The Hamilton Southeastern School District will have a Librarian/Media Specialist as Teacher of the Year for the second consecutive school year.  Maria Kussy from Brooks School Elementary School, was named as HSE School District Teacher of the Year for the upcoming school year beginning in August.  The previous Teacher of the Year was John Hochstetler, a Library/Media Specialist at Sand Creek Intermediate.

Maria Kussy has been in education for 19 years, with the last two years as the teacher-librarian.  She strives to build relationships with all students and colleagues through literacy, collaboration, and inquiry.  Her passions include bringing stories to life, getting children excited about reading and writing in all of its forms, and working towards equity and inclusivity.  She graduated from Marian University (2000) with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in French.  She is currently working toward a Masters in Educational Administration and Supervision through Ball State University.  She is married to Michael Kussy, is a mother to five boys, and is a foster mother.

The winner of the Honor & Excellence Award for support staff went to Della Johnson, Office Manager at HSE High School.

The “All for One Award” honors staff members that practice equity and inclusion in their work.  The two winners of that award for 2019 are Danielle Riego, English as a New Language Coordinator….and Renee Isom, Media Specialist at Fishers High School

Below is a list of all those honored by school building:

First, Teacher of the Year…

Continue reading HSE School District Hands Out Teacher Of The Year, Other Honors →

For many years, the City of Fishers has been eyeing parts of Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport for economic development, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was announced between Fishers and the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) in October of 2015 with that development in mind.  Wednesday the parties have announced the next step in developing part of the land at the airport by calling for proposals to develop a large part of that property.

The private firm JLL is involved in this process, named last year as marketing broker for the project.

“The City of Fishers welcomes the opportunity to partner with the Indianapolis Airport Authority and JLL on this call for proposals,” said City of Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “We have seen a significant amount of interest in this property since our MOU was established in 2015, but developers and companies have been hesitant due to the preference of land leases. We now have the chance to sell this land and continue to transform development along 96^th Street.”

Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Dillinger is IAA’s Vice President, and said, “This further step with JLL is a continuation of that positive momentum that will deliver improvements to our citizens.”

IAA owns the airport property, which is just north of 96th Street on Fishers’ southwest side.

The final set of bids are in and approved, clearing the way for the new Fishers Fire Department Headquarters Building, which will also include a fire station.  The old HQ structure has been demolished and the new building will be under construction soon.    Fire Chief Steve Orusa told the Board of Works and Public Safety that the bids came close enough to the engineering estimates that the bidding process is now over.

The board approved Fire Station bids Tuesday by the following firms:

MacDougall Pierce Construction, Inc.
Glenmark Construction.
Jack Laurie Group.
Lehaman’s Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
Brown Sprinkler Corporation.
Gaylor Electric.

The board also approved a number of water-related actions, including  a pavement cut at 116th Street and Wainwright Boulevard (just east of Allisonville Road).  In order to complete this work, the eastbound lanes of 116th Street at Wainwright will be down to one lane for two work days, but will be open to both lanes during morning & evening rush hours..

As we enter the month of June, fireworks will become more popular in neighborhoods in and around Fishers.  If you want to set-off fireworks within the Fishers city limits, police want to remind you of what the local ordinance says.

In Fishers, the local ordinance provides the rules on what specific types of fireworks are allowed, as well as the dates and times in which fireworks can be displayed.

Here is the language of the Fishers fireworks ordinance:

Continue reading Fireworks In Fishers – Know The Law →

I have attended the Fishers Memorial Day ceremony for several years now, and the event has been blessed with perfect weather in recent times.  2019 was no exception with a bright, sunny sky and temperatures in the comfortable mid-70s.

Navy Vet El Ahlwardt once again handled the master of ceremonies duty.  Every year I have covered this event, the crowd appears to be larger that the previous year.

The most moving part of the ceremony was Guest Speaker Kevin Rankel and his talk about his son John, who gave his life serving in Afghanistan.

Mr. Rankel often wondered, “…why did this happen to us?”

“As the years passed, I found the realization that John died loving what he loved to do, that was leading men and setting an example of how to live, and quite frankly, how to die,” Rankel told the crowd.  “While I miss my son every single day, I am so very proud of him.”

“Through all this, I have a new appreciation for veterans, for the nation they fought for, and ceremonies like this,” Rankel said.

There was a playing of Taps, and the laying of carnations at the Liberty Plaza Memorial, part of the Fishers Municipal Complex, near 116th Street.
Here are more pictures from the Memorial Day event:

Continue reading Gorgeous, Sunny Day For 2019 Fishers Memorial Day Ceremony →

The City of Fishers has released its weekly up date on road construction in and around the city.  Once again, the list is long.

Below is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers.

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When the Fishers Arts Council sponsors monthly art exhibits at City Hall, there is normally a theme.  June is an exception

The exhibit is planned with an eclectic look, featuring artists in the city and surrounding area.  The artist reception will be part of the Spark!Fishers festivities on June 30th. The artists will be available throughout the day to talk about their work.

Besides the artist reception, there will be a Veterans Hall on the 30th as part of the gallery where veterans can rest, reminisce and share their memories with others. The hall will feature video presentations, along with veteran related paintings, pictures, scrapbooks and other memorabilia.

The free exhibit will run through June 29th and will be open to the public on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays during the Fishers Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to noon.

Most of you  may now C-Span for its live coverage of the House, Senate and Congressional hearings.  But the organization also sponsors a competition among students producing documentaries.

Two Fishers High School student, Sophie Foley and Laurent Higgenbotham, submitted their short video about the First Amendment and won second place, which includes a $1,500 prize.

The C-Span bus made a stop in Fishers on Friday, the last day of school, and presented Sophie and Lauren their prize.

Their documentary video, “Students Ruin The First Amendment,” is available at this link.

The Fifty Club of Fishers invited public safety officers to the George Kehl Police Headquarters to talk about what the club is doing locally.

The Fifty Club’s main mission is to  support the families of City of Fishers police officers and firefighters in the event of duty-related disability or death.

Learn more about the Fifty Club, including making a donation, at this link.

The City of Fishers started a new system a few years ago, determining what support the city will provide to local nonprofit organizations.  In each year’s budget cycle, a three member City Council committee, made up of council members Brad DeReamer, Pete Peterson and Cecilia Coble, review requests for funding and decide how money budgeted for these nonprofits will be handed out.

The committee is now accepting applications from local nonprofit groups for funding in the 2020 city spending plan.

To review the application guidelines, use this link.

To access the actual application form, use this link.