Latest news with #NorthCentralHighSchool
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WTWO hosts Top of the Class Luncheon for Valedictorians across the Wabash Valley
FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Our 34th annual Top of the Class Luncheon took place Wednesday afternoon, honoring valedictorians from local high schools. America's Got Talent winner Richard Goodall performed as we said congratulations to the 120 valedictorians from more than 40 Wabash Valley schools in Indiana and Illinois. Among the class of 2025 are at least 2 sets of twins sharing Valedictorian honors and at least 2 sets of cousins sharing the top spot. The valedictorian from North Knox, Alex McKinnley, is the 4th valedictorian in her family. Her 3 siblings were also Valedictorians. We heard from her and from the marketing director at Lincoln Trail College, who sponsored the event. 'It's really an honor, especially since all of my siblings were,' said Alex McKinley, North Knox Valedictorian. 'And it's also an honor to share this title with my best friend Malli Lyons who is also valedictorian.' 'One of the things that we're encouraging these students to do is to get college started early,' said Chris Forde from Lincoln Trail College. 'Lincoln Trail College and all of IECC offer summer classes so they have a chance to earn credit over the summer without paying a lot of money, so we tell them it is a financially smart choice for them.' The event took place at North Central High School just down the road from the station. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WATCH: Top of the Class honors top students of the Wabash Valley
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — For the past 34 years, WTWO has honored Valedictorians from throughout the viewing area as the Top of the Class. WTWO understands that years of hard work in the classroom and at home have allowed these students to achieve this honor. Wednesday the students will attend a luncheon to celebrate their accomplishments at North Central High School starting at 11 a.m. (EDT). Sullivan Library faces budget issues with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library While this class is no different than all the others that have been honored, they represent the future. WTWO, Lincoln Trail College, Pepsi, and Piloni's are proud to recognize them as the Top of the Class 2025. Watch the entire ceremony (estimated to start around 12:30 p.m.) live in the video player above. Click here to view the full list of students being honored as well as see photos of the event as the day progresses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mission launched to find body of Peter Kassig, Indianapolis native killed by Islamic State
A Qatari mission has begun searching for the remains of an Indianapolis native and other U.S. hostages killed by Islamic State in Syria a decade ago, two sources briefed on the mission said, reviving a longstanding effort to recover their bodies. Islamic State, which controlled swaths of Syria and Iraq at the peak of its power from 2014 to 2017, beheaded numerous people in captivity, including aid worker Peter Kassig, and released videos of the killings. Qatar's international search and rescue group began the search Wednesday, accompanied by several Americans, the sources said. The group, deployed by Doha to earthquake zones in Morocco and Turkey in recent years, had so far found the remains of three bodies, the sources said. A Syrian security source said the remains had yet to be identified. The second source said it was unclear how long the mission would last. The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment. The Qatari mission gets under way as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to visit Doha and other Gulf Arab allies next week and as Syria's ruling Islamists, close allies of Qatar, seek relief from U.S. sanctions. The Syrian source said the mission's initial focus was on looking for the body Kassig, who was killed by Islamic State in 2014 in Dabiq in northern Syria. The second source said Kassig's remains were among those they hoped to find. In a statement, the Kassig family said it was waiting for analysis seeking to confirm the identities of the dead. "We are grateful to all those who are involved in the effort to get these deceased individuals' remains identified and returned to their home countries and loved ones," the statement said. Kassig was the only child of Ed and Paula Kassig and grew up in Broad Ripple, graduating from North Central High School in 2006. He served in the Army before being honorably discharged. The Hoosier said he "found his calling" on a visit to Lebanon in 2012, where began by volunteering at a refugee hospital. He also founded an aid organization. Kassig was captured by Islamic State militants during a humanitarian mission to Syria in 2013. He converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman while in captivity. In November 2014, he was killed. U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by Islamic State. Their deaths were confirmed in 2014. U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller was also killed in Islamic State captivity. Her death was confirmed in 2015. "We're grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages," said Diane Foley, James Foley's mother. "We thank all those involved in this effort." The jihadists were eventually driven out of their self-declared caliphate by a U.S.-led coalition and other forces. Plans for the Qatari mission were discussed during a visit to Washington in April by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Minister of State for the foreign ministry, Mohammed Al Khulaifi — a trip also designed to prepare for Trump's visit to Qatar, one of the sources said. Another person familiar with the issue said there had been a longstanding commitment by successive U.S. administrations to find the remains of the murdered Americans, and that there had been multiple previous "efforts with U.S. government officials on the ground in Syria to search very specific areas." The person did not elaborate. But the U.S. has had hundreds of troops deployed in northeastern Syria that have continued pursuing the remnants of Islamic State. The person said the remains of Kassig, Sotloff and Foley were most likely in the same general area, and that Dabiq had been one of Islamic State's "centerpieces" — a reference to its propaganda value as a place named in an Islamic prophecy. Two Islamic State members, both former British citizens who were part of a cell that beheaded American hostages, are serving life prison sentences in the United States. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who seized power from Bashar al-Assad in December, battled Islamic State when he was the commander of another jihadist faction — the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front — during the Syrian war. Sharaa severed ties to al Qaeda in 2016. IndyStar contributed. Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Erin Banco; writing by Tom Perry. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Peter Kassig's body sought a decade after Islamic State killed him
Indianapolis Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Mission launched to find body of Peter Kassig, Indianapolis native killed by Islamic State
A Qatari mission has begun searching for the remains of an Indianapolis native and other U.S. hostages killed by Islamic State in Syria a decade ago, two sources briefed on the mission said, reviving a longstanding effort to recover their bodies. Islamic State, which controlled swaths of Syria and Iraq at the peak of its power from 2014 to 2017, beheaded numerous people in captivity, including aid worker Peter Kassig, and released videos of the killings. Qatar's international search and rescue group began the search Wednesday, accompanied by several Americans, the sources said. The group, deployed by Doha to earthquake zones in Morocco and Turkey in recent years, had so far found the remains of three bodies, the sources said. A Syrian security source said the remains had yet to be identified. The second source said it was unclear how long the mission would last. The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment. The Qatari mission gets under way as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to visit Doha and other Gulf Arab allies next week and as Syria's ruling Islamists, close allies of Qatar, seek relief from U.S. sanctions. The Syrian source said the mission's initial focus was on looking for the body Kassig, who was killed by Islamic State in 2014 in Dabiq in northern Syria. The second source said Kassig's remains were among those they hoped to find. In a statement, the Kassig family said it was waiting for analysis seeking to confirm the identities of the dead. "We are grateful to all those who are involved in the effort to get these deceased individuals' remains identified and returned to their home countries and loved ones," the statement said. Kassig was the only child of Ed and Paula Kassig and grew up in Broad Ripple, graduating from North Central High School in 2006. He served in the Army before being honorably discharged. The Hoosier said he "found his calling" on a visit to Lebanon in 2012, where began by volunteering at a refugee hospital. He also founded an aid organization. Kassig was captured by Islamic State militants during a humanitarian mission to Syria in 2013. He converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman while in captivity. In November 2014, he was killed. U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by Islamic State. Their deaths were confirmed in 2014. U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller was also killed in Islamic State captivity. Her death was confirmed in 2015. "We're grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages," said Diane Foley, James Foley's mother. "We thank all those involved in this effort." The jihadists were eventually driven out of their self-declared caliphate by a U.S.-led coalition and other forces. Plans for the Qatari mission were discussed during a visit to Washington in April by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Minister of State for the foreign ministry, Mohammed Al Khulaifi — a trip also designed to prepare for Trump's visit to Qatar, one of the sources said. Another person familiar with the issue said there had been a longstanding commitment by successive U.S. administrations to find the remains of the murdered Americans, and that there had been multiple previous "efforts with U.S. government officials on the ground in Syria to search very specific areas." The person did not elaborate. But the U.S. has had hundreds of troops deployed in northeastern Syria that have continued pursuing the remnants of Islamic State. The person said the remains of Kassig, Sotloff and Foley were most likely in the same general area, and that Dabiq had been one of Islamic State's "centerpieces" — a reference to its propaganda value as a place named in an Islamic prophecy. Two Islamic State members, both former British citizens who were part of a cell that beheaded American hostages, are serving life prison sentences in the United States. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who seized power from Bashar al-Assad in December, battled Islamic State when he was the commander of another jihadist faction — the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front — during the Syrian war. Sharaa severed ties to al Qaeda in 2016.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Local school nurse celebrated during School Nurse Appreciation Day
FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Wednesday is School Nurse Appreciation Day. North Central High School honored its school nurse, Angie Brocksmith, with some flowers, a gift card, and a card signed by the staff. Brocksmith joined Northeast School Corporation at the beginning of this school year, back in August. She said she really enjoys being a school nurse for the school corporation and interacting with the students. 'I just like the interactions with them,' said Brocksmith. 'Sometimes it's not necessarily that they need nursing skills. Sometimes they just need somebody to listen or words of encouragement, and I feel fortunate that I'm able to do that.' Principal Adam Azar said Brocksmith has a good rapport with all the students as well as the staff. 'We're super happy that she chose to come here this year and to be a part of the T-Bird family, and we couldn't have been blessed with somebody better,' said Azar. Students agree that Brocksmith does so much for the school. 'She's really friendly. She's also helped me through a lot of things just in general,' said Paisley Wright. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
