Center Grove Magazine February 2021

FEBRUARY 2021

MAGAZINE

THE WRI TE STUFF

Maple Grove Elementary Student Releases Children’s Book

CGHS LEADERS AWA RDE D WI TH NEW POSI TI ONS , SPECI AL HONORS

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THE WRITE STUFF MAPLE GROVE ELEMENTARY STUDENT RELEASES CHILDREN’S BOOK

Writer / Julie Yates Photography Provided

Easton Lowe, a fifth-grade student at Maple Grove Elementary School, has authored a book titled “Puppy Takeover: Puppies Takeover School,” which was self-published through help from his father Shawn, and is now available through Amazon.

The adventure story is filled with irrepressible puppy energy and will likely warm the heart of anyone who loves dogs.

In the book, a band of puppies seem to get the better of good-natured police officers as they travel from one location to another throughout their town.

Humorous situations ensue as the puppies run en masse to an amusement park and take over a bus.

All ends well however, and the book has an ending that will make everyone smile.

Although Easton wrote the premise several years ago, the full story developed over a period of time. In the meantime, he became involved in a variety of activities that he continues to enjoy. Recently he was part of the Center Grove Junior Trojans football team that won the state championship in the 2020 season. For four years he has participated in travel baseball for Baseball Academics Midwest, and plays the positions of catcher and first baseman. He was thrilled to hit his first over-the-fence home run when he was 10 years old.

Academics and the arts also hold an interest for Easton. During the last three years he has been in the Extended Learning program at his school, and has developed an affinity for science and technology. After taking piano lessons for several years, he earned a spot in the Young Hoosier State Piano Competition and performed at the Indiana State Fair in

2019. However, his interest in writing and his initial tale of dogs getting into hilarious circumstances were not forgotten.

P R I VAT E B A N K I N G

“I have loved dogs my entire life,” Easton says. “When I was about seven, I was a bit bored and I had loose paper lying around. I grabbed a pencil and started writing a story. About a year later, I showed it to my dad. I read it to him and he thought it was pretty cool, then he worked with me to make it longer and better.”

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Shawn says he and Easton finished the story when Easton was about to turn 10.

“I thought about taking it to Kinko’s and just getting it printed out, but then I found an illustrator online and ended up self-publishing it through Amazon,” Shawn says.

“When dad showed me the book, I was shocked,” Easton says. “I was thankful, excited and happy. It was such a surprise that he had made it a real thing. When I brought it to school, everyone asked a lot of questions. My teacher read it, and some kids wanted to know where they could get it.”

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The publishing process took many months, and when it was complete the book became available on Amazon, both as a paperback and for Kindle e-readers. The back cover contains a barcode, an International Standard Book Number and a blurb about Easton including his photo. Shawn presented the published book to his son on Christmas in 2019.

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While Easton plans a follow-up book, he is enjoying his own puppy, Gracie. She is a Mountain Cur rescue with a brindle coat, and keeps him company as he works toward his future goal of becoming a robotic or electrical engineer.

When asked what advice he would give to a young, aspiring author, Easton recommends letting creativity flow freely.

“Don’t stop believing in yourself,” he says. “Just let your imagination run wild and suspend reality.”

“Puppy Takeover: Puppies Takeover School” is available for purchase on Amazon, in paperback and for Kindle e-readers. Easton welcomes comments and loves to communicate with readers of his book on social media, at facebook.com/ puppytakeover.

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HAPPY HOUNDS DOGGY DAY CARE PERSEVERES THROUGH PANDEMIC Writer / Kelly Young Photography Provided

Happy Hounds is a new full-service doggy daycare run by young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. They welcome furry friends in with open paws to a safe place where they are loved and cared for by a team of the most loving and caring team members. The business is the second started by the Alex and Ali Foundation, a local nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities through meaningful employment opportunities.

“Dogs don’t judge, and they love unconditionally,” says Jennifer Parker, president of the Alex and Ali Foundation. “One of my proudest moments recently was when one of our team members told me they had saved the day because he had taken care of the dogs that day and the dogs were happy. My heart was filled with so much pride and joy.”

Not only are these team members “saving the day”, but they are

developing valuable job skills, vocational activities, and interacting with the community. Happy Hounds is giving them opportunities that they might not otherwise get.

According to Jennifer, the adults who serve as their team members have the same desire to work, they just have different abilities and learn differently. Too often, they are turned away for jobs that they are qualified for because someone sees their disability and not their ability.

Jennifer and her husband, Andrew, discovered early on that some autistic young adults, including their son, Alex, needed a place to thrive after completing high school. Many young adults living with developmental disabilities decide not to pursue college or day programs, but still want to engage in opportunities to socialize and work. They decided to create safe spaces for those young adults, including their most recent investment in Happy Hounds.

“We feel strongly that the world needs them, and in this case, dogs

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need them,” Jennifer says. “Happy Hounds is the perfect place for our team members to flourish and to be happy. And the dogs are so incredibly happy. It’s really a win-win.”

Opening a doggy day care during the pandemic has been a challenge. With people working from home, the demand for their services is not as high as initially anticipated. However, the Parkers purchased the building and property in 2019 and they are determined to persevere.

“We don’t want people sitting at home watching TV, playing on the computer, clicking around on social media, when they can be contributing greatly to society,” Jennifer says. “They have too much to offer.”

Happy Hounds is located on the south side of Indianapolis, 111 W. Stop 11 Rd. There are currently 40 team members who play with the dogs, cuddle them, exercise them, clean them, and pick up after

them. Team members are also mowing the grass and caring for the facility. Most recently they have started making and selling dog treats. Happy Hounds is open Monday-Friday, 7am-6:30pm. They have capacity to care for 25 dogs daily.

The Parkers want to grow the business. While Happy Hounds is just a doggy day care for now, they want to double in size and expand to boarding, training, and grooming. More than anything, they want their customers (and potential customers) to know that their staff is completely capable individuals. They are unique, fun, kind, and compassionate people who really love dogs.

The Alex and Ali Foundation is a nonprofit based in Greenwood, IN focused on empowering young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities through meaningful employment opportunities and vocational training. The foundation was formed in 2014 and named after the Parkers’ son, Alex, who has autism and his best friend, Ali Callahan.

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GREENE’S AUTO SERVICE SOUTH 976 S. Morgantown Road Greenwood, IN 317-881-5967 greenesautoservicesouth.com Writer / Matt Keating Photographer / Amy Payne

Bryan Ottney with Greene’s Auto Service South, located in Greenwood, says the southside auto shop is truly a family business, and has been that way since the beginning.

“My parents, Steve and Melissa Ottney, started Greene’s Auto in 1989,” Ottney says. “My father had been working in the automotive industry for many years prior, but decided he wanted to go into business for himself, and an opportunity was presented.”

“The entire time we have been in business, my parents have been the owners,” Ottney says.

“My oldest brother Steven worked for the family business through the early 2000s, and in 2010 they handed the daily responsibilities and decision making over to my brother Michael and me. It really is a frightening thing at times to be a completely independent small business, but it’s also so rewarding to see a community rally around us with support year after year.”

“We typically refer to our savings program as a customer loyalty card, which costs $69.95 in-store,” Ottney says. “It is filled with many different types of discounted services

including alignment, brake repair, a free oil change, suspension coupons, etcetera. It can also be viewed and purchased on our website for a discounted rate of $49.95. This loyalty package includes over $500 of automotive repair coupons at greenesautoservicesouth. com.”

for us. It really is a family atmosphere. Steven and Joe have both been with us since they graduated from Lincoln Tech in 2010 and 2012 respectively.”

“In addition to our coupon program, keep in mind that being a small business allows us to set an hourly labor rate that is much more affordable to our customers,” Ottney says.

“They have since retired,” Ottney says. “The face of our office is a young man named Mitchell, who has been with us since 2014 and handles the majority of our face-to-face customer interactions. Michael and I oversee daily operations, and handle advertising and customer care. We both stepped into the family business in 2010.”

“We really do just about everything repairrelated on vehicles when it comes to engine and drivetrain, starting with the most basic services like oil change, tire rotation and brake work, all the way into full diagnostics of engine light, air bag light, cooling system issues, air conditioning and heater issues,” Ottney says.

“The only repair work we send to a trusted outside source is transmission overhaul. We also do not do collision repair work.”

“We have been able to sustain our family business due to the fact that we have been beyond blessed with a loyal customer base, in the Johnson County area and surrounding area,” he says. “We love our community. My brothers and I all attended and graduated from Center Grove High School.”

“Currently we have four technicians, and we typically run between four and five,” Ottney says. “We have a 13-bay shop with 12 automotive lifts. Our longest tenured employee, Mike, a Lincoln Tech graduate, has been with us since 1990. The coolest part is that his two sons, Steven and Joe, also work as technicians

Two of Greene’s long-term technicians were with the business for over 20 years.

Ottney’s nephew Zach recently joined the staff as he attends Central Nine Career Center for automotive technology. He helps with small tasks and building upkeep during afternoons and weekends.

“Our biggest thrill is being a part of a community that we are invested in,” he says.

“I remember, as a young boy, my father saying that he wanted to start a business that provides honesty and integrity to our customers, and where we can perform quality work. What’s important is working hard and creating a good living, but only if we can do it with integrity.”

Ottney says people often ask him and his brother if they are the owners, or if they plan to buy the business one day.

“Personally, I think the coolest thing is working for a business that my parents built, and I am proud to say that they are still the owners,” he says. “We are truly blessed and grateful to be able to serve our community and the surrounding areas, especially through this pandemic. We cannot thank our community enough for supporting us.

Go Center Grove Trojans!”

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D

acio Diaz has a pretty good excuse for taking a few days off from his Center Grove preschool next month.

He’s competing against the best young golfers in the country in a national tournament in Florida. Not bad for a kid who was never supposed to be a golfer.

Carlos Diaz, WTHR’s “Sunrise” morning anchor, grew up playing baseball, so he assumed his son Dacio would enjoy the sport too. Carlos’ wife Olga envisioned being a soccer mom. However, Dacio had his own ideas after picking up his first plastic golf club at 18 months of age.

“The bat and the glove went away and he only wanted to hold golf clubs,” says Carlos, who recalls going to Topgolf when Dacio was 2 years old.

Many kids that young would likely lose focus after hitting the ball for 10 minutes, but Dacio kept at it for four solid hours.

When it became clear that Dacio had something special, Carlos and Olga hired a professional coach, Crystal Morse, a 1998 Center Grove graduate who recently opened an academy at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin. Morse was thrilled to take a then-3year-old Dacio under her wing.

“A lot of pros will wait for kids to be 7 or 8 years old before they coach them, but I love teaching young kids,” Morse says. “I think there’s a lot of opportunity there.”

Admittedly, Dacio, who just turned 5, is unlike most kids his age in the way he dials into what his coach has to say.

“He listens, but he also brings this energy and passion for the game that you usually don’t see in someone his age,” says Morse, whose primary goal in coaching is to make sure he doesn’t get burnt out on the game as he works to improve his skill set.

Carlos and Olga, who also have a 3-year-old daughter named Deyla, do the same, which is why they always ask their son if he wants to play golf. Usually the answer is “Yes,” but not always.

on them and tells him, “Show me your Puma.”

That gets him to rotate his feet.

Carlos calls Morse “the golf whisperer.”

“She has this unique ability to speak to kids in their language and make things fun, and she “Sometimes he’ll say, ‘No. I want to play with my choo-choo,’” Carlos says. “So that’s what he doesn’t even realize she’s doing it,” he says. does. Because the minute you tell a child they Dacio was 3 years old when he played in his have to do something, it’s no longer a game. first tournament, the Pepsi Little People’s Now it’s work.”

Golf Championships. On the fifth hole, Dacio

played a flop shot and Carlos’ mouth dropped Morse does a great job of making the game open. fun without getting into the muddy waters of technicality at such a young age. For instance, she won’t tell Dacio to shift his weight. Instead, “Where did you learn that?” he asked.

“On TV,” said Dacio, who finished in fifth she points to his cleats that have Puma logos

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place. The following year when he was 4, he won the whole thing.

Carlos has now watched his son play enough to know what he’s capable of, but friends still have to see it to believe that a boy his size can hit the ball so hard. That’s why Carlos has taken to wearing a GoPro Camera on his chest while caddying to capture Dacio’s 100-yard drives.

When he was 4 years old, Dacio played in a six-week tournament series of the Indianapolis Junior Golf Foundation, which is for kids aged 6 to 18. Each week of the tournament, Dacio finished in second place and was awarded a medal. On the second-to-last week, however, he had a bad first hole that knocked him out of contention. Carlos explained that he wouldn’t be getting a medal that week and asked if he was ready to go home, but Dacio said that he’d like to stick around to watch the awards ceremony.

“When the first-, second- and third-place winners were called, Dacio went over and gave each of them a hug,” says Carlos, his voice cracking with emotion. “For him, he’s not playing against the other golfers. He’s playing with the other golfers.”

This past fall, while he was still 4, Dacio was accepted to compete in the 6- to 9-year-old division of the Under Armour Junior Tour in Chicago. He played so well every week that he qualified for the Under Armour National Championship Tournament next month in Florida, featuring the best golfers in the country aged 6 to 18. At 5, Dacio will be

DACIO DIAZ - CAREER HIGHLIGHTS • In the summer of 2020, at age 4, Dacio won the annual Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships in Quincy, Illinois, in the 3-5 age division.

• Dacio finished second in total points on the Indianapolis Junior Tour, competing as a 4-year-old in the 6-7 age division.

• In the summer of 2020, Dacio competed on the Sneds Tour in Nashville, Tennessee, consistently finishing just a few shots out of first place in more than a dozen events.

• In the fall of 2020, as a 4-year-old in the Under Armour 6-9 age division, Dacio carded a 37 for nine holes, finishing just five shots out of first place. His score put him ahead of several 8- and 9-year-olds in the field that day.

• Since Dacio began competing in golf events two years ago at age 3, he has teed it up in more than 30 tournaments.

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Even with all that success, he’s still playing to simply have fun - a mantra that has been instilled in him by his parents since day one.

“When he plays, we tell him to have more fun than any other golfer out there,” Carlos says. “On the golf course, you drive the ball a lot, but the most important drive is the drive home. That’s when we tell him how proud we are of him, every time, no matter how he played.”

Carlos is also proud of the fact that Dacio never lets his performance dictate his mood.

“Your mood is really the only thing you can control on the golf course,” Carlos says. “You can’t control the weather or what your swing will look like that day or whether you’ll putt well that day, but you can unequivocally control whether or not you’re having fun.”

It’s an attitude that rubs off on those around him. One day a parent approached Carlos and said, “My son played golf with your son last week, and my son talked about it all week.

Thank you. He’s never had more fun than when he was on the golf course with your son.”

When Carlos and Olga tuck Dacio in at night, they ask him what the most fun thing was that he did that day. Nine times out of 10, the answer is golf, but that doesn’t mean they engage in deep conversations about the intricacies of the game. Instead they talk Disney, “Star Wars,” and normal kid stuff.

The family admits they didn’t really know what they were getting themselves into when they began to grow the love of the game in their young son, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Child prodigy or not, they simply want Dacio to enjoy himself.

“Some people spend their whole life finding their passion,” Olga says. “Dacio was born with it.”

Follow Dacio Diaz at instagram.com/ daciodiaz.

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CGHS LEADERS AWARDED WITH NEW POSITIONS, SPECIAL HONORS who have rendered distinguished service to the state.

Writer / Kevin Conrad Photography Provided by Center Grove Schools

CAROL TUMEY HONORED WITH SAGAMORE OF THE WABASH AWARD The Center Grove Board of School Trustees honored Carol Tumey for her 12 years of service to the board at its January board meeting. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb awarded Tumey the Sagamore of the Wabash award. The Sagamore is the highest honor bestowed by the governor and is presented to Hoosiers

Tumey served 40 years as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator at Center Grove High School. During that time she forged a path for female athletes, developing the first girls sports program. Tumey became the first girls basketball coach and went on to coach girls track and field, volleyball, and cross-country teams. She is also credited with creating the first girls county basketball tournament. Upon her retirement from Center Grove in 2003, Tumey became a professor at her alma

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mater, Franklin College, where she teaches the next generation of educators.

every aspect of women’s sports throughout the state every year and it started with our pioneer, Carol Tumey.”

Center Grove High School Head Football Coach Eric Moore uses words like commitment, passion and love when describing Tumey’s legacy at the school.

SCOTT KNAPP NAMED NEXT CENTER GROVE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

“The way she loves all the coaches, she loves all the athletes, she loves every sports team - I can’t remember a game as head football coach when I walked out and didn’t see Carol sitting in the front row with her bright smile, with [husband] Dale,” Moore says. “Carol had a plan and a passion to make women’s sports just as good as, and just as equal to, the men’s sports.

Carol’s backbone and drive really propelled Center Grove women’s athletics to the forefront. We’re number one in almost

Center Grove High School Assistant Athletic Director Scott Knapp will succeed Jon Zwitt as athletic director on July 1. Zwitt plans to retire at the end of the school year.

“It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve as athletic director of Center Grove High School,” Knapp says. “The traditions, families and academics of Center Grove are unmatched.

It has been my dream to be at a school of this caliber with an incredibly supportive fan base, first-class teachers, elite athletes, state-of-the-art facilities, and top-notch programs with nationally recognized coaches at the helm. I am excited to lead the Center Grove athletic department to continued success.”

“I’m extremely excited to have Scott Knapp to serve as the next athletic director for Center Grove High School,” adds Principal Jeff Henderson. “Scott has spent the last eight years serving as the assistant athletic director and has established himself as a valuable asset to our school and community. He is poised to continue the great traditions at Center Grove High School and I look forward to seeing what new ideas he brings to the athletic program in the future. I’m excited to get to work with him in this new role.”

Knapp is in his eighteenth year as an athletic administrator.

ERIC MOORE NAMED NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR Center Grove High School Head Football Coach Eric Moore was named the All-American Bowl National Coach of the Year. Moore’s 2020 undefeated Center Grove football team won the Class 6A IHSAA State Championship in November and the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference title. The Trojans have won three football state titles and seven league championships under Moore’s leadership.

CENTER GROVE SENIOR KICKER AUSTIN WATSON HAS HIGH PRAISE AND RESPECT FOR HIS HEAD COACH. “The character that he instills in each of us that go through the program is something I appreciate,” Watson says. “Toughness, fortitude, work ethic, dedication and consistency are things that he has taught me that I will carry with me the rest of my life. Yet, the best part about him is, as tough as things are, he still loves you. That combination of toughness and love is special.”

22 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / FEBRUARY 2021 / atCenterGrove.com

Team Champs

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL JOHNSON COUNTY CHAMPIONS

VARSITY WRESTLING JOHNSON COUNTY CHAMPIONS

Indivdual Champs

BOYS & GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING JOHNSON COUNTY CHAMPIONS Caleb Crady, Ethan Martin, Jessica Holland, Devin Trammell, Kiersten Smith, Lara Phipps, Mia Prusiecki

BOYS & GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING MIC CHAMPIONS Ethan Martin, Caleb Crady, Mia Prusiecki

atCenterGrove.com / FEBRUARY 2021 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / 23

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