Warsaw Community Schools Named Organizational Partner of the Year

Warsaw, Ind., November 30, 2011 – OrthoWorx today announced it has named Warsaw Community Schools its Organizational Partner of the Year for 2011. The award, for significant progress in addressing many of the issues identified by the Cambridge Education study commissioned by OrthoWorx, was announced at the OrthoWorx annual meeting, held November 30, 2011.

“We have been delighted with the initiative shown by Dr. Craig Hintz and his team, and with the support of the WCS Board of Trustees, on issues that we believe are critical to making the Warsaw schools system as productive and attractive as it can be in helping our area remain the Orthopedic Capital of the World,” said David Floyd, OrthoWorx Chief Executive Officer. “Education remains a critical issue in preparing all students for success in life, whether their plans involve orthopedics or any other field. Moreover, the performance of our school system is one of the most important factors in attracting and retaining the talent needed by the orthopedic industry to continue its record of growth and success.”

• Among the actions and improvements by the school corporation that OrthoWorx noted were: Approval by the school board for a strategic planning process to provide needed vision for the future of the school corporation;
• Demonstrated progress in developing a strategic plan (the planning process, which used the OrthoWorx-funded Cambridge Education Study of Warsaw area schools as a key input, is currently underway and specific recommendations are expected to be considered by the school board in their February 27, 2012 meeting);
• Implementation of full-day kindergarten;
• Expansion of arts and world language opportunities at the elementary level, as well as new world language opportunities at the middle school and high school, including Mandarin Chinese;
• Addition of a Science Advisor, who serves as a resource for teachers throughout the corporation;
• Application to the State of Indiana for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education grant;
• Improvement in SAT and ACT scores;
• Over 45 dual enrollment courses offered at the Warsaw Area Career Center;
• Increased graduation rates at the high school; and
• Dramatic improvement in number of Advanced Placement (AP) tests taken and passed.

“Nothing is more critical to the long–‐term success of our community than the performance of our area schools,” said Brad Bishop, OrthoWorx Executive Director. “We look forward to working with Dr. Hintz and the school board to continue to identify areas we believe are critical to being recognized for the excellence of our school system. We particularly share Dr. Hintz’s interest in exploring ways that we can expand STEM–‐focused education. We think there are opportunities to greater leverage the tremendous scientific knowledge of the orthopedic industry, which is an asset other communities of our size just cannot match.”

This is the inaugural year for OrthoWorx Partner of the Year Awards, which are presented to both an organization and an individual for significant contributions toward the educational, scientific and civic initiatives undertaken by OrthoWorx.

About OrthoWorx

OrthoWorx (www.orthoworxindiana.com) is a Warsaw-based, industry, community and education initiative established to advance and support growth and innovation within the region’s uniquely concentrated, globally significant orthopedics device sector. Funded in part by the Lilly Endowment, OrthoWorx was founded in 2009 out of a comprehensive study conducted by BioCrossroads. The initiative engages and enhances the broader community interests that both serve and depend upon the sector’s continued growth by targeting an integrated set of educational, workforce, cultural, communication, branding, logistical and entrepreneurial efforts.