Vol. 39, No. 14
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. June 15, 2016
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
MSD’s Weaver to retire By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com Dr. Sandra Weaver, MSD of Wabash County superintendent, is retiring. Effective June 30, Weaver will leave the school corporation after eight years with a “legacy,” she told the school board at a special meeting on Wednesday, June 8. “This is likely my 175th board meeting … and so I’m coming out tonight to announce my retire-
ment,” Weaver told the board and attending personnel. Before asking the board to accept her resignation, Weaver shared several of her memories she made since accepting the position in 2008. “I did some looking, thinking back, reflecting and I remember I had been hired, but I had not started yet so I came to a board meeting,” Weaver said, “and I remembered being really excited because it was a board meeting
about technology.” That meeting was about MSD’s computer quantity and “how we kept them locked down,” she continued. During her term, Weaver’s proudest moment was transitioning from classroom computer sets to One-to-One, a technology learning initiative that issued each enrolled student an electronic device to access the Internet, digital course material and digital textbooks, she told The Paper of
Wabash County following the board meeting. “The One-to-One will be the biggest thing because it changed how we do education for students,” she said. Through the initiative, MSD of Wabash County became one of the first schools across Indiana to implement and utilize eLearning, according to Weaver. She also oversaw the “painful” shift from open concept class(continued on page 25)
DR. SANDRA WEAVER
Wabash’s wastewater billing office has moved By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
Candie Cooper, VPA art instructor, talks with Kasen, 9, about his art piece in the second and third grade summer art program. Photo by Emma Rausch
VPA program is in full swing By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com Wabash County’s Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) program kicked off Monday, June 6, and crafting and acting are underway. At the Charley Creek Gardens and Wabash High School art room, students grades second through 12th
began learning new art techniques, such as glass cutting and using plants as prints, each focused on this year’s theme, the five elements: earth, fire, water, metal and wood, according to Katy Gray, grades seventh through 12th program co-leader. “Any time that a student, a youth can get an additional opportunity to experience the arts is a treasure
because the arts helps kids in so many ways,” Gray told The Paper of Wabash County. “It’s expressive. It builds certain aspects of brain development … and creating is so important and so satisfying. “So that’s what’s important: the opportunity to create and to be affected by the arts.” (continued on page 26)
The city’s wastewater billing office moved Monday, June 13, from Wabash City Hall to the wastewater treatment plant. The move has been in the planning stages for the last few months. “I expect the move of the billing office to be completed today, and that they will be open for business (Tuesday) morning at the Wastewater Treatment plant,” Mayor Scott Long told The Paper of Wabash County on Monday morning. “Citizens can drop bills off today in the drop box at City Hall if they need to and they will be processed tomorrow morning. “Customers can also drop their payments off in the night deposit drop box of the new kiosk today.” Long, in an interview with The Paper in April, explained the reasons for the change. “Right now we have two people in wastewater billing,” Long said in the exclusive interview with The Paper on April 25. “If we (continued on page 25)
Crowd flocks to LaFontaine festival By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com LAFONTAINE — Floats, antique cars and tractors made their way through the streets here Saturday morning, June 11, during the annual LaFontaine Ashland Days Festival Parade. The parade drew about 40 entries, the largest number in parade chair Chris Hensley’s time overseeing the annual event. He said he thought the parade
More photos, Page 11 went well and that the crowd along the street appreciated the efforts of those involved. Hensley said work on the parade began about six months ago, but that it wasn’t until late April or early May that the majority of the work began. As part of the annual parade,
Janet Pattee spoke of the history of the community, which was originally named Ashland. Because postal authorities recognized another Indiana town as Ashland, the community was forced to change its name and chose LaFontaine. The town took its name after the last chief of the Miami nation, Chief Lafontaine. It was incorporated in the fall of 1880. “I love doing that,” Pattee told (continued on page 25)
A color guard made up of members of local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Trail of Life Boys and Heritage Girls troops lead the parade. Photo by Joseph Slacian