Update No. 120
Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you had a great break. We are happy to see our students and staff back on campus and look forward to supporting their success for the remainder of the year.
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January is School Board Recognition Month. I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to our Board of Trustees for their service, dedication, and deep investment in our district’s children. These individuals are invaluable assets to our school district bringing with them a diverse blend of knowledge, expertise, and unwavering commitment to their role. They provide a local voice for our community’s education decisions. They are tasked with setting the vision and goals for the district and adopting policies that give the district direction to achieve its goals.
Throughout the month we will be sharing individual board spotlights on each of these five everyday citizens doing extraordinary work in one of the toughest volunteer roles in any school district. Thank you, Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh, Arnie Cooper, Julie Davis, Ben Lehman, and Gretchen Pennington, for your advocacy, vision, and voice in helping to shape a better tomorrow at Hamilton Heights every single day!
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Senior Tquan Spencer has been named a 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. He is one of only five students representing Hamilton County schools to earn this award which provides a full-ride scholarship to continue his education at the collegiate level at any public or private school in Indiana! Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership. Congratulations!
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I want to give a shout out to Chad Ballenger, Hamilton Heights Boys Basketball Head Coach, who reached his 300th career win last month! Congratulations!
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Ten Hamilton Heights High School freshmen were among the 30 graduates of the Hamilton County A Chance to Serve (ACTS) Class of 2023. This leadership program, created and sponsored by the Purdue Extension/Hamilton County, offers freshman the opportunity to participate in five, day-long training sessions their first semester of high school. Graduates then get to apply those skills coupled with real-time learning experiences by serving as a member of a local board for one year.
Lori Watson, our freshman guidance counselor, serves as the School Coordinator for the program. This month Corbin Carlson, Jolie Garcia, Hattison Graham, Ayla Madara, Taylor Morrison, Lily Schuler, Mallory Williams, Aiden Serna, Harley Stetnish, and Caleb Sullivan begin their year of board service for the following organizations: Family Youth Alliance, Hamilton Heights Educational Foundation, Our Town Cicero, and Relay for Life. A win-win for our community!
Congratulations to these aspiring leaders of tomorrow who are getting a jump start today. Learn more about this exciting youth leadership program here.
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The fifth annual Hickory Classic is set for Jan. 24 at the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown. Our eighth-grade boys and girls will bring their best game against the Tipton Blue Devils for a fun evening of Hoosier Hysteria. Tickets are available online only here.
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As a reminder Monday, Jan. 15 is a Flex Day and school will not be in session unless there is a weather event that causes a school cancellation before then.
I look forward to all the new semester holds for our school community. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in making Hamilton Heights a great place to learn, teach, and grow!
#WeAreHuskies