1. Meghan Blakey

2. Home of the Giants Grades 10-12 BEN DAVIS HIGH SCHOOL

3. The mission of Ben Davis High School, a partnership of students, staff, families, ad community, is to ensure that all students acquire and apply knowledge, skills, processes and values to become lifelong learners and productive citizens in a diverse society through an innovative educational program of outstanding quality. MISSION STATEMENT

4. The students are 40% White, 36% Black, 16% Hispanic, 5% Multiracial, 1% Asian. 14% of these students receive special education and 9% are English language learners. SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS

5. Their report card is a C, because they are still below average in student performance. However, their students have shown improvement, earning them a higher grade. The graduation rate is also above the state average. Ben Davis is in the process of a three year long improvement plan that will be completed in 2015. They’re tested in English and Algebra I, and their passing rate is lower than the state average. The school offers a variety of educational advancement opportunities such as AVID, BDED, Cadet Teaching, Career Education, and a Business Co-Op Program An Essentialist model in terms of curriculum. ACHIEVEMENT DATA

6. Ben Davis offers a variety of athletics for both boys and girls and has received many honors for their performance. Boys: Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, and Wrestling. Girls: Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball. Also offers a variety of extracurricular activities like clubs. Look Here! http://www.wayne.k12.in.us/bdhhom e/clubs_before_after_school.asp ATHLETICS & EXTRAS

7. The expenditure per student is $10,703. 55% of the students receive free meals, 35% receive paid meals, 10% receive reduced price meals. The districts operating budget is $18,804,000. There are 182 teachers and the average salary is $45,900. Ben Davis also receives Title I funding. SCHOOL FINANCES

8. The community is 71% White, 19% Black, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Asian. The Median household income is $38,020. The Median house value is $100,377. Community Partners: Panera Bread, Walgreens, Noble Romans, Wayne Township Library, Department of Workforce Development, Taco Bell, The Harrison WAYNE TOWNSHIP

9. They have a variety of businesses including Fed-Ex, Sam’s Club, and chain restaurants. There are also a lot of small, independently owned businesses. The Indianapolis Public Library is on the same street as Ben Davis. Wayne Township has a variety of parks that offer activities like picnics, basketball, soccer, beaches, lakes, playgrounds, and dog parks, in a variety of locations. WHAT’S AROUND TOWN

10. A lot of the surrounding housing options were condominiums and apartments. However, there are neighborhoods with individual housing. COMMON LIVING

11. “It’s a great school if you can get into the honors program, if not, it’s a lot harder to succeed.” A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

12. When I had only read about the school I assumed it was in some run down building that didn’t really send many graduates very far due to the grade it received and some of the surrounding areas. Once I actually visited I learned the facility is actually really nice. It’s huge and can support a lot of students. Then, once I got back I did a little more research and digging and found that the school is very future-oriented. They’re very concerned and work hard to get their students off to college or careers the best that they can. SO WHAT?

13. http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx?type=school&id=52 13 http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx?type=school&id=52 13 http://www.wayne.k12.in.us/bdhhome/ http://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/indiana/teacher-salary-in-metropolitan- school-district-wayne-township/ http://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/indiana/teacher-salary-in-metropolitan- school-district-wayne-township/ Yusuf Quereshi (Butler Freshman) http://www.city-data.com/township/Wayne-Marion-IN.html SOURCES