In Katherine Hughes’ classroom at Muncie Central High School, history moves and unfolds outside of a textbook. 

On any given day, students might analyze symbolism in a modern Olympic ceremony, take on the roles of peasants, clergy, and nobles during the French Revolution, or debate and make decisions that mirror the tensions of the time they are studying. The lessons stick because students get to experience the materials for themselves, and the content intentionally supports their interests. 

On the 120th day of school, the first-graders in Maleah Parrish’s classroom are on a mission. Armed with invisible ink pens and yarn laser beams, they follow clues at a series of stations incorporating STEM, language arts, social skills, and teamwork to rescue Zero the Hero. It’s lively. It’s a little chaotic. And it’s exactly the kind of day Parrish hopes her students remember for years to come.

Ambulance lights are flashing, radio traffic is on the scanner, and victims with minor and critical injuries are lying on the floor–it’s just another Monday morning for students in Chris Horner’s EMT and Fire/Rescue classes at the Muncie Area Career Center.   

Every child can learn. That is one of Kira Zick’s most strongly held beliefs. She knows there’s a way to reach every student, and in her third and fourth grade Spanish/English dual language classroom, she challenges herself to figure out how. She believes a positive environment is the best foundation for learning.

Ginger Thompson didn’t always teach this way. When the high school Spanish teacher began her career 17 years ago, she said she was “a traditional teacher.”

“I had a textbook and that's what I used to teach my students. I used the methods that my Spanish teachers had used with me in high school and in college because that was the best methodology we had at that time,” she said.

Respect. That’s the leading principle in Melissa Crist’s classroom.

An English and journalism teacher at Daleville Junior/Senior High School, Crist puts “relationships first, subject matter second.”

Stefanie Onieal is not a teacher, she says. She’s a researcher.

“I'm a researcher of my students. I am researching what they know, what they can do, and I'm trying to take them to the next place, to where they need to go,” said Onieal, a second-grade teacher at Burris Laboratory School in Muncie.

Erica Collins, a 6th grade science and math teacher at MCS’s Northside Middle School, has been named Ball Brothers Foundation’s 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award winner. The honor includes a $15,000 grant.

Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) is pleased to announce that Kristy Thompson, a math teacher at Liberty Perry’s Wapahani High School has been selected as BBF’s 2018 Excellence in Teaching Award winner. The honor includes a $15,000 grant to support the school district, high school, and teacher’s classroom.

In conjunction with National Teacher Appreciation Week, Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) is pleased to announce that Chris Holdren, a 5th grade teacher at Selma Elementary, was selected as BBF’s 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award winner. The honor includes a $15,000 grant to be divided between the winner’s district, school, and classroom.

In conjunction with National Teacher Appreciation Week, Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) is pleased to announce that Steve Spradlin, a science and math teacher at Muncie Community Schools’ Northside Middle School was selected as BBF’s 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award winner. The honor includes a $15,000 grant.

Burris kindergarten teacher Renee Huffman has earned Ball Brothers Foundation’s 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award, an honor that includes a $15,000 grant to her school.

Julian Ravenscroft, an algebra and calculus teacher at Daleville Jr.-Sr. High School, Daleville, has earned Ball Brothers Foundation’s 2014 “Excellence in Teaching Award,” an award that includes a $15,000 grant to the Daleville Community Schools.

Holly Stachler, a first grade educator at Pleasant View Elementary School, Yorktown, has earned Ball Brothers Foundation’s first Excellence in Teaching Award, an honor that includes a $15,000 grant to her school.