Dickinson has served the past four years as assistant middle school principal and athletic director at Bremen schools. He taught middle school for 13 years at Knox and Speedway schools.
Dickinson is not new to the Pulaski County community. He is a graduate of West Central High School and the son of former West Central school superintendent Roger Dickinson. He earned his bachelor's degree from Ball State University, and his administrative license from Indiana Wesleyan University. Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman told the board that Dickinson has a "wealth of experience and training" in many state and national initiatives, is well versed in technology, and has a tremendous record of student academic improvement by focusing on students and student needs, based on data.
Klitzman also said an extensive hiring process was used in the search for a new middle school principal, including involvement of faculty, staff, parents and administration. Dickinson succeeds principal Stan Good who has retired following a 25-year career as middle school principal at Winamac.
Sutton is a graduate of Butler University with an education degree in instrumental and vocal music. She has two-years teaching experience. Her position will be part-time. She is a graduate of Winamac Community High School. She succeeds Micah Combs who resigned his position to pursue opportunities in his family's business.
The board also hired three new elementary school teachers. They include:
Shannon Foerg Burgess, who has six years teaching experience and brings experience in many of the assessment programs used at EPES, and is also well versed in technology. She is a graduate of Winamac Community High School (salutatorian), and of Franklin College.
Kristine Goodman, who has five years teaching experience and was a long-term substitute at Winamac this past year. She is a graduate of West Central High School and Purdue University, and also holds a degree in family studies and psychology.
Emily Keller, who is a graduate of Culver Community Schools and IUPUI. She has a background in many facets of elementary school education; this is her first teaching position.
The EPCS special education cooperative has hired Jennie Williams to fill the open special education teaching position at the elementary school. Mrs. Williams is a graduate of Pioneer High School and Ball State with a degree in elementary education and special education. She has two years of experience at North White, as part of the cooperative.
The board also approved administrative contracts, as presented.
During his report to the board, Klitzman said the state department of education has released a portion of the ISTEP+ data. Based on the numbers, each building showed improvement, and outstanding scores in many cases. Klitzman highlighted the available scores.
Klitzman also reported that summer projects are continuing, with the changeover to digital controls from pneumatic in the high school, and work on more classrooms. Also, work on installing projectors at the elementary school is continuing, along with replacement of a section of HVAC. Routine repairs and deep cleaning are also taking place.
Klitzman gave a financial report, noting that all funds have positive balances, with one month left in the fiscal year.
In other business, Larry Hoover, Pulaski County's Homeland Security director, has been notified that the county needs access to a second loading/unloading dock for emergency situations. He has asked if the middle/high school can be used as the second location. The board approved the request, as submitted, with a memorandum of understanding being signed.
The board approved a recommendation from Klitzman to "outfit" one seventh-grade science classroom with iPads; 30 devices. The superintendent explained that the school is moving to more wireless computers for student learning purposes. He added that Dr. Darlene Gordon, seventh-grade science teacher, will teach the class and be a "great model/coach" for other teachers. The total cost (higher end) is approximately $12,000. The purchase will be funded through the Capital Projects Fund.
The board also approved the recommendation from Klitzman to share the cost with the athletic booster club of converting the schools' athletic scoreboards to "wireless." Klitzman explained that the athletic department, along with the boosters, had proposed the upgrading of the functionality of the scoreboards (football, basketball [which includes volleyball and wrestling], baseball and soccer). The total cost for this conversion project is $8,600. In the past, such projects have been split 50/50 with the school corporation paying half the cost. Funds are available in Capital Projects for athletic facilities.
The school board selected Jenna Wicker and Morgan Parish as the first and second alternates, respectively, for the Eastern Pulaski Community School Corporation School Board Scholarship. Blake Tolson is this year's recipient.
Bus driver Janet Haschel was approved for retirement. She has driven for EPCS for 16 years, with driving experience at another school before that.
Baseball coach Mark Hendryx submitted his resignation for retirement after 15 years. He will continue as an assistant coach in the football program. He has served as a lay coach in several different sports over the years.
The board re-appointed Mary Ann Finke to another term on the Pulaski County Public Library board, upon the recommendation of library administrator McKenzie Ledley.
Dairy and bakery bids were accepted through the school corporation's cooperative service center again this year. Klitzman explained this not only saves the cost of advertising, it pools several schools together, resulting in better prices. The lowest and best bids were provided by Schenkel for dairy and Aunt Millie for bakery products.
During public comment, Jim Fleury commended the school on its preliminary ISTEP+ scores.
The next regular school board meeting will be at 5:30 p.m., Monday, July 9, in the school's distance learning lab.
FRANCESVILLE - The 45th annual commencement exercises at West Central High School will be at 2 p.m., Sunday (May 26), in the school gymnasium. The program will begin with a baccalaureate service with the address given by Don Nedza, followed by the graduation program.
Forty-nine seniors will receive diplomas. Commencement addresses will be given by valedictorian David Putt and salutatorian Evan Kaeb.
WINAMAC - Commencement exercises at Winamac Community High School will be at 7 p.m., Friday (May 31), in the school gymnasium. The program will include the tradition of awarding several community scholarships.
The Class of 2013 numbers 87 seniors, and will be led down the aisle by valedictorian Kathleen Budd and salutatorian Andrew Brandon.
The annual county Memorial Day Service will begin at 11 a.m., Monday (May 27), on the courthouse lawn, Winamac.
Cathy Fritz of the Winamac American Legion will be master of ceremonies. Speaker will be Eastern Pulaski Elementary School principal Jill Collins. Rev. Matt Landry of the First United Methodist Church, Winamac, will give the opening and closing prayers. The American Legion and VFW auxiliaries will place wreaths at the war memorials.
LOGANSPORT - Civic Players of Logansport will present "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," directed by David Quigney, on two weekends in June.
The five performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday, June 14; and at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 15. The show will also be staged on the following weekend at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday (June 21-22).
Pulaski County's unemployment rate fell to 6.1. percent in April, down from 7.7 percent (revised) in March, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Friday (May 17). The rate was 6.4 percent a year ago.
The state's April rate dipped to 8.5 percent (seasonally adjusted), from 8.7 percent in March. The April 2012 rate was 8.3 percent. The U.S. rate improved to 7.5 percent (seasonally adjusted), down from March's 7.6 revised rate. A year ago, the national rate was 8.1 percent.
The next Food Finders Mobile Pantry visit to Pulaski County will begin at 11 a.m., Friday (June 7), at the Medaryville Town Park. The event is sponsored by the Food Finders Food Bank.
The food at this "Food Give Away Day" will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Participants should bring a laundry basket or box to carry their food home.
INDIANAPOLIS - Excuses for not wearing a life jacket when boating abound. "It's too hot! It doesn't look cool. I know how to swim. Nothing is going to happen to me."
Approximately 700 people drown in the U.S. each year from recreational boating accidents. The vast majority of those drowning victims probably used one of these excuses.
WINAMAC - Winamac Community High School will hold its Senior Awards Night at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 28, in the socialtorium. The public is welcome to attend.
Seniors will receive special recognition in the form of academic competition awards, honor roll, scholarship awards and special academic and athletic awards. Representatives from various colleges, local organizations and the school will present these awards.
The Pulaski County Public Library has listed its special programs and activities for May.
All events will take place at the Winamac library, unless otherwise noted. For more information on any program, call the library at 574-946-3432. The April schedule is as follows:
INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosier workers will get income tax breaks in 2015 and 2017 under a $30 billion, two-year budget bill that Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Thursday (May 8).
The bill reduces individual income tax rates by a total of 5 percent in two steps. It will save a household with $46,000 in taxable income about $46 in 2015 with a second cut of about $32 in 2017.
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill into law Thursday (May 9) that will expand the state’s school voucher program in front of 150 students, including some who already are benefiting from the program.
Students from seven different private vouchers schools met at the Calvary Christian School auditorium with signs that said, “I yearn to learn” and “school choice now.”
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence has signed bills to revamp the state’s felony sentencing laws and give some offenders the ability to expunge their records.
“Indiana should be the worst place in America to commit a serious crime and the best place, once you’ve done your time, to get a second chance,” Pence said in a statement.
INDIANAPOLIS – The organization that regulates high school sports will decide next week whether to let some homeschooled students participate in high school athletics.
The move by the Indiana High School Athletic Association comes two years after the issue bubbled up at the Indiana General Assembly, where lawmakers considered but never passed a bill to mandate the change.
WINAMAC – A very deserving wounded veteran was presented with a customized camouflaged accessible van Wednesday (May 22) on behalf of BraunAbility, a leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles based in Winamac.
Lance Corporal Michael DeLancey, a native of Pinellas Park, Florida, was injured in Iraq in 2006 when a sniper’s bullet pierced his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and critically damaging his lung. Despite the life-altering injury, DeLancey has been a force of positive change. He serves as an ambassador for Wounded Warrior Project and speaks with fellow veterans recovering from serious injuries.
WINIMAC - Six individuals who work in industry in Winamac received their Electrical Certificate for Maintenance Technicians from Ivy Tech Corporate College May 1.
The series of courses started in the fall of 2011 and were held at the Distance Learning Lab at Winamac High School and at the Logansport Ivy Tech Campus. Once each week the employees met with their instructor Ken Oravsky for class.
INDIANAPOLIS - Each year, the Indiana Department of Education recognizes schools that perform in the upper 25th percentile of schools in performance on ISTEP+ and ECA state exams, as well their rating determined by the national No Child Left Behind statute's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Among the schools designated for this honor as Four Star Schools for 2011-12 were Eastern Pualski Elementary School and West Central High School in Pulaski County.
WEST LAFAYETTE - Warm, sunny days during the week ending Ma;y 20 allowed farmers to make good progress planting both corn and soybeans, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Once again, the most acreage was planted across northern and some central counties. Soils remained too wet across the southern districts to allow much progress to be made.
WINAMAC - Eastern Pulaski Community School Board president Mike Tetzloff outlined the search timeline to hire a new school superintendent at the board's monthly meeting Monday (May 13).
Applications for the position will be accepted until May 28. Interviews will be completed by June 29, and the new superintendent will be named in early July; however, he/she will not be officially placed until the end of July after a public meeting.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, a member of the Senate Ag Committee, applauded the committee passage Tuesday (May 14) of a five-year farm bill with bipartisan support.
The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 passed 15 to 5 and would reduce the deficit by $23 billion while protecting the estimated 16 million ag-related jobs across the country.
INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mike Pence Thursday vetoed House Enrolled Act 1546, concerning unauthorized collection of local option income tax in Jackson and Pulaski counties after legal authority for those tax collections had expired.
The Pulaski County Democrats Central Committee has reorganized for the 2013 year. New officers elected were: county chair Bill Reutebuch; county vice chair, Laura Bailey; secretary, Diana Dutton and treasurer, Jenise Barnhouse.
Long time secretary, Betty Podell, and treasurer, Betty Parcel, have retired from their positions after nearly 40 years each.
INDIANAPOLIS - Citing her broad background in facilitating job creation in rural and agribusiness communities, Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Gina Sheets announced Tuesday (May 14) the appointment of Connie Neininger as ISDA director of Economic Development & Trade.
Meets with U.S. military and diplomatic personnel, foreign leaders to discuss security and humanitarian issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly discussed his recent travel to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey, Monday (May 6).
Donnelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, led a congressional delegation to meet with U.S. military and diplomatic personnel, as well as government leaders in each country.
