When Fishers began planning for a new City Hall, a new Arts Center was part of the complex.  That Arts Center is up and running and has been for a number of months.

Even with snow on the ground and winter temperatures, now is the time to begin thinking about summer arts camps.  A wide range of programs are available, including Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelets, learning to create with 3D printers or designing dinosaurs.

All camps are half-day, so campers can enroll in both a morning and an afternoon camp, making it a full-day of art making. Campers can mix & match their morning and afternoon camps for their own unique experience. Full-day campers have outdoor breaks and time for lunch.

Some of the camps include:

• Beaded jewelry
• Makerspace camp
• Design O’Saurus
• Creative crochet
• Cake art
• Cartoons and characters
• Glass art
• Photography
• Clay
• Art and theater
• Lego stop motion
• Manga illustration

“What sets our camps apart is that all our instructors are trained teaching artists,” said Michelle O’Hollaren, vice president of education and innovation, in a news release. “We have small class sizes, with an instructor and an assistant in every camp. Plus, campers can experience working in mediums that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to in any other camp setting in the greater Indianapolis area.”

Of the 116 total camps, 21 are new this year. Registration opens Jan. 13.

The Indy Arts Center provides classes held at the Fishers Art Center.

For more information, use this link.

Another dose of winter weather is on the way here in Fishers.  The National Weather Service says 2-4 inches of new snow is expected by 1am Saturday.  Hamilton County Emergency Management says our area could see 3-4 inches of snow.

This is much less than our storm that brought 6-8 inches of snow to the Fishers area in the past few days.  However, we could see dicey road conditions during Friday’s evening rush hour.

Here is the text of the Winter Weather Advisory from the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis.

* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 2 and 4
  inches with locally higher amounts possible across the southeast
  half of central Indiana.

* WHERE...All of central Indiana.

* WHEN...Until 1 AM EST Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will
  likely become slick and hazardous. Plan on slippery road
  conditions. The hazardous conditions will likely impact this
  evening`s commute.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road
conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by
calling 5 1 1.

Be prepared for slippery roads. Slow down and use caution while
driving. If you are going outside, watch your first few steps taken
on stairs, sidewalks, and driveways. These surfaces could be icy and
slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

The Indy Ignite professional women’s volleyball team is set to open its season before a sellout crowd January 11 at the Fishers Event Center.  You will notice QR codes on the ladies’ uniforms from the Fishers-based firm spokenote.

The Indiana Pacers have already worked with spokenote for QR codes, which allow fans to connect with the team through scanning with their smartphones.

“Indy Ignite’s first season is the perfect opportunity for Spokenote to showcase how our technology can bring fans and teams closer together,” said John Wechsler, Founder and CEO of Spokenote, in a company news release. “We’re proud to be a part of their launch, helping fans access exclusive content that elevates their connection to the team.”

The team has also launched Spokenote-enabled coasters featuring more fan-engaging content. The branded coasters are circulated around Central Indiana and encourage new and existing fans to check out a match.

Sue Maki has been elected president of the Hamilton County Council, replacing outgoing president Amy Massillamany. Brad Beaver and Steve Nation will serve as co-vice presidents. The election of officers, a yearly tradition, took place at the council’s first meeting of 2025.

Maki, who was elected to the council in 2020 and began her term on January 1, 2021, represents the county as an At-Large member. She holds a political science degree from Baldwin Wallace University and an M.B.A. from Anderson University.

Her career includes 18 years in the insurance industry and a tenure as Executive Director of the Hamilton County Leadership Academy, where she helped develop local leaders. For 15 years, Maki served as Manager of Environmental Initiatives & Education for Carmel Utilities, focusing on sustainability and community engagement. She retired in June 2021 to dedicate more time to her County Council responsibilities.

A long-time resident of Hamilton County, Maki and her husband Tom have lived and worked in the area for over 30 years. They have two grown sons.

The Hamilton County Council is the county’s fiscal body, responsible for appropriating funds and adopting the county budget. The newly elected officers will guide the council in addressing key issues and opportunities for the community in the coming year.

Curriculum Coordinator for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, Jason Urban, presented a plan to place all four district junior high schools on the same schedule.  Urban has been meeting with building administrators and teachers for several months.  He presented a proposed scheduling plan, but emphasized that may be tweaked before it is finalized.  The plan should be complete by March of this year.  For a look at Jason Urban’s presentation to the school board Wednesday night, use this link.

In another matter before the board, students taking physical education (PE) in summer school will see their fees raised from$160 to $180 this year.  The program has been running a deficit of about $14,000 as of 2024.  The fee increase will not totally cover the deficit, but will reduce the amount to under $2,000.  There was some discussion that there may be fewer families choosing PE in the summer now that the PE requirements are changing with the new state rules on graduation credits needed.

Four people chose to make public comments at Wednesday night’s Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting.  All commented in some way on the legal representation provided by the law firm Barnes and Thornburg, particularly legal fees and  responses to public information requests.

Stephanie Hunt, Jamie Cairnes and former board member Michelle Fullhart all offered public comments, some criticizing the board for the amount being paid for legal representation.  Also, a man identified only as Matt, was critical of what he described as a lack of response by the district and attorneys to requests for information.

Barnes and Thornburg attorney Chris Greisl responded that the school district, Indiana’s 4th largest in terms of student enrollment, is regularly “bombarded” with requests for public records requests.

“When records come in, they are produced in a timely fashion,” Greisl said.  “When people do not provide a reasonable particular request like (Matt) has done in the past, or they take a terrible tone with our staff or administration or teachers, they you are going to get a choice response”

According to Greisl, requests for records have been forwarded to the Indiana Public Access Counselor’s office.

As the board prepared to vote on the consent agenda, the newest board member, Latrica Schooley, asked that the item allowing Barnes and Thornburg to continue as legal counsel for the board in 2025 be removed from that vote and postponed to a future meeting.  Her motion passed on a vote of 5-2, with Juanita Albright and Ben Orr voting no.  Greisl told the board there would be no lapse of legal representation as a result of this delay.

Orr praised the job Barnes and Thornburg is doing for the board and the job the firm has done for HSE Schools in the past.

As I walked into the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools administration building Wednesday evening, I ran into State Representative Victoria Garcia-Wilburn.  She talked about how busy the first day of the legislative session had been, but she was at the school board meeting for another reason.  She was there to administer the oath of office to the newest member of the board, Latrica Schooley.

Two other members of the board, Sarah Parks-Reese and Suzanne Thomas, were also sworn-in as they prepare to serve another 4-year term on the board of trustees.

The Indy Fuel treated their home fans to a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory against the Wheeling Nailers on Wednesday night. With Ryan Gagnier’s game-winning goal, the Fuel overcame a resilient Nailers squad in their first home matchup of the season.

First Period: Defensive Duel

The game opened with physicality as Dakota Seaman of Wheeling and Indy’s Nathan Noel exchanged unsportsmanlike conduct penalties just three minutes in. The Fuel earned a power play opportunity later in the period after a tripping penalty on David Jankowski, but the Nailers’ defense held firm. Despite outshooting Wheeling 10-4 in the period, the Fuel couldn’t find the back of the net.

Second Period: Momentum Shifts

The second frame brought more action, with Indy’s Ty Farmer heading to the box for holding just 90 seconds in. The Fuel penalty kill proved effective, but the Nailers struck first at 10:40 when Mats Lindgren buried a shot to give Wheeling a 1-0 lead.

Indy answered late in the period at 17:41. Cam Hausinger, with assists from Ryan Gagnier and Kevin Lombardi, evened the score. The Fuel outshot the Nailers 19-12 through two periods but entered the final frame tied 1-1.

Third Period: Tensions Mount

Both teams tightened up defensively in the third period. The Fuel had a power-play chance when Matthew Quercia of Wheeling was called for holding at 6:37, but the Nailers’ penalty killers stood tall. As the Nailers closed the gap in shots, the game became increasingly physical. Regulation ended with the score still knotted at 1-1, setting up a dramatic overtime finish.

Overtime: Gagnier Delivers

The Nailers dominated early possession in overtime, peppering Fuel goalie Ben Gaudreau with four shots in just three minutes. Gaudreau turned aside each attempt.

At 3:28, Ryan Gagnier broke free on a breakaway and delivered a decisive goal on Indy’s first shot of the extra frame, sealing the 2-1 victory.

Next Up

The Fuel and Nailers will face off again Friday night at the Fishers Event Center for Hockey Talks Night.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools has never had a Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE).  That all changed Wednesday night when the school board officially approved the appointment of Brandon Cloud to the newly-created post.

This is part of an ongoing program by HSE Schools for graduates to be prepared for employment, post-secondary education, or enlistment in the armed services.

“This role is essential to continuing the transformational work that we have started, ensuring our students have access to opportunities that connect learning to real-world applications,” said Superintendent Patrick Mapes in a school district news release.. “I believe Brandon Cloud’s proven leadership within the district and his passion for helping students reach their goals in and outside of the classroom make him the ideal choice for this position.”

Cloud brings nearly three decades of experience in public education to the role, with more than half spent working in HSE

Fractures are beginning to show among members of the Hamilton Southeastern School Board Wednesday night in its first official action of 2025, electing officers to serve during the year.  Bottom line, Juanita Albright will serve a second consecutive year as board president.

Albright attempted to have Vice President Ben Orr offer a slate of candidates for officers, but Sarah Parks-Reese offered a motion first, with Dawn Lang serving as president, Suzanne Thomas Vice President and Sarah Parks-Reese Secretary.  The new board member, Latrica Schooley, seconded that motion.  It was defeated by a vote of 4-3, with Thomas, Schooley and Parks-Reese voting yes, the remaining board members casting a no vote.

Orr then offered a different slate of officers, keeping Juanita Albright as President, Tiffany Pascoe Vice President and Dawn Lang Secretary.  That motion passed on a vote of 4-3, with Albright, Orr, Pascoe and Lang voting yes.

That means Juanita Albright will serve as board president in 2025.