(Batesville, IN) – Batesville High School and the Batesville Community School Corporation won a $500,000 grant at Friday evening’s Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Educational Excellence Awards Gala in Indianapolis.
Batesville was in line for a $250,000 grant, but that was doubled by the number of votes cast locally online during a 12-hour period on Friday.
BHS garnered more votes than two other finalists in the Excellence in Next Level Educational Experiences and Opportunities category.
IDOE says the award is the largest award of the evening and recognizes the school or district making significant strides in preparing students for their future, which includes focusing on literacy, STEM, and college and career readiness.
Nearly $5 million in total was awarded to schools and educators across the state at the second annual gala.
“The heart of the Educational Excellence Awards Gala is focused on the impact of our educators and schools. We know that we have continuous improvements to make for our students…and we also know that we have shining examples of success existing across our state,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “Our goal was to host a red carpet event to celebrate our very best educators, on a level similar to how we celebrate movie stars and professional athletes because their incredible impact deserves to be celebrated at the grandest level we can. Many of the educators tonight have positively impacted hundreds of students over the years and are leaders in their local communities. So, bringing them together for an awards night to roll out the red carpet and provide surprise monetary awards is one small way we can spotlight the massive impact they continue to make on our state.”
The gala brought together over 500 educators and guests from across the state and also recognized the 2023 Indiana Teacher of the Year, Indiana’s 2022 Milken Educator Award recipients, and other educators from across the state.
