of wabash county inc. www.thepaperofwabash.com May 7, 2014 Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977 Vol. 37, No. 9
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Wabash County Visual Performing Arts program to celebrate 30 years
by Emily Armentrout emily@thepaperofwabash.com The Wabash County Visual Performing Arts program began in the summer of 1985 when the Indiana Department of Education expanded their definition of “gifted and talented” to include the visual and performing arts. The program is going into its 30th production year, and as it did in 1990, it is bringing changes that will allow the program to encourage more students to be a part of not only the theatre program but also the art program. Lavonne Sparling, Chief Academic Officer for MSD of Wabash County, was a part of the original planning committee when the program first got its start. After the IDOE changed their definition of “gifted and talented”, the committee “learned of an opportunity to apply for an addition grant, specifically to design a program for students talented in arts or music,” Sparling told The Paper. When the program began, it was a joint effort between the local schools, then including Peru Community Schools, as well as MSD of Wabash County, Manchester Community Schools and Wabash City Schools. The committee consisted of the four superintendents at the time, local art and music teachers, and professors from Indiana University. “MSDWC was the fiscal agent for the gifted grant in the early years, so I was the program coordinator,” Sparling continued. The IDOE eventually changed the definition of “gifted and talented” again, back to purely academics, and the pro-
Ari Halderman
THE VISUAL PERFORMING ARTS summer theater program performed Grease in 2011. This year marks the VPA’s 30th Anniversary (photo provided) gram was no longer allowed to use the grant money for arts programs. “The VPA program was considered so valuable that the three Wabash County districts agreed to pay their portion to keep it active.” Peru started its own program after finding transportation to be a difficult task. Judy Ward has been involved with the
VPA for 29 years. Ward and her late husband, Don, became a part of the program after their son joined the second year of the theatre program. “I’ve been the coordinator somewhere between 15 -20 years. Lavonne decided she had other responsibilities at MSD. She talked with me and thought I was the logical person,” Ward told The Paper. (continued on page 6)
Postal service request causes confusion
by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com The United States Postal Service’s Wabash office recently sent a letter to city residents that has many confused, some angry, and several perfectly satisfied. The letter was a request from the area’s delivery supervisor that residents change the location of their mailboxes from their door to the curbside. It was explained that this change will not only save the postal service money and speed up delivery, but also make it safer for those delivering the mail. The letter, however, failed to clearly explain that this was a request, not a requirement. In fact, a portion of the letter included the statement, “Your mailbox must be located so that the carrier can service it without leaving the postal vehicle.” The letter also included an unexplained table of costs, which included
Benefit concert to he held for Ari Halderman
the postal service’s cost (presumably per household, per year) for door-to-door delivery versus curbside and cluster box delivery, as well as the cost to customers to install a curbside mailbox. This had some residents believing that they were going to be charged a fee for continued mail service. Finally, the letter contained a two-item selection area, where residents could choose between a curbside mailbox on their side of the street or on the opposite side of the street. “We had a lot of people calling in questioning about a variety of things,” said Mayor Robert Vanlandingham. “People felt like they had to do that, and that was not what they were trying to say, but it didn’t come across very well.” Mary Bando, spokesperson for USPS in the greater Indiana district agreed. “I understand that if you send something out from the US Postal Service with the official letter(head) and logo on
it, to some people…they feel like they must do this,” said Bando. “I want to assure your readers who received that letter that there is absolutely no mandate that they have to change. “The letter was misleading and confusing and I know that the postmaster and the delivery supervisor regret sending it out as it was, and they now see that it could have been misinterpreted,” added Bando. With the issue of a mandate settled, the request still raises questions for Wabash residents, primarily feasibility and job loss. Many neighborhoods in Wabash have street parking, causing issues with curbside delivery. Mayor Vanlandingham said that at his previous residence on Bonbrook Drive, they had curbside delivery and it never caused any problems. “But the whole thing is different there (continued on page 3)
by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com In late February, former Wabash resident Colby Halderman and his wife Jenny noticed something was wrong with their infant son, Ari. His motor skills were not improving and seemed to be regressing. It was Feb. 25 when they took him to the doctor. Ari was scheduled for an MRI the following day at a local hospital. The results turned the Haldermans’ life upside down. Colby is a 2003 graduate of Southwood High School. After meeting Jenny at the University of Indianapolis, the couple moved to Eugene, Oregon to serve as worship pastor for a congregation planted by the couple’s church in Indianapolis. In 2013, Ari came into their lives. Eight months later, every parent’s nightmare became a reality. The MRI detected a significant brain tumor between Ari’s cerebellum and brain stem, as well as excess fluid on the brain. He was transported to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland to have surgery the very next day. The tumor was removed and tested. As they waited for the results of the biopsy, Ari began having post-operative seizures. As doctors worked to find the right combination of medications to fight the almost-constant seizures, the couple was given the diagnosis. Ari had AT/RT (atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor), a rare and aggressive type of brain cancer. At this point, Ari was in a mostly-nonresponsive state. (continued on page 5)