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Margaret Smith

Integrated Foundations of Teaching

Dr. Madrzo

20 Feb 2023

School and Community Analysis

I chose to do my project over Herron High School. I chose this school because it’s the

school I went to during my 9-12 years! I have a lot of really great fond memories of Herron and

its surrounding areas, but in my four years of attendance, I never really got to know much about

the community that surrounded me. As a consequence, I never got to go out of my bubble as

much as I probably would now. So, I decided that the best course of action is to choose this

school as the focus for this project.

I started by examining the community statistics of Herron and the surrounding area of

Indianapolis. As Herron is located downtown, it’s a much more diverse ecosystem than what you

would typically find in Indiana. 11.7% of residents are white, 23.1% of residents are Black,

18.3% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% of residents are American Indian, 14.4% of

residents are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander residents, 32.2% identify as something

else, and 19.1% identify as two or more races. With 15.8% of the surrounding population living

in poverty and $908 being the median gross rent. It's a very diverse community that is reflected

by the student population and curriculum that is in place at Herron.

Herron has a very active official Instagram account, with many student-made Instagram

accounts that are about the school, such as (but not limited to): @almostfriday_herron,

@herronhighschoolmemes, @herron.affirmations, @herron.spam, @herron_depressed, etc…

which the school doesn't outright promote or encourage, but it also doesn't admonish either
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(except for obvious ones like the @Herronvapeclub). This atmosphere allows student creativity

to flourish and for students to be more excited and proud about the school they go to.

The immediate community that surrounds Herron is also very important to the

environment that it cultivates. Places like the Talbot Street Art Fair, Little Door Cancer Agency,

Harrison Gallery, and the Redeemer Presbyterian Church have a symbiotic relationship with

Herron. For example, the Little Door Cancer Agency has students come in during health classes

in order to learn about cancer and how to prevent it. The agency gets to reach young people with

its message and the students get to learn about very important health risks. Furthermore, the

Harrison Gallery and the Redeemer Presbyterian Church (which are connected to each other)

serve as both a gym and gathering place for Herron ceremonies, as Herron does not have one of

its own. Of course, there are also establishments around Herron that are purely for amusement

and have no official affiliation with the school (such as Mcdonald's, Boba Milk Tea Snob, The

Foundry, etc…). But, it helps to draw potential students into Herron as these are cool places to

hang out with your friends after school and are seen as alluring.

In order to go to Herron, there are some requirements you must meet in your four years as

a student. You must take and pass four years of the core subjects (Math, Science, History, and

English). You must also take two electives per semester. And you must take four years of Latin

or two years of Latin and two years of another language. The reason why Latin is so propelled

into the curriculum is because Herron is a classical school, meaning that they are heavily

influenced by diverse classical cultures and implement classical works into their classrooms.

Along with being a classical school, Herron is a college-preparatory school with the heavy

persuading of preparing high schoolers for the world of college and beyond by focusing on
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critical thinking and learning skills by implementing the trivium method: grammar, logic, and,

rhetoric.

In terms of extracurricular activity, there are over 40 student-led clubs at Herron that can

range from friendship bracelet-making to playing D&D to helping out at the soup kitchen. Most

to all of the clubs are filled with some sort of philanthropic service or community involvement at

Herron. Furthermore, most of the clubs involve a type of artistic intent to it. Because while

Herron is both a classical and Colledge Prep school, it's also a liberal arts school. Herron was

built upon the bones of an art museum. And while it doesn't advertise itself as an art school, the

remnants of creative visions still float throughout the halls and seeth itself into the curriculum.

And while sports isn't as big a deal at Herron as it is at other schools, Herron still has a

flourishing Athletic department at regularly participates in IHSAA.

In terms of finances, Herron receives $7,812,087.00 each year, with ~5% being federal

funds and ~95% being state/local funds. Of that money, ~28% is used for operational

expenditures, and ~72% is used for instructional expenditures. Of the 122 constitutes that work

at Herron, the average pay for a teacher is $53,546/per year. While $8,231.92 goes into every

individual student. Herron is a public school, so students don't have to pay for their education.

However, most have to pay for lunch if they don't bring one from home. Since the community

around Herron has a 15.8% poverty rate, many individuals get a free or reduced lunch, about

35%.

The current members of the executive team at Herron include Janet H. McNeal, Dr.

Jonathan Harris, Dr. Deborah Cooney, Katie Dorsey, Anne Deckard, Juli Woodruml, Lynn

House, Emanuel Harper, Bethany Lowery, and Cody Whitesell. In order to become a member of

the Executive team at Herron, you must have a long and impressive history of working with
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education in the past. For example, Janet H. McNeal has over 35 years of experience including

teaching U.S. and English soldiers history while they were stationed in South Korea.

Herron’s vision and mission statement puts a great emphasis on and further reverberate

the ideas that I've talked about beforehand, building knowledge through history and preparing

them for the future. These messages are induced by the school being a classical school that's built

upon the idea of preparing students for college life and beyond.

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Works Cited

“Clubs - Herron High School.” Www.herronhighschool.org,

www.herronhighschool.org/student-life/clubs. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023

“Faculty and Staff - Herron High School.” Www.herronhighschool.org,

www.herronhighschool.org/about-us/faculty-and-staff. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

“Herron High School (5724) | Indiana.” Inview.doe.in.gov,

inview.doe.in.gov/schools/1096505724/finance. Accessed 20 Feb. 2023.

“Mission, Vision, Core Values - Herron High School.” Www.herronhighschool.org,

www.herronhighschool.org/about-us/mission-vision-core-values. Accessed 20 Feb. 2023.

“Payment - Herron High School.” Www.herronhighschool.org,

www.herronhighschool.org/families/payment. Accessed 20 Feb. 2023.