Senior students participating in the Wawasee building trades program are, in front from left, Charles Bird, Henry Kidd, Allen Carson and Roberto DeLaFuente. In the back row are Brandon Tomlinson, Samuel Jackson, Luke Jackson, Trenton Thornburg and Ryndan Aaron. Not pictured is Andria Millberg. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

Junior students participating in the Wawasee building trades program are, in front from left, Patrick Navarro and Brandin McCulloch. In the back row are Rodrigo Hernandez, Terrance Farmer, Derek Charles and Jamison Bolt. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

Thursday evening in the cafeteria at Wawasee High School, the building trades students were recognized during the annual banquet. Building trades is a hands-on learning experience for juniors and seniors who are given the opportunity to help build a house from the foundation up.

After the welcome by Curt Hursey, president of the building trades advisory committee, and introductions by Ed Waltz, building trades instructor, the invocation was given by Steve Perek, dean of students at WHS.

A meal was provided by Dan’s Pies with the assistance of culinary arts students of the high school. Waltz recognized the advisory committee members present at the banquet including Hursey; Kim Nguyen, career and technical director for Wawasee; Pam Unruh, career and technical secretary; Dr. Tom Edington, Wawasee superintendent; Heather Garcia; Don Harman, WHS principal; Bruce and Leslie Jackson, parent representatives on the committee; Jamie McAdams, WHS teacher; Barry Miller and Perek.

Building trades students were then recognized and Waltz gave brief remarks about each student. Those completing two years in the program are Charles Bird, Luke Jackson, Trenton Thornburg, Allen Carson and Henry Kidd. Allen Carson was named outstanding senior.

First year students are Jamison Bolt, Roberto DeLaFuente, Rodrigo Hernandez, Brandin McCulloch, Andria Millberg, Brandon Tomlinson, Ryndan Aaron, Derek Charles, Terrance Farmer, Samuel Jackson and Patrick Navarro.

DeLaFuente, Millberg, Tomlinson, Aaron, Samuel Jackson, Luke Jackson, Bird, Thornburg, Carson and Kidd are seniors and the rest are juniors.

During his closing remarks, Hursey noted some students enter the program “who have never even picked up a hammer,” but by the end of the year they have a good idea of what needs to be done to build a house. This year’s project house is for Denny and Susie Replogle on East LaPoint Drive at Camelot Lake.

The time and date for the open house will be announced later.

Glenda Ritz, superintendent of public instruction for Indiana, visited Wawasee High School Friday morning and spoke with several area principals and other administrators. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public education, made it quite clear she does not approve of “high stakes testing” in any way, particularly ISTEP+, and strongly believes such testing could be used more as a growth model assessment instead of only pass or fail.

Ritz visited Wawasee High School Friday by invitation from WHS Principal Don Harman.

Harman said the area study council made up of principals from several school corporations was having a meeting and he felt it was an appropriate time to invite Ritz, so he did so through the Indiana Department of Education website. She spoke to the administrators and answered a few questions in the auditorium for roughly an hour.

Ritz, elected in November to replace Tony Bennett, repeatedly emphasized she favors a growth model assessment because it gives teachers data they can use to teach more effectively. “You are getting two pieces of needed information,” she said. “You are getting their true performance level and also whether or not students are at or above their grade level.”

Speaking candidly, she said ISTEP+ is essentially a waste of money. “You talk to educators and they already know who will pass or fail the test before it is given,” she said. “It does not give us the data we need to help with instruction,” emphasizing the stakes are too high because it is a pass or fail test given to grades three through eight.

Ritz said reading and math will be points of emphasis statewide. “It’s important to know Indiana presently collects no reading data (separately) statewide,” she said (it is presently included with language arts testing). Literacy has always been a key focus of hers, she noted, and she hopes to have reading assessments implemented for all 12 grades by the spring of 2014.

In addition, she hopes to replace the I-READ 3 reading test for third-graders by next spring with a growth model that can be used for grades kindergarten through fifth. There will be a large statewide literacy focus beginning May 10, she added.

Special education “is near and dear to my heart” and those students need to be taught at the level they are at, not by grade level, she emphasized.

Math is even more important. “Math is even a larger concern than reading,” Ritz said. “Four-year colleges won’t accept students any longer if they need remediation in math. Two-year colleges are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on remediation. We have a 25 percent college graduation rate in this state and that is mostly due to math.
“The system in place is not working.”

Concerning common core standards, she has taken no position for or against because she wants to closely examine the standards first, particularly in math. But Indiana essentially adopted the national common core standards “with no public input from the people of Indiana.”

She also talked about high school graduation rates and hopes to open up a dialogue about what it should take to graduate. She cited an example of a student interested in journalism taking a journalism class and then not having it count toward graduation requirements. “All kids should have career and tech opportunities and have them count, all the way down to special education,” Ritz said.

The IDOE website will be redesigned and should be available in June, she noted. “We want to be a one-stop shop for your needs,” she said. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter will be used more frequently, too, to reach parents with needed information.

School improvement standards is another point of emphasis and Ritz hopes to simplify the process for schools and let them use what works best locally. “I want to focus on what really happens at the classroom level,” she noted.

Ritz answered a few questions from administrators, including one from Dr. Tom Edington, Wawasee superintendent, who said Wawasee uses two tests, one of which is NWEA that is used as an assessment to help teachers, then ISTEP+. “I think ISTEP+ is done more for political reasons,” he said.

Ritz said she is trying to eliminate bureaucracy as much as possible and return local control more to schools.

Citing the letter grades of A, B, C, D or F assigned to public schools now, she believes public education is “too much about market-based education and not enough about true learning,” adding assigning letter grades can be used to justify bringing in more charter schools.

House Bill 1427 in Indiana is a very important one because it deals with education issues, she commented. She noted some $30 million was earmarked for rewarding teachers for not only how many students pass testing, but also for the growth rate of students. “We have good teachers in all of our schools and they need to be rewarded,” she said.

Ritz noted more than once she intends to make IDOE more “user friendly.” “A total focus of mine will be to relieve your burdens as much as we can,” she said.

She also spent time at the high school participating in conference phone calls with superintendents dealing with statewide ISTEP+ online testing failures. Ritz toured the high school before leaving Syracuse.

Local Reaction
Edington said he was impressed by Ritz keeping her promise to visit despite the difficult ISTEP+ issues. “I am happy to hear she wants to clean up areas that have not been addressed,” he said, noting several laws dealing with education have been passed in recent years and have sometimes left teachers and administrators confused about what they are supposed to do.

Concerning ISTEP+ Edington said “there is something to be said about accountability and letting the people who pay for our schools know we are doing a good job,” but a growth model can also show student growth and fits in better with the mission of schools to individualize instruction for students as much as possible. ISTEP+ focuses more on assigning a grade or performance level to schools, he added.

He also said he was impressed by Ritz’s ability to talk with people and listen to the concerns of teachers and administrators.

Harman had a favorable reaction to the visit, too. “I was very impressed with her focus and vision for our schools,” he said. “As we took a tour of WHS, she emphasized the need to allow students to have the flexibility to earn credits in many different courses and different means than we currently do. She also was very open as she talked to the teachers and students in the classrooms and areas we visited on the tour.”

During the lunch periods Thursday at Wawasee High School, students couldn’t help but notice the most unusual sight of seeing two WHS seniors duct taped to a cafeteria wall.

Jordan Kuhn, left, and Brooke Miller had the honor of being duct taped because they won the “Duct Tape For A Cause” event where the Key Club collected pop tabs. The pop tabs were then given to the Builders Club at Wawasee Middle School. Then the tabs will be used to help the Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Wawasee High School was among 313 schools statewide to be named a Four Star School for the 2011-12 academic year. Glenda Ritz, Indiana superintendent of public instruction, announced the Four Star Schools Monday.

Each year, the Indiana Department of Education recognizes schools that perform in the upper 25th percentile of schools in performance on ISTEP+ and state exams, as well as their rating determined by the national No Child Left Behind statue’s adequate yearly progress, more often known as AYP.

Specifically for high schools, the percentages of sophomores passing the ECA exams for English 10 and Algebra I are combined to create a passing percentage. Also taken into consideration is the percentage of students who passed both English 10 and Algebra I exams (not just one exam).

Beginning with the 2009-10 academic year, the metrics for award qualification were adjusted and simplified.

“I am honored to name these schools as our Four Star Schools for this year,” Ritz said. “Winning this award required excellent work by teachers, administrators, students and parents throughout the year and on behalf of the entire Indiana Department of Education I send them my sincere congratulations.”

A box of diplomas of past graduates from Wawasee High School has been found in the school’s guidance department. These diplomas are from students who graduated, but never picked up the document.

Diplomas were found for Pamela Colpetzer Lee and Michael Mato, 1972; Filena Grim, 1974; Theresa Hively, 1977; Rebecca Sheppard, 1978; Connie Borders, 1983; Yesenia Cruz and Joseph Beer, 1994; James Beer, 1997; Katrina Simbeck and Tonya Wright, 2012.

These individuals or family members are asked to contact the high school at 574-457-3147.

Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne is pleased to announce Alexandria Rairigh, a graduating senior at Wawasee High School, has accepted an IPFW Chancellor’s Distinguished Scholarship. Alexandria plans to study visual communication and design when she begins her college career at IPFW this fall.

The scholarship provides full tuition and student fees and is renewable for up to four years.

Mary Cockburn Bales, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Cockburn, and a 1998 graduate of Wawasee High School, received her Doctor of Philosophy degree from Purdue University on Sunday, May 12 during graduation ceremonies.

She has been hired to do research at the University of Notre Dame at Mendoza School of Business.

In some ways, it has been a normal academic year for Wawasee High School. The prom was earlier this month, seniors are anxiously awaiting the moment they walk across the platform to be given their diplomas during graduation June 8 and the choir department performed the annual spring production this past weekend.

Many positive things have occurred, too, such as just last week Wawasee being named a Four Star School by the Indiana Department of Education. In late April, 44 more students were inducted into the Academic Hall of Fame and next week is the annual honors program where many more students will be honored.

These are just a few examples of the good things happening at the high school.

A few months ago, though, it was anything but normal as administrators, teachers, parents, counselors and others dealt with the harsh reality of two student suicides. Others have also attempted suicide.

During the February school board meeting, WHS Principal Don Harman gave a report to the board about actions and measures taken and planned in response to the deaths. It was a lengthy list and included a combination of speakers addressing students, counseling, meetings with students, activities and more. Though a few items are ongoing, much of the list has been implemented.

Well known youth motivational speaker Jeff Yalden spoke to the student body in February and that same evening spoke to the adults. Harman believes Yalden spoke sincerely and directly and has made a connection with students others would not have been able to do.

“He speaks to the students on their level,” Harman said, and some students have stayed in contact with Yalden through Facebook, Twitter and his website. “I believe Jeff has a soft spot in his heart for Wawasee and has been deeply touched by what has happened,” he added.

Also in February, Syracuse-Wawasee Area Ministerial Association held a community prayer service on a Sunday evening in the high school auditorium.

The school Pow Wow Carnival held in March was not necessarily a direct response to the deaths, but it proved to bring many students together for a wide range of fun activities and they clearly enjoyed the evening. “There was something that night for everyone,” he said.

Students created videos using the production studio at the high school with positive messages of encouragement for their fellow students. Some of the videos were posted on YouTube and dealt with topics such as bullying.

The “Break the Grey” ministry program was presented in April and addressed the topic of suicide, Harman noted.

Harman has met with a group of parents twice and hopes to meet again with the group soon. “It’s important to get feedback from parents on how we can get kids more involved in school,” he said.

Counselors, mental health therapists and teachers have been more actively involved with students and Harman praised their efforts. “Their door is always open,” he said. Many students have also asked how they can help, he added.

Harman strongly emphasized the aspect of finding ways to get students more involved in supporting their fellow students and finding a connection to the school somewhere. “I really believe every student should be connected to at least one person in the building,” he said.

For an example, when he met with parents he suggested the possibility of forming either a hunting or fishing club for students. Though it may be out of the box thinking, there is a strong interest locally in hunting and fishing and if it connects students to the school more, it is worth it, he noted. “We want to get all of our students involved and not just in athletic things,” he said.

The 2012-13 school year has brought a learning curve for teachers, administrators and staff. Many have learned they need to pay closer attention to the students when they say, for example, they are having a bad day. “We follow up more on student comments than we did in the past,” Harman commented. “I believe we have learned we need to slow down and listen to kids.”

He added he and other adults have learned from the students that they wish their lives would slow down and someone would take time to talk to or listen to them. “We live in such a fast-paced society now and they (students) wish everything was not so fast-paced,” said Harman.

There is more pressure on teens in this generation, he added, and some have no choice but to go to work to help support their families. “It is just not easy being a teenager now,” he said, and many are living in difficult family environments.

For the last few months, things have been calmer at the school. But Harman acknowledged Wawasee is dealing with society’s problems, as all other schools are, and some of those problems are out of their control.

“I certainly don’t want to see it (suicide) happen again,” he said, “but I just can’t guarantee it won’t happen again.”

Wawasee High School Class of 1993 Reunion will be held from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, July 5, at The Eagles in Syracuse.

Tickets will be $25 per person in advance and will include dinner, dessert and entertainment. A Paypal account will be created for everyone to buy tickets online. Please “like” Wawasee Class of ’93 on Facebook or email contact information to cevonderheide@gmail.com for more information.

Nick Lindsey, who has wanted to be a police officer since the age of 5, has been involved with the Syracuse Police Department in a mentor/internship program for the past several months

His grandfather, Larry Peterson, was an officer. His uncle, Aaron Lindsey, was a firefighter and an officer. Now, Nick Lindsey’s goal is to follow the footsteps of those two individuals in his life and become an officer as well.

“When I was younger I remember my uncle wearing his belt and stuff,” said Nick, also recalling his grandfather, before he retired.

Nick took advantage of the internship program offered at Wawasee High School to get a taste of the profession he has wanted to do since he was a young boy.

While the program is offered to seniors, Nick began the footwork his junior year and in his final trimester at Wawasee he received a glimpse into what an officer really does.

Nick has been an intern with the Syracuse Police Department and will soon end his experience with hopes of landing a job at the Elkhart County Detention Center as a jailer, “If I pass the tests,” he said.

He didn’t want to be just a police officer, but “ever since I was five years old, I wanted to be a small town police officer. You get to know a lot more people and the whole town,” he said. He realizes there are some disadvantages of being on a small town’s department, such as staying after your shift ends to complete paperwork. “I like small towns. It’s where I grew up.”

According to his grandmother, Deb Peterson, a former dispatcher for Syracuse Police and Fire departments, “Nick has never wavered in his choice of careers.”

Nick has watched television shows such as Cops as he grew up. “Something interested me,” he commented, adding as an officer “… you can’t expect to know what you’ll do in the next five minutes.”

He has been working with the various officers within the Syracuse Police Department for two hours each day. However, he wanted more time to learn, so gave up his lunch and homeroom time to get “an extra hour; to get as much as I could.”

Nick has ridden with the department’s newest officers, Mike Bumbaugh, Neal Likens and Joe Leach, as well as seasoned officers Jim Layne and Joe Salazar. While he went with officers on such calls as thefts, batteries, public intoxications, lockouts, vehicle registration checks, accidents, stray animals and other incidents, he’s also had opportunities to talk to the officers about their training and the academies.

His eyes were opened to the vast majority of activities of a local department. “There are a variety of things going on day to day … so much going on in little cities, stuff you’d get in Chicago or something. I’m learning so much in a short period of time, just a few hours a day. There’s so many calls and you do so many different things. It’s surprising.” Nick was allowed to “do everything they do, unless they feel it’s not safe.” He’s even went with the officer to take individuals to jail and observe that process.

“My plan is to go to (work at) Elkhart County Jail and while there maybe next spring study criminal justice at Ivy Tech and then at IPFW,” he stated, noting his goal is to work at Kosciusko County as a jailer or road officer.

“I want to start out in the jail. People I’ve talked to said you get more of a background and become familiar with the job going through the jail.”

Lindsey is an outdoors man, “I like being outdoors,” he said, another reason why he wants to be a road officer, “on the road your outside interacting with people,” he stated. He’s also a hunter and enjoys “anything outdoors.” He’s also taking an auto mechanic’s class at the high school obtaining the background necessary for a “second job down the road. Everybody needs a vehicle if flying or not,” he smiled.

He is the son of Amy Hill and Curt Lindsey and the oldest of three, with a brother who is a sophomore at Wawasee and a 6-month-old sister.

“Nick’s internship has solidified his choice of becoming a police officer,” said Peterson.
Mentoring Lindsey has been a group effort at the Syracuse Police Department, stated Kathy Deck, department secretary and matron. “We’re one big happy family and taking Nick under our wing. He fit in perfectly and we enjoyed it.”

The mentoring/internship was a volunteer position. After a day at school and three hours with the officers, Nick works evenings stocking and unloading merchandise at an area chain store.

Wawasee High School’s Building Trades class is hosting an open house of its project home on Tuesday, June 4.

The public is invited to tour the home from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 2620 E. Lapoint Dr., which is located at Camelot Lake, Milford.

KBOR® scholarship winners are recognized. In front, from left, are scholarship winner Jenna Coy; KBOR President Steve Savage of ReMax Rainbow REALTORS®, and Miranda Moss. In back are members of our scholarship committee: Amanda Tom of Mutual Bank, Lori Bolyard of Beacon Credit Union and Marcia Anderson of Conley Realty.

Once again this year, the Kosciusko Board of REALTORS® has extended its rich history of community involvement by awarding three outstanding seniors each a $1,000 scholarship. Including 2013, KBOR has awarded $60,000 in scholarships since 1993.

This scholarship is specifically designed to assist bright and motivated students to pay for their education expenses and help them live their dreams and achieve all their goals. REALTOR® members are proud to help build a better community through programs such as this.

KBOR received over 40 applications from students throughout Kosciusko County and the winners were chosen by members of KBOR’s Community Service/Scholarship Committee. The winners are:

Jenna Coy – Jenna is a spring graduate of Wawasee High School with plans to attend Purdue University striving for a degree in animal science with plans to become a veterinarian. She is the daughter of Allen and Sheryl Coy, Syracuse. Jenna was very active in extracurricular activities from cheerleading to Student Council to National Honor Society. Trish Miller, coordinator of Work-Based Learning for Wawasee High School, shared with the selection committee, “Jenna will be a wonderful asset on any college campus. She is very determined and has a goal-oriented mindset to pursue a career in veterinary science. Any scholarship she receives will be a good investment in the future of our society.”

Brittany Eryman

Brittany Eryman – Brittany is the daughter of Chad and Amy Eryman of Leesburg. After graduation from Wawasee High School, Brittany plans on attending Indiana State University to obtain first a Bachelor’s degree than a Master’s degree in accounting/ finance. In addition to her busy school curriculum, Brittany is also a youth leader at her church and counsels at summer camp. Angie Metcalf, assistant Children’s Ministry director of the North Webster Church of God, said this about Brittany: “One of Brittany’s greatest attributes is her ability to set a goal and achieve that goal through planning, hard work and perseverance.  Once she starts something, she will see it to fruition.”

Miranda Moss – Miranda was the only 2013 Scholarship winner that is already attending college. This coming fall she will be a sophomore at Ball State University studying in the medical field. Besides excelling in her studies, Miranda has a passion for theatre, choir and dance, which led her to induction to the International Thespian Society. Pam Schumm, science teacher at Wawasee High School ,wrote to the selection committee: “Miranda Moss has worked very hard her entire high school career to earn good grades, be active and enthusiastic. The word ‘failure’ does not exist in her vocabulary. There is no better candidate for your scholarship than Miranda Moss.”  Miranda is the daughter of Rebecca Moss of Milford, and Raymond Moss, Olathe, Kan.

Congratulations to our three outstanding Kosciusko County 2013 KBOR Scholarship Winners!

Emma Donahoe, Wawasee High School student, flashes a smile as she is presented her diploma by Don Harman, WHS principal during the graduation ceremonies Saturday morning. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

On a pleasant late spring Saturday morning, just outside of the main entrance to Wawasee High School, some 206 students tossed their graduation caps into the air. And following that yearly tradition, graduation ceremonies were completed for the WHS Class of 2013.

Classes for the school corporation were finished June 4 and now the 2012-13 academic year is completely finished. Dr. Tom Edington, superintendent of the Wawasee Community School Corp., welcomed the audience in the main spectator gym of WHS Saturday morning.

He said it was a year of the positive and the negative. More than one-third of the graduating class earned honors diplomas of some type and more than half earned an advanced Core 40 diploma. But it was also a year where two students took their own lives, another died of cancer and Harrison Fidler, who would have graduated with the 2013 class, died in 2009 while an eighth-grader at Wawasee Middle School.

Senior class presidents Emma Donahoe and Aaron Becker also welcomed the audience. After the national anthem, the WHS Class of 2013 entered the gym. Kim Garber, senior student, gave the invocation. Lisa Reed, class secretary and treasurer, introduced Lanae Haessig, salutatorian.

Haessig noted the world did not end in December as predicted by the Mayan calendar. She said this year’s class is an exceptional one with numerous talented athletes, musicians, artists and academic excellence. She commented the class will be able to stay in touch “with hourly Facebook updates” but it is true they will never be as closely knit as they are now.

“Life is too short to take for granted,” Haessig said. “Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.”

Andrew Busse, class vice president, introduced Brooke Miller, valedictorian. Miller said, simply, “we survived,” and listed several classes and events the students attended while in high school. “We are one, whether we realize it or not,” she noted.

Many changes took place during the four years of high school including a new principal and assistant principal, new teachers, a new cafeteria and “those Kunos (computer tablets), too.”

“Let’s go into our future with heads held high and make a difference,” Miller said.

Don Harman, WHS principal, challenged the graduating seniors to think back on their last 12 years of school and all of the things they have learned. He said life will always present challenges and difficulties but “this is a new day and a new chance for you.”

Harman read a poem challenging the students to keep thinking positively and doing good things even though some people may not like them, support them or agree with them. “Life can kick you in the teeth sometimes, but respond by doing good anyway,” he said.

Mike Schmidt, assistant principal, read the names of each student aloud as they were presented diplomas by Harman. Then students turned their cap tassels, a candle lighting ceremony was held, the commencement ensemble hymn was performed, the benediction was given and the graduating seniors exited the gym to go outside for the cap tossing. And now 45 classes have graduated from WHS.

Fifteen seniors graduated with highest distinction this year and nine graduated with distinction. Class flower is the yellow rose, class motto is “give me one firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth.” Class colors are green and white.

Trevor Archer, autistic, graduated from Wawasee High School this year. (Photo provided)

More than 200 students received diplomas Saturday in a packed main spectator gym during graduation ceremonies for Wawasee High School. In a separate ceremony June 3, when the gym was not filled, another student received his certificate of completion in a much more low key ceremony.

Trevor Archer earned his certificate of completion, said his mother, Amy Frazier. “He is actually autistic and not of the spectrum type,” Frazier said, describing her son.

A separate ceremony was held for Archer because it would have been too overwhelming for him to participate in Saturday’s graduation, said Wendy Hite, director of special services for the Wawasee Community School Corp. Archer was not the only Wawasee student with autism to graduate this year. Three others graduated Saturday, but they function at a higher cognitive level than Archer and many people would not recognize they have autism, Hite noted. Those students plan to go to college, she added.

Archer needs assistance for activities and daily living, his mom said. He can talk and dress himself, but he can’t drive and needs someone else to keep his schedule.

Frazier clarified her son did not actually meet the Core 40 state requirements in order to earn a diploma, but was instead issued a certificate of completion by WHS. “He met his curriculum and did his time,” she said. Nonetheless, it was still a significant achievement and “we are very proud of him,” she said. And he was warmly acknowledged as a special person by Brooke Miller, WHS valedictorian, during her speech at Saturday’s graduation ceremony.

Archer was diagnosed at the age of 3 with autism when it was not as prevalent as it is now, Frazier noted. The family moved to the Milford area in 2006 and Archer has attended Wawasee schools since.

Trevor has no college or employment plans yet. “He would love to do creative design for Walt Disney,” mom said.

Don Harman (file photo)

Wawasee Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington confirmed to StaceyPageOnline.com today that Don Harman has been “reassigned” in his duties and is no longer principal at Wawasee High School.

Edington would not go into detail about the reassignment but did say, “Any administrative movements are not tied into the basketball program.” Just last week Phil Mishler resigned as WHS boys basketball coach. Mishler’s wife, Susan, was also recently hired to as the new principal for Wawasee Middle School.

Harman is still an employee of Wawasee schools, but his new assignment has not yet been made. Edington said more information may be known by the school board’s regular meeting on Tuesday night.

Mike Schmidt, who has been serving as WHS assistant principal, has been named the new WHS principal.

Jim Brita of the Strahm Group Inc., Fort Wayne, does drywall work in one of the C wing rooms at Wawasee High School. Eventually the walls will be painted in this room and others in the C wing as part of summer construction or renovation projects within the Wawasee Community School Corp. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

Every year something needs to be renovated, repaired or replaced in one of the Wawasee Community School Corp. buildings. Capital projects funds from the yearly budget are used to pay for these projects typically completed during the summer months when classes are not in session.

This year, nearly all of the work is being done in Wawasee Middle School or Wawasee High School. In the middle school, the learning resource center is receiving interior doors and glass walls to enclose it and give students more privacy. Also at WMS, the alternative to suspensions and expulsions room is being modified.

And the gym will get new HVAC units capable of providing air conditioning and the duct work is being upgraded. Motion sensors are being installed in hallways to reduce hallway lighting after normal school hours. In addition, the back driveway is being repaved.

Work at the high school includes both floors of the A section being painted, ceiling tiles being replaced, carpet replacement and installation of vertical window blinds. In the C section, permanent walls are being installed, painting is being done, carpet is being replaced and there will be electrical upgrades. The carpeting in this wing had dated back to when the building opened in 1968.

In the main gym, new bleachers will be installed in the upper sections with the exception of the three-row bleachers, painting will be done and the remaining glass safety rails installed. New scoreboards will be installed, too. New portable bleachers will be installed and painting done in the auxiliary gym, as well as new wall padding put in the wrestling room.

Also on the high school campus, Center for Academic Progress will receive a new roof and minor interior modifications and the career and technical building will have a major roof replacement. A new roof has already been installed on the central office.
A major portion of the roof will be replaced for Milford Elementary School.

Student Drew Denney, left, watches as Ed Waltz, right, building trades instructor for Wawasee High School, uses a saw. In the middle is Jamie McAdams, WHS industrial arts teacher. As part of the Early Career Options Summer Challenge, at-risk students helped build a shed for Habitat for Humanity. (Photo provided

Though some are still in middle school, already they have been identified as being off the course to graduate from high school and receive a diploma. But an effort is being made to change the direction of a group of approximately 20 at-risk students through a new summer program at Wawasee High School.

A grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation and business donations enabled the formation of the Early Career Options Summer Challenge, simply referred to as the ECO Summer Challenge. It began June 7 and will end July 22.

Identifying students as at-risk is based on a number of factors, said Tracy May, coordinator of the program. Some have been identified by the Bowen Center or school counselors, while others have been expelled from school or are not even enrolled in school. “They are off the course to graduate on time,” she noted.

The grade range of students chosen is from middle school up through those entering their sophomore year in high school. They are being challenged to explore the different career and technical opportunities available to them in high school such as Geometry in Construction, building trades, robotics, photography, automotive, culinary arts and the various agriculture programs. A full physical education program is offered, too.

Students attend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday voluntarily and are being rotated week to week through the various opportunities. If they have five unexcused absences, they can no longer participate in the program, May said.

Overall, the intent of the challenge is to hopefully spark an interest in a career field the students may not have considered before. And if an interest is sparked, it could motivate the students to not drop out of school and focus more on their academics.

For one example, during the building trades portion of the program nearly all of the students had never picked up or used a hammer before, but most came back each day and helped build a shed for Habitat for Humanity, May noted.

In addition to exploring career options, students can also earn a high school credit through the career and technical education department, as well as a PE credit. This will help free up scheduling to accommodate any graduation coaching or tutoring students may need during the school year.

Bowen Center is providing staff members to help and a mental health intern attending Grace College and doing a clinical study is also assisting.

Don Harmon (file photo)

As StaceyPageOnline.com first reported, Don Harman was reassigned from his role as principal at Wawasee High School (see story). The reassignment was announced during the Wawasee school board meeting last night.

Effective July 1, Harman was reassigned within the school corporation, but no details have been released about what position he may be filling. Harman was replaced as principal by Mike Schmidt, who had been the assistant principal since June 2011.

Harman’s reassignment was officially approved by the Wawasee school board — quietly — during the regular monthly meeting April 12. His reassignment was not included with the regular agenda that month, but was added just prior to the meeting. His status was also not discussed and his name was not mentioned during the April 12 meeting. It is not unusual for items to be added after the agenda is released, but typically those are explained or discussed during a regular school board meeting.

A few days prior to the June 11 regular meeting of the school board, Wawasee Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington recommended WHS Assistant Principal Mike Schmidt be promoted to principal and Harman be reassigned as an eighth-grade science teacher at Wawasee Middle School for the 2013-14 academic year. This was discussed further in an executive session prior to the June 11 meeting and then during the regular public meeting, the board voted — again quietly — to promote Schmidt to principal.

Edington explained the reasoning for keeping Harman’s status quiet. “We wanted to keep it under the radar because we felt it was only fair to him to be given some time to find another position,” he said. “He has been looking elsewhere for a job.”

After Tuesday’s regular school board meeting, Edington did not give specific details about where Harman has been reassigned and would only say the science teaching position at WMS is still open and Harman being moved there is still an option. It is certain, though, he will not become the assistant principal at WHS because that position has now been filled by Geoff Walmer.

SYRACUSE – In a change of pace from recent years, the fall sport parent meeting at Wawasee High School will feature a pleasant twist.

Bethel College men’s basketball head coach Mike Lightfoot will be a guest speaker at the 7 p.m. meeting on Monday, Aug. 5, in the WHS auditorium. Lightfoot will speak at the first of two sessions that evening, with a 7:45 p.m. second session for the fall sports to break out to individual rooms for specific meetings.

Coach Lightfoot will speak to parents on the topic of “Parenting today’s high school athlete.” Lightfoot, who had two sons start at NorthWood High School in basketball and also at Bethel College, has held a high amount of success while coaching the Pilots. Among the lengthy list of individual accolades, Lightfoot has led the Pilots to seven national championships as well as garnering nearly a dozen Coach of the Year awards.

Some of the topics Coach Lightfoot may address include: Putting undue pressure on kids-  are you helping or hurting them?; Communicating with coaches about concerns, especially playing time; Unrealistic view of a child’s talent level; Is AAU and club sports hurting or helping high school athletes?; Negativity in the stands and social media; Playing multiple sports and off-season commitment; and supporting discipline action of coaches towards a child.

There will be a short question and answer period at the end with coach Lightfoot. Admission is free and all high school athletic parents are welcome to come hear him speak.

Matt Beer, senior, is at the radio broadcasting microphone for the Web-based radio station of Wawasee High School. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

The influence of the Web continues to expand and radio broadcasting is part of that growth.

Some students at Wawasee High School in Syracuse are learning about Web-based radio broadcasting through one of the career and technical education courses offered at the school.

Near the end of the 2012-13 academic year, WHS began warriorradiowarr.caster.fm, where radio broadcasting occurs 24 hours a day online. When students take the course, they also learn about TV broadcasting, which has been offered for a few years already.

Phil Huffman, radio/TV instructor at WHS, said previously a radio broadcasting course was offered at West Noble High School and Wawasee students attended. West Noble is part of the CTE cooperative with Wawasee. But the course was dropped by West Noble.

Wawasee decided to start its own radio station, he noted. “We found Caster.FM and it is free,” he said. “It will help us keep costs down,” and up to 300 listeners can access the station at the same time.
When students come to the production studio for the class, they learn from a curriculum including production methods, editing, sound and more. Huffman noted they give weather updates and make quick announcements such as about school related events. Mike Casey, WHS teacher, is also utilizing the station for his “Mike on Mic” program where he hopes to interact with students.

And music of various types is played automatically.

The radio station is still fairly new and is a work in progress. Huffman said he hopes to use it to generate more interest in the school’s academics and “make it more inviting.” Broadcasting athletics other than the typical sports of football, basketball and baseball is also a possibility, he added.

Web radio broadcasting is growing and one of the reasons why is because it is not restricted geographically. Anyone with online access can listen to a station no matter where they are. “When people travel, they can still listen to the stations they like,” Huffman said.

But, he noted, listening to an online radio station drains the battery of the electronic device so there is still a need for traditional stations broadcasting on the airwaves. Wawasee is considering starting a traditional station with a limited signal range of a few miles.

Only four students are enrolled in the radio/TV class this trimester. Scheduling problems prevented more from taking the class during the current trimester, so Huffman expects more to be in the class the next two trimesters. Those who take the class can not only earn high school credits, but also credits from Vincennes University.

Wawasee’s radio station has a Facebook page and is also on Twitter by going to at Warrior radio TV.