Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 135, Number 3, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 21 January 2016 — Page 1

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<s&% 'VIBRANT COMMUNITIES' KICKOFF ELKHART The 'Vibrant Communities" Kickoff will be held on Jan. 26 at the Lemer Theatre's Crystal Ballroom Main St., Elkhart from 4-6 p.m. The kickoff is open to anyone interested in the future of Elkhart County and its communities. Author Peter Kageyama will be the guest speaker. RSVP's are not required to attend, but are encouraged and can be completed on the project website. To RSVP, or for more information, visit www. VibrantElkhartCounty.org.

WAKARUSA BASEBAII/ SOFTBALL 2016 SEASON INFO WAKARUSA Registration for all players is from Feb. 2 to Feb. 23. There are no fees charged for this league, however, there will be a $lO late fee per player for forms turned in after Feb. 23. Sign-up forms will be available at Wakarusa Elementary, North Wood Middle School, Cook's Pizza and J k N Stone. All forms must be signed by a parent or guardian. Divisions are by the grade you are in as of June, 2016. Peewees: Minor league: Boys in grades 3-5 (Must have completed Kindergarten by June, 2016 or be 6 years old by May 1). Majors: Boys in grades 6-8. Jr. softball: Girls grades 3-5. Senior girl's softball: girls grade 6- 8. For questions, call Nadine at 862-4251. BIGGEST LOSER COMMUNITY CHALLENGE NAPPANEE —The Nappanee Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with NBC and The Biggest Loser, will be participating in NBC's "Biggest Loser Community Challenge". Starting nationally in February, the program is open to area residents who are encouraged to get healthy by establishing a team of four participants to compete to lose the most weight. Cost of entry is SIOO per team and includes over SIO,OOO in possible prizes. For more information visit the Nappanee Chamber of Commerce website or www. Biggestlosercommunity .com. See WaNee, page A 8

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Advance

Nappanee chief of police retires Chief Dlfkstra calls it quits after 30 years in law enforcement

By David M. Palmer Assistant Editor NAPPANEE in many changes in Nappanee, and another is just around the comer for law and order in the new year. After more than 20 years in law enforcement, Nappanee Chief of Police Julie Dijkstra retired from the force at the end of 2015, but will stay on as chief of police until a new chief is appointed sometime in the coming weeks. Dijkstra began her career in law enforcement after graduating from Ball State University, first applying for a job as a jail officer in Elkhart County. Dijkstra spent over 20 years working on the force as a member of the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, eventually graduating to the rank of Deputy Sheriff. After 24 years of service in Elkhart, Dijkstra left the sheriff's department to take the position of police chief of Nappanee, which she was appointed to by former Nappanee Mayor Larry Thompson in 2010. But, according to Dijkstra, the time has come for her to hang up her gun, turn in her badge and retire from law enforcement. Reflecting on her time as chief in Nappanee, Dijkstra said that it was the opportunity to serve her hometown that brought her back to Nappanee after years of service in Elkhart County. "I lived my whole life in

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Photo/David M. Palmer Mentor Andrea Grove, left, and Woodview Elementary School Counselor Nicki Wiggins, right, stand in front of a bulletin board displaying the names of all of Woodview's student mentors. Wiggins started the program in 2006, and it has since grown to include more than 20 mentors.

Woodview students find friends in mentors

By David M. Palmer Assistant Editor NAPPANEE For as long as most can remember, schools across the country have had tutoring programs for students who need help witn their studies. But for the last 10 years Nappanee has had an equally important program that aims less toward simply teaching and more toward mentoring students all around. Since 2006, Woodview Elementary School in Nappanee has offered students in second, third, fourth and fifth grades the opportunity to meet with a volunteer mentor. According to Woodview Elementary school Counselor Nicki Wiggins, students who seem to be having a hard time at school or at home are asked if they would like to meet with a mentor each week The hope is that the student and mentor will develop a relationship that benefits the child, and the mentor then continues to be the student's personal mentor throughout their time at Woodview Elementary. Initially, the program started with only four mentors, all of whom were personally

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Photo provided Nappanee Police Chief Julie Dijkstra officially retired from the Nappanee Police Department at the turn of the new year.

Nappanee," Dijkstra said. "I wanted to come and work for my hometown. When you work in a smaller jurisdiction like Nappanee, you get to see the same people day after day and it's very satisfying." Dijkstra said tnat she had an

know by Wiggins. The idea of starting with people she knew personally was, according to Wiggins, to have mentors that she knew she knew she and the school, as well as the student's parents, could trust, and count on. "We started with four mentors," Wiggins said. "They were people that I knew very well that could tell nie if it was going well or if it wasn't going well; if it was too much time or not enough time, and it ended up going great." The mentoring program starts with Wiggins offering troubled students the chance to meet with one of her mentors. Once the student has agreed to the idea, Wiggins then sends a permission form home witnthe student for their parents to fill out. After the student and parents have agreed, the student meets with their mentor, a process that Wiggins says she takes great care in getting just right. "We take students, as young as second grade and pair than with a mentor," Wiggins said. "I try and stick to same-sex pairings, but occasionally I will mix it up See Mentors, page A 5

interest in law enforcement starting when she was in high school, even attending a law enforcement career club. But it wasn't until she graduated from Ball State that she donned the shield and began what would become a lifetime of service.

Winter yes, or winter no? Weather has hard time making up its mind By David M. Palmer Assistant Editor NAPPANEE selves wondering if winter is ever going to come around or, at veiy least, if it is going to take its coat off and stay a while. But the quick-change temperatures and weather patterns can be more than just confusing, they can be problematic, too. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the 2015-16 winter season is an El Nino year. El Nino is an irregularly occurring climatic change in the Pacific Ocean which warms the water, affecting climate patterns across much of the world, including North America. But this winter is different according to NOAA, with 2016 being the strongest El Nino year in 18 years, and the second strongest on record. El Nino typically shifts the winter weather patterns across much of the United States, causing unusually wet conditions in the southwest, unseasonably warm weather in the north and dry, warm conditions across the Midwest through December. The latest El Nino forecast from NOAA predict that the current El Nino conditions will last into spring 2016, finally tapering off come summer. But the on again, off again winter conditions throughout the Midwest can have a greater impact than just atypical weather, according to Purdue Extension Educator of Agriculture and Natural Resources Jeff Burbrink, who said that the main concern about this type of weather is the amount of snow cover effecting plants. "I don't think [the weather] is having a whole lot of an effect yet," Burbrink said. "The main concern would be the above ground portions of plants and crops because the air temperature changes quite a bit and the ground temperature changes more slowly. Where you run into trouble is when you don't have the snow cover to insulate the plants. Snow acts like a blanket and we haven't had a lot of snow yet." Burbrink believes that the amount of snow that has fallen so far, or lack thereof, doesn't concern him yet, but said that only time will tell as to what affect this El Nino year has on local crops. If the temperature begins to drop steadily without a corresponding accumulation of snow, drying becomes the problem that will affect next year's growing season. "We haven't had a lot of snow yet," Burbrink said. "My big problem is if we start to get those minus 20 and minus See Weather, page A 5

INSIDE NWHS coach finds rhythm Page A 8

"I always knew that it was something I'd like to try, but I didn't really focus on it until I graduated from college. I saw that the Elkhart Country was hiring jail officers, and I applied," Dijkstra said of the start of her career. When asked why she felt that this was a good time to retire, Dijkstra said that the recent changes in law enforcement and the growth of her family influenced her decision to call 2015 her final year on the force. "I just think that after 30 years, it's been a good career. It's time to move on," Dijkstra said. "There are always changes in law enforcement, be it technology or whatever, and it's a good time to move on and let someone else take over from here. I look at my grandkids and how fast they're growing more time with my family." No word has yet been announced as to who will take over the position of chief of police following Dijkstra. According to Dijkstra, the city is considering applicants both from within the Nappanee Police Department and outside officers. But Dijkstra believes that, whomever is chosen, Nappanee will be well taken care of. "I think we are leaving Nappanee in good shape and in good hands," Dijkstra said. "Mayor Jenkins will continue with what Mayor Thompson has built, but I know that I'll miss it."

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