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Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, IN Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
Tuesday February 21, 2012
Volume 132 Edition 8
North Posey Schools to see upgrades By Valerie Werkmeister Improvements will soon begin at two of the four schools within North Posey’s folds. Members of the MSD of North Posey approved a ‘honey-do list’ of improvements that would make any man squirm. They approved a combined project at the high school and North Elementary at a cost of $415,000 submitted by Arc Construction. Superintendent Dr. Todd Camp was also given the authority to approve any necessary change orders to keep the project on track. New flooring will be installed by Greer’s Flooring America in six classrooms and the hallway at North Elementary at a cost of $12,315. In addition, $310,000 in various project costs was approved. Those projects include the repair
Meet the Demo Candidates The Posey County Democrat Women’s Club will sponsor Meet Your Candidates at Democrat Headquarters in Mount Vernon on February 23 at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and meet local Democrat candidates.
Demos to replace Butler Members of the Democratic Central Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Democratic Headquarters to appoint a replacement for David Butler who is resigning the position.
Annual Chamber event set The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana will be hosting the annual, Report to the Posey County Business Community dinner. This event will be held at the New Harmony Conference Center on February 29, 2012, 5:30 p.m. The cost is $20 per Chamber member and $40 per non-member. Please contact Brittaney Johnson, Posey County Administrative Director, at 8383639 or at atbjohnson@ccswin. com for reservations.
and re-painting of the track, tennis courts and parking lots; Motz Construction to purchase the materials to improve the baseball dugouts with labor to be provided by volunteers, electric to be added to the bleachers in the main and auxiliary gym by Paddock; Harshaw Trane will upgrade the unit ventilation at North Elementary; Mounts Electric will rewire the FACS room and Mr. Fence will replace the west fence and gate around the football field. School administrators, teachers and staff are exemplifying North Posey’s generous spirit by donating leave days to high school athletic director, Virgil Ferguson. He is waiting on a liver transplant. As word has spread throughout the school corporation of Ferguson’s need, the superintendent’s office
has received numerous offers from other staff members. They hope to be able to provide him with enough paid leave days to complete the 2011-2012 contract. They are also hopeful that Ferguson will be able to return to work during the 20122013 school year. Three new International buses will be purchased from Midwest Transit at a cost of $87,223. They will also receive $2,700 for the sale of the 1999 bus and $33,000 for the 2007 bus. Board members approved an adjustment to the school calendar in May. A potential makeup day scheduled on May 7 must be moved to May 23 due to the ISTEP and ECA testing schedule. They also approved the 2013-2014 school calendar as presented by Camp.
Posey County Immunization Clinics: February 22, 2012 at the Coliseum in Mount Vernon from 2 until 4 p.m. Please bring shots records with you. No appointment needed for this clinic.
RGRG dinner is Feb. 25 The RGRG Steak Dinner and Auction is Saturday, February 25 at the Ribeyre Gym from 5 until 7 p.m. Be sure and make plans to attend this important money raising event for the restoration of the Ribeyre Gym.
The body of long-time New Harmony fireman and New Harmony icon Ivan Alsop makes its final ride on the old New Harmony fire truck. According to several attending the funeral, the heart breaker was when at the end of the packed house funeral service at the Ribeyre Gym, the organist played the New Harmony school song, and after a few chords, someone in the back began to clap to the beat, then everyone stood up and clapped along. The end of an Icon and the school - just seemed fitting. Photo submitted
Indoor rummage sale set
North Elementary Dance set North Elementary “Groovy Dance” with a 70s theme is on Friday, February 24 from 6:30-9 p.m. All New Harmony fifth and sixth grade students are warmly invited to attend.
NHS group formed The New Harmony School Board has formed a committee to plan celebrating and honoring New Harmony School, to give input to where/how memorabilia should be stored, and to explore the use of items. Committee members are Carolyn Stone, Fred Frayser, Becky Smyth, Dawn Worman, Mellissa Peerman, Larry Kahle, Gene Culliver, Rick Johnson, Alison Norfleet, Kendall Morris, Kendall Wilson, Andrew Wilson and Fran Thoele.
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Schum Monuments hired to help with work to restore and preserve Maple Hill
Clinics are scheduled
There will be an indoor rummage sale held at the Posey County Community Center on the Posey County Fairgrounds, March 3 from 8 a.m. to noon For more information or to sign up as a vendor, contact the Posey County Community Center at: 682-3716 or by e-mail at: poseyccc@gmail.com.
North Posey Junior High principal, Steve Kavanaugh, presented a request to adjust the seventh grade curriculum to eliminate honors classes, with the exception of math. Kavanaugh explained it is difficult to assess sixth grade students at an elementary level in order to decide who is eligible for seventh grade honors classes. Math will still be included at an honors level to help prepare seventh grade students for eighth grade algebra. Board members decided to table this request in order to obtain additional information. Several field trip requests were approved including a new request to take interested high school students to Washington, D.C. for the
By Rhys Mathew At the Feb. 16 meeting, the New Harmony Town Council discussed hiring Schum Monuments to assist with some improvements to Maple Hill Cemetery. Several stones need work to protect and preserve their condition, and the board will also research new guidelines and restrictions to better protect stones. Schum Monuments will be contracted at $30 per hour to assist with a workday this spring. The council expects the new fire station to be completed sometime in the middle of March. The council approved the purchase of an air compressor for $430 for the new building. The compressor in the current building will be used by town maintenance. The council also discussed pricing for the parking lot at the new station, which is expected to be around $6800. During the meeting, it was decided that a winddamaged barn at the intersection of Main Street and
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New Harmony bids farewell to Rappite basketball, icon By Steve Joos A moment of silence was observed prior to the start of Tuesday’s game in memory of longtime New Harmony resident and Rappite booster Ivan Alsop, who died on Feb. 11. After the moment of silence, fans were invited to repeat a trademark phrase of Alsop’s, “Ah, boo ref!” That exclamation was also printed on the back of commemorative t-shirts that were available Saturday, as emotional overflow crowd watched the last home boys’ basketball game in New Harmony’s history. The visiting Red Hill Salukis posted a 77-62 victory over the
Rappites, but saluting the school seemed to be as much of a highlight as the game. Past players, cheerleaders and athletes were recognized at halftime, with one of the school’s retiring teachers presenting the oldest alumni attending from each group. Longtime kindergarten teacher Peggy Meyer presented an award to Donald and Carol Stone (Classes of 1948 and ’49, respectively) as the oldest attending band members, while veteran coach David Omer was honored by retiring science teacher Lois Gray. Omer, an Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member who directed Washington to the 2005 Class 3A state championship (winning
on a dramatic long-range bucket by Luke Zeller) was also recognized along with former coach Larry Kahle, who coached the school’s only Sectional champions, the 2001-02 volleyball and girls’ basketball squads. Former boys’ coach Rick Johnson invited the members of those teams on the floor to be with Kahle and presented an award to the oldest former boys’ basketball player in attendance, his father Choppy Johnson (’45). Phyllis Wessel (’49) and Sally Huck (’51) were honored as the oldest former cheerleaders in attendance, while Caroline Neville Leffler (’80) was the oldest former girls’ hoop player in attendance.
Retiring teachers Ritz Reynolds, Sherri Underwood and Lisa Smith made those presentations. As for the game, Red Hill blew out to a 26-10 lead after the first quarter and never really looked back. The Rappites cut things back a little at halftime, but still trailed 37-23. Then the Salukis stretched things back to 59-38 after three quarters. Little praised the team’s work ethic despite the loss and added that many of the former coaches at the game complemented the Rappites’ level of desire, especially after a 13-4 run late in the game made the score a bit more respect-
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Fundraisers planned Abi Bloodworth, of Mount Vernon, is battling cancer, which has spread to her lungs and has become inoperable. Her big dream, besides being healed, is to see Hawaii. She’s been saving for years and now her friends and family are banding together to help her get there. There will be a fundraising fair to help Abi win her Dream Trip with businesses including Baubles by Ellie, Thirty-One, Mary Kay, Bell B Cakes and Confections, and Paradise Candles of Hawaii. The event will be held at the Alexandrian Public Library on Feb. 26 from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Former members of the New Harmony boys’ basketball teams down through the years were honored at half-time of New Harmony’s final home game on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. In front is “Choppy” Johnson, oldest living New Harmony Rappite alum. Rappite pride was out in force as the school will close at the end of the current school year. Photo by Zach Straw
Inside this issue...
ThePCN
Retrospective ................. A4 Legals........................... B6-8 Classifieds ............... A9-10
Go to www.poseycountynews.com Community ........... A5 Social ...................... A5 Deaths ................... A3 Sports ................... B1-6 School.................... A8 Bus/Ag.................... A9
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