Southern Indiana: February 2026 Highlights
Innovation In Action
Each month, we celebrate the stories of Innovation Accelerator teachers and students making a difference across Indiana and beyond.
Quick Hits:
Seven teams from three schools gathered at Silver Creek High School for the first-ever Southern Indiana regional practice pitch event.
Two Signature School teams placed 1st and 3rd at the University of Evansville Changemaker Challenge, with the first-place team earning full-tuition scholarships to UE.
A A multi-School Pitch Presentation
Molly Frank: Floyd Central High School
Chase Davis: Charlestown High School
Jennifer Glaser: Silver Creek High School
Kate Brown: Silver Creek High School
It started with a simple idea: what if students from across Southern Indiana could pitch to each other before the STARTedUP Challenge competition got real?
That idea became the first-ever Southern Indiana regional STARTedUp practice pitch event. It was hosted at Silver Creek High School, organized by Jennifer Glaser, and made possible by four teachers who believed that collaboration across schools is worth the effort.
Seven teams from three schools: Silver Creek, Floyd Central, and Charlestown gathered to share their business ideas in front of a room full of peers, not judges. The goal wasn't to deem a winner, but rather, to build confidence, gather honest feedback, and give students a glimpse of what pitching to an unfamiliar audience actually feels like.
"It was intended as a practice pitch opportunity, with students receiving feedback from their peers," said Kate Brown. "The focus was on learning, growth, and building confidence rather than competition."
A Room Full of Believers
You can watch student pitches from the event here!
The energy in the room reflected exactly that spirit. Students who had been through the process before showed up ready to help the newer presenters. "They all were so respectful and helpful," Glaser said. "They gained energy and confidence from each other." Molly Frank from Floyd Central brought five students pitching three projects, and she noticed something that didn't happen in a classroom: students from different schools gravitating toward each other at the end of the event. "I loved seeing the students group together to discuss at the end like old friends," Frank said.
Chase Davis brought 2025 Innovate WithIN State Finalist and current student Leanna from Charlestown to give her pitch and share her background, a contribution that helped round out the room with different voices and different stages of development.
For Kate Brown, the most meaningful moment of the day belonged to one student.
Ireland had been up late the night before, thinking through her pitch. She was nervous walking in. But she delivered, and the Maker Space experience she'd built up over time showed.
Part of what made Ireland ready was what she'd built up long before the event. Maker13, the regional makerspace Brown strongly encourages her students to take advantage of, had given Ireland hands-on experience that translated directly into confidence on the pitch floor. Brown sees that connection clearly.
"Because of Ireland's experience in the Maker Space, she has since shared that she may pursue a minor in business to complement her engineering degree."
One pitch practice. One room of supportive peers. A shift in how a student sees her own future.
A Surprise Addition
Molly Frank came with five students, and one last-minute addition she hadn't fully anticipated.
A student who had been navigating some challenges had been quietly building an app in his computer science class. Frank invited him to pitch it. He stepped up. "He was amazing," Frank said simply.
After pitching their idea, this student has been excitedly sharing his experience with family and other teachers, and he's motivated to keep developing his idea. Frank has high hopes that entrepreneurship becomes a new on-ramp for him. It's a reminder of what these spaces can do for students who haven't yet found theirs.
The Teacher Collaboration Behind It All
None of this happens without teachers choosing to reach across district lines, and they all reflected on how much that collaboration meant.
"I think with all the changes with the new diploma, it is vital for schools to collaborate, especially regionally, as we share many of the same employer pools," Frank said.
Brown agreed, and made it personal: "From a teacher's perspective, I think it's important that we support one another, no matter what school we are affiliated with. Ultimately, we want to see all students succeed, regardless of which school they attend."
Glaser was grateful for what the experienced students from neighboring schools brought into the room: "It was so helpful to learn from the experienced students. These students all presented real problems and real solutions. It was energizing!"
The plans are already in motion to continue. Frank is bringing additional staff to Silver Creek's Career Fair in April. Glaser would do the whole thing again without hesitation. And Brown is already advocating for Maker13 as a regional asset worth leaning into.
The first-ever Southern Indiana regional pitch practice wrapped up with students walking out more confident than they walked in.
First Place, and a Full Ride
Jose Mota: Signature School
Photos Provided by 2026 Changemaker Challenge Winners Receive Scholarships Article
When the University of Evansville announced second place at this year's Changemaker Challenge, the room got loud from an unexpected corner. Noma O. and Chaz B. from Signature School had just realized what that meant: they hadn't placed second. They had placed first.
"I am pretty sure I heard these boys louder saying 'What!'" their teacher Jose Mota recalled.
The reaction was equal parts “disbelief and relief” as Mota puts it, because first place at the UE Changemaker Challenge grants winners a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Evansville.
A Day-Long Test of Ideas
This year's Changemaker Challenge drew 20 teams across two rounds of seven-minute pitches, judged by local community leaders including the mayor, a representative from Toyota, and a representative from Old National Bank. The first round cut the field from 20 to 6.
Signature School brought 14 teams, and two took home awards.
Noma and Chaz, in first place, pitched Helping Hands, a platform to connect individuals and organizations through a dedicated community forum. They argued that existing social media platforms aren't always current or helpful enough for people seeking to get involved locally.
Adrika S. and Jaini H., in third place, pitched VeraWell for Women, a local app providing a secure way for domestic abuse victims to find help. They built on the insight that national and state resources often lack the specific local connections survivors actually need.
What set Signature School's teams apart, Mota believes, was authenticity. Most students accumulate over 100 hours of community service while enrolled, and that experience shapes how they see problems.
"For most of them, they realize the community needs through their volunteerism. That makes their ideas authentic and empathetic. Most of them want to see these social changes in their community."
More Than a Scholarship
The full-tuition scholarship is significant on its own. But Mota is thinking further ahead than the award ceremony. "Beyond the scholarship, this experience provides social capital," he said. "They now have a network of mentors, a 'proven' track record on their resumes, and the confidence to know that they don't have to wait until they are 'adults' to change the world or be taken seriously."
That last piece, being taken seriously, matters. Noma and Chaz walked into a room with community leaders, the mayor, and corporate representatives, pitched a real idea to solve a real problem, and won. That experience doesn't leave you.
For Mota, watching it unfold came down to one word. "Joy," he said. "I think it's as simple as that."
Congratulations to Noma, Chaz, Adrika, and Jaini, and to Jose for his incredible classroom culture.
