WTHR posted a story on its Web site Thursday afternoon citing court documents in Wisconsin relating to the arrest of an assistant swim coach at HSE High School.

Read the WTHR story at this link.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board welcomed 2 new administrators approved at Wednesday night’s meeting.

Erika Collins is now an assistant principal at HSE High School.  She comes to HSE from North Central High School.

Brandon Cloud is now the director of The Academy.

The Board also approved changes in the cost of school meals for the coming school year.  The cost increase for secondary meals is $0.05. This increase is to ensure HSE Schools are compliant with paid lunch equity requirements. The price increase for student breakfast is $0.15. This increase is necessary because the overall cost of our student breakfast exceeds the school district’s cost to produce it. The price increase for adult/staff breakfast and lunch is $0.15.  Below is a table showing the changes:

Finally, several members of the HSE School District staff received an award,  Black Excellence in Education, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, Marian University and Innopower.  Here is a listing of the local recipients, honored at the school board session:

• Trice Black, Assistant Principal

DEER CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Clifton Willis, Teacher

THORPE CREEK ELEMENTARY

• Keith Shelton, Teacher

FISHERS HIGH SCHOOL

• Rhonda St. Hilaire, ENL IA

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL

• Breana Daniels, Teacher

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL

• Tabatha Brown, Technology Specialist

FISHERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Sara Larkins, Teacher

FISHERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Ramona Williams, Counselor

HARRISON PARKWAY ELEMENTARY

• Nawla Williams, Dean

FISHERS HIGH SCHOOL

• Harold Spooner, Teacher

FISHERS HIGH SCHOOL

• Marc Williams, Assistant Principal

FALL CREEK INTERMEDIATE

As the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board of Trustees opened the July 27th meeting, Board President Julie Chambers tried to read a statement about Ashley Lansdell, a kindergarten teacher at Fall Creek Elementary School.  Ms. Chambers tried, but could only get through a few words without breaking down in grief.  Ashley Lansdell was a teacher at the school her children attend.  Ms. Chambers finally handed the statement to Superintendent Yvonne Stokes, and she read the following statement.

“It’s with a heavy heart that…I share with you the passing of one of our staff members.  As you may already know, Ashley Lansdell, a kindergarten teacher at Fall Creek Elementary, was recently involved in a very serious car accident.  Her family informed us this morning that Ashley passed away at IU Methodist Hospital, surrounded by those that loved her.  Ashley has been a part of the HSE family since 2012.  For the past ten years, she has been a beacon of light supporting students, staff, families and the greater community.  Please keep Ashley’s family, colleagues and friends in your thoughts as they cope with this difficult loss.  The HSE Crisis Response Team will be working to support students and staff during this difficult time, as we start our new school year.”

Following Dr. Stokes reading of the statement above, a moment of silence was observed.

I will only add that a Go Fund Me page continues for Ashley Lansdell’s daughter Mia.  You can find that page at this link.

On the first day of officially filing for a seat on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, four candidates filed their paperwork, one for each district.

Here are the filings for July 27:

District 1             Tiffany Pascoe

District 2            Juanita Albright

District 3            Dawn Lang

District 4            Ben Orr

In the 2022 School Board election, each candidate runs within their own district.  Candidates may file until noon on August 26.

Today (Wednesday) is the first day for candidates to officially file to be placed on the November ballot for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board.

Tiffany Pascoe announced late Tuesday evening she intends to file for the District 1 seat on the HSE Board.  Ms. Pascoe was a candidate in the at-large local school board election in 2020, finishing second in Wayne Township with 31.69% of the vote.  Sarah Parks-Reese won that election with 39.46% of the vote.

In this round of elections, candidates run only within their districts, with only voters within that district boundary voting in that balloting.

In her news release, Ms. Pascoe describes herself as a “long standing and proven conservative candidate.”  She cites her “core objectives are to put students first, return to academic excellence, establish no new taxes, and promote fiscal conservatism.”  She adds, “parents deserve to have a voice concerning their children’s education and future.”

Ms. Pascoe also cited her community involvement with the following activities…”appointee by Hamilton County Council to Hamilton County Tourism, Republican State Delegate, Republican Precinct Committeeman, a Youth Assistance Program Step Up Tutor, Fishers Arts Council volunteer, Meals on Wheels volunteer, Third Phase volunteer, past Co-Chair of local GOP club, Riverview Health Foundation volunteer, and IFRW member.”

Several candidates have announced their intention to run for the HSE School Board, but Ms. Pascoe is the first to specifically announce her intention to file for office.

The Nickel Plate Trail is to be part of a regional trail network, extending south with a bridge over 96th Street, extending to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, and eventually north connecting to Noblesville’s Midland Trail System.

The City of Fishers took another step in expanding the local Nickel Plate trail south by entering into a $453,000 contract with BF&S for design services for the trail and the pedestrian bridge over 96th Street.  The Board of Public Works and Safety approved the pact Tuesday morning.

In one other item before the board, the city is moving forward with the bidding process for constructing a replacement for the current City Hall, currently named the Arts & Municipal Complex.  This phase is for a transformer and the technical equipment that goes with it.

City Attorney Chris Griesl told board member the final bid, a “substantial” package, will be presented to the board soon for the Arts & Municipal Complex.  It will include HVAC systems, electrical, plumbing, site work, drywall, building enclosures and finishes.  The work is already out for bids and Griesl admitted that there are concerns about “market fluctuation, construction issues…we are seeing it right across the country.”  The board should receive information on how the bids went at a meeting in late August.

Finally, the board held its last meeting in City Hall.  While staff migrate to other facilities as construction activities begin, the meetings, at least for now, will be held in the City Court room located next door at the City Services Building (the old police headquarters).  The public is expected to have access to future board meetings by entering the building through the east entrance.

The National Night Out had been a tradition in many local communities, including Fishers.  It is a night for local police departments to invite the public to interact with officers.  COVID restricted the event for a while, but it is back in 2022.

Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart has issued an invitation foro everyone in the city to come by this year’s National Night Out.

For more details, here is the news release issued by Fishers Police:

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Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart would like to invite the community to the Fishers Police Department’s National Night Out Open House on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Fishers Police Department.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

Citizens, law enforcement agencies, community groups, businesses, youth organizations and local, state, and federal officials from 16,377 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide will join forces to celebrate the 38th Annual National Night Out – a community crime and safety event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.

We encourage all of our citizens to join us for a great evening of fun and fellowship. We have a number of activities planned for all ages to include vehicle, drone and equipment displays, crime scene collection display, crime prevention information and much more. Free hotdogs, chips and water will also be provided.

Students in the local Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools return to the classrooms for another school year starting Wednesday, August 3.  The Fishers Health Department has announced a series of immunization clinics to allow parents to have their students receive vaccines.  For more details, see the Fishers City news release below:

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Fishers’ Technology Drive, located in Northeast Commerce Park, is normally a very busy place.  It contains the Fishers Health Department, Launch Fishers, The Indiana IoT (Internet of Things) Lab, DeVeau’s Gymnastics, The Fieldhouse….well, you get the picture.  And there are many more I could add to that list,

Motorists faced with the challenge of a one-way street on Technology Drive will soon be getting some relief.  The city’s Director of Engineering, Jason Taylor, tells LarryInFishers the contractor is in the final phase of reconstructing that street and two-way traffic should be restored by the end of August.

Technology Drive has had an upgrade constructed on the road surface during the construction this summer.

It is fitting that I begin a podcast series all about the history of Fishers with someone familiar with the American Indian Tribe that roamed this land long before 1872.  As part of the Fishers Sesquicentennial, I have partnered with the City of Fishers to provide historical perspective on our 150th birthday.

Diane Hunter is an expert on the Miami Tribe that inhabited this region even before the Delaware and Lenape tribes lived in what we now know as the Fishers area.

Learn about the first inhabitants of the area we now know as Fishers by listening to my podcast discussion with Diane Hunter.