Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 128, Number 46, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 17 November 2005 — Page 2

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Advance News • Thursday, November 17. 2005

Death Notices

Oscar H. Schmucker November 7, 2005 NAPPANEE —Oscar H. Schmucker, 93, of Nappanee, died at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7 at the LuAnn Nursing Home in Nappanee. He is survived by his daughters, Frieda (Lloyd) Stutzman of Nappanee, Clara Schmucker of Sarasota, Fla., Esther Joan (Perry ' Jay) Miller of Millersburg, Velma (Ray) Miller of Hicksville, Ohio, and Vera (Ola R.) Yoder of Nappanee; sons, Homer Eugene (Karen) Schmucker of Milford, Raymond Tobias (Kathryn) Schmucker of McClure Penn., Oscar Jr. (Laura) Schmucker of Nappanee, Lamar Lee (Lois) Schmucker of Syracuse, Gary (Susan) Schmucker of Nappanee; 57 grandchildren; 133 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; sisters, Clara (Ed) Burkholder of Bremen, Treva (Harvey) Slabaugh of Nappanee. Visitation was held after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and all day on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the home of David Bontrager. Services were conducted at the home at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 with Bishop Emory Yoder, Home Ministries, officiating. Burial was in > the Weldy Cemetery. Arrangements were made through the Thompsort-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee. Shirley Ann Ellis * November 9,- 2005 NAPPANEE —Shirley Ann Ellis, 75, of Nappanee, died at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at her residence. She is survived by her sons, Rick Ellis of Nappanee and Garth Ellis of Wakarusa; daughters, Tereasa (James) Hartley of North Liberty, Debra (James) Ryman of Nappanee, Annette Ellis of Mentone and Krystal Clouse of Nappanee; 12 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; brothers, Harold Bartman Jr. of Syracuse and James (Sonie) Bartman of Syracuse; sisters, Betty (Leroy) Chokey of Leesburg, Ruthie Filley of Rochester and Carmen Bickham of Rochester. Visitation was held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 at the Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee. Services were conducted at the funeral home at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 with Rev. Tom Schiefer, First Brethren Church,'officiating. Burial was in the Union Center Cemetery. Nicholas J. Arone November 11, 2005 NAPPANEE Nicholas J. Arone, 16, of Nappanee, died at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis . He is survived by his mother and step father, Nanette and Larry Fredericks of Nappanee; step mother, Stacee Arone of Rochester; grandparents, Richard and Nancy Biever of Nappanee; grandmother, Patricia Arone of Logansport; step grandmother, Norma Fredericks of Wakarusa. Visitation was held from 2 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14 at the Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee. Services were conducted at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the First Presbyterian Church in Nappanee with Rev. Terry Tyler, First , Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial was in the Union Center Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Riley Hospital, Pediatric Brain Tumor Association or to the First Presbyterian Church. Mary Elizabeth Schwartz November 13, 2005 NAPPANEE Mary Elizabeth Schwartz, 63, of Nappanee, died at 6:33 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13 at Goshen General Hospital. She is survived by her mother, Edna Schwartz of Nappanee; sisters, Ruby Schwartz of Nappanee, Wilma Schwartz of Nappanee, » Nancy Schwartz of Nappanee and Linda Sue (David) Miller of Bremen; brothers, Ervin (Carol) Schwartz of Nappanee, LaVern (Carolyn) Schwartz of Nappanee, Earl Ray (Marietta) Schwartz of Nappanee, Allen (Mary Ellen) Schwartz of Milford and Jerry Lee (Betty) Schwartz of Shipshewana. Visitation was held after 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14 and all day Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the family residence. Services were conducted at the residence at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 with Bishop Lonnie Slabaugh, Old Order Amish Church, officiating. Burial was in the Weldy Cemetery, Nappanee. * Arrangements were made through the Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee.

BRIEFS

DECORATION CONTEST The Wakarusa Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Wakarusa are sponsoring a Christmas Decorating Contest, in conjunction with the annual Christmas Around the Tree event. Houses will be judged individually, but neighborhoods are encouraged to work together.

/ f ] i / Pilot News business office / Hi Thursday, November 24th y so our employees may enjoy / [% Thanksgiving with their families.// / There will not be a Pilot News published on this day. I I IW Pilot News ROP/Class Display Classified Deadlines / j| Deadlines Friday, November 25 edition / tm Friday, November 25 edition Wednesday, November 23 at Noon / Tuesday, November 22 Saturday, November 26 edition I Saturday, November 26 edition Friday, November 25 at Noon I Wednesday, November 23 Monday, November 28 edition I ■( Monday, November 28 edition Friday, November 25 at Noon I 1 Wednesday, November 23 I % Weekly Papers ROP/C'las» Shopper Deadlines 1 \ 1 % for Dec. Ist edition November 27th edition % I Wednesday, November 23 at 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 18 at 5:00 p.m. \

Houses should be registered with the chamber office by calling 862-4344 or stop by the Town Hall for your application. The judging will be on Dec. 7 beginning at 6 p.m., prizes will be awarded to the winning residences. The winners will be announced at the Christmas Around the Tree event on Dec. 12 and a carriage ride route will include decorated areas. -

Community

Middle school honors its veterans

By Anthony Godson Editor To honor America's veterans, North Wood Middle School has been conducting its own special program on Veteran's Day. "You need to be thankful that there are people willing to give their lives for your freedom," middle school teacher Brad Eby said to students who filled the gymnasium last Friday. To show the students the importance of veterans, each one had the opportunity to invite a veteran to the program, and the students also interviewed veterans prior to Veteran's Day on Nov. 11. "It's a caring thing, and I feel very strongly about the importance of Veteran's Day," Eby said. "1 feel that maybe some kids grow up without an understanding of what this day is all about." To show what the day is all about, Eby, and other teachers, began the Veteran's Day program at the school five years ago. During the program, the middle school choir sang, special guests spoke, veterans were honored and eighth grade student Phillip Dudeck read his speech on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Following the choir's performance, recent returnees from the Iraq war, Vikki and AJ Maldanado, spoke about their experiences with the military. Vikki actually attended North Wood Middle School and graduated from North Wood High School in 2000, before entering the armed forces.

WA-NEE, Continued from Front

mined that with the 8-year payback, someone with a SIOO,OOO home would see a $4.42 monthly increase in 2007, $4.28 in 2008, $4.14 in 2009 and that would continue until it was paid off. For a $200,000 home, an $11.54 increase would be seen per month in 2007, sll.lß in 2008, $lO.Bl in 2009, with that trend continuing until the 8year lease was paid back. If the corporation chose a 13year payback, the owner of a SIOO,OOO home would see his or her monthly taxes increase by $3.08 in 2007, $3.02 in 2008, $2.91 in 2009, with that trend continuing until 2019. A $200,000 homeowner, would see his or her monthly tax increase by $8.06 in 2007, $7.90 in 2008, $7.61 in 2009, with that also continuing until 2019. Gerhart based his numbers on Wa-Nee's annual assessment, which he sees growing by 3 percent each year. "It is not an exaggeration in my opinion," Gerhart, who's been working with Wa-Nee since 1980, said. "It rarely goes down." With tax rates likely to increase, the school board felt it was necessary to hold public meetings, in order for the public to give their input on the issue. The first meeting was held at Nappanee Elementary on Nov. 8, the second meeting was held on Nov. 10 at Wakarusa

"I went to Bethel College for two years to become an elementary teacher," Vikki said about her life experience between her high school graduation and enlistment into the military. "I learned that I was not very focused, and I knew it wasn't the right time for school." While it may have not been the right time for school, she still had to pay for the classes she had taken, which is where joining the military came into play. On Sept. 23,2002 Vikki enlisted and was sworn into Uncle Sam's services. "I was terrified," she said about her feelings as she went through her first week of boot camp at Ft. Jackson in North Carolina. Vikki is a laundry/shower specialist, which she admits isn't the most glamorous job, but it's one that helps you make friends. "When you're fighting a war, and there's nowhere to do laundry or take a shower, you fall in love in with the shower specialist," she said. After boot camp, Vikki began to attend classes at IUSB, before she was called to duty. On Feb. 18, 2004, Vikki was sent to work in Baghdad. During her year of service, she had a couple of close calls, which included a rocket flying just behind her convoy, and explosions occurring just outside of her tent. "Our lives were threatened every day," she said. While the going was tough at

Elementary and the final meeting was conducted at Woodview Elementary on Nov. 15. During those meetings, enrollment data, usage of current facilities, descriptions of programs, facility needs and solutions were shared as were, the project costs and Tax impacts. Sabo informed the public that the process of gathering data to determine if Wa-Nee schools did need to make some changes began in February 2005, when Dr. Ivan Wagner began a demographic study. In March, building walk-throughs were conducted and the board began reviewing options on how to handle the growth. Since then, the board has been working to get everything set for renovations. A major component in the board looking for renovations, is Dr. Wagner's projected enrollment trends. In his projections, Dr. Wagner foresaw 550 kids attending Woodview Elementary this year, but that number is actually at 566, not counting children that come - in for special education courses, as part of the Elkhart County Special Education Cooperative and Head Start. With the special education and the head start children visiting the school, 620 kids come through the doors for a school built to accommodate 500 students. At Nappanee Elementary, its highest enrollment was 549 students in 2000, which included kindergarten through sixth grade. In 2003, following the departure of the sixth grade to North Wood Middle School, the enrollment dropped to 478. Now, in 2005, its enrollment is at 487 with only kindergarten to fifth grade students at the school. The trend of growing enrollments goes for each school, including the middle and high schools. As a whole corporation, Wa-Nee has grown from 2,910

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ADVANCE NEWS PHOTO/ANTHONY GADSON World War II U.S. Veteran Calvin Koontz has his name called during the North Wood Middle School Veteran’s Day program.

some points, Vikki expressed her gratitude to the armed services for what it had done for her. "I grew so much and learned so much," she said. "I met people that I would not have met otherwise." Among those people, were her future husband, AJ Maldanado. Maldanado was bom in Honduras, and came to live in Minnesota with his mother when he was 2 years old. Now, five days after his 21st birthday, he couldn't be more please with his decision to join the military. AJ spoke about the many Iraqi people that befriended him during his year there, and he also expressed gratitude to those serving, and to those that have serve^. "Today is about celebrating those men and women, past and present," he said.

students in 1994 to 3,236 students this year. While the growth is most significant at the elementaries, there are no plans to expand the middle and high schools. "We are not advocating adding rooms or renovating at the high school," Sabo said. This year, the high school did shrink its lockers from 15 inches to 12- inches, making room for 100 additional lockers. Even while the enrollments increase, that isn't even the biggest problem facing the schools. It's the growing number of programs that must be offered, with each needing space. Among the which have been required since the elementaries were constructed are: English as a New Language, Brain Train, Head Start, Reading Recovery and many others. "We value these programs," Nappanee Principal Genie Tobias said. "Without renovations, we'd have to give up one of those programs." Until more room is made possible, principals will continue to use their creativity to create space where available. At Woodview, principal Alan Thompson currently has a computer lab, technology room and ENL class space all in the same room. , ' At Woodview and Wakarusa elementaries, all of the work needed would be done on the north side, which could be completed without disrupting the educational process. The two schools have the exact same design, expect Wakarusa has two fewer rooms. Following the proposed renovations, the two schools would be exactly the same. "Both buildings would be identical in regards to design and 1 square footage," Kari Vilamaa, of the architectural firm, Barton-Coe-Vilamaa, said. While construction at those two schools, would be relatively easy, work at Nappanee would

For the program, 49 veterans were in attendance, and each was recognized. This year, the eighth grade class will take a class trip to visit Washington D.C. and as a way to obtain a scholarship to go on the trip, students were asked to write an essay on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The winner of that contest was Dudeck, who read his essay before the student body and the veterans. "Words can not express the gratitude of all the people you've served," Dudeck said to the veterans through his essay. While the fight continues in the Middle East, and her life was threatened during her tenure there, Vikki has no remorse in her decision to enlist. "I'd join again in a heart beat," she said. "I love this country."

require much more time. At Nappanee, classes on the north end need to be enlarged, and that wouldn't be the only change. By knocking out non-load barring walls on the north side of the school, 10, 700-square foot rooms would turn into eight, 900-square foot rooms. The third and fourth grade classrooms would then be located in these eight rooms, while the fifth grade classrooms would be constructed on along with the expanded cafeteria and main office on the north side of the building. By constructing a new office on the north side, only the north side doors would then be used for visitors to help ensure security at the school. There would be parking on the north side, while bus pick ups and drop offs would take place on the south side. In all, 13 new rooms could be constructed in the three schools, but that doesn't mean there will be any unused space. "As soon as this is done, the rooms will be filled for the most part," Sabo said. Some questioned why the board wouldn't just want to build much more, but once again the board is cognizant of the possibility of students leaving the district due to job losses. "I'd hate like crazy to spend all that money, and then have 200 to 300 students move out of the district," Miller said. "That would be a double-whammy." Board member Eric Brown opened up the possibility of at least doing the renovations in a way that would make it simple to add more rooms in the future, if need be. "I'd look at having two additional rooms at Wakarusa and Woodview," he said. If everything goes as smooth as can be, construction on the schools would begin next August, with a completion date of August 2007 set.