Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1882
“OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE, AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.” Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
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(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 136 Edition 3
Teachers, parents differ on school uniform question By Valerie Werkmeister Could North Posey students be required to wear uniforms next school year? Discussions are underway following the results of recent surveys completed by teachers and parents. Angie Wannemuehler, Director of Curriculum Assessments and Special Programs, presented the results of the survey to school board members during their meeting last Monday, January, 11. The board was pleased to hear a total of 856 people participated in the survey. Responses to the questions ranged from the following choices: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree or strongly disagree.
According to the survey, teachers and parents are on opposite sides of the question with teachers largely in favor of school uniforms. A total of 56.25 percent of teachers agreed with the idea while 50.18 percent of parents were against the idea. Overwhelmingly, 60.18 percent of teachers felt school culture was the largest factor that influenced their preference for their choice, while 46.25 percent of parents felt it was their own parenting philosophy that influenced their decision. When asked if teachers should also be required to wear uniforms, 44.98 percent of
parents strongly agreed. However, teachers didn’t feel the same way as 35.71 percent strongly disagreed with the idea. Interestingly, both groups were within the same range when it came to answering whether they felt a school uniform would help address the peer pressure issue of fitting in. Twenty-five percent of teachers and 24.24 percent of parents strongly agreed with the statement. Overall, teachers felt school uniforms promoted positive behavior. Only 22.05 percent of parents disagreed with that statement. However, it should also be noted that only
17.50 percent strongly agreed and 20.19 percent agreed. The final survey question asked whether a district-wide dress code of appropriate and modest dress would promote positive student behavior. Both teachers and parents agreed with the statement with 37.50 percent of teachers and 28.94 percent of parents making this choice. The board will continue to gather data on the topic and no final decision was made at this time.
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Cynthiana business to be conducted in new Town Hall digs
North Posey High School’s Homecoming will be held Friday, January 22 between the reserve and Varsity basketball games. Members of the 2016 basketball homecoming court are, in front, left to right, Haley Messic, Caitlyn Creek, Payton Latham, Morgan Alvey, Rhiannon Bailey, Miranda Johnson, Baylee Willman, Lindsey Koester, and Alexandra Stump. In back are Cooper Motz, Brandon Hamman, Evan Krohn, Ross Bender, Austin Graves, Jacob Jost, Quinton Fife, Jacob Sanford, and Jarrett Motz.
Historic trip being planned for NPHS By Valerie Werkmeister North Posey High School students will have the unique opportunity to witness a presidential inauguration in person. History teacher Brandon Barrett is planning a trip for January 19 – January 22, 2017 and hopes to have a large number of participants commit to the trip. An informational meeting will be held on Thursday, January 21, at 6 p.m. in his classroom (C-6) at the high school. World Strides is organizing the travel plans and will supply a tour guide to lead students through the many fascinating and historical monuments in our nation’s capital. Some of the sites include the Washington Monument, the Holo-
caust Museum, Martin Luther King Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian Museum, the Space and Air Museum, the Viet Nam War Memorial, the Korean Memorial and the Ford Theatre. Of course, the big event will be the inauguration where students will view from the National Mall. This is the second trip of this type organized by Barrett. He hopes to plan a historical-based trip for North Posey students every two years. He would like to take students to Philadelphia, Gettysburg and Valley Forge for the next trip. The cost of the Washington, D.C. trip is $1,000 per participant and Barrett stated he hopes to have
Briefly Poseyville Legion to meet January 21 The Poseyville Post 278 of the American Legion will meet at 6 p.m. on January 21. PC Historical society plans January meeting The Posey County Historical Society will meet on Saturday, January 23 at 10 a.m. in the Training Room at the Police and Fire Station. Becky Higgins and Ray Kessler will be outlining the events of the Mount Vernon Bicentennial which is to be celebrated all during 2016. Friends and members are invited to attend. NH Fire Department announces annual Sausage Supper New Harmony Fire Department will hold their Annual Sausage Supper on January 23, 2016 at the Posey County 4H Fairgrounds Community Center. Serving begins at 4 p.m. Adults $10. Children (under 12) $3. Come and join us for our annual, all you can eat dinner. Marrs Elementary schedules annual Kindergarten Round-Up Marrs Elementary School’s annual Kindergarten Round-Up will be on Wednesday, February 10 from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in the main entry. If you or anyone you know will have a child eligible please stop by and pre-enroll. If you cannot come that day you are welcome to stop by the office after February 10, 2016 to get an enrollment folder. Children must be five by August 1, 2016 in order to qualify. PC Health Department to hold immunization clinics The Posey County Health Department will hold immunization clinics at the Coliseum, Room 20, in Mount Vernon, Ind., from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. on the following days: Thursday, January 14, 2016, Thursday, January 28, 2016, Thursday, February 11, 2016 and Thursday, February 25, 2016. Appointments are not needed for these clinics. For questions, contact the Health Department at 812-838-1328. MSDMV sets Kindergarten Registration for February 10 On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, the Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon will be conducting Kindergarten Registration. Full-day Kindergarten is offered in all three elementary schools. (If school is canceled or delayed on February 10, the make-up date is February 17.) Children whose fifth birth date occurs on or before August 1 may enroll in Kindergarten. You will need your child’s birth certificate and a current copy of his/her immunization history to complete enrollment information. To register, please go to your child’s elementary school on February 10, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Each elementary principal will be available from 9-10 a.m. on February 10 to answer questions and give a short tour of the building. If you have any questions, please call your child’s school. Farmersville Elementary School 812-838-6593; Marrs Elementary School; 812-985-2082; West Elementary School 812-833-2072.
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50 students and chaperones go on the trip. He said he will plan fundraisers to make the trip affordable for anyone attending. Those who have questions and are unable to attend the meeting should contact Barrett during the school day at 812-673-4242 or via e-mail at bbarrett@northposey. k12.in.us
By Valerie Werkmeister The Town of Cynthiana will soon have a new town hall building. Town board members met for their first meeting of the new year last Tuesday, January 12, and approved the purchase of the former Pearison’s Band Shoppe building on Main Street. According to Clerk-Treasurer Greta Mounts, the building will offer twice the amount of space as the current building. The town pays $600 monthly rent for the current facility to owner Ron Oursler, who resides in Spokane, Wash. Mounts said the current town hall building has been in use ever since she became clerk-treasurer 26 years ago and possibly as long as 30 years. The flooring and carpeting needs to be updated as well as the heating and air system. Mounts said the opportunity to purchase the former Pearison’s building came at just the right time. The town must renew its lease in March. “We felt that purchasing our own building for $40,000 was a steal,”
Mounts said. It requires no repairs or renovations, other than maybe a few walls to create office space for Mounts and Cynthiana Town Marshal Andy Porath. The town will use cumulative capital development funds to pay for the purchase. Mounts stated they will begin the process of moving files and items stored in the community center soon. They hope to occupy the new facility before the end of March. New board members Todd Kennedy and Carolyn Price will have a bit of a learning curve to catch up on some of the town projects. After they elected Kennedy as the new board president, they heard information regarding the water and wastewater project. Mounts stated she initially thought the town would need to apply for grant funding by March to move the project forward. She said the state recently informed her the town could have up to another year to apply for funding through the
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Posey’s first 2016 baby arrives By Valerie Werkmeister It’s a boy. The new son of Stephanie and David Scheu has the distinction of being the first Posey County baby born this year. Little, or should I say, tall Asher Albert Scheu arrived on Friday, January 8, 2016 at 9 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 21 and three-quarter inches long. He was welcomed home by his two very excited and very anxious siblings, five-year-old Hadlie and four-year-old Eli. “They asked all the time when he was going to be here. We told them he would come after Christmas. So, every day after Christmas, they’ve been asking when he would get here,” Stephanie said.
Asher Albert Scheu Stephanie said he wasn’t due until January 22, but she woke up Friday morning feeling the beginning signs of labor. As her husband
prepared to leave for work, she cautioned him to stay 10 minutes longer. Ten minutes was all it took for them to decide that was the day. Stephanie proceeded to have three more contractions in those 10 minutes. Labor with her other two children went fast, so she and David knew they shouldn’t delay in getting to the hospital. Fortunately, both grandparents live close by in St. Phillips and the soon-to-be-new-again parents were able to arrive at St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville in time. Paternal grandparents are Patty and Al Scheu and maternal grandparents are Martha and Tom Sitzman.
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Full-time grandma is Verville fit By Lois Mittino Gray In her 16 years on the job, Jackie Verville was called by many names by her clients, including JackiePam and Jackieville. This past weekend she started her retirement called by her favorite name ‘Grandma’ when
she flew with her three-year-old grandson Jack on his first plane ride ever down to Florida where she begins her new life in the Sunshine State. Jackie retired from the job of Vice-President of Easter Seals of
Jackie Verville had fun driving the company fork lift as she crossed it off her bucket list at her retirement party. She is shown with her replacement as Vice-President Chris Imes. Photo by Lois Mittino Gray
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Posey County. She was feted with a retirement party by coworkers for family and friends on Wednesday afternoon, January 6 at their offices on Main Street and Industrial Road. A goodbye cake, punch, and many kinds of nibbles were served to those who stopped by the open house to reminisce and give out well wishes. “We are really going to miss her. She puts her heart and soul into this work,” said Cindy Eaton, Case Manager of Employment Services. Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center of Posey County involves working with persons of all ages who may be developmentally disabled or be on social security disability. Sometimes a person may be injured on the job and the rehab center staff will help them locate something else they can do for work. “Jackie’s been a wonderful mentor and really taught me a lot,”
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