NEW PALESTINE, Ind. — New Palestine High School honored future teachers like star athlete college recruits with a signing day ceremony Wednesday afternoon in the school gymnasium.
The school faculty cheered on students going off to college to pursue education degrees. The ceremony is aimed at addressing the teacher shortage.
New Palestine High School recognized 11 soon-to-be graduates who are headed off to college with plans to become teachers. Encouragement came from the current high school faculty sitting in the bleachers and cheering as each name was called and the students came forward to receive a certificate and gift bag before sitting down at a table with their parents and school leaders for a photo opportunity.
"It allows New Pal the opportunity to cheer these students on, celebrate these students, take care of them in regard to their life outside of New Pal, and continue to be invested, even though they've graduated,” said Nancy Workman, a New Palestine High School teacher and coach and the teacher’s union representative.
Most students wore college apparel showing where they will study education. Emma Mann wore a DePauw University t-shirt. She plans to become a high school special education teacher.
"My whole family is in education,” said Mann. “So, my dad is a middle school language arts teacher, and so I've always kind of followed in his footsteps. He's always taught me if you want something go for it."
The Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County is promising these soon-to-be graduates student teaching opportunities in the district and a job interview when they finish college, as well as letters of recommendation.
"We're in the middle of a teacher shortage,” said Superintendent Dr. Lisa Lantrip. “It’s a very bad teacher shortage, the worst I've seen in my career. This is a way to celebrate our profession and encourage kids to go into the profession."
The goal of the “Grow Your Own” program is that some of the students will return to begin their careers in their hometown school district in about four years as teachers themselves.
"I will definitely consider coming back to this corporation and teaching,” said Lauren Myers, who will study at Indiana Wesleyan University to become an elementary special education teacher. “I love New Pal. I love just the small town that it is. Everybody knows everybody and everybody is so nice. I just feel like it's a very strong community that I would love to come back to and teach in."
RELATED: Central Indiana school districts plead for parents to substitute teach during staff shortage
According to an annual survey done by Indiana State University’s Bayh College of Education, 96.5% of participating Indiana school districts reported teacher shortages, the highest in the seven years of surveying school corporations.