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NATIONAL FFA WEEK FEBRUARY 19-26 See Pages C1 - C8
SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
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Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Volume 142 Edition 7
Posey County schools make the move to Masks Optional Monday By Trisha L. Lopez Posey County school corporations announced on Friday that mask mandates…in place since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic at MSD of Mount Vernon and re-issued when cases spiked after the holidays at MSD of North Posey…would be lifted on Monday. Students, faculty and staff may now make the decision to mask up or leave masks behind, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will still be required on school buses as required by federal mandate. The move comes at a time when Covid cases, which reached record levels in Posey County in January, continue to decline. According to the Posey County Health Department, a pandemic-high 527 positive cases were reported in Posey County from January 19 through January 25, but that number has steadily decreased in the weeks since, falling to 163 between February 2 and February 8. The health department reported 50 cases from Wednesday to Saturday. “The masks have been a burden to faculty and staff, as it is one more thing they are trying to monitor,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, superintendent of MSD of Mount Vernon schools. He said quarantine rules will remain the same, per Governor Eric Holcomb’s orders. According to the MSD of Mount Vernon’s website, updated last on January 19, quarantine requirements depend upon vaccination status. Those fully vaccinated or within 90 days of a positive Covid test will not be required to quarantine if exposed to someone with the virus. Those not fully vaccinated must stay home for 10 days after their last contact with the positive case. A positive student or staff member with or without symptoms must isolate at home for 10 days from
the date the positive test was collected. A statement released by MSD of North Posey on Friday said that any students identified as positive cases will still be required to isolate for five days from the onset of symptoms. A January 14 statement said that students who have tested positive may return to school on day six if asymptomatic, but must wear a mask through day 10. If all students are masked, close contacts of a positive case will not be required to quarantine, but asked to monitor symptoms. Students who are a close contact outside of the school setting must quarantine at home for five days. “In January, the Posey County Health Department asked us to return to a strict following of the CDC guidelines of quarantining of six feet without masks or no quarantining with masks. Our goal has always been to keep the largest amount of kids in school; therefore we felt the best option was to return temporarily to masks until the omicron variant passed. We have monitored our data closely over the past several weeks, posting these daily for our parents and community,” according to Friday’s statement. Both corporations saw large jumps in the number of positive cases amongst students and staff and utilized three virtual learning days in the height of the surge in late January. Michael Galvin, MSD of North Posey superintendent, released a recorded statement for parents on January 22. He explained that the corporation had almost 200 students absent, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, on January 21 alone. On January 24, Thompson said that the “number of positive cases (at MSD of Mount Vernon) is the worst
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Bryer LaMar and Lyndsey Zirklebach were crowned North Posey homecoming royalty on Friday night during 2022 homecoming festivities. Photo by Dave Pearce
Mount Vernon schools aim to hold on to Supt. Thompson By Lois Mittino Gray The Mount Vernon School Board apparently believes it knows a good thing when it has one. The board is presently working to lock School Superintendent Matt Thompson into an unprecedented five year contract. There are not as many candidates for these positions as in years past and they want to ensure the polished and efficient administrator remains in place as the Wildcat leader. In accordance to Public Law 1482012, the February 7 meeting of the group served as a public hearing opportunity for board members to lis-
Matt Thompson
ten to and discuss public comments regarding the proposed Superintendent’s contract extension. No comments were made and the contract is expected to be approved at the next meeting on February 21. Details of Thompson’s contract include an annual salary of $118,473, up from the former $116,150, This breaks down to 260 Contract Days at a daily rate of $455.67. There is the possibility of an additional stipend after the evaluation process: $1,000 for an Effective rating up to $3,000 for Highly Effective. He would have 20 vacation days and 20 leave days. Perks
include a $150,000 Life Insurance Policy and 2.5 percent of his contract salary deposited into a 401K. Other employment matters discussed include accepting the intent to retire from Gordon Hartig as a part-time high school German teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year. “He stayed with us to allow the students who need to finish their year of German to do so. We are now going to advertise the opening as a World Language Teacher position. We may get Spanish, French, and Mandarin for example as possibilities, as they are all very popular now. We’ll just
see what the picture looks like,” explained Superintendent Thompson. Donna Koenig, a bus driver and food service worker for the district, turned in her resignation, too, effective August 1, 2022. Keregan Cole was hired as a teacher assistant in the high school study center, replacing Laura Kuhn, and Tara Neaveill was hired to be a teacher assistant in Special Education at Marrs Elementary School. Jason Bell and Nicholas Salee were upgraded as assistant high school softball coaches from a quarter
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Kloppenberg spearheads request for historical marker By Lois Mittino Gray Sophie Kloppenburg was learning to drive last summer when her instructor, Tom Guggenheim, sparked an idea in her that has turned into a full-blown flame. The junior at Mount Vernon High School ran with the idea and turned it into a class project that has taken her in front of the Posey County Commissioners and the Mount Vernon Common Council in her quest. She is scheduled to speak again on the agenda of the County Commissioners meeting on February 15 to get their final blessing to place a historical marker on the County Court House lawn. They were very receptive
to the idea when she first presented it to them in November, but tabled it to learn more about the events, while she worked on wording. “We were riding around and Tom told me about the lynchings on the County Court House lawn in 1878 and the other awful deaths. I never heard about the incidents before and I wanted to pursue the facts. As I read, I learned there were seven deaths in three days in Indiana’s largest racial lynching incident. There was no trial and no justice for these men as no one was ever charged or held responsible for what happened to them. There is no remembrance. Our ancestors took everything from these men; it’s time we re-
paid them. For a time the nooses that hung the men were on display at our local jail. How, as a community, can we justify keeping their nooses, but not their memory alive?” she asks. “I enrolled in Kevin Krizan’s ‘Open Source Learning and Innovation’ class in August, and as a requirement, I needed a project that would positively affect the community. My goal is to erect a historical marker and/or a memorial bench to honor those who died, to acknowledge what happened, and to learn from the events that unfolded in our community 144 years ago,” she explained. Sophie would like to get the marker erected and dedicated near October 10-12, 2022, the
anniversary of event dates, on the Court House lawn near where the lynchings occurred. She would like to have a ceremony to unveil the marker in order to spark conversations in the community about what happened here and how we can learn from it. “Sentiments have changed, but unconscious and unchecked bias still runs rampant,” she emphasized. The young scholar presented these harrowing details to the county and city representatives. Daniel Harrison, Jr. was chased from his home and burned to death when he was forced into the firebox of a steam locomotive
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Redwine pays tribute to Emhuff Special to the News The next morning my long-time court reporter, KaBy Judge Jim Redwine trina Mann, buzzed me and said, “Dr. Emhuff is on the When my good friend Dr. John Emhuff’s retirement phone.” I asked her to put him through. He started out as Assistant Superintendent of the Metthe conversation, “Judge, is that job still ropolitan School District of Mount Veravailable? Beverly says she wants me out non, Ind., was announced in the media of the house and that if the court needs I had just lost my part-time bailiff and help, I should help.” Fifteen years of sterneeded to quickly fill the position. I ling public service later John retired from called John and asked if he’d be interthe court. I missed him then and I will miss ested. I told John that one of the drawhim even more now. The county has lost backs was he would have to address me a fine public servant and many of us have as “Judge” even though we had been lost a true friend. on a “John and Jim” basis for many John is probably checking to see if St. years. John thanked me for the offer but Peter needs any part-time gate-keeper help told me he had other things he and his in his new venue. He’ll be glad to sign us wife, Beverly, wished to do. We had a all in just as he did with all those jurors pleasant conversation then signed off. I for me. Arrangements were pending at Pierre Brian Williams, of McKim’s IGA, is honored by the Posey County thought I had better get busy finding anJohn Emhuff other candidate. Funeral Home in Evansville at press time. United Way for 2021 Campaign Chairman. Photo submitted
(USPS 439-500)