Every year, the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation goes before the school board and announces the winners of grants handed out by the nonprofit organization.  In 2020, the foundation handed out 31 grants for projects throughout the local school district.

Foundation Executive Director Justin Hirnisey told the board there were four themes in making grant decisions this time around – the four themes were:

–Virtual Reality

–Mindfulness

–Connecting cultures

–Innovation in STEM

Of all applications submitted by teachers and students, 86% were approved.  Grant decisions were made by a selection committee consisting of  staff, educators, student board members and community members.

A full list of the grant recipients is show below

Continue reading HSE Schools Foundation passes out grants →

School Superintendent Allen Bourff says he will have a recommendation on school start times for the next Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board regular meeting scheduled February 12th.  Administrators will have options for board consideration, including implementing a version of the 3-tier bus transportation system in the 2020-2021 school year.

“We will be presenting (the board) with….an option to flip our start times as early as next fall,” Bourff told board members. ” But if you chose not to do that we would present you with another alternative to introduce you to a new transportation system that could be a 3-tier system.”

Answering a question from board member Sylvia Shepler, Bourff said there is no “drop-dead date” on making a start time decision for the 2020-2021 school year.  “Once you get beyond February and March, it’s hard to make those decisions.  So, we would like to try to make that decision in February,” the superintendent said.  One complicating factor is this – there is only one regular board meeting scheduled in the month of February, and that is on the 12th.

Board President Michelle Fullhart clarified that, at minimum, there would most likely be a school start time change as a result of moving from a 2-tier to a 3-tier bus transportation system.  She described the possibility of flipping start times between elementary and high school students as “another possibility.”

In 2018, there were just over 9,500 residents of Fishers over the age of 65.  In 2040, that number is projected to exceed 23,000.  That has spurred the city to formulate an age-friendly action plan.

“The Age-Friendly Fishers Action Plan is the next step in creating a vibrant community where all ages and abilities can thrive,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “This project showcases how our community can come together to share ideas and work collectively to improve our city.”

The plan focuses mainly on a 2-year period, 2020-2022. The Age-Friendly Committee, comprised of community stakeholders and City staff, was established to guide the creation of this Action Plan. To create the plan, the committee gathered feedback from the community through public input sessions, community events, and a digital feedback form on the City of Fishers website.

“One of the great strategies about this plan is that we did not create it in a vacuum,” said Tish Biggs, a member of the Age-Friendly Fishers Committee and a volunteer with AARP. “It was created with the input of lots of folks around the City. We went to the Fishers Farmers’ Market and solicited input, we went over to Del Webb to meet with folks over there, we had a meeting at City Hall where we invited people to come in, and we just used those as listening sessions to hear what the community wanted.”

The plan focuses on five key strategies, including:

• Create innovative facilities, amenities, and resources that enhance the use of the park system for all ages and abilities.
• Promote aging in place efforts in housing development that allow residents to remain in their home and community as they age.
• Develop age-friendly strategies for transportation improvement and maintenance.
• Simplify access to healthcare and services.
• Increase access to information regarding community programs, services, and social events by providing a centralized location for resources.

You can read the entire action plan at this link. 

The commercial space in the Fishers District development on 116th Street continues to fill-up with the official ribbon-cutting for Massage Heights.  Owner Cristina Goebel, members of her staff, One Zone Chamber representatives and city officials gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

The Fishers Arts Council is set to unveil a new exhibit, “Embracing Black Culture: A Visual Arts Celebration.”

Students from Fishers High School and Fall Creek Junior High School will be displaying visual art, including paintings, drawings, photographs and poetry.

There will be a free public reception and performances on Friday, February 7th from 6-8 pm at The Art Gallery at City Hall. Meet the artists and browse both levels of the gallery to enjoy the visual art that embraces Black Culture. The second hour is devoted to performances by the students. These will include poetry, original songs and stepping. Finger food and soft drinks will be provided.

Less than an hour after issuing a news release saying the Hamilton County Commissioners have rescinded the appointment of Lisa Charles as the County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO), the commissioners now say they have “temporarily” rescinded the action .

According to the commissioners, a three-member committee recommended the appointment of Charles, with the understanding that residency requirements for the position could be waived.  Indiana code IC 10-17-1-5 states that a county veteran service officer must be a resident of Indiana for at least five years immediately preceding their appointment. Charles moved to Indiana in 2018.

“We believe the interview process produced the most qualified candidate to help our county veterans,” Christine Altman, president of the County Commissioners said in the news release. “Unfortunately, we have learned the residency requirements cannot be waived.”

The three commissioners have asked Charles to continue working full-time in her current position while they sort out the details. Efforts are currently underway at the Statehouse that could change the residency requirements.

“We understand there is legislation going on downtown that could change these artificial residency requirements,” Altman says. “We will reserve the appointment of an official CVSO until we see what shakes out in the legislature this year.”

The Veterans Service Office has a full-time CVSO and two part-time positions. A military veteran and Carmel resident, Charles was an assistant to the Hamilton County Veteran Service Office prior to her appointment.

In a story published January 25th by the Hamilton County Reporter, Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Joe Weingarten accused the commissioners of not following state law in the appointment of Charles.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday approved allowing Hamilton County to hire an additional magistrate.

“Our judicial officers are in serious need of an extra set of hands to help speed up the trial process,” Schaibley said. “It is encouraging to see the swift action in the General Assembly to help provide Hamilton County with this much-needed resource.”State Rep. Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel) said the new magistrate would preside over minor offenses and hold preliminary hearings for more serious crimes. Schaibley said Hamilton County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, which makes it more difficult for staff to keep up with the workload.

The most up to date data from the Weighted Caseload Measure shows Hamilton County has just one judicial officer for about 29,500 people. Schaibley said Hamilton County superior and circuit court judges, commissioners, council and prosecuting attorney support adding this position.

House Bill 1145 now heads to the Senate for further consideration. To learn more, visit iga.in.gov.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton County Reporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com.  This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)

Less than two weeks remain during which candidates may file for the May 5 primary election. Thus far few contests have developed for the county offices at stake in this year’s election.

The major exception is the competition for three at-large seats on the Hamilton County Council. Thus far seven candidates have formally filed and another one or more are expected.

Why so much interest in the council? At least part of the reason is the factional split on some issues between the seven incumbent councilors.

All members like to consider themselves fiscal conservatives, but some are more conservative than others. This splint probably leads to the number of candidates interested in the three seats.

Those filed thus far are: Brad Beaver, Lyneen Burrow, Jeff Hern, Sue Maki, Rick McKinney, Steve Nation, and former Noblesville mayor John Ditslear, who filed his candidacy on Tuesday. There are indications that others may join the field.

In the meantime, no contests have developed for county commissioner where Mark Heirbrandt and Steve Dillinger are running for re-election.

Similarly, County Auditor Robin Mills is thus far unopposed.

Former County Treasurer Kim Good now has an opponent for the Treasurer’s position. Susan Byer filed her candidacy on Tuesday.

Incumbent Surveyor Kent Ward is alone running for another term.

No Democrats have yet filed for any county office.

Dozens of candidates for precinct committeeman and state convention delegate have filed in both political party primaries.

The parties will hold reorganizational meetings this year, and both parties have state conventions with the GOP gathering shaping up to be the most interesting. Attorney General Curtis Hill will be opposed by Adam Krupp and John Westercamp.

Hamilton County Reporter

In a battle of top 10 Class 4A teams, No. 4 Fishers took care of No. 6 Lawrence North 55-41 Tuesday at the Wildcats’ gym.

The Tigers played an outstanding defensive first quarter, taking a 17-2 lead by
the end of the period. Fishers continued to add to its lead, going up 34-14 at halftime
and 47-26 after three quarters. Lawrence North tried to make a comeback in the fourth
period, but the Tigers held off the Wildcats to get their 20th win of the season.

Lydia Stullken led Fishers with 14 points and eight rebounds, followed by
Katie Burton’s nine points and six rebounds. Hailey Smith added eight points
and eight rebounds, with Olivia Smith collecting five rebounds and dishing out
four assists. All eight players that took to the court for the Tigers scored.

Fishers is 20-1, marking the fourth time in program history that the Tigers
have reached 20 wins. Fishers travels to Franklin Central on Friday for its regular-season and Hoosier Crossroads Conference finale.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern got a wake-up call during the first half of its Senior Night game during Pike.

The Red Devils were tied with the Class 4A No. 5 Royals at halftime, but Southeastern woke up in a big way in the second half. HSE outscored Pike 23-2 in the third quarter and rolled to a 61-36 victory in the Royals’ final game of the regular season.

The Red Devils led 7-4 at one point during the first period before Southeastern went on an 8-0 run. Junior Lydia Self started things with a pair of free throws, then senior Sydney Parrish and sophomore Makayla Hinshaw both hit 3-pointers.

A layin from Jaelynne Murray cut HSE’s lead to 12-9, which is where the first quarter ended. Lauren Horton tied the game with a 3-pointer to start the second, but two seniors teamed up to get the Royals back on top: Bailee Poore scored off a Lauren Morris steal.

The game went back and forth for a while until Southeastern made another 8-0 run to take a 25-18 lead. Parrish scored five points, sandwiched between a Morris 3. But Pike came back again, and used its own 7-0 run to tie the game by halftime, 25-25.

“We were stagnant on defense in the first half,” said Royals coach Chris Huppenthal. “We tried to trap and their splitting our traps, getting to the basket easy. When we go up 25-18, they score three possessions in a row. Offensively, we weren’t moving the basketball. We had some opportunities to get the basketball inside and people weren’t able to make
the pass inside.”

The Red Devils scored the first basket of the second half, but after that it was all Southeastern. The Royals went on a 23-0 run that ate up almost the entire third
quarter and gave them a 48-27 lead.

Parrish, freshman Olivia Brown and Morris each hit a triple for the first nine points of the run. Parrish totaled 11 points in the third quarter. Senior Bri Baker helped the Royals continue to cruise in the fourth period, hitting a pair of 3s in the early minutes of the quarter.

“Olivia Brown comes off the bench and does a wonderful job for us,” said Huppenthal. “Bri Baker hit a couple 3s. The difference was that we just woke up. We’re not at a time of the year where you can sleepwalk through any part of the game. It’s Game 22 and we just got to do a better job preparing ourselves when we walk out of the locker room.”

Two seniors, appropriately, led HSE in scoring. Parrish finished with 24 points, including three 3-pointers, and reached double-double status with 10 rebounds. She also had six assists. Parrish now sits at 1,862 career points, needing seven more to match the Hamilton County girls scoring record. Morris added 10 points.

“It’s not easy being a high school athlete, going through four years of summer workouts and weight training and the season,” said Huppenthal. “It really, for all intents and purposes now has become a year-round commitment. You look at these five seniors have made that commitment. As a coach you really appreciate that about them, what they’ve done for the program. These kids are part of the legacy last year of winning a state championship, a big part of that, and that’s going to be something that they’re going to
be able to carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

Southeastern finished the regular season 20-2 and plays Carmel in the first round of the Westfield sectional next Tuesday. The Royals beat the Greyhounds 52-36 back on Nov. 29, but 4A No. 9 Carmel has been on tear as of late, winning 11 of its last 12 games.

“We know they can be dangerous,” said Huppenthal. “We know they can shoot the ball. We know their length. It’s just something that we’ve got to get ourselves ready for and again, we’ve got to be ready when we walk out of the locker room to play the game.”