Sometimes, you get very good ideas from your readers.  I have one reader that got on a roll Friday night.  The issue was school start times.

Here in Fishers, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School System starts school early in the later grades.  For example, High Schools, Junior Highs and Intermediate levels all start classes at 7:35 in the morning.  The elementary buildings start classes at 8:55am.

According to the latest scientific studies, 7:35am may be too early to start school.  That’s according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control released in early August and a policy statement issued last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

My reader sent me tons of articles based on these findings.  The bottom line is this….the science indicates start times for middle school to high school should be no earlier than 8:30am.

The reason for the recommendation by the experts is the impact early start times have on student achievement.  Earlier start times lead to less sleep….less sleep leads to reduced performance in schools.

It should be noted that a group of students made a presentation to the HSE School Board some time ago citing the American Academy of Pediatrics data and asking that school start times be changed.  The board listened but has so far taken no action.

It should be noted here that changing start times is not as easy as it may sound.  The entire school transportation network is based on starting school at the times we have now. Fishers is a growing suburb with major traffic jams during rush hours in the morning and evening, which makes school bus scheduling a vexing problem.

That is one major reason the school board cannot act quickly to address these scientific findings.  However, with the evidence mounting that late start times are better in the later grade levels, one wonders if the HSE administration and school board may consider changes in the future based on all the data we see now.

In the meantime, my reader will certainly keep me posted on Twitter about the latest on students and sleep.

Ashton Wolf lives in Fishers, and he has written a production set in Fishers.  He uses the music of the past, but also wrote a special song he describes as “patriotic” just for this production.

The musical is called Heartlight and it makes its debut at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater, behind Fishers City Hall, just off 116th Street, Saturday, August 29th at 8pm.  Admission is free, just remember to bring along your lawn chairs.

For more information about Heartlight, use this link.

The latest edition of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) is out this morning and there are two articles of interest to Fishers.

A front page piece from reporter JK Wall dissects a study conducted by BioCrossroads, an Indianapolis firm heavily into the life-sciences.  The upshot of the study says the suburban counties surrounding Indianapolis are picking up the most number of high-tech jobs.  The consulting  firm Battelle, based in Ohio, was contracted to do this study.  Wall points to the business startup incubator Launch Fishers and its most successful alum, BlueBridge Digital, which specializes in app development for nonprofits, as an example.  BlueBridge founder Santiago Jaramillo lives in Marion County, but gives Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness high marks in finding office space for his firm when the company was looking at space on Indy’s north side.  BlueBridge is now headquartered in Fishers and has grown from 8 employees to 34.

Here’s an interesting quote from Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard in Wall’s story. “When I was making presentations in San Diego, I talked as much about Indianapolis as I did Carmel. I’ve got to sell the entire region,” Brainard said. “Our competition isn’t Indianapolis or Fishers; our competition is really across the globe.”

The second story comes from Lindsey Erdody which quotes a number of economic development people on how Carmel’s progress toward a human rights ordinance specifying LGBT people as a protected class may give Carmel a leg up in the economic development race.  Erdody mentions how Fishers quickly passed a resolution April 1st of this year when the Religious Freedom & Restoration Act (RFRA) debate was raging in the Indiana General Assembly making clear that Fishers is open for everyone.  But she also adds that Zionsville has created a human rights commission to handle discrimination complaints.  Mayor Scott Fadness recently told LarryInFishers that he and Fishers City Attorney Chris Greisl have been working on a human rights ordinance but he wants to be careful to set up a process that works.  Bottom line, Erdody’s reporting indicates just having a human rights ordinance at the drafting stage is giving Carmel an advantage over other suburban Indy communities, including Fishers, in the race to attract economic development prospects.

If you subscribe to the IBJ, I would encourage you to read these two articles.  I cannot link to them because they are protected by a paywall online.

Many of us in Fishers are very health conscious and some of us work out on a regular basis. I’m willing to wager that most of us, even the ones working out religiously, never work out like a firefighter doing physical training.

If you think you can handle it, the Fishers Fire Department is giving you an opportunity to work out alongside our local firefighters.

It all happens Tuesday, August 25th, 6 pm.  Lifetime Fitness trainers and Fishers Fire Department Peer Fitness trainers will be there to help you work out like a firefighter. Held at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater, participants will pull hose, drag dummies, and hit the Kaiser Sled to get just a taste of what firefighters train for.

If you dare, try to work on the fire ready body with burpies, pushups, sit-ups, overhead shoulder press and more.

Here’s a quote from the Fire Department news release:

“You may not be ready to run into a fire when you complete this workout, but you’ll look good while calling 911 to get your Fishers Firefighters on the scene of your emergency.”

The public is invited, but you must be 18 to perform Firefighter exercises.  No pre-registration is required.

For the sake of full disclosure, I am a fan of the Blues.  It is a special niche in the kaleidoscope of American music genres.  That makes me very excited about Labor Day weekend 2015 in Fishers

Labor Day weekend features a celebration of The Blues in Fishers.  It all starts with Blues on the Beach at Saxony Lake Friday, September 4th.  The Zach Day Band and Full Throttle will provide the music. Freedom Kayak Adventures will be renting kayaks, paddle boards and pedal boats for residents to use. Food trucks will be on site during the event.  The party is from 7pm to 9pm.

On Saturday, September 5th, you are invited to the Sun King Brewery Blues Festival Pre-Party at the Fishers Tap Room on 96th Street, from 2pm to 5pm.  You can register to win a $100 prize pack or a free tasting for ten. The winner will be announced at 5 p.m. so you will have plenty of time to move on to the next event.

That next Saturday event will be the 3^rd Annual Blues Fest presented by J and J Winery.  It takes place from 6pm to 10pm at the Nickel Plate District amphitheater and includes six live performances during the festival.​   Blues Fest acts will include:

Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel

Naptown Revue

Storm Cellar

Queen Delphine & The Crown Jewels

Bulletproof Soul Band w/ Tony Cheeseborough

Gene Deer and The Governor Davis Band.

The festival plans to honor local blues legend, Governor Davis.

More information on the Fishers Blues Fest can be found at this link.

The Fishers Fire Department has been very successful with its “We Care” program, which follows up on medical procedures, using city paramedics, for local residents opting into the program.  Now local firefighters are talking to departments in Ohio about the success of the Fishers program.

Division Chief Steve Davison, Lieutenant Joe Harding and Lieutenant Josh Mehling all traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio August 21st to brief fire departments in our neighboring state to the east about We Care.

State lawmakers in the Buckeye State recently enacted new statutes allowing their local fire departments to establish their own programs like We Care.

The We Care program in Fishers has been in place for nearly a year.

There are ongoing road projects continuing in Fishers, plus some new ones, scheduled for the work week beginning Monday, August 24th.  The full list from the city is below:

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Lantern and Commercial Intersection

Continuing the week of August 24th, lane shifts and restrictions will be in place as construction progresses. Lantern Road will be closed between North Street and Commercial Drive. During this time traffic on Commercial Drive will reduce to one lane each direction in the west bound lane. This will remain in effect until mid-September. On August 29th, Commercial Drive will be closed to allow for
placement of storm pipes. The August 29th closure will only be for the weekend.

Lantern Road

Lantern Road between 96th Street and 106th Street will have temporary lane restrictions the week of August 24. Flaggers will be onsite to help direct traffic.

Windermere

Continuing through the week of August 24, temporary lane restrictions should be expected along Windward Pass and Stillwater Court.

116th Street and I-69 Northbound Exit Ramp

On Thursday, August 27 the northbound exit ramp located at 116th Street and I-69 will be closed from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. During the time flaggers will be on site to help direct traffic, but residents are encouraged to travel alternate routes during this time.

131st Street
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A lane shift will still be in place along 131st Street between Parkside and Cumberland Road, with possible stop and go traffic as they pave the new south lane. Flaggers will be onsite to help direct traffic. Surfacing will continue onto 131st Street, and traffic will be interrupted during that time. For updates on this project be sure to follow @DriveFishers on Twitter.

The Fishers Police Department is ready to welcome the 2016 for their Explorer Program. Participants must be between the ages of 13 & 18, and be in good standing with the school and community.

The details are below in the news release from the police department:

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The Fishers Police Department is preparing to launch the Explorer Program’s “Class of 2016.” If you have an interest in law enforcement as a career, please consider attending our upcoming Explorer Open House on Wednesday, September 9^th at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the Fishers Police Department, located at 4 Municipal Drive, adjacent to The Fishers Public Library.

Fishers police officers will be on hand to give you a glimpse of some of the many exciting things available in a law enforcement career.  Following theinformation session, we will discuss future topics covered during the program. Some of the courses that will be taught, in the Exploring Program are crimescene investigations, traffic stops, the use of police dogs, SWAT, and more. Our mission is to expose you to life as a police officer, so that you may makean informed decision about pursuing law enforcement as a career choice.

Participants in The Explorer Program must be between 13 and 18 years old. All applicants must be in good standing with school and/or community.  All applicants will be subject to a background investigation.  We encourage parents and friends to attend this meeting. Our program will end by 8:30 p.m. 

There will be a $50 fee for this program.  Each Explorer will be required to purchase pants and a belt.  Information about which pants and belt to purchase will be available at the Open House.

You may RSVP by contacting Officer Robinson at robinsonc@fishers.in.us

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has set the date for his next Mayor’s Night Out event for Wednesday, September 2nd, 6:30pm at Britton Falls.   According to the news release from the mayor’s office, Fadness will give a brief presentation, then will allow the audience to set the agenda  by asking the mayor questions.

Fishers city department heads also be on hand to address any concerns from residents.

I am a bit of a film buff, even writing reviews for a brief time in my journalistic career.  The Fishers Parks Department is offering some very high quality films from the 1980s this fall, outdoors, at the downtown Nickel Plate District Amphitheater.  Looking over the list, you will have a chance to see some of the best movies the 1980s had to offer, all free of charge.

Yes, September can bring some cool weather, but a blanket and jacket can handle that problem.

Here is the schedule:

9/4 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

9/11 ET The Extra Terrestrial

9/18 Footloose (1984)

9/25 Dirty Dancing

10/2 Ghostbusters

10/9 Back to the Future

10/16 Hoosiers

For more information. use this link.