Latest news with #Logansport
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Adair honored with LCSC Crystal Berry award for staff
'We lied to you,' Logansport Community School Corporation superintendent Michele Starkey gleefully said when Jeannie Adair walked into the board room, paused and looked with confusion at the colleagues, friends and family members assembled. And then her three grandchildren ran across the room and leapt into Adair's arms. The reason for the surprise gathering was to recognize Adair as the winner of this year's staff Crystal Berry Award. At the end of each school year, LCSC honors a teacher and a staff member with an award. This year's Crystal Berry for teaching went to Fairview Elementary's Holly Miller. 'Jeannie epitomizes what it means to be a Logansport Berry,' said Starkey. 'When people first come to work at Logansport, she is the first person they meet. She's there to help them do a lot of different things. She would do anything to help anybody.' Adair has been part of the school corporation for nearly 31 years. She started in migrant education before moving into human resources. In that role, she works with new teachers and employees, oversees teacher licensing and other credentials and paper work. She was born in Logansport, went through the LCSC school system and is a Berry fan. 'This is amazing because I love Logansport so much,' Adair said. 'I think it's a great award for the staff—both the certified and the classified—because everyone puts in a lot of hours to make sure our kids have the best education. (People) don't see the business side of that.' Adair said that at this time of year many people congratulate her for making it through another school year, however, for human resources they are entering their busiest season as teachers and staff join the school corporation or transition into new roles. 'I can't say enough about the people who work in this corporation,' she said. 'It's been an amazing journey to work with some of the best educators I've been around who really care for students and administrators. And I can't say enough about Michele. She is by far the best. The way she cares for the students in our corporation and the staff is amazing. She has our backs. She always has our backs.' Adair will retire at the end of the year. Christi Owens and Lori Lange will take over in the HR department. 'They are going to do a great job but they have big shoes to fill as they know,' Starkey said.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LSB Junior Board awards local nonprofits funding during year-end meeting
The Logansport Savings Bank Junior Board wrapped up the 2024-25 school year Wednesday afternoon by awarding $1,000 checks to the Literacy Volunteers of Cass County and to Our Father's House. The Junior Board is made up of local high school juniors and seniors from Caston, Lewis Cass, Logansport and Pioneer. A requirement for being part of the board is that each member completes 10 hours of community service. The bank pays the students for their time and collects the money into a single fund. The students then choose local non-profits to gift the money to. Each students researches a local organization and gives a presentation on that organization during a board meeting. Literacy Volunteers works to help locals learn to read and also teaches English to non-speakers. The Father's House is a sober living home for men. Dave Miller, the organization's director, was thankful to receive the gift. 'The funding will go a long way toward training tutors, buying materials for tutors, buying materials for students and training students,' he said. He said that many in the community did not know about the Literacy Volunteers. When it came to researching the program, Pioneer junior Mia McKaig set out to look for literacy coalitions and discovered the Literacy Volunteers via a web search. Josh Garrison and Aaron Bolin are residents at The Father's House and were present as the Junior Board awarded the house a check. Garrison said he was surprised when he found out that the would receive the funding and called it a blessing. 'It helps more people get on their feet,' he said. 'It helps with repairs. Just knowing that there are people who are willing to help us is even more of a reason to want to do better.' During the year, the bank takes the students to different businesses and organizations around the community to learn more about what they offer Logansport and Cass County. 'It's been really nice getting to see the other businesses and how they work,' said Nicholas Park, a Lewis Cass senior who will attend Rose Hulman to study optical engineering. 'This year especially, the community hours have been really nice. We worked more closely with places like Our Father's House and Emmaus. Last year was about building relationships and this year was about seeing the practical application of those relationships and how they can help people in the community.' Myli Rude, a junior from Caston, said that being part of the board had encouraged her to help in the community and said working with students from other schools had been a confidence booster. She said she learned it is very important to have people by her side who want to accomplish similar goals so that those goals can be accomplished in better, stronger ways. Ashanta Curry, a Logansport senior, credited the Junior Board for teaching her how many opportunities there were in Logansport. 'Not many people think there are a good amount of job opportunities in Logansport but I think the junior board has shown there are so many job opportunities here and there are opportunities that will help you put your best foot forward,' she said. McKaig said her first year on the board was a great opportunity to meet new people and she was surprised how many similarities the students shared despite their diverse backgrounds 'I was surprised by that and how many friends I could make here,' she said. Hunter Bartling, also a Pioneer junior, said he agreed with McCaig and when he started the year he tended to keep more to himself until he realized the group of students shared a lot in common. 'I could relate to them more than I thought I could and I started to speak up more and everyone listens,' he said. 'It's nice to be listened to in a group.' Pioneer senior Keirsten Nies served as the board president this year. She will attend West Point in the fall. 'Leading a group of students such as those on the junior board has been extraordinary,' she said. 'It's so comforting to see that so many youth in the county really care about the community and possess the intellect and leadership required to do some of the things that we do. We were able to impact Logansport in some pretty monumental ways this year.' Carmen Jones, the bank's marketing officer, worked closely with the students throughout the school year. 'It's a joy and a privilege to get to know these kids so well during their time on the Junior Board,' she said. 'We have a lot of fun and we learn a lot, too, about our community and each other. I look forward to having the juniors back as seniors next year, and to seeing what this year's seniors will do in their futures.' '(The students) have been great to work with,' said Chad Higgins, president and CEO of Logansport Savings Bank 'I think this is our sixth group and I'm said to see the seniors go but I think they've been a great group of kids to work with.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cass County students aim for world championship in robotics competition
A crowd gathered in the bleachers of Center Grove High School's auditorium Friday afternoon to watch some fierce competition. It wasn't a moment of basketball-induced Hoosier Hysteria, though. The crowd was there to watch the Indiana State Championship for FIRST Robotics. Winners would go on to compete at the World Championship in Huston, Texas, where they'll likely go up against (or align with) teams from all over the U.S., as well as international teams from places like Israel, Australia, Canada and Mexico. Among the teams vying for a shot at the world championship was Wreckless Robotics, composed of Logansport and Lewis Cass students. At the beginning of each match, robots have to move autonomously. After the first few seconds, human drivers are able to take over. Points are scored by placing pieces of PVC pipe on a tiered frame (with more points awarded for pieces placed on taller tiers) and by placing a 16-inch diameter playground ball between the tiers or tossed into a net that hangs above the field. Just before the match ends, teams are able to score more points by hanging from a cage on a chain. Going into a lunch break Friday, the Cass County team was ranked 25th, with one win and two losses. The first game back, shortly after 3 p.m., the robot spun into action during the automated period, immediately placing pipe on the highest rungs of the tiered, coral-shaped frame. With 90 seconds left, the robot got a piece stuck in one of its mechanisms. Instead of fretting about the mishap, the drivers steered the robot to prevent the opposing alliance from scoring more points. As the game wrapped up, the Wreckless Robotics creation was able to hang suspended off the ground. The victory lifted the team to 19th place, with more opportunities to climb further in the rankings. By 5 p.m., the team had secured a ranking in 12th place. Data compiled by teams across the world predicted the Cass County team would finish the state competition in eighth place, meaning it would qualify for the world championship. Just before loading the team's robot into a bus headed for Greenwood on Thursday, the students were optimistic about their chances at the state championship. Scott Loman, a Logansport senior on the robotics team, explained the team seems to do better at each new competition. During the first competition, he explained, the team had a few communication hiccups with other teams. Each match sees a three-team alliance face off against another three-team alliance. Leaders at the competition get to choose who will be in their alliance, so communication with other teams can be crucial. 'The issues weren't necessarily from us, but working with other teams,' Loman said. 'The first one's always a little rougher on the edges, because you still have to figure out what the other team's bots are capable of. By the second one, we know generally. And especially this one coming up, we know what the other teams are capable of.' The Logansport team's robot, though, had remained sturdy at competition. It won the Quality Award last weekend, meaning the robust build didn't have any problems. That doesn't mean there weren't problems during the robot's development though. For instance, the mechanism that lifts the robot at the end of each match broke twice during the robot's development. The destruction sheared rivets off the robot's arm. 'We've actually got battle scars from when we smashed the intake in,' Loman said. 'But because our robot is so durable, we've been able to take those and walk away.' Many of the students have been on robotics teams since at least middle school. Several of the team members, such as eighth grader Ben Adams, are still in middle school. Adams remembered going through dozens of iterations for one component before finally figuring out how to make it work. He said it was 'very relieving' to get the final mechanisms installed. 'I don't know about the other guys, but being able to build the robot is a lot of fun,' Loman said, explaining why he's been on robotics teams since fifth grade. 'Going through all the failing and then doing it again because we test out different ideas.' The senior noted several pieces of bent steel and aluminum that marked modifications to the robot's climber. 'Trying it and then finally succeeding with it was so much fun,' he said. Another senior, Michael Popson, seemed to agree. 'I just love robotics as a whole,' Popson said, later explaining he's stepped away from other hobbies to prioritize robotics. 'It's my No. 1 activity.' 'The thing I love about robotics is in a world where everything shows you … everything's got to be perfect — you've got to do the perfect this, perfect that — robotics show you just the opposite,' one of the team's mentors Matthew Snoeberger said. 'Your imperfections are what make you better.' While the team does fairly well at competitions, Snoeberger, it could use a bit of help from the community. Motioning around a cramped Logansport High School classroom where the team meets, programs the robot and tries to test it, he explained the team doesn't have enough space to practice for competitions. Instead, the team travels to a facility in Kokomo every now and then for 10-hour practice days. 'If there's somebody who has any warehouse space around that wants to give us part of it, that's our big need right now,' he explained. 'A lot of teams either have a full field that they're messing with, or they have a half field they're messing with.' The Cass County team will continue to vie for a spot in the world championship on Saturday. A livestream can be found online at
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education briefs, April 2, 2025
Logansport grad serves as intern Myah Yax, a junior at Purdue University and a 2023 graduate of Logansport High School, has been interning with State Rep. Ethan Manning (R-Logansport) in the Indiana House of Representatives during the 2025 legislative session. As a legislative intern, Yax corresponds with constituents through phone calls, letters and emails while also staffing committee hearings and floor proceedings. 'I have loved getting firsthand experience with lawmakers and the legislative process,' Yax said. 'I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet so many amazing people.' 'Myah is doing impactful work as a legislative intern at the Statehouse this session,' Manning said. 'Her contributions are incredibly helpful to both our members and constituents, and this experience will serve her well in her career aspirations.' Yax, a Logansport High School graduate, is the daughter of Kara and Ryan Yax. She's majoring in psychology and political science. At the start of each year, the House of Representatives offers paid internship opportunities to college students, law-school students, graduate students and recent college graduates for the duration of the annual legislative session. Visit for more information about the House Republican internship program. Kitchell finalist for award Gracie Kitchell, a sophomore in the Jacobs School of Music at IU and a 2023 graduate of Logansport High School, is a top three finalist for the Up-and-Coming Student Leader of the Year award. The award ceremony will take place on April 10 in Bloomington. LHS yearbook up for award The Logansport High School yearbook, 'The Tattler,' was recognized by the Indiana High School Press Association as a finalist for the Hoosier Star Award. The award recognizes the best student-run newspapers and yearbooks in Indiana. The honor was for the 2024 edition of 'The Tattler' which was advised by Beth Meyers. Caston students win scholarships Two Caston High School students were among five winners of a Beacon Credit Union 2025 scholarship. Madelynn Sprow and Cora Burns were both awarded $2,500 scholarships. Students were asked to submit essays which then went through four rounds of judging. The competition was open to high school seniors who would be attending college in the fall. One hundred and eleven students participated. Celebrating Cass County Teachers Lindsey Miller has been teaching for eight years, working with first, fourth, and fifth graders. She has taught at Eastlawn Elementary School and is currently a part of the Pioneer Elementary community. What she loves most about Pioneer is how the school and community come together to support families in times of need. She finds it truly inspiring to see such care and collaboration in action. Her main goal for students is to ensure they walk into her classroom feeling supported, valued and appreciated each day. For her, teaching isn't just about academic success; it's also about helping students grow emotionally and socially. She strives to see them improve in behavior and emotional regulation while excelling in their studies. One of her favorite memories of teaching is when her class began reading Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' this year in fifth grade. Students were silently reading the summary for an act/scene that was a dramatic turning point in the play. The classroom sounded like a bag of popcorn popping, with students making audible gasps at various times as they read the dramatic events. Students were instantly hooked on the story.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Speaking their truth: LHS speech seniors ready to have the last word at state finals
Jennifer Anaya-Serrano recalled being too shy to ask to join the speech team when she was a freshman. The Logansport High School senior said she couldn't even talk to her teachers she was so afraid. With the support of her sister, she took the big step as a sophomore and joined the team. Saturday, she will compete in her third state finals and she said she had never felt as confident as she does now. Overall, Logansport advanced 17 students to the state finals. They will compete across 24 different categories. 'Seventeen is a lot of kids. Twenty-four is a lot of entries,' said coach Jessica Kranz, an English teacher at LHS, as the team practiced Tuesday afternoon. 'I feel that ups our chances of doing well and if nothing else it increases the energy heading in. It's huge energy.' 'I feel like everyone on the team is just bouncing off of each other,' Anaya-Serrano said. 'I feel like energies are high and our spirit is even higher.' When she joined speech, she said there were around 15 people on the team. That team would send eight members to the 2023 state finals and go on to finish in fifth place in the class AA team competition and 10th overall. In 2024, they sent 15 students and finished sixth. Anaya-Serrano said that confidence she was feeling for the 2025 state finals was based on experience. 'I feel like the coaches on the speech team do such a good job instilling a sense of confidence within you and it bounces off everyone,' she said. 'There are people here who support you in everything you do. You can't help but believe in yourself when you are here.' Those coaches include Kranz's mother Joyce Pasel, Chris Miller and Ashley Hayes. Together, they represent four generations of Berry speech. Pasel competed in the 1970s, Miller in the 1980s, Kranz in the 1990s and Hayes in the 2000s. 'We couldn't do what we do without all of us working together,' Kranz said. Anaya-Serrano will compete in the impromptu and domestic extemporaneous categories Saturday. Both events require on-the-spot thinking. She won't know her topics until it's time for her to compete and she has limited time to develop a speech. 'It all comes right back to the speaking skills that I've learned,' she said. 'It all leads back to that confidence. I have such an audacity now that I'm sure if my freshman self could see me now, it would be almost incomprehensible to her.' Aiden Snoeberger, a senior, has been one of the most reliable team members for Berry speech. He's the McCutcheon sectional champion in the radio broadcasting category and has two more recent first place finishes. Radio broadcasting is based entirely on vocal performance and has competitors recording a radio segment. It's Snoeberger's first time competing in radio broadcasting at state, but his second trip overall. Snoeberger credited his time in theater as helping him develop as a speech competitor. And being a member of the speech team has helped him round out his social skills. 'It's broken me out of my shell,' he said. 'I think it's made me a lot more outspoken. My event is really reliant on my voice and I think (performing) has helped me with my voice and made it stronger.' A four-year member of the team, Snoeberger said that public speaker wasn't his strong suit before joining. He started in the discussion category where he would have to debate other students at meets. He called the experience frightening. Despite the confidence he gained through theater, he said he worried about how he would do during the 2024-25 speech session. 'If it didn't happen this year, it would have been disappointing but I had so much fun with speech that whatever place I get really doesn't matter in the end. It's the memories that really count.' Senior Ared Ruiz, competing in humorous interpretation, said that he was approaching the state finals with the mindset to have fun. 'As long as I have fun it will be great,' he said. Ruiz recalled heartbreak last year when he and some of his speech team friends didn't qualify for state. 'This entire team just feels like family,' he said. 'We all bring this great vibe to the team. It's a pretty big group and having them altogether at state is really amazing. I'm really happy that we have achieved so much this year.' Alexa Sanchez-Agreda was practicing her informative speech about Henry the VIII and his wives, which was inspired by the hit Broadway musical 'Six.' 'I'm feeling excited but also anxious and sad at the same time because this is my last year,' she said afterwards. She joined speech as a junior and she loved every moment she had experienced on the team. She was inspired to join after seeing what the 2023 team accomplished. 'I was like 'wow, they are great,'' she said. 'I'm really sad I didn't join it sooner.' She was also excited to share the triumph of advancing to state with so many teammates. 'I feel a lot of us are close,' she said. 'It just means a lot because you get to see everyone succeed. You see them at sectionals make top six and you are like 'oh my gosh! We are all going to state together.' The team will compete at Fishers High School beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. 'Our speech team has built a legacy of excellence,' said Principal Matt Jones. 'Under the leadership of Coach Mrs. Jessica Kranz and her dedicated staff, they continue to raise the bar year after year. We graduate outstanding speech students, yet a new wave of talent is always ready to step up. It's truly impressive.' 'This senior class is very awesome because they aren't necessarily the kids who you would think are your public speakers,' said Kranz. 'They aren't the kids who you would think are your public performers. They aren't your theatrical stage kids. These are your kids who had something they needed to say. They had a truth. They had a story. They had a presentation they needed to put out there. They are a different crew in all the best ways possible. And we are so proud of them.'
