Krueger Principal Honored by Indiana School Boards Association

vera-jonesKrueger Middle School Principal Vera Jones is the recipient of the 2014 Lorin A. Burt Outstanding Educator Award.

This prestigious award is presented to one educator in Indiana each year by the Indiana School Boards Association, in recognition of a significant contribution to Indiana public education or to education in his/her community. Teachers, administrators, college professors and other educators are all eligible.

Jones was presented with the award at the 2014 ISBA Fall Conference in Indianapolis on September 15, during a General Session attended by hundreds of school board members and other school leaders from across the state.

Jones has been instrumental in transforming Krueger’s curricular focus and campus into an Environmental Science Outdoor Learning Center. Several grants, including two Indiana Coastal Grants, have funded the creation of two trail systems and a savanna prairie at the school, and a wetlands restoration project is currently under way. Work on a marsh area and storm water management is slated to begin soon.

Michigan City Area Schools Board Member Deborah Chubb nominated Jones for the award. “Miss Jones has spent countless hours above and beyond her daily responsibilities as a principal, writing grant applications, attending meetings of private and public organizations and local industries to increase the community investment in the program at Krueger,” said Chubb. “The school is now a model for environment-focused, STEM learning that is influencing other school corporations across the state.”

Krueger Middle School has received several awards for its innovative programming. Last school year, Krueger received an Indiana Governors’ Award from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and was honored with a Magna Award honorable mention from the National School Boards Association. Jones received an Environmental Education Award from the Calumet Summit, sponsored by Chicago’s Field Museum.

Jones was named Principal of Krueger in 2013, after serving as its Assistant Principal. She has also been a teacher of environmental science, physics, and integrated chemistry for MCAS.