Tag: Fall 2017

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Purple Cow: Moving from Ordinary to Extraordinary Care for Children

BSU student helping a child at Kidz Korner

This immersive project involved a partnership with Kidz Korner Child Care Center in downtown Muncie. The project team organized and implemented family nights that involved other community agencies. Additionally, the student team promoted and fostered collaborative partnerships between the center and these local agencies. The ultimate goal of this project was to establish and maintain community connections while strengthening parent and family relationships between the school and daycare center and homes.

Spring 2019

Faculty Mentor: Stacey Allred
Department: Elementary Education
Community Partner: Kidz Korner Child Care Center
Students: Sidney Barkdull, Alexeya Barr, Addison Berry, Lindsey Brashear, Bailey Crist, Audrey Doerner, Audrey French, Ashley Gable, Marina Garcia, Haidan Gates, Kaitlyn Johnston, Zoie Mann, Kayle McKnight, Demitra Novinger, Jocelyn Peckham, Hannah Petrie, Kiersten Rodman, Lauren Roth, Sara Runyon, Kendra Shadle, Elizabeth Smith, Jenna Sovine, Rachel Sweeney, Kimberly Swisher, Leigha Underwood

For the Fall 2018 semester, the project team organized and implemented three family nights that involved several community agencies (Ball State University Student Theater and Dance Organization, Hillcroft Services “Music Together”, Muncie Symphony Orchestra “Together in Music”, and Muncie BY5). The team promoted and fostered collaborative partnerships between the center and these local agencies. The ultimate goal of this project was to establish and maintain community connections while strengthening parent and family relationships between the school and daycare center and homes.

Fall 2018

Faculty Mentor: Stacey Allred
Department: Elementary Education
Community Partner: Kidz Korner Child Care Center
Students: Sarah Brandt, Kaitlyn Butler, Kelsey Collins, Claudia Daugherty, Cassie Deakyne, Dakota Dempler, Alexandria Forte, Caroline Friedly, Victoria Goodrich, Grace Pieczynski, Payton Rawlings, Abbie Rooker, Sofia Shine, Melissa Wetter, Hannah Wezensky, Jordan Witmer, Seraphim Muir

In the Fall of 2017 and the Spring of 2018, the project teams created and administered a parent/family needs survey. They also designed and printed a logo for the center. The team promoted and fostered collaborative partnerships between the center and local agencies. They also developed and implemented a professional development session for the staff at Kidz Korner Child Care Center. The ultimate goal of this project was to establish and maintain community connections while strengthening parent/family relationships between the school/daycare center and homes.

Spring 2018

Faculty Mentor: Stacey Allred
Department: Elementary Education
Community Partner: Kidz Korner Child Care Center
Students: Madison Beerbower, Erin Coogan, Cheyenne Fisher, Emily Fontaine, Ania Gonzalez, Kennedy Green, Carly Kirk, Kailyn Lambertson, Tiler Langston, MaKenzie Manship, Mycaela Messer, Rebecca Robbins, Haley Shotts, Chelsie Taylor, Michelle Taylor, Jolie Wariner, Kendra Tessman

Fall 2017

Faculty Mentor: Stacey Allred
Department: Elementary Education
Community Partner: Kidz Korner Child Care Center
Students: Margaret Buettner, Krysta Henson, Sierra Hobbs, Hilda Nieves, Alaina Page, Elaine Shull, Alissa Switzer, Lindsey Turner, Victoria Wheatley, Lilly Wright-Cayetano

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TEAM 2 – Reading Intervention at the Youth Opportunity Center

The TEAM 2 project implemented a reading intervention program with at-risk youth at the Youth Opportunity Center (YOC), a residential treatment facility in Muncie. Students in this project studied psychological, environmental and cultural factors that contribute to reading difficulties, and developed skills in applying proven reading strategies. This project is tied to an education-focused research study related to youth in the juvenile court system at YOC. Working collaboratively with the YOC, students spent the semester making a real difference in the lives of young people. Through funding by the National Institute of Justice, this project started in summer 2016 and will continue until spring 2018.

Spring 2018

Faculty Mentors: Ruth Jefferson & Janay Sander
Departments: Special Education & Educational Psychology
Community Partner: Youth Opportunity Center
Students: Rayven Brackeen, Simone Courtright, Sarah Hapner, Natalie Kitchin

Summer & Fall 2017

Faculty Mentors: Ruth Jefferson & Janay Sander
Departments: Special Education & Educational Psychology
Community Partner: Youth Opportunity Center
Students: Vicki Baur, Megan Chalfant, Morgan Clark, Estrella Gonzalez, Krista Kranz, Mac Mckinney, Tonia Morales-Zelaya, Mike Moses, Devyn Phillips, Abby Reiff, Lindsay Rye, Amanda Wadman, Taylor White, Shelby Zann

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Maring-Hunt Community Garden Market Pavilion and Outdoor Kitchen (ongoing)

The Maring-Hunt Library Community Garden Master Plan, its improvement and expansion, and a series of Garden Pavilions and Nature Play Pockets were designed and developed as useful spaces to address food insecurity in a USDA-designated food desert, cultivate community interaction and social activity, and provide learning opportunities for the Southview Elementary School students, Maring-Hunt Library patrons, and neighborhood families. The Maring-Hunt Library Community Garden Master Plan includes a trio of pavilions developed around a large community garden overseen by the Library. 1. The Gateway to Growing Gardeners’ Pavilion, which provides shade, seating, tool storage, and accessible garden beds, and a sand and water Nature Play Pocket was designed and built by students in a spring and summer 2017 immersive learning studio. 2. A Market Pavilion to house a community market and an outdoor learning space for the Great Achievers is currently under construction by students in a fall semester 2017 community build studio. A small separate outdoor kitchen and food preparation demonstration area is also a part of this project. 3. A fenced-in Educational Pavilion and children’s garden will be developed and used by Southview Elementary students in the future. This expansive greenspace with its pavilions, gardens, paths, bio-swale, and nature play pockets is being developed as an anchor in the Thomas Park/ Avondale and South Central Neighborhoods, and will turn an eyesore, a dilapidated exercise track and athletic field alongside an active railway line, into an asset motivating children and families to get outdoors and learn and engage in healthy activity together.

Spring 2018 Semester

Faculty Mentor: Pam Harwood
Department: Architecture
Community Partners: Maring-Hunt Public Library, Community Gardeners, Southview Elementary School, Thomas Park/Avondale Neighborhood Association
Students: Zach Benge, Drew Fairchild, Rosie Hamilton, Adam Horkay, Tyler Kennedy, Daniel Klemen, Scott Manners, Austin Obermeyer, Zach Rooker, Riley Sandel, Benjamin Sass, Landon Underwood, Payne Wagner, Drew Weyer

Summer/Fall 2017 Semester

Faculty Mentor: Pam Harwood
Department: Architecture
Community Partners: Maring-Hunt Public Library, Community Gardeners, Southview Elementary School, Thomas Park/Avondale Neighborhood Association
Students: Max Bainbridge, Zach Benge, Brian Bracht, Tyler Bracht, Jacob Burris, Schyler Cerqueira, Myrisha Colston, Jamie Craine, Hunter Crews, Alex DeKemper, Jordan Duke, Drew Fairchild, Michaela Greene, Rosie Hamilton, Shelby Harris, Ali Hartweck, Adam Horkay, Joshua Markiewicz, Emma Ocken, Jennifer Pease, Zach Rooker, Riley Sandel, Payne Wagner, Drew Weyer

Spring 2017 Semester

Faculty Mentor: Pam Harwood
Department: Architecture
Community Partners: Maring-Hunt Public Library, Community Gardeners, Southview Elementary School, Thomas Park/Avondale Neighborhood Association
Students: Leslie Adriance, Lidia A-wan, Trevor Bauer, Courtney Castleman, Aliyah Clark, Christina Cope, Connor Crane, Seth Crussel, Nicholas Entrekin, Ellie Flaherty, Ryan Johnston, Bryan Kline, Emma Mappes, Linsey Stoy, Derek Tulowitzky

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Planet Muncie: Survey of Environmental Organizations in Muncie and Delaware County

In 2014,the Muncie Action Plan (MAP) sponsored an immersive learning project that investigated how communities similar to Muncie are coordinating community-wide sustainability initiatives. One outcome of that project was the development of a template for a “Sustainable Muncie” website that identified the sustainability related organizations and resources throughout Muncie and Delaware County. MAP approached Ball State expressing a desire to revisit those outcomes. The project team was tasked with identifying the organizations and resources currently available in Muncie and organizing that information into a directory for dissemination. The collection of this information will serve two purposes. The first is to aid the MAP in identification of service gaps that are not currently being addressed in the community. This information, in turn, would provide an agenda for future efforts of MAP. The second purpose for identifying these community resources is to develop a single, publicly accessible clearing house where community members, organization leaders, and local decision-makers could find out about all of the community’s environmentally related organizations and resources.

Faculty Mentor: David Hua
Department: Social Work
Community Partner: Muncie Action Plan
Students: Emily Dewig, Austin Fleming, Lindsey Stamper, Quintin Thompson

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Storytelling and Social Justice

With one third of children currently living below the poverty line, poverty is perhaps the most pressing issue facing Delaware County. The students in “Storytelling and Social Justice” are addressed this issue head-on by partnering with Circles of Delaware County/Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana to share stories about the challenges that individuals living in poverty face. Specifically, “Storytelling and Social Justice” students worked with members of the Circles/Second Harvest community to create both a polyvocal memoir (a compilation of many first-person narratives) and several YouTube videos featuring stories of poverty and empowerment. We circulated the memoir and YouTube videos to the Muncie community and beyond. Circles and Second Harvest Food Bank will also be able to use these materials to both raise awareness and galvanize community support.

Faculty Mentor: Emily Ruth Rutter
Department: English
Community Partner: Circles of Delaware County/Second Harvest Food Bank
Students: Adore Davis, Meredith Dickerson, Hunter Garrison, Britney Kendrick, Malikah McMillan, Dillon O’Nail, Ciara Smith, Zoe Taylor, Levi Todd

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Provider Survey for Second Harvest Food Bank

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, our community partner, is a non-profit food distribution organization that serves an eight-county area: Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, and Wabash. We were asked to gather data from the partner agencies (food distribution sites such as church food pantries and community centers) for the purpose of program improvement. Second Harvest was interested in knowing how their partner agencies make decisions about what food/products to acquire from the food bank,whether the services that they provide are currently meeting the needs of their client populations, what additional services/products are needed by their client populations, what agency services they currently use (e.g., volunteer training, food storage training, etc.), and what additional agency services they would use if available. The students designed and distributed the survey, analyzed the results, and created a report and presentation.

Faculty Mentor: Lisa Pellerin
Department: Sociology
Community Partner: Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana
Students: David Current, Elisabeth Gates, Sunni Matters, Kaitlin Purdy, Staci Quire, Madison Ream, Amber Sheets, Erica Somerson