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USI’s Super Summer provides hands-on learning for youth

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University of Southern Indiana’s Center for Education Services held a pair of week-long Super Summer sessions for children and adolescents on campus, and at Dexter Elementary School in June and July. The programs were available during two sessions for children in PreK—ninth grade.

Two of the programs offered during the second summer session were ¡OLÉ!, a class exploring the Hispanic world through art projects, language, cooking and culture; and Material World, which allowed students to experiment with the physical and chemical properties of the world around them. The student-teacher interaction during these sessions was designed to be both experiential and fun.

Lorenna Boyle, a teacher at Evansville Day School, and Betsy Dailey, a local artist and teacher at Evansville Day School, teamed up for ¡OLÉ!. During the program, students in grades three through five created albrijes, clay sculptures painted in vibrant colors, after the Hispanic tradition started by Pedro Linares in the 1900s. The students also practiced Spanish language while cooking meals and learning about Hispanic traditions.

“The students were very excited to hear stories about Mexican art and culture,” said Boyle. “They were beaming with pride when they showcased their albrijes.”

Boyle is a native of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and has taught English as a second language for several years. One of her favorite parts of the program was helping students cook Mexican dishes.

Jeff Seyler, chair of the Chemistry Department at USI, taught the Material World program. Students examined the flow of energy in melting and boiling processes, density and chemical interactions in liquids, and reactivity of metals and molecules. Seyler also assisted the students with safely-conducted experiments using non-toxic detergents, and cleaning agents that can be found in the everyday household.

“It’s great to see kids so enthusiastic about learning,” said Seyler. “We do our best to make the classes as fun and interactive as we can. The kids seemed to enjoy mixing chemicals together.”

Super Summer is an educational program through USI’s Center for Education Services and Partnerships, a division of Outreach and Engagement. The Center for Education Services and Partnerships works with schools and community partners to provide quality educational opportunities to students, teachers, and parents. Super Summer has occurred annually since 1981 and involves faculty from several schools in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation

Source: USI.edu

UE’s David Bothast Named Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations

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David Bothast has been hired as director of corporate and foundation relations at the University of Evansville. Bothast also serves as an adjunct instructor in UE’s Master of Science in Public Service Administration program, and he comes to UE from the Goodwill Family Center, where he served as director for the last two years.

“I consider myself an agent of change,” Bothast said. “My experience in development and grant writing, coupled with dedication to our community and passion for education, will assist in increasing opportunities for learning and development at the University of Evansville.”

Bothast will be responsible for working with local and national corporations and foundations to research potential funding sources, develop proposals, and create grant reports for secured gifts. He will also serve as a resource for UE administrators, faculty members, and students seeking external funding for University projects and programs.

Prior to leading Evansville’s Goodwill Family Center, Bothast held positions as the executive director of the American Red Cross in Princeton, Indiana; a third- through fifth-grade teacher at Evansville’s Joshua Academy, and a corpsman in the U.S. Navy.

He holds a Master of Science in public service administration from UE and a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Southern Indiana.

Source: Evansville.edu

Evansville Police Union Approves New Three-Year Agreement

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EVANSVILLE, IN – Members of Evansville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 73 have voted to ratify a new
three-year contract with the City of Evansville. The tentative agreement, if approved by Evansville City
Council, would be effective January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2015.

FOP Lodge 73 President Larry Nelson said the tentative contract was “overwhelmingly approved” during
voting that began Sunday and continued through Monday evening during roll calls at the Evansville
Police Department headquarters and at the FOP lodge. Nelson commended Evansville Mayor Lloyd
Winnecke and the negotiating teams for the City and FOP for reaching a quick settlement.

“Mayor Winnecke not only responded quickly to our request to begin negotiations but he started the
talks before budget hearings began. This was unheard of in the past,” Nelson said. “He put together a
team from the city that sat down and discussed the particulars of the contract in a professional manner,
as did the FOP. With both sides working together and understanding the economic concerns facing
Evansville, we were able to resolve our issues quickly. I appreciate the hard work of both the FOP and
the city negotiating teams in what we believe to be a fair contract for the membership of the FOP and
the citizens of Evansville.”

Assistant Police Chief Chris Pugh said both the FOP and city administration agreed from the beginning
that negotiations did not have to be contentious. “During the entire process both sides were focused on
reaching an agreement that benefited the FOP membership as well as the citizens of Evansville. With
this three-year contract the men and women of the Evansville Police Department can focus solely on
providing the finest law enforcement possible to the citizens we serve.”

The contract calls for a 3% wage increase the first year and 2% wage increases for 2014 and 2015, with
no increase in health insurance premiums. There is a one-year extension that allows the contract to be
opened for talks on wages, overtime and health insurance.

Mayor Winnecke said he is pleased negotiations went smoothly and a contract was settled quickly.
“Both sides met in good faith to review all issues on the table to reach an agreement that FOP
membership could support overwhelmingly and the city could afford,” Winnecke said. “I’d like to take
this opportunity to praise the work of the men and women on the Evansville police force. Now they can
focus on serving and protecting our citizens instead of worrying about their paycheck.”

Free Dental Clinic Staff Resigns

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Dr. Ray Nicholson spoke before the Vanderburgh County Commissioners tonight to report that the entire support staff for the free dental clinic resigned in mass today. No reason has been released for the resignations from the clinic that is one of the humanitarian legacies of Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and former County Council member Royce Sutton.

This is a developing story

Recruit Training.

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The Evansville Fire Department has 4 new firefighters currently going thru recruit training.

Today (Tuesday July 24) they will be at our Training Facility on Buchannan Road working on their ladder, ventilation and foam application skills. This would be a great photo opportunity involving our new recruits.

Because your schedules are subject to change at the last minute, no RSVP is required. It would be nice however to know if you were you were interested to attending some of the training.

Hands-on ventilation and ladder work will be from approximately 7 – 10 am and foam and nozzle work will be from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm.

IS IT TRUE July 24, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE July 24, 2012

IS IT TRUE the Evansville City Council had two subjects thrown into their court last night that the CCO is certain that they would have preferred that they never ever landed there?…these two subjects are first the dilapidated state of the public cemeteries owned and managed by the City of Evansville, and secondly the appropriation of funds for raises for two of the Golden 10 came up and was discussed extensively?…that subjects like these, nasty parks, dysfunctional sewer systems, and aging water pipes would never come up if the leaders of the City of Evansville for the last 60 years had done the part of their job that involves staying current and taking care of what we have?

IS IT TRUE regarding the issue of the Golden 10 who were singled out for some pretty impressive salary increases by the Winnecke Administration, it has been clear for a couple of weeks that the rank and file people of Evansville are not supportive of handing out raises at this time?…that for some it is the practical matter of the recession and that the City is crying poor and unable to deliver services that drives their opposition?…unfortunately there is a very large element in Evansville who seem to believe that regardless of economic circumstances or singling people out for increases that anyone who is paid more than $10 per hour must be a spoiled overpaid prima donna, a thief, or the recipient of patronage?…the first kind of constituent exhibits the kind of thinking necessary to get through hard times but the second kind of constituent is the sort of thought process that would keep Evansville in the stone age if they were ever put in charge?…that the circumstances of the times have landed these two groups on the same page for now but they will hopefully butt heads again if the economy ever gets better?…that in the meantime there is no stomach on the Evansville City Council to do a wage comparison analysis before the outcome of the consolidation vote and there is even less support for salary increases for anyone at all?…the CCO is quite interested to see if the one of the Golden 10 who was discussion resignation last week will follow through on that thought?

IS IT TRUE the discussion regarding the dilapidated cemeteries took on a different tone with the President of the City Council Connie Robinson showing a disrespectful demeanor toward the dead?…that it is now accepted by anyone who has driven through one of the City cemeteries recently that there are a large number of grave stones that are turned over and looking pretty ragged?…that Councilman John Friend introduced a resolution to appropriate funds to set the stones upright and get the cemeteries back into the kind of shape that reflects respect?…Councilman Dan Adams suggested an amendment that for stones over 50 years old that the practice should be to lay the stones over onto the grave in a respectful way that would eliminate the need for further handling and make yard maintenance easier?…that both the resolution and the amendment have merit and make good sense to pursue?…the gentleman speaking before the Council who is in charge of the cemeteries was asked how much it costs to right a gravestone that has toppled over?…his answer was “I don’t know, it could be $70 or it could be $1,500”?…the CCO is of the opinion that this guy who has spent much of his life as a preacher has never set a headstone in his life and is not qualified to answer the question so he just shot from the hip with an answer that has a range of over 2,000%?…that may be one of the reasons that things do not get maintained in the City cemeteries?

IS IT TRUE that the truly offensive part of the discussion was the laughing and chuckling about the dead?…that there is no place for statements like “they won’t be offended, they are dead”, and “I ain’t never heard any complaints” is simply unacceptable from elected officials at a City Council meeting?…Jordan Baer did a very good job of presenting before Council and should be commended for taking on yet another task rooted in poor public policy?…that true to political form, the resolutions were withdrawn and not a darn thing will be done about the cemeteries at this time?

Teaching for Creativity

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Teaching for Creativity
The da Vinci Summer Symposium
McGary Middle School, 1535 Joyce Avenue, Evansville, Indiana
July 30-31, 2012
Members of the newly-formed Evansville da Vinci Institute, in collaboration with teachers and administrators from McGary Middle School, will participate in a summer symposium on Teaching for Creativity. This symposium, to be held July 30-31 at McGary Middle School, was made possible through a generous grant from the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana.
The symposium will begin with an overview from nationally renowned consultant, David Flatley, Executive Director for the Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia College Chicago. Following the overview, participants will have an opportunity to work with local experts, including Brandon Field, Linda Goodridge, Scott Lank, and Pat O’Connor, in hands-on class sessions in the fields of engineering, art, theatre, and multidisciplinary areas of study.
The goals for the symposium are to learn about current research in the field and similar initiatives occurring in other cities; to better understand each discipline’s approach to creativity and creative thinking through hands-on experiences; and to provide opportunities for da Vinci members and teachers to form meaningful partnerships.
About the da Vinci Institute:
Co-chaired by Karen Ellerbrook and Sharon Kazee, the da Vinci Institute is a partnership of educational and community leaders in Evansville that fosters creative endeavors for our K-12 students. The organization was formed in the fall of 2011 and grew out of a desire to ensure the arts and humanities were aligned and equally nurtured with the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math, so that our students will be inspired educationally and fully prepared to embrace the future. A key component of the organization is the importance of improving the quality of education through collaboration. Membership in the da Vinci Institute includes representation from Ivy Tech, The University of Evansville, the University of Southern Indiana, the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana, Tales and Scales, and the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation.

Nationally Syndicated Political Cartoons – 7/24/2012

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These nationally syndicated cartoons are sponsored by Guthries Pharmacies


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Air Quality Issues in Spotlight at Traveling City Hall Meeting

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EVANSVILLE, IN – The Traveling City Hall meeting for July will be held Wednesday, July 25th, from
5:30 to 7 p.m. at Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Avenue. Traveling City Hall is an opportunity for
residents to meet with Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and various city department heads to ask questions
or simply discuss the status of our community. Among those attending the meeting will be Evansville
Police Chief Billy Bolin, Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly and Philip Hooper, executive director of
the Department of Metropolitan Development.

Evansville EPA Director Derrick Ohning and Sustainability Director Dona Bergman will provide a brief
presentation on air quality at the beginning of the meeting. The public will have a chance to ask
questions about local air quality issues and talk one-on-one with EPA and SEEQ officials following the
presentation.

Traveling City Hall meetings are held on the last Wednesday of each month at different locations in
neighborhoods throughout the city. All residents are invited to attend any session.

The next Traveling City Hall meetings will be held on August 29th at Helfrich Park STEM Academy, 2306
W. Maryland St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

VHS Pet of the Week: “Mallie”

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Greetings from Mallie, a 1-year-old spayed DSH. Mallie is probably one of the sweetest cats you’ll ever meet. She will do wonderfully in a home with children and other pets. Mallie craves attention and her new owner can bank on finding her right next to them almost all the time. Mallie has come a long way from the day she arrived at the VHS. Despite Mallie being a pretty awesome cat, she needs a little TLC as she is a bit on the skinny side due to a rough life before arriving here at the VHS. This wonderful cat will be the perfect addition to any family looking to add a ray of sunshine to their lives. For more information on Mallie, visit us on the web at www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563.

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