Sep. 14—GREENTOWN — In an update to the Eastern School Board on Tuesday, Rob Young of The Hagerman Group said turf should arrive and start being installed by the end of the month for the new high school baseball field.
Eastern is building a new all-turf baseball field at its off-campus athletic facility. The $2.5 million project is expected to be completed in time for the start of baseball in the spring.
Young also said leftover dirt piles will be used to create auxiliary seating in the outfield for when Eastern hosts sectional baseball tournaments. This is being done instead of paying to have dirt hauled away.
The project is financed via a general obligation and does not raise taxes.
The Hagerman Group is the same contracting company that built Eastern's new field house.
Kokomo accepts Juul money
The Kokomo School Board formally accepted a $27,000 settlement Monday, stemming from a national class action lawsuit the school corporation joined last year against Juul, the electronic cigarette manufacturer.
The lawsuit, which was settled late last year, accused Juul of intentionally marketing its products toward children, comparable to how the tobacco industry once marketed cigarettes to kids.
The company settled the lawsuit, resulting in a payout for the thousands of plaintiffs who joined the case. Many were schools.
The $27,000 payment is just one Kokomo School Corporation expects to receive. The total payout is estimated at $90,475, though some will be taken by attorneys for fees.
"When we first started this process, I had no thought that we would receive any funding at all," Superintendent Mike Sargent said at a work session. "It was just publicly coming out against the marketing strategies against children that was conducted for the last several years. It was being very clear, publicly stating, what they did was wrong."
Funds will be put toward the Kokomo Public School Education Fund, to be used for teacher mini-grants, enrichment grants and teacher projects.
Maple Crest plans renovation
The Kokomo School Board approved for renovations to Maple Crest Middle School that will see an old cafeteria renovated into a new, large special education classroom.
Superintendent Mike Sargent said the end result will be a modern classroom for those students.
"I'm excited about the project, because we're really modernizing those special education classrooms," he said during a Sept. 6 work session.
The board approved a $1.25 million contract for the project. Mike Wade, director of operations, said the project came in under budget by $800,000.
Additionally, there was no vote on a project to install turf on the JV softball field. Sargent said this was due to bids coming in well over budget.
"I was not comfortable with where the bids came in," he said.
Sargent followed that up via email this week, saying the bids received were more than the cost of the varsity softball field project that included turf and other work.
There is no timeline when this project might be re-bid.
School board schedule
Peru School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the administrative office, 35 W. Third St., Peru. A project hearing and budget hearing precede the meeting at 6 p.m.
Tri-Central School Board meets at 6:45 p.m. Monday in the Administration Office, 4774 N. 200 West, Sharpsville.
Western School Board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the administration building, 2600 S. 600 West, Russiaville.
Northwestern receives Juul money
The Northwestern School Board gave the school corporation the go-ahead Thursday to accept additional money from Juul, the electronic cigarette manufacturer, stemming from a lawsuit settlement.
Northwestern was already slated to receive between $20,000 and $30,000 from the settlement, however Superintendent Kristen Bilkey said she was notified about an additional $10,000.
The superintendent said it has not been decided what the extra funds will be used for. Settlement money can be used for whatever a school decides.
The initial settlement money will be used to reimburse costs associated with placing vaping detectors in school bathrooms.
"That's already made a difference," Bilkey said.
Contractor donates to program
The Hagerman Group, the contracting company building Eastern Howard School Corporation's new high school baseball field, donated $5,000 to the school's Buddy Bags program Tuesday.
Rob Young, vice president of business development for Hagerman, presented the check during Eastern's school board meeting.
"Our vision at Hagerman is building a better future, that's not only for our company and employees, it's especially true for our clients and the communities that host our clients' activities," he said.
The Buddy Bag program sends food home to children in need. There are 40 students enrolled in the program.
Young said Hagerman will donate another $5,000 next year.
Company is nationally recognized
Custom Training Solutions in Peru, headed up by Jason Gornto, received the Rising Star in Business Culture and Leadership Consulting award for North America 2023 by Corporate Visions Magazine.
Gornto started Custom Training Solutions in 2015. The company provides professional development and training to Fortune 500 companies across the country is a prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a news release.
"With most of our clients on the east and west coasts, there are many local companies that are surprised to find professional development of this caliber available here in north-central Indiana," Gornto said.
Gornto is the music department chair for Peru Junior-Senior High School.
The Rising Star award was awarded during the Education and Training Awards.
NW band invite is Saturday
The Northwestern Marching Band Invitational begins at 3:40 p.m. Saturday.
A number of area bands will perform at the event.
Eastern plays at 4:14 p.m.; Taylor at 6:05 p.m.; Maconaquah at 6:50 p.m., followed by Western at 7:05 p.m. Northwestern closes things out at 9:15 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for adults ($8.25 if using card) and $5 for students. Cash and card are both accepted. Tickets can also be purchased online at https://www.nwtigerpride.com/invite.
The invitational is held at Northwestern's football stadium.
Ivy Tech to hold IT discussion
Information technology will be the focus of Ivy Tech Kokomo's next information session, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Those who attend the open house event can learn about available IT jobs and how to get the needed skills and certifications through Ivy Tech.
Salaries in industries such as programming, software, cybersecurity and web development can range from more than $60,000 to more than $80,000 a year.
Students who qualify for Indiana's Next Level Jobs program may be eligible to have all tuition and mandatory fees paid through the program.
For more information about how to register, go to ivytech.edu/tuesdays or email Kokomo-enrollment@ivytech.edu. Walk-ins are welcome.
NES to hold Hacienda event
Northwestern Elementary School will have a dine-and-donate fundraiser Wednesday at Hacienda.
Those who dine at Hacienda, purchase a gift card or order take-out Wednesday can have a portion of their bill donated to Northwestern Elementary's Buddy Bags program.
Patrons should present the flyer found at https://tinyurl.com/yzve25dh.
Tix on sale for piano event
Ivy Tech Kokomo's Dueling Pianos fundraiser, scheduled for Oct. 13, will celebrate the college's 60th anniversary.
With the musical theme of "Education is Key," the evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Hingst Hall on the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus and will feature Dueling Pianos, dinner and a variety of activities to raise funds for scholarships.
Two piano players will play two grand pianos.
The goal is to raise $60,000. Money will go toward scholarships to students.
Tickets for the Celebration for Student Success are $50 each and may be purchased at https://link.ivytech.edu/2023DuelingPianos or by calling Miriam Thomas of the Ivy Tech Foundation at 765-252-5500. Tickets will be available until Oct. 6.
The event is expected to sell out.
IUK holds esports matches
Indiana University Kokomo held its first esports matches Sept. 8, losing to University of Massachusetts Ameherst and beating Anna Maria College (Massachusetts).
UMASS swept IUK 3-0. The Cougars bounced back sweeping Anna Maria, for its inaugural win. Freshman Alex Rickey finished with a team-leading 11 goals, six saves and two assists between the two matchups.
Mac band finishes third
The Maconaquah Marching Braves finished third in its class at the Wesfield Festival of Champions on Sept. 9.
The Maconaquah band will perform at 6:50 p.m. Saturday during the Northwestern Marching Band Invitational.
Local students graduate from IUK
The following local students, listed by hometown, graduated from Indiana University Kokomo in August:
Bunker Hill
Ashlyn Shircliff
Kempton
Marlene Regalado Alanis
Kokomo
Alec Timothy Barreira
Sarah E. Bitner
Clayton William Brubaker
April Kay Chrisman
Chardonnay Rose Clark
Jada Critchlow
Easton Christopher Dupay
Carleigh Madison Feldhouse
Kelly Marie Gebhart
Tina Marie Harrell
Renee Nikole Harris
Tyler Lee Heflin
Mallory M. Hunley
Michael Ellis Kaster
Anna Christina Kiser
Morgan Elizabeth Koon
Nicole LaTourrette
Kaitline Elizabeth Martin
Adrienne Nicole McQuiston
Craig Brandon Miller
Gabriel Matthew Nielander
Trisha L. Norfleet
Chloe Louise French Redman
Brittney Santiago
Logan James Vander Velden
Sophia Wright
Mexico
Hannah Hall
Peru
John Sullivan Alberts
Amanda Leigh Farmer
Lindsay G. Flanery
Jessica R. Freeman
Alexandra Anne Jones
Paula Rae Nicole Pear
Susan M. Rice
Maegan A. Sinkovics
Sean Phillip Smith
Cooper Christopher Wolfe
Russiaville
Angela Soupley
Tipton
Audrey Rose Benefiel
