PUC faces $4 million deficit, will close learning center

PUC is considering closing the Charlotte R. Riley Child Center in Hammond to save money.

IUN buildings

Students walk through Indiana University Northwest's Savannah Center, which opened in 1999.

Seasoned educator urges Gary community to raise the bar

Longtime educator Bernard C. Watson talks during an event Wednesday at Gary City Hall. Watson, a graduate of Roosevelt High School and former teacher, counselor and assistant principal at the school, said it's critical to help young people make the connection between the time invested in som…

Seasoned educator urges Gary community to raise the bar

Longtime educator and Gary native Bernard C. Watson, center, is flanked by Gary community activist Bill Hill, left, and Gary Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chuck Hughes. The trio were among a group of people talking about education Wednesday at Gary City Hall.

Seasoned educator urges Gary community to raise the bar

Longtime educator and Gary native Bernard C. Watson shakes hands with a former student Chuck Hughes, executive director of the Gary Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday during an event at Gary City Hall. Watson spoke about education during the event.

K-12 education's future appears uncertain

Julia King, an Aspire Charter Academy eighth-grader, looks at an exhibit at Shedd Aquarium on Dec. 15. More than 100 of the students and families at the school visited the museum to vote on the best recycled wreaths made by students.

School Town of Munster considering referendum on tax increase

Seventh-graders Dylan Bullock, from left, Tiffany Holbrook, Vaughn Lolkema and Caleb Cala work on an assignment Thursday in Jason McCauley's social studies class at Wilbur Wright Middle School in Munster.

School Town of Munster considering referendum on tax increase

Caleb Cala studies in Jason McCauley's seventh-grade social studies class Thursday at Wilbur Wright Middle School in Munster.

Gary special education overhaul long overdue

Marianne Fidishin, director of special education and student services for the Gary Community School Corp.

IU Northwest honors scholarship recipients and donors

The four Indiana University Northwest Scholarship winners mingle at the 26th annual IU Northwest Scholarship Gala Celebration on Thursday at Avalon Manor in Hobart. They are, front, Kaleigh Fetcko, left, and Rana Torabi; back, Joseph Popa and Miracle Anokwute.

Clark Middle School students study election

George Rogers Clark eighth-grader Nicholas Ruiz sits next to sixth-grader Brian Gonzalez at a mock presidential debate featured at their school Friday. The two middle school students sat in the Rhode Island section.

Bringing three other continents into a NWI classroom

Forest Ridge fourth-graders Colton Hall, from left, Maia Crowley and Alexandra Nehme use computers as part of the Flat Classroom Project to talk via the Internet to students in other countries. The 18 fourth-graders in the program talk to students from different areas of the U.S. and Brazil,…

Bringing three other continents into a NWI classroom

Jenny Stob, a fourth-grade teacher at Forest Ridge Academy, assists student Alexandra Nehme as she goes online to begin communicating with students in the Flat Classroom Project. Forest Ridge students have been talking with students in other parts of the U.S., Brazil, China and Slovakia.

Merrillville High School celebrates College Go Week

Juan Rivera, right, a 2010 Merrillville High School graduate, fields questions from Merrillville senior Hannah Bailey. Rivera, a junior at Purdue University, West Lafayette, was among several people at the high school during the week talking to students about the importance of college and wh…

Gary administrators ride school buses

Jamal Washington, spokesman for Illinois Central Bus Co., watches as Gary students board a school bus Tuesday. Washington worked with teachers and other administrators at Banneker Achievement Center to get students on the correct buses.

Gary administrators ride school buses

Earl Smith, Gary Community School Corp. athletic director, takes notes while riding school buses Tuesday with several administrators to document problems and report to Superintendent Cheryl Pruitt.

Gary administrators ride school buses

Students at Banneker Achievement Center head to school buses Tuesday afternoon.

Retired educator brings history alive for Kankakee students

Jerry Hoover, a retired teacher and Halleck historian, talks Friday to students in Paul Norwine's government class at Kankakee Valley High School about the late Congressman Charlie Halleck, a native son of Rensselaer. Sept. 13 marked the 50th anniversary of Charlie Halleck Day in Rensselaer.

Local schools named National Blue Ribbon schools

Northview Elementary first-grade teacher Melissa Brown talks to students on Thursday. Northview was named a Blue Ribbon school. To Brown's left is Brianna Hicks, far left, and Andrea Hall. First-grader Nick Esquivel to Brown's left.

Northview students participate in space project

Student teacher Rebekah Postma shows students the golf ball that popcorn kernels will be placed in and launched into space by weather balloons.

Northview students participate in space project

Student teacher Rebekah Postma talks to Northview Elementary School first-graders in Melissa Brown's classroom about some of the predictions they can make about what will happen to popcorn kernels that are launched into space.

Local schools named National Blue Ribbon schools

Melissa Brown, a first-grade teacher at Northview Elementary School, sits on the floor with her students during school on Thursday. To Brown's right is Brianna Hicks, far left, and Andrea Hall.

Gary Middle College opens doors

Students sit on bleachers Monday for orientation at Gary Middle College.

Gary Middle College opens doors

Brothers Malik Bunch, 15, a sophomore, and Alvin Bunch, 16, a junior, have enrolled in Gary Middle College. The brothers were among 175 students who registered to attend the charter school in Gary.

Patrick O'Rourke

081612ROOSEVELT5.jpg

Tony Bennett, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, stands with State Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, at the entrance of Roosevelt College and Career Academy on the first day of school Wednesday.

081612ROOSEVELT4.jpg

A sign at the front door of Roosevelt College and Career Academy welcomes students, parents and visitors to the building for the first day of classes Wednesday.

081612ROOSEVELT3.jpg

Claire Miller, a freshman English and journalism teacher at Roosevelt College and Career Academy in Gary, talks to freshman Deadrick Allen as he completes a student survey Wednesday.

081612ROOSEVELT2.jpg

Paige James, right, and Emily DeYoung are among kindergartners at Ready Elementary School in Griffith siting on the floor against the wall next to Susan Jorden's kindergarten classroom. Wednesday was the first day of classes for students in Griffith and several other schools in Northwest Indiana.

081612ROOSEVELT1.jpg

Patty Kelley, who has taught kindergarten for 23 years at Griffith schools, takes the hands of several youngsters and escorts them to the primary wing of Ready Elementary School in Griffith.

Charter, private schools show increased enrollment

Kindergarteners Joshua Allen and Derrick Nicholson listen as teacher Diane Anderson does a puppet show using puppets Suzy Squirrel and T-Rex as they focus on good manners at the West Gary Lighthouse Charter School Friday.

Charter, private schools show increased enrollment

Kindergartners Joshua Allen and Derrick Nicholson listen as teacher Diane Anderson performs a puppet show on good manners Friday at West Gary Lighthouse Charter School.

Charter, private schools show increased enrollment

Kindergarteners Aaliyah Parnell, Derek Collins and Valerius Bryant-Williams listen Friday to a puppet show performed by kindergarten teacher Diane Anderson at West Gary Lighthouse Charter School.

072112theater

Kyren Strong, 34, of Calumet City, and a friend went to see "The Dark Knight Rises" on Friday night at the AMC Theater in Schererville. "You can't stop going out to enjoy yourself because of what happened," he said.

EdisonLearning finds parts of Roosevelt school in disarray

EdisonLearning staff found messy conditions in some areas of Theodore Roosevelt College and Career Academy on Monday when they arrived to take over operation of the school.

DeMotte woman trades work boots for heels with Trine University degree

April Moehl, program chairman of industrial technology at Ivy Tech Community College in East Chicago, points out a distillation schematic drawing completed by students.

DeMotte woman trades work boots for heels with Trine University degree

April Moehl, program chairman of industrial technology at Ivy Tech Community College's East Chicago campus, demonstrates for students how to operate distillation units. Moehl earned a bachelor's degree in applied management from Trine University after retiring from Bethlehem Steel Corp. in B…

Author: No clear NATO mission

Richard Rupp, a Purdue University professor and author, offered his perspective on the upcoming NATO meeting Sunday and Monday in Chicago. Rupp spoke Monday at the Purdue University Calumet campus in Hammond.

Indiana Charter School Board holds hearing for proposed Merrillville charter

Darlene Henderson, who submitted a proposal to open Heritage Institute of Arts and Technology in Merrillville, sits in the front row during a public hearing Monday night before the Indiana Charter School Board in Crown Point.

Indiana Charter School Board holds hearing for proposed Merrillville charter

Claire Fiddian-Green, center, executive director of the Indiana Charter School Board, listens to public comments Monday regarding a proposal to locate the Heritage Institute of Arts and Technology in Merrillville. The board hosted the hearing in Crown Point. It will host another hearing next…

Teachers union leaders talk viability; Hammond's O'Rourke only one paid by district

Hammond Teachers Federation President Patrick O'Rourke shares some information from the 2012 International Summit on the Teaching Profession. O'Rourke, a longtime teachers union president, is one of few whose salary is paid by the school corporation and not through union dues.

Teachers union leaders talk viability; Hammond's O'Rourke only one paid by district

Hammond Teachers Federation President Patrick O'Rourke

Fair promotes middle school options in Gary

Members of the choir at the West Side Leadership Academy perform Saturday at the Choice Advantage Fair. The fair gave parents and students an opportunity to see the choices in education for middle school students.

Fair promotes middle school options in Gary

School leaders at Banneker Achievement Center talk to parents about the focus at Banneker. The school will accept students through eighth grade beginning in the fall. Parents and students were able to talk to school leaders and teachers Saturday at the Choice Advantage Fair, sponsored by the…

Fair promotes middle school options in Gary

Parents and teachers at Frankie McCullough Academy for Girls in Gary stand ready to talk to visitors who stop by their table at the Choice Advantage Fair. The fair was hosted by the Gary Community School Corp. at West Side Leadership Academy.

Schools, trades strive to connect students with jobs

Jeff Kolish, a Valparaiso High School guidance counselor, looks at a furnace while on a tour of the Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 20 Apprenticeship School in Portage. More than 40 high school guidance counselors visited local apprenticeship training centers to learn more about how the buildi…

Roosevelt student wonders what EdisonLearning takeover will mean

Roosevelt Career and Technical Academy junior Courtney Ridle says she and some of her friends are concerned about what a takeover by EdisonLearning will mean to students. Ridle thinks the company should take time to talk to students and update them on the progress of its assessment of the school.

Roosevelt student wonders what EdisonLearning takeover will mean

Roosevelt Career and Technical Academy junior Courtney Ridle walks to her bus at the end of the school day Monday. The high school student has concerns about what a takeover by EdisonLearning will mean to students.

Munster School Board supports official's findings in swim team hazing allegations

Members of the public listen Monday to the Munster School Board discussion regarding alleged hazing on the swim team.

Munster School Board supports official's findings in swim team hazing allegations

Munster resident Karla Hunt compiles information in her home office before attending the School Town of Munster board meeting Monday night. Hunt alleges her son was subjected to hazing by the high school swim team. The board on Monday supported school findings that some "inappropriate action…