The land immediately north of Plainfield High School is going to house another school, but one that’s geared towards lifelong learning and students of all ages. It also won’t be owned by Plainfield Community School Corporation.
The concept has been the topic of conversation among school officials for some time. With an eye to changing job needs and a desire to provide ongoing educational opportunities for current students as well as adults, developing a new post-high school educational model was the goal.
MADE@Plainfield is the result of that concept. And others shared the vision as well, resulting in a partnership with the Town of Plainfield, Plainfield Community School Corporation, IvyTech Community College, Vincennes University, WorkOne, Hendricks College Network and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
According to Plainfield School Board President Scott Flood, “It isn’t always easy to work with several organizations on a project of this magnitude, but this process has been extremely gratifying.”
The partners shared the goal of providing easy access to courses and training programs that will prepare Plainfield students, as well as adults from Plainfield and surrounding communities, for today’s jobs. “MADE@Plainfield will do just that,” Flood added.
“Having MADE across from PHS will be a great benefit to our high school students,” explained Scott Olinger, superintendent of Plainfield Schools. Many students take dual-credit or certification courses at Vincennes and IvyTech, and these will now be conveniently located just across the parking lot from the high school. Olinger added, “We see this as an opportunity to expand the dual credit courses that we offer, and ultimately, we’d love to be able to offer direct college credits, right here in Plainfield. That’s a very distinct possibility.”
It’s no secret that Plainfield educators spend a lot of time thinking about our students’ futures and how to continuously adapt to the changing needs of today and tomorrow’s workforce. We say it often - today’s children will hold jobs that no one has even imagined … yet. So how can we prepare them for scenarios that don’t yet exist?
So in a nutshell, what is MADE@Plainfield?
MADE@Plainfield represents a new approach. New ways of thinking, collaborating, learning.
MADE@Plainfield is the result of years of planning by leaders from several educational institutions, as well as business and community leaders.
MADE@Plainfield is a unique opportunity for young adults, mid-adults and older adults.
MADE@Plainfield represents the future of non-traditional learning.
MADE@Plainfield will be located on Red Pride Drive, directly north of Plainfield High School. This location is conveniently located just a mile north of I-70, and just over 7 miles west of Indianapolis International Airport.
MADE@Plainfield is expected to open in the 2021-2022 academic year.
If you’d like to stay in-the-know about MADE@Plainfield, follow us on Facebook (MADEatPlainfield) and Twitter (MADE_Plainfield).