Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 129, Number 7, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 16 February 2006 — Page 1

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Embrace the Pace

m?7!ee CAPTAIN'S CLUB The North Wood Captain's Club will be selling clothing at the boys' varsity basketball game on Friday, Feb. 17. This will be the last time this year that the clothing will be sold. State championship T-shirts are still available. HERITAGE HOUSE The following events will be held at the Heritage House, located in CR 7 in Nappanee: • "Finding the Buried Treasures in Elkhart County," will be held on Friday, Feb. 17 from 10 to 11 a.m., presented by the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau. • "Stronger after Sixty: The Fitness Fountain of Youth" with Lauren Gernhardt, who holds a Master of Science in Health and Kinesiology from Purdue University, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 3 p.m. • "Cyanide & Antique Lace," a Mystery Dinner Theatre with Playhouse Productions will be presented on Friday, Feb. 24. BICYCLE CLUB The Elkhart County 4-H Bicycle Club is accepting new 4-H members at the February meeting. The club will meet Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Ag Hall on the 4-H Fairgrounds. The topic for this month's meeting will be "Helmets: What to look for when buying; How to fit and adjust one; and Why you should wear one . For more information on 4-H, call the Elkhart County Extension Office at 533-0554. PANCAKE BREAKFAST An all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be held at the First Church of God on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 7 to 10 a.m. Along with the pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee and juice will be offered at a price of ss,for adults, $2 for children between 3 and 10 years of age, with children under 3 eating free. Tickets may be reserved by calling 773-7743, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The breakfast is sponsored by the Men's Ministry. The church is located at the corner of County Roads 7 and 54 in Nappanee. FUNDRAISER The First Church of God Youth will hold a Nelson's fundraiser between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 in the parking lot of L.J. Wagner's, 1200 East Market St., Nappanee. See AROUND, Page A 6

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Schmitt spells trouble for competition

By Anthony Godson Editor Chelli Schmitt may spell her name in an unconventional way, but if she says its the correct spelling, who's to argue? Chelli, which is short for Rochelle, is an eighth grade student from North Wood Middle School, and on Feb. 7 she became the 2006 Elkhart County Spelling Bee Champion. "1 felt like I was going to faint," Schmitt said about her emotions after hearing that she'd won the competition. "I didn't know if I was dreaming or not, because I've had so many dreams about it." As it was, Schmitt wasn't dreaming and after she correctly spelled "Exchequer," she had achieved the goal she had been working towards for the past three years. In 2004, Schmitt placed 14th as a sixth grade student and last yeai; she took third place at the county competition. The county spelling bee is only open to stu-

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79 wins = 19th sectional title The North Wood Black Swish claimed its 19th sectional title on Saturday night, defeating Angola 41-34 at the West Noble Sectional. The girls will now play Tippecanoe Valley during the 10 a.m. game at the Peru Regional this Saturday. North Wood defeated Tippecanoe Valley 46-43 on Jan. 9 at The Pit.

Students receive 'Keys’ for their artwork

By Anthony Godson Editor For artists, it's all about the art. But at times, there also awards. At this year's regional Scholastic Art Awards competition, held at the Century Center on Jan. 21, North Wood High School received 15 awards, while North Wood Middle School also received five awards. The works are now on display in the Warner Gallery of

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ADVANCE NEWS PHOTCVA.W. GADSON North Wood senior Tiffany DuH works on another piece of art during dass last week.

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dents in fifth to eighth grade, so this was her last chance for first place. As soon as she was told to spell "Exchequer," she knew she had the competition won. "I knew it was (correct)," Schmitt said when asked if she was at all nervous after spelling the word. While she may have been confident, mom Janaye, wasn't so sure. "It is very nerve-racking," Janaye, an employee at Nappanee Elementary School, said about watching her 13-year old daughter compete. "The kids know if they've spelled the word correctly, but the parents aren't so sure." Chelli's ability to spell words better than pretty much everyone around her began at a very young age. Born blind, Schmitt learned how to spell and read at a young age, using Braille. "At 2/: to 3-years old she was already Working with alphabet letters," Janaye said. Ever since that time, Chelli

the South Bend Regional Museum of Art. "This is the biggest competition for us," North Wood High School Artistic Drama Director Danelle Barkey said. "The students first compete at the regional, which is in South Bend, then they can move on to the national competition in New York City." The works of art are judged, then awarded either a Gold Key, a Silver Key or they are given an Honorable Mention award. Of

has been addicted to words, recalling her first spelling bee in the first grade. "I got nervous, and misspelled the word 'prowler'," Chelli said. Janaye remembers that first grade spelling bee, which had to be completed a day after it began. "It was 10 after 3 (o'clock), and the kids were still spelling, so it had to be put off until the next day," she said. So all night Chelli was thinking about the spelling bee, and once it arrived, she was a bit too anxious. "I knew how to spell the word, it was just all the anticipation," she said . While she didn't win the first grade spelling bee, she did receive good lessons from Nappanee first grade teacher Beth Wiseman. "We knew that she was very good in phonics by the time she was in the first grade," Janaye said. "Mrs. Wiseman recognized that, and gave her harder

Front: (Left to right) Amanda Bechtel, Jen Kurtz, Brittany Hall, Laura Schiefer and Heather Stutsman. Middle: (Left to right) Mandy Yoder, Chelsea Yoder, Alii Heeter, Mackenzie Lechlitner, Courtney Simpson, Calley Tucker and Casey Bough. Back: (Left to right) assistant coaches Ron Howard, Gene Zercher, Brad Newcomer, head coach Steve Neff and assistant coach Peg Stauffer.

the Gold Key and Portfolio winners, a select number are then chosen to compete at the national competition in New York City. On the high school level, North Wood had four works receive Gold Keys, four receive Silver Keys and six were named to the Honorable Mention list. The middle school had four works named to the Honorable Mention list, while one received a Silver Key. "Each teacher may submit 30 pieces of work, and we received 14 awards/ Barkey said. "This was one of our best showings ever." The Scholastic Art Show has been running for the past 83 years, with the purpose of recognizing and encouraging artistic achievement to students between the 7th and 12th grades. Among the 15 high school pieces awarded, senior Maggie Ward received a Portfolio Award, a first at North Wood. In submitting a portfolio, an artist is submitting eight pieces of work, which isn't always that easy. "I submitted two paintings and six drawings/ Ward said. "I could only send eight, but I

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ADVANCE NEWS PHOTO/A.W. 6ADSON North Wood eighth grade student Chelli Schmitt is all about letters and words, and on March 11 she’ll compete at the regional spelling bee in Fort Wayne,

words to learn. It was good that she didn't just let Chelli settle in." That loss in first grade may have fueled Chelli, as she went on winning the school spelling

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had 11. So I had to make some cuts." Along with her Portfolio Award, Ward also* received a Gold Key (Drawing), two Silver Keys (Drawings) and an Honorable Mention (Drawing). With her five awards, she was NorthWood's big winner, but she wasn’t expecting it going in. "I was shocked to hear that I won, because last year I thought I was going to win, and didn't get anything," she added. Barkey commented that from year-to-year the judging can be unpredictable, as different judgbs are brought in each year. "Some years portraits are big, and then the next they aren't," she said. "I think the judges are just looking for the students to show a high-quality of artistic ability, as well as a personal style." For Ward, she has noticed that drawing portraits is something she has a knack for. "I like to do portraits with color pencils," she said. "I like it, because it's easy, but it's not easy enough that anyone can do it/ Senior Sam Telschow comes from an artistic family, so his Gold Key and Honorable Mention in Ceramics and Glass

bee on numerous occasions, including the last three years. Going into the eighth grade competition, Chelli was defiSee SCHMITT, Page A 2

Gearing the air about Medicare By Anthony Godson Editor There are plenty of questions about Medicare, and on Monday afternoon, there were some answers. The Family Christian Development Center in Nappanee played host to Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Program Officer David Liebel, allowing him to answer questions regarding Medicare Part D. "This is probably the biggest change in the Medicare Plan since the 19605," Liebel told a group of nearly 20 people. Medicare Part A primarily covers hospital visits, Part B covers such activities as doctor visits, while the newest part (D) i provides prescription drug cov-; erage. ; Medicare Part D is open to; anyone currently enrolled in. Medicare Part A or B, and! ■ ' ■ ,4 See MEDICARE, Page 2

shouldn't be too surprising. "I think I got into art because my dad had a lot of talent, and my grandma is also a good artist," Telschow said. While the artistic genes may run through his family, it may have been an accident that landed him a Gold Key. "I actually broke my piece, which was great," the senior said. In breaking his ceramic piece, Telschow then transformed it into a Gold Key winner by filling in the cracks with gold. Senior Tiffany Dull received a Silver Key for a color pencil drawing, the second time she's earned an award for her art. "Last year I won a Gold Key for a color pencil drawing of a girl from school," she said. North Wood senior Kiser Chamberlin is North Wood's only national winner, having received a Silver Key in the past. As for this year's contestants, Barkey is just pleased with what they've done so far. "North Wood's been competing in this competition for as long as I can remember, and the students have just done better and better," she said. See ART, Page A 6