The Independent-News, Volume 106, Number 35, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 5 February 1981 — Page 4

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_ THE INDEPENDENT NEWS - FEBRUARY 5. 1981

EDITORIALS

CONSIDER ALL ANGLES To anyone who watches news on television or reads the "South Bend Tribune" they must be very aware of the problems involved with trying to make any changes in their school system. It is easy for us to set back from outside and comment or criticize, but to those involved, personal feelings and desires definalely lake precedents over all other opinions. This also might just be the case when the PI J School Board is a little further along and starts to disclose plans about the future of the new school corporation which will include I iberty Township. To date the present school board members have voted the desires of the people in the area, the two Polk Township members \oting in opposition to the merger due to a straw vote that showed a majority of those who voted was not in favor of the merger. However, there is a time this can be the policy and a time when it cannot. And the new planning sessions and eventual results may just be this spot. Il is no secret that the five board members and administration know more about the facts and figures than the public. Regardless of how much publicity they could distribute and public meetings they hold, there still will be that little extra knowledge on their part through the hours and hours of work and preparation that will give them an insight into things the public may never understand. This was obvious at the public meetings held prior to the merger acceptance. This is the point where these men must make recommendations and eventually decisions that may not be that popular with a lot of the people. It is not the present PI.J students who are on the short end, in fact they have everything to gain and little if anything to lose as a sagging school enrollment and financial situation eventually would curtail curriculum and extra curricular activities more and more until some programs would be partially or wholly eliminated. The extra enrollment will in fact, allow more to be offered and a wider selection for students will be available to give more versatility and flexibility at the high school level. The ones who will feel the move the most will be those of Liberty Township who must be transported to their “new high school" and not be housed anymore in what they know as “theirs". We hope that little time will be needed to heal these wounds. This mainly effects the high school students. However, the middle school or junior high range can also be effected. This is an area that has had little attention as talk has mainly centered around the high school level. All the plans presented at the earlier meetings centered around a K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 breakdown. What we would like to know is why nothing was said about a K-6, 7 & 8. and 9-12 breakdown to possibly better utilize the buildings and facilities that are present along with offering advantages to the junior high age group by being put together at the seventh grade level. I’m sure there is a reason for this. However, many area schools still work on the junior high level of seventh and eighth grades instead of the middle school breakdown of different situations. We definitely do not favor a 10-12 high school setup, but can see advantages for the K-6. 7 & 8. and 9-12 grouping. This, we feel, should at least be considered. The board has pointed out by iheir temporary plans for ihe 1981-82 school year ihai adjustments can be made without anticipation of much problem. There will be problems, yes, but also, before ihe permanent long range program is finalized and the millions of dollars spent, we fee! a thorough look al all the possibilities should be taken. It is obvioius that the personal opinion right now is for K-5 and 6-8 set-up, but maybe there is another possibility just as good when everything is considered. There has been a 10l of talk of "social surroundings" of students of different ages, but may we mention that several of the area schools have different breakdowns and it doesn’t seem to be causing any one particular problem. In at least one neighboring case, the entire school is housed together where at other points the breakdowns of classes vary almost as much as there are school systems. It is still important to think along the educational benefit line as much as the social or any other line in formulating the final plans. Consideration of building use, building and remodeling expenses, and use of existing facilities must be given a priority and used to the best result for everything considered. The new school district has three buildings with fine facilities to work around in the present John Glenn High School, the North Liberty High School and the Walkerton Elementary School. These buildings and facilities should help dictate the plans that can be drawn up that will best utilize the facilities. I his is a point where the school board, men we have elected and entrusted decision making too, should study, plan and act accordingly. Individual sentiments and opinions may just have to be listened to and weighed against all angles before ihe big decisions are made

(''/''REMEMBER ' ■-. ■'> 1971 Miss I vnn Nukula and Miss Juds Huffman were selected as dele C' 4 ’* sto attend Girls Stale in June

bx the Walkerton American legion Auxiliary on Thursdav ext rung Saturday students from John (derm and I rev bands competed at the district solo and ensemble con test held at R<h hester with five students receiving first plate rat ings in the solo division and two

groups in the ensemble division. I he Walkerton ( hamber of Com merce. as a public information sen ice. w ill attempt to bring to the i iti/cns of Walkerton pertinent in formation about its businesses and industries I his month the Polk I incoln-Johnson School C orporation is being featured Ihe Walkerton Woman s Communitv Club celebrated their 50th annoersars last Endas. 1966 Ihe North I ibertv Shamnxks made it 16out of I” Endas night as thes beat the Wakarusa team by a single point. 56-55. in a thrilling game on the Wakarusa floor. Miss Elaine Knowlton and Miss Barbara Wilson will attend Girls State this scar. Alternates are Marjean ( ole and Margie I ce. February 20. the Rainboss Girls of Walkerton Assembly, will cansass the town for the Heart Eund. Ecbruars is Heart Eund Month and sour contribution will be greatly appreciated. 1961 The water situation was brought aburptlv to a head and the bond sale scheduled for February 8 halted with the filing on Saturday. Ecbruars 4. of a suit for permanent injunction Ihe action filed in Superior Court No. 2 names as parties, plaintiff. Tester Bicrly. Dr. V Burdette Wolfe. Ralph LaFeber. Zcrclda Marquis and Claude Houser. and as defendants. Civil Town of Walkerton and the fisc individual members of the Board of Trustees of the tow n. At the market a pound of wieners was selling for 49 cents; lettuce at IS cents a head; swiss steak at 69 cents a pound; chuck roast at 49 cents a pound; 16 ounce carton of cottage cheese for 25 cents; two boxes of facial tissues for 45 cents; red cross macaroni. two one pound boxes for 35 cents; a pound of boded ham for 89 cents; two one pound packages of brown sugar for 25 cents; six grapefruit for 25 cents and a 12 ounce can of orange juice for 39 cents 1956 For several years the Church of the Brethren, in North I ibertv. was greatly in need of more adequate facilities for the total church and Sunday School program in order to be able to do her part along with the other churches in serving the needs of the communitv Early in 1952. the Church began a remodeling and extension program which provided for main of the needs in earning on its work as a church Ihe total improvements amount to S4O.(XX) A sizeable debt was in curred but through continued faith tul giving bv the members and friends, the debt was reduced to $2.215 00. last Sunday the con gregation was successful in an effort thru cash and pledges to raise the necessarv funds to clear the debt. The low n Board of I rustees of North I iberty passed and adopted a resolution to establish a Civil De tense Department for the town of North I iberty on the Ist of Febru arx to conform with the Act as passed in the 1951 General Assemblx for the State of Indiana 1951 Thirty-six volunteer firemen of St. Joseph County were on hand last Thursdav night to assist in extinguishing a fire which did considerable damage to the building occupied by the Peterson Refrigeration Sales in temperatures of 17 degrees below zero. 1946 lop corn vields in the Indiana lorn Growers Fixe Acre contest were announced this week at the meeting of seed growers and eleva tor men at Sunnxbrook Inn Ivo Marker, of Madison, took top place winning bx three tenths of a bushel for a xield of 1111 bushel with Fred () Collar. I ibertv Township, a close second with 111.0 bushels per acre Both field were on up land cl ix loam soil X total of s9"l |() has been collected from various sources since September first in support of the

THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS Publication Number 261460 ROBERT E. I RBIN, EDITOR SUSAN R. I RBIN. ASSISTANT EDITOR INDEPENDENT-NEWS ( 0., INC., Publisher 601-03 Roosevelt Road. Walkerton. Indiana 46574 Telephone (2)9) 586-3139 PUBI ICATION TIME: Thursday of Each Week Second ( lass Postage Paid Al Walkerton, Indiana 46574 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 15c Per Copy; $4.50 Per Year (50C Extra If Mailed Out Os State)

Walkerton Youth ( enter. Ihe kindergarten class is getting their room readv for Valentine's Dav I here arc now 28 students in the morning as well as 28 students m the afternoon classes. 1941 Harold C. Urey, chemist and native of Walkerton, is included among the "headliners" described in the February issue of Current Biography. Dr Urey appears in this monthly publication because he recently added sulphur to his now substantial list of heavy atoms. The chemist was awarded the Nobel Prize in science in 1934 as a result of his work in discovering and isolating that "excessively rare atomic freak known as 'heavy hv drogen.' " Dr Urcv was born tn Walkerton on April 29. 1893. the son of Samuel ( lavton and (ora Rebecca (Reinhold) Urey. His father died when he was only six and his earlv education was due to heroric efforts by his mother and later aided by his stepfather (Dr Urcv passed aw as on January 6. |9B|. in laJolla. ( alifornia. at the age of 8') Xi den Ri am k editor of the Pulaski County Republican was elected president of the Indiana Weekly Press Association. Mr. Kearick is a brother of Foster Rearick. city electrician of the low n of Walkerton. The World Champion Harlem Globetrotters basketball team will plav the North I ibertv Merchants on Monday night on the local high school floor Ihe Globe Trotters arc colored players who arc the best in the business in pro basket ball. 1931 ( itizens of North I ibertv know what it means to be without water and have some appreciation at least, of the inconvenience and suf fcring lfi.it thousands of peopleover the country arc experiencing on account of the great drought North I ibertv s water supply failed last Saturday and Sundav when the new pump which was installed on Saturdav. pumped with such xigor that it pulled the bottom right out of the well and with it some 26 feet of graxel. both coarse and fine Ihe water supplx began to fail Saturdav evening and bx Sundax morning the pump was unable to produce any water at all. The pump was reconnected on Monday at around fixe o'clock in the morn mg. As a result of the lack of water the heating system at the school was unable to operate so students did not have school on Monday but classes resumed on Tucsdav. Slim's Press Shop, a new business enterprise in Walkerton, will he open for business on Monday. February 9. according to 1 E. Mathews, manager. Ihe shop will do all kinds of dry-cleaning. pressing and repair work and the business is located in the Daugherty building, next to the Rialto I hea tre Ihe Groxertown High School girls basketball team won their third successive Starke ( ountv championship on the hardwood last Saturdav night when thev defeated the Knox girls bv a score of 10-8 for the title At the market A A P Eight O'dock coffee was selling for three pounds at 59 cents; large package

of quakcr oats for 19 cents; pint jar of Kraft's mayonnaise at 35 cents; malted milk at 39 cents a pound; 24 pound bag of Pillsbury flour for ’9 cents; picnic hams at 19 cents a pound; bacon squares at I" cents a pound; three heads of lettuce for 21 cents; peck of oranges for 45 cents; a pound of butter for 39 cents; and a wonderful selection of prints, all washable material, at 19 cents a yard. VOICE OF THE PEOPLE Commend WPIJ Ambulance Crew Having an emergency need for the Ambulance Service, three limes between September 12 and December 24. we have only great respect and appreciation of our hs al ambulance crews Iheir verv quick response, effi dent handling and personal con cern for the patient was reallv super On two trips Mr Beats needed extra medical help whuh thev sum moned from laPorte to meet them at Kingsbury The LaPortc calls were billed to us at $93.(X) and $9|,00 which made us appreciate our WPLJ membership even more. We sincerely urge every familv to be prepared with WPLJ Am bulanxv Service at their reasonable pikc and excellent service. Leonard A Mary Jane Beatv About 12 million en thusiasts use 5 million motorcycles off-highway for economical recreation and competitive purposes every year. WORMS H|J can p I KILL LaeSa your DOG Don't qjve them the chance use A Sergeant s A»• t s “ * * E * ^o^ This remarkable tablet gives aspirin relief, yet protects against stomach upset. IB ■6*' s >l’ 88 B DUENTRIC COATED ASPIRIN ^arawras