Vol. 37, No. 50
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Friday, Feb. 20th BOYS BASKETBALL Northfield vs. Southwood
Saturday, Feb. 21st GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONAL 10:00am
of Wabash County Inc.
February 18, 2015
www.thepaperofwabash.com
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Stellar plans undergo changes By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com The City of Wabash’s plans for the Stellar Grant program have changed
somewhat in the last few weeks. Most notably, two programs – the outdoor amphitheater at Paradise Spring Historical Park and the all-inclusive park at the John W. Drook Skate Park –
have been removed from the list of projects. The amphitheater, Mayor Robert Vanlandingham noted, was removed because it is in a flood plain of the
Wabash River. The all-inclusive park, he continued, was removed because none of the three agencies involved with the Stellar Grant (continued on page 6)
Salamonie Eagle Watch draws crowd Valentine’s Day weekend Local educators
believe ISTEP changes needed By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
A bald eagle soars through the trees Sunday afternoon just west of the Salamonie Dam. Photo by Joseph Slacian By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com More than 80 people gathered at Salamonie Reservoir for two guided Eagle Watches on Feb. 14 and 15. Teresa Rody, interpretive manager at Upper Wabash Interpretive Services, and interpretive naturalist Lynnanne Fager
led the caravans beginning the watches at the Salamonie Interpretive and Nature Center with a presentation about the Indiana bald and golden eagle reintroduction process. The “(The purpose of the watches is) sharing the success of an Indiana program that has been successful not only in this (continued on page 26)
A bald eagle roosts in the trees near the Salamonie Dam. Photo by Joseph Slacian
Local high school student recognized for outstanding musicianship By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com Jeremy Nevil leans into his guitar and curls his fingers around the neck, his pre-recorded audio track displayed on the projected screen behind him. Sitting in a boardroom filled with friends, family, and members of Metropolitan School District Education Board, all eyes are on him as he starts to play one of his original songs, “Let’s Get Crazy.” On Monday Feb. 9, the MSD Board of Education recognized Nevil, a 17-yearold singer, songwriter, producer and Northfield senior, for his outstanding musicianship. Jeremy Nevil perform his single “Let’s Get Crazy” for the Metropolitan School District school board meeting Feb. 9. Photo by Emma Rausch
Since starting high school, Nevil has performed in All-State Honor Choir and Wabash County High School Honor Choir all four years, participated in the Visual and Performing Arts Summer Theater, performed vocally and instrumentally in musical concerts for Manchester University, and produced and published his own three-song album, “Here’s to Firsts” on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon. “Dad pretty proud,” Board President Matt Driscoll asked. “Yeah pretty much,” Northfield choir teacher and Jeremy Nevil’s father Mark Nevil said with a laugh. “I think it’s kind of cool how the technology he’s using there, he got start with on Garage Band on the Macs and, even before that, on an iPad. “He kind of just took an interest in multi-tracking and just kind of got into this scene and started writing his own music.” (continued on page 6)
The Indiana 2015 ISTEP exam is undergoing emergency revision to shorten its 12-hour length before it is administered in March, the Department of Education announced. On Feb. 9, Gov. Mike Pence signed an executive order to shorten the length. “Doubling the length of the 2015 ISTEP test is unacceptable and requires an immediate solution,” said Pence in a statement. “As soon as I learned of this issue, I vowed to support efforts to shorten the test while preserving the accountability that Hoosier students and families deserve.” Last June the governor wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, stating that he wanted to assure Duncan that Indiana would be adopting new standards in order to deliver a new ISTEP that would reflect “our college- and career-ready standards.” “We are confident that our state can implement the more rigorous standards while also accounting for any temporary impact on testing scores in a way that does not unfairly affect students, teachers and schools,” Pence wrote in the letter. The Indiana State Board of Education met later in June to discuss future assessment recommendation, adopting the recommended revisions on Dec. 3. After discovering the state exam doubled in length, Pence called for immediate action to remedy the situation and brought in two consultants last week to explore ways of reducing the testing time. Among the consultant’s recommendations were: • Reduce “open ended” ISTEP questions by 20 percent mostly in the language arts exam. • Give some parts of the ISTEP (continued on page 11)