Glen Acres Elementary School honored with Purdue’s community partner award

Glen Acres Elementary School has received Purdue's Dr. JoAnn L. Miller Exemplary Community Partner Award for 2019.

This award recognizes local nonprofits, schools or government units that contribute to the educational growth of Purdue students by providing volunteer and service-learning opportunities, and carries a $1,000 cash prize. Glen Acres Elementary School will be honored for the award at two events -- the Purdue University Office of Engagement Annual Awards Luncheon and the United Way Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.

Glen Acres Elementary School has an enrollment of approximately 465 students in grades K-4, and is one of eight elementary schools in the Lafayette School Corporation servicing the east side of Lafayette. The vision of Glen Acres is to empower students to become contributing members of society and lifelong learners.

The nomination for the award came from Jennifer Barce, managing director of academic services in the College of Education. From Barce:

“One of our strongest and most willing partners has been Glen Acres Elementary in the Lafayette School Corporation. Glen Acres serves a diverse student population: 61% under-represented minorities, 74.3% economically disadvantaged, 25.7% English language learners, and 16.1% with special needs. This diversity is ideal for the preparation of future educators who will be responsible for the growth and achievement of all learners. The value of a consistent high-quality environment for our students to gain practical experience cannot be overstated.

“As a college, we are fortunate that they are willing to extend this mission to the next generation of teachers. In short, we would not be able to achieve our goals without a partner such as Glen Acres."

Previous winners of the Exemplary Community Partner Award include Caregiver Companion, Drug Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County, Food Finders Food Bank, Hanna Community Center, LTHC Homeless Services, and Wabash Center.

In January 2015, the award was renamed in memory of JoAnn L. Miller, who was associate dean of engagement and head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. She worked passionately to further engagement with the community by Purdue students, faculty and staff. Miller died Dec. 25, 2014.