Kris Rutherford – Indianapolis Public Schools Newsroom

Q: Several IPS Students Receive Full-Tuition Scholarships from Lilly Endowment

Four IPS students will receive up to four years of full tuition to attend any accredited public or private not-for-profit college or university in Indiana, thanks to the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships. Central Indiana Community Foundation recently announced the 13 recipients of the scholarship program from Hamilton and Marion counties. The IPS recipients are: Binuri Hapuarachchy - Crispus Attucks High School Jack Peyton - Herron High School Jenifer Zavala-Cruz - George Washington High School Maria De Leon - Crispus Attucks High School A total of 143 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships were awarded as part of the statewide Lilly Endowment initiative this year, which has awarded 4,340 scholarships and $372 million since 1998.

Q: IPS Service Center Holiday Hours

During winter break, our Service Center will be open Monday, December 18 through Friday, December 29 from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Service Center will be closed on Friday, December 22; Monday, December 25; and Monday, January 1. The Service Center will resume its normal weekday hours of 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. If you have questions, please email us at ipspublicrelationsdivision@myips.org or call us at 317.226.4000.

Q: Peace is the Theme for Christmas Tree Exhibit

Dec. 15, 2017 How do you define peace? The students of Indianapolis Public Schools have focused their efforts this holiday season on celebrating peace within our city — through trees. The annual Forest of Peace opened Friday, Dec. 8, at 8:30 p.m. at Shortridge High School, 3401 N. Meridian St. The display, which is open to the public, runs through Feb. 1 at Shortridge. Viewing is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. All IPS schools were invited to participate in Forest of Peace by designing a tree that symbolizes their interpretation of peace through the type of tree, ornaments and other decorations chosen. The individual trees — a mixture of real and artificial — provide a varied and unique perspective of peace through the eyes of our city’s youth. “The creativity and expression from our students truly communicates the spirit of the season,” said Shortridge art teacher Amanda Cory. “It is inspiring to see the trees every day and to admire the passion and focus that it took to decorate these trees.” A total of 17 trees were submitted for this year’s display, including three from different departments from Shortridge. Students from Rousseau McClellan Montessori School 91 also participated. Ava, a 5th-grader at School 91, defines peace as “calm, being nice to people, being calm with what you are doing, accepting things, and treating people the way you want to be treated.” She said her school’s tree was “made curly to show that everyone has their own way to go in their own direction.” Friday’s opening Forest of Peace was followed the school’s holiday concert and included hot chocolate and caroling.