of wabash county inc. www.thepaperofwabash.com April 2, 2014 Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977 Vol. 37, No. 4
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Students beef up Spanish class with bullfight
by Emily Armentrout emily@thepaperofwabash.com On Thursday, March 27, a Spanish tradition, dating back to 1133, was brought to life at Wabash Middle School. Spanish teacher Abi Armentrout, along with the help from fellow educators Sarah Andrews, Wil Woodruff and Jake O’Neill, created a traditional bullfight, including a running of the bulls, with her Spanish 1 students. “Getting the other teachers on board wasn’t difficult. Mrs. Andrews, Mr. Woodruff and Mr. O’Neill all saw the teaching opportunities for their own classes in the project,” explained Armentrout. “They have each done a fantastic job of preparing their students and contributing ideas to the design and execution of this project. Each of them has been a great partner to work with and brainstorm ideas with,” Armentrout said of her co-workers. The students’ feelings about the project were a different story when she first approached them with her idea. “Initially, they were unsure about the project,” Armentrout told The Paper. “I thought it was going to be embarrassing [when she first told us about it],” (continued on page 2)
TEAMWORK WAS ESSENTIAL Thursday, March 27 during Wabash Middle School’s bullfight. From helping each other get into costume to learning to run in an awkward tandem, the bulls, especially, had to trust their partners in every move they made. Austin Vinopal chats with Brayden Lutz as Blake Jones ties the black cloth around Seth Yeadon to conceal all but his legs for his role as a bull. (photo by Emily Armentrout)
Inaugural Color Me Green run a chilly success by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com Wabash County 4-Hers and their families gathered at the Field of Dreams on
Saturday, March 29 for the first ever Color Me Green fun run and 5K. Despite sleet, snow, and the resulting muddy course, nearly 80 participants left the
COLOR ME GREEN participants threw green powder into the air to start kick off the inaugural 5K and fun run/walk at Field of Dreams Saturday, March 29. Runners quickly scrambled from the cloud of green and took off down the course, throughout which they would encounter the green corn starch many times. (photo by Eric Stearley)
comfort of their homes to raise money for two causes, while having a lot of fun. The state-wide event is part of the 4-H Healthy Living Campaign and organizes 4-H participants and supporters for a day of community, fitness and lots of 4-H green. As part of their paid registration, participants received a white t-shirt proudly announcing the event on front and back. The color came into play as participants launched packets of green powder into the air at the start of the run, beginning the process of turning their white shirts green. As they walked and ran around the 1mile course, volunteers continued to turn the runners green, squirting the powder, made of green pigment and cornstarch, out of ketchup bottles as they ran by. As the run continued, some volunteers took a more direct approach, bypassing the squirt bottles by throwing the colored powder at the runners’ shirts. As expected, not much of the powder missed the t-shirts, covering shoes, pants, faces, and hair in 4-H green. Originally scheduled to start at separate times, the 1-mile fun run/walk and the 5K run were combined into a single race due to the cold, icy conditions. Even with the less-than-ideal weather, it would (continued on page 5)
Sparling to retire after four decades in education
by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com After 43 years in education, Metropolitan School District of Wabash County’s Chief Academic Officer Lavonne Sparling will retire at the end of the school year. Sparling, who spent all but one year with the district, will be remembered as an innovator in public education. She was a consistent, driving force in moving the district into the future, both as a teacher and as an administrator. After graduating from Purdue University in 1971 with a degree in elementary education, Sparling took a teaching job in Miami County. Shortly after signing her contract, she was offered a position at Lagro Elementary, a school just a mile from her house. She knew that when the next school year came around, she would be at Lagro. She taught fifth grade at that school for several years, during which time she completed her Master’s Degree. “I remember when someone called the school to say our cows were on the road,” she wrote in a short memoir of her time with the district. “Oren Guenin, the principal, and another teacher went with me to get them back to the pasture.” Sparling later transferred to Southwood Elementary where she taught fourth grade. Her favorite memory in education is from her time teaching the fourth grade Indiana history curriculum. As part of the course, the school’s fourth grade students traveled to her farm to experience early Indiana life, churning butter, spinning yarn, rolling logs, fishing in the pond and watching a blacksmith shoe horses in their barn. (continued on page 5)