My name is Deb Allen, and I have been teaching English at South Central since 1996. I attended Purdue Calumet and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Education. I enjoy quilting, counted cross-stitching, reading, biking, and spending time with my grandchildren. My husband and I also love to travel. We were able to travel to London and Stratford-Upon-Avon to learn more about William Shakespeare and his work. We have also visited Costa Rica, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Japan. What wonderful experiences these trips have been!

I began teaching Title 1 Reading at South Central Elementary in August of 1998. It was the job that I had gone back to school for and I was very excited. I had gone to Purdue University in the 70's and gotten a degree in Botany and Plant Pathology. When jobs did not pan out for that degree in our area, I tried several different jobs. I have worked as an allocations analyst for a clothing manufacturer, a bank teller, a bank officer and manager of a bank branch, a part time bookkeeper, a part time secretary, and a day care educator in my home. After my children started school, I became a teaching assistant and finally knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I went part time to Purdue University while continuing to work as a teaching assistant and in four years received my Education degree. Since 1998 I have been working my dream job. I get to instruct students in small groups and as a bonus I am allowed to administer the Title 1 program, making financial and curriculum decisions for the program. I also am the chairperson for South Central Elementary Student Support Team. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my husband and children. My husband is an accountant. After tax season we enjoy vacationing throughout the United States. We especially enjoy exploring historical sites. My daughter and her family live close by so I can enjoy being with my grandchildren and watching them grow. She is a pharmacist at a local hospital and her husband is an engineer for a company that adapts vans for the handicap. My son lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has already had many jobs in his life, he helps businesses spread the word about their services and products through the internet, he also writes blogs about technology, plays drums and has traveled to many interesting places. Besides my family, I also like spending my time gardening, I have several flower gardens and a vegetable garden. I also like being creative, I dabble in drawing and painting, crocheting , sewing, embroidery and have just started making jewelry. Each year has drawn new and exciting experiences with teaching children. Since beginning in 1998 I have grown and learned many new and interesting things about my profession. As each year dawns, I look forward to the challenge of working with a whole new group of students. The challenge of helping them become better students and citizens drives me to become a better teacher.

I have been the Primary Special Education teacher at South Central since 2008. I taught for three years in Elkhart, Indiana, Intermediate Special Education to grades 4th thru 6th, and here at South Central Elementary in Primary Special Education since 2008. I enjoy teaching very much, especially in this community. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with a Minor in Special Education and a Kindergarten Endorsement at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. During my free time, I enjoy being outside (camping, hiking, etc...), watching movies, and spending time with my family and friends.

I have taught at South Central for over 10 years now. I have taught 7-12 grade classes. Some of the courses that I currently teach or have taught are engineering, construction, CADD, careers, and communications classes.

Hello, my name is Denise Barkow. I currently reside in Chesterton with my husband Bill. I have two sons Christopher and Stefan. I enjoy reading, biking, and gardening. I have a Bachelors of English and a Masters of mathematics from Purdue. I teach math and English, and I have taught 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th grade English. I have also taught 7th and 8th grade math, general math, business math, Algebra I and Algebra II, senior math, and facilitated the IHETS program for calculus through Ball State. I am currently teaching Dual-level PNC English 12, sophomore English, Algebra B, and math 8. I have coached JV volleyball, sponsored and choreographed the Rockettes, directed, designed set and lighting, and choreographed for drama. I also sponsored the drama club. I began the Academic Superbowl at SC. Before that I taught at Michigan City Elston Junior High and completed my professional semester at Hammond Morton High School in Hammond. I have taught pre-calculus and finite mathematics at Valparaiso University where I earned the Sigma Xi Outstanding Northwest Indiana Mathematics Teacher award. I attended and later was a liaison for the university's MENI project with neighboring high schools as well as attended and was a liaison for the university's summer collaborative learning workshops. I have performed in and choreographed for Scotty's Theater in New Buffalo, Footlight Theater in Michigan City, LaPorte Little Theater in LaPorte, Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, Fourth Street Theater in Chesterton. I choreographed the swing choir and several plays for Elston High School in Michigan City. I worked with the DOE on MATHA/CAPPS which went around the state doing teacher workshops, designed performance-based assessments and reviewed items for ISTEP+. I also worked on the Beginning Teacher Portfolio project for 10+ years. I did cut-score setting for the IMAST test. My philosophy: 1. It is exciting to be a part of shaping the future by exposing students to ideas, and I learn as well as they share their thoughts and experience. 2. Seeing students grow into and mature, thinking, curious adults is the best part of my job.

I am one of three second grade teachers at South Central. I received my Bachelor degree from Ball State University and my Masters degree from Indiana University. I have taught 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade, and 1st grade. I have been teaching since 1972-all those years at South Central! I live in LaPorte with my husband. I have 2 children. My daughter, Kristen, lives in LaPorte with her husband and my 5 year old grandson. Ben, my son, lives and teaches in Dallas, Texas with his new bride.Teaching at South Central has become a very important part of my life!

Hello, my name is Eric Branz. I graduated from Avon High School in Avon, IN in 2004. In 2008 I received my B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. I have been teaching at South Central since 2010. Before coming to South Central I taught technology to fifth and sixth grade students. I have also taught Title I and I-STEP remediation classes. I also coach basketball and baseball for the high school. Away from school I enjoy camping, boating, sports, working out, and spending time with my family.

My name is Angela Bruner and I am a third grade teacher at South Central Elementary. Prior to coming to South Central, I taught for five years at Homer Iddings Elementary in Merrillville, IN. I graduated from Bishop Noll Institute in 2003 and from Saint Xavier University in 2007with a B.S. in Elementary Education. I currently live in Valparaiso with my husband Marc, who teaches English at Wheeler High School. We have three dogs and are expecting our first child in May.

I have been a teacher of students with special needs since 1988. My undergraduate degree is from Ball State University in Education of the Hearing Impaired. My Masters Degree is from Valparaiso University in Mild Disabilities Education. After working in Lake County for 18 years, I am happy to be closer to home working for the South LaPorte County Special Education Cooperative and at South Central where my son attends school.

Born and raised in LaPorte, I am a graduate of LaPorte High School and Purdue University. I have taught here at South Central since 1984, after previously teaching at Lincoln High School in Cambridge City, IN. In addition to my high school duties, I also teach two mathematics courses each semester at Purdue North Central. I am proud to be a part of the of the dual credit program here at South Central in addition to the Advanced Placement program. My wife, Terri , who is a registered nurse at LaPorte Hospital, and I have five children, Nathan, Jenni, Ryan, Joel and Sarah and one granddaughter, Molly. While I'm still trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up, it is certainly fun having something to do that I enjoy everyday.

I love being a teacher for South Central Elementary School! I feel very fortunate to be able to teach for a school that allows me to use my creativity to enrich the lives of students. South Central has given me the opportunity to excel in my teaching career. I can't imagine being a teacher for any other community. I am proud to call South Central my 'home.' I graduated from Purdue University in December of 2001. I was able to secure a teaching position for LaPorte County School Corporation at Riley Elementary for the remaining school year. I taught second grade during that time. I was then hired to cover a year- long maternity leave at Hilemann Elementary teaching first grade. After I finished out the maternity leave, I was on the hunt for another teaching position. I decided to take a position teaching second grade at a Charter School in Gary, Indiana. This was quite different from any experience I have ever had. I learned a lot from this experience, but it was just not the right fit. I was then graciously hired at South Central to fill yet another maternity leave, for sixth grade. It was quite a shock going from teaching primary grade students at an inner city school to upper elementary grade students at a rural school! However, I loved it! Luckily at the end of the leave, a full time position was opened, and I had at last found my home! I have been teaching fifth and sixth grades at South Central for the past eight and a half years. I have been involved with teaching in an inclusionary setting. I have also been piloting a new 'looping' program. It begins in fifth grade and then I retain my students for their sixth grade year as well. I have found the program to be very rewarding for both myself and for my students. It gives me a chance to really bond with students, which allows me to work with them on a more personal level. Students want to do well and work hard. I have enjoyed this program and love to the academic growth that can be achieved through this program! While I do love teaching, I love spending time with my family even more! I live in Michigan City, IN on a small 2-acre hobby farm. My husband and I have two young boys who I hope will attend South Central when they are old enough. On our little farm we enjoy our large garden in the summer, taking our pony for wagon ride around the neighborhood, and gathering eggs from our chickens. We also have a pygmy goat, pot-bellied pig, and a miniature horse. During the summer we enjoy showing our English Labrador Retrievers in AKC shows. We also occasionally breed our dogs and have beautiful litters that my boys love to play with. We also find pleasure in boating, camping with our horses, and other outdoor activities that we can enjoy as a family. South Central is now part of my family. I have enjoyed getting to know this community. There are so many wonderful caring families that live in this area. I can't imagine calling anywhere else home!

I strive to help the students develop both objective and subjective appreciation of Social Studies. It is essential for them to understand the past and present. Their grasp and appreciation of social and historical concepts will help them to lead successful lives and contribute to the future.

I am a graduate of Ball State University and Indiana University and began my teaching career at South Central Junior-Senior High School. During my years at South Central, I have taught many different math classes both at the junior high and high school levels. Currently, I teach Algebra I and Geometry. In addition to teaching at South Central, I have taught math at Edgewood High School in Maryland, Harford Community College in Maryland, and Purdue University North Central. On a personal note, my husband and I are the proud parents of two sons who are both Purdue graduates and Eagle Scouts. Our oldest son works as a graphic design manager for John Wieland Homes in Atlanta, Georgia. Our younger son resides in Honolulu, Hawaii and is an acoustical engineer for a sound consulting firm. My husband is a senior engineer at Arcelor-Mittal Steel.

I'm Donna Jo (Wakeman) Eaton and I've taught at South Central since August of 1977. While at S.C. I've taught second, third, and fifth grades. South Central is home to me because I'm also a graduate of S.C. After high school, I attended Ball State University in Muncie. Upon graduation, I got my masters degree from Purdue University. My mother still lives in Union Mills where I grew up. My brother, David, also a teacher, lives next door to me. My daughter and son are both products of South Central's quality educational program. Abigail is a chiropractor in Indianapolis. She just got married in October to Aaron Eberhard. Nathan is married to Wendy Gutt and they have a beautiful little baby girl named Bella Grace. Nathan is a special agent with the FBI and is assigned to Lander, WY. As I said, S.C. is home to me and some of my favorite friends and memories are here!

I have been teaching art at South Central since 2007. I am a Valparaiso University graduate. I feel so lucky to be around art and kids every day. I also really like that being in a smaller school allows me to get to know my students better. In my free time, I like to knit, draw and read.

Larry Fleck has served as South Central Community School Corporation’s Technology Coordinator since 1997 and was employed as a Chemistry/Physics/General Science teacher prior to that. Under his leadership, South Central has grown from one Apple IIe computer to having over 400 computers in the corporation all having access to the network and Internet. All classrooms are equipped with Smart Boards, wireless tablets, and many other accessories. He also teaches a dual credit Physics 220/221 class with Purdue North Central. Larry graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/Education and has a Masters degree from Purdue in Education/Physics. He has also taken approximately 66 hours past his Masters degree in a variety of courses from other institutions. He has certifications from Novell, Cisco, and LightSpeed. He was nominated as a Teacher of the Year candidate by his peers and served two terms on the board of the Hoosier Educational Computer Coordinators (HECC). His goal is to “provide the tools to make teaching easier for the teachers, learning more engaging for the students, and to provide resources beyond the textbook and four walls of the classroom” through the use of technology. In his spare time, he teaches Piloting and Advanced Piloting for the US Power and Sail Squadron, is a Master SCUBA Instructor, and former US Coast Guard captain. He is married and has a daughter that is also a graduate of Purdue with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Greetings from Cheryl Gardner! I was born in LaPorte County and grew up living on a farm in Union Mills, Indiana. After graduating from South Central School, I furthered my education at Ball State University where I received a BS degree in elementary education with an endorsement in driver education. I pursued and earned my Masters in Education degree at Valparaiso University. Throughout the years, I have continued my studies at various seminars, conferences, and workshops pertaining to teaching. In 1975, I began teaching at my alma mater, South Central and have been here ever since! In addition to my teaching duties, I have been cheerleader coach, drama club sponsor, spelling bee co-chairman, driver education instructor, and director of many high school musicals. For many years, I have written and directed musical programs for the children and South Central community. Outside of the classroom, I am involved in the Dunebrook Child Advocacy Center where I work with the nurturing family classes. I have been involved in Tri Kappa Sorority, ISTA, and currently serve on my parish council. Throughout the years, music and theater have been vital parts of my life. I continue to perform, sing, and play guitar at special events. I have been blessed with wonderful parents, sisters, a brother, eleven nieces and nephews, friends, colleagues, and students.

I began teaching in the fall of 1998 at Kesling Middle School. After that year I decided to come to South Central. I have been here ever since and I love it. I received my BS of Mathematics Education from Indiana State University in 1998. I then received my Masters Degree of Education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2003. My husband, Cliff, works on electronics and we both enjoy being outdoors.

Love Kids! Love Art! Love Nature! Art Rocks! Education: Bachelor of Science K-12 in Art Education from The Ohio State University; Masters Degree in Education from Purdue University North Central ; Undergraduate and graduate work at Valparaiso University Post Graduate Work: Non-for-profit Forfar Field Station, Andros Island, Bahamas; Miami University of Ohio; Florida State University; Ashland University, Ohio; Master Teacher & Friends University, Kansas Awards & Recognition: Personal Honors: Grant for 'Brush with the Masters' from Indiana Endowment for the Arts; Three time Outstanding Part Time Teacher of the Year, Purdue University North Central; Outstanding Teacher of the Year, South Central Community School Corporation Student Honors in the art room: Drug-Free art poster grand prize winners, LaPorte County; National and Indiana Wildlife Federation art contest winners; First place winners in state-wide Electric Consumer Calendar art contest, and over 100 state-wide merit winners.(All young artists enjoyed out of town receptions at their art openings.) Art and Design Purdue University North Central students art work published in Portals, a campus literary publication Teaching efforts go beyond 30+ years in the public K-6 art classroom. Over 20+ years have been enjoyed in the Art & Design and Education departments at our local Purdue University North Central campus. Field trips & classes include Chicago & Lake Michigan areas with the beautiful dunes, parks & environs. I have also been blessed to teach for over 20+ years in the first grade CCD classroom at St. Joseph Catholic Church, in LaPorte.  Life's too short'¦.. get to the fun stuff!

My name is Jill Ingram. I graduated from Indiana University Northwest in 2009 with a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education, with an endorsement in Reading. Before coming to South Central Elementary, I taught Special Education at Frank H. Hammond Elementary in Munster for two years. Teaching Kindergarten is wonderful. My students amaze me daily and I truly enjoy watching them progress throughout the school year. I currently live in North Judson with my husband, Ben, and my four beautiful daughters. If you ever need to get in contact with me, please feel free to email or call. I want your child to have the best learning.

I have been at South Central since 1972... beginning as a fifth grade student. I graduated from S.C. in 1980 and earned my Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University in 1984. I began my teaching career in the parochial schools and was fortunate to return to my home school in 1986. I have taught first, second and fourth grades. After 26 years in the regular classroom, I added the Library Media Specialist certification to my license. So my classroom has expanded to Kindergarten through Senior classes. My duties include integrating the Information Literacy Standards and library skills. I am also involved in extracurricular activities with the high school, as sponsor of Student Council. My husband, Skee and I have three children, Anna, Jackson and Marcus. I am proud to note that of my family of 5, all are SC grads, with everyone, but me, starting at South Central as Kindergartners. We are proud of what SC has given us in values and educationally.

My name is Ryan Kruszka and I am one of the PE teachers here at SC. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health from Butler University in 2010. Currently, I am the head baseball coach and football assistant coach. Also, I enjoy spending time with my family while finding time to go fishing when I can.

I am a graduate of Purdue University with my degree in elementary education. I have an endorsement in kindergarten and reading. I have taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, 4th grade, Remedial reading for grades 1 through 8, and currently I am teaching kindergarten. My husband Paul and I live in La Crosse, Indiana with our children. We enjoy attending sports events and 4-H activities with our children. My hobbies are gardening, biking, reading, and being involved in our church and 4-H.

My name is Curt Masson and I teach High School Business. I also teach two dual credit classes with IVY Tech. (Personal Finance, and Business Management) I was born and raised in Chesterton, IN. I graduated from Ball State University where I studied Secondary Education in Social Studies. My first teaching position was in downtown Cleveland, OH. After 4 years I took a job as a trainer for a Fortune 500 financial company training people how to start their own businesses as financial planners. I was relocated to Pittsburgh, PA where I became home sick for Northern Indiana and teaching. My wife and I moved back to Valparaiso and I took a job at North White High School in Monon, IN. I finally accepted the business teaching position here at South Central in 2008 and have been happy ever since. It just feels right here and am looking forward to teaching here for many years to come.