CARA hosts inaugural Student Celebration

CARA Director Dr. Meredith Boaz said, “It’s so important to recognize and celebrate the success and accomplishments of our students. Celebrating student success boosts motivation, confidence, and engagement by building a growth mindset and fostering a supportive learning culture where students feel seen and valued. This leads to persistence and higher achievement by reinforcing hard work, normalizing effort, and strengthening connections between students, teachers, and our community. This powerful, positive feedback loop can lead to continued learning, personal growth, and a renewed sense of self-assurance and pride. This is exactly what CARA strives to offer all students who come through our doors.”

The student population consists of learners who want to earn their High School Diploma, improve their English language skills, or earn a career certification to advance their employment opportunities.

The following numbers show the impressive achievements throughout the program.
•17 students completed their High School Diplomas.
•13 additional students have passed one or more of the 5 subjects toward their High School Diploma (reading, writing, math, social studies, science)
•43 students achieved a Measurable Skills Gain on the National Reporting System  ***NRS levels refer to the National Reporting System for Adult Education, which classifies adult learners into six educational functioning levels. This mandatory  data is gathered through leveled student testing at regularly scheduled intervals, and is used to classify adult learners to track progress for state and federal accountability.  This performance data is also used to determine future state and federal program funding, as well as contributing to the necessary metrics to achieve the designation of an Indiana Program of Excellence. 
•22 students have achieved an industry-recognized Career Certification in AWS Welding, MSSC Logistics Technician and Logistics Associate, and ParaPro (certification needed to work as a paraprofessional in our public school system). 

Dr. Boaz acknowledged the tenacity of the CARA students.
“I am so impressed by the hard work, dedication, and consistency of our students. Many of them are balancing work, families, and other everyday life obstacles. Still, they stay committed and continue to come to class and give up their personal  time to learn, grow, and achieve their goals. CARA students are some of the most determined people I’ve met in our community,” she said.

She also attributed student success to those working diligently behind the scenes and alongside the program.

“Our amazing CARA teachers and staff members work hard every day to provide individualized education to help all students succeed. We are so thankful for the support of CCSC and our community partners, without whom none of this would be possible!” Boaz said.

CARA plans to continue the celebrations based on the great turnout last month. The second semester honor’s night will take place in the Crawfordsville High School Commons to accommodate a large crowd. The formal graduation ceremony is scheduled on June 26th in the Crawfordsville High School Auditorium.