Students in the American Studies class at Bloomington’s Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship were asked to identify their sense of place. Each student made a video to learn about their special place’s “larger connection to our shared home of southern Indiana.” And as ASE students have done since 2016, they’ve shared their videos with us. Watch their “sense of place” videos here.
The triennial USA International Harp Competition returns to the IU Jacobs School of Music for the 13th time in May 2025. Executive Director Francine Marseille, board member Elżbieta Monika Szmyt, and past performers Emmanuel Ceysson and Noël Wan talk about what makes this one of the most prestigious harp competitions in the world. Read Hiromi Yoshida’s article here.
Workplace apprenticeships are not your typical after-school jobs. Designed to connect high school students to real-life experiences in the workplace, apprenticeships provide on-the-job training for careers after high school. Many find the work valuable. Some experts, though, question the effectiveness of the programs, in part because such apprenticeships are not available to all students. Read this Deep Dive by Steve Hinnefeld.
Bloomington high school student Hazel Hammerstein founded the nonprofit Indiana Prevention Project to spread the message about the dangers of drug use. She and numerous supporters are running the Paint the State mural contest. Registration ends on August 30. Read about Hazel’s project, as well as the contest rules and timeline in this article by Hiromi Yoshida.
Despite growing evidence that voucher students fall behind academically when they switch from public to private schools, Indiana legislators have increased the cost of the state’s voucher program to $439 million. Education writer Steve Hinnefeld looks at the latest voucher report from the Indiana Department of Education, and asks, should Hoosier taxpayers pay for schools that discriminate? Read Hinnefeld’s column here.
Bloomington and neighboring communities are preparing a rush of activity for the solar eclipse on April 8. And it wouldn’t be a Bloomington celebration, writes Dason Anderson, if art wasn’t involved. One artist and his stone-carver cousin have made it even more local, with limestone sculptures to recognize, celebrate, and remember the event for eons. See what’s happening for the eclipse.
A recent report by The State of Local News Project at Northwestern University documents the changing local news landscape across the country. Among other findings, it shows how many news outlets are operating in each county across the country. Southern Indiana, for example, has more counties classified as news deserts than news oases. Republished from The Conversation.
“School Matters” is a new Limestone Post column by journalist Steve Hinnefeld that will cover local and regional education, as well as statewide legislation that could affect schools in our community. In this first article, Hinnefeld looks at Indiana’s low national ranking for policies that address rural schools and rural students. Click here for School Matters.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program encourages young Hoosier scholars to “engage with each other and with state leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana.” Among the ten high school seniors named finalists in Monroe County, two will receive four-year college tuition. Laurie D. Borman spoke with several of the inspiring students. Click here to meet the finalists for the Lilly Endowment Scholarship.
Since 2016, students in Rachel Bahr’s English 11 class at Bloomington’s Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship have made immersive audio tours about their “sense of place,” someplace they’re personally or sentimentally connected to — or simply “where you aren’t afraid to be yourself.” And they graciously share their videos with Limestone Post’s readers. Click here for ASE’s 2023 “Sense of Place” videos.
IU professors of metalsmithing and jewelry design are collaborating with the nonprofit Ethical Metalsmiths to inspire students to create jewelry from ethically source materials, reconsider consumer habits, and promote stories behind donated jewelry. Metalsmithing and jewelry-design students from several Midwest universities will showcase their work in an exhibition called Radical Jewelry Makeover Bloomington in January. Click here for the story by Hiromi Yoshida.
Parents, educators, and advocates say the Indiana General Assembly passed harmful and unnecessary laws that are taking effect this school year. Laws that prioritize private over public schools, underfund mandates, intimidate vulnerable students, and even create a “chilling effect” on librarians, they say, amount to a “slate of hate.” | Click here for an education deep dive by Steve Hinnefeld.
