’t think twice about enrolling her at Noblesville Schools’ North Elementary, and we have been mostly happy with our choice ever since.
In first grade, with teacher Karen Duvall, our daughter did earn a writing award and was invited to represent her class in the Hamilton County Reading Council’s Youth Author’s Conference.
In first grade, our daughter was redistricted to Stony Creek Elementary, where she spent first and second grades and enjoyed the wonderful school carnivals, then returned to North Elementary for third grade, due to more redistricting.
“Home of the Millers” signage greets students and families in the hallway of Noblesville High School’s main entrance.
In fourth grade, our daughter was among 11 selected from 86 fourth-graders who auditioned to be a part of the North hand-chimes choir led by North Elementary music teacher Janine Krent, who we still keep in touch with. In fifth grade, our daughter had teacher David Kimmel, who won the District’s Teacher of the Year and who co-taught with Melissa Jones, a Learning Lab class of 49 students, and they did all kinds of cool out-of-the-box learning. Plus our daughter gained broadcast experience as a news anchor and videographer for North’s daily morning news broadcast. (By the way, since we moved on from North Elementary, a new Noblesville Schools Education Foundation fundraiser, Savor Noblesville, a 21-and-older food event that’s grown in popularity, will take place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. today, with VIP tickets at 5 p.m., at The Mill Top Banquet & Conference Center in Noblesville, with tickets still available at press time. Funds from the fourth annual event will be donated to North Elementary PTO to support students at North.)
Now, back to my column. Those of you who know our family may have followed my daughter in her more than a dozen local theater productions, including Annie in Noblesville East Middle School’s musical, “Annie Jr.,” Jane Banks in NEMS’s “Mary Poppins Jr.” or Lieutenant Brannigan in “Guys & Dolls.” She also sang in NEMS’s Vocal Revolution show choir and sold trash bags for NEMS band where she played the clarinet. And she played on the school girls basketball team.
Sadly, Covid 19 happened and we missed the remainder of eighth grade second semester, and the band trip to Kings Island was canceled. And our freshman year was only memorable because it was so disappointing, so stressful with Zoom classes and so loaded down with busy homework and wearing masks to school.
Her sophomore year, she auditioned and was cast in NHS’s fall musical, Disney’s “High School Musical,” furthered her private piano lessons with piano class at school, and her junior year, this school year, danced and sang in NHS’s fall musical, “Chicago: Teen Edition.” She’s also enjoyed singing in New Dimension unisex show choir her sophomore year and NHS Singers mixed show choir, in which she sings a lead duet in the competition set, this school year.
It’s hard to believe we’re already in the second semester of her junior year, then there is only one more school year until graduation. Right now, she’s trying to decide on elective classes for her senior year.
Overall, we’ve been pretty happy with Noblesville Schools and glad that we made this school choice.
Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.
Save the date: Noblesville Schools Education Foundation’s Miller-Palooza is 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. March 10 at the Embassy Suite in Noblesville, with $125 tickets, sponsorships available, dress casual Noblesville school spirit, and featuring Dueling Pianos from Felix and Fingers. To donate to silent auction, email adriann_young@nobl.k12.in.us