NE Dubois JEM Students Make an Impact at Patoka Lake

The Northeast Dubois County School Corporation held their regular meeting on Tuesday night ahead of the winter break. 

The board had a chance to view a presentation on Northeast Dubois Junior/Senior High School accomplishments to hear what Jeep students have been up to this year. Through a partnership with Ivy Tech and Patoka Lake Cooperative, students have benefited from updated equipment. The culinary program has added some new industrial items to their kitchen, including an ice cream machine, a dough warmer, and a hydroponics tower. The engineering room has also welcomed some new equipment, including 3 new 3-D printers. 

Education students had an opportunity to visit the State House and the Indiana State Teachers Association building. The textiles class has been sewing, and a quilt made by the whole class was auctioned off at the fall festival. They will be entering a quilt into a competition at the upcoming Quilt Show in Bloomington. Business Professionals of America students competed at BPA Regionals a few weeks ago, and several students will be advancing to the state competition.  

The Jeep Engineering and Manufacturing program has continued to grow and was recently featured in Inside Indiana Business Magazine. NSWC Crane has a STEM outreach program that creates mentoring opportunities for students in engineering. Jim Merkley, who is a Park Ranger for the Army Corps of Engineers at Patoka Lake, needed to automate the daily collection of weather data at the Lake. NSWC Crane and the Corps of Engineers partnered with the JEM class to implement an automated collection process. Students gave a presentation of their prototype at the District Office in October, which resulted in a change in procurement to buy the same equipment being used at Patoka. The students’ work was described as having a $50,000 impact for the Corps of Engineers. 

Jeeps have had a busy competition season. At the Spell Bowl, the high school team placed first in their class and second overall. The Marching Jeeps returned to State competition in a record- breaking season, and the boys’ soccer team won sectional and regionals this year. On November 13, area students participated at the CTIM Challenge at VUJC. The CTIM Challenge gives students the chance to develop STEM skills and connect with top leaders in the industry. 32 teams participated, including students from all four Dubois County schools. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three teams as well as the top three teams per challenge. Jeep teamwork and problem-solving skills paid off, as the Northeast Dubois Number 1 team placed third overall. 

Jeeps have partnered with the IHSAA and RefReps to help students become certified athletic officials, and four students have already earned certification. In Workkeys Testing, four students also met the standards for all three sections of their assessments and will be using this to gain entry to apprenticeship programs. Dr. Katie Jenner, the Indiana Secretary of Education, also spent a few hours at NDJSHS visiting with staff and students. Center Stage presented “Steel Magnolias” last Sunday. 8 th and 9 th graders took their Washington, D.C. trip in September, laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. 8 th graders held mock interviews and visited the reality store to explore occupations and give practical experience with financial skills. 

In other business, the treasury bonds for 2025 were approved and the property and casualty insurance renewal was approved. The required board reorganizational meeting will be held January 8 th at 8 am at the Corporation Office. School will be closed for the winter break from December 23 through January 5. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit www.nedubois.k12.in.us


- By Drew Hasselbring