Sagamore Of The Wabash Presented To Late Wendy Long
WARSAW — The Sagamore of the Wabash award, the highest Indiana destination, was presented to the late Wendy Long during the Warsaw School Board meeting held on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Long passed away in April after spending 40 years in local education.
Long began her career as a French teacher at Whitko High School and eventually became the Director of Language Programs for Warsaw Community Schools. She was most well known for advocating for students who didn’t have a voice to advocate for themselves.
Representative David Wolkins presented the honor to Long’s family members and spoke fondly of her. “I’ve watched her through her entire career,” said Wolkins. “She was so dedicated to what she did, she was just so passionate.”
Wolkins mentioned that this was his first chance to present the Sagamore of the Wabash award and felt honored to present it to Long. He shared stories of her visiting his farm as she was growing up along with being the expert in Indianapolis when it came to English as a Second Language programs.
Following the theme of English as a Second Language programs, Leesburg Elementary Principal Nathan Polston spoke to the board about the recent Dual Language grant.
Leesburg has received a $50,000 grant to provide a two-way dual language program. This involves native English speakers and Native Spanish speakers learning together from both an English speaking teacher and a Spanish speaking teacher. This immersive way of learning is be beneficial to Leesburg as around 35 percent of the students use English as a second language.
“It’s really exciting to have this come to our school and know this will be beneficial to our students,” said Polston.
This school year will act as the exploratory year for the program. A group of teachers and staff will travel to Utah, Indianapolis and Eisenhower Elementary to observe different Dual Language Programs in action. A new spanish speaking teacher will also be hired within the year. In May, the parents of students accepted into the program will begin learning about the process through a series of meetings.
In other news:
- Warsaw Community Schools was ranked #25 in 2018 for best school district in Indiana by Niche. The school also ranked in the top eight percent of America. A certificate was presented to the board.
- The board approved a consent agenda containing personnel report, previous board minutes, two out of state travel requests and a Title I grant.
- The next Board Work Session will be on Sept. 12 and the next Board Meeting will be on Sept. 18. Both meetings will be held beginning at 4 p.m.