Whitley County Consolidated Schools

District Statistics

Demographic Small Town/Rural
Total Students 3538
Primary Schools
Elementary Schools 4
Intermediate and Middle Schools 1
High Schools 1
High School Size(s)

Columbia City – 1082

Phase 1 - EXPLORE

The unofficial Explore phase for WCCS really started in 2017 when we began taking teams to Greater Clark County Schools in Jeffersonville, Indiana to see their programs in action.  We took several teams from WCCS on multiple trips to learn about their community partnerships, academy structures, work ethic program, and K-8 experiences.  We then came back and continued meeting and making plans for implementation at WCCS.  We have implemented bits and pieces over the past several years.

Study Visits

WCCS officially began the Ford NGL Explore phase with a study visit to Akron in Action study visit on September 27-29, 2022.  We took a team consisting of our Superintendent, Talent Development Director, Director of Innovation and CTE, HS Assistant Principal, Middle School Principal, and our post-secondary partner from IVY Tech.  During this visit we were able to dive deeper into the Ford NGL structure and begin making our formal plans for official implementation.

Why the WCCS team visited Akron in Action:

  • To see the Academy model in action on a larger scale
  • To see PreK-12 implementation/planning
  • To see their benefits after 5 years implementation
  • Speak with business partners, nonprofits, all involved in implementation
  • Hear from students on their involvement
  • Reaffirm the work that has already been done at CCHS and WCCS
  • Lend greater credence to what has been going on at CCHS

After this study visit, we did a communication “roadshow” traveling to each of our 7 buildings to raise awareness and share what we learned.  

A second WCCS group attended a study visit to the Academies of Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee from March 6-8, 2023.  This team consisted of the Superintendent, Business Manager, High School Principal, High School counselor, and High School teachers.  This team got to see how academies are implemented on a larger scale, and how community involvement is crucial.  They also got to see how the academy structure allows for amazing student experiences.

School Visit

On November 14-17,, 2023,  the Ford NGL team came to WCCS to learn more about our district.  They toured two of our elementaries and conducted focus groups with parents, teachers and students.  They also visited and conducted focus groups at the middle school and high school.  They met with a focus group of administration and a focus group of school board members at our central office.  The key findings and recommendations of the Ford NGL team are summarized in the full Explore Report linked below.

Phase 2 - ENVISION

On December 13, 2022, WCCS held Envision Day 1 at the Central Office with a large group of community representatives.  This group was made up of approximately 60 members, composed of business representatives, non profit organizations, government officials, parents, students, and staff.  Together we shared our dreams and visions for the future of WCCS.  We began brainstorming skills and attributes for our Portrait of a Graduate, and sharing design ideas.  Our main focus of the day was awareness and creating our “Why.”

We also rolled out our Tactic groups and began to plan for this work.

Below is a link to the Portrait documents that were created for the Elementary School Learner, the Middle School Learner, and the High School Graduate.  Each has the foundational attributes of Ambitious, Connected, Knowledgeable, and Prepared.  At each level the description of each of these attributes varies depending on the level of the learner.

Phase 3 - PLAN

On January 23rd and February 15th, 2023, the Ford NGL team and WCCS leadership met for Master Planning Sessions.  These sessions were conducted with the consistent large group of community representatives made up of approximately 60 members, composed of business representatives, non profit organizations, government officials, parents, students, and staff.  Unfortunately our February day ended up being a school cancellation day, so we didn’t have student participation, however the work continued with the remaining members.  

Our third Master Planning session was on June 20, 2023.  Our District leaders met with our Ford NGL Coaches, and our Convening Organization leader to continue the work.  At this session we shared information about our newly formed 501c3 and how the Ford NGL work aligns to our District Strategic Plan.  We talked about the CCHS academy structure.