NJ-SP School Board Honors Three Employees

North Judson-San Pierre Superintendent Lynn Johnson
North Judson-San Pierre Superintendent Lynn Johnson
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week recognized three employees during the “Bluejay Way” portion of their meeting. One employee was recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty, while the other two

Superintendent Lynn Johnson explained that the board recognized custodian Linda Harrison for stepping up to the plate when her supervisor took some time off.

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Easter Train Rides at HVRM on March 30

 
 
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year!

To kick off the year-long celebration, Easter train rides are being offered on Saturday, March 30. You will be able to ride in vintage cabooses, a passenger coach, or open-air sightseeing cars. The train ride is a round-trip five-mile excursion that will take you over the Kankakee River at English Lake and through some countryside before returning to North Judson. A stop will be made along the way where passengers can participate in an Easter Egg hunt and a visit with the Easter Bunny.

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North Judson Town Council Approves Purchases for Waste Water Treatment Plant

  
 
The North Judson Town Council last week approved two purchase orders from Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann for the waste water treatment plant. Horstmann told the council that the chlorine and sulfur feeders needed to be replaced at the plant, and he also requested the purchase of chlorine and sulfur cylinders.

The purchase orders came out to $115 each for 16 cylinders of chlorine and $129 each for nine cylinders of sulfur, for a total of $3001. The council unanimously approved the purchases.

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North Judson Town Board Awards Cemetery Mowing Bid

  
 
The North Judson Town Board last week reviewed two bids received for the mowing of the cemetery before accepting a bid for $900 per mowing. Council President Wendy Hoppe explained that Altman Lawn Care presented the bid, and included proof of liability insurance, while Lawrence Lawn and Landscape offered a bid of $850 per mowing – a lower price, but the bid packet did not include proof of insurance.

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North Judson Town Board Tentatively Approves Purchase of Cemetery Signs

  
 
The cemetery in North Judson will soon be sporting a new rules and regulations sign, as the North Judson Town Board this week approved a purchase order for a quote receive on the purchase of two signs. Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann presented the purchase orders from Gary Clark on the cost of two signs, which came to $1200 and includes two 4-foot-by-8-foot aluminum signs for the main entrance and a 4-foot-by-4-foot aluminum sign for the secondary entrance.

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NJ-SP Academic Super Bowl Team Places Third at Lowell Invitational

The North Judson-San Pierre High School Academic Super Bowl Team placed third at the Lowell Invitational Academic Super Bowl Competition on Thursday, March 7. Answering questions about “The Glory That Was Greece,” the Bluejays placed second in Mathematics and Fine Arts and third in Interdisciplinary and Science. The total score for all NJ-SP teams earned them a third place finish behind Lowell and Munster. They will travel to River Forest High School tomorrow for the Conference Super Bowl Competition. NJ-SP will host the area competition on Tuesday, April 16. It will see 16 area schools competing for a chance to go to the state competition on May 4.

Prescribed Fire Workshop Set for March 16

 A landowner workshop is scheduled for March 16 from 9 a.m. to noon to discuss prescribed fires.

Linda Byer, District 2 wildlife biologist at the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Headquarters in North Judson, said the class will teach landowners how to do a prescribed burn on their property.

“That is a burn with a plan,” explained Byer. “It is for a specific location to do a specific job. Another term is controlled burn. It is a managed fire.”

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North Judson Woman Walking to Raise Funds for MDA

Melissa Bogart (right), mother Pam Bogart (middle), and niece Adilyn Howard (left).
Melissa Bogart (right), mother Pam Bogart (middle), and niece Adilyn Howard (left).
To honor the memory of her father who passed away from muscular dystrophy, Melissa Bogart of North Judson will be walking at the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association event to raise money for research that, hopefully, can one day control or even cure the life-threatening disease.

Bogart’s father, Neil William Bogart, passed away from the effects of muscular dystrophy at the age of 56, and Bogart is honoring his memory by walking at the event held at Coveleski Stadium. A customer service representative at IU Health Starke Hospital said it was difficult watching Neil cope with an illness that was not well-understood. Bogart herself has also been diagnosed with the disease but it has not prevented her from living her life, as she works a full-time job and raises her family as a single parent of two.

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NJ-SP Academic Super Bowl Team Looking to Make It to State

North Judson-San Pierre High School
North Judson-San Pierre High School

The North Judson-San Pierre Academic Super Bowl team is speeding toward the state competition, as they snagged third place overall at the Lowell Invitational Academic Super Bowl competition on Thursday, March 7.

The Blue Jays received second place in Mathematics and Fine Arts as they skillfully answered questions about “The Glory That Was Greece,” and earned third place in Interdisciplinary and Science. The total score of all the NJSP teams won them a third place overall finish behind Lowell and Munster.

Now, the NJ-SP Academic Super Bowl team is gearing up for the Conference Super Bowl Competition, set to take place at River Forest High School on March 12. The area competition will take place at NJ-SP High School on Tuesday, April 16, with 16 area schools competing for a chance to make their way to the state competition on May 4.

Local Police Agencies Join Together for Impaired Driving Blitz

 
 
The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership will be participating in a high-visibility crackdown on impaired and dangerous driving campaign.

Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over will begin Friday, March 8 and will continue through March 24. Due to the increase rate of alcohol consumption these events inspire, it’s a dangerous time on Indiana roadways and police want to keep roadways as safe as possible. Operation Pull Over is a federally-funded enforcement initiative administered by the Traffic Safety division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

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North Judson-San Pierre High School Teacher Awarded $10,000 Grant

 
 
A North Judson-San Pierre High School science teacher has been announced as one recipient of the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program grant, giving her $10,000 to fund a personally-renewing and intellectually-revitalizing project.

Teacher Donna Keller said she will be using the money to travel across the country studying biodiversity with the intent of bringing back loads of information to better engage her students in the learning process.

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North Judson Town Board Soon to Place New Rules Sign at Cemetery

  The rules and regulations that have been in place at the cemetery in North Judson will now be enforced – this after the town board this week reviewed the draft of the rules that will be typed up on a sign and posted at the main entrance. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that the sign will detail each rule, regulation, and requirement, ensuring that everyone who enters the cemetery knows the town’s policies.

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North Judson-San Pierre School Board Honors Academic Decathlon Students

Superintendent Lynn Johnson presented Principal Michael McBride with a plaque honoring the elementary school's efforts.
Superintendent Lynn Johnson presented Principal Michael McBride with a plaque honoring the elementary school’s efforts.

The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week honored nine students who participated in the small school division of the Online National Academic Decathlon competition. The NJ-SP Academic Decathlon team beat out their nearest competitor, Reitz Memorial of Evansville, by more than 2200 points during the competition on Feb. 8 and 9, and will now move on to the national competition.

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North Judson Schools to Analyze Technology Initiative

North Judson-San Pierre Superintendent Lynn Johnson
North Judson-San Pierre Superintendent Lynn Johnson
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board this week discussed their technology initiative, which Superintendent Lynn Johnson said will soon need to be addressed in order for the school to not fall by the wayside technologically.

Johnson told the board that in order for the lessons to be web-based and allow students to use mobile devices, the schools will need to be equipped with a full wireless network. Right now, she said the school is just utilizing hubs, but the corporation would need to look into a full-scale wireless network in order to accommodate a large number of devices.

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North Judson Fire Destroys Home; No Injuries

 The North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department battled a house fire Saturday in the 200 block of Weninger Street in North Judson.

Police were notified of the fire who then alerted the Starke County Sheriff’s Department to dispatch the fire department. Firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported and the homeowner was not home at the time of the fire. The structure was a total loss.

The fire department was called back to the scene later that day for a rekindle.

Fire Chief Joe Leszek stated that the fire started by the water heater and while no suspicious circumstances were cited, the homeowner’s insurance company will be investigating the incident from here.

North Judson Man Arrested on Theft Charge

 A North Judson man was arrested Thursday after allegedly attempting to steal items from a Medaryville store.

The owners of Twice is Nice told police that a woman was in the store paying for items when Dalton Campbell told her that he was going outside while she finishes with her purchase. While he was walking out, one of the owners noticed a sleeve from a garment for sale hanging out from the back of his jacket.

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North Judson-San Pierre Drama Dept. to Present “Fiddler on the Roof”

Fiddler on the RoofThe North Judson-San Pierre High School Drama Department has announced that they will be performing “Fiddler on the Roof” this year and Choir Director Donna Ness said she’s excited to show off her seasoned cast, explaining the majority of the cast this year is composed of seniors who have been on the stage for most of their high school careers.

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North Judson-San Pierre Decathlon Team Heads to Nationals

Front:  Rhiannon Millard, Samantha Amrine, Anna Mullens. Middle:  Cheyenne Minix, Jacob Kieszkowski. Back:  Jonathon Hileman, Nicholas Sierzputowski, Steven Miller, Robert Miller.
Front: Rhiannon Millard, Samantha Amrine, Anna Mullens. Middle: Cheyenne Minix, Jacob Kieszkowski. Back: Jonathon Hileman, Nicholas Sierzputowski, Steven Miller, Robert Miller.
North Judson-San Pierre High School will soon have the honor of representing Indiana in the small school division of the Online National Academic Decathlon competition following their victory in the State Academic Decathlon competition. The Small School State Champion, the NJ-SP Academic Decathlon team beat nearest competitor Reitz Memorial of Evansville by over 2200 points with a team score of 34,521.5 during the competition on Feb. 8 and 9.

The nine-member team earned 29 medals and placed first as a team in Language and Literature, Music, Economics, and Social Science. The Bluejays earned second place in the Oral Super Quiz, taking questions from all the subject areas except Mathematics. The quiz is an open competition in which the 20 state finalist schools compete against one another, with the rest of the competition divided into large schools and small schools. Ten schools compete in each division.

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