Thursday, October 31, 2024
GHOST TOWN
This home in the 1100 block of Meridian St. is one of many in the community ready for Halloween tonight. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Local School Leaders Share Insights on State of Education
Shelby County school system leaders offered thoughts on several topics of interest at a Chamber of Commerce forum on Tuesday, hosted at the Shelbyville Central Schools administration building. Each shared strengths of their institution, and offered insights on specific issues, included below.
Strengths:
Stephen Hoffman, St. Joseph Elementary School Principal: “I'd say the biggest strength we have is small class sizes. We're able to give a little more time to kids.”
Jamie Wilkins, EdD., Southwestern Consolidated Schools Superintendent highlighted the district’s small community and preschool program.
Todd Hitchcock, Ph.D., Shelby Eastern Schools Superintendent, oversees both Waldron and Morristown schools. “We don’t always get along, especially during basketball season, but we are one school district,” Dr. Hitchcock said to laughs. He highlighted several construction projects, including incoming ag expansion labs, and the schools’ agricultural focus.
Matt Vance, Ph.D., Shelbyville Central Schools Superintendent: Highlighted strong facilities, Golden Bear Preschool (316 students) and the recently opened daycare program for staff members’ children.
Jeremy Powers, Director of Blue River Career Programs, said enrollment is at 403 students in 13 programs, second-highest ever (down from last year’s enrollment record). BRCP serves all five county high schools. “Our students, if they want to go to college, have the opportunity to get dual credits for Ivy Tech.” Those not going to college can obtain workforce-ready certificates.
Chris Hoke, Northwestern Consolidated Schools Superintendent, highlighted “intentional and strategic” program offerings. “There's a pretty diverse array of things that our kids can become involved in, and we're proud to say that we're able to do that with small class sizes.”
Current Issues:
On the state’s proposed updated graduation requirements:
Hitchcock: There are pros and cons. Change is good in some respects, and I think the current (draft) that was just published is far better than the initial version that was circulating two or three months ago. I was a high school principal once, and one of the roadblocks that we ran into with graduation was Algebra II. That was a stumbling block for a lot of kids. If you're not familiar with the current sequence, currently, you're required to have Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry to get the core high school diploma. And that Algebra II course is problematic for a lot of kids, and it really becomes problematic for kids who have no desire to go to a four-year college, because they don't see the connection. And when we don't see connection, we lose engagement, and success drops. One of the things I like about the new proposal - and my math teachers may not agree with - is Algebra II does not become a general graduation requirement. There's still core coursework in math that's required, but it will remove that block for some of our kids who are planning to go into welding or are planning to go to a trade school, so that they don't have that hurdle right at the end of their junior or senior year, which causes a lot of angst and frustration for them.
Powers: On the career center side, you're going to see a boom. Kids will need to get into the career center even more, mainly because of the (proposed) work-based learning piece.
On school programming:
Hitchcock: We have to teach kids how to respond to adversity at a young age, especially our post-pandemic group who may have a little bit less patience for things, may have a little bit more temper flare-ups that we see in school. How do we become resilient? How do we develop grit?
On Discipline:
Powers: One of the best things that has happened in my short time here is having an Assistant Director hired in July. That has allowed the (AD) to focus on attendance, focus on discipline, focus on mental health, and, quite frankly, it has changed the climate in the building. We aren't seeing fights, we're not seeing ruckuses. We're seeing kids enjoying being in the building. We're seeing kids enjoying being in class, mainly because that's allowed the Assistant Director to focus on that mental health, well-being piece.
On declining enrollment and the future of education:
Hoke: We're an industry that was built upon Baby Boom generation numbers that no longer exist. And so there are fewer customers, and there are more service providers than there's ever been before. So I think it would be reasonable to assume that there will be some contraction in our industry at some point.
Vance: I always say, we will adapt and adjust and always do what's best for children. That's our goal.
Hitchcock: We are in competition not just with the other schools in the county, but if there's a charter school, a private school, and the biggest one we face is challenges with online learning. That didn't used to exist, and so we have a lot of parents who are choosing to use their free tuition to send their kids to an online school. I fully support parents’ choice to do what they think is best for their family, but that's something we also have to compete against. I do think the declining population growth is something we're going to have to deal with at some point. (Educators) live in a brick-and-mortar world, and there are fewer people coming to brick and mortar schools.
NOTEBOOK:
Two Shelbyville High School students obtained FFA American Degrees, which are achieved by less than one percent of all FFA members. Alexis Dwiggins and Grace Stevens, members of the Shelbyville Central FFA chapter, received the awards at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo on October 26. Each recipient of the American FFA Degree receives a gold American FFA Degree key and certificate.
Rush/Shelby CASA is hosting a Lip Sync Battle at Blessings Opera House, Saturday, Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m. Teams include: Shelbyville Middle School, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Prosecutor’s/Sheriff’s offices. Tickets and information available here.
NATIONAL NEWS: The average price of a 30-second ad in the World Series ranged from $465,000 to $520,000 each for the first five games, meaning that broadcaster Fox is making $44.3 million in ad sales revenue per broadcast. (Sportico/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
March 22, 1996
The “Make the Grade” column gave mixed reviews of various issues around the building. The issuance of $1.25 parking passes with only 10 weeks left of school resulted in an F. “…and this is supposed to help security (against what, Bloods and Crips?).” Varsity and Choralaires got an A for “working hard” and looking “extra good” this semester. The auditorium got an F for reportedly having termites in the stage and a 30-year-old sound system. The new gym floor received a D-. “Do we really need one? Does the ball shoot off in the wrong direction if dribbled on a certain spot?”
The band “Haggard,” featuring Jeff Smith, Todd Darby and Mandy Smith had made a cassette tape. The album was called “Metaphor.” Jeff played the drums, Todd sang vocals and played rhythm guitar (and wrote most of the songs) and Mandy was on the bass guitar. They had created the tape in a garage owned by Larry Arnold and Gary Hamilton.
Another SHS band was composed of Paul Martin, Matt Bausback, Matt Hardin and Todd Carmony. They practiced in Bausback’s garage.
There were several ways to drink a Vita, Adam Vassar reported, including “with a spoon, a suicide with all flavors, any way besides pina colada, sneak it out into the hallway, and the Sturgill Chug.”
New faces at SHS included Faith Henderson, special education teacher, and Leah Moebuis, new choral teacher.
This Day in Shelby County History
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
2014: Editor’s note: Due to a microfilm processing error, the 2014 section for the next couple of weeks will serve to memorialize a local individual who passed away that year.) Joan B. Carr, 88, passed away Nov. 23. She graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1944 and continued her education at Indiana Central University. She married Victor Carr in 1950, and he preceded her in death in 2013. Mrs. Carr worked for the IRS, Credit Bureau of Shelbyville, Shelby National Bank and Fairland National Bank. She also owned an antiques shop in Hope for several years.
2004: Shelbyville firefighters did a live-burn training by burning down a home owned by Knauf. The home was being razed to make room for expansion.
1994: City officials continued to discuss Mayor Bob Williams’ plan to mandate recycling, which could be done by dropping off items at collection bins or paying CGS in Morristown for curbside pickup, which was only $30 per year.
1984: Major Hospital once again offered to x-ray Halloween treats free of charge on Halloween and for two days following.
The city put a city lot up for sale. Bob McClelland, who lived next door, 1810 S. Miller St., had been mowing the lot for a decade, thinking it was his property. The city had once planned to build a street there; that never happened, and the lot remained unused.
1974: Two pumpkins thrown through windows and three slashed tires were the extent of Halloween damage, police said.
Sharon Ritchie, a former Miss America from Nebraska, visited the local Certain-teed plant. Ritchie was a Certain-teed employee and met with local employees Bill Rice, Leroy Smith and Mrs. Cleo Sanders.
1964: Wallace Linville of Marion Township was Shelby County’s 1964 Corn King. Linville had been one of 59 contestants and was presented his certificate as contest champion by Sen. Vance Hartke. Frank Isley finished second, and third place went to Wayne Wicker. Winners of the accompanying pie contest were Claudia Norton, Zola Limpus, Lucille Ryan and Stella Fisher.
1954: Winners of a costume contest for at Addison school, which included four from the Gordon Children’s Home, were Robert Lummis, Shirley Deal (“a boy, despite the deceptive first name,” The Shelbyville News reported), James Means, Carol Smith, Sharon Coffey and Jerry Vawter.
1944: Lt. Paul Beaman Jr., 26, former resident of Shelby County, was killed in action in France. He had only been overseas since September.
Local Boy Scouts hiked to Sycamore Lodge on Flat Rock River, the final hike of the year. The year’s hikes had included a one-week stay in Crawfordsville, an eight-day bicycle trip to Kentucky, a trip to the circus in Indianapolis and to Riverside Park in Indianapolis.
1934: Few complaints were registered in Shelbyville on Halloween night. “Illumination of porch lights that were lighted during the early part of the night at many residences in the city probably served to tone down the Halloween pranking of many young revelers,” The Republican said.
1924: An Indianapolis man was sentenced to 90 days in jail for stealing a bike from Shelbyville’s Public Square.
Little damage was done on Halloween, although the panels on Little Blue River Bridge had been torn off and tossed into the water, The Republican reported. Some people reported their porch furniture had been moved down the block to others’ homes.
1914: A woman died at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hoover, 526 E. Jackson St., where she had been staying a few days. A few nights’ prior, the Hoovers heard a “feverish knock” at their door during a rainstorm, and opened to find an elderly woman who said she had no place to go and was “cold and hungry and sick.” She begged to be allowed to work at the Hoover home until she could regain her strength. The woman, who gave her name as Katherine Poor and said she was from “far away,” could barely get out of bed. A few days later, she passed away while singing “Come, oh come, and take me home.” The coroner said she died of cancer.
OBITUARIES
Joanne M. Wycoff-Johnston, 79, of Shelbyville, passed away Monday, October 28, 2024, at her residence. Born March 14, 1945, in Indianapolis, she was the daughter of Lyman Wycoff and Edna (Harrison) Wycoff. She married Larry R. Johnston on July 5, 1992, and he survives. Other survivors include five children, Terri Mitchell (Chris) of Whiteland, Debbie Yount (Mike) of Whiteland, Sandra Johnston of Washington state, William Johnston (Laura) of Carmel, Pam Raisor (Dan) of Nashville; three siblings, Victoria Cohen (Mark) of Martinsville, Mary Kelly (Gene) of Fort Wayne, and Lyman Wycoff Jr. of Bradenton, Florida; nine grandchildren, Austin Mitchell, Chase Chambers, Gavin Chambers, Jarrod Nichols, Meghan Nichols, Nicholas Johnston, Henry Johnston, Marshall Johnston, Brittany Yount; five great-grandchildren, Lyrica Yount-Phillips, Braiden Shipp, Tank Chambers, Tytan Chambers, and Taizen Chambers. She was preceded in death by her parents; son Donald R. Hatfield Jr.; four grandchildren, Michael Shane Hayes, Benjamin Hatfield, Brandon M. Mitchell and Gwen Mitchell.
Joanne had lived in this area since 1990 after previously moving from Indianapolis. She graduated from Ben Davis High School and House of James Beauty School. She attended Grace Wesleyan Church and was a long-time member of Eastern Star, Lyndhurst Chapter. Joanne was a real estate agent for several years, assistant manager for Merchants Bank for five years, and a self-employed beautician for 30 years. Joanne enjoyed sewing and embroidery, gardening and flowers, working in the yard, reading her Bible, and really enjoyed her quiet time, She loved spending time with her family and grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m., Monday, November 4, 2024 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Pastor Jose Rivera officiating. Burial will be in Miller Cemetery. Friends may call on Monday morning from noon until the time of the service, at the funeral home. Memorial donations can be made to American Cancer Association, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Althura Ann (Stillions) Hope, age 84, of Waldron, Indiana passed away peacefully in her sleep October 27th, 2024, after a life richly lived in service and kindness. Althura was born on August 22, 1940, to Aubrey and Theo (Shields) Stillions in Bloomington, Indiana. She married the love of her life, H. Daniel Hope, in April of 1965 and moved to Waldron where they spent the rest of their lives.
Althura was a beloved member of the community working at the State Bank of Waldron and working with her husband on the farm. She was a faithful member of Bethel Apostolic Church in Greensburg, Indiana where she spent years teaching Sunday school, helping with meals and fundraisers, and in her later years took on a card ministry, making sure everyone had a special card for every life event. She will be greatly missed by one and all.
Althura was preceded in death by her parents, Aubrey and Theo (Shields) Stillions; her husband, H. Daniel Hope; and her brother-in-law, Delmer Chastain. She is survived by her son, Charles Daniel (Audrea Blackwell) Hope of Waldron; granddaughter, Cassandra Hope of Waldron; sister Marjorie (Stillions) Chastain of Bloomington, Indiana; and a large extended family who loved her dearly.
Visitation will be held Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., with the funeral following at 1 p.m. at Bethel Apostolic Church, 628 W. Hendricks Street, Greensburg, Indiana with Pastor Todd Smith, Rev. Glenn Seaman, and Rev. Erik Poling officiating. A Graveside service will follow at Van Pelt Cemetery in Shelby County. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Jessica Diana Middleton, 35, of Waldron, passed away Sunday, October 13, 2024 in Louisville, Ken. She was born October 16, 1988, in Savannah, Ga. to Jeffrey Owens and Jody (Copper) Brinson.
Jessica Diana was employed at Plymate and worked in the production department. She was a doting aunt and enjoyed spoiling all the kids whether they were family or not. Jessica Diana also enjoyed couponing, shopping and traveling. She had a big heart and was always trying to help those in need. She spent many hours volunteering with various organizations through the years. Family was the most important thing to her and she cherished all the times spent together.
She married Jessica Lynn Middleton on July 7, 2018, and she survives. She is also survived by her mother; her son, Skylar Justice Bradley Ferguson; her daughter, Charlotte Marie Schlechtweg; her son, Ivan Marcus Middleton; her brothers, Ronald (wife, Debra) Knight Jr. and Justin Jones; her sisters, Robin Knight Hill and Deborah Knight (Ted Hampton); her paternal grandfather, Jesse Owens; her aunt, Deborah Goodwin; her uncles, Terry Cooper, Rusty (wife, Kathy) Cooper and Mitch (wife, Cindy) Owens; several nieces and nephews; and her adopted sister, Jennifer Strickland-Poppell. She was preceded in death by her step-father, Michael “Moose” Brinson; her sister, Ashley; her paternal grandmother, Holly Owens; her maternal grandparents, Carol and Carl Cooper; her uncles, Loyd Cooper and Donnie Goodwin and her cousin, Rhonda Walton.
A Celebration of Life will be Sunday, November 3, 2024 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Shelbyville Parks Department (banquet room), 945 S. Tompkins St., Shelbyville, IN, 46176. Funeral Directors, Greg Parks, Sheila Parks and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Jessica Diana’s family. Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to Rupert Kids, 24 W. Broadway St., Shelbyville, IN 46176 or Grace House Ministries for Women, 522 Dunn Ave., Shelbyville, IN 46176. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
James “Alvin” Smothers, 81, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday, October 25, 2024, at his home. He was born December 10, 1942, in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, the son of John A. and Katherine (Stewart) Smothers. On July 17, 1993, he married Rosalie Jane (Hersley) Smothers, and she survives. In addition to Rosalie, Alvin is survived by his children, Brenda Martin and husband, Jimmy, Kimberly Jo Thompson and husband, Scott, Gary Dale Helvey and wife, Teresa, Carolyn Johnson, Jason Helvey and wife, Diana Crafton, Kathy Jo Cabelero and husband, Miguel, and Ashley Smothers, and wife, Lexi; siblings, Mary Miller, Diana Chaney, Charles Smothers, David Smothers, Gary Smothers and Junior Smothers; 17 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. Alvin was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Melissa Martin; and brother, Chester Smothers.
He retired from Ford Motor Company in 1987, with over 35 years of service. Alvin was a member of the United Auto Workers. He enjoyed horse racing, watching westerns and was an avid Indianapolis Colts fan.
His grandchildren and great-grandchildren brought a lot of joy to Alvin’s life, he loved spending time with them creating lasting memories. Alvin loved all of his dogs and cats.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday, October 31, 2024, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow at 4 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284-0692. Online condolences may be shared with Alvin’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.