Everybody loves a good quitting story, because nearly everyone has dealt with a boss or some other sort of authority figure they despise. Most of the time, there’s not a chance to respond to them in the fashion you’d prefer. Continuing to receive a paycheck and possibly benefits is all the motivation most people need to grin and bear it. I am not one of those people. Or at least I wasn’t when I quit my first brewery job. Like most of the bad decisions and pathologies that have limited my use as a capable and stable human, the roots of that can be traced back to my time living in Brooklyn for grad school. That’s where I discovered “Untappd,” a beer-centric smartphone app that allows users to check in to beers, rate them, get recommendations and interact with like-minded brew snobs. When I returned from Brooklyn in June 2013, my plan was to become a high school teacher through Indiana University’s Transition to Teaching program. It was not a good fit for me, so I left the program. During this time, my friends and I would try different beers and explore the nascent brewery scene of Indianapolis. This included trips to the taproom of a popular local brewery on Fridays. I don’t remember how I heard about the job — I’ve repressed or forgotten a lot of memories from that era — but a high school friend who worked there hooked me up with a job interview. I got on board and worked in the taproom. It was one of my favorite working experiences, at least initially. The two taproom managers had a good cop/bad cop dynamic going on. One of them was a big basketball fan like me, so we’d talk hoops while we filled growlers and bullets for customers. I found people with common interests and a path forward for me: I felt valued and like the company cared about me. After shifts, we were permitted to have a free beer and encouraged to stick around and socialize for a bit, get to know our coworkers and the guys who made the beer. Then things began to change. They brought in a new manager, and he laid down the law from the get go: Employees were to have one beer and stay only an hour after close. He had a brusque manner with employees, which rubbed many of us the wrong way. The manager I’d talked hoops with and that everyone really liked was demoted to a glorified janitor because the new guy raised concerns to the owners. It felt like the part in “Animal Farm” where Boxer is sent to the glue factory. The other manager left the tasting room to work on the canning line. During this time, we were given surveys about the changes, there was a decent-sized segment of folks who were unhappy with the new manager and made mention of that. Generally, I’d say I’m a pretty likable guy, but this guy hated me. He made it a habit to pick on me, and anything I did was wrong. He’d managed to turn a fun, relatively stress-free job into a miserable slog. He cut my hours and generally seemed to be trying to push me out. The breaking point came when a friend I’d helped get hired was offered a position on the events team, and I wasn’t even asked. Another friend and I both went to HR to try and work through the proper channel. That friend scheduled a meeting with HR and the boss, and prior to the meeting, he was fired over the phone. The boss called him at about 9:30 a.m. and said, “Yeah, about our meeting, there’s no reason for you to waste gas. I think it would be best if we went our separate ways.” I was pretty angry. If they’d fired him after the meeting, that would have been one thing. He would have had a chance to state his case. So I snapped. I came in to work fueled by righteous anger. On the dry-erase board, I wrote, “Where’s [coworker’s name]?” and “#[brewery name]VeteransForTheTruth” — my dumb riff on Swift Boat Veterans for Truth circa John Kerry’s presidential run. I went around telling coworkers what had happened to my friend. Eventually, I was called into HR, where I explained my case and why I was so angry. In an effort to save my job, I scheduled a meeting with HR and the manager. Before I left I said, “I would prefer not to be fired over the phone.” I learned later that four of my coworkers, who had been critical of this manager, were called in to HR by the owners, who had resignation letters waiting for them. They were told they could get on board or leave. In the meantime, I drafted my own resignation letter and just waited. On Monday morning, I got a call from the brewery. I ignored it and hit send on my email. I wasn’t going to give them the pleasure of firing me — and that was that. There is a happy-ish ending to the story. The tasting room manager who was reduced to janitorial duties began working as a brewer at my other brewery job, where I had recommended him to my boss there. And I helped other coworkers get on there. The coworker who got fired over the phone went to brewing school and now works for a pretty respected national craft brand. Since then, I have never given my former employer another cent — and I never will. Andrew Crowley is the education and features reporter for the Reporter-Times.

MORGAN COUNTY Sunday alcohol sales and cold beer sales — in recent years, there has been talk about the Indiana Legislature making both possible, but every year, efforts to make one or both the law of the land fall short. And proponents of the change find themselves perennially frustrated by the lack of traction they’ve been able to gain. But this year might be different and there are reasons for proponents of the change to be cheerful. The Alcohol Code Revision Commission, a group tasked with making revisions to state of Indiana’s liquor laws, recently voted in favor of a recommendation to allow grocery stores, liquor and convenience stores to sell alcohol from noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. They also voted on a recommendation to allow pharmacies, grocery stores and convenience stores to sell cold beer. The recommendation did not pass, though the final tally — 8 for and 7 against — is reason for optimism. Particularly in light of two members of the 17-member commission being absent. Jay Ricker, chairman of Ricker’s viewed the results in a positive light. “There were two people missing and we feel confident that we would have gotten one of those votes, too. So it’s not as gloomy as it’s sometimes been pointed out in some parts of the media. We still got a majority,” Ricker said. Ricker’s company made headlines last year when two locations with Tex-Mex restaurants inside began serving cold beer for customers to consume on site or to carry out. The company applied for a liquor license that was approved by Alcohol and Tobacco commission. Lawmakers felt that the company was exploiting a loophole and that the company violated the spirit of the law. The bill, signed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, put an end to that by requiring 60 percent of alcohol sales to be for on-site consumption. “If it hadn’t come to the surface when we got a couple permits to serve cold beer at a restaurant — which, we followed all the rules and went through different hearings, different places — it probably wouldn’t be at the top of the list,” Ricker said. Ricker’s has 56 locations around the state, including one in Mooresville. Ricker said the company would love to sell cold beer at that location. “We would love to be able to, because it really helps other sales in the store, too. It’s not just about cold beer. It’s about taking care of our customers and having what they want,” Ricker said. Being able to sell cold beer at convenience stored is something that appeals to the employees who work there, including Anji Patel who works at the Marathon in Martinsville at the intersection of Garfield Avenue and the Ind. 39 Bypass. Patel said that customers have asked about cold beer in the past. She said she would be in favor of changes to Indiana liquor laws that would allow the store she works for to sell cold beer. The location currently sells warm beer. While the changes to the laws would positively impact convenience stores and others businesses, expanding Sunday sales could negatively impact local breweries, wineries and distilleries. Under current Indiana law, those businesses are allowed to sell their products to go on Sundays but only if the product is produced on site. Bryce Elsner, owner of Cedar Creek Winery and Brew Co., said it might impact his sales since he’s able to sell on Sunday due to the fact his products, including spirits, are made on site. “The biggest thing is it keeps people from supporting their local producers,” Elsner said. “They’re able to just go to a liquor store.” Currently the brewery, located at 3820 Leonard Road in Martinsville, does sell carryout beer on Sundays. “We already do discounts for carryout beer on Sundays as far as growler fills, so that already draws a bunch of people into us,” Elsner said. Elsner said he hoped the Legislature might also consider changing other alcohol laws. “There are a couple things that would be nice to get through the Legislature that would make it easier on us, as far as where beer, wine and spirits can go,” Elsner said. “Right now, beer and wine can go pretty much within the winery and brewery and then anywhere on ... the property, but the spirits have to stay within their own building. Spirits cannot come out unless it’s packaged, beer and wine cannot go in unless it’s packaged. So there’s certain laws, there’s certain things we’d like to get changed with that.”

MARTINSVILLE Transportation issues in Martinsville took another turn on Thursday when a number of bus drivers organized a rally to address frustrations with the new bus routes. Several bus drivers parked at the site of the former Artesian Bowl around 4:30 p.m. to voice concerns and as a show support for Metropolitan School District of Martinsville Transportation Director Dennis Mills, who is reportedly ready to resign, according to bus driver January Robertson, who spoke to the assembled media. The lot is across the street from the transportation department for the district. “They can’t get the bus routes down. We still have students that have no buses. Our transportation director is so stressed out he wants to quit. Our mechanic is driving buses. We have our transportation director driving buses and we still don’t have enough people driving these buses from the way they’ve done these routes,” Robertson, who has been a bus driver for eight years, said. Drivers were frustrated with new routes they allege keep them on the road much longer than in previous years. “It’s the fact that we went from routes that maybe were a half an hour to an hour, if not more, for these kids and you are on a road by yourself at one point in time now we’re crossing paths with other buses,” Brandy Arthur, who has driven buses for 18 years, said. The new routes have also resulted in students having a longer bus ride to school. “We have kids on the bus for over an hour at a time, 5 o’clock, 5:30 that these elementary kids are getting home from school and it’s just uncalled for,” Arthur said. There are also some safety concerns when the days get shorter in the coming months. “I was going to pick up fifth and sixth grade and there was seventh and eighth graders standing at the turnaround. There were high schoolers standing at the turnaround. It’s not so bad now, it’s daylight, but here in a couple months when it’s pitch-black, you can’t see where the kids are going to be,” Lynn Davenport, who has driven buses for four years, said. “That’s the number one rule: you don’t back up with kids standing there. You don’t do that,” Robertson said. The drivers are hoping for a return to their previous routes. “What I want — I can’t say for every driver — is to put it back the way it was. They went this route saying it was going to cut down on miles, cut down on fuel. There is absolutely no way that is possible with the way we are driving,” Arthur said. Drivers were given their routes two weeks before, but some had their routes changed as late as 4 p.m. Sunday night. “They called us Sunday night at 4 o’clock to let us know that they had updated our routes and everything had changed for Monday morning and that was the first day of school,” Robertson said. “The expectation was to come and pick up our route description and go do our route so we know where we’re going the following morning.” As buses and other vehicles filled the parking lot, administrators from the district, including several building principals and superintendent Dr. Michele Moore, came out to meet the drivers. “All right, bus drivers, let’s go to the bus barn. Let’s all go to the bus barn and talk. We’ve got options we can talk about in there. This is between us. It’s not a group focus, let’s go to the bus barn and talk,” Moore said. After meeting for around 45 minutes, drivers and administrators filed out of the building, with most of them declining to comment on the meeting. “My name is Daniel Shafer and I’m a bus driver. We’re gonna handle the situation, relax,” Shafer said. Another driver present at the meeting, Susie Ralph, who has been a bus driver for 30 years, gave comment to the media. “We were dealing with a company that wanted us to throw out safety and the human element of our students. And I just want to tell you that we love our students here in Morgan County and we want the absolute best for them, we want them to be safe. I had a mother just this past week ask me to be an advocate for our students and that’s what I’m doing right now. We love our students, we want the absolute best for them,” Ralph said. “The bus drivers care very much about the students. We have some good, seasoned drivers that go the extra mile and we have a wonderful transportation director, Dennis Mills, who does the job of five people, sometimes maybe even 10, to get the job done. We’re very happy and I think we’re going to see some wonderful, positive things come about from this meeting and we’re going to have a very positive school year. So we’re happy and we’re excited.” Ralph declined to comment about what was discussed at the meeting, but said to look for positive changes and spoke positively about Mills. “We love our director and we stand behind him and we had to rally because he’s really had a rough couple of months, so we just needed the rally. He cares very much about the Martinsville students. He’s a veteran of Martinsville. He’s been here all of his life. We just wanted to hang on to him because he really cleans up the discipline and he just goes the extra mile, he just does. And we will to and we’re going to for all our students in Morgan County, we’re very grateful,” Ralph said. Moore’s car was driven into the bus barn area, which displayed a “No trespassing” sign on the gate. Moore climbed into her vehicle and drove past the media assembled at the entrance without stopping to offer a comment on the events that had transpired. True Consultant Service was approved “for transportation consulting and the software package required for use” at the March 16 meeting of the MSD of Martinsville Board of School Trustees meeting. Moore response Around 7:30 p.m., Moore posted a response to the situation on the MSD of Martinsville’s Facebook page. “Dear Families, We were hoping to accommodate families by changing our bus route service to include two goals: 1) add walkers to buses 2) put the same age of students together on buses. Beginning in February 2017, we hired True Consultant Service to implement this task to be ready for this academic year. True Consultant Service was highly recommended to us, and we attempted to create a new busing system to meet the needs of our parents. Unfortunately, the company was not able to accommodate us. We found out recently that both Munice [sic] and Perry Township Schools have experienced the same problems with the same company. Our transportation director Dennis Mills and his team, our technology team, and I worked over the weekend to manually assign bus numbers and routes to students because our consultant did not route all of our students. During this time we were repeatedly assured from our consultant service that remaining routes would be ready for the first day of school. They were not. This week, our technology and administrative teams continued to work endlessly on assisting parents with bus questions while Mr. Mills and I worked to continue to assign students to bus routes. Our bus drivers worked hard to meet the changing needs of adding new students to routes each day. At this time, we still have students to route, several of our buses are overcrowded, students are on buses for too long, and some pickup and drop-off locations are not deemed appropriate for students. We have listened to parents’ and bus drivers’ concerns and felt their frustration. After a meeting with our bus drivers, principals, and Mr. Mills tonight, we all have decided to return to our bus route system from previous years. Utilizing our previous busing system means that students in K-4 and students in 5-12 grade will ride together. Unfortunately, it also means that if a student was considered a walker to school last year, then at this time, they would again walk to school. We realize that many parents will be unhappy with these changes as they wholeheartedly expressed their concerns about buses and their children who walk to school. Please know that we will work with bus drivers to incorporate age appropriate seat assignments to students. For example, Bell students assigned to the front of the bus, Wooden in the middle and MHS students in the back. For walkers, we will investigate how to include them on routes as we are able. Our transportation and administration departments still have to finalize bus route details before we set a start date. We will contact you as soon as that date is selected. I want to thank you for your patience during this time. Best, Dr. Michele Moore” This story was updated at 10:41 a.m. Friday.

MARTINSVILLE Technology will play a vital role in the 2017-2018 school year for the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville. Students and teachers alike will have different forms of technology incorporated into their learning process such as the kindergarten, first grade and special education students who will use SMART Boards in their classrooms. Brian Friese, e-learning director, said the district had recently picked up the boards and they would be installed by the end of summer or in early fall at the latest. “We also want to make sure our teachers are trained and prepared to use the devices. We don’t just want to throw them in and we don’t want to be surprised,” Friese said. The number of SMART Boards available from the company happened to be the number of kindergarten, first grade and special education classrooms in the district, but Friese said they were a good fit as well for those students. “I see a value more in the lower primary grades: it’s interactive, it’s a touch device, it’s meant for kids to use, to be on and they’re also a little bit smaller, too. I don’t necessarily want to put them in a larger classroom setting where they’re just going to be used where a screen would suffice just as well for a teacher,” Friese said. Friese said the boards were good because they are multi-touch and allow students and teachers to use them at the same time. “They really work well for small group settings, so kindergarten and first grade where they’re going to have group rotations and different activities they can fit into that setting, I think a lot better than they would in a middle school setting or more of a lecture setting. It’s designed to be used and touched and interacted with. So that’s why we’re targeting the lower grades,” Friese said. Friese said the boards were a good fit for different types of learning styles and really helps to keep students engaged in learning “I think it’s a really great tool, especially for that younger age,” Friese said. Another change for next school year will be the expansion of the technology program. Kindergarten and first grade students will use iPads, second through sixth will use Chromebooks, which will remain at school while students in seventh through 12th grade will use Chromebooks they can take home. Friese said the iPads were selected for the younger grades due to their tactile nature, but also because of the type of educational programming offered by Apple. “They have a large suite of apps available that are geared more towards younger students, so it makes a little more sense that we go with more of a touch-screen interface, not necessarily focusing on typing or typing skills,” Friese said. Friese said that was why they opted to go with Google Chromebooks for students in second grade and upward. Computer security is a major concern and Friese said they had taken precautions. Chromebooks will use a proxy server linked to the school so that regardless of the security of the Wi-Fi being used, the devices would stay secure. The MSD of Martinsville uses Lightspeed Systems, a popular tech solution for educational purposes. The filters will keep students from browsing inappropriate content and help keep the Chromebooks in good working order. Friese said families in the district were polled about what types of Internet access were available to them. A list of places around town offering free Wi-Fi was compiled and personal hot spots are available to be borrowed at the high school. Friese said the district was looking at purchasing some hot spots for the middle school, as well. Friese said buildings would be open to students including computer labs in order to give them Internet access. With all these devices in district buildings, it’s important the network stability can be sustained. Friese said since arriving at the district, the speed of the Internet had been improved, as well as the ability of the server to handle heavy traffic. The school has also made use of caching, which helps with usage a great deal as devices do not have to download every bit of data every time a user visits a site. “It’s taken us at least a year, of a lot of research, a lot of work, working with a lot of different companies to get our network where it’s at, very happy with our infrastructure. We’re based out of the CEC and then we branch out from there,” Friese said. Friese said the district had taken advantage of e-rate funds, which are provided by the state, as Friese said they cover approximately 80 percent of network costs and upgrades. “When you get into network equipment, it’s not cheap by any means. Being able to have 80 percent of that funded has really helped,” Friese said. Outlying elementary schools will have service provided by AT&T and Friese said measures have been taken to ensure that those schools experience the same Internet speed. There will also be an extra tech to make sure any technology problems that crop up are quickly handled. “We have two dedicated techs for our elementaries. We typically average one tech per certain area. So we have one tech dedicated to the high school and one dedicated to the middle school,” Friese said.

MARTINSVILLE It happened on a whim. Smith Fine Arts Academy art teacher Chapin Schnick saw an email in her inbox seeking applicants for the National Art Educators Association Elementary Division Western Region Director position. “I jumped on it, not thinking that I’d ever get chosen,” Schnick said. “It was an email application and basically said, ‘Describe what your teaching methodology is, what your qualifications are and why we should choose you.’” Directors of the elementary division of the NAEA selected the candidate for the job through voting on nominees and Schnick said she heard back within a week that she had been chosen. Schnick will spend the next two years as the director-elect, working closely with the current director to ensure a smooth transition and that she understands every facet of the position. Schnick said she has been involved in the student division of the organization while attending Purdue University and became involved in the professional version after graduation in 2008. “It was kind of a no-brainer that I was going to continue being involved as a professional,” Schnick said. Schnick said she previously volunteered with the state-level organization and had held a leadership role while a student at Purdue. “I was actually the president of the Purdue Student Art Educators Association,” Schnick said. Her duties with the new position include helping to manage the Facebook page for the elementary division of NAEA and putting together the newsletter which will include updates for the region. Schnick will represent elementary art teachers from 16 states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Schnick said the NAEA was the organization art teachers turned to for resources related to professional development, as well as renewing their licenses. The Smith teacher will travel to Dallas this summer for a week-long professional development program called “Studio Thinking.” “It’s all about teaching design in a new way and this particular thing that I’m going to is all based on design equity,” Schnick said. Schnick said the program would focus on looking at all different aspects of design as well as the different demographics and socio-economic backgrounds of students. “Whether we’re meeting everyone on their level, essentially,” Schnick said. Along with professional development, Schnick has attended national conventions. This past March, she traveled to New York City to give a presentation at the national conference on teaching for artistic behavior, the model she uses in her classroom. It’s a pedagogical approach which gives students the tools to work independently, work through difficulties and gain confidence as they design and create their own work. Students work at their own pace and work on areas and subjects which interest them. It gets them more engaged and enthusiastic about their work. Currently, Schnick is the only elementary art school teacher in the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville. “The other three retired, so we’re in the process of bringing in new people and I think that as they come in, knowing from the get-go that I am that I am overlooking our level of teaching, I think that will help set precedent for creating our own professional learning community and our own professional development system, just with the teachers that teach art in our district,” Schnick said. Schnick said she hopes she will attain good experience in a leadership role at the national level which would allow her to decide if she would to pursue further leadership opportunities with NAEA. She said she was looking forward to sharing what art educators are doing and acting as an ambassador for them and learning from colleagues from the 16 different states for which she is responsible. Schnick said she will review conference proposals, as well as nominations for different teaching awards. She will also speak at the national convention next year in Seattle. “I actually applied to present on our transition to the Fine Arts Academy,” Schnick said.

EMINENCE The board of trustees for the Eminence Community Schools approved Laura Penman as interim superintendent at its meeting on June 15. Penman’s position will be made permanent, pending the approval by the board. Penman worked at several different school corporations and has years of experience in administrative roles. “I was an educator, a teacher, assistant to the principal at Clay County for several years. In 2002, I went to Plainfield and was a building administrator there for 11 years. And then I went to Spencer-Owen Community Schools and was an administrator there for three and a half years,” Penman said. Penman said the position at Eminence attracted her because it was a small community and similar to the one in which she grew up. “I have a deep appreciation for public schools that are working very hard to provide quality education when they’re faced with so many challenges of finances and resources and a lot of small schools have had to close their doors. And we’re hoping with Eminence we will become even stronger and that is not our future,” Penman said. Penman said that Eminence Community Schools has a lot to offer students. “We are still a public school, but with our teacher/student ratio and with the technology that we’re just going to be implementing this fall, our goal is that our students are going to have the same opportunities as a larger school, through the technology,” Penman said. One thing that appealed Eminence to Penman was something she saw on the school corporation’s website. “It said, ‘A private education, a public setting’ and that truly is what I think we offer here,” Penman said. Penman said the sentiment appealed to her because of the type of education students at Eminence could receive. “That’s what attracted me here is that our students can have a lot of one-on-one attention,” Penman said. Penman said she was also excited about what she read regarding the corporation incorporating technology and STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — into the curriculum. “These are things that were put in place that I read about and was excited about. That our students here will have as many opportunities as they would have in a larger setting, but (Eminence) is still very much a small, country setting,” Penman said. Penman said she had experience with incorporating STEM into the learning process from her time as a principal. “It’s not new to me; what I’m going to have to become acquainted with is what is going to take place here this fall because I know it’s already been planned and there’s things in the works and I’ll be working closely with my two administrators to see that this is a successful rollout,” Penman said. Penman said she planned to rely on her administrators to help her with her transition into the position. “They’re going to be able to share with me how things are going to be introduced to our students, because we have a lot of new things happening this fall. Our sixth through 12th graders are going to be getting Chromebooks,” Penman said. Penman said that due to the size of the school corporation and the fact that the school already owned several laptops or Chromebooks, the majority of students would be one-to-one with technology. Penman has only been at Eminence for a couple of weeks, so there’s plenty of her to learn about the community and the school corporation as she dives headfirst into her new position. Though she has experience at different-sized school corporations and settings, she said the needs of the schools aren’t so different. “It’s the same challenges anywhere, just maybe on a different scale, but we’re faced with all the same challenges,” Penman said. Penman said she’s looking forward to meeting members of the community and continuing the good work already being done in Eminence Community Schools. “What I’m most excited about is getting to know the community and all the families here. What I’m looking forward to is taking what is already a great place and taking us as far as we can go with it. We have a lot of support here from families and parents. I want to connect with those parents and help them keep Eminence alive for their students because it’s really important what we have going on here,” Penman said.

Point guards are the players who run the show; they rely on excellent court vision, passing and an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents as well as teammates. Point guards are often referred to as the coach on the floor, because theirs is the hand guiding the offense, making the decisions and calling the plays. Another nickname for the position is floor general. It’s one that’s especially apt for Ally Lehman. Lehman graduated in May from Northern Illinois University. She was a standout player on the women’s basketball team where she set several records including the single-season record for rebounds (329) and 10 rebound games (21). Lehman set a single-game scoring record for the program with a 48-point game that also tied the single-game record for Mid-American Conference. Lehman averaged 18. 3 points, 10 rebounds and 6.6 assists her senior year. And Lehman did all this while being a member of the NIU’s ROTC program. Prior to her days at NIU, Lehman was an Indiana All-Star at Indian Creek High School. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an NIU alum and former Black Hawk helicopter pilot spoke at a ceremony where 8 NIU ROTC cadets — Lehman among them — were commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army. Lehman was one of 10 women selected for infantry. “To be able to get somebody like Senator Duckworth to come, that’s a pretty big moment, especially for NIU. She has kind of paved the way for us. If you go back and research Senator Duckworth, she has seen combat and she’ll be the one to tell you that females have been in combat roles since the Revolution,” Lehman said. “To think that there aren’t some women that are capable, that’s irritating. When she went there and spoke, she did a phenomenal job, it gives me a lot more respect for her.” Lehman was also the first NIU student-athlete to complete the ROTC program while still continuing to play her sport. Lehman said that time management was the key to her success as well as the support she had. “My basketball coach, Coach (Lisa) Carlsen and Lt. Col. (Jay) Morrison, they worked well with each other, they understood if I had to miss one thing for another, it just balanced out a lot easier. It’s a lot easier than what people expect,” Lehman said. Lehman said she’d had an interest in joining the military from an early age, when military recruiters came to Indian Creek High School, she’d seek them out, do some pull-ups and talk with them about military service. “I always had the urge. I grew up next to Camp Atterbury and between the span of 2001 and 2005 there were soldiers everywhere and that was really inspiring,” Lehman said. Lehman said she wanted to play basketball ever since she was young, but something changed for Lehman during his first two years of college; she began to lose interest in basketball. “There was some complication with the staff that we had and then I went to ROTC as an outlet,” Lehman said. Along with ROTC, taking a class on military science had a major impact on her life. The arrival of Coach Carlsen to NIU made for a better basketball environment for Lehman and her passion for basketball returned. Lehman said that her time in ROTC had a positive impact on her game. “They kind of go hand-in-hand, I would say I’m a better leader on the basketball court because of ROTC. And as a point guard, there’s times in the game when you have to be the one to make the call: whether coach is talking to someone on the bench and you can’t get her attention you have to know which play to call that will benefit the team. Or you have to be the one to get your team motivated,” Lehman said. “And I think out of that too, being a point guard, in the offseason you’re looked at a lot to lead from the front, that can translate back from ROTC as well.” Lehman said she was unsure of where her military career will take her. She said she would someday like to coach basketball preferably at the collegiate level. “If you look at coaches like Pat Summitt who had an impact on all their players, who kind of shaped them into young women ready to go out into the real world. I’d like to have that effect on people,” Lehman said. Lehman report to Fort Benning in Georgia on Sept. 25 for Infantry Officer Basic Leadership Course, a 17-week long class that will give Lehman the skills she needs to lead a platoon into battle. Lehman said she was looking forward to the experience. “I’m excited to hopefully make a difference. That’s kind of a main goal: make a difference, break down some barriers for females,” Lehman said. Lehman said she was looking forward to the many opportunities ahead of her. “I think it’s going to be an amazing thing,” Lehman said.

MARTINSVILLE — The year 1927 was a milestone year for country music as it was the year two foundational acts — the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers — first recorded music. Those performers set the foundation for country music and were a major influence on Roy Acuff, a singer beloved by Hugh Brown, who was born that year. “I went to see him in Indianapolis. I hitchhiked to Indianapolis to see Roy Acuff play — he was kind of my idol back then,” Brown said. Music is of major importance to Brown, who celebrated turning 90 with a birthday party Saturday at the Martinsville Senior Center. Hugh still plays guitar, as part of a group known as The Tune Tossers. The group is a regular fixture at dances held on Tuesday evenings at the center. Brown was the class president of Paragon High School his senior year, and after graduating in 1945, he joined the U.S. Navy. Classmate Myron Sink joined Brown in the Navy, but the two did not serve in the same theater. Brown’s service was initially relegated to the Pacific and Sink’s to the Atlantic. “They wouldn’t let us stay together,” Brown said. Brown served on a cargo ship and a tanker during his time in the Navy, and he saw quite a lot of the world. Brown went to Japan, Singapore, the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf and other locations. Brown traveled to Germany in 1958 and performed as part of the Hayloft Frolic under the stage name Hank Starr. “I just picked up the guitar. My mother played piano, but I played guitar. I should have learned the piano,” Brown said. Brown said he enjoys the social aspect of playing music. “Fellowship and trying to make people happy and watch them dance,” Brown said. Sink, Brown’s classmate, was in attendance Saturday and spoke fondly of their friendship. The two went to school together for 12 years and quickly became friends. “There was only 12 in our class, and you’re just friends with all of them,” Sink said. Like Brown, Sink joined the Navy and played music. Sink said the Navy was a popular choice. “There were seven boys in our class and five of them went into the Navy,” Sink said. Sink said that in the senior yearbook, they asked everyone what they wanted to do, and he said that he planned to join the Navy. Sink said seeing relatives in the Navy come back from service, sporting their uniforms and being very tan, was inspiring. “And I thought, ‘Man, I’d like to do that.’ And that was really what prompted me to go into the Navy,” Sink said. Sink said that he picked up playing the banjo later in life. “When we had a class party, Hugh was already picking and singing at our class parties, so he’d been at it a long time. I didn’t take it up until I was about 34 years old,” Sink said. Sink said that he and Brown had played together at the Senior Center for several years. Sink said the group stopped playing after Merrill Scott passed away. Sink said he was the person who kept the band going. “You couldn’t mention an old song that he couldn’t play, and after he passed away, the band just kind of drizzled off,” Sink said. Sink said the memory of Brown that sticks out the most was a bonfire he attended. “We had a class party, I don’t remember what year it was, but it was at that big house in Paragon where Hugh was raised. They had a big fire and a weenie roast, marshmallows and all that stuff. And Hugh brought out his guitar and was singing songs,” Sink said. Music making is a big part of the Brown family’s tradition. Seeing his dad play with his brothers is something Brown’s oldest son, Mark, remembers growing up, and it’s also the favorite memory of Mark’s wife, Lona. “My favorite memory is when they all get together and play. They’ll play and sing all night long,” Lona said. Though Mark didn’t follow the musical tradition of his father, he did follow another tradition: service in the Navy. Mark served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Mark and Lona traveled to Martinsville all the way from Kansas City to join in the celebration, and his reasoning for the long trek is simple. “Because my dad’s here,” Mark said. After the cake was cut, Hugh Brown performed with his sons Randy and Rodger. Brown has led a long and interesting life, full of music and travels, and he credits his longevity to kicking his nicotine habit. “Getting off cigarettes, I quit cigarettes over 40 years ago, that’s why I’m talking to you,” Brown said.

MOORESVILLE — A long line that at times threatened to spill out to Indiana Street, snaked around the campus of Mooresville High School and Northwood Elementary Saturday as Morgan County residents stopped by to get rid of waste material that would otherwise be difficult to dispose of, due to the size or the type of substance. Tox Away Day — as the event is known — takes place twice a year and allows for free or low-cost disposal of items such as old appliances, tires, paper goods and medicines. People with items to dump stayed in the cars, and those working the event did the rest. It limited the number of people crossing back and forth, an activity that could have been risky with the large amount of vehicle traffic that passed through from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The Morgan County Solid Waste Management District is behind the event, and it’s a good way for residents to get rid of items that might otherwise be discarded in a less safe fashion. The disposal worked in stages, and after each stage, there was an option to exit the line. That way, no one had to remain longer than needed to dispose of items. The first area was the drop off point for prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse is a major concern for Morgan County. According to the Healthier Morgan County website, 70 percent of teens who abuse prescription drugs find them in their homes. Making sure prescriptions that aren’t being used are disposed of safely prevents them from falling into the wrong hands. The next area was for different types of chemicals, cleaning supplies, batteries, PVC pipe and other lighter-weight forms of waste. A large dumpster lined with plastic was used for some types of waste. Workers wore safety gear to protect from any spills or leaks. Those items could all be disposed of for free; near that disposal area was also paper-shredding services. Morgan County residents could have paper shredded for $5 a box. The funds from that will benefit Mooresville Consolidated Schools. Several staff members were stationed at the paper-shredding station to take money that would benefit the school supply drive. “A lot of shredding money goes toward that,” Kay Davis said. Davis works in family services for the district and was there Saturday filling in for Susan Haynes, the communications director for the district. Types of waste not accepted included: asbestos, lab chemicals, large propane tanks, explosives, ammunition, firearms, medical or infectious waste and radioactive materials. Davis said this Tox Away Day had been a busy one, the line was steady. “It was lined up well before we even started. I’d say at least 30 minutes before we started. It’s been steady the whole time,” Davis said. Davis said document-shredding is a popular service, and demand exceeded expectations in 2016. “Last year, they had to order another truck because we filled one, so they’re thinking we’ll probably have to do that again this year,” Davis said. Around the back was the disposal area for heavier items such as appliances and tires. Most appliances were free to dispose of, but there was a $10 fee for television sets. The stacks of obsolete technology and heavy CRT monitors and television sets gave the backside of the high school the air of a pawnshop or junkyard. Trailers detached from semis faced the line with doors and gates ajar and were slowly filled by tires and other forms of waste. While the amount of waste was striking, one could take satisfaction that it would not be left to rust on the side of a road, or in the case of old tires, become the spawning ground of mosquitoes and other types of nuisance insects.

MARTINSVILLE — Attendees of the 25th annual Morgan County Antique Machinery Show got a glimpse of the past as they strolled the grounds of the Morgan County Fairgrounds Saturday. Tractors in a wide panoply of models were parked under pavilions. Placards on the front of machines gave information about the make and model, as well as the owner. It was useful information for those who otherwise might be clueless about farm machinery except for recognizing the green of a John Deere tractor or the logo of an International Harvester. The Morgan County Antique Machinery Association was founded in March 1992 and began as a means of preserving antique farm equipment. It allows people to see the type of farming equipment that was used long before they were born. There’s a certain type of beauty and elegance to the designs of the bygone equipment. The aesthetics differ greatly from the modern machines and the shape and color of much of the equipment is pleasing to the eye. The show is one of the major events for the club, along with the Morgan County Fair where there will be several antique tractors and other types of farm equipment for visitors to look at as they move through the fair. “We’ll have a display of tractors at the fair,” said Dave Zoller, president of the Morgan County Antique Machinery Association. Zoller said the weather was great and that he was pleased with the turnout for the event. Zoller said there were several things that brought people to the fairgrounds on Saturday. Along with equipment on display, there was also a flea market and demonstrations of a sawmill, as well as blacksmithing. “The flea market probably draws some people, and other people are interested in the equipment itself,” Zoller said. Showing off farm equipment is a real source of joy for Lloyd and Ava Arthur. “We just like to do it. It’s kind of a hobby for us,” Ava said. Lloyd said he enjoys restoring antique farm equipment as well as displaying it. The Arthurs had three Allis-Chambers tractors on display Saturday, and that came from personal connections Ava and Lloyd had to the brand of farm equipment. There was familiarity for both of them. Lloyd said he had grown up knowing the tractor company’s products, using them to work the land. “Ever since I was a kid, we were raised up on them,” Lloyd said. “My grandfather had one,” Ava said. The Arthurs show their equipment at events around the area. “We’ve gone to the Monroe County Fair for 20 years,” said Lloyd. Ava said they get a lot out of showing off their farm equipment and talking to the people who stop by to check it out. Along with tractors on display, an 18-mile tractor drive was planned for the afternoon, organized by the Morgan County Young Farmers. The group is focused on getting a new generation to understand the importance of farming and instilling an interest in farming. Though the equipment has changed in appearance and shape, there will always be a need for those with the knowledge to till the soil and plow the fields. As a popular bumper sticker slogan phrases it: “No farmers, no food.”

MARTINSVILLE Changes are afoot at Martinsville High School as the outside of the school and interiors were upgraded during the 2016-2017 school year and this summer. Parts of the building will have an entirely different look when students return to the building later this year. Some of the improvements are immediately obvious, such as the new siding and air conditioning system for the gymnasium, which made commencement exercises over Memorial Day weekend a much more comfortable experience than in years past. There are also new windows in the second floor of the building and new Martinsville signs placed on the exterior of the building. Dr. Nick Sears, MHS principal, said the school has been happy with the new signs. “The new signage on the building really kind of puts the polish on it, so to speak. All the signage is front-lit or back-lit and we like that for the nighttime visibility of the building,” Sears said. Sears said there were plans for air conditioning in the back gym and the training room, as well. “That’s as much for student safety and working conditions as it is for anything,” Sears said. High temperatures during summertime and August are not uncommon, Sears said, so there were plans to air condition those areas. Sears said the school was also looking at upgrades to the auditorium and science classrooms. Based on discussion at a school board meeting on May 25, those improvements are expected to cost around $2 million. The science classrooms of John R. Wooden Middle School will also undergo improvement at an estimated cost of $2 million. The school board moved to adopt the final bond resolution at the June 15 meeting. This involves the appointment of a bid committee. The high school front office was recently remodeled and other interior renovations are being completed over the summer break. Sears said the work had been 10 years in the making and the office hadn’t been significantly updated in 20 years. “We did modernize that with new carpet. It has new paint. It has a new welcome desk center right in the middle. And then we extended that new carpet all the way into the counseling department,” Sears said. The carpet in the teachers’ lounge has also been replaced with tile. Other renovations include new coats of paint to make the high school a more inviting environment “We’ve gone with some new paints and a little more color rather than something so institutionalized everywhere,” Sears said. Another change to the interior is the creation of a senior student center. Sears said the focus of the center would be on the Parallel Pathways program and college and career readiness. “As (superintendent) Dr. (Michele) Moore has said, we don’t have to emphasize the word college; it’s always going to be an option for some, but everyone will end up in a career. Some will do it right out of high school, others will be two years, fours years or six or eight,” Sears said. The school has purchased new furniture for the use of students, as well. “We have invested in new furniture for our students that promotes learning and collaboration,” Sears said, adding community tables allow six to eight students to sit together and work together on a project. The room would also get new glass doors. “The construction part of that room is done. We’re waiting on the technology to go in and the furniture.” Sears said the room would be a shared technology space and students would be able to write on the walls. “It’ll be erasable, whether that’s through a dry-erase board or some type of Plexiglass where students can explore and write on the walls and also still have monitors and technology that they can quickly plug into,” Sears said. Sears said monitors would be larger in size so students could work on things together and some lockers were removed for a bench with plug-ins for technology. “It’s more of a student-friendly environment, more like you would see at a college where students have a place to lounge. They have a place to visit and they have a place to collaborate. That area continues to spill out into a stairwell area where there’s going to be new student furniture added,” Sears said. The Well, a popular hangout area for students, will also see some updates “We have restaurant-style booths made for schools that will line that hallway and we have re-opened The Well concession area to be a full-service coffee and other drinks and snacks. It will be full-service all-day long to students,” Sears said. Sears said there was consideration in opening the concession area after school with a different menu as the school is required to follow specific nutritional guidelines during school hours. “The Well transformation is all about giving that student center a new feel, from flooring to paint to carpet to technology to the new furniture, it’s going to have more of a college feel to it and we expect the furniture to be delivered in later July,” Sears said.

MARTINSVILLE Martinsville native Thomas L. Janssen received the prestigious Herman A. Moench Oustanding Senior Commendation prior to receiving his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and computational science from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology May 27. The Moench Commendation is named after Herman A. Moench, a legendary Rose-Hulman professor and administrator. Rose-Holman doesn’t award it every year, only if the faculty and professional staff of the institute deem a senior in the upper half of the graduating class worthy of the honor. According to the Rose-Hulman website, a candidate must demonstrate “exemplary character including honesty, self-discipline, compassion and moral conviction, for all of which the student must be respected by student peers.” The student must be a role model and mentor for other students. Janssen said he was surprised to have received the award, but was very honored. “I was very, very honored to receive the award when they called my name at commencement,“ Janssen said. Janssen is a student who truly exemplified the spirit of that award. He began his journey at Rose-Hulman by taking part in the Accelerated Math Physics program, a five-week program which allows students to begin the fall semester with 13 credits in calculus and physics. He served as a counselor for the program two years later. Janssen said he was interested in being a counselor for the program because of the impact it had on him and the sense of community and family he felt at Rose-Hulman. “I felt I was one of the many, many students at Rose that does fit the portrayal of what we’re trying to be, of family and community, very tightly knit. And I think my personality goes along well with that. And that was one of the reasons I was chosen to be a counselor,” Janssen said. Janssen said he first visited Rose-Hulman when still in high school, but he knew immediately that he had found his place. “This is where I belong, this is definitely a right fit for me and this is where I want to go,” Janssen said of his early visit to the school. Janssen said he felt something like that again when he was a counselor. “When I had the opportunity to counsel, I had the same feeling when I got to show other students this is like a second home for anyone and everyone who is a Rose student or alumni,” Janssen said. He said he enjoyed being part of the first year experience for incoming Rose-Hulman students. Janssen also served as a tutor as a sophomore, as well as a grader for several classes in the mechanical engineering department. “Originally, before I decided to do engineering, I thought I would go on to be a teacher and I still believe that be true,” Janssen said. Janssen will pursue a Ph.D. at Northwestern University in the fall and hopes to teach in the future, whether that’s university or high school. He initially studied engineering at the recommendation of friends and family. “When I first started, I didn’t really know too much about engineering in general, but I knew mechanical seemed to be the broadest in terms of encompassing a little bit of everyone; a little bit of chemistry, a little bit of electricity and a little bit of computers and so on,” Janssen said, adding he chose mechanical engineering at the beginning so he could get a general thread of all engineering and he could always change his course of study in his sophomore or junior year. The encouragement of a professor, according to Janssen, got him interested in studying computational science. “And when I talked to the professor who was the head of (the computational science major) I was like, ‘Yeah, this is actually a part of mechanical engineering that I would really, really enjoy doing, aside from like just the general mechanical,’” Janssen said. He ended up picking up a second major as a result — an area of study Janssen said he hopes to pursue in his Ph.D. work. Along with his rigorous academic coursework and mentoring of other students, Janssen was heavily involved in extra-curricular activities at Rose-Hulman, such as being a member of the chorus, string orchestra and multiple theatrical productions at Rose. Janssen said while it was a busy schedule, he always had resources to turn to if ever he struggled. His sophomore year was his most difficult, he said, because it required him to balance commitments to tutoring and the musical, as well as his own homework. “Rose made it possible that I could do that. It wasn’t ‘You fail, you fail;’ it was ‘If you need help, we’ll help you out.’ My director of the musical, he understood if I needed to work on homework, that obviously comes first. Same thing with orchestra rehearsal. They understand that school comes first,” Janssen said. During Janssen’s time at Rose-Hulman, he had major roles in musicals like “Les Misérables” as Enjolras and “West Side Story” as Tony. Janssen said another role he particularly enjoyed was Mr. Mushnik in “Little Shop of Horrors.” He said he enjoyed playing Mr. Mushnik because, although it wasn’t a lead role, he got play the comedic relief. Janssen said he’s always had a passion for playing violin and singing. “So for me violin and the musicals were just kind of my escape from all the hard work for all the hours it lasted and then it would be right back to the books and homework when I got back to my room,” Janssen said. Janssen is the definition of a polymath and if his undergraduate career is anything to go by, he should do quite well in Evanston next fall.

“A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now.” that’s how Thomas Pynchon’s 1973 novel “Gravity’s Rainbow” begins. The passage refers to the V-2 rockets that Germany fired at England during World War II. It’s a sentence that could also describe the feeling an opponent gets when Steph Curry launches one of his devastating three pointers. It’s also a feeling Pacers fans experienced on Sunday when The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted “Sources: All-Star- Paul George tells Pacers he plans to leave franchise in 2018 free agency, prefers Lakers.” Wojnarowski’s tweets of this nature are colloquially referred to as Woj Bombs and they — like the weapons of war they suggest — can have an explosive impact. In this instance, it’s the trade value of Paul George, already diminished from not being moved during the trade deadline of the 2016-17 NBA season. With the news that George, 27, prefers to play for Lakers, any team that trades for him would only be getting a rental. It seems like a pretty dire situation, but things are quite as bad as they seem. The Pacers missed out on the best return they could have gotten for George by turning down all offers, including the Boston Celtics who dangled at least one of the Nets picks in trade discussion or the Atlanta Hawks who offered four first-round picks for the talented small forward. Though those picks probably wouldn’t have translated to high draft position. A team doesn’t expend assets to snag a player like Paul George without intending to contend. In theory those picks could have been used for other moves: trading up on draft night or trading for young assets that could be developed. Though the Pacers have less leverage since George’s preference was leaked to the press, there’s still a chance the Pacers could get a some type of return on George, particularly if they can get other teams into a bidding war if there’s worry that George might not leave the to which is he is traded if that team is a contender: enter the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers lost in five games to the Warriors, despite LeBron James averaging a triple double. The Cavaliers got crushed when James sat and they lacked the lineup versatility of Golden State. George would bolster the Cavalier’s perimeter defense and has enough overlapping skillsets with Kevin Love that the Cavaliers won’t suffer too much from trading Love. This would likely require the involvement of a third team as the Pacers ideally want young players and picks. Kevin Love would just lead the Pacers to tread water and would be unlikely to resign with the Pacers. There’s certainly concern that George could leave whatever team trades for him as a rental, but if he gets a taste of what playing in a Finals is alike, assuming the Cavaliers return for a fourth-straight year, that could entice him to sign on, at least for a little bit longer. If the Lakers fear that they would lose out on him instead of just waiting for free agency, they might try to cut a deal with the Pacers to guarantee seeing the Palmdale-native in gold and purple. Whatever team George is traded to also gets his Bird rights go with him, meaning a team can exceed their salary cap to resign him That Paul George would be moving and a rebuild on the horizon is not entirely surprising. The Pacers have been mediocre for the last three seasons, compiling a 125-121 record, not the type of results that inspires a player of George’s caliber to stick around during his prime. Particularly when the measure of an NBA player’s career is predicated on championship rings, MVP awards and other hallmarks of success. The Pacers were on the clock as soon as George signed a contract extension in September 2013. George lived up to his end of the bargain, he improved each season and even returned for the final six games of the 2014-15 campaign to give the team an emotional lift as it made a playoff push. That failed and the Pacers wound up in the lottery that netted them a player that is now the future of the franchise: Myles Turner. Low playoff seeding is purgatory for an NBA team: there’s not a realistic shot of winning a championship or even making a deep playoff run and the type of players available in the low teens in the first round of the draft generally aren’t franchise changers. When it comes to small market teams, the draft is crucial. High draft picks alone aren’t going to be a franchise savior, but it gives teams a better shot at finding players who have the potential to develop into something. Larry Bird stepping down and Kevin Pritchard taking over indicates that the franchise will take a different approach to team building. Since 1988, the Pacers have never won less than 33 games in a season and since 1994 have the most Eastern Conference Finals appearances. That’s all likely going to change in the next couple years. It’s unlikely the Pacers delve into the depths of basketball nihilism of the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers under Sam Hinkie. It’s much more enjoyable as a fan to cheer for a group of young guys with potential than to cheer for mediocre players with a well-defined ceiling. The Pacers can’t afford a repeat of the post-Brawl era of competitiveness. Paul George must be traded before the season begins, hopefully on draft night, dragging this out will only make the divorce that much uglier. It’s not going to be pleasant on opening night for anyone involved if George is in the starting lineup and he gets booed during introductions. General Manager Kevin Pritchard has a difficult task ahead of him as the draft night draws close, but if anyone has a shot at wringing something valuable out of this situation, it’s Pritchard. A decade ago as part of the Portland front office, Pritchard developed a reputation for winning trades. A phrase punning on that ability to win trades was coined: the Pritch Slap. He rebuilt the Blazers on the fly and if not for injuries to Greg Oden and Brandon Roy, they might have been Western Conference contenders for a long time. The Pacers are likely better off with Pritchard in the driver seat. Bird hated to lose and was pretty stubborn when he made up his mind. Pritchard will likely be more flexible and with his guiding hand, could help navigate the Pacers through the franchise’s most turbulent era since the Brawl. What could possibly go wrong? Not like Pritchard’s ever had bad luck with a Nate McMillan-coached team featuring a frontcourt player who played college ball at Texas.

MARTINSVILLE Growing up is not without its trials, every child experiences difficulty to some degree as they go through life. Some children experience greater hardships than others and these difficulties can manifest in a way that negatively impacts their grades at school and at times, their behavior. The MSD of Martinsville began a lunch mentor program roughly 17 years ago to help at-risk children by giving them a positive influence in their life. These mentors, all volunteers, meet once a week during a student’s lunch and recess hour. It’s only a small commitment of time but it has a lasting impact on students. The program was started because of a need in the community. “Family Services coordinators were meeting themselves with students in need and they got so busy, they couldn’t keep up, so they recruited volunteers who would come in and listen to the kids,” Lisa Bennett, mentor program coordinator for the MSD of Martinsville said. Bennett said mentors work with specific types of students, ones struggling with emotions or behavior in class. Bennett said sometimes these students struggle with something at home, it could be they come from a one-parent family or their parents are going through a divorce or have experienced trauma or some other source of stress. “It matches a positive adult volunteer with a student in need,” Bennett said. Bennett said that program looks for individuals with the extra time and desire to help kids in need. Potential volunteers must fill out an application; undergo a screening and a background check. Volunteers must also give several personal references as part of the application process. Volunteers also take a two-hour training course that covers the ground rules for working with students. “The kids really like it, they look forward to having somebody there every week. They know their mentors going to be there and only for them,” Bennett said. Bennett said that the program typically begins in second grade, though there are some first grade students with mentors. Bennett said students are very open to having a mentor and are excited from the beginning. “The kids love it, the kids look forward to it. They think that’s their special person, there to see them, there to listen to them. And I’ve not had anyone that didn’t want one,” Bennett said. Bennett said they try to have students sit separately during lunch so they can have one-on-time. “Sometimes the kids just want to sit with their friends and so the mentor can go sit with the rest of the kids,” Bennett said. Bennett said mentors get as much out of it as the students. “It’s very rewarding for the adults and the kids, there’s studies that show improvements in academics, social skills, relationship with their families, and relationships with their peers,” Bennett said. Volunteers are asked to commit to at least one school year mentoring a student. “Most of our mentors have followed the kids up into elementary school. We had one that went on to middle school, but typically they stay with them through their elementary years,” Bennett said. Bennett said that women volunteers are paired with girls and male volunteers are paired with boys. “It doesn’t always work out that way because we have more female mentors and a lot of them don’t care who they’re matched with, but the need is so great we don’t have enough mentors to go around to everyone,” Bennett said. Bennett said that they currently had about 25 volunteers but there is always need for more. “We always are recruiting, we always are looking for new mentors. We have a lot more students in need than we have adult volunteers. So we’re always looking for people, “ Bennett said. For more information about the lunch mentor program, contact Bennett at lisa.bennet@msdmartinsville. org or at 317-831-2150 extension 1819.

MARTINSVILLE Child and Adult Resource Services held an open house Friday to showcase its new adult day services program, which starts today. A total of five clients will be part of the initial group. Amber Halloran, program director for CARS Martinsville, said that would allow participants to get plenty of one-on-one time with their two instructors, including Halloran. Halloran said one of the clients stopped by, and it gave her a chance to bond with them before the client prior to the official program start. Halloran said the open house had gone very well. “We were able to meet some great contacts from within the community and spend time getting to know several of our new clients,” Halloran said. Halloran said the event also gave the CARS staff a chance to meet potential new clients and their families. “We were also happy that we had some local case managers and health care workers stop in to get information for individuals with whom they work. We had a wonderful time getting the word out about all that CARS has to offer Martinsville and the surrounding area,” Halloran said. The open house allowed potential clients to get a tour of the building that was formerly North Elementary School. Currently, the building also houses the Head Start program, which is geared towards preparing young children for kindergarten. Visitors to the open house also got a chance to see the types of activities those enrolled in the adult day services program might use. Art is a major part of the program and activities are tailored to the needs and capabilities of clients. Some locations even offer a pottery and have a kiln on site. “I would love to be able to do some grants and get a kiln or something like that or maybe possibly move one of our looms here, because we have three looms that we share among our centers,” Lisa Swanson, coordinator for the CARS program My Fabulous Self, said. Swanson brought some examples of artwork created by CARS clients, along with some examples of the arts activities offered at other centers. “There’s a big paint roller that we brought for them to keep here and some of our clay,” Swanson said, adding they gear the activities towards adults and the types of things that interest them. Swanson said she was really impressed with the facility for the program. “I like the big open rooms, because a lot of our clients, if they need wheelchairs and things like that to get around, it’s nice to have big open areas for them to be able to maneuver around the building,” Swanson said. Swanson said she liked that there was a lot of natural light in the building. “It makes everyone feel good,” Swanson said. Swanson said she enjoys visiting the different CARS programs around the state. “It’s great to meet the clients and get to know everybody. We all just pass things back and forth from center to center,” Swanson said. Swanson said it was a good way to pass around ideas that worked. “We’re a close agency that way,” Swanson said. Dana Cook, director of adult services for CARS, said she was happy the program was now offered in Martinsville. “I think it’s important for people to have choice and it’s something that the community has expressed a need for, for support. And we’re really just passionate about bridging those gaps so that people have resources that they need and to be able to connect programming and to be able to work toward their life goals,” Cook said. Cook said the program had a lot to offer potential clients. “We’ve got a lot of fun programming to offer, lots of great quality staff and a model that has proven to work in every other county that we serve. We’re real excited to bring that program and model to Martinsville and be able to provide quality support for people in this community as well,” Cook said. For more information about CARS, visit cars-services.org/ or call 765-342-1599.

MARTINSVILLE It was hot and humid around tee time for the charity golf tournament benefiting the family of Isaiah Hacker Saturday at the Martinsville Country Club, but that didn't stop people from coming out to support the 2 year old. Isaiah was diagnosed with stage 4 hepatoblastoma on Feb. 6. He had stayed at Riley Hospital for Children until about a month ago, when he was released to begin outpatient treatment for his cancer. Isaiah was able to attend a benefit hosted by American Legion Post 230. “That was a really good event, very good. We raised over $5,000 at that event,” Debra Ream, Isaiah’s great-aunt said. Saturday's golf outing was slow initially, but people came out in force as the day went on and had the place packed late into the evening. Family friend Rayna Bowman helped organize the benefit event at the Legion, while Ream coordinated the golf tournament. Ream said her great-nephew was doing well. “He goes in for a lot tests next Thursday,” Ream said. Ream said Isaiah would undergo a CAT scan and that he likely had an operation in his future. “Now they’re considering operating on his liver and taking that cancer off, just depends on what the tests show next Thursday at Riley,” Ream said. Previously, it seemed Isaiah would need of a liver transplant. Unfortunately, one aspect of his health had taken a step backwards: his lungs. “The lung has gotten worse and the liver got better,” Ream said. Along with chemotherapy and a battery of tests, Isaiah has another regular feature of his schedule: physical therapy. “He is going to physical therapy every week for his leg and foot,” Ream said. The outing turnout wasn’t what quite Ream was hoping for, something she attributed to a variety of factors. “I don’t know if it was because of the heat or people had plans or the time of the day, I’m not sure,” Ream said. Ream added it might have been related to Father’s Day and that people might have been out of town. Still, Ream said she was grateful of all the support the tournament had received. “We’ve still had a lot of the people contribute donations and help,” Ream said. Two of those supporters included Chad Maham and Corey Hamilton. Hamilton said he wasn’t much of a golfer. “I play occasionally, but I’m happy to come out and play for a cause,” Hamilton said. It was Hamilton’s personal connection to Isaiah that inspired him to play in the tournament. “I had the opportunity to meet Isaiah and it breaks your heart to see what’s happening to him and you want to try to help out any way possible. He’s got a good little personality and you wouldn’t think he knows what’s going on. It’s just moving, seeing what he’s going through,” Hamilton said. Maham is more of a golfer than Hamilton and plays once or twice a week. This is the first tournament in which Maham had participated. Maham said he enjoyed hitting the golf course for several reasons. “I just come out and relax and enjoy the day and enjoy the environment and the camaraderie with the guys,” Maham. Maham had simple goals for his day at the Martinsville Country Club: staying on the green and not losing golf balls. After the tournament, golfers were invited to attend a dinner at which Isaiah was expected to make a brief appearance due to his weakened immune system. At the dinner, awards and door prizes were handed out. Ream said there was another fundraising event planned for July and more information would be forthcoming when the organizers finalized the details. For more information, contact Ream at 765-318-3318.