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Lincoln principal using social media to increase achievement

Lincoln Elementary School second grade teacher Jill Slagel (right) helps Noah Bruce (right, seated) with his writing workshop activity, as principal Adam Drummond (standing, left) takes a photo with his iPhone to share on the school’s Twitter account.
Photo by Lauren M. Wilson.

Originally published Oct. 1, 2012.

It's the information age.

Thanks to WiFi, social media outlets and smart phones, the world has grown accustomed to instant information.

We want it fast, and we want it now.

Huntington is keeping up - specifically, Huntington's schools. Even more specifically, Adam Drummond, principal of Lincoln Elementary School.

Drummond is using Twitter, a social medium that allows him to share "quick snippets" of information with students, teachers and parents.

Simple answer to Ingle’s racing motivation: He just likes speed

Drag racer Gerald Ingle, of Huntington, stands with his current race car, a ’66 Chevy 2 station wagon. Ingle has been drag racing for 35 years.
Photo by Steve Clark.

Originally published Sept. 27, 2012.

Gerald Ingle's motivation to get into drag racing when he was in high school was simple.

"I just liked speed," he says.

This motivation led Ingle, now the owner of Ingle's Service Center Inc., in Huntington, from drag racing buddies in his '67 Mercury Cougar on county roads to competing in race finals with rear-engine dragsters where cash prizes in the thousands of dollars were on the line.

Retired funeral director Hart takes away pieces of history with various collections

Morris Hart stands in just one corner of the area that houses his many collectables, displaying his case of more than three dozen “shoe knives.”
Photo by Lauren M. Wilson.

Originally published Sept. 24, 2012.

The beginning of the 20th century was a turbulent time in the history of the United States.

Many events, including the Great Depression and two world wars, transformed the nation.

Every American takes away a little part of that time and makes it their own, and Morris Hart is no exception.

The retired funeral director collects an array of products from that era, from glassware and pottery to what he calls "shoe knives."

Case of delayed gratification earns five area men screen time, credits in movie finally out

Rich McConnell, a member of Huntington’s Company Singers, appears in a scene from the movie “DogJack.” The group, which performs Civil War-era songs, made a flying trip to Pennsylvania seven years ago to appear in a campfire scene of the movie.
Photo provided.

Originally published on Sept. 20, 2012

Call it a case of delayed gratification.

Very delayed.

Seven years delayed, actually.

The reward for all that waiting was, for five area men, a few seconds of face time on screen, their voices providing a backdrop for a somber movie scene - and their names in the credits.

"And then it says, ‘Campfire Singers,'" says Huntington resident Rick Henly, one of the five, as he watches the credits for "DogJack" roll nearly to the end.

"And there we are."

Wright, park team members turning ‘ghost town’ into a place of pride

Standing outside the park pavilion in Andrews are (from left) park team members Rick Wright, CJ Rohler, park liaison Linda Wright, Shirley Fisher and John Harshbarger.
Photo by Steve Clark.

Originally published Sept. 17, 2012.

The park in Andrews used to look like a ghost town.

"Townspeople didn't even care to come up here," says Andrews resident and park liaison Linda Wright.

And it's not hard to see why, as the park had fallen into a state of disrepair after many years of neglect.

Since being appointed park liaison in 2009, Wright has done everything she can to change the park's reputation.

Church’s century-plus-old windows get a little beauty treatment recently

Peter Lupkin (left) and Larry Hormann, of William Lupkin Designs, reinstall the stained glass windows at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church on Friday, Sept. 7.
Photo by Lauren M. Wilson.

Originally published Sept. 13, 2012.

The 10 116-year-old stained glass windows at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church have received a little beauty treatment more than a century after their installation in the Huntington church.

The windows were placed in the church in 1896, and sometime after that it became apparent that the tall, narrow windows needed some protection.

A protective plexiglass covering was installed on the outer side of the stained glass to ward off "baseballs and stuff," says Rev. Ron Rieder the church's pastor.

Newest Huntington University DMA prof brings wealth of experience to ‘phase four’

Dawn Ford is a new addition to the Huntington University Digital Media Arts program. Ford’s resume includes stops at NPR and Lucasfilm, and she even produced a PBS television series.
Photo by Andre. B. Laird

Originally published Sept. 10, 2012.

To Dawn Ford, the job description for a digital media arts professor at Huntington University read like the score of her favorite soundtrack.

Initially, though, the Ann Arbor, MI, native wasn't so sure that it was the right move at that time.

"Looking back over my career, this will be career phase number four," Ford says. "It's an exciting stage for me."

‘Page on Stage’ helps students appreciate literature

Joel Froomkin reads to a group of area students last school year during “Page on Stage,” a program that brings the text from plays and popular literature to life.
Photo by Andre. B. Laird

Originally published Sept. 6, 2012.

For most youth, the subject of Shakespeare - the language, cultural nuances and accents - make it difficult to appreciate the beauty of the literature.
Until they participate in a "Page on Stage" workshop.

The program, in its fourth year, is presented by Joel Froomkin and Rich Najuch, co-owners of The New Huntington Theatre.

"We present the program to schools in the surrounding counties," states Najuch. "We work with the Honeywell Center and LaFontaine Arts Council."

Kids seeing healthier, more nutritious foods in school cafeterias this year

Lincoln Elementary School third-graders (from left) Frank Roth, Kaelan Lease and Landon Emerick enjoy lunch on Thursday, Aug. 30.
Photo by Steve Clark.

Originally published Sept. 3, 2012.

Students are seeing healthier and more nutritious foods in the cafeteria as they return to school this year.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which establishes new nutrition standards for school meals, is being implemented locally by Ken Akins, director of food service for Huntington County Community School Corporation.

Local street artist a success on scale that matters to him

Local artist Travis Bruner shows one of his pieces, created with cans of spray paint, to (from left) Brayden Clabaugh, Nate Bowman and Zachary McGuire at Pathfinder Kids Kampus.
Photo provided.

Originally published Aug. 30, 2012.

Travis Bruner isn't rich, and he never expects to be.

But he's happy.

"I just want to be an artist," he says.

His works hang from the walls of his tiny Huntington apartment; more pieces are stored in the back rooms.
His creations, he says, sell as fast as he finishes them.

Costs too high to have dinosaur survey, ditch books put to rest

Huntington County Surveyor Jay Poe displays two record books maintained by his office.
Photo by Cindy Klepper.

Originally published Aug. 27, 2012.

Elisha Frazier's quest to establish a drainage ditch in his corner of Huntington County is spelled out in a handwritten document dated Oct. 17, 1881.

The words are written in a firm hand, the loops and curlicues of the old-fashioned penmanship densely covering several pages. The narrative is uninterrupted by scribbled-out words or blank spaces, yet entire phrases are undecipherable by the modern eye.

"They're not the easiest things to read," says Huntington County Surveyor Jay Poe, in whose care the document rests.

HU’s Hammel trades comfort zone for strike zone this summer

Andrews resident and Huntington University baseball player Jamon Hammel played ball this summer in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, a league which has produced a number of current and former Major League Baseball players.
Photo provided.

Originally publilshed Aug. 23, 2012.

This summer, Jamon Hammel traded his comfort zone for a strike zone.

Hammel, of Andrews, a senior shortstop for the Huntington University baseball team, departed Andrews over Memorial Day weekend for Niagara Falls, NY, where he played baseball for the Niagara Power of the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL).

Two-week 4-H exchange trip to Poland tops list for Huntington resident’s vacation

Huntington resident Rhyan Geiger travelled to Poland as part of a group of 4-H exchange students earlier this summer. During the tour of Krakow, the group ran into street musicians dressed in full traditional dress.
Photo provided.

Originally published Aug. 16, 2012.

When most teenagers think of how to spend their summers, a two-week trip to Poland doesn't top the list.

Unless you're Huntington resident Rhyan Geiger, who spent June 25 through July 8 in Poland as part of a team of 4-H exchange students.

Geiger says the yearly program is familiar to her family.

"We have previously hosted exchange students from Poland and Japan," she says. "Our team of nine had kids from Allen and Wells counties, one from Plymouth and another from Indianapolis."

Walter ends 4-H career on high note

Brandt Walter (foreground) exhibits his Champion Meat Pen rabbit during the Huntington County 4-H Livestock Auction at Hier’s Park earlier this summer as part of the 2012 Huntington County 4-H Fair.
Photo by Steve Clark.

With the sale of his Champion Meat Pen rabbits for $6,500 during the 4-H Sale of Champions at this year's state fair, it's safe to say that 10-year 4-H'er Brandt Walter, of Warren, ended his 4-H career on a high note.

The $6,500 total fetched by his rabbits during the Saturday, Aug. 11, sale was the highest price Walter's entry in the Sale of Champions had commanded in three trips to it.

Submerged town getting lots of attention this summer

Monument City’s remains sit exposed on Monday, Aug. 6. The ruins, which are usually submerged under water during the summer months, have drawn a lot of attention this season.
Photo by Lauren M. Wilson.

Originally published Aug. 9, 2012.

While the extreme drought in Huntington has left many areas that are typically submerged in water exposed to the human eye this summer, one in particular has drawn an abundance of interest.

Monument City, a town that once stood in Polk Township, was vacated in 1965 when the Salamonie Reservoir was built.

The town, like many others in the area, had been the victim of extreme flooding on more than one occasion. The reccurring floods throughout the area prompted the construction of the Salamonie Reservoir.