Warsaw – On Friday, Jan. 20,  the Lilly Endowment announced Warsaw Community Schools as a recipient of a Lilly Endowment Counseling Initiative Planning Grant of $50,000. This grant was established to give opportunity to strengthen Indiana K-12 Counseling in schools and to implement best practices to prepare students for academic, career and personal success.

According to the news release for request for proposals in the grant applications, “We want to see a significant increase in the number of K-12 students in Indiana who are emotionally healthy and who realize academic success and graduate from high school.”

Studies show that more students in Indiana struggle with mental health issues at a higher rate than those in most other states. WCS, through the current strategic planning process, has named student development and well-being one of the top priorities. WCS is working through acceleration and initiative teams and those teams are currently engaged in seeking out best practices for our students.

The WCS Counseling Initiative Planning Grant included data which shared that while the district has many resources in our community (orthopedic manufacturing, agricultural industries, community and business partnerships) which have propelled WCS to create and incorporate vision for inspiring dreams, enriching the community, expanding the use of technology and STEM education, specific gaps have been recognized in college and career planning tools along with the social-emotional wellness of students required to be successful while at WCS and into life beyond school.

WCS Lilly Counseling Initiative planning team has formed a school leadership and community partnership advisory committee which includes technical assistant partners to fervently pursue the 4-year competitive implementation grant which is due in May of 2017. If successful in attaining the implementation grant, WCS could receive over $700,000 to transform counseling and college and career readiness practices in our district to benefit our students.