Three Diversity Champions were recognized by the HSE School Board at the June 22nd session.  The award winners are  Sara Curran, principal of Thorpe Creek Elementary; Wafa Safi, AP Science teacher and sponsor of the Muslim Society at Hamilton Southeastern High School; and Renee Vanlandingham, IB English teacher and Equality Alliance sponsor at Fishers High School.   Ms. Curran was not able to attend the board meeting due to another event.

Wafa Safi told the board a major focus of her Muslin student group is to “dispel myths.”

She says her goal is to “dispel a lot of the wrong information that’s out there about Muslims in general.”

Vanlandingham helped form a Gay-Straight Alliance when students approached her about helping start the organization.

“A couple of years ago, I changed the name to Equality Alliance because I wanted it to actually include more people, and not make people feel that they were excluded,” Vanlandingham said.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Superintendent Allen Bourff’s contract was extended by the school board through June 30th, 2019 with a base salary amount of $180,495.  As per Dr, Bourff’s contract with the school corporation, incentive compensation for the period from January 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 was approved by board members at $19,372.50.

The board approved the superintendent’s extension and incentive payment as part of the consent agenda, normally a routine school board agenda item, without comment.

After the meeting, Acting School Board President Howard Stevenson (filling in for absent Board President Karen Harmer) told LarryInFishers, “We are pleased with the performance (Dr. Bourff) has provided to us this school year, with the referendum’s success and all the efforts he’s had for us.”

In other board items:

–Parents are beginning to respond to how their students will use technology this upcoming school year.  In grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade. 384 responses are in, 225 of those plan to rent iPads (59%).  171 of the 394 will leave their iPads at school (45%).  In grades 3-8, 288 of 672 respondents plan to rent iPads (43%).  In grades 9-12, laptops are involved, 99 plan to rent out of 311 responding (32%).  Obviously, not everyone has responded yet.

–The board approved the entire recommended changes to fee structures.  You can read the entire list at this link.

–HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter provided the board a timeline for this year’s budget process.  The first school board budget work session will be held  September 20th.  A public hearing on the spending plan is set for October 12th.  Final adoption will come at the October 26th board session, just a few days before the state-mandated budget deadline of November 1st.  Reuter told members this will be a very different budget process compared to recent years, due to the passage of the recent 7-year operating referendum.

–Danesa Stolz with the City of Fishers Parks & Recreation Department presented an overview of the Nature First program.  You can see her PowerPoint presentation at this link.

–Superintendent Bourff says most of the hiring for the upcoming school year has been completed and administrators are preparing for the upcoming school year.  He reiterated a comment he made at the last board meeting that board members face decisions on how to handle building space issues with additional classes added after the successful referendum campaign, possibly at the next board session.

–The Mudsock varsity football game will be at HSE High School this year on September 9th.

–Several students represented the HSE School System at the Destination Imagination national competition in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Team Dingos took home a global championship and Renaissance Award at the secondary level in the In Plain Sight Scientific Challenge.  Here’s a listing of how some fared at nationals:

• Team DIngos – Renaissance Award and 1st place, Scientific Challenge, Secondary Level.
• Team Do or DI – 3^rd place, Improv Challenge, University Level.
• Team DI-nosaurs – 5^th place, Technical Challenge, Elementary Level.
• Team Super Dupers – 8^th place, Technical Challenge, Secondary Level
• Team SPeCiMeNS – 8^th place, Fine Arts Challenge, Middle Level
• Team We Haven’t FigureD It Out Yet – 13^th Place, Structural Challenge, Secondary Level
• Team Fierce 7 – 16^th place, Structural Challenge, Middle Level
• Team TEK 7 – 18^th Place, Technical Challenge, Middle Level
• Team This Must Be a Mistake! – 21^st place, Structural Challenge, Elementary Level

There were lots of local officials on hand to kickoff the construction on and around Interstate 69.  The state plans to add one lane to the interstate in each direction between State Road 37 and Pendleton.  The project will also rebuild the Exit 210 interchange at I-69.

Among the dignitaries at the event, held inside at IU Saxony Hospital due to the weather, included Governor Mike Pence, State Senator Jim Meritt, Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear, County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness had been scheduled to be a part of the kickoff, but had a last-minute family matter to handle and could not attend, according to the mayors office.

The Governor turned to Commissioner Hendrickson, saying the road work should be completed by the fall of 2017, or earlier.

Below is a video of the ceremony I fed live on Periscope…

Two local arts organizations, Fishers Music Works and the Nickel Plate Players, have announced a merger.  Below is the news release with details…

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Nickel Plate Players is excited to announce it has officially joined Fishers Music Works as the seventh ensemble of the rapidly expanding, Fishers-based not-for-profit.  The two governing board of directors have been merged to form a fifteen member volunteer board lead by four executive board members and supported by thirty volunteer committee members.  Though NPP still maintains it’s own identity the organization’s official business address is now the same as Fishers Music Works – business operations of both are now based inside Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy.

About Nickel Plate Players:  Nickel Plate Players was started in 2014 by husband and wife team Ashton Wolf and Sandy Thorne for the purpose of bringing performing arts to the city of Fishers for the enjoyment of the public with a special emphasis on writing and producing original theatrical works.  Since its inception NPP has produced three musicals and is currently working on a fourth, the original musical, Indiana:  The Musical (a celebration of Indiana’s Bicentennial).
 
About Fishers Music Works:  Fishers Music Works is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) founded in April 2013 for the purpose of producing public concerts of the highest quality, providing performance opportunities to professional, semi-professional, and beginning musicians, collaborating with local artists and arts organizations for public benefit and enjoyment, and providing music education to the public.  Over 200 musicians perform in one of our eight ensembles:  Fishers Chamber Orchestra, Fishers Wind Symphony, Nickel Plate Jazz Orchestra, Mudsock Jazz Combo, Indiana Heartland Brass Quintet, Fishers Community Chorus, Nickel Plate Players, and Projekt:Opera. 

Ashton Wolf came up with the idea and brought people together to produce an original bicentennial production for the Hoosier State….”Indiana – The Musical”

After more than 3 years as Director of Community Development for the City of Fishers, Tom Dickey joined the Hageman Group about a year ago.  I talked with Tom Dickey about his days working in Fishers government and many other issues.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is set to vote Wednesday night on a number of reductions, and in some cases elimination, of some textbook rental fees.

The proposal the board is to consider is reproduced below, from the school board agenda…

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Elementary

At the Kindergarten level we removed the rental fees for Art, Music, Math kit, Reading, English/Writing, Phonics kit, Vocabulary Supplement, Handwriting, consumable fees for NWEA, and lowered the material fees.  We replaced the consumable magazines used in previous school years with digital content including a math supplement.

At 1^st grade we removed the rental fees for the Math kit, Reading, Phonics kit, Vocabulary Supplement, English/Writing, Handwriting, Health, consumable fees for NWEA, and removed the material fees.  We replaced the consumable magazines used in previous school years with digital content including a math supplement.

At 2^nd grade we removed the rental fees for the Math kit/Reach Textbook, Reading, Phonics kit, Vocabulary Supplement, English/Writing, Health, Social Studies, consumable fees for NWEA, Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention and removed the material fees.  We replaced the consumable magazines used in previous school years with digital content including a math supplement.

At 3^rd grades we removed the rental fees for Reading, Phonics kit, Vocabulary Supplement, Handwriting, Health, English/Writing, Social Studies, consumable fees for NWEA, Fountas & Pinnell notebooks, student planners, and removed the material fees.  We replaced the consumable magazines used in previous school years with digital content.

At 4^th grade we removed the rental fees for Reading, Vocabulary Supplement, Handwriting, Health, English/Writing, Social Studies, consumable fees for NWEA, the Math workbooks for reach classes, student planners and removed the material fees.  We replaced the consumable magazines used in previous school years with digital content.

K-4 An iPad rental fee has been added for those students who will rent an iPad from the District.  If students provide their own device, no rental fee will be charged.

Intermediate

At 5^th grade we have removed the rental fee for Art, Health, the consumable fee for NWEA and removed the material fees.  We reduced the fee for Achieve 3000 due to reimbursement from a state grant and added a fee for a novel and for digital resources.

At 6^th grade we have removed the rental fee for Art, the consumable fee for NWEA and removed the material fees.  We reduced the fee for Achieve 3000 due to reimbursement from a state grant and added a fee for a novel and for digital resources.

5-6 the iPad rental fee has been reduced for those students who will rent an iPad from the District.  If students provide their own device, no rental fee will be charged.

Junior High

At the Junior High level, there has been a change to the consumable fees for some of the novels due to price changes from the publishers or a change in the novel selected.

We have removed the fee previously charged for the Math lab, English Lab/RTI Reading, Read 180, System 44, ENL and the copy paper fee.  Restored supply budgets will cover the cost of these materials.

We have removed the rental fees for Honors Algebra and General Music.  Teachers will continue to use classroom sets of books which will not be replaced in the future.

The rental fees for Business Information Technology have been reduced.  Teachers will continue to use the same books that will not be replaced in the future.

Many of the material fees have been reduced or removed completely.

The World Language Dept. adopted new German resources and the 8^th grade fees have been adjusted to reflect the new adoption.

The iPad rental fee has been reduced for those students who will rent an iPad from the District.  If students provide their own device, no rental fee will be charged.

High School

At the high school level, changes in fees may be due to the addition of new courses or changes in the selection or pricing of consumables or materials.

Some classes will begin using class sets of textbooks and the fees have been reduced accordingly.  If a class set will not be replaced in the future those rental fees have been removed.

FHS will waive the fee for some consumables and will use consumable funds available to cover the cost.

FHS has also reduced some Social Studies SAF fees and will use material funds available to cover the cost.

HSEHS has reduced some Science and Social Studies SAFs and will use material funds available to cover the cost.

The World Language department adopted new German resources and fees have been revised to reflect the new adoption.

There may also be some variation in high school fees due to the selection of consumables or materials used at each building.

The 1 to 1 device rental fee has been reduced for those students who will rent a device from the District.  If students provide their own device, no rental fee will be charged.

K-6 changes are highlighted in blue.  7-8 changes are highlighted in red.  At the high school level, only courses with changes are included.

The proposed North of North development at Lantern Road and North Street downtown received approval from the Fishers City Council Monday for $16.4 million in incentives to build a $41.5 million, 3.8 acre project in the Nickel Plate District.  The only council “no” vote came from Councilman Rich Block, who voiced concern about the size of the incentive package.

Mayor Scott Fadness said the level of incentives for these projects has been moving down, a point several other council members voiced during discussion of the project.  North of North will feature mixed use development, allowing people to live where they work.

RQAW is moving its headquarters to a new $4 million structure that is part of the North of North package.

A parking garage with over 500 spaces is planned as part of the complex.

Tax Increment Financing will be used to fund the parking garage, land and infrastructure improvements.

Developers told council members that construction should be completed by spring or summer of 2018.

The council considered a number of other items at the June 20th session:

–Final approval was given to the city’s comprehensive plan, named Fishers 2040.

–Council members approved a new ordinance taking advantage of a new state law allowing more alcohol permits.  A special census underway in Fishers could add even more alcoholic beverage licenses in the city.

–Approved a rezoning for the proposed TopGolf facility near I-69 & 116th Street.

–Several items were heard on first reading and will go to the Plan Commission as the next step.  They include a 20-unit housing complex at the Fuel Tank hockey rink and changes to the Piper Glen development at Britton Falls.

–Council members voted to deny a proposed modification to a specific TIF loan agreement, but also tabled the matter for consideration at the next meeting so those asking for the modification may come to the council meeting and explain their case.

–Two Fishers High School groups were recognized by the council – We the People and the Rugby team.

–3 new police officers were sworn-in before the council.  They were Jonathan Dossey, Brianna Guy, Dynesha Harris.

TigerONE, the sports booster club for Fishers High School, has announced 4 scholarship winners, earning $500 each, plus additional grants.  All told, the club handed out $15,000. The scholarships were announced at a May 18th awards ceremony.

Here is a list of the scholarship winners, provided by TigerONE in a news release:

Megan Forbes: Girls Basketball: Megan was an officer of the National Honor Society, a Captain of her team, earned the top GPA award two years in a row and had the highest GPA of all of the female scholarship applicants. Megan plans to attend Purdue University and study nursing.

Lorinda Kirk: Girls Cross Country and Track: Lorinda was a member of the National Honor Society, lettered in both sports all four years, was a Captain of her teams, won the Sportsmanship award two different years, was Academic All-State and qualified for the Semi-state and State in cross country. Lorinda plans to attend the Colorado School of Mines and study Chemical Engineering.

Daniel Greiwe: Boys Cross Country and Track: Daniel was a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the state championship We the People team, was a cross country Co-Captain, ran in the cross country State meet in 2014 and 2015, was Academic All-State in 2015 and 2016, and had the highest GPA of all scholarship recipients. Daniel plans to attend Purdue University and study Engineering.

Michael Folta: Baseball and Football: Michael member of the National Honor Society, a two sport participant and was on the leadership council for both sports all four years, was Academic All-State in football, will graduate Summa Cum Laude and was one of the co-founders of the Fishers Sports Network. Michael plans to attend Purdue University and study Mechanical Engineering.

TigerOne also provided grants totaling $12,000 to ten school athletic teams, including the following:

 New sideline video system for Football and a contribution to the Trent VanHoosen Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing;

 Basketball shooting machine for Boys and Girls Basketball;

 New batting cage netting for two batting cages for Baseball and Softball;

 Indoor hitting mats and nets and Tiger Golf head covers for Boys and Girls Golf;

 Precision Trainer for Girls Volleyball;

 Funds for an outdoor record board for Boys and Girls Track and Cross Country; and  A new camcorder for Wrestling.

The money for the scholarships and grants come from annual memberships and fund-raising events.  TigerONE is already planning the second annual Casino Night at the Forum Conference Center August 13th.  Tickets are available at this link

2016 will likely be the last year for the Fishers Freedom Festival to be centered at Holland Park, the site of the celebration since its inception in the late 1980s.

I recorded a podcast with the festival’s Executive Director Jennifer Kehl on June 16th, and asked her about the future of the festival at the Holland Park location.  We were talking in her City Hall office.

“Our plan for 2017….the city would like us to move the festival over here to the Nickel Plate District,” Kehl told me.  “We’ll kickoff the 2017 (festival) in a new home.”

I asked Jennifer whether any activity will take place in Holland Park during next year’s festival.

“We’re currently working on it, and we’re going to keep working on it,” she told me.  “We have a lot of logistics to work out.  We’re not really sure.”

I have mixed feelings about the planned changes for next year’s festival.  I have some wonderful memories of taking my daughters to the festival when they were little.  At that time, our family home was in Sunblest just a few blocks from Holland Park.

On the other hand, for the festival to grow and remain relevant, some new thinking is needed.  With all the investment the city has made into the downtown area, and with the major investment the city has in the Fishers Freedom Festival itself, I do understand why change is inevitable.

Change is often needed and it’s not always easy.  Next year’s festival in the Nickel Plate District will largely be the same celebration as before, just in a new location.  It’s good that the leaders of the city and the festival board recognize the need to balance tradition with change.

You can listen to my entire podcast interview with Jennifer Kehl at this link.