The Southsider Voice - Top Stories

SUBMITTED PHOTO Beech Grove’s all-time No. 2 girls basketball scorer, Cameron Cardenas, second from left, accepts awards for her Hornets’ career with, assistant coaches Gary Raker, left, and Emily Ringham and head coach Kristen Raker, right. Cardenas’ North-South jersey and plaque are on display in the athletics lobby.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Cameron Cardenas, the No. 2 scorer in school history, returned to Beech Grove High School where she was honored earlier this month with the retirement of her North-South All-Star jersey. Cardenas, a freshman at Marian University, also received a plaque listing her accomplishments as a four-year Hornets girls basketball standout.

The 5-10 player scored 1,709 points, second only to 2003 Miss Indiana Basketball Katie Gearlds, her coach at Marian. Cardenas averaged 23 points per game during her senior year and 19 points for her career. She ranks third in all-time Hornet steals (403) and assists (307).

During the presentation ceremony, Beech Grove coach Kristen Raker said, “She brought back a passion for the game that had been missing. Cameron was the ultimate team player… She put Beech Grove girls’ basketball back on the map.”

Cardenas has played in 19 games this season for the Knights. She is an elementary education major. During her senior year in high school, she served as a cadet teacher with coach Raker. Her North-South All-Star jersey is part of a display in the high school’s athletics lobby along with Gearlds’ Indiana All-Star jersey and memorabilia.

The lobby also features Gary Raker who played at Beech Grove and was an Indiana All-Star. He is the father of coach Raker. Cardenas was a four-time Indiana Crossroads all-conference team selection. She was a two-time IHSAA state finals qualifier in the 200-meter dash as a freshman and sophomore before she focused solely on basketball.

She was a four-year honor roll student at Beech Grove and a National Honor Society inductee. At Marian, she has played in 19 games for the Knights with former Hornet teammate Katie Giller.

Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside (FIDO) members are urging pet owners to take additional precautions to protect their pets from severe winter weather. The organization pointed out that it is a violation of a city-county ordinance to leave a dog outside when the temperature is below 20 degrees or during a windchill warning.

Under those conditions, dogs must be brought inside the house or a temperature-controlled building that is maintained between 40 to 80 degrees. Dogs require adequate shelter and drinkable water whenever they are kept outdoors and need extra food in cold weather. Domesticated pets, especially shorthaired breeds, do not have the same protection against the brutal cold and wind as wild animals, and require proper shelter whenever they are outside.

During the winter, a dog house is crucial to keep a dog dry and help maintain body heat. The house should only be large enough for him to turn around inside and should be half-filled with dry straw for bedding and insulation. Face the opening to the south and install heavy plastic or cloth strips over the door to keep the wind outside and body heat inside.

FIDO is providing training crates to enable residents to bring their dogs inside during extreme weather by calling 317-2211314. To report an animal in immediate danger, call the Mayor's Action Line at 317-3274622.

Rachel Loobie transforms into team leader

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY NATHAN PACE FC’s Rachel Loobie (11), then a freshman, blocks Martinsville’s Kayana Traylor (23) in the 2017 sectional title game at New Palestine. Traylor, a 2018 Indiana All-Star, is a freshman at Purdue University.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Junior standout Rachel Loobie of Franklin Central is receiving offers to play college basketball but is involved in school media, church activities and other sports

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Loobie family, Caleb (18), Patrick, Susan, and Rachel (16) attending a wedding in Trinidad, where Patrick is from.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Rachel, at age 9, at an Indy Girls Hoops League event with her dad, Patrick Loobie.

Rachel on first day of school her junior year

By Nathan Pace
Online Editor

One of the highly recruited players in the Indy area has her focus on more than basketball. Franklin Central junior Rachel Loobie is passionate about her future career, too. She can be heard on the school’s radio station, WRFT, and seen on the school’s television broadcast, FCTV.

“I go on once a week,” Loobie said on WRFT. “It’s basically practice for journalism.”

Her future choices of colleges with well-known journalism/media and athletic programs that have offered her scholarships include Ball State, Toledo, Kent State and Xavier. While playing high school and club basketball and volleyball is tough, Loobie finds time for everything.

“Just prioritize things, what is more important, give time to that and a little less time to the things that are not as important,” Loobie said.

Her freshman and sophomore seasons were a bit frustrating after missing most of last year due to injury. As a junior, the six-foot basketball player is working with an inexperienced squad with a 2-17 record prior to press on Jan. 22. Her mom, Susan, has seen her daughter grow and mature through adversity and stays positive with her teammates.

“She continues to say, ‘I have to include my team,’” Susan said. “Some of the lessons you have learned about team you can’t learn about without going through this sort of thing. That takes a mature attitude to see that.”

Rachel has helped her mom at work, One Mission Society, in Greenwood to have a school supply drive at FCHS for a school in Kenya. While she is proud of her daughter for her basketball success, her academic success is another trait she admires.

“People have overlooked her academic ability because of her basketball success,” Susan said. “She scored very high on her PSAT and she is getting letters from colleges about her academics.”

Franklin Central has had a difficult schedule with its first year in the rugged Hoosier Crossroads Conference and under a new coach. First-year Flashes coach Vince Cerbone is optimistic the tough schedule will help the Flashes achieve in sectionals that start in less than two weeks.

“I really believe that we are one of the top three or four schedules in the state and having lost seven or eight of our top nine players from last year that’s a tough feat,” Cerbone said.

“That puts a lot of pressure on Rachel. She is outstanding; she leads us in scoring, rebounding, block shots and is one of our leaders in assists. She has a balanced game, she can play inside and outside and it’s nice to have her handle the ball for us and be our primary scorer and distributor at times.”

Through 15 games, Loobie has scored 261 of the team’s 573 total points for the season. She also collected 149 rebounds to give her an average double-double of 18.6 points and 10.6 boards a game. Loobie began earning many varsity minutes as a freshman and now her role has changed into team leader.

“When I was a freshman, we had a few really good seniors, so I was a bit nervous coming in,” Loobie said.

“But I really meshed with the team. Now that those seniors are gone, I have grown into more of the leader that they were to me.”

Her teammates recognize her leadership including senior Amelia Magyar, only one of just two seniors on the young FC roster.

“She pretty much carries us,” Magyar said. “It’s not just on the court; it’s in real life, if you need picked up, Rachel’s got you.”

One of her favorite games was winning a sectional semifinal game two years ago against New Palestine, 38-37. The Flashes lost in the sectional final that year, but Loobie hopes to pass that sectional hurdle in her final two seasons.

“New Pal inbounded the ball and missed the lay-up which could have tied the game and we were really happy about that,” Loobie said with a smile. “Our goal always is to succeed in sectionals. Every game we play is to get better and get prepared for that.”

Meanwhile, she is preparing for a possible media career.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY Artist Jeff Thomas, Principal Ruth Hurrle and facilitator/artist Bernadette “Bernie” Price stand in front of the interior of the main entrance at Central Catholic School. Significantly painted on the wall above the entrance are the words, seek, serve, persist, excel, love, also in Spanish for the growing number of Spanish-speaking students.

Central Catholic pre-k students, from left, Emily Mendova, Benito Delgado and Gael Romero-Vidal admire one of two paintings on the old exterior north wall that is an interior wall after completion of two new classrooms and a secure main entrance.

Lesly Tiunajero, Geraldine Acuna and Jose Garcia-Colorado stand in front of one of the new paintings by artists Jeff Thomas and “Bernie” Price in a hallway at Central Catholic.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Central Catholic students can find their favorite color and meaning when they look at two paintings in the newest hallway at the school. Artist Jeff Thomas and facilitator/artist Bernadette “Bernie” Price utilized two panels for colorful artwork that depicts the history and growth of six Southside parishes. Thomas painted a sturdy tree with artistic leaves spread on top.

“I like to show the spiritual side in all my work and show a three-dimensional world,” Thomas said while students checked out the artwork. “Everything we do is geared for the kids. The colors are bright kid colors.”

The paintings are on an interior wall that used to be the exterior north wall at Central Catholic before expansion added two classrooms, a resource room and a secure main entrance. Students can reach and touch the paintings because each one is covered with “graffiti sealer” for enhanced protection. St. Patrick,

Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary are on one painting and St. James, Good Shepherd and St. Catherine on the other painting. Central Catholic serves students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten through 8th grade.

“The idea to paint trees shows the strength of the schools,” Thomas said. “The letters spelling out each school hang vertically from the tree.’ Students, parents and patrons first see five words (seek, serve, persist, excel, love) also in Spanish above the doorway inside the main entrance.

The cornerstone of the school, originally St. James, built in 1952 is preserved in the lower corner of the new hallway.

“This is better than we ever hoped for,” school principal Ruth Hurrle said. ‘We wanted to bring art and color into the new space and tie our heritage into the existing school.”

The new addition opened Nov. 16. Thomas and Price began planning the artwork immediately the next day.

“We couldn’t wait for the builders to put their hammers away, so we could get started,” remarked Price, who serves as CYO girls athletic director. A hallway across from the main office features a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe adorned with red roses that has drawn praise from parents who enter the school.

Thomas, who lives in Greenwood, began his artistic career in 2001 as a sculptor but began painting in 2013 which has led to doing several murals throughout central Indiana. Thomas and Price turned their first wall into a mural in 2017 at Santorini Greek Kitchen in Fountain Square.

Since then, their artwork adorns the main entrance of the Biltwell Event Center on the near-westside, murals at Holy Spirit Catholic School and Spalding Jewelry in Beech Grove, Manor House Antique Mall, and four murals, “The Hills of Framosa,” in the dining hall of the CYO camp in Brown County.

The mural at Holy Spirit features stars and the moon on each side of a statue of the Virgin Mary. During the upcoming spring break, Fisher and Price will return to Central Catholic to paint an exterior wall mural. A permanent display of the artwork of Thomas and Price is at the Biltwell Event Center, 950 S. White River Parkway W. Drive.

By Dr. Sarah Stelzner

Eskenazi Health pediatrician

Throughout the country this winter season we’re seeing a dramatic uptick in the number of norovirus cases. Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus from an infected person by consuming contaminated food or water, and by touching contaminated surfaces then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth.

The virus spreads very easily and quickly from infected people to others, so an increase in norovirus cases is never a surprise. The peak season for norovirus is often from November to April. The average incubation period for norovirus-associated stomach upset is 12 to 48 hours and symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus causes a person’s stomach or intestines to become inflamed and is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis – stomach upset – in the U.S., making approximately 20 million people sick in the U.S. each year.

To protect yourself and others from contracting norovirus, you’ll want to wash your hands often. It takes a rigorous scrubbing with very hot water to kill it. Alcoholbased hand sanitizers do not kill the virus. You’ll also want to rinse fruits and vegetables before serving them, cook shellfish thoroughly, stay home when sick for at least two days after symptoms dissipate, and avoid preparing food for others when sick and for two days after symptoms stop.

Even at room temperature, norovirus may persist on surfaces for several days. The CDC suggests using bleach to kill it, including chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Because it is so hard to get rid of norovirus on hands and surfaces, it is the most common cause of food borne illness.

There is no treatment for norovirus, so doing all you can to prevent it is important. While riding it out it’s best to take small frequent sips of liquids such as water, Pedialyte mixed with juice or watered down Gatorade to avoid dehydration from diarrhea and throwing up. Eating bland complex carbohydrates such as rice or noodles can help slow down the diarrhea. Most people get better within one to three days.

If you are in need of a pediatrician for your child or a primary care physician for yourself or anyone else, please call 317-880- 7666 or visit www.eskenazihealth.edu/doctors.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Zoe McGrath and Sarah Clark-Carson (third and fourth from left, respectively) took top honors in the fourth annual chili cook-off hosted Feb. 1 by the Kiwanis Club of Perry Township. Peggy Bryson (left) placed third and Joe Leavell, second. “Many thanks to our talented chefs who participated,” club president Les Branham said. “Thanks also to local businesses that sponsored ads on our place mats and donated items for the cook-off and for our silent auction, which supports Riley Hospital for Children.”

Greenwood Christian Academy sectional champs

GCA’s leading scorers Izzy Reed (left), Alexis Mead and Savannah Frye raise the sectional trophy while teammates celebrate. It was the first sectional title in program history.

Alexis Mead (left) is embraced by sophomore Savannah Frye after a basket in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win.

Freshman Elizabeth Bigelow cuts down a piece of net.

Coach Alan Weems cuts down a piece of net as it is the first time in his seven seasons at GCA the Cougars are sectional champs.

Greenwood Christian Academy’s players pumps it up Saturday as the Cougars open up a big lead against Tindley in the sectional title game. The players are (from left) Katie Potter, Dorothy O’ Dell, Kirsten Carlson and Alayna Boyer.

By Nathan Pace
Online editor

The wait is over for Greenwood Christian Academy as the girl’s basketball team won its first-ever sectional championship Saturday. The Cougars avenged a sectional title defeat last season to the Tigers of Tindley with a 74-43 win. “What it means is that these 12 kids have worked really hard all year and they have achieved something that has not been achieved before,” GCA coach Alan Weems said.

GCA went to work early against Tindley, leading 27-7 after the first quarter. The 20-point margin held at halftime 36-16 and the Cougars controlled the game after the third quarter 59-21. Sophomore Savannah Frye led the way with a team-high 23 points. Junior Alexis Mead was right behind with 20 as was sophomore Izzy Reed with 17.

“We played Tindley a few weeks ago and they are a very, very good team,” Mead said. “We knew what we were up against and were prepared for it. We worked very hard, worked together and we accomplished our goal.”

GCA is a young school compared to many other basketball programs in the state starting in 2003 and playing its first sectional game in 2007. Since then the Cougars have reached the sectional championship game three times but fell in those occasions. The most recent was last season at home to Tindley 83-53 in an emotional game at GCA.

“This team has so much intensity about it and doesn’t like to lose,” Weems said. “The Tindley team wasn’t the same as last years and we knew that but to come out and dominate like we did that is a great, great victory.”

The Cougars came into the sectional 13-10 with over half its season played against schools in larger classes. Hosting the sectional for a second straight year the Cougars demolished underdog opponents Central Christian (92-10) and Christel House Academy (101-23). In total, Greenwood Christian outscored its sectional competition 267-76.

“When you look at our record it is a little misleading, we played a difficult schedule,” Weems said. “That last week prepared them for this week.”

The Cougars do not have any seniors on their roster making their future appear very bright as well. Greenwood Christian will take on North Central (Farmersburg) at 10 a.m. Saturday at Southwestern High School in Shelby County. If the Cougars win they will play for a regional title Saturday night.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY NATHAN PACE Greenwood Christian Academy celebrates its first-ever girls basketball sectional championship Saturday after defeating Tindley, 83-53 on the Cougars’ court. Team members are (from left) Kirsten Carlson, Alayna Boyer, Sarah Kate Wells, Katie Potter, Isabella Reed, Chloe Grider, Alexis Mead, Dorothy O’Dell, Savannah Frye, Morgan Haynes, Ellie Bigelow, Cameron Northern and Lily Rastenburg.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY NATHAN PACE Center Grove High School alumna Lauren Cochran performs a ballet at the University of Indianapolis dance showcase.

UIndy’s Makenna Zwick, foreground, is the lone senior on the Crimsonettes dance team and also serves as the squad’s president.

By Nathan Pace
Online Editor

Snow and cold temps couldn’t keep the UIndy dance team, the Crimsonettes from its annual showcase on the University of Indianapolis campus.

“This was our 6th annual Showcase, and it’s really a unique experience for the dancers to be able to showcase their various talents in routines that we typically wouldn’t execute on a game day,” coach Carlee Green said. “We have a wide variety of talent on the team, and it’s really cool to be able to see the dancers show off their individual skills.”

The Crimsonettes had just one senior on the team this year, but it didn’t stop them from competing in nationals and scoring the highest in program history at the event. The showcase featured a wide variety of dances, including tap and ballet. A special dance featured UIndy dance team alumni and a celebration with family members. A silent auction also was conducted to raise funds.

“My favorite part about showcase is seeing all of the alumni who come back to help with the event and being able to meet family members of the current girls who don’t always get to come to games,” Green said. “It’s a fun day filled with supporters of our program.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Former and present Cubmasters of Pack 564 return for 50th anniversary banquet, from left, kneeling, Keith Zapp, Gunnar Wolff, Tony Lang, Debbie Zimmerman, Steve Battiato, Jeff Bostock, Ryan Schnarr, Mike McCoy, standing, Joseph Acker, Gerald Doyle, Richard Steininger, Bob Littrell, Steve Miller, Joseph Strauch, Jim Parton, Andy Green, Gerard McCarry, Craig Blandford and Scott Servies; not pictured, Brian Shaw.

Webelo I Cub Scouts, from left, Joey McCoy, Axel Gardner and Mark Browning enjoy the special banquet activities.

Cub Scout Pack 564 celebrated its 50th anniversary during its annual blue-and gold banquet Friday at St. Barnabus Catholic Church. The pack was formed in 1969 by J. Edward Staab, the first of 29 Cubmasters. Former Cubmaster Joseph Aker (1979-1980) spoke about Cub Scouts in the late ‘70s, citing the same values in scouting exist today. During after-dinner ceremonies, five Webelo II Cub Scouts crossed into Boy Scout Troop 564. Thirty-five boys are members of Cub Scout Pack 564.

Current Cubmaster Bryan Schnarr and several previous Cubmasters were honored for their volunteerism in scouting and providing leadership for young Cub Scouts. The pack is open to boys and girls from kindergarten to 5th grade. St. Barnabas Church, 8300 Rahke Road, is the long-time home of the pack.

Webelo II Cub Scouts, from left, Owen Bostock, Jacob Madden, John Haworth, Andrew Woodruff and Drew Taylor advanced into Boy Scout Troop 564 in a special ceremony. They are with den leader Jeff Bostock and assistant leader Erich Hoch.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY AL STILLEY A portion of the crowd at the last meeting with a school transition task force for input to save Emmerich Manual High School and Emma Donnan Miiddle School was held Feb. 12 at the middle school.

By Al Stilley
Editor

Letters of intent to file charter applications on behalf of Emmerich Manual and T.C. Howe high schools and Emma Donnan Middle School have been submitted to the Indiana Charter School Board. The action was revealed at the Feb. 12 public meeting of the school transition task force with State Board of Education (SBOE) facilitator Charles Schlegel in front of more than 150 Southsiders, including scores of Manual alumni, at Emma Donnan Middle School.

The official letters are a key step in attempting to save the schools before June 2020 when the state’s contract expires with Charter Schools USA (CSUSA). It continues the desired path by survey respondents and the task force. ReThink Forward is the applicant through the existing Nobel Education Initiative that would replicate the current and proven school models.

The letters of intent set in motion the following timeline: March 4 – Three full applications to be submitted to ICSB. March 6 – School transition task force makes its recommendation to SBOE at public meeting, 9 a.m., Indiana Government Center South, auditorium, 302 W. Washington St. March 11 – Public comment period opens on charter applications to ICSB. April 15 – ICSB staff interviews with applicants to determine capacity to implement the proposed plan effectively. April 22 – Earliest that public hearings could be held with representatives of ICSB and board members. May 1 – Public comment period ends. May 14 – Earliest date that ICSB could act; date subject to change.

The seven-member task force met privately Tuesday to finalize its recommendation to the SBOE for the three turnaround schools to operate as full charter schools. In an ongoing survey to guide the task force, 62 percent of respondents wanted CSUSA to continue operating the schools.

It would appear to be the only option available because the Indianapolis Public Schools board adopted a plan that would close Manual and Howe, even if they are no longer “failing” schools. Manual and Emma Donnan each have a “C.” Emma Donnan Middle School (grades 7-8) is operated by CSUSA, but the elementary school, K-6, operates with an innovation agreement with IPS and CSUSA that is up for renewal this fall. Manual principal Misty Ndiritu and Emma Donnan principal Michael Dunagan assured Southsiders last week that existing academic and most extra-curricular programs would continue as traditional charter schools.

Ndiritu announced that Manual would expand college-credit courses for high school students, JROTC and athletic programs would be retained. She expressed pride that graduates from the last two classes have received $1 million in scholarships. Ndiritu emphasized that the valued relationship with the community, especially Manual alumni, would become more essential.

“We are bound for Manual,” said Dunagan of the relationship with the high school. “We will continue to encourage our students to attend Manual. We have enjoyed some of the highest growth (academics) across Indianapolis.” Based on a projected enrollment of 700 students in 2020-2021, Manual would receive about 12 percent less in funds.

Dunagan emphasized that some loss of funds could be partially replaced through competitive federal or state grants or private foundations. IPS currently maintains the buildings and grounds; if a charter were granted, state law requires that IPS allow CSUSA to use the facility for $1. However, IPS has the option to sell or lease the facility.

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SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY AL STILLEY School transition task force parent representative Jessi Chrisentary, right, discusses full charter school potential for Manual High School and Emma Donnan Middle School with Ray Brunnemer during the final Southside meeting at the middle school earlier this month.

By Al Stilley
Editor

Ask lifelong Southside resident Jessi Chrisentary what is at stake in state board decisions about the fate of Emmerich Manual High School and Emma Donnan Middle School and she has a meaningful one-word reply: “Everything.” Her husband Antonio works at Emma Donnan as a campus monitor, and she is an instructional aide at Emma Donnan Elementary School.

Their eldest daughter Jazmine is a 2018 Manual graduate and is a freshman at Indiana State University. Daughter Jaden is a sophomore at Manual with sons Antonio in 6th grade and Anthony in 8th grade at EDMS.

“As a parent, I am pushing for our kids’ education to be top of the line,” she said. “And if they are here, they are going to get top of the line.” They also are part of a school on the rise at Emma Donnan, a middle school that has risen from an “F” grade to a “C” grade and an elementary school that is an innovative structured school with an “A” grade. And Manual has advanced from an “F” to an “A.”

The accomplishments at the schools have taken place since 2011 when the State Board of Education took over the schools and selected Charter Schools USA as the turnaround school operators. The pact with CSUSA and the state ends in June 2020. Emma Donnan Elementary is a joint CSUSA-IPS operation with talks to renew coming this fall. Jessi not only is a parent and an EDES employee, but she is the parent representative on the SBOE seven-member school transition task force that is scheduled to make its recommendation March 6 to the board, affecting an estimated 1,800 students.

The task force includes representatives of CSUSA, IPS, SBOE, the community and staff. Since October 2018, they have conducted meetings designed for maximum public input with SBOE facilitator Charles Schlegel on the Southside and Eastside because T.C. Howe high School also was among the “failing” schools in 2011. Jessi’s role has been to listen and communicate with attendees and help develop a consensus with task force members.

“Definitely, I feel like an insider,” she said. “This has kept me abreast of what’s going on, the options that are in front of us, and what may take place in the future. Everyone has been very open and honest.” She emphasized that input from the school communities is supportive of CSUSA taking over the schools as traditional charters.

“CSUSA definitely would like to take over,” she remarked. “They have raised two schools (Manual and Emma Donnan) two grades. And IPS has said if it goes back to them, they are not going to operate them.”

EDES is somewhat different because grades K-6 on the first floor of the school are operated under an innovative agreement between IPS and CSUSA for nearly 300 students. Grades 7-8 on the second floor are operated under CSUSA. In 2017, the IPS board approved plans that it would not take back the schools even if they achieved a passing grade from the SBOE. Looking at the last 12 years at Emma Donnan, Jessi said, “Everything seems less chaotic and more under control; and when that happens, all students can learn better. I have seen it come from the pits to rising. And that’s impressive.”

She believes the task force will recommend the best options for the schools and hopes that all stakeholders involved with Manual, Emma Donnan and Howe are supportive of the process ahead.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY The 50th anniversary celebration of E.M. Company in Southport featured, from left, company vicepresident Patrick Schaub, president Paul Schaub, co-founders Peggy and Greg Schaub, Southport Mayor Russell McClure and Southport Police Chief Thomas Vaughn. The celebration Friday included proclamations from the cities of Southport and Indianapolis.

E.M. Company co-founder Greg Schaub, right, shows original company payroll, project and photo books to Southport Clerk-treasurer Diana Bossingham, left, and Jane Vaughn during the Southport company’s 50th anniversary celebration Friday.

By Al Stilley
Editor

It’s no secret how E.M. Company in Southport has grown from a humble beginning 50 years ago into a multi-million dollar business at the same location in Southport. “We are a work family,” co-owner Greg Schaub said. “We’re also different. Personal service is our biggest asset; the only reason we have been here for 50 years is because of customers and the service our employees provide them.”

Their sons Paul (president) and Patrick (vice president) add to the family’s legacy as well as extended family. They grew up at E.M. “I don’t want to know any different (job) than working here,” Paul Schaub said. “I love everybody who falls into this great family environment.”

Greg Schaub and wife Peggy purchased the company in April 1985 from Rocky Rockwell, who founded the commercial electrical and mechanical company on Feb. 24, 1969. He had worked for the firm since May 1973 and was named as director of operations in 1983. The company did $432,00 of business in its first year under the Schaub’s ownership.

Today, E.M. Company is a multi-faceted business that offers commercial electrical, mechanical, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, kitchen equipment, refrigeration, controls, and structured cabling plus bucket truck, emergency and professional design/build services.

E.M. also has CAD services and project management from start to finish. Also starting with a handful of employees, E.M. has grown to 55 employees with an astounding 592 years of service. The loyalty of its employees and business customers is unheard of throughout the very competitive mechanical and electrical service industry.

“We work in Southport,” Greg said proudly. “Our six blocks here on Southport Road have always been important.”

So it was that Friday, the Schaubs gathered employees and longtime business clients to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The company was honored with proclamations from the mayors of Southport and Indianapolis for its success not only in a service industry but for its support of community churches, Little Leagues, and civic events. Several artifacts were on display for employees and guests to look through: E.M.’s first payroll books, first clients and jobs books and photo books of several job locations, including Burger Chef, now Hardee’s, where E.M. built or serviced its 82 sites from 1969 through 1971.

Southport Mayor Russell McClure and Southport Police Chief Thomas Vaughn were among special guests. Greg Schaub acknowledged several longtime clients, including Townsend Business Forms for 43 years, Hook’s Drugs/CVS for 38 years and Burger Chef/Hardee’s for five decades. Among their latest projects are improved lighting for the Colts training complex, multiple installations at Market District/Giant Eagle in Carmel, HVAC at Robin Run Village, and chiller system at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse plus Fresh Thyme on the Southside, Kroger’s and Home Depot.

“I’m proud and humbled,” Greg said in front of employees and guests Friday. While tearing up, he added, “Awesome … you understand what it means for service.” And that explains why the company’s motto is: “The Symbol of Service since 1969.” For complete company info, visit: www.em-company.com.

A nice dinner was provided for the staff and guests.

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Mary Bryan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) celebrated its 40th anniversary with state leaders at a luncheon at Logan’s Roadhouse in Greenwood earlier this year. Special guests are, from left, seated, Carolyn Johnston, state regent Charlotte Blair, chapter regent Carolyn Ferraro, honorary state regent JoAn Nichols, chapter vice regent Lathena Vogel and chapter corresponding secretary Cathy Pollachek; back row, standing, chapter members, recording secretary Jackie Finney, Lindy Smith, treasurer Pam Clements, Mary Sullivan, registrar Vicki Kurtz, Barbara Teepe, Sharon LaMon, chaplain Vicki Jordal, Mary Ann Polk, Sandy Baughn and Christine Kroll. Also attending were five visiting chapter regents and prospective members. The DAR is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person who was involved in the American Revolutionary War. It is a non-profit group that promotes historic preservation, education and patriotism. The Mary Bryan Chapter has been involved in the Greenwood community since 1979.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY Beech Grove basketball coach Mike Renfro receives a big hug from Angela English, widow of former coach Matt English who died of cancer in December, after the Hornets won the Danville sectional Saturday night. It was the fourth sectional title for the boys’ basketball program.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY Angela English is the first to cut down a piece of net Saturday after Beech Grove’s Danville sectional championship.

Senior Jordan Brickley, who scored a game-high 13 points, cuts on the net after Beech Grove defeated Manual for the Danville sectional title.

Senior Gavin Hess flashes a big smile as he cuts the net after helping to lead Beech Grove to the boys’ basketball sectional title at Danville.

By Al Stilley
Editor

The eulogy for Beech Grove boys’ basketball coach Matt English isn’t over, just not yet. This season’s Hornets added a sectional championship Saturday at Danville to the ongoing honors for their coach with a gritty 48-45 win against Manual. Coach English had never won a sectional championship until now. Coach Mike Renfro, a longtime assistant with English, revealed that he called upon his mentor again Saturday and claimed the program’s first title since 2008.

“I was pacing more than ever today in the lockerroom, and I was talking to him by myself,” Renfro recalled. “I asked him to please help me out a little bit on the sidelines, and I got that help when I needed it.” English’s “presence” kept Renfro calm and focused on the sidelines, especially through the adversity of facing the taller and quicker Redskins from neighboring Manual.

They overcame when senior center Gavin Hess picked up his second foul with 2:41 left in the first quarter and fourth foul late in the fourth quarter. Renfro called upon junior football lineman Josh Fryar to go against Manual’s 6-8 towers Ijazz Abdulmumin and Alabama A&M signee Jalen Johnson. Fryar responded with many valuable minutes.

The Hornets dug deep when trailing 29-21. They surged and closed to 31-30 with Fryar adding a field goal, Jordan Brickley scoring 4 points and Griffin Wade canning a 3. But then, Manual surged to a 36-30 lead to close the quarter, seemingly in command.

Time for the Hornets to overcome again. Renfro called for a fullcourt press in the last quarter. Unexplainable events began happening right away. Manual twice turned the ball over and twice missed the front end of 1-and-1 free throws. Capping an 8-0 run, Hess hit two free throws and scored a layup on a feed from Parker for a lead that the Hornets never relinquished.

With 34 seconds left, a Manual player had a free run for a layup but inexplicably lost control of the ball.

“Coach English was here tonight; I felt it from the beginning,” Angela English, the coach’s widow, said. “This is a hard place to play, but they never let down. To win, you have to keep on fighting.” Angela, appropriately, was the first Hornet to cut down a piece of the net. She also held the title trophy fittingly with Hornets’ seniors Brickley, Hess, Wade, John Parker, and Romeo Echols.

Hess said, “The crowd, the whole community was into the game. Once we got into a run and that adrenaline, we just weren’t going to be stopped… this was really for him (English) and for all of us after everything we’ve gone through.”

The post-game celebration peaked emotionally when former players of coach English gathered with this year’s championship team for a treasured photo on the Danville court. This is Beech Grove’s first sectional title since 2008 and fourth overall.

English died in early December after a courageous battle against brain cancer. He left his players with words to remember: “We B4 me,” “The journey begins here,” and “I’ll ride the wave where it takes me.”

The Hornets continue to live by his words, especially riding that wave. Especially riding that wave to the first game of the Greencastle regional against the host TigerCubs (21-4) at 10 a.m. The winner faces the Crispus Attucks-Owen Valley winner in the title duel at 8 p.m. Manual finished (16-9), having lost previously at Beech Grove in the first game since coach English’s funeral.

“Our kids played hard; I couldn’t have asked any more of them,” Manual coach Donnie Bowling said after the sectional finale. “We wanted to keep our season going. The big goal in general is to get them into college and go on to achieve bigger things.”

The Redskins were led by Caleb Redman with 12 points. Johnson scored 10 points and a gamehigh 12 rebounds. They had nine seniors.

Beech Grove’s boys’ basketball team celebrates its Danville sectional championship Saturday after defeating Southside rival Manual 48-45 for the program’s first sectional trophy since 2008. Team members are, from left, asst. coach Ronnie Dietz, athletic trainer Carl Palma, asst. coach Jason Hess, coach Mike Renfro and far right, asst. coach Tommy Pich. Athletic director Garret Daniel and asst. coach Tyler Gentry are in the back row. The Hornets are, not in order, Jordan Brickley (3), Isaac Stennett (4), John Parker (5), Josh Copenhaver (10), Vincent Pich (11), Keyonni Johnson (12), Griffin Wade (20), Jujuan Allison (21), Romeo Echols (22), Gavin Mitchell (23), Jadyn Curry (30), Gavin Hess (31) Kaleb Arsenault (32) and Josh Fryar (40).

SUBMITTED PHOTO Katie Minton, right, is the valedictorian of the Class of 2019 at Roncalli High School, and Amanda Blankenberger is the salutatorian. Minton is a Nativity graduate and daughter of Teresa and Andy Minton. Blankenberger is an Our Lady of the Greenwood graduate and daughter of Martha and Terry Blankenberger.

Perry Township School Mentors Guide to a Bright Future

Anthony Rains

SUBMITTED PHOTO Anthony Rains with his late father.

By Tabatha Fitzgerald
Southsider Voice intern

Sometimes, life isn’t easy. Sometimes, it’s hard to find a way out. Sometimes, home doesn’t feel like home. One Southport High School sophomore knows this better than anyone. They lost everything. When he was only 6, his parents got divorced. He then lived with his grandmother and father but had to sleep on the floor.

His father died when he was only 12. After that, he lived with his mother, but she had started doing drugs again. That would have been sophomore Anthony Rains’ continued reality if it weren’t for one of his middle school teachers and one fateful afternoon in the 8th grade.

“I would have done what it would have taken to get him out of that situation,” Rains’ 8th-grade English teacher Natasha Bynum said, thinking back on Rains’ life at that time. Bynum had Rains for English. There came a point, if Rains did not have transportation to Southport Middle School (SMS), he would have to switch schools. Bynum did not want to lose him as a student, so she worked with SMS guidance counselor Forrest Miller to make it possible for her to take him back and forth from school.

The more time Bynum spent with Rains taking him to and from school, the more she felt like he was a part of her family.

“Anthony has a very special place in my heart,” Bynum said. One afternoon during the car ride home, Child Protective Services (CPS) was called due to an incident at Rains’ mother’s house. CPS arrived shortly after the call and placed Rains into a foster home with a couple he had previously met. He has been with the same foster family ever since that day and plans to be adopted this month by the same couple.

“That’s what (my foster family has) been working towards the whole time,” Rains said. “It’s a long process.” Before he started talking to Bynum and before he was placed with his foster parents, Rains needed someone to talk to, someone to help him do better, and he says Miller just happened to be that person. Rains approached Miller first and asked for help. He continued to talk to Miller and started to look up to him as a father figure.

To this day, they continue to talk and meet at least once a week, according to Miller. “To somebody on the outside, it probably would look like a mentoring role,” Miller said. “To Anthony, I would say it looks more like a father-figure role.”

Assistant principal Andrew Ashcraft originally worked at SMS but then transitioned to the high school. Ashcraft first met Rains at the middle school but doesn’t feel that had a great impact on him until high school. Ashcraft feels as if he is just one of Rains’ “guardrails.”

A person’s guardrail, as Ashcraft describes, is someone who helps keep them on the right track. Ashcraft has Rains’ father’s death date marked on his calendar so that he can make sure to talk to him on that day. Rains created a presentation that he shares with freshmen about his struggles and how he has overcome them. Ashcraft had the chance to sit in on one of these and says that Rains’ presentation allowed students to open up about their own personal struggles.

“I think that so many of our students don’t know that they’re in the same spot,” Ashcraft said. “Different mud, same spot.” Rains is currently trying to improve his grades and his behavior. He plans to go to college and one day become a barber. (Note: Tabatha Fitzgerald is a reporter for The Journal Rewired, Southhport High school.)

(SUBMITTED PHOTO) Kevin Banich, left, and Zachary Mayer captured the 15th annual Roncalli High School badminton tourney and the first prize of $50. The duo defeated Thang Robert and Ha Tam. Below, with a unique prize of gold and silver plungers, the loser’s bracket championship was taken by, Micah Moran, left, and Daniel O’Connor who defeated Johnny Roeder and Patrick Meek.

(SUBMITTED PHOTOS) This was the cornerstone that was placed on July 16, 1913, and a time capsule was inside of it.

Sr. Jane Marie reads a newspaper headline announcing the cost of St. Francis Hospital to be $200,000. “My, that sounds like quite a bargain to me when you think about the price to build a hospital these days!”

From left, Sr. Marcene Franz, Sr. Jane Marie, Klein, Sr. Petra Nielsen, and Sr. Margaret Mary Mitchel examine the contents of the 106-year-old container.

Prayer cards and remnants of a palm leaf.

Among the contents were the Biennial report from St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette, two dimes and a once-cent piece.

By Joe Stuteville
Franciscan Health

The year 1913 was filled with history. Suffragettes were marching in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, demanding the right to vote. Also, newly elected President Woodrow Wilson tackled tariff and trade woes, the 16th Amendment was ratified empowering Congress to levy a federal income tax, Harvard’s football team went 9-0 to win the NCAA title and Henry Ford jumpstarts the first moving assembly line. That same year became most historic in the fledgling town of Beech Grove.

The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration were leading the charge to build a hospital to serve the needy and sick. The pivotal moment in construction came on July 16 when the cornerstone was placed. Archdiocese Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Chartrand gave the blessing with community leaders in attendance. A copper container, roughly the size of a shoe box, was carefully placed into a 500-pound slab of Hoosier limestone. Then it was permanently sealed, bearing on its outside the words: “St. Francis Hospital 1913 A.D.”

Moving forward to 2019 in the administrative boardroom at Franciscan Health, president and CEO James Callaghan invited the group in attendance to travel back in time, nearly 106 years ago. Their curiosity peaked with a somewhat greenish and tarnished box on a nearby table. Sister Jane Marie Klein, chair of the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees, was joined by her fellow Sisters as she said, “Well, let’s see what we have in here, shall we?”

The Sisters gently removed each item one at a time, revealing artifacts that had been placed inside the box in 1913. The uncovered items included a tightly wound proclamation written in Latin, a not-so-shiny penny, a 1905 dime, a Biennial report from St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette, a prayer card bearing the title “Prayer to St. Anthony for the Things Lost or Stolen,” and other handwritten notes and petitions.

There was a remnant of a palm leaf, presumably from the previous Palm Sunday of that year plus a small intricately carved crucifix, a document written in German, and a back page of a local newspaper with ads for $3 partial dental plates, Borden’s Malted Milk, and Coca-Cola (“Drink the drink the Nation drinks!”). Page 3 of the July 17 Indianapolis Star carried a story with the headline, “Laying Stone of Beech Grove Hospital.”

It was accompanied by a photograph of Bishop Chartrand, priests and a construction worker during the cornerstone ceremony. The article also listed the price tag for the hospital whose completion was one year away.

Observed Sr. Jane Marie as she read the story’s subhead aloud: “Total cost to be $200,000.” She smiled and said, “My that sounds like quite a bargain to me when you think about the price to build a hospital these days.”

Sadly, progress ensued less than a century later and the St. Francis Hospital inpatient and other clinical operations were closed and moved to an expanded campus at Stop 11 Road and Emerson Avenue. Razing of the original hospital building began in late 2016. During demolition, the time capsule was removed and stored by Tonn and Blank Construction.

The land is grass-covered now with hopes that the land can be developed into another historic cornerstone for Beech Grove and Central Indiana. (Note: Al Stilley, editor, contributed to this article.)

Center Grove grad finishes at Holy Cross College

(PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLY CROSS COLLEGE) Former Center Grove standout Jessica Norris defends against an opponent. Norris completed her four year basketball career at Holy Cross College, South Bend.

Southsider Voice File Photo by NATHAN PACE Norris celebrates with her teammates as Center Grove moved past Franklin Central in a sectional game her senior year in 2015.

SOUTHSIDER VOICE FILE PHOTO by AL STILLEY Norris celebrates a sectional title with teammate Regan Wentland

By Nathan Pace
Online Editor

Arguably the most accurate 3-point shooter to come from the Southside, Jessica Norris just wrapped up her basketball career and is ready to take on her next challenge. Teaching.

“I’m currently student-teaching so I am getting my degree in elementary education,” Norris said. “I am student teaching in a 3rd-grade class right now and loving it.”

It was a career decision that took a little while to make but the former Center Grove basketball standout felt comfortable with her first class. “I took a business class my freshman year at Holy Cross and learned that day, business is not for me,” the studentathlete recalled. “The first day I had an education class, I was like ‘Yep, this is what I am supposed to do.’”

Norris is best known for her 3-point shot while on the varsity girls’ basketball team at Center Grove. It was a skill that was so prominent that in 2015 Norris won a fan vote to compete in the High School Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships.

“Everyone in the Center Grove community really rallied around me. Everyone was so involved,” Norris said about the fan vote. “I had all my friends voting so it was a really cool thing.” I tied for third or fourth. There were eight people from all over the nation and most of them were all-Americans. So I was kind of the outcast because I was the only one that wasn’t a big Division I star.”

While at Center Grove, Norris hit just under three 3-pointers per game with Division I teammates working inside the lane on offense. Regan Wentland went to Indiana State. Ali Line would play volleyball at Illinois State. Bri Gliesmann would see time at Rose Hulman. The Trojans battled to win sectionals her senior year with a 20-7 record after falling to Franklin Central in the three years prior. Her favorite part though was the friendships she made with her teammates.

“Honestly it was just developing the friendships,” she said. “Most of the people that I played with I still have contact with and still see.”

Norris was under the recruiting radar and didn’t think playing in college was going to happen.

“I was kind of late in the recruiting process. I didn’t start talking to people until halfway through my senior year,” Norris said. “I didn’t do AAU or anything like that and Holy Cross ended up e-mailing my high school coach and wanted me to come on a visit. Most of my family lives up here so I was used to coming to South Bend anyway.”

Holy Cross College at Notre Dame did not have much of a basketball pedigree, but Norris thrived on her college team. Her senior season she averaged almost four 3-pointers a game. The 5’7” guard was second in team scoring at 14.7 points per game and averaged a team-best 4.3 assists to go along with 3.6 rebounds. She is fifth in career scoring at the school and broke Holy Cross records in 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage.

She was named to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference second team this year as Holy Cross had its best season in school history at 16-16. At the end of the regular season, Norris was second overall in made 3-pointers on the NAIA D-II level. It was her favorite season in college as the sharpshooter turned into a team leader.

“I feel like I took on more of a leadership role. We had a lot of young girls on the team so I had more of an opportunity to be a leader. Just making the conference tournament was kind of the biggest thing for me. That was one of my biggest goals this year for our team.”

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