beacon10-19web

Page 4B THE BEACON October 2019
BATESVILLE
By
Sue
Siefert
Community
Correspondent
batesville@goBEACONnews.com
O
ur
What was that sound?
Early in August, a citywide
sigh of relief was heard
throughout the ’Ville as students
returned to school, and
parents secretly did a little
happy dance. While backto-school
photos populated
posts across Facebook, I
think we all greeted the day
with mixed emotions. Seeing
the little ones board the
bus and embark upon their
educational journeys is exciting
--- and yet it’s sad to see
one chapter ending as older
ones enter the next school in
their journey --- or even more
sobering is the day they leave
for college.
Not everyone follows the
same educational journey.
Following graduation from
Oldenburg Academy, I chose
to go directly into the workforce
… and soon realized
I wanted a college education.
I decided to commute
to Xavier University at night
while working full-time. My
parents must have grown tired
of waving good-bye for seven
years and wondered if I’d
ever graduate and fly the nest.
I did, and I finally took flight
– and I soared --- it just took a
little longer than my siblings.
Whatever educational
journey you pursue, know
that your education is invaluable,
most teachers are saints
on earth … and that learning
is life long – so take time to
celebrate your milestones
with happy dances of your
own!
Speaking of Education -
Congratulations BCSC …
The Batesville Community
School Corporation has been
named one of Indiana’s best
school districts by Niche.
com, an online company that
provides profiles and rankings
on recommended communities,
schools, and places
to work.
In Niche.com’s “2020 Best
School Districts in Indiana”
list, BCSC ranked #14 out of
the nearly 300 Indiana school
districts evaluated and ranked
#6 on the site’s list of “Best
Teachers in Indiana.” When
compared to other school
districts with fewer than 2500
students, Batesville ranked #2
in the state!
Paul Ketcham, BCSC
superintendent, noted, “As a
corporation, we strive to provide
an education that stands
out among others. Receiving
recognition like this is a testament
to the commitment of
our BCSC staff, students,
Paul Ketcham
and families,
who consistently
work
together to
make our
school
corporation
special.”
According
to Niche.
com, the
2020 Best School Districts
ranking is based on rigorous
analysis of key statistics and
Communities
millions of reviews from students
and parents using data
from the U.S. Department
of Education. Ranking factors
include state test scores,
college readiness, graduation
rates, SAT/ACT scores,
teacher quality, public school
district ratings, and more.
Batesville improved its
ranking from the 2019 list
when it was ranked #17 in the
state. That’s exciting news
for our community and its
educators … and a reason for
another happy dance!
Joe Hartman, Batesville,
recently earned the Boy Scout
Joe Hartman
Eagle
award. For
his project,
Joe planned
and installed
a
Veterans’
Memorial at
St. Anthony’s
Cemetery
in
Morris. This memorial
honors veterans from St.
Anthony’s and the surrounding
communities for their
service to our country. Joe’s
parents are Chuck and
Andrea. He has an older
sister named Bailey.
Batesville’s AppleFest will
be held September 28-29 at
Liberty Park. Kiwanis members
invite you to join them in
celebrating the fest’s thirtieth
anniversary! Chairperson,
Jay Reichmuth, commented,
“Join us for a fest full of family
fun, live entertainment,
great food, and everything
Apple!” (See the AppleFest
Ad on page 5B.)
That’s Sue’s news for now!
Bryce, Jackson, Tate, and
Eli Meiners.
YORKVILLE
& GUILFORD
By
Laura
Keller
Community
Correspondent
yorkville@goBEACONnews.com
July 28 marked the 39th
annual St. Martin’s 5k Country
Run, the oldest road race
in Dearborn County. This
year 96 runners competed to
see who would earn the title
of the overall winner. It was
a neck-and-neck finish, but
Michael Schwebach, a junior
at East Central High School,
outran last year’s winner, Kyle
Gutfreund, a recent graduate
of East Central, by a margin of
two seconds! Brandon Weideman
rounded out the top
three. Alexandria Stevens of
Cincinnati was the top female
runner two years in a row. Jim
Scott earned the title of master
runner, and Carrie Doan
from Cincinnati was the most
improved runner, shaving an
impressive 3:27 off from her
time last year!
My son and I enjoy cheering
the runners as they race
Michael Schwebach and
Kyle Gutfreund were the
first and second place winners
of the St. Martin’s 5k
Country Run. (Photo courtesy
of Rachel Mersmann)
past our home because we
know many of the participants.
Many local families competed
in this year’s race, including
Bev, T.J. and Garret Rauch;
Maureen, Natalie, Tyler, and
J.J. Stenger; Joe, Elizabeth,
Grace, Denise, and Scarlett
Kirchgassner; Noah and
Owen Mersmann; Catie
Reatherford; and Ricky and
Erica Schneider; and Julie,
Will, and Robin Fox. Great
job to all the runners!
Congratulations to Andrew
and Katie Meiners on the
birth of their fourth son. Tate
Andrew made his debut on
Aug. 15 and was welcomed
home by proud big brothers
Jackson, Eli, and Bryce.
I would love to feature you
in my next article! If you have
news in the Yorkville/Guilford
area that you’d like me
to share, please contact me at
yorkville@goBEACONnews.
com.
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