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P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 140 Edition 37
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
$1.00
Preparations for virtual learning continue in MSDMV, just in case By Lois Mittino Gray Virtual reality instruction was virtually a main topic of discussion at the September 8, meeting of the Mount Vernon School Board. School Superintendent Matt Thompson reported the current enrollment in the district is 2,003 students and of those, 298 students are getting their lessons virtually. He said that day’s figure of 14.8 percent virtual is down from the 16 percent reported in earlier weeks. “I think more families are seeing what we are doing safely and feeling more comfortable coming back into school,” he speculated. Dr. Beth Johns, Director of Curriculum, Grants, and Testing; appeared before the board to present a curriculum update. “Virtual teaching is a whole different world,” she observed. “Students work on Google Meet and do school at their own pace at times of their choosing.” Currently, Cheryl Potter does the virtual instruc-
tion for grades K-1, Bailey Navarrete for grades 3-4, and Waylon West for grades 5-6. Navarette and West were both officially hired at the meeting on a temporary one year contract. Both new hires have elementary education degrees. Potter is a retired district elementary teacher who came back to help out. Board member Beth McFadin Higgins asked how these virtual teachers will be evaluated. Johns said one principal from each of the three elementary schools is assigned a specific teacher to evaluate and she also observes them. She said the RISE program will be used again to evaluate all staff for 100 percent teacher effectiveness. The junior high school uses a purchased APEX system of virtual instruction. Since curriculum mapping
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Point man dies in Saturday wreck
Poseyville resident Colin Schipp waits for the remainder of the family to get ready for pictures on Sunday afternoon in New Harmony. The town was full of photographers as pleasant temperatures and backgrounds in quaint New Harmony on Sunday afternoon were inviting. Photo by Dave Pearce
Special to the News JR worked maintenance at Cimbar in Mount Vernon. Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham reported a fatal- He liked watching and playing sports and was a Chicago ity in Posey County. According to the Sheriff, Posey Bulls and Tennessee Titans fan. He enjoyed working on County Dispatch dispatched deputies around 11:50 a.m. and riding his four-wheeler and motorcycle. JR was inon Saturday, September 12, 2020 to the crash. volved with the Rise Up Disciples and had The Sheriff says motorcyclist 30-year-old been attending Beyond the Wall Ministry John Eric Owen, Jr., of Mount Vernon, Indiand the Point Township Church of the ana, was killed during the crash. According to Nazarene. the investigation, thus far, Owen was travelHe is survived by his mother and steping north on Bonebank Road when he failed father, Regina and Gilbert Miller; father, to negotiate a curve on the roadway. Owen John Owen Sr.; children, Elexis Rickettsleft the roadway and struck a ditch off the Owen, Josiah Ray Owen, Zeric Owen, west side of the road, then struck a tree. and Mya Owen; brothers, Garrett Owen, Fire and EMS personnel attempted life reDillon Owen; grandparents; Linda Fitzviving actions but were unsuccessful. Owen patrick, Gilbert and Karen Miller; cousins, was then pronounced dead at the scene by and several close friends. He is preceded JR Owen Posey County Coroner Bill Denning. Owen in death by his grandparents, Donald was not wearing a helmet. “Bud” Ward, JL Owen, and Bonnie Owen. John E. (JR) Owen, 30, passed away on Saturday, A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on ThursSeptember 12, 2020. JR was born in Evansville on De- day, September 17, 2020 at Stendeback Family Funeral cember 17, 1989, the son of John E. Owen Sr. and ReContinued on Page A11 gina Ward-Miller.
Poseyville welcomes new sidewalks By Lynda Baker In 2018 the Town of Poseyville received information from the Indiana Department of Transportation that a Community Crossings Management Grant (CCMG) was available for the purpose of resurfacing streets and redoing sidewalks. The town was required to provide an Asset Management Plan as part of the process. With the assistance of Midwestern Engineering, the town assembled a plan that would provide an assessment of all of the town’s streets as to ADA compliance, physical condition, traffic flow and accident history, and would establish a five year master plan for construction and maintenance of local streets. The plan would also permit Purdue University to determine the town’s eligibility for the CCM Grant. The first grant application was filed in 2018, with the grant being awarded in 2019 in the amount of
$123,750. The local match was $41,250. The town applied for a second grant in 2019, which was awarded in 2020 in the amount of $326,324.32. The local match was $108,774.77. The town spent an additional $29,000 in 2020 to a local contractor for curbing and sidewalks. All of the grant funds were used on the ADA compliant curbings. The submission of all CCM Grants has been put on hold by INDOT due to the pandemic; but, if possible, the town anticipates applying for an estimated $397,205 in grant funds, with a local match of $132,405. The town’s complete plan calls for milling, resurfacing, sidewalks, ADA curbing and the installation and/or repair of sewer inlets. Town officials want to begin downtown and work outward. Town Council President Bruce Baker indicated that the town was once able to use
these funds for alleyways, but this is no longer permitted. In the event INDOT gives the go ahead for the 2021 grant program and the town’s application is approved, the next streets in the plan include the following: •North Cale Street, from Fletchall to Third Avenue; •Boren Street, from Church to Cale Street; •Fletchall Street, from Walker to Endicott; •Pine Street, from Locust to Church; and • Dean Street, from Cale to Sharp. The town has been attempting to complete all of the street and curbing work during the summer, while school is not in session. While this year’s work has been completed, Town Councilmembers, Street Superintendent Jeremy Farrar, and the contractors have not yet completed their punch list and final walk-thru, Vince Morton and J.C. Crews help do the finish work on the new so some corrections are pending. sidewalks around Poseyville. Photo by Dave Pearce
Back home again in So. Indiana North Posey grad Ungetheim takes MV School job By Lois Mittino Gray Cody Ungetheim came rollin’ in to his dream job at Mount Vernon High School just in time. “I was hired on a Wednesday and school started on Friday,” he smiled, acknowledging the close time constraint. “This is a smaller school like I am used to, in a smaller community, where everyone knows every-
(USPS 439-500)
body. I’m even on staff with Erica Thomas, who was my teacher in eighth grade at North Posey Junior High. The staff here is so helpful, they really make their teachers feel welcome and I didn’t always get that teaching in a larger school. It’s great!” As a longtime history buff, Cody enjoys teaching his two subjects: World History, mainly to freshmen, and United States History to juniors. In World History, his favorite era to talk about is the French Revolution in the late 1700’s. “It sets the stage for where we are today in the United States,” he reflected. With United States history, he really enjoys the study of World War II, particularly Evansville’s ambitious role in the war effort. The young tyro describes his teaching style as relevant and immersive for his students. “I try to
relate to the students and tell the whole story. I don’t want them to just regurgitate historical facts and info back to me. I throw in the side story clips and supplemental videos that make the lesson interesting,” he explained. The very morning I talked with Cody half of each class period was spent talking about that September 11 day, nineteen years ago. “My students weren’t even born when that history happened. I was only five years old and in Kindergarten and don’t really remember too much about that day myself. We watched videos and we talked. It was a good lesson.” Mr. Ungetheim does not value tests as his most important form of student learning assessment. “Sure, we have them, but I like them to write their opinions. History is not always objective, it can
be subjective, with many sides to the story and I want them to think about how they feel.” The Wadesville native was graduated from North Posey High School in 2014. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Secondary Education from the University of Southern Indiana in 2018. He is currently finishing up his Master’s Degree in Education Administration with aspirations of one day becoming a principal. “It’s good to get my studies in while I am young and don’t have any children as yet,” he remarked. Cody will marry his fiancée, Abby Eger, on October 24 this autumn. He is the son of Rob and Julie Ungetheim. After student teaching at Evansville’s North High School, he was hired on to teach Industrial Technology at that school after gradu-
Cody Ungetheim ation. He acquired a special certification to teach the in-demand course and coached high school
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