February 3, 2015 - The Posey County News

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Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1882

E, “OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZ L MAINTAIN.” AND OUR RIGHTS WE WIL Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

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(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 135 Edition 5

Pair of Posey schools honored with ‘Blue Ribbon’ status By Valerie Werkmeister Not one, but two Posey County schools received word they had been nominated for the prestigious Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School Award. North Elementary School and Farmersville Elementary School received notification from Indiana Department of Education Superintendent Glenda Ritz they are among eight other schools within the state to receive the nomination. MSD of North Posey and MSD of Mount Vernon Schools held a joint press conference on Thursday, January 29, to express their pride in the Posey County schools being recognized for their excellence in achievements. MSD of North Posey Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Angie Wannamuehler described the award as the Super Bowl for educators. “The main thing is we’re very,

very proud of the nominations for two of the Posey County schools being nominated for the blue ribbon. When you think about only eight schools in the state out of approximately 2,700 to 2,800 schools, to have two come from Posey County, that says a lot about we feel the excellence in education in Posey County,” said MSD of Mount Vernon Superintendent Tom Kopatich said. Kopatich also pointed out that all nine county schools have been fourstar schools at one time or another. “We have great leadership in our curriculum area as well as our principals. We’re very proud of them,” Kopatich added. “The only thing I’d add is there’s been a lot of scrutiny of public Farmersville Elementary and North Elementary Schools were among eight schools in the state to be schools, traditional public schools. nominated for the prestigious Blue Ribbon School award. Pictured from left are Kyle Jones, MSD of Mount There’s been a lot of changes with Vernon Curriculum Director; Dr. Beth Johns, Farmersville Elementary Principal; Tom Kopatich, MSD of the curriculum and we’ve had a lot Mount Vernon Superintendent; Terri Waugaman, North Elementary School principal; Dr. Todd Camp, of North Posey Superintendent and Angie Wannamuehler, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Continued on Page A13 MSD for North Posey. Photo by Valerie Werkmeister

Uses for New Harmony School building probed

Members of the North Posey High School basketball homecoming court for 2014-15 are, in front, Brennan and Braelyn Barrett. In the second row are Danielle Perry, Haley Holman, Abby Vaupel, Queen Savannah King, King Hunter Lehman, Erin Will, Hannah Voegel, and Katelyn Norman. In back are David Bender, Ryan Daugherty, Ross Bender, Derek Lindauer, Rachel Ungetheim, Madison Feldhake, Aaron Droste, Felipe Paes, Sam Morrow, and Wyatt Lyke. See page A13 for homecoming court bios. Photo courtesy of Straub Photography

Briefly

‘look around.’ Curiosity abounds among the residents as to what the building is like now, since it has been closed since 2012. On a recent walk through with Councilwoman Walker, we could turn on classroom lights since the electricity is still on, but the building is chilly as all other utilities were turned off in December to save the monthly fees over $1,000. The classrooms look very empty with some desks, chairs, file cabinets and large obsolete computer monitors sitting around. Big televisions are still mounted on wall holders in the corner. Most chalk boards were ripped off the wall and taken for use in North Posey Schools. Brightly colored bulletin boards remain there though as do a few overhead projectors and portable chalkboards.

Continued on Page A8

Only sure thing in education is change

All Hazard Weather Alert Radios still available The Posey County EMA still has some All Hazard Weather Alert Radios that can be received at no cost. They are still looking to give these radios first to persons with disabilities or elderly or those that live in mobile homes. If you are unable to go to one of the four pickup locations in Posey County (Posey County EMA office 305 Mill Street, Mount Vernon, Black Township Trustees Office on Industrial Road, Mount Vernon, Poseyville Town Hall and the Cynthiana Town Hall), you may contact the Posey County EMA office at 812-838-1333 and make arrangements to have one delivered. Kiwanis to hold Spaghetti Supper and Silent Auction Kiwanis Spaghetti Supper and Silent Auction will be held Tuesday, February 3, 2015 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Catholic Community Center, next to Holy Angels Church, Main Street, New Harmony, IN. Cost is $10 Adult; $5 up to 12 years old; and free up to six-years-old. The supper will include: All-you-can-eat Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad, Ice Cream, and Drinks. Upcoming events at Poseyville Carnegie Library Hey Kids - How big is your imagination? Do you love building big structures? How about destroying them? Come to the Poseyville Library and we can fuel your imagination with Duplo Blocks. We will play games, make towers, and have loads of fun. No Registration Required. Grades K-5, Tuesday’s from 4-5 p.m., February 10, 17, 24; Pre-K, Thursday’s from 12-1 p.m., February 12, 19, 26; Free Play, Saturday’s from 10:30-11:30 a.m., February 14, 21, 28. Adult Crafting - Come to the library on a Saturday morning to make a cute rag heart wreath to hang in your home or give to that special someone for Valentine’s Day. Event will take place Saturday, February 7 from 11 a.m.-12 noon. No registration required. We hope to see you at the library for these fun events. For more information, contact the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library. Phone: 812-874-3418 Email: circulation@pcpl.lib.in.us. Talk To A Lawyer Telephone Clinic offered February 5 The next monthly telephone clinic that provides free legal advice and counsel is scheduled for Thursday, February 5, 2015. Talk To A Lawyer is a free monthly telephone clinic that allows the general public to call and ask general legal questions and receive general legal advice and counsel. Sponsored by the Volunteer Lawyer Program of SW Indiana, Indiana Bar Foundation and Evansville Bar Foundation, this program provides an opportunity the first Thursday of every month for anyone with a legal question concerning Indiana law, to call in and actually talk to an attorney. To access the clinic, the telephone numbers are: (812) 618-4845 and 888-594-3449. The hours for those individuals on Central time are 4:30 to 7 p.m. and for those in the Eastern time zone are 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Retrospective ...... A 4 Legals ............... B 6 - 9 Classifieds ........ B 8 - 9 Community ......... A 5

By Lois Mittino Gray Walking through the closed New Harmony School building this week opened a flood of memories of the past for me, a 25-year school employee. But past is passed, now its future is the focus. Citizens are being asked to brainstorm and submit ideas for its use or it will be razed. The New Harmony Town Council issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) statement on Jan. 15. Redevelopment plans for the building and all that’s left in it will be accepted until 11 am on April 10. Proposals should include three hard copies and one digital copy on a flash drive and be turned in to the town clerk. Persons wishing to tour the facility may call Council Members Andrew Wilson or Karen Walker for building access. Public open houses are planned for February 22 and March 22 for those who might wish to submit a proposal or just

By Valerie Werkmeister In an effort to help understand education and curriculum changes the state of Indiana has imposed upon its schools, MSD of North Posey held a special family engagement session last Wednesday evening at North Posey High School. Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Outreach Coordinator Wendy Wells conducted the session that was largely attended by elementary school teachers and a handful of parents. Information that the state has changed its curriculum focus is not new as the state is one of a few that decided to not adopt Common Core guidelines. Instead it adopted its own set of standards

that focus on college and career readiness skills. Wells stated that four out of 10 students are not ready to enter college or the workforce upon graduation from high school. These unprepared students are forced to take remedial courses. The IDOE decided to change their standards in order to combat these deficiencies. The new standards will focus on helping students be college and career ready; be able to do critical reading exercises in language arts; process problem solving and standards in math; and apply those skills and knowledge in applicable circumstances.

Continued on Page A13

SLAM gives area youth an opportunity By Brandon Cole How many times have you heard middle and high school kids say, “There is nothing to do around here.” SLAM offers an opportunity for area youth to socialize, play games, sports, enjoy concerts, eat good food and of course, learn about Jesus. Bo Harris and Jonathan Boettcher are a couple of local college students that grew up in Posey County and have recently taken over the youth group. SLAM is an acronym that stands for Students Living a Mission. “Jesus is always our number one priority, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t goof off and have lots of

fun,” said Harris. “We play a lot of games and have a café that is open, where we serve good food.” The café serves hamburgers, chicken strips, mozzarella sticks, nachos, corn dogs, french fries, candy and soft drinks. “We also have great live music.” While there is much fun to be had, there is also a serious message. “When we come in to the service, it is to bring the students closer to Jesus and to introduce the ones that do not know him,” said Harris. “At the same time, we don’t force anything down their throats. We are open to questions. We encourage in-

Continued on Page A13

Luke Harris, Justin Rutledge, Bo Harris, Destiney Oeth, Seth Harris, and Chris Cleveland at the SLAM building playing ping pong. Photo by Brandon Cole

Deaths .................... A3 Church ................ A 6 Social .................. A 5 School ................. A 8

Sports ........... B1, 3-5 Bus/Ag ................ A 7 Opinion ............... A 2 TV Guide........ A9-10


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