November 2025 Blazer Gazette

Home November 2025 Blazer Gazette

Candy's Corner

As we move into the holiday season, I want to take a moment to share my deep gratitude for every student, team member, family, and community partner who makes the Career Academy Network such a special place to learn and grow. This time of year naturally brings reflection, and I am reminded daily of how fortunate we are to learn together.

Across our network, I am seeing students and staff live out our mission in inspiring and meaningful ways. Our network-wide food drive is already making a significant difference for families in our community—thank you to everyone who has donated and supported this effort.

Over the past month, I have had the privilege of meeting with our Student Advisory groups from grades 3 through 12. Hearing directly from our students continues to be one of my favorite parts of this work. Their insights remind us not only of what they need, but also of the leadership they are already demonstrating.

Our elementary students shared how much they are enjoying diving deeper into reading and mastering multiplication. They also spoke about the importance of positive behavior in classrooms. What stood out most was their desire to help one another learn and succeed—proof that our students understand that positive behavior creates stronger learning communities for everyone.

Students in grades 6–12 expressed excitement about learning how to use AI responsibly and understanding the guardrails that guide safe, thoughtful, and ethical use of technology. They also raised important concerns about cell phones and their impact on focus, attention, and learning. Their reflections show wisdom beyond their years and reinforce the steps we are taking to support distraction-free learning.

As many states across the country implement statewide cell phone policies, Indiana is among those that have incorporated clear expectations for cell-phone-free learning environments. We appreciate our families for partnering with us to support these expectations in our classrooms. Research from psychologist Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, shows a strong correlation between increased distance from a cell phone and higher GPA—reminding us that even small shifts can have a big impact on learning.

As we approach the holidays, consistency in attendance remains essential for academic growth. We will continue working closely with families to support strong attendance throughout December.

As we enter this season of gratitude, I am thankful for the kindness, resilience, and dedication I see every day across our schools. Our students are dreaming big, our educators are leading with purpose, and our families and community continue to show steadfast support.

From our entire Career Academy Network family to yours—thank you, and we wish you a safe, joyful, and restful holiday season.

Warmly,
Dr. Candy Van Buskirk

November HR News!

HR Happenings:

Thank you for attending our Open Enrollment meetings!!
Log into Employee Navigator make any changes to your plan.

We are excited to introduce The Wellness Project—a new initiative focused on supporting the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of our staff. Special thanks to Superintendent Candy VanBuskirk and CFO Doug Warrington for their support in bringing this project to life. More information to come. Learn more here.

Wanting CANOPS Spirit Wear?

Shop our store here.

It is IMPORTANT to keep your info up to date! Every employee should have an emergency contact and an updated address & phone number in Paylocity. Please take a moment to make sure your information is correct in the Self Service Portal.

PSW Trainings are live!

HR is here to help

Questions about benefits, open enrollment, or anything HR-related?
We’ve got you covered — just reach out!

Congratulations to Portage School of Leaders on receiving IDOE’s Enroll, Enlist, Employ Excellence Award and leading outstanding immersion activities

The Portage School of Leaders has been selected by the Indiana Department of Education as a recipient of the Enroll, Enlist, Employ Excellence Award, which is a statewide honor that recognizes a school that is working to redefine the future of high school. They will receive this award at this year’s Educational Excellence Awards Gala. This recognition affirms the work underway in our Network to innovate and design meaningful, connected, and engaging high school experiences for students.

The award spotlights schools that are boldly redesigning high school to prepare students to enroll in college, enlist in service, or begin meaningful employment. The selection of the Portage School highlights our intentional redesign of high school around competency-based learning, interdisciplinary projects, and real-world experience, all aligned to Indiana’s new diploma and inspired by the broad consensus that high school should prepare students with durable skills.

The Department of Education’s Educational Excellence Gala will also shine a light on the broader Career Academy Network of Public Schools. Career Academy High School senior Rima Bahradine-Bell, the 2024 Midwest Youth of the Year, has been selected to co-host the event. In addition, Bend Manufacturing, the student-run manufacturing business comprising Career Academy High School and Portage School students, has been commissioned to design and fabricate the award plaques and trophies for the event sponsors, a perfect showcase of student agency and entrepreneurship present in the Career Academy Network of Public Schools.

Congratulations to the Portage School team, whose continue to work to design high school experiences that center student agency, deeper learning, and meaningful pathways to the future.

Round Two of Immersions at the Portage School

We are wrapping up our second Immersion Period here at the Portage School before heading off for the Thanksgiving holiday. For the last three weeks, students and faculty mentors immersed themselves in one, credit-bearing course that encouraged authentic learning experiences and engagement with our local community. We look forward to sharing their final products with the Portage community at our next Potluck in our first “Exhibition of Learning”! Read more about our Immersion offerings below!

Freshmen Leadership

We were thrilled to partner with Five Star Life once again this year for the Freshmen Leadership Immersion. Students had the opportunity to visit Five Star’s campus to learn about the qualities of a good leader while practicing hands-on skills in the fields of archery, blacksmithing, boating, fishing, and horseback riding. When not braving the weather out at Five Star, the students are working here at Portage to learn about leadership through different lenses, using the social sciences to investigate and decide what leadership means to them and how they can serve as leaders in their community. Several students are creating a three-piece mural for the school that encompasses both the core values of the school, especially as pertains to leadership. They did research into other murals, muralists, and artwork to prepare, as well as the materials needed for the art itself. We can’t wait to see their final murals on the walls here at Portage!

Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap focused on human-centered design thinking, communication, and community partnership. During the last three weeks, students worked with community partners, such as the YWCA and the Center for the Homeless, to practice identifying “gaps” between what people have and what people need to live happy and healthy lives. These gaps are shortcomings that make a non-profit’s job even more complicated than it already is to serve its target demographics. Throughout the Immersion, students have worked on key competencies from our Portrait of a leader, including Collaboration and Interpersonal Communication, culminating in a proposal presentation to their selected community partners. Through these presentations, students tell the story of their learning journeys and how their understanding of the gap’s root cause evolves.

Food Justice

This Immersion focused on three key themes: the common good, solidarity, and camaraderie. The students began by crafting their understanding of these terms, defining them through the lens of food insecurity in South Bend. During this time, students identified several major concepts of food justice: food waste, sustainable solutions for food deserts, and government assistance programs. A key component of our school’s mission is to help create products of enduring value for our community. With that in mind, we partnered with Cultivate Food Rescue to help redistribute wasted food, develop a shelf-stable food box to provide food to our Career Academy Network families, and design plans for a community garden to be planted and maintained by the Portage School students for years to come.

Layer by Layer: Building a Future or Filling Landfills

The Layer by Layer Immersion encouraged students to dive into how we can better reduce, reuse, and recycle in our daily lives, even within the Career Academy Network. Students spent time in the Future Lab, identifying and sorting waste materials from various projects and using a special recycling machine to turn as much of the material as possible into new filaments for our various 3-D printing machines. Next, students researched community partners who might find these filaments useful and plan to be giving the previously seen as “waste materials” a new purpose with their donations!

Civics: Does Democracy Work?

This year, our first senior class is participating in one Immersion together. The goal of this year’s Civics Immersion is for students to contextualize their own analysis of a local problem or issue that they want to bring to the St. Joe County Council in December, where they will speak to council members about how we might address this problem as a community. After brainstorming issues they’ve noticed in the community, speaking with local experts, and conducting guided research, they landed on the topic of homelessness. Students are viewing problems that impact South Bend’s unhoused community and will advocate for their positions by delivering a compelling public testimony and providing a clear, actionable written policy brief to support their claims at the upcoming Council meeting.

Career Academy High School Students Design Statewide Awards for IDOE Gala Through Bend Manufacturing

When the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) needed custom award plaques for its 4th Annual Educational Excellence Awards Gala, they turned to a unique team: Bend Manufacturing, the student-run business at Career Academy High School in South Bend, Indiana.

Two student leaders, Wyatt Saunders and Isaac Hernandez, were selected to design and produce the official awards — transforming what began as a creative challenge into a fully professional design-and-manufacturing project.

Students Bring a Statewide Vision to Life

Wyatt and Isaac began by developing multiple design concepts before finalizing a plaque that blended symbolism and craftsmanship.

Their inspiration came from traditional educational icons — the school bell and the apple.

“We wanted it to stay connected to education, which is why we kept the apple,” said Wyatt.

“We sent several ideas, and the apple mock-up was the one they loved,” added Isaac.

Tools, Technology, and Craftsmanship

To complete the project, the students used:

Fusion 360 for 3D modeling
Precision hand-finishing techniques
A custom apple component integrated into the final award design

Their work included multiple revisions and material tests to ensure the plaques looked polished and professional.

“I’m really proud of how clean it turned out,” said Wyatt.

“This project let me practice my skills in a real setting,” Isaac shared.

Career-Connected Learning in Action

For both students, the project strengthened their academic and career goals.

Wyatt, who serves as shop manager, said the experience shaped his future plans:

“Running the shop taught me a lot. It helped me realize I want to study business management in college.”

Isaac shared how the experience helped him build industry connections:

“Over the past year and through my internship, I made a lot of contacts. It helped me build a strong foundation for work after graduation. I want to go into advanced additive manufacturing.”

A Moment of Recognition

Both students were thrilled when they learned their design was selected for a statewide event.

“I was super happy — knowing my design was chosen meant a lot,” said Wyatt.

“It’s a great opportunity for our student-run business. People across Indiana will see what we can do,” added Isaac.

A Mentor’s Perspective: Real Work, Real Responsibility

Their mentor, Mr. Baney, said both students were ready for a challenge at this level.

“Wyatt takes ownership of everything he touches. Isaac thinks like an engineer — detail-oriented and reliable. I fully trusted them.”

He emphasized that this was not a classroom assignment:

“They met with IDOE leaders, asked about materials, colors, budgets, timelines… This is industry-level work. Taking an idea to a finished product prepares them for real jobs.”

Seeing the final awards made a strong impression:

“I was heavily impressed. These plaques are solid oak — they look and feel expensive. And it’s the first year IDOE has ever selected a student-run program to create these awards.”

Mr. Baney summed it up simply:

“This project shows exactly what career-connected learning is meant to be.”

Why This Project Matters

This collaboration highlights the power of authentic, career-connected learning:

Students lead real client projects
They solve real problems
They produce industry-quality work
They gain confidence and purpose
They see a future in engineering, business, or design

For students across the Career Academy Network of Public Schools (CANOPS), this project demonstrates what is possible when young people are trusted with meaningful work.

Fall Fest at Career Academy High School

Career Academy High School’s Fall Festival was a night full of fun, laughter, and school spirit. Students came together to enjoy activities like a haunted trail, pumpkin painting, cookie decorating, and a lively dance complete with a DJ.

The evening also featured costume contests and the crowning of this year’s Pumpkin King, Queen, Prince, and Princess. From creative costumes to festive treats, the event showcased the creativity and energy of the Career Academy High School community.

Thank you to everyone who helped organize and volunteer at the event. Your hard work made it a memorable night for all!

Success Academy @ Boys & Girls Club Spell Bowl

Success Academy at Boys and Girls Club competed in the 2025 spell bowl competition at North Liberty Elementary on November 17th.

They went against many other schools and worked hard to earn their correctly spelled points! Competing for the team was Kennedy, Carsyn, Cohan, Cheikh B., Luna, Richard, Jayden, Michael, Zairren, Jersey, and Abel. Coaching and proctoring were Ms. Lafferty and Ms. Kujawa.

They came in third place overall in their division! Great job Mighty Giants!

Success Academy Hosts FIRST Lego League Competition

Over the weekend, Success Academy welcomed 30 FIRST Lego League Competition (FLL) teams from across Northern Indiana. Eight of these teams proudly represented our own Success Academy students, the most teams our district has ever had! Students built Lego robots, programmed them to complete different missions, learned about FIRST core values, and created unique innovation projects that were presented to judges.

A much deserved THANK YOU to Jo Carroll for coordinating teams, coaches, and the general FLL logistics to make this program possible for our students, all while coaching two teams. Not only has she started the largest FLL program in CANOPS history, but the most accessible, opening doors for more Success Academy students than ever to explore robotics, teamwork, and STEAM. This would not have been possible without the staff members who tried something new and coached a team. Thank you for jumping in headfirst to lead and mentor students through something that is sure to be a core memory and unlock their limitless potential: Trevor Fowler, Alyssa Gorny, Jackie Navarro, Mike Riles, Kendra Simmons, & Jessica Stoner.

What makes this event especially meaningful is that much of it is led and operated by students from our high school FIRST Robotics teams and Middle School FIRST Tech Challenge Teams: 5484 Career Academy Robotics Wolf Pack, 9554 Portage Pythons, 24202 Den Defenders, and 24545 Canine Crew. Their leadership, professionalism, and enthusiasm set the tone for an outstanding experience for participants and visitors alike.

5484 Head Coach Dave Ebersol shared his appreciation for the impact our students made, saying: “I cannot tell you how many compliments I got on our students from FLL student team members, their coaches, and other schools’ admin… it made me tear up. I heard numerous times how amazing this event was, and a large part of that was because of the energy, passion, and professionalism our high school students bring to this event.”

Congratulations to all participating teams, and thank you to our robotics students and staff for helping make this the most successful FLL event in district history.

Career Academy Middle & High School: Thanksgiving Meal Handout

Career Academy Middle School and Career Academy High School came together for a meaningful evening of service as staff, students, and volunteers teamed up to distribute Thanksgiving meals to Career Academy families in need.

On the night of November 20, our CAMS and CAHS teams worked side-by-side to prepare and hand out meal packages filled with holiday staples. From greeting families at the door to loading meals into cars, everyone contributed with kindness, teamwork, and a spirit of gratitude.

This effort reflects our commitment to supporting students beyond the classroom and ensuring our families feel supported during the holiday season. We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for their hard work and compassion.

A huge thank-you to everyone who donated, volunteered, organized, and helped make the evening a success. Together, we continue to build a stronger and more connected Career Academy community.

Career Academy is a Notre Dame Flagship Partner

Ciao