I am a former student of Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Indiana. I graduated from a smaller school in the surrounding counties, but one that did not lack in academic, extra-curricular, and overall school excellence. Silver Creek is a friendly school that welcomes anyone, whether you’re starting out in kindergarten, or just moved there your senior year. I moved to Silver Creek Middle School in seventh grade and I know there is no other school I would’ve wanted to be at. I made numerous best friends, ones that I am still best friends with today. I became active in after school activities which led to my passion, and now future career, of theatre. I was prepared academically for college by my teachers and even graduated with enough credits to be a year ahead in college. I was given many opportunities to lead and learn what it is to be a leader. While small, the student body always has huge pride for the school they attend. In an external view, Silver Creek is located in the small, but growing, town of Sellersburg. A town that has low crime rate and a sign as you enter the town reading “Town of Opportunity.” It is an ideal place for families to live, and more and more people are beginning to realize that.

But, what most people don’t see is the crisis going on inside of the school. The building and facilities are crumbling. Students can barely squeeze through the halls due to overcrowding. There are cockroaches, water damage, and ceiling tiles falling down. When it rains, trash cans have to be put out under leaky spots in the ceiling. The AC and heating rarely work. Recently, SCHS had to cancel their annual blood drive because the gym was too hot and students were getting sick. In one instance, a teacher was locked inside their room because the door was faulty. Teacher’s roll around their classrooms because they don’t have a set classroom to teach. Every student shares a locker because there aren’t enough. Safety and a sound educational environment inside the school have been an ongoing issue that has been ignored and thrown to the side for many years now and has yet to be fixed.

In the past year, the school board stated that they were FINALLY going to construct a new school. Recently, though, there was a petition signed by others in the district, that has halted this project from proceeding. So to the 500 people who signed the petition, here’s a little education for you.

Silver Creek High School has progressively grown in numbers. I did some research on the school website and found that Silver Creek is the ONLY growing school in the district. Borden and Henryville High schools are continuously shrinking. In the next five years, it is estimated that enrollment rates at Silver Creek will increase by 17.44%, while the other schools are in the negatives. In the Building Condition Assessment, it is shown Silver Creek is the only school represented in red on their Physical Condition Summary Statement. Red represents, “In general indicate significant maintenance and improvements are needed and renovations, upgrades, or replacements should be planned as soon as possible.” Silver Creek High also tied for the lowest on Educational Adequacy, and the results of that, “Indicate that attention should be given to improving the educational environment of the building…” Main issues listed where overcrowding, support space, performing arts, outdated equipment in lab spaces, hallway traffic, power issues, and practice fields by the highway. All this information and more are located on the West Clark website and are available to anyone.

One of the issues listed was performing arts. As a former student and part of the theatre program, I know firsthand that the performing arts desperately needs new facilities. Stated in the Educational Assessment, “There is a very strong drama program and the space does not fully support the program.” Silver Creek Theatre has grown immensely in the last five years and has won numerous awards for their work. They’ve placed high several times at Regional and State Competitions and have been chosen two years in a row to represent Indiana at the International Theatre Festival. They have become known as a progressively growing and thriving department and known in the community for their show quality and how they do working under the conditions given. They have no wings, which is space for set pieces, props, and people to move on the sides of the stage. Countless minor and serious injuries have occurred because of this. The storage space has always been inadequate for the growing department and they struggle to find space to keep set pieces, supplies, costumes, props, and students who participate in the productions. At times, 40 people may have to share one dressing room that is about a quarter of the size of a normal classroom. Leaks and cockroaches destroy costumes and props. The school board gave the department a trailer to use for storage but almost a year later, the trailer caved in and the theatre department was left with paying and dealing with all the molded, water damaged costumes. They lost about 75% of their costumes including vintage pieces that had been collected over the years. There is no lobby so audience members are crammed in the hallway, the stage itself is uneven causing many tripping hazards, there is no space for a band or orchestra, no equipped sound system, and also no catwalk to hang lights causing extension ladders to be placed in unsafe locations around the auditorium to hang them. Most equipment is outdated, the space doesn’t support the number of students or quality of shows, and with the theatre’s only revenue being ticket sales, the theatre becomes limited in what it can do. The potential for an outstanding department is all there, but, just like the school, they need the facilities to match it.

Overall, Silver Creek is an excellent school and one students are flocking to, or wish they could be at. The school has been exponentially growing in the past decade but the facilities have yet to keep up. Silver Creek is the only school bringing in money, so why shouldn’t they receive the money earned to build a new school? Also on the website is West Clark’s School Values. Just a few include, “accessibility of data for student evaluation, communication, quality instructional decisions, and goal attainment,” “a holistic, positive, safe, caring, learning environment,” and that, “facilities that are well maintained, safe, secure, and that meet the needs of the student population.” If these are the values of the school district why is Silver Creek High School an exception?
Before you form an opinion, do the research. Ask any student at Silver Creek about their experience, and they will tell you how much they love being a part of such a tight-knit, achieving, and prideful school. But, they will also tell you their personal experiences about seeing cockroaches crawling down the halls, the ceiling tile falling during class, or it rained that day and they had to set trash cans out in the middle of the lunch line and hallways. Ask a teacher how many of their coworkers have to roll around their classroom, and how many students they have per class. Every student, teacher, and staff has their own story and reason of why Silver Creek deserves a new school. It is appalling to me, that the students, teachers, and staff who are their day after day after day, are being cut off from a safe and sound educational environment, due to the ignorance of those who have possibly never set foot into the space. So do your research and educate yourself. All the numbers and facts are listed on the school website. All the personal experiences come from the students and faculty. Any and all information is within reach and Silver Creek has been educating its students in less than reasonable conditions for years, so I can’t see why we can’t educate ourselves and face the truth; Silver Creek High school not only deserves but NEEDS a new school and it needs people who will continue to fight until students and faculty are in a safe educational environment.

Ceiling tiles falling in classrooms

Bugs (this is not even the worst)

More ceiling tile falling over student's desk

Every time it rains, trash cans have to be placed underneath this hole in the ceiling right where student's receive school lunch

Every bathroom stall looks just like this

Dressing Rooms

Storage areas for theatre