A young Chinese-American woman faces challenges with her family and a long-held Chinese tradition

HSE High School Principal Chad Cripe described the hiring process for a new assistant principal before the school board Wednesday night, and said “it became very obvious who my choice was.”

The board approved the hiring of Stacey Brown.  She comes to HSE from the Western School Corporation in Russiaville, Indiana, where she served as Curriculum Director.

“I couldn’t be more excited to accept this opportunity,” Brown told the board.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools are at a crossroads on the future of Durbin Elementary School in Wayne Township.  The school board was informed by Facilities Director Harry Delks that a decision needs to be made no later than January of 2020 in order to begin the process of either expanding the current school or replacing the building.  An early 2020 decision by the board would allow construction to begin in the fall of 2020, and the school could be ready for students in 2022.

The board has not acted on Durbin’s future because any expansion at the current site would cost the school corporation at least $5 million just to extend water and sewer lines to the current Durbin site.  Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff told the board Wednesday night that HSE  owns some land south of the current location but that site would also require the $5 million expense of extending utility lines.

The question facing school officials is whether to expand the current school building at the current site or replace the building entirely at the current location or another tract of land.  Schools officials say the construction expense of a new elementary school would cost nearly $28 million, and that does not include the $5 million for the utility extension.

Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter told the board that some bond debt now in place will be paid-off soon, allowing the construction of a new or expanded Durbin Elementary to be financed with no tax rate increase.  Reuter told LarryInFishers after the meeting that the complex state statutes are written in such a way that no new voter referendum would be required for a Durbin construction project.

There has been discussion about constructing a replacement for Durbin further south, closer to Fishers, but no specific locations have been publicly named.

The fact that the new Southeastern Elementary is at full capacity due to a higher-than-expected kindergarten enrollment, is resulting in HSE School officials to look at all the options on how to handle the future of Durbin Elementary.

The Fishers City Council “Council Connect” series continues Thursday night with a stop at the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Administration Building located on Cumberland Road.

The meeting starts at 6:30pm, and runs until about 8pm.  Do not arrive too early…the doors will not open until 6:20pm, ten minutes before the start.

Council Connect was created by Council President Rich Block and Council Vice President Eric Moeller earlier this year as a way for residents of Fishers to discuss any issue with the council members.  In Thursday evening’s session, HSE School Board Members Julie Chambers and Janet Pritchett have committed to attend, and other board members have been invited to join-in.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has a new board president, but two no votes were cast in the process.  Michelle Fullhart was elected board president with Sylvia Shepler and Brad Boyer voting no – Fullhart, Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett and Clint Wilson voted yes.  Board member Amanda Shera did not attend Wednesday’s board meeting due to a family emergency, Shepler said before the vote.  Based on this vote, Fullhart will serve as board president for the remainder of 2019.

Acting board president Shepler opened the meeting and indicated that Fullhart was seeking the board presidency, but Shepler was also looking to serve as permanent board president for the rest of this calendar year.

“Because we, as a board, have had our struggles in the past months unifying and finding common ground, I would strongly urge my fellow board members to wait to make this decision until all board members can be present,” Shepler said at the start of the board meeting.

Then, the newest board member, Clint Wilson, said he appreciated Shepler’s comments, but wants a full slate of officers, so Wilson nominated Fullhart as president, and the 4-2 vote approving her as president followed.

Janet Pritchett will serve as board secretary, as part of that 4-2 vote.

Shepler was vice president when board President Mike Bottorff resigned in late May.  She has served as acting board president since Bottorff’s resignation up until Wednesday night’s vote placing Fullhart with the president’s gavel.

(Note:  I made a math error in the original story….I wrote the vote was 5-2, but with six board members present, that is mathematically impossible.  The vote was 4-2)

In a move long-rumored around Fishers, the popular long-time Reynolds Farm Equipment holiday light show will be moving to Conner Prairie.  The move was announced in a joint news release issued by Reynolds & Conner Prairie.  That news release is reprinted below in its entirety:

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Conner Prairie, Reynolds Farm Equipment, the Reynolds Family and the festival title sponsor Conner Prairie Alliance surprise Central Indiana residents with an early Christmas gift this year by announcing a sparkling, new addition to the previously announced A Merry Prairie Holiday festival arriving later this year. This new event promises to deliver endless opportunities for winter fun!

“Winter is always a special time at Conner Prairie thanks to our 40 year plus tradition of holiday festivities,” said Norman Burns, President, and CEO at Conner Prairie. “This year it will be even more so as we bring new experiences to the holiday season and carry on a time-honored family tradition by displaying the Reynolds Christmas lights donated by Gary Reynolds and his family across the grounds as part of the new A Merry Prairie Holiday Festival.”

The new A Merry Prairie Holiday festival at Conner Prairie debuts on November 29 and runs through December 31. A vast majority of 400 Reynolds Christmas light structures will be on display during all nights of the festival.

“Our Christmas light display was born out my father’s love for Christmas and our community,” said Gary Reynolds, owner and chairman of Reynolds Farm Equipment. “Transitioning our Christmas lights display to Conner Prairie ensures this tradition of celebrating Christmas with lights continue as part of Conner Prairie’s new A Merry Prairie Holiday festival.”

Founded in 1955 by farming husband and wife “Mac” and Arline Reynolds, Reynolds Farm Equipment is a regional John Deere retailer serving farmers, homeowners, landscapers and golf course operators throughout the Midwest. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ind., the company operates seven retail locations in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

The company is a long-time supporter of Conner Prairie. It is currently the title sponsor of the Museum’s 1859 Balloon Voyage and has donated more than $ 1million to the organization.

The arrival of the Reynolds Christmas Lights at A Merry Prairie Holiday is just one way members and guests can create new memories with their families while getting into the holiday spirit during this brand new festival.

Holiday activities include:

• Step into the wonder of the season as you stroll through Reynolds Christmas Lights display.
• Journey around Clowes Common where you will find holiday treats and eats, artisans working on their seasonal crafts, and special photo ops.
• Visit the North Pole Village.
  • Enter the toy workshop and make a holiday gift with the help of Santa’s elves.
  • Zoom down the Polar Bear Plunge dry snow tubing hill.
  • Test your skill at the Reindeer Games Midway.
  • Visit the Claus’ Cabin where you can visit with Mrs. Claus and drop off your letter to Santa.
  • Hop aboard the Kringle’s Carousel to take a ride.
• Enjoy local entertainers and musicians performing throughout the evening on Blitzen’s Bandstand while you enjoy some fresh, warm holiday treats and beverages, under the glow of holiday lights on the Conner House and Animal Encounters Barn.
• Visit Prairietown where you will be wrapped in the warmth of Holidays through History:
  • You can visit the 1860’s Hoosier Homefront, and Soldiers Camp to learn how they are celebrating the season during the troubling times of the Civil War.
  • See classic Conner Prairie by Candlelight favorites, like Dr. Campbell’s Soiree, the disgruntled Mr. Fenton, and Mr. Whitaker’s Store, and the Curtis family making Christmas preparations.
  • Witness the power of a second chance with a live reading from Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol and enjoy the sounds of Christmas Carolers.
  • Sit down and warm up a spell while you hear holiday stories told through the use of historic Crankies.
• Climb aboard the Winterland Wagon Ride across Conner Prairie’s Historic Grounds through thousands of twinkling lights.

In addition to A Merry Prairie Holiday, family favorites such Breakfast and Dinner with Santa, Storytime with Mrs. Claus, and more are returning this winter season!

The Conner Prairie Museum Store will also be open during this time for all holiday gift-giving needs.

Visit connerprairie.org for more information on upcoming A Merry Prairie Holiday dates, ticketing pricing, and other upcoming events.

The Hamilton East Library in Fishers is normally a very busy place, so I talked with two leaders of the local library system for more on what is happening.  Here is my podcast with Beth Meyer and Edra Waterman

If you want an example of how valuable working smoke alarms are for your home, just talk to a family of 5 that escaped a blaze overnight with no injuries.  The fire was in a home located at 12260 Shady Knoll Drive, just south of Southeastern Parkway and 126th Street.  Fire personnel responded to the call at 2:25am Wednesday.

Fishers fire officials say they worked hard to keep the blaze from spreading to other homes in the neighborhood, leading to minimal damage to homes next door.  It took firefighters about 40 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Fire investigators remained on the scene early Wednesday morning.  No dollar amount of the damage is available, but fire officials say the home structure and contents were a complete loss.

You can sense the excitement in Bob Rice’s voice as we walked among the solar arrays, nearly completed just south of HSE Intermediate/Junior High School (HIJH), at Cyntheanne Road and Southeastern Parkway.  Rice, Energy Management Director for HSE Schools,  says the solar operation there will begin powering the HIJH school building in the next 2-3 weeks.

The next project will provide another array, providing electricity for Sand Creek Elementary and Intermediate Schools.

The HSE School Corporation entered into a contract with Ameresco Inc. in January of this year, to install the $2.8 million solar project.  The work is being financed by a four-year bond issue which is not expected to trigger a tax increase.

At the time the school board approved the plan, Rice projected the solar arrays will pay for themselves in 11 years through electricity cost savings.

Students will be able to use the solar arrays as part of their science curriculum.

“Our partnership with Ameresco has already allowed us to invest in projects that directly benefit our students and create a more sustainable learning environment at our schools,” said Dr. Allen Bourff, Superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools, in an Ameresco news release. “The curriculum Ameresco provided will help our teachers educate their students about the latest innovations in renewable energy technology and the importance of sustainability for the future of our environment.”

Once the arrays at HIJH and Sand Creek are completed, it will consist of 4,800 solar panels.

The new Southeastern Elementary is ready to accept students for the first time when all Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools open for classes August 7th.  But this building did not have an easy road to completion.

First, the required voter referendum authorizing the funds for this school was passed in 2013 with just under 68% of those voting casting a yes ballot.  But that referendum contained funding of $22 million, which would easily fund an elementary school in 2013, but is less than would normally be needed to fund a school today with inflation factored-in.

School officials knew there would be challenges to construct this school within the budget parameters of that 2013 referendum.  But working with architect Jim Funk of CSO, and Hagerman Construction, HSE Schools officials were able to complete the building within the $22 million budget.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held inside the gymnasium Tuesday morning, allowing more people to watch the event.  Current and past school board members were in attendance.

“Southeastern Elementary is, in some ways, a dream come true,” said HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff.

Superintendent Bourff asked those in the crowd to think about the “soaring spaces” as they walked around the school building.

Assistant Superintendent Jan Combs tells LarryInFishers that no portable classrooms will be used at Southeastern Elementary this school year.  Enrollment is higher than projected due to a larger-than-expected number of kindergarten students.

The crowd for the ceremony nearly filled the Southeastern Elementary gymnasium