Southwest Parke Community School Corporation ready for school year

Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 7:06 AM

By Paul Gable

After a summer that saw quite a few changes and the closing of an elementary school, Southwest Parke Community School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Phillip Harrison is looking forward to his families and staff returning to the classroom.

"We are very excited to get the school year started. I anticipate things going well. Certainly, the first few days may have some hiccups, but we are prepared to address them as they arise. We are really excited to have students back in the buildings, and we look forward to seeing everyone Wednesday morning," Harrison told The Parke County Post.

The district recently underwent a redistricting plan, which involved closing Montezuma Elementary and moving fifth and sixth grade students at Rosedale Elementary School to the Riverton Parke High School campus. In addition, Rosedale Elementary also saw changes in the lower grades.

"The RPHS campus will be quite full. Parents and families will notice some new traffic patterns for pickup and drop-off times, with cars going toward the junior high side near the football field. Buses will stage at the front of the school for both the morning and afternoon runs. Rosedale Elementary will house students in grades Preschool through 4," Harrison said.

In addition, Rosedale families will notice that the tennis courts behind the school are currently undergoing a renovation. Harrison said that is a project spearheaded by the Rosedale community.

"We are glad to collaborate with them," he said.

Harrison said his administrative team worked "diligently" on logistics and that this summer featured more moving parts than prior years.

"With the redistricting, the corporation appears to be headed in the right direction. It appears we've established a good foundation. We look forward to seeing how this year develops, and we will continue to assess our progress," Harrison said.