Ivy Tech Community College is proud to collaborate with North Putnam High School to offer a unique associate degree completion pathway for high school students. This innovative program allows eligible students to earn an associate of general studies degree before graduating high school, at no cost to them.

The program is open to students enrolled in courses that align with the Indiana College Core (ICC). The ICC consists of 30 credit hours of general education, college-level coursework that seamlessly transfers across all Indiana public colleges and universities. At North Putnam High School, students can complete the required ICC courses. To earn an associate degree in general studies from Ivy Tech, students must complete an additional 30 credit hours beyond the ICC. All courses that are part of the associate degree pathway are offered at North Putnam High School and count as both high school and Ivy Tech credit.

As the school year continues to grind on, students and staff at Bainbridge Elementary School brought some fun to their school day. To celebrate the 100th day of the school year, Bainbridge students showed their school spirit by dressing in their "oldest" attire and class celebrations. Our students and families are always extremely creative! Keep up the great work Cougars!

Roachdale Elementary will be hosting a parent meeting on Tuesday, February 18th at 5:30 p.m. Join our teachers, literacy coach, guidance counselor, and administration to learn more about the IREAD assessment and new laws. Questions? Contact Principal McCormick,

bmccormick@nputnam.k12.in.us, or by phone at -765-522-1723.

Recently, Athletic Director Bart Jochim helped to secure upgrades for the NP Gymnasiums. Our new scorebenches will be on display at all home Cougar sporting events for the Middle and High School. Look good, play good!!!

Since our last edition, the Winter sport season has been in full swing. NPHS Boys' Swimmers won the Putnam County Championship as well as the very last WIC Swimming Championship NP will take place in. The NPHS Lady Cougar basketballers have improved all season and have brought the County Paddle back home to NPHS! NPMS Winter sports have also kicked off with fast starts by our swimmers, ladies basketball players, as well as our wrestlers. Looking for ways to get involved? Contact NPHS Athletic Director, Mr. Bart Jochim, bjochim@nputnam.k12.in.us

North Putnam Middle School has partnered with DePauw University and the Prindle Institute to launch its inaugural Ethics Bowl Club. This exciting collaboration offers students the opportunity to explore complex ethical issues, develop critical thinking skills, and engage in friendly competition. Guided by mentors from NPMS (Ms. Jessyca South), DePauw University, and the Prindle Institute, the club will help students foster thoughtful discussions on real-world dilemmas while promoting values like teamwork, integrity, and respectful dialogue. It's a fantastic opportunity for middle schoolers to dive deep into ethics and sharpen their problem-solving abilities.

North Putnam High School students recently showcased their artistic talents by completing vibrant murals for both the NPHS Art Department and the NPHS Athletic Department. These murals not only enhance the school's environment but also celebrate the spirit of creativity and school pride. The student artists worked collaboratively to bring their visions to life, contributing their unique perspectives to both the artistic and athletic communities at North Putnam. Their work stands as a testament to the creativity and dedication of the NPHS student body.

North Putnam Middle School has recently launched an after-school Robotics/STEM Club, offering students an exciting opportunity to dive into the world of coding and robotics. Meeting weekly, students gather to explore foundational coding skills and tackle hands-on problem-solving challenges through robotics builds. This initiative not only encourages technical skills in a collaborative setting but also fosters creativity and critical thinking in a fun, supportive environment.

Whether learning how to code or building their first robot, participants are enthusiastic about the possibilities that robotics holds. Stay tuned for updates as our young engineers and innovators continue to push the boundaries of what's possible! Looking for ways to get involved? Contact NPMS Science Teacher, Mr. Randy Funk, rfunk@nputnam.k12.in.us

The 2025 Rotary District 6560 Speech Contest invited high school students to demonstrate their critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and public speaking skills. The contest challenged participants to deliver a 5 to 7-minute speech on the theme "Rotary's Seven Areas of Focus," fostering ethical practice and community contribution. Two students from each school competed at the Greencastle Rotary Club on January 29th, 2025, with the chance to advance to the District level and win cash prizes. NPHS students SHOWED UP!!! 1st place went to Junior, Gavin Simonson. 2nd place went to Junior, Chase Abdon. GREAT WORK COUGARS!!!!!

Four North Putnam High School students—Chase Abdon, Christian Kramer, Gavin Simonson, and Erica Zatorski—have been selected as Rising Stars of Indiana. This prestigious academic award recognizes outstanding achievements among members of the Class of 2026. The students were chosen for their exceptional academic performance, dedication to learning, and commitment to excellence. Their selection as Rising Stars highlights their hard work and promise, marking them as future leaders in both their academic pursuits and beyond.

'North Putnam' a documentary which chronicles the relationship between a rural Indiana school district and its community is set to air on Capitol Hill! Congratulations to all who were involved in the film. What an awesome opportunity to highlight our students and families. 'North Putnam' has also been selected to be viewed at SXSW EDU 2025, one of only 9 films selected for this outstanding event.

Recently, NPHS Senior Football player, Braxton Woodall, was selected to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Class 2A All-State team. Braxton was also selected as an IFCA Region 6 All-Star. That's some awesome stuff!!!!

Recently, the NPMS/HS student councils presented their fundraising efforts to Beyond Homeless in Greencastle. A HUGE thank you goes out to our community for making this initiative a giant success!! This initiative could not have happened without the help of NPMS Student Council Sponsor, Helen Dunn as well as our HS Student Council Sponsors. Great work by all! Cougar Proud!!!

North Putnam Alum, Elliot Gross is making an IMPACT globally. Elliot is currently studying at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Elliot is working with the Department of Diplomacy as a graduate student. Elliot served as a long-term substitute for North Putnam Middle School in the Spring of 2024 as Mr. Spencer transitioned to NPHS. NPMS Principal Bucky Kramer and Elliot had a conversation concerning the nature of schools in Taiwan and partnering to expose students to different ways of learning as a cultural exchange. Elliot took with him a bundle of North Putnam T-Shirts.

Mr. Gross recently stated: "The school name I am working with is Tjuabar Vusam Cultural Experiment School in Taitung County, belonging mainly to the Paiwan Indigenous Tribe. It's an elementary school that has no more than 10 students per grade. For middle and high school, I believe they have to drive down the mountain at least 30 minutes. We had about 20 students total, so maybe about 1/3 of the whole school.

We decided to gift the NP T-Shirts to students who showed leadership, excelled in our class, and actively participated in all of the activities throughout the day. They will both be attending middle school starting next year.

Thank you for giving me the chance to give these t-shirts out! The students were very excited to receive them and they are good quality athletic wear. It was also cool to explain to them the concept of 'school mascots', here in Taiwan, schools do not have their own mascots. Usually only professional sports teams do. Also, there are no wild cougars here either, so this was a very foreign concept of an animal to them! Anyways - it was a week of fun and lots of educating - so thanks again for playing a role in this!"

What an AWESOME experience for all students! Cougars make a difference everywhere they roam!

North Putnam High School students will be competing this Spring in the Purdue University Grand Prix! Under the direction of Mr. Drake Davis, NP students will create their own vehicle and take part in this amazing experience. This is just another example of opportunities being offered to North Putnam students. Thank you to Mr. Simpson and Mr. Davis for starting this up for our kids!

This new tool displays attendance data at the grade-, school- and corporation-level and shows different types of absences (excused or unexcused), as well as chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, users can view longitudinal data that can be disaggregated by student population.

Having this data at our fingertips will help both schools, as well as community partners to:

• Analyze student attendance data over time
• Identify any trends/patterns in the data or areas where data collection could be improved
• Work with a variety of stakeholders to identify root causes of poor attendance
• Review attendance policies and utilize data to inform short- and long-term policy decisions
• Set goals for improved attendance and/or data collection
• Evaluate the impact of current efforts to improve attendance

If you have not already, I encourage you to take a moment to check out the Attendance Insights data. Again, we are moving in the right direction because of your efforts and collaborative solutions, so thank YOU! Let’s keep it going!

Looking to get involved as well as feature your business's logo on future publications? Contact NPCSC Superintendent, Dr. Dustin LeMay for more information - dlemay@nputnam.k12.in.us