The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Board of School Trustees plans to appoint longtime district administrator Dr. Matt Kegley as interim superintendent following the departure of Superintendent Dr. Patrick Mapes.

The board is expected to formally consider Kegley’s appointment at its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 11. If approved, the appointment would take effect immediately after the board vote.  The school board and the City of Fishers are also planning their annual join meeting March 11.

Mapes recently announced he will step down as superintendent effective April 13 after serving in the role since February 2024, when he came out of retirement to lead the district.

Kegley currently serves as HSE Schools’ deputy superintendent and brings three decades of experience in education, including 20 years within Hamilton Southeastern Schools. District officials say his appointment would provide leadership continuity during the transition.

In a statement released by the district, Kegley said he intends to focus on maintaining stability and continuing the district’s academic progress.

“Serving Hamilton Southeastern Schools in this role is a responsibility I take seriously,” Kegley said. “My focus remains the same: supporting students, teachers, staff, administrators and families, and ensuring our schools continue providing engaging, high-quality learning opportunities every day.”

Kegley has held several leadership positions within HSE Schools. Before joining district administration, he served as principal at Riverside Junior High School and Hamilton Southeastern High School. Earlier in his career he worked as a teacher, assistant principal and athletic director.

This would not be Kegley’s first time serving in the district’s top role. He previously served as interim superintendent in 2023 during a prior leadership transition.

School board president Tiffany Pascoe said Kegley’s long history with the district makes him well suited to guide the school system during the upcoming transition.

“Dr. Kegley has a rich knowledge of HSE,” Pascoe said. “We are confident that Matt is the right person to steward the district through this transition period.”

District officials say Kegley will continue to focus on several ongoing initiatives if appointed, including implementation of the district’s Innovate 2028 strategic plan and continued efforts to improve student achievement.

Kegley earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University and later received both an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Ball State University.

A Fishers resident since 2007, Kegley and his wife Jennifer have three children, all graduates of Hamilton Southeastern High School.

If approved next week, Kegley will assume the interim superintendent role as the district begins the process of determining its long-term leadership plan.

Brian Brosmer is a local photographer I have come to know over the years, as we often find ourselves covering the same community events around Fishers. Now Brosmer has taken on a new project — creating a mural celebrating the history of the city.

The mural now hangs in the new lounge area at Parks Place Pub, located in the municipal complex at 116th Street and Municipal Drive. A full house gathered Thursday night to watch as Bosmer signed the finished work.

Parks Place Pub recently added the lounge as part of the establishment. Management noticed the large amount of empty wall space above the bar and decided it would be the perfect place for a mural highlighting Fishers’ past.

Many residents may not realize the rich history of the community, which dates back to the arrival of Salathiel Fisher in 1872. The mural reflects that long and storied past through a collection of historic images connected to the city’s development.

Salathiel Fisher, a settler from New York, played a key role in establishing the community that would eventually bear his name. When the railroad was extended through the area in the early 1870s, Fisher donated land for a rail station and helped plat the small settlement that grew up around it. The area was first known as “Fisher’s Switch,” referring to the railroad switching station located there. Over time, the name evolved to simply Fishers as the town continued to grow.

Larry Reynolds of the well-known Reynolds family in Fishers provided many of the historic photographs featured in the mural.

Parks Place management says there is still additional wall space available, raising the possibility that more historical displays could be added in the future.

For now, visitors to the new Parks Place Pub lounge can take a few moments to study the mural and reflect on the people and moments that helped shape the history of Fishers.

An unexpected leadership change in Hamilton Southeastern Schools leads this week’s edition of Fridays with Larry.

In the March 6 podcast, I discuss the surprise resignation of HSE Superintendent Patrick Mapes. The announcement caught many in the Fishers community off guard, and almost immediately social media began filling with speculation about the reasons behind his decision. In the podcast, I caution listeners to take much of that speculation with a grain of salt while the school district works through the transition.

The timing of the resignation comes as the district faces several major developments. As the school board begins the search for a new superintendent, Hamilton Southeastern Schools will likely also be considering a funding referendum for the November ballot. That potential referendum is largely a response to changes enacted last year by the Indiana General Assembly that are affecting school district finances across the state. In addition, four of the seven seats on the HSE School Board will be up for election this November, meaning the coming months could be an important period for the future direction of the district.

I also briefly mention a separate podcast conversation I recently recorded with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness about actions taken by the Indiana General Assembly this year that will impact the city.

My guests this week are Liz and Todd, who share the story of their two young children living with a rare medical condition. Thanks to advances in medical science and treatment, both youngsters are thriving. It’s an uplifting story about perseverance, family and the progress being made in modern medicine.

The Fridays With Larry podcast series is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

You can listen to the March 6 edition of Fridays with Larry using the video or audio links here or below.

A lengthy power outage delayed the start, but once play finally began Wednesday night at the Fishers Event Center, the Indy Fuel wasted little time generating some energy of their own.

After the puck finally dropped at 9:18 p.m., the Fuel built a three-goal lead and held on late to defeat the Wichita Thunder 3-2 in the first of three games between the teams this week.

The opening period featured plenty of physical play and penalties before Indy broke through on the scoreboard. Less than two minutes into the game, Fuel captain Chris Cameron and Wichita’s Jack Bar were called for roughing, and Dustin Manz received a five-minute major for boarding along with a 10-minute misconduct.

The Thunder briefly held a two-man advantage early, but Fuel goaltender Mitchell Weeks turned away every shot during the 5-on-3 opportunity.

Indy struck first at 8:02 of the opening period when Nick Grima scored his first goal of the season. The puck slipped past the Wichita goaltender and across the goal line, giving the Fuel a 1-0 lead. Matt Petgrave and Terry Broadhurst were credited with assists.

The Fuel extended the lead in the second period. At 3:39, Lee Lapid scored to make it 2-0 with Brett Moravec picking up the assist. Less than three minutes later, Lapid helped set up another goal, this time feeding Cody Laskosky, who pushed the lead to 3-0. Christian Berger also assisted on the play.

Wichita began to climb back into the game midway through the period. Michal Stinil scored on a power play at 8:38 to cut the Fuel advantage to 3-1. Later, another Wichita power play produced a goal from Noah Beck, trimming the lead to 3-2 before the end of the second period.

Despite the Thunder’s comeback attempt, Indy maintained the lead through a tense third period. The Fuel killed off a key penalty midway through the final frame, and Wichita pulled its goaltender with about two minutes remaining in favor of an extra attacker.

Indy had several chances at the empty net but could not convert. Still, the Fuel held firm defensively until time expired, securing the 3-2 victory.

The Fuel outshot Wichita 31-22 in the game.

The two teams will meet again twice more this week, Friday and Saturday nights, at the Fishers Event Center.

The Fishers Comprehensive Plan — often referred to as the 2040 Plan — is periodically updated as the city grows and development patterns change. One portion of that document, the Thoroughfare Plan, is now set for an update.

Wednesday night, the Fishers Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval of the updated thoroughfare plan to the Fishers City Council. A public hearing was held as part of the process, but no one spoke.

The City Council is expected to consider the plan at its March meeting.

The proposed updates include a number of intersection improvements, new road connections and changes to previously proposed roundabouts. Among the changes:

• Intersection improvements added at 141st Street and Trade Center Drive
• Intersection improvements added at 131st Street and Britton Park Road
• The previously proposed roundabout at 116th Street and Allisonville Road revised to a signalized intersection improvement
• Local roads added for the Maple Dell and Balmoral developments
• Proposed road connections added between Meadows Drive and Lantern Road
• A roundabout added at 141st Street and Howe Road in Noblesville
• The roundabout at 131st Street and Howe Road updated from “proposed” to “complete”
• Intersection improvement added at 116th Street and Klotz Farm Boulevard
• Local roads added for the Canterwood development
• The roundabout at 121st Street and Hoosier Road updated from “proposed” to “complete”

Several updates involve the Brooks School Road corridor. Those changes include:

• A roundabout at 126th Street
• A roundabout at Carriage Stone Drive (Sandstone Meadows) and Duval Drive (Cottonwood Creek at Gray Eagle)
• Intersection improvements at 116th Street
• A roundabout at Club Point, the entrance to Hamilton Proper
• A roundabout at Aldenham Boulevard (Brookston Place) and Anchorage Way (The Anchorage)
• A modified roundabout at Fall Creek Road

Additional changes include new road connections between 134th and 136th streets and between Minden Drive and Olio Road in the Saxony area, intersection improvements at Olio Road and Olivia Way, and local roads for the Legacy Living development at 136th Street and Cyntheanne Road.

The plan also revises the status of the roundabout at 136th Street and Atlantic Road from  “future” to “others.”

Planning and Zoning Director Ross Hilleary also updated the commission on the upcoming project at 116th Street and Allisonville Road. Construction bids have been awarded and work is expected to begin before the end of March, with completion projected for October.

Earlier plans for a roundabout at that intersection were abandoned. The project will instead improve the existing signalized intersection. Some lane restrictions are expected during construction, but a full closure of the intersection is not anticipated.

The next meeting of the Fishers Plan Commission is scheduled for April 1.

There are times when I truly believe I may be getting too old for this news reporting business.

I planned to attend Wednesday morning’s meeting of the Hamilton Southeastern School Board Policy Committee. I thought the meeting began at 8:30 a.m. Had I checked the agenda more carefully, I would have seen it started at 8:00. By the time I arrived at the administration building, the meeting had already been over for several minutes.

Fortunately, I ran into school board member Suzanne Thomas while walking in. Although Thomas is not a member of the policy committee, she typically attends the meetings as an observer. She had recorded the audio from the session and offered to play it for me, an offer I gladly accepted.

During the meeting, the committee reviewed three proposed policy changes. Two of the items dealt with public records procedures and background checks for employees and volunteers. Those proposals were routine updates and did not generate much discussion.

The third proposal drew considerably more attention. It addresses how and when school board members may attend certain district meetings that are not officially considered meetings of the board or its committees.

The proposal begins with a broad statement outlining the board’s oversight responsibilities. The language emphasizes transparency, accountability and the duty of individual board members—elected by the community—to have access to information necessary to oversee district operations and policy decisions.

More detailed language follows, describing circumstances under which board members could attend certain “district meetings.” These meetings include collective bargaining sessions between district administrators and the teachers’ union, insurance committee meetings, curriculum adoption committees and ad-hoc budget reduction committees.

Under the proposal, the board president could appoint a board member to attend such meetings as a non-voting observer. The appointed member would be required to notify the superintendent in advance and obtain approval from both the board president and the superintendent before attending.

The policy would also give the board president or superintendent authority to limit attendance because of confidentiality or legal concerns.

Board members attending these meetings would have a strictly observational role. They would not be permitted to ask questions, participate in discussions, record the proceedings, or publicly share notes or information obtained from the meetings. Any observations could only be discussed with fellow board members during executive session when allowed under Indiana law.

In addition, the policy specifies that board members would attend these meetings without compensation.

Policy committee members Dawn Lang and Juanita Albright both appeared to support adding the language to the district’s official policies. They indicated they would favor approval when the full Hamilton Southeastern School Board meets next Wednesday, March 11.

Seeing Suzanne Thomas did give us the chance to talk about her recently becoming a grandparent and we both discussed the joys of grandparenting.