Branna Celebrates National Schools Week

We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit, how ’bout you? 

This week marks National Public Schools Week 2026, celebrating the achievements of public schools, educators and staff. 

Led by the Learning First Alliance, this annual initiative aims to showcase what’s happening in our public schools, their current  challenges, solutions and the ongoing improvement of K-12 education.

Hamilton County is home to some particularly prominent public educational institutions. Whether you hail from Heights or Hamilton Southeastern or are firmly nested in Noblesville, you reside in a clan descent collective of prime public county schools. 

I know I’ve made it known that I am (now officially!) a “Miller for Life,”but I’d be remiss to ignore the high standards of all of Hamilton County’s stupendous public studentships:

• Carmel Clay 
• Westfield Washington
• Marion Adams
• Hamilton Heights
• Hamilton Southeastern
• Noblesville

Still, my heart and humble beginnings began in 1967 at the brand new North Elementary School, located at 440 N. 10th Street in Noblesville.  Today it is the city’s oldest established elementary school. Just north of downtown, the current home of the “Cubs” was built where the original First Ward School stood and has served generations of local families, including my own.  

A large part of my career in social work was spent focusing on families, especially the children, who were affected by neglect, abuse, and domestic violence. For many of these kids, school was their safe haven. Their teachers provided the nurturing, safety and support they likely lacked at home. While it may not be in their job description, teachers and school administrators were (and still are) challenged with much more than a child’s education. Instead of viewing this responsibility as a burden, schools like North Elementary have responded to the need with such programs as “S.H.I.N.E.,” which focuses on school-wide behavioral expectations. This innovative approach highlights strategies and systems to educate all students including those with emotional challenges and consequent problem behaviors as a result of their home environment. Its research-validated practices include 

establishing regular, predictable, positive learning and teaching environments, training adults and peers to serve as positive models, teaching and modeling behavioral expectations and my personal favorite – acknowledging students when they are “doing the right thing,” also known as a strengths-based rather than a punitive approach to problematic behaviors. In doing my research for this week’s column, I was thankful to have been referred to Marnie Cook, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications with Noblesville Schools, who provided me with a plethora of points and particulars about my alma mater.  I spent many a minute perusing the pages of this most-informative website provided by her department:

Here I was delighted to see that my deep delve for more school-related information could be found by signing up for the digital In the Know newsletter, designed for our community members who may not have children in our schools but would still like to stay connected to how Noblesville schools are serving the community and spending their tax dollars. 

I have no doubt that all of our Hamilton County schools “shine” in their own ways and I urge you all to explore the amazing things educators are up to these days in your district. This Nana couldn’t be happier to have 5th-grade and 10th-grade granddaughters attending the very schools I so fondly remember from half a century ago. For that, and so many other reasons, is “Why I ❤️ Noblesville Schools!”

Can You Relate is a column from Noblesville High School grad Branna (McCarty) Shores. Branna believes that “HOME is where your story begins.” A Noblesville native and proud alum of NHS and Purdue, she is a professional speaker, advocate for mental health and work / family balance and retired social worker. Branna is the mother of two grown daughters, six precious grandchildren and wife of one brave husband! Her passions include singing, writing and sharing the lighter side of life through lessons learned, both personally and professionally. She can be contacted at branna18@gmail.com