Monday, May 20, 2024
Hendricks, Former Pearson Teacher Prepares for Retirement
Michelle Karmire works with students on a math mystery packet last week. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
School was different when Michelle Karmire started teaching. Instead of classroom phones, Pearson Elementary had only one, located in the hallway. There were only two classrooms per grade level, complete with old-style radiators. Neither of the room’s two computers were for the teacher; kids mostly used them for Oregon Trail. And Field Day, the last day of school, resembled a family reunion.
“All the teachers brought their lawn chairs, and kids carried the equipment down the alley to Morrison Park. The lunch ladies brought sack lunches, and the teachers sat in their lawn chairs and talked while the kids played,” Karmire recalls. “We didn’t have organized, horn-blowing, rotate-every-six-minutes, like we do now.”
The small group of staff members were also like family, with Karmire, Carmen Drake and Kathy Zerr dubbed “Charlie’s Angels,” a reference to Principal Charles Craft.
“It worked out. We had two brunettes and a blonde,” Karmire said. “And we still keep in touch with (Craft’s wife) Annette and take her to breakfast a few times a year.”
Karmire herself was a Pearson Panther, attending through third grade before going to Little Marion from fourth to sixth grades. Her siblings - three sisters and a brother - also went to Pearson, despite an 18-year range between the oldest and Michelle, the youngest of John and Mary “Jean” Thomas.
“Mom was afraid to send me to kindergarten because that's about how spaced out we are,” Karmire said, laughing. “My mom turned 40 when I was six months old.”
Like many educators, Karmire, a member of the Shelbyville High School class of 1984, was positively influenced by her own teachers. She remembers Herb Day at the junior high sending hand-written postcards to students. She also looked up to high school math teacher Bill Murphy. “He was so patient and helped me whenever I needed it,” Karmire said. “I thought, if I could be like them…and it’s still the same today. You have to be there for kids. You have to have a listening ear.”
Karmire subbed for a full year after graduating from college, then became an Instructional Assistant for another year.
“There were no jobs to be had, and I only applied (locally) because I’m a hometown girl,” she said.
She was given her own classroom at Pearson in 1991, where Karmire remained until the building closed. She remembers the year students and their moms organized a surprise party to mark her 30th birthday. She and her husband, Jason, had two daughters during this time, and Michelle picked up a master’s degree in 1999. She was then assigned to the new Thomas A. Hendricks building in 2000, where a family atmosphere remains.
This year’s current eighth graders designed a dress, with help from art teacher Dawn Adams, for Karmire when they were in her class. Among the various drawings on the fabric is one calling Karmire the “goat whisperer,” a reference to her beloved pets. Karmire remembers that year well.
“It was impossible to pick a student of the month. They all could have gotten one, so I finally started pulling names out of a hat,” she said.
She decided some time ago this would be her last year before retiring. It’s been a busy one. One daughter got married, her 40th high school reunion is in September and another grandchild is on the way in October. Karmire said she looks forward to amping up her participation in Special Olympics coaching and continuing to volunteer with 4-H. There will also be plenty of time with grandchildren and some traveling.
“I’ll be busy,” she said, “but I’ve already told the goats, I’m not coming out at 4:30 in the morning anymore.”
BELOW: The top four photos are from Karmire’s first classroom at Pearson Elementary. The bottom left photo is her Pearson room number on a plaque, preserved when the building closed. The bottom right photo shows one of her Hendricks’ classes with a dress they made for Karmire. | photos SUBMITTED
NOTEBOOK:
Greider’s House in Morristown will close this week. “It was an extreme long shot opening a new restaurant in today's economy, and it just simply isn't sustainable. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our community,” a business Facebook post said.
NATIONAL NEWS: New research on the diets of 182,000 older Brits revealed that people who enjoy a broad range of foods show better mental well-being and cognitive performance than those who prefer to eat only some categories of foods. For example, participants who liked to eat more fruits and veggies but less protein, or more protein but less fiber, were more likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression—though the study only found correlation, not causation. So if you want to feel your best, you might want to make sure your diet includes veggies, fruits, cereals, nuts, seeds, pulses (seeds from legumes), eggs, fish, and a middling amount of dairy. (Morning Brew/)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Citing 22 major and minor code violations, the City of Shelbyville gave the bank that owned a home at 103 S. Hamilton St. 30 days to remove or repair the house. A representative of the bank noted he had someone mowing the yard regularly. While the board said they appreciated the effort to keep the outside presentable, the real issue was the structural integrity of the home. Mayor Tom DeBaun advised demolishing the property. (The home was eventually demolished.)
2004: Following two months of meetings, a Fire Station committee voted unanimously that the current downtown site at 40 West Broadway St. was the best location for a new station. The committee recommended looking further into buying and tearing down three buildings to the east of the station. A new, larger facility would be constructed to replace the deteriorating 1917 building which leaked and had begun to crumble.
Blue River Special Education Association honored staff members who had been in education 25 years, including Joanie Land, Karla King, Carla Beyer, Janice Tipping and Judy Cupp.
1994: Shelby County Democrat Party headquarters moved from 106 E. Washington St. to 13 Public Square.
1984: The city’s new water tower was named in honor of former Shelbyville Fire Chief Meredith Mann during the groundbreaking ceremony. Mann, who had died in 1983 while serving as fire chief, had worked vigorously toward solving a shortage in the city’s water supply storage. His widow, Charlene Mann, turned over the ceremonial first shovelful of earth at what would be called the Meredith Mann Complex.
1974: Members of the Fairland High School basketball team of 1948-49 were special guests of honor for the 53rd annual Fairland High School Alumni Association banquet. The team had been the first to win a sectional championship for Fairland, advancing to the regional finals. Those present were Ray Hauk, Richard Darby, Kent Guild, Robert Arbuckle, Joed Miller, Bill Tucker, Richard Wells, Jack Nelson, Tom McClain and John Bush. Others present were cheerleaders Rosemary (Thompson) Dial and May (Hasler) Miller, Coach Max Bell and team manager Calvin Kinsley.
Carol Finkel, of Shelbyville, was named vice president of the Indiana University School of Music Alumni at a meeting of the board of directors in Bloomington.
City Police Major Robert Phares was named Outstanding Police Officer of the Year by the American Legion district.
1964: The temperature reached 90 degrees, but a cool-down was on the way, forecasters said.
KCL’s safety committee was recognized for the company’s outstanding safety record. Committee members were Bill Downe, Nettie Smith, Mildred Robinson, Lilliam Price, Charles McNeely, Bill Suiter, Pat Smith, Norman Rouse, Paul Lyons, Richard Howard, Norman Sprong, Steve DeVault and Tony Hammond.
1954: Shelbyville became a regular stop for the New York Central Railroad’s “crack streamliner,” the James Whitcomb Riley. The train arrived from Cincinnati daily at 9:53 a.m. and arrived from Chicago at 9:29 p.m.
1944: J.B. Carney resigned from serving as clerk of the Shelby County ration board after 18 months of service. Carney said he needed to invest more time in his business. Marion T. Ayers, chairman of the board, said he understood, and said Carney had done “a difficult job with entire satisfaction” and that Carney had a “sincere desire to perform a patriotic service.”
1934: The Shelby County Fair Association adopted a plan to hold a free fair, with no admission fees at the gates, except for automobiles. A 25-cent charge for parking on the grounds would apply.
1924: The first night of Shelbyville High School’s senior play was sold out at city hall.
Members of the local post of Spanish-American War veterans decorated the graves of all Spanish-American War veterans in the county with flags and flowers.
1914: The Shelbyville High School senior class purchased a stereopticon machine for the school, giving teachers the ability to give illustrated talks. Pages of books would be shown on the wall via the machine.
OBITUARIES
None today.