The EVSC had the opportunity to honor an individual today at Fairlawn Elementary School who is “the kind of employee that every school desires” according to a form nominating her for this award.

Michelle Forche, media aid at Fairlawn, was recognized as the April Cause for Applause Award winner in the EVSC.

Nominator Lisa Hale, principal at Fairlawn, said that Forche who is currently acting as site coordinator through the end of this school year, volunteers at the school beyond the school day. Not only has she transformed the Media Center into a welcoming place for children to enjoy reading – but “anytime we have a need, she finds a way to make it happen,” Hale said.

In addition to her media center and site coordinator duties, Forche took the school photo with the children in their new “No Excuses University” t-shirts and will sell it to raise money for the school’s college scholarship fund for a Harrison High School graduate that formerly attended Fairlawn. She is sponsoring a “Crop for College” event to raise more money for the fund and Hale added that parent volunteers now have a work area thanks to her efforts.

Forche has been an employee at Fairlawn since the 2011-12 school year.

EVSC Cause for Applause began in November 2012 and Forche is its sixth recipient. Anyone can nominate an employee of the EVSC for the award. Deadline for nominations is the third Friday of each month. Go to http://www.evscschools.com/community/nominate-evsc-employees-exemplary-work for the nomination form. Paper forms are available at the schools for those without access to the Internet.

STATEHOUSE – Several state representatives from southwest Indiana offered a resolution Tuesday congratulating the Evansville Mater Dei girls’ basketball team on their Class 2A State Championship. State Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) was joined on the resolution in the House by Representatives Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville), Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon) and Tom Washburne (R-Evansville).

“I am very pleased that we were able to recognize the girls’ basketball team for their accomplishments, particularly because Mater Dei is my alma mater,” said Rep. Bacon. “I coached girls’ softball for 24 years and know firsthand the amount of hard work it takes for the girls, their families and the coaches to accomplish their goal of winning a state title, for any high school sport. It was great to recognize their success at the Statehouse.”

The Evansville Mater Dei girls’ basketball team defeated Eastern (Greentown) 62 to 42 to win the Class 2A state championship for the second consecutive year.

“I am incredibly proud of these young student athletes,” said Rep. Crouch. “Their success on and off the court is commendable. Participating in high school athletics is an excellent way to learn the beneficial values of hard work, determination and time management.”

This second consecutive state title for the Mater Dei girls’ team marks the first time an Evansville team has won back-to-back state basketball titles since the Benjamin Bosse High School boys’ team won in 1944 and 1945.

“This success is also a testament to the time and effort put into skill development by the parochial schools preparing students for Mater Dei,” said Rep. Washburne. “We are proud of these young women and look forward to hearing about future accomplishments.”

Since they have won the championship two years in a row, the team will now move up a class, to 3A.

“Winning a state championship is an incredible accomplishment that these young ladies will remember for the rest of their lives,” said Rep. McNamara. “More importantly than receiving trophies and recognition, these girls display the type of grace, dignity and class that will serve them well in the future.”

The team was led by head coach Steve Goans and assistant coaches Terry Muensterman, Joel Bueltel, Aubrey Goebel, Micah Konkler and Sister Mary Francis.

The City County Observer has confirmed through the Office of the Vanderburgh County Clerk, Debbie Stucki who was just elected that Jay Carter, the owner of Shaggy’s Towing and a longstanding City Council appointee to the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has not had a Conflict of Interest Disclosure on file for the years 2010, 2011, or 2012.

Mr. Carter who stood before the Evansville Safety Board to lobby for the City of Evansville towing contract while a member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission failed to file a conflict of interest statement for either himself or Shaggy’s Towing.

It is not known at this time what the penalty is for failing to make timely disclosures of conflicts of interest by public officials elected or appointed.

This is a developing story.

Little Husky World Child Development Center, which was one of the first early childhood programs to earn accreditation in the new system from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), has successfully completed a five-year accreditation renewal process.

To ensure Little Husky World’s accreditation would continue, administrative officials, teaching staff and families had to prove the program was upholding the mark of quality represented by the NAEYC, the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals. Officials with Little Husky World learned earlier this week that the program had successfully completed the process and its accreditation will continue through 2018.

In 2008, the program first underwent the process of acquiring accreditation from the NAEYC, which included an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria.

The Center, located within Scott Elementary School, is an available lab experience for Early Childhood Vocational Students. It is open to the public and serves families with children from three to five years of age. The program also is used by local colleges as a practicum site for Early Childhood Education students.

The WNIN Action Auction is a 40 year tradition in the Tri-State. This year’s auction will be aired live on WNIN-TV for 7 straight days, April 22-28 from 6-10pm. Donated items include Sugar Ray Leonard signed boxing gloves, IU Basketball tickets, dozens of gift certificates to popular restaurants, and a storage barn. With over 1000 donated items up for bid, there will be something for everyone! The 2013 Action Auction items will be available to preview online auction at wninactionauction.org.
This highly-anticipated community event is made possible by the generous support of over 700 Tri-State businesses and over 500 volunteers. Proceeds from the Auction help fund WNIN in its mission to enrich our community with programming and services that challenge minds, brighten spirits and prepare our children for a life of learning. WNIN also seeks to support five pillars including education, health, government, culture and business through broadcasting and non-broadcasting activities.
Auction donations are still being accepted. To make donation arrangements, or for additional information about the Action Auction, please contact WNIN Director of Events, Denise Rodgers at 812-423-2973 x136 or via email at drodgers@wnin.org.

The One Book One Community Committee is pleased to announce that Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make this Country Work by Jeanne Marie Laskas is the book selection for 2013.

Hidden America is a rare look at America from the inside out – the opposite of the view we’ve become accustomed to in our celebrity-driven culture. Laskas shows a different America, where pride in doing an excellent job, satisfaction in providing a vital service to others, private acts of heroism, and above all, teamwork – brotherhood, sisterhood – are paramount.

Laskas is Director of the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also teaches creative writing and is the author of five previous books. For 20 years she has been writing for national magazines including GQ, Esquire, Smithsonian, O: The Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, and Glamour and will soon be writing for The New York Times Magazine.

Jeanne Marie Laskas to Speak Oct. 29
One Book One Community will host Laskas on Tuesday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Victory Theatre, where she will speak about her book and her career as an investigative journalist. This event is free and open to all.

Members of the media who are interested in scheduling a pre-event interview with Laskas may do so by contacting her publicist: Hannah Scott, Lyceum Agency at 971-409-0258.

About One Book One Community
One Book One Community is a reading program to develop a community built around the shared experience of people reading and talking about the same book. Bringing people together to discuss ideas in books can play an important role in breaking down barriers between people, cultures and economic and educational backgrounds.

The EVPL is joining with the local media, schools and universities, book stores, businesses and other libraries to promote a culture of reading in Southwestern Indiana.