ENGAGED
Community Schools
The Engaged Community School model blends best practices of schools focused on project-based learning with a focus on building future leaders through community engagement.
About ECS
The Engaged Community School model blends best practices of schools focused on project-based learning with a focus on building future leaders through community engagement. We embrace the "it takes a village" mentality by inviting local community leaders, business owners, skilled workers, and families to create unique learning opportunities for students. We believe that students can learn from their community. We believe that students can invest in their community. Combining these beliefs creates an authentic learning environment. The learning environment ensures that each learner is uniquely and abundantly prepared to utilize their gifts and passions to serve their local and global communities.
"Engaging Minds. Serving Communities. Transforming the Future."
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Our Misson
Our mission is to develop empowered, compassionate, creative leaders and learners that are equipped to use their talents and knowledge to strengthen their local and global communities.
Our Vision
Every child is a leader that can transform their future and their community.
Our Values
Authentic Learning
We leverage the power of a strong academic curriculum, skilled educators, and real-world, hands-on experiences to provide our learners with high-quality instruction.
Authentic Learning
- High-Quality Instruction - We leverage the power of a strong academic curriculum, skilled educators, and real-world, hands-on experiences to provide our learners with high-quality instruction. Our educators take complex skills, and situations, and apply them to hands-on community-based learning experiences.
- Learner-Centered Instruction - Our Educators utilize high-quality instructional practices and community partners influenced by learner feedback to design a strong academic program for each individual learner. Our educators build positive relationships with each learner to better understand their passions and learning styles so that they can develop a personal pathway for each learner’s academic achievement.
Joyous Community
We want every learner to understand that they bring great value to their local and global communities.
Life-Giving Relationships and Community
- Belonging - We want every learner to understand that they bring great value to their local and global communities. We want them to take pride in their environment so that they may enhance or maintain its beauty. By empowering them to see themselves as leaders we encourage them to embrace a sense of belonging within the community they value and love. We want them to believe that they are already valuable contributors to the community.
- Community Teaching Partners - We believe that there are successful leaders, business owners, and creators in every community. We want to expose our learners to these local leaders through community residencies. We want our learners to gain hands-on skills that ignite a passion and commitment to utilizing these skills within the local and global communities.
Servant Leadership
We promote goal-oriented and talent-aligned actions for our learners.
Servant Leadership
- Service Learning - We promote goal-oriented and talent-aligned actions for our learners. These purposeful actions are centered around serving our community in ways the students feel are most effective. We believe that students are experts in the communities in which they live. By equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge, our students will serve their communities in efforts to resolve identified challenges.
Sustainable Well-Being
Through intentional practices we cultivate ways for learners to explore how they are leaders within their communities.
Sustainable Well-Being
- Leadership Development - Through intentional practices we cultivate ways for learners to explore how they are leaders within their communities. By equipping our learners with skills to become leaders and empowering them to take ownership of their actions and education, we believe our learners will seek to positively impact their local and global communities.
- Social-Emotional Learning - On their journey of embracing their purpose, our learners will develop a deeper understanding of themselves and how they affect others. Our learners will develop skills and strategies that help them become more present, relational, and intentional as they interact with their communities.
- Trauma-Informed Instruction - We recognize that our students may encounter traumatic events in their lives. At times, certain actions and events can trigger hurt and pain from that traumatic event. Engaged Community School focuses on equipping teachers with the right tools to help them support our students in their time of need.
Founder and Head of School
Brandon House
The Engaged Community School model blends the best practices of schools focused on project-based learning with a focus on building future leaders through community engagement. We embrace the "it takes a village" mentality by inviting local community leaders, business owners, skilled workers, and families to create unique learning opportunities for students. We believe that students can learn from and invest in their community.
Combining these beliefs creates an authentic learning environment that ensures each learner is uniquely and abundantly prepared to utilize their gifts and passions to serve their local and global communities.
Our Board
Arianna Cruz
Director of Marketing + Outreach for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana
Michelle Isaac
Middlle Market Vice President with JP Morgan Chase Bank, Admissions Data Specialist with Indiana University
David Roberts
Entrepreneurship and Chief Innovation Officer, Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
Don Wettrick
21-year veteran middle school and high school teacher.
Marie Wright
Manager of Modern Apprenticeships with EmployIndy
We're hoping to ENGAGE with you
Community leaders, entrepreneurs, and school enthusiasts let’s find a way to empower our students to be leaders in our communities!
