FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Screaming Eagles sign defender Campos for 2025
Screaming Eagles sign defender Campos for 2025
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer announced the signing of Paulina Campos to its 2025 class. Campos becomes the 11th student-athlete to sign ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Paulina Campos (Chula Vista, California) is a 5’3″ defender from Mater Dei Catholic High School in California. The speedy fullback scored a few goals in high school as a three-year varsity starter. Campos’ squad was a D1 CIF Soccer finalist. Campos’ high school team was the league’s all-academic team.
Campos plays club soccer for Rebels ECNL 07, which she has helped lead to a second-place finish in the league and led to the ECNL playoffs in Seattle for the first time. Campos was selected twice for Southern California’s player development program. Campos, the starting outside back for Rebel, was also named a 2024 ECNL player to watch.
“We are very excited to welcome Paulina to the USI Soccer family,” USI Women’s Soccer Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “Paulina is an extremely gifted outside back with great ball skills and a fierce competitor who can play touchline to touchline. She brings a great deal of pace and energy to the backline.”
USI Women’s Soccer heads into 2025 after being a quarterfinalist in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for a second consecutive season in 2024. The 2025 schedule will be released at a later date.
Otters kick off 2025 signings with four returners
Otters kick off 2025 signings with four returners
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters are excited to announce the first signings of the 2025 season with the re-signing of OF Giovanni DiGiacomo, C Duncan Hewitt, OF Clayton Keyes and RHP Alex Valdez.
Giovanni DiGiacomo, a native of Naples, FL, signed with Evansville mid-season last year on June 18. He hit the ground running upon arrival, registering hits in his first six games, five of which were multi-hit outings. Though his offense slowed down in the coming weeks, DiGiacomo still finished the year with a .281 batting average, fifth-best on the team. Of his 45 hits, he had 10 doubles and a triple and drove in 21 runs.
DiGiacomo joined the Otters after a stint with Missoula in the Pioneer League in 2023 and the start of 2024. Prior to his rookie campaign in Missoula, DiGiacomo played collegiately at LSU from 2019-2022. He concluded his college career at Duke in 2023 with a .268 batting average across 61 games, putting up 51 hits and 36 RBI.
Duncan Hewitt, from Indianapolis, IN, also joined the Otters mid-season last year, serving as the team’s bullpen catcher for most of the season. Prior to joining the Otters, Hewitt spent time in the United Shore League and American Association from 2021 to 2023.
Hewitt was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 2023 and ended the season with the Twins Rookie League team in Florida. Prior to his professional career, Hewitt played college ball at Butler University from 2017 to 2021, collecting 78 hits in his college career.
Clayton Keyes, originally hailing from Calgary, Ontario, Canada, signed with Evansville prior to the 2024 season. Due to VISA delays, Keyes was unable to join the team until August. Though he only appeared in 10 games, Keyes added a nice spark to the Otters’ outfield defense. Offensively, he collected four hits, four RBI and five walks.
Before joining the Otters, Keyes played his final season of college ball with Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. A member of the 2022 NAIA World Series Championship team, Keyes played 34 games for the Fire, recording 10 hits, 18 walks and seven RBI.
Finally, Alex Valdez, a native of Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic, joins the Otters for his second season in Evansville. Valdez also had his 2024 season start late due to VISA delays. After being activated on July 30, Valdez provided solid relief to the back end of the bullpen. In 12 games for the Otters in 2024, he put up a 1.26 ERA across 14.1 innings. He allowed just nine hits, two runs and struck out 17 batters.
Valdez was a four-year farmhand for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2018 to 2022. He made appearances in Single-A in both 2021 and 2022 and spent time each year with the Diamondbacks Rookie League team. Valdez transitioned into the American Association in late 2022, joining the Kansas City Monarchs. After posting a 1.08 ERA in his seven appearances in 2022, Kansas City re-signed him for the 2023 season, where he played in 28 games, recording 37 strikeouts in 28 innings of work.
The Evansville Otters are excited to welcome fans back to Bosse Field in 2025 for the 30th season of Otters baseball! More information on the upcoming season schedule is available here.
Season ticket and group ticket packages are on sale now. Call (812) 435-8686 for more information. Individual game tickets will go on sale in the coming months.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up to date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Aces track and field begins 2025 at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic
Aces track and field begins 2025 at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After over a month away from competition, the University of Evansville track and field team is back in action on Friday.
The Purple Aces will compete in their first meet of 2025 on Friday, January 24th as they travel to Kentucky for the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic. It will be UE’s third straight season appearing in the meet hosted by the Bellarmine Knights at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center. Evansville will look to improve on its performance from last season as the men’s team finished 13th and the women’s team finished 17th.
On Friday the Aces will be one of 19 schools competing, including 10 teams from Kentucky. Along with UE, athletes scheduled to compete will hail from Ball State, Bellarmine, Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Northern Kentucky, Southern Indiana, Western Kentucky, Wright State, Xavier, Campbellsville, University of the Cumberlands, Hanover, Midway, Spalding, Transylvania, Illinois Springfield, and Vincennes. Evansville has not competed against any of the teams at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic during the 2024-25 indoor season through two other meets.
The last meet the Aces participated in was the Indiana Early Bird back on December 13. Sophomore sprinters Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) and Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) set three program records for UE in Bloomington. Both the men’s and women’s 200-meter records were reset along with the women’s 400-meter record. Overall Evansville competed in 16 events with two podium finishes in the team’s last appearance of the season. Johnson set her first program record of the meet in the 400-meter dash. Placing fourth in the event, Johnson ran the 400 in 57.32 seconds beating her program record from the year prior by just under half a second. Her second program record was in the 200 race with a time of 25.28 seconds for another fourth-place finish. In the men’s 200-meter dash, Felton earned a third-place podium finish along with setting a new program record at 21.84 seconds.
The Aces will begin the day bright and early, at 8:45 a.m., with the women’s weight throw. On Friday, UE will compete in 18 events, with the final event, the men’s 4×400-meter relay, at 3:30 p.m. Evansville fans can follow along with the team’s performance through Live Timing.
USI rallies at SIUE for third straight win
USI rallies at SIUE for third straight win
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball fought back from a sizable first-half deficit Thursday night to open its three-game road swing with a 69-65 victory against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
USI, which began its second three-game road trip of January, picked up its third consecutive win to improve to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The win allowed Southern Indiana to maintain its position in a four-way tie for second in the conference standings and two games back of OVC-leading Eastern Illinois University, who the Screaming Eagles will compete against on Saturday. SIUE dropped to 3-15 on the season and 1-8 in the OVC.
SIUE came out of the gates with seven straight points in the first quarter. USI sophomore guard Triniti Ralston got Southern Indiana on the scoreboard three and a half minutes into the contest with a layup off a steal. Ralston later scored again off a takeaway. SIUE ended the first period on another small run to lead 19-4 through 10 minutes.
The Cougars’ lead climbed to 20 before graduate guard Lexie Green drained a three from the wing at the 7:27 mark of the second quarter. Green added a layup seconds later. Two triples in the middle of the second by graduate forward Meredith Raley and sophomore guard Sophia Loden helped USI cut the deficit down to 11, 27-16, with a little over three minutes left in the first half. However, SIUE’s hot shooting from long range, totaling six treys in the first half, helped keep the Cougars in front, 32-18, going into halftime.
Southern Indiana made a run out of halftime to trim the deficit down to eight, 35-27, three and a half minutes into the second half. Graduate forward Madi Webb scored five straight points in the process. SIUE answered and caught fire from three again to go back ahead by 17, 46-29. The Screaming Eagles responded as Webb continued her strong run, and USI converted at the free-throw line to trail only by eight, 51-43, going to the fourth period.
USI’s momentum carried over into the start of the fourth with a three-point play by Raley. Just over two minutes into the frame, Loden drained a three to knot the game at 54. The two sides would tie up twice more over the next 90 seconds. Just as SIUE went back up by four, 62-58, near the four-minute mark, the Eagles continued to fight with back-to-back layups from Loden. Webb and USI had to tie the game once more inside of two minutes, 64-64. After that, Southern Indiana grabbed its first lead at the foul line, 66-64, with 1:37 left on the clock. USI would go on to complete its largest comeback win of the season with three more free-throw conversions.
Southern Indiana shot 41 percent (24-58) for the game, 27 percent (4-15) from three, and 77 percent (17-22) at the free-throw line. USI was plus two on the glass and outscored SIUE in the paint 36-18. The Eagles scored 26 points off 17 SIUE turnovers. USI matched a season low with 11 turnovers, seven of which came in the first quarter.
Individually, Loden set a new career mark with a game-high 18 points on 8-9 shooting to lead four Screaming Eagles in double figures. Raley was second in scoring with 14 points. Webb faced off against her former program once again and posted 12 points. Ralston recorded 10 points.
SIUE went for 42 percent (25-59) from the floor, including 39 percent (12-31) from beyond the arc. The Cougars made three of their five free-throw attempts. Three Cougars finished in double figures. Graduate guard KK Rodriguez and sophomore guard Ava Gugliuzza had 14 points each.
The Screaming Eagles continue their trek in Illinois on Saturday with a stop at Eastern Illinois. Saturday’s contest tips off at 1 p.m. from Charleston, Illinois. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.
HOT JOBS
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Wallace: Why is a basic education so expensive
Why is a basic education so expensive and why are there so many failures?
Public K-12 education in the United States, and specifically in Indiana, is a costly endeavor. According to the Public School Review, the annual cost per pupil in Indiana is $12,780. In a typical classroom of 25 students, that equates to an annual cost of $319,500 per classroom. Given that the average teacher salary is reported to be $60,557 per year, and assuming an additional 30% in benefits, the total cost for instruction per classroom stands at approximately $78,724. This leaves a staggering $240,776 in expenditures unaccounted for in direct classroom instruction. Where does this money go, and why is the overall cost so high relative to the educational outcomes we expect?
The Breakdown of Education Spending
While the cost of education per student may seem excessive at first glance, it is essential to understand how these funds are allocated. Beyond teacher salaries, the budget for public education typically includes:
- Administrative Costs:
- School administrators, including principals, vice principals, and district-level staff, account for a significant portion of expenditures.
- Administrative costs can include HR, payroll, legal compliance, and policy implementation.
- According to some estimates, administrative expenses can consume 10-15% of total education budgets.
- Support Staff and Services:
- Schools employ counselors, nurses, librarians, janitors, and cafeteria workers to maintain a supportive learning environment.
- Special education services, intervention programs, and bilingual education contribute to costs.
- Facilities and Maintenance:
- Schools require substantial funds for building maintenance, utilities, security, and technology upgrades.
- Transportation costs, such as busing students to and from school, add further financial strain.
- Curriculum and Supplies:
- Textbooks, digital learning tools, laboratory equipment, and classroom supplies are essential expenses.
- State and federal mandates often require standardized testing materials and software.
- Extracurricular Activities:
- Athletic programs, music, arts, and after-school programs contribute to the holistic development of students but come with additional costs.
- State and Federal Compliance:
- Public schools must adhere to numerous state and federal regulations, requiring compliance costs, audits, and reporting structures that add administrative overhead.
The Disparity in Educational Outcomes
Despite the significant investment in education, the expected outcomes are often not met. In many areas, including Indiana, a large percentage of high school graduates require remedial courses upon entering community colleges. Some institutions report that up to 80% of incoming students need remediation in subjects that should have been mastered in high school, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.
This raises a critical question: Are we getting value for our money? The current expenditure model suggests that while significant resources are being allocated to education, inefficiencies in the system may be limiting the effectiveness of those investments.
Addressing the Core Issues
- Accountability and Efficiency:
- Greater transparency in budgeting and spending can help taxpayers understand where funds are going and encourage more efficient allocation of resources.
- Performance-based funding models could incentivize schools to improve student outcomes.
- Focus on Core Competencies:
- Prioritizing essential skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic can help ensure that students leave high school prepared for college and careers.
- Strengthening early intervention programs may reduce the need for remediation later on.
- Teacher Support and Development:
- Investing in teacher training and professional development can enhance the quality of instruction and ultimately improve student performance.
- Ensuring that teachers have the necessary resources to succeed in the classroom is crucial.
- Community and Parental Involvement:
- Encouraging active participation from parents and communities can foster a culture of accountability and engagement that supports student learning.
The Path Forward
If we are to continue claiming that public education is preparing students for an upwardly mobile society and a future-ready workforce, a thorough reevaluation of spending priorities and educational outcomes is necessary. The expectation is clear: high school graduates should be equipped with fundamental skills that enable them to function effectively in society. The current system, however, suggests that there is a significant gap between investment and results.
Ultimately, the question remains: How can we reform public education to ensure that every dollar spent translates into meaningful learning experiences and prepares students for the challenges of tomorrow? Until these issues are addressed, the cost of education will continue to rise, and the outcomes may remain far from what we expect.
