Cloverdale ready to welcome students back

When Cloverdale students, families, faculty and staff return to the district's buildings for the first day of school, they will notice some changes. 

The biggest is that the entrances of each building have undergone enhancements to boost security, according to superintendent Greg Linton. 

"At Cloverdale, we have been busy with construction in all three of our buildings. We are redoing all of the front entrances and enhancing security. All parents and visitors will be tracked through our offices and we are hopeful that by the end of September, all of that should be complete," Linton told Giant FM last week during an appearance on Putnam People. 

In addition to the upgrades to the front entrances, there are several programs that Linton is excited about this school year. 

One of those is the outdoor classroom, which saw some use last year but will really see a lot of use this school year. 

"We had a couple of teachers interested in doing something, and we already have an outdoor lab and trail that is used for learning and walking. One of our teachers thought it would be a good idea to put a shelter and picnic tables there where students could use for science experiments and research. It was a total local and community project. It has turned out to be a facility we have used all summer. I drove by and our football team was practicing and parents were sitting at the shelter watching," Linton said. 

In addition, both the preschool program and the JAG program have Linton excited, as well. 

"Our preschool program continues to provide good support for our community and early enrollment for our kids. We have three sessions of preschool and they are doing well," Linton said. 

As for the JAG program, Linton gave credit to teacher Karl Turk for growing the program. 

"Karl Turk has really been an integral part of that program. He has really grown that program. We are implementing a middle school program this year. We are excited to see what that program is like for those kids and, hopefully, grow the high school program. The opportunities kids have at the middle school and high school levels continues to grow every year. At Cloverdale, it is important to make some of those decisions as far as career paths are concerned. The JAG program has helped us provide more opportunities for students who may not be interested in college. Through those experiences, many of our kids involved in the program realize if you're willing to work hard, there are some good paying jobs out there that don't require a four year degree," Linton acknowledged. 

Cloverdale is also home to an online school that is thriving and features over 1,500 students from across the state of Indiana. 

"We expect that to continue to grow. One thing I always tell parents is it is not for everyone. It takes a specific type of student, parent and family situation to do online school well. Ours is for students from across the state. We started in 2020 with around 174 students, I think, and it has grown to 1,500. We work hard with the legislators to make sure we follow Indiana code. The students have an Indiana licensed teacher and they get the same curriculum experience as our students in a brick and mortar situation. An online setting for some kids is very beneficial. 

I think the whole idea in Indiana of choice and for Cloverdale being a small rural school, enrollment has always been a challenge. We were looking for a way to improve what we were doing and thrive," Linton said. 

All the programs and construction have created a sense of excitement for the Clovers. 

"We have a lot of good things going on at Cloverdale that we are excited about. 

I want to thank our faculty and staff. They have worked hard to get the buildings clean and ready, and I appreciate the work all of our staff have done. As you drive into Cloverdale, it's calm and not much traffic, but once school starts, it becomes a very exciting place," Linton said.