There were no classes held at Hoosier Road Elementary and Fall Creek Intermediate Schools Thursday and Friday because a teacher at each school died Wednesday night tragically.  Classes are set to resume Monday.

Late Friday afternoon, Fishers Police released the Hamilton County Coroner’s ruling that Kristal Sergi, a teacher at Hoosier Road Elementary School, died Wednesday night from a homicide with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.  The death of Frank Sergi, an art teacher at Fall Creek Intermediate, was a suicide with a single gunshot to the head, per the coroner’s report.

This has been a very difficult time for the many people in the Fishers area that knew this couple.  Based on public records, it appears the couple was in the process of going through a divorce.

There were counselors and mental health professionals available at Hoosier Road & Fall Creek Thursday & Friday.

Now, it is time to return to classes.  Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff sent the following message Sunday:

Classes resume Monday, October 29 at Hoosier Road Elementary and Fall Creek Intermediate, and our sympathies go out to the Sergi family and especially to their sons. Our thanks go to the many patrons and neighbors who have extended themselves to support our staffs. Our admiration, confidence, and thanks go out to our staff for their resilience and determination to serve their students in the wake of such tragedy and their own personal grief. As I have said so many times throughout recent days, we have good people coming together to work through this challenge, and they will. To our families and to our students, rest assured that you are in capable, professional, and most of all, loving hands as school starts again. 

Yes, classes resume (Monday) at Hoosier Road Elementary and Fall Creek Intermediate, but throughout all of Hamilton Southeastern Schools, all schools open with a heightened awareness of the fragility of life and the significance of each individual. 

Together, we move forward.

Imagine you are in the town then known as Fishers Station in November, 1881.  There is a huge fight that claims the life of one person and results in 32 injuries.  It made national news at the time, and was called the Battle of Mudsock.

A number of local people have gathered together to recreate the Battle of Mudsock in a live production set for November 10th, 2018.

I spoke with the director of the production Ashton Wolf and David Heighway, Hamilton County historian that consulted on the project.

Hamilton County Reporter

Once again, the Fishers football team has advanced to a sectional championship game.

The Tigers ran their sectional final streak to nine years in a row Friday by beating Pike 33-20 at the Red Devils’ field. Fishers will return home to Reynolds Tigers Stadium next Friday to host North Central in the Class 6A Sectional 5 championship game.

The first quarter was close, ending with Pike ahead 7-6. Matt Noble got Fishers on the board with a three-yard touchdown run; his earlier 54-yard run set up the score. The Red Devils answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Jasen Graves to Lamar Echols.

The Tigers took control in the middle periods, not allowing Pike a point in the second and third quarters. Meanwhile, Fishers scored 20 points of its own: Marcus Roux sent a 35-yard TD pass to Collin Statz, and Jack Phillips’ extra point kick made it 13-7; that would be the halftime score.

Roux then punched the ball in from the 1 in a quarterback keeper midway through the period. Seconds later, Noble scored on a 20-yard run. Fishers added one more touchdown early in the fourth period, with Noble running in from two yards. Pike scored two touchdowns in the fourth, but Fishers had the game in hand by then.

Noble had a solid game, gaining 151 yards in 15 rushes. Roux finished the game completing 5 of 12 passes for 91 yards, with Statz making three of those catches.

Fishers is now 4-6 for the season.

by

Rich Torres

Hamilton County Reporter

RICH TORRES
FISHERS – The opportunity was there for a potential upset on Friday night.

Hamilton Southeastern built a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter and lurked around the red zone six times during the Sectional 5 semifinals against Class 6A No. 4 North Central, but the Royals struggled to capitalize, losing 41-12.

“That score is not what the football game was. I thought our kids battled,” HSE head coach Adam Morris said. “The turnovers at the end definitely killed us, but I thought we came out and started the game well.”

The Royals (3-7) opened with a chance to play spoiler against the Panthers (8-2), who were searching for their first sectional win since 2013.

A botched North Central punt that was blocked by the Royals during the first series gave HSE a first-and-10 from the Panthers’ 17. The possession ended in an interception.

North Central lost a fumble on its next offensive series at HSE’s 46, which led to an HSE punt. A second consecutive lost fumble by North Central on its own 23 supplied HSE with a touchdown drive, but the final three opportunities equated two field goals and a turnover.

“At the end of the day, we had plenty of opportunities with the ball in their territory and just didn’t come away with enough points,” Morris said.

The Panthers turned the ball over three times with two fumbles and an interception by John McCall in the third quarter. An inadvertent kneel down by North Central’s kicker on a punt attempt early in the second quarter put HSE on the Panthers’ 15, but again, the Royals came up empty.

The series ended with a turnover on downs as HSE failed to convert a fourth-and-17 from North Central’s 22 with 5:51 left in the half.

The Royals’ first of three turnover on downs kept the door open for North Central, and the Panthers awoke, outscoring HSE 21-3 through the final 30 minutes.

North Central quarterback Liam Thompson completed 18 of 31 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns, while senior playmaker Tre’von Elliott erased HSE’s short-lived 6-0 lead.

Elliott put North Central up 7-6 with a 30-yard touchdown pitch-and-catch and widened the margin 14-6 with a 66-yard punt return for a score with 1:12 left in the first quarter.

“They’re a really good offense. That quarterback is as good as you’re going to find in Indiana,” Morris said. “I thought in the first half, we did a great job of getting off the field on third down. In the second half, they converted some crucial third downs, and that broke us.”

HSE used McCall’s first-quarter fumble recovery to go up 6-0 after an eight-play drive, spanning 23 yards capped by a 2-yard run from Matt Harris, who finished with 65 yards on 25 carries.

Mitch Hebenstreit split the uprights with a pair of field goals, measuring 23 and 27 yards to cut the deficit 14-9 and 21-12, respectively. The senior nearly sliced North Central’s lead before halftime as he narrowly missed a 44-yarder with the Panthers in front 21-9.
Turnovers, however, hurt the Royals.

North Central scooped up an HSE fumble and collected three interceptions with the last one returned 30 yards for a touchdown to finalize the tally late in the fourth quarter.
North Central had four receivers with 40 or more yards led by Richard Hamilton, who hauled in two passes for 72 yards and a 63-yard touchdown. Elliott did his damage with seven receptions for 69 yards.

“(Elliott) has been great all year. We just spent the last two weeks talking about keeping the ball away from him and how good of a returner he is, and he still got us,” Morris said. “He got us twice. He’s special. He’s about as dynamic as you’re going to find in Indiana with the ball in his hands.”

The Royals turned the ball over on four of their final five possessions, ending their season in game No. 10 for a sixth straight season.

“I think before our program moves on to next year, we have to tell our seniors how much we care for them and how much they’ve done for us,” Morris said. “We are a young football team, and we’re going to have a lot of players back, but this ain’t golf. You don’t get better with age. We have to get in the weight room and get ready for next year. Just another step ahead.”

A lesson his players can learn from North Central, Morris emphasized. The Panthers haven’t won a sectional title since 1993 and posted their first winning season in 12 years.

“Those kids are confident. You can tell they’re a team that’s worked to have success,” Morris said. “That senior class has been through the fire and put the work in, and they’re reaping the benefits of it. That will happen for our kids, too, down the road.”

“No Shave” November is back this year, and Fishers Police are raising money to benefit the Officer Binh Dennis, who was seriously injured in an off-duty motorcycle crash in Brown County.

This November’s “No Shave” effort will also highlight support in general for those waging a battle against illness or injury.

“We all have loved ones, friends, and co-workers that have been touched by cancer,” said Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart.  “As a police department, we are always seeking new ways to engage with the community.”

Beginning November 1^st you may see a Fishers police officer with some scruffiness keep in mind this is purposeful and temporary, as part of the “No Shave” fund-raising effort . Male officers will have the opportunity to grow their facial hair and female officers will be allowed to wear pink or blue highlights in their hair.

Feel free to join The Fishers Police Department as officers raise awareness for a worthy cause and reduce the stigma that is often associated with physical and mental health disease.

Check for progress on the fundraising effort on the Fishers Police Department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office has ruled the deaths of Kristal and Frank Sergi as a murder-suicide.

According to a news release from the Fishers Police Department, Kristal Sergi’s cause of death was a homicide with  multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.  Frank Sergi’s cause of death has been ruled as a suicide with a single gunshot to the head, based on the coroner’s report.

According to Fishers Police Department spokesman Tom Weger, the investigation is continuing and more details will be released when available.  Anyone with information is asked to call Lt. Todd Crowder at 317-595-3329.

(Updated 10pm 10/25/2018)

I just returned to Fishers Thursday evening after going out of town, fulfilling a teaching contract with Indiana University.  While away, I have tried to follow what has been happening in Fishers.

A married couple, apparently about to go through a divorce, are dead in the Saxony area.  Police were called to their home after reports of gunshots Wednesday evening.  According to Fishers Police, officers entered the home and found the body of a man and woman.

Late Thursday afternoon, local authorities identified the bodies as Kristal Sergi, 44, and Frank Sergi II, 52, both residents of a home in the 13000 block of Dorster Street in Fishers.

Both were long-time teachers in the Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  Kristal Sergi was a teacher at Hoosier Road Elementary and Frank Sergi taught art at Fall Creek Intermediate School.

Any tragedy such as this is difficult for any community to handle.  But in this case, both had been teachers.  Those instructing our children in local schools over a long period of time touch many lives and many families over the span of a teaching career.  The pain is deep and real for all the families that came into contact with these teachers.  This sort of tragedy always hurts, but it really hurts when two teachers are involved.

Fishers Police are not releasing much information about the details surrounding the deaths of the Mr. and Mrs. Sergi at this time.  According to a police department news release, authorities believe the Sergis “are the only individuals directly involved in this incident.”  Police say the investigation is ongoing, and ask anyone with information to contact Detective/Lieutenant Todd Crowder at 317-595-3329.

Meanwhile, classes were not held at Hoosier Road Elementary and Fall Creek Intermediate Thursday, and school authorities say both schools will not be in session Friday as well.  Counselors and mental health professionals will be available in both buildings even when classes are not held.

A prayer vigil was conducted at Hoosier Road Elementary School Thursday evening.

In a Twitter message, Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff wrote, “We are mourning the loss of two beloved teachers.”

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Commissioners on Monday approved $3.4 million in requests for financial assistance to community non-profit organizations. The public funds were approved earlier by the County Council, but commissioners tabled another $427,310 of council approved funds because the council had reduced and in some cases eliminated funding requests for 11 social service organizations.

Commissioners said they were uncertain why the reductions had been made, but want time to consult with council members or consider what action to take. The difference between council members’ and commissioners’ opinions over grants to the non-profits is the latest in a number of disputes between the two bodies.

The funds approved by commissioners Monday included $2.1 million in state-prescribed funding for Aspire, a mental and behavioral health program, $750,000 to Janus Developmental Services for general operations and $428,495 for Hamilton County Express, the public transportation service operated by Janus.

Requests tabled included funding for PrimeLife Enrichment, Prevail, Chaucie’s Place, Cherish Center, Trinity Free Clinic, Meals on Wheels, the Hope Family Clinic, Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Good Samaritan, CIRTA, Conner Prairie and Salvation Army.

The funds going to community non-profits are not the sole source of revenue for the organizations, but supplement their efforts which officials say would otherwise either not be provided or fall entirely to local government.

Commissioners also approved distribution of $150,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant money, which is administered by the Noblesville Housing Authority.

You may recall a crash from June 30th of this year when police say a car collided with a man riding a bicycle along Brooks School Road, near Broadmoor drive.  That incident took the life of the bicyclist, Robert Lackey, 61, from Fishers, Indiana.

Tuesday, Hamilton County authorities issued an arrest warrant for Deborah Sundstrom, 59, from Indianapolis, in connection with that June 30th crash.  Sundstrom faces one felony count of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and a misdemeanor charge of Operating While Intoxicated Endangering a Person.  Sundstrom turned herself into law enforcement has been released on bond.

There are times you sit through a meeting and feel exhausted once the session is done.  I felt that way as I walked away from the newly-remodeled Hamilton Southeastern Schools Administration Building Tuesday morning.

I was not a participant, I was covering the meeting as a reporter, but the discussion was revealing and often pointed.

The subjects were Equity and Inclusion and the discussion was led by Dr. Erica Buchanan Rivera, Equity & Inclusion Officer for HSE Schools.

Ms. Buchanan Rivera spent time explaining to board members how she helps teachers with questions on how to handle specific situations they need to handle in their classrooms related to equity and inclusion.

There was a lively discussion about gender equity, treatment of transgender students and how to address the academic performance of many minority groups in the HSE Schools student population.

The school district must be quick to respond when an incident happens, but Buchanan Rivera says HSE Schools need to be more proactive in handling such situations.

Buchanan Rivera presented an action plan for meeting certain goals, and reviewed the groups and committees throughout the school corporation that are working on equity and inclusion issues now.

I am sure many of the board members and HSE staff at this work session felt a little exhausted too, but much was accomplished during the meeting.