Latest news with #Shawnee
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Shawnee farmers plant historic corn at Angel Mounds
VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) – Historic seeds return home to Indiana. Members of the Shawnee Nation spent their Friday navigating rain-soaked fields, planting corn on the same land used for planting two centuries ago. 'This corn seemed most appropriate to plant at this site because it was born right here in Indiana,' says Shawnee farmer Ryan Conway, 'during the time of a spiritual movement led by a Shawnee man.' That Shawnee man is the prophet Tenskwatawa. Conway says tribes gathered in Prophetstown, Indiana in the early 1800s to plant and share their corn, which would then cross pollinate to create what is called Tenskwatawa corn. 'I think that is a symbol of that movement, and then also a symbol for our times,' explains Conway. 'Moving forward, finding ways of there being cross cultural acceptance, cross cultural tolerance, cross cultural thriving.' EVPL launches summer reading program for 2025 The seeds going into the ground are based on Indiana University research, which used ground penetrating radar and excavation to show how these crops would have grown. The project creates a living demonstration for visitors to Angel Mounds. 'The exciting thing is,' says Angel Mounds Site Director Mike Linderman, 'through archaeology, we found remnants of this kind of planting here on the site. This is the first time we've visually seen it in modern times.' Linderman says this provides a representation of what the Angel Mounds site would have looked like during that time period. When Conway and other Shawnee members are away, the garden will be tended to by local Scouts troops. Conway says though a different blend of corns, the growth process will be similar to the corn grown here in the Tri-State. 'The difference is that she is very big, she is very girthy,' explains Conway. 'She puts out a lot of tillers, but all of the tillers are productive. So, what I'm told, is that she can put out 7 to 10 tillers, and each one will still have at least one full viable ear of corn.' The corn is expected to grow throughout the Summer and the new garden to be on full display for Native American Days later this year. Shawnee farmers plant historic corn at Angel Mounds What's the buzz? USI professor brings beekeeping passion to campus U.S. Veterans Affairs secretary tours Evansville clinic Where are they on that project: The Vault on Main Green River Road 1 reconfigured after 2024 washout Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Top of the class: Distinctions become increasingly uncommon
May 24—SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — No valedictorian will be recognized when Shawnee High School graduates the class of 2025. Instead, the high school will call the names of 16 of its highest-achieving students who earned the distinction of summa cum laude: Thomas Koh, Cameron Ridenour, Ava Patel, Adam Jmiai, Caiden Garlock, Isaiah Gibson, Joel Stirn, Evan Conley, Leen Salem, Emily McMurry, Megan Carder, Evan Rinesmith, Jack Fischbach, Maggie Jordan, Dashel Faulkner and Marcus Crawford. All exceed a 4.0 grade-point average through advanced placement and dual-credit college classes. The distinctions are becoming increasingly uncommon, as schools transition away from the traditional roles in favor of more expansive honors for students who earn perfect GPAs or rank within the top 10% of their graduating class. Kalida High School will graduate 13 valedictorians who earned a 4.0 grade-point average through the first seven semesters of high school. All 13 students will be given the chance to speak at commencement. Spencerville High School will honor three students who earned perfect GPAs. Ottoville, Columbus Grove, Continental and Bath will honor the top students at graduation in lieu of recognizing a valedictorian and salutatorian. Delphos-Jefferson High School hasn't graduated a valedictorian or salutatorian since 2012. Shawnee did away with the valedictorian and salutatorian distinctions four years ago in favor of the summa cum laude model to maintain course integrity and rigor after lawmakers enacted changes affecting GPA and class rank, Principal James Morris said. Reflections from the graduates Koh claimed the highest spot with a GPA of 4.528 by the end of his first semester senior year at Shawnee High School, outranking his peers. Ridenour came in a close second with a GPA of 4.412, followed by Patel with a GPA of 4.402. The top-ranked students started taking freshmen-level classes early, which allowed them to progress to collegiate and advanced placement classes once they entered high school. They found time to participate in athletics and student clubs like the Red Cross Club, which Patel founded to organize blood donation drives, send care packages to needy students and teach elementary students about the circulatory system. Their résumés are impressive: Patel is a National Merit finalist and the Lima Exchange Club's youth of the year. She participated in student government, STEM competitions, Big Brothers Big Sisters and tennis outside of class. Soon, Patel will begin her freshman year at Case Western Reserve University, where she intends to study biomedical engineering. "If it's one of your top priorities, you'll make time for it," she said. Koh will soon leave for Baltimore, Maryland, to begin his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University. The Charles River and Franklin V. Walter scholarship winner will pursue a degree in biophysics. He too maintained a busy schedule through STEM competitions, Boy Scouts, student government, swim team and soccer. Koh's advice to younger classmates who aspire to follow his path: Start early and try new things. "Even if you don't know what you're doing, just do something," Koh said. Lima holds to tradition Lima Senior High School is one of the remaining high schools where valedictorian and salutatorian honors are still given. The school selected its top two students — Jonah Sheets and Natalie Quintero — by using a weighted scale to factor GPA and the number of advanced and dual-credit classes a student has completed. Both Sheets and Quintero took advantage of Ohio's dual-credit program, which allowed them to earn at least a semester's worth of college credits before their high school graduation. Quintero urges her younger classmates to take as many college classes as they can handle, so they can alleviate their financial burden later. "Start off slow," she said, "and see how much extra work you put in. Once you get the hang of it, you can pick up more." Quintero and Sheets both managed a college-level course load while participating in athletics, student clubs and internships: Band, choir, swim team and lacrosse for Sheets; orchestra, Youth in Government, lacrosse and an internship at Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center for Quintero. The internship instilled a passion for radiology in Quintero, who intends to study radiation therapy at The Ohio State University. Sheets plans to continue playing percussion through a music minor at Ohio Northern University, where he will major in mechanical engineering. Lima Senior High School is one of the remaining high schools where valedictorian and salutatorian honors are still given. The school selected its top two students — Jonah Sheets and Natalie Quintero — by using a weighted scale to factor GPA and the number of advanced and dual-credit classes a student has completed. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Top of the class: Distinctions become increasingly uncommon
May 24—SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — No valedictorian will be recognized when Shawnee High School graduates the class of 2025. Instead, the high school will call the names of 16 of its highest-achieving students who earned the distinction of summa cum laude: Thomas Koh, Cameron Ridenour, Ava Patel, Adam Jmiai, Caiden Garlock, Isaiah Gibson, Joel Stirn, Evan Conley, Leen Salem, Emily McMurry, Megan Carder, Evan Rinesmith, Jack Fischbach, Maggie Jordan, Dashel Faulkner and Marcus Crawford. All exceed a 4.0 grade-point average through advanced placement and dual-credit college classes. The distinctions are becoming increasingly uncommon, as schools transition away from the traditional roles in favor of more expansive honors for students who earn perfect GPAs or rank within the top 10% of their graduating class. Kalida High School will graduate 13 valedictorians who earned a 4.0 grade-point average through the first seven semesters of high school. All 13 students will be given the chance to speak at commencement. Spencerville High School will honor three students who earned perfect GPAs. Ottoville, Columbus Grove, Continental and Bath will honor the top students at graduation in lieu of recognizing a valedictorian and salutatorian. Delphos-Jefferson High School hasn't graduated a valedictorian or salutatorian since 2012. Shawnee did away with the valedictorian and salutatorian distinctions four years ago in favor of the summa cum laude model to maintain course integrity and rigor after lawmakers enacted changes affecting GPA and class rank, Principal James Morris said. Reflections from the graduates Koh claimed the highest spot with a GPA of 4.528 by the end of his first semester senior year at Shawnee High School, outranking his peers. Ridenour came in a close second with a GPA of 4.412, followed by Patel with a GPA of 4.402. The top-ranked students started taking freshmen-level classes early, which allowed them to progress to collegiate and advanced placement classes once they entered high school. They found time to participate in athletics and student clubs like the Red Cross Club, which Patel founded to organize blood donation drives, send care packages to needy students and teach elementary students about the circulatory system. Their résumés are impressive: Patel is a National Merit finalist and the Lima Exchange Club's youth of the year. She participated in student government, STEM competitions, Big Brothers Big Sisters and tennis outside of class. Soon, Patel will begin her freshman year at Case Western Reserve University, where she intends to study biomedical engineering. "If it's one of your top priorities, you'll make time for it," she said. Koh will soon leave for Baltimore, Maryland, to begin his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University. The Charles River and Franklin V. Walter scholarship winner will pursue a degree in biophysics. He too maintained a busy schedule through STEM competitions, Boy Scouts, student government, swim team and soccer. Koh's advice to younger classmates who aspire to follow his path: Start early and try new things. "Even if you don't know what you're doing, just do something," Koh said. Lima holds to tradition Lima Senior High School is one of the remaining high schools where valedictorian and salutatorian honors are still given. The school selected its top two students — Jonah Sheets and Natalie Quintero — by using a weighted scale to factor GPA and the number of advanced and dual-credit classes a student has completed. Both Sheets and Quintero took advantage of Ohio's dual-credit program, which allowed them to earn at least a semester's worth of college credits before their high school graduation. Quintero urges her younger classmates to take as many college classes as they can handle, so they can alleviate their financial burden later. "Start off slow," she said, "and see how much extra work you put in. Once you get the hang of it, you can pick up more." Quintero and Sheets both managed a college-level course load while participating in athletics, student clubs and internships: Band, choir, swim team and lacrosse for Sheets; orchestra, Youth in Government, lacrosse and an internship at Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center for Quintero. The internship instilled a passion for radiology in Quintero, who intends to study radiation therapy at The Ohio State University. Sheets plans to continue playing percussion through a music minor at Ohio Northern University, where he will major in mechanical engineering. Lima Senior High School is one of the remaining high schools where valedictorian and salutatorian honors are still given. The school selected its top two students — Jonah Sheets and Natalie Quintero — by using a weighted scale to factor GPA and the number of advanced and dual-credit classes a student has completed. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Remembrance walk held after veto of crucial bill for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
SHAWNEE, Okla. (KFOR) – The Citizen Potawatomie Nation held a Remembrance Walk Friday in Shawnee to honor the many Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. This comes the same week Gov. Stitt vetoed a crucial bill that would've helped fund an investigative unit to help solve cases surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. 'The veto, I can honestly say I didn't understand,' said Lorenda Morgan. Morgan led the way for Ida's Law after her cousin, Ida Beard, disappeared from El Reno in 2015. She stood by Gov. Stitt as he signed it into law. That law essentially created an investigative unit within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that would help try to solve cases surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. The money for the unit has to come from the federal government, but officials said the process is hard, so getting money for the unit is hard too. Tribes upset over a bill vetoed by Gov. Stitt The veto came this week from Gov. Stitt, and it applied to House Bill 1137. One of Stitt's reasons for the veto was that agencies shouldn't prioritize justice 'because of race.' 'OSBI is tasked with prosecuting all kinds of crime, including anyone who is murdered in Oklahoma, regardless of race,' said Gov. Stitt in a video on social media. 'Everyone is equally protected under the law, but Native Americans didn't have that protection under the law like everyone else,' said Morgan. The peacewalk was hosted for a second year in a row and was also held through the House of Hope, the tribe's domestic violence intervention program. The goal was to raise awareness for the disproportionate violence against indigenous peoples with a walk during National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Week. There were talks this week from lawmakers about a possible override. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton was asked specifically about overrides, and he said that there were 'several of Rep. Weaver's bills that were vetoed that we're going to talk about.' Rep. Weaver was the Senator co-author on HB 1137, he was also a part of a bipartisan-supported bill that would have required insurance companies to cover certain screenings that can catch breast cancer early, a decision that has left the bill's author, who is battling breast cancer herself, heartbroken. 'It seems like the governor has his legislation a little bit wrong in terms of what his bill was trying to do. Again, we have efforts that we're working on to hopefully see an override,' said Rep. Cindy Munson on Thursday. The way for an override to work, there would have to be a two-thirds vote to approve in both the House and the Senate. Both of those bills had overwhelming support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
FSU football's Kevin Sperry shows he's a 'football guy.' Here's why he adjusted quickly
Since becoming an early enrollee, Florida State quarterback Kevin Sperry has been quick on his feet, literally and figuratively. What has stood out for the former three-star prospect who was once an Oklahoma commit? Advertisement Some will say it's his running ability. Mike Norvell pointed out how electric Sperry can be when the ball is in his hands, which he knew when he recruited him. "I knew he could run," Norvell said. "You feel the athleticism, the twitch and the explosiveness. That is exciting." FSU football players walk into the first spring practice of the spring season on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 As a passer, his accuracy cannot be ignored. Linebacker Elijah Herring has been impressed by how accurately he throws the ball, along with his athletic gifted traits from a defensive standpoint. 'That boy, he can fly, and he can put the ball in the breadbasket for sure,' Herring said. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has also been impressed by Sperry catching on to his offense. He acknowledged it is starting to become second nature. Advertisement "He's a football guy," Malzahn said. "He's a natural guy and just being on the field and just getting the information as far as the signal, the protection, the direction, then you got to carry it over to the coverage and the defense and the read like, he has a bunch of natural stuff to him." Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Kevin Sperry has been an impactful quarterback on every high school team he played on Carl Albert's Kevin Sperry throws a pass during the high school football game between Shawnee and Carl Albert at Crain Family Stadium on the Oklahoma Baptist University campus in Shawnee, Okla., Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. The freshman quarterback has adjusted well and turned heads in his first spring ball. It might seem surprising to the team that he is holding his own, but not so much to the Texas native. Advertisement "I think it's kind of been because I went to like three different high schools, too," Sperry said. "I think every team I've been on was a little surprised and I'm just excited to showcase that on the college." While Sperry has been a journeyman quarterback throughout his high school career, he has made an impact everywhere he has gone. In his first two years, he played at Rock Hills High School in Frisco, Texas, where he broke out as a sophomore after throwing 1,527 yards and nine touchdowns with 657 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He was named District 5A-6A Newcomer of the Year. Carl Albert's Kevin Sperry rushes during the high school football game between Carl Albert Coweta at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla., Friday, Aug., 25, 2023. SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK He then moved to Oklahoma as a junior and played for Carl Albert High School, where he led the Titans to a 14-0 record and a state title. He recorded 42 touchdowns in one season before returning to Texas, where he played senior year at Guyton High School in Denton. Advertisement Already a highly touted prospect who was being recruited by teams like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Baylor, and a few others, Sperry stepped in right away as a leader for Guyer even though his school coach, Reed Heim, didn't attend to that when he enrolled late in the spring. Heim believed his work ethic spoke louder than his production and was not surprised by how Sperry adjusted to FSU's offense quickly than usual. "One of the things that I was really impressed with was that I didn't really want to put him in a leadership role at the beginning because most of the time, you have somebody that moved as a senior," Heim told the Tallahassee Democrat. "I think sometimes that's a hard space to be in to try to be a leader, and the only way that you can do that is if you're the type of quality character, person, and guy who works at the level that he works." Advertisement At first, Sperry was an OU commit, but consistent offensive coordinator changes led him to look at other options. When FSU came into the picture, he took it as an opportunity to play an offense that fit his skillset while hoping to be the next QB to bring the Seminoles back to playoff contention, like the 2023 season. Guyer quarterback Kevin Sperry (9) leaps over Southlake Carroll defensive back William Chen (9) during their game at DATCU Stadium on a rainy Saturday, December 7, 2024, in Denton, Texas. Al Key Photo "He saw how important the quarterback position was to Mike Norvell, and he was like, 'hey, if you get the right guy in there, that the team has shown that in his style and his program, when those pieces are in place, can be very, very good,'" Heim said. "I think he looked at himself like, 'hey, they took a big hit when they lost a great quarterback, and I can go, I can go in and be that guy, and I can get him back to, you know, where they're at top three in the country. '" Advertisement More: FSU football's Mike Norvell wanted more intensity from his team: They delivered Kevin Sperry's approach is what was promised to Mike Norvell FSU football's Kevin Sperry talks spring practice development What Sperry has been doing on the field is not unusual. Even as a freshman playing behind two veteran QBs, Tommy Castellanos and Brock Glenn, the freshman was expected to make his mark immediately, hoping that FSU would see a future in the Texas native. It was a promise he made to Norvell before signing with FSU. "I really just approached it with just getting better each day and competing against myself," Sperry said. "I promise Coach (Mike) Norvell my best every day and just being myself so that's what I bring every day, but I feel like the whole offense has gotten better each day. I feel like we're all improving each week and each practice." Advertisement Outside of adjusting to the speed of the game and making presnap reads against Tony White's 3-3-5 defense, nothing came as a surprise for Sperry. "The speed of the games obviously a little faster and then the defense is just disguising coverages a little bit better and blitzes is a little bit better," Sperry said. "So just getting with coach Tony Tokarz and Coach Malzahn and seeing those things on film has really helped me a lot." Sperry's mobility to extend plays with his legs and his willingness to make deep-ball throws downfield make the 6-foot-1, 212-pound freshman a fit in Malzahn's offense. Advertisement Sperry credited Malzahn with simplifying the offense so he could understand it and execute. But, of course, it's still easier said than done. "It's not a super simple offense," Malzahn said. "I don't think any college offense is super simple, but the coaches make it a lot simpler for us by explaining everything and showing stuff on film." 'I think he brings a lot of maturity, a lot of leadership obviously, to the quarterback room, but the whole offense," Sperry said. Sperry is also embracing the mental reps while learning behind Castellanos. He has been observing how the Boston College transfer has handled himself as a team leader and hopes he will do the same when he earns that right. Advertisement "So just listening to him, how he talks to the receivers, how he talks to the O-line, and how he communicates plays has been great for me," Sperry said. "Just learning that I'm able to do that when I go on the field.' More: FSU football's Deante McCray: New school, new number, same old goal - domination on D-line Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@ or on X @_Da_pistol. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's Kevin Sperry has been impressive throughout spring. Here's why
