Social media can get one one’s nerves these days, but I always enjoy seeing posts of photos showing students heading out for the first day of classes.

Wednesday was the first day for students to report in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District.  District spokesperson Emily Abbotts says it was a smooth first day of school locally.

There were a few school bus delays, which one would expect in a district as large as HSE.

Getting through the first day of class is always special and it is good to know all went well for HSE students as the 2022-2023 school year begins.  And it was special to see all those students with smiling faces in the social media pics.  I would suspect some parents were off-camera, smiling as well.

The local organization Fishers One has issued a challenge to the local school board, citing iLearn test score data, but HSE School officials paint a different picture of the iLearn results.

Fishers One says it wants the local school board to “reprioritize its agenda and take
practical steps toward improving academic performance across all HSE Schools.”

The group cites the following iLearn data:

• More than 50% of HSE 8th graders are below an 8th grade proficiency in Math
• Nearly 40% of HSE 8th graders are below an 8th grade proficiency in English/
Language Arts.

“We are calling on the HSE School Board to take meaningful steps toward
academic improvement in this new school year and to prioritize learning
recovery for all students above everything else,” says Fishers One.

The local school district has a different view.

“As one of the largest school districts in the state, Hamilton Southeastern Schools ranks as one of the highest-performing public schools, according to the most recent ILEARN proficiency assessment results,” HSE Schools say in a statement to LarryInFishers.

The district says Math and English Language Art increased 5% from the previous year.  School officials also point to “notable growth in all student subgroups, and we are trending in the right direction.”

Superintendent Yvonne Stokes mentioned some of this data while speaking to teachers Tuesday morning in the annual day-before-school-starts event.

“Our teachers and staff work diligently every day to prepare our more than 21,000 students to meet and exceed the standards associated with high academic achievement and becoming a productive member of society,” the HSE statement says.  “While there is always room for improvement, any association of letter grades with proficiency percentages is an inaccurate representation of the assessment.”

Rumors have been rampant about a possible grocery store in the northeast section of Fishers.  Residents in that growing area have been clamoring for it and it appears the HyVee grocery chain will be coming to Fishers.

City Councilman David Giffel’s social media post Tuesday morning said technical specification were being reviewed for a new HyVee location at 136th Street and Olio Road.  City officials confirmed this to LarryInFishers Tuesday afternoon.

“With the tremendous growth in northeast Fishers, HyVee is a welcome addition to our community,” says Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a statement to LarryInFishers.  “Residents have been asking for a grocery option in this area and I hope this helps to answer that demand.”

HyVee is headquartered in the Des Moines, Iowa area.  Current CEO Randy Edeker has named Aaron Wiese as Hy-Vee’s next CEO, effective Oct. 1.

.

Fishers Police just released information on shots fired on one neighborhood, and now have information on two situations in recent days – an arrest for pointing a gun at people driving cars and a serious traffic accident.

Sunday afternoon, police responded to the area of 116th Street and Allisonville Road on reports of someone pointing a gun at motorists.  At the same time, Fishers Fire crews responded to 7100 block of Merganser Drive, investigating a large amount of water coming from an apartment.  As emergency crews approached the apartment, they observed suspicious packages and a chemical odor. Officers evacuated residents from the apartment building and established a perimeter. During the investigation, officers learned the man suspected of pointing a handgun was the resident of the apartment under investigation. A short time later, police located the suspect and identified him as Darrell Ryan Scott, 39, from Fishers.  He is charged with resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor, and                pointing a firearm, a felony. He was taken to the Hamilton County Jail.

The next incident was reported at 1:00am Saturday at 126th Street and Promise Road.  Emergency responders found a serious 2-vehicle crash and transported 4 people to area hospitals.

Fishers Police investigators say that it appears the Chevrolet Trax was traveling eastbound on 126^th Street when it traveled left of center striking the Chevrolet Cruz. This crash remains under investigation.

Transported to the hospital  were Joshua Wise, 29…and Nicholas May, 35, both from Fishers.  Two 16-year-olds rom Greenwood were also sent to local hospitals as a result of the crash.

It is an annual ritual at Hamilton Southeaster (HSE) Schools for the staff to gather the day before a new school year begins.  That happened Tuesday this year at Fishers High School.

The morning session began solemnly with a moment of silence in honor of those that died as part of the HSE family, the latest being Fishers High School grad, Officer Noah Shahnavaz, who lost his life in the line of duty serving the Elwood Police Department.

But the remainder of the event was spent welcoming the staff as the district prepares for students to arrive in classrooms August 3rd.  There was music, examples of what students have done, and singing.  Then, there was dancing, ending with a dance contest as the morning gathering ended.

Teachers were reminded of the challenges ahead, but also told that working together benefits everyone.

One more reminder – school zone speed limits return August 3rd.  Slow down and observe the speed limits in school zones.

Social media around Fishers has been abuzz about a shooting incident in a local neighborhood Monday night.  Tuesday morning, Fishers Police confirmed the incident.  No one was injured

The report came in at 11:13pm with a number of 911 calls received about shots fired.  Police say a home and vehicle in the 10900 block of Veon Drive (near 131st Street and Promise Road) had bullet damage.  A bullet also damaged a nearby home.

A news release from Fishers Police says they believe the suspects fled the scene in their own vehicle.  So far, no description of the suspect vehicle is available. Police add that there is no known on-going threat to the public. 

Authorities are asking anyone with information related to this investigation to contact Detective Sergeant Robbie Ruble at 317-595-3319. Fishers Police are also requesting homeowners in the area check any doorbell or exterior video they may have available in the time frame and contact Fishers Police at 317-773-1282 non-emergency if there are any suspicious persons or vehicles.

When a police officer dies in the line of duty it is a painful event for everyone in the area the officer served.  In the case of Noah Shahnavaz, he served the Elwood Police Department but had a number of ties to the Fishers community.

Many local people have commented on the tragic death of Officer Shahnavaz, but I will share the statement issued Monday afternoon by the Hamilton Southeastern  Schools:

===========

Our school community has experienced tremendous loss this year. We are deeply saddened by the death of Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz, a 2016 graduate of Fishers High School.

While a student at Fishers, Noah was involved in marching band, drumline and wrestling. He is remembered for his friendly, easy-going and caring personality and was said to have always gone out of his way to make others feel appreciated. During his time at FHS, Noah expressed an interest in law enforcement, enrolling in a specialized class his senior year.

“His dream was to serve others and we are proud of what he accomplished in such a short time, both in the military and with Elwood Police,” says Fishers High School Principal Jason Urban.

“The entire FHS Tiger family grieves this tragic loss of such a promising young man full of talent and potential.”

Immediately following his graduation from Fishers High School, Noah entered the U.S. Army, attaining his Air Assault badge and the rank of Sergeant during his five-year term. He then joined the Elwood Police Department in August 2021 after successful completion of training from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.

“Noah’s passing is a reminder of the dangers our brave men and women willingly face every day to keep us safe,” said Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Stokes. “We ask that everyone please
continue to keep Officer Shahnavaz’s loved ones, friends, colleagues and the entire Elwood
Police Department in your hearts.”

Noah is survived by two siblings and his parents. His mother is currently an elementary teacher for HSE Schools.

A moment of silence will be held at the all-staff convocation on Tuesday in remembrance of
HSE students, staff and family members we have lost this year

Ben Orr filed his candidacy for the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board on the first day of the filing window July 27th.  He has now issued a news release on his run or the District 4 seat.

Orr cites the main reasons for running – to “restore academic focus, provide
administrative transparency, encourage parent involvement, and to maintain fiscal responsibility.”

The release goes on to say, “Ben believes that a return to an academic focus at every level will help best prepare students for their choice of either entry into the workforce, or to continue their education at the university level. He also believes that being transparent and involving parents in this process will benefit all members of the Fishers community.”

As a candidate. Orr says he plans to participate in town hall and neighborhood events.

He cites a resume of being a life-long resident of Indiana.  Orr  has worked in the insurance industry for over 10 years.  He is an active volunteer in his children’s classrooms and on field trips as well as a youth sports coach for over 15 years at Park Tudor and Mudsock Youth Athletics.

District 4 takes in the southeastern section of the HSE School district, encompassing much of Fall Creek Township.

State law requires school districts to hold a public hearing before bargaining begins between the school corporation and the local teachers’ union.  Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools conducted that public hearing Wednesday night at the regular board meeting.  No one from the public chose to speak, however, comments from HSE Schools’ Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Katy Dowling pointed to some recent developments that will reduce the amount of money available for teacher compensation.

She cited “particularly alarming” instances where state and federal grant allocations are lower than before.  For example, Dowling says there are 100 additional students in HSE Schools qualifying for ENL (English as a New Language) services, yet there will be no additional grant money to cover those costs.  The local school corporation must fill that gap.

Dowling also cited excess costs for Special Education programs, saying the district will incur about a quarter million dollars in additional expense “due to a change that came midstream.”

These additional expenses will come from the Education Fund, the same account that finances teacher compensation.

The message from Dowling is this:  due to these changes requiring the district to tap into the Education Fund and cover the expenses once funded through state and federal grants, this will leave less money to pay teachers.

At a time when teachers are leaving the profession for other opportunities, it is discouraging that the funding available going into bargaining with the local Hamilton Southeastern Education Association will be lower due to less funding from state and federal grants.

This is an important week for the City of Fishers, but it brought back memories of 31 years ago for me.

That’s when I married Jane and moved to Fishers.  The year was 1991.  I had to conduct some business with the town.  It’s been so long I honestly do not remember what that business was, but I had to find the Town Hall.

I found Town Hall in an old house along 116th Street.  It has housed an art gallery and botanical garden in recent years, located just south of the current Depot Building.

The new Town Hall was nearly completed and the town staff I saw that day in 1991 could not wait to move into their new offices.  Keep in mind, the 1990 census gave the Town of Fishers population as 7,508, compared to just short of 100,000 in the 2020 census count.

The downtown Fishers I encountered in 1991 was nothing like what we see today.  The major downtown growth began under the leadership of the Town Council, then as Fishers transitioned to a city, Mayor Scott Fadness and the 9-member City Council continued the aggressive march to development.

Our old Town Hall became City Hall in 2015.  But there was a problem with the old hall.  It was sinking into the ground.

Daniel Bradley of the Indianapolis Business Journal wrote a story (Page 3 of the July 29 edition) about how our city is transitioning out of the old City Hall and why.  There are many quotes from local historian David Heighway about how Fishers was built upon what was once a swamp.  That water table beneath the surface caused part of City Hall to slowly sink into the ground.

This became expensive over time.  That’s when Mayor Fadness told the City Council the only fiscally responsible answer is to demolish the current City Hall and replace it with one that will have the construction plan to prevent the structure sinking into the ground once again.

August 1 is the official closing day for City Hall but most of the staff is out of their offices by now.  A small contingent of the mayor’s staff will be housed at the new First Internet Bank Building just south of the municipal complex.  Many staffers will crowd into the City Services Building next door, others will work out of the co-working space Launch Fishers.  And, of course, some will be working at least part of the time out of their homes.

The City Council will hold meetings at Launch Fishers.  Other boards and commissions will meet at the Fire Department Headquarters nearby, the City Services Building and other locations between now and the spring of 2024, when the new structure is projected to be complete.

City officials are not calling the new building City Hall.  Instead, it is now named as the “Arts & Municipal Complex.”  There will be an arts center on the ground floor and city office space will be built on the upper stories.

So, the old Town & City Hall has been vacated.  For the next few weeks, staff will recover electronic equipment that can be used in the new building.  Then public safety personnel will conduct training exercises.

It is expected that the wrecking ball will be swinging on the building in October.

I have been covering meetings in City Hall and have conducted more interviews there than can be counted.  There are plenty of memories in the old City Hall for me.

But there is plenty of excitement about the new complex set to replace it in a little less than 2 years.  There will be a new set of memories to come in the new Arts & Municipal Complex.