Northfield's Kyra Kennedy tries to drive around Manchester's Jirni Cripe during second quarter action Saturday night. Photo by Joseph Slacian 

By The Paper Staff

Led by 13 points apiece from Kennedy Fierstos and Eva Bazzoni, Manchester’s girls basketball squad outlasted Class A No. 4 ranked Northfield 41-39 Saturday at Northfield.

Manchester took a 19-14 lead by the end of the first quarter, and maintained a 30-27 lead at the half. Northfield edged closer, 33-31 at the end of the third quarter, but Manchester was able to hold the Lady Norse off in the end to improve to 4-4 on the season.

Northfield fell to 5-2.
 

Wabash wrestler Ethan Higgins fights for position on Northfield's Roger Red during Saturday's Wabash County Wrestling Invitational at Manchester. Higgins was the champion of his weight class, going 5-0 on the day. Photo by Josh Sigler

By The Paper Staff

Wabash’s wrestling squad boasted eight individual champions on its way to claiming top honors in Saturday’s Wabash County Invitational.

Jared Brooks (106), R.J. Steg (113), Ethan Higgins (120), Braden Brooks (126), Robert Barnett (132), Anthony Long (138), Traydon Goodwin (152) and Justin Samons (220) each claimed individual titles for the Apaches.

Manchester finished second with a 4-1 record.

Trescott (170), Delton Moore (182) and Bryce Kamphues (285) each claimed individual titles.

“Several wrestlers stepped up for the team and got victories going up a weight class, including Delton Moore, who won the county title at 182,” Manchester coach Byron Sweet said. Bryce Kamphues and Trescott Duffy both remained undefeated on the year as well after picking up key victories for the team. The entire team had a solid showing, with 10 of 14 varsity spots having a winning record on the day.”
 

Wabash junior Dereck Vogel looks for a passing lane against Oak Hill on Wednesday, Nov. 21. The Apaches defeated the visiting Golden Eagles 53-43, in the season opener. Photo by Joseph Slacian. 

By The Paper Staff

The Wabash boys basketball squad opened the 2018-19 season with a 53-43 victory over Class 2A No. 3-ranked Oak Hill Golden Eagles on Wednesday, Nov. 21
Trenton Daughtry led the way for the Apaches with 19 points and six assists.
Elijah Vander Velden finished with 10 points and five rebounds, and Logan Vander Velden added eight points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Wabash returned to action Saturday, Nov. 24 and fell at Madison-Grant, 73-70, in overtime.
The Apaches battled back from a 40-28 halftime deficit, but came up short in overtime.
Daughtry again led Wabash with 24 points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists. Logan Vander Velden added 23 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Blake Gribben chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wabash City Schools board approved creating an education foundation for the district.

While creating foundation was unanimously approved Feb. 6, it still is not a reality.

Superintendent Jason Callahan and board attorney Jordan Tandy are exploring various options for the foundation, and will present a recommendation when the study is complete.

“As we do things like the Hall of Distinction, we have alumni that come back and want to give to Wabash in some kind of capacity or in some kind of way,” Callahan told the board, explaining why the foundation is needed. “Right now we really don’t have a receptacle to receive that money in, especially a 501c3 that is a tax benefit to the giver. We feel like we need to establish that.”

Tandy discussed two ways the district could go in creating a foundation.

One, available under state statute, is to create a Public School Endowment Corp., he said.

“It is a separate, special entity under the law,” he explained. “It gives the school flexibility to support programs and different things for the benefit of the school. That would be its own, separate 501c3 that we could create.”

The other would be creating an affiliation with the Community Foundation of Wabash County.

Community Foundation executive director Patty Grant is expected to speak with the board at a future meeting, he said.
“There’s pros and cons with either (option),” Tandy said.

This is the second time the board has explored creating such a foundation.

“We started one in 2000, but we never really fully created it,” Callahan said. “There was a lot of official stuff that happened. But I don’t know really why – I couldn’t find it in the minutes – it never happened.”

In other business, the board:

-- Waived facility rental fees for the Kiwanis Spelling Bee on Feb. 8 and the Special Olympics track meet on May 12.

-- Hired Katina Schram as a full-time bus driver effective Jan. 31.

-- Accepted the resignation of Courtney Wrisk, as bus monitor for the special needs route effective Feb. 2.

-- Approved Kate Carter as the O.J. Neighbours Elementary School café bookkeeper effective Jan. 8.

-- Accepted the resignation of Jessika Taylor as a paraprofessional at Neighbours effective Feb. 2.

-- Approved Alysia Olson’s request for maternity leave beginning April 9.

-- Approved Janet Sparks for after school tutoring beginning Jan. 15 through the end of the third nine weeks.

-- Approved a stipend for Angel Hostetler to continue her teacher of record responsibilities during the third nine weeks.

-- Approved a recommendation to alter Abbey Arwood’s Be Well stipend for the second semester, allowing her to tend to a personal issue that has arisen.

-- Accepted Heather Burton’s resignation and the hiring of Elizabeth Burns as Neighbour’s librarian, effective Feb. 5 and Feb. 6, respectively. It also approved retaining Burton at her current hourly rate to work with Burns on an as needed basis. The retainer will not exceed 20 hours and would occur prior to June 30.

-- Hired Jon Denney as a paraprofessional at Neighbors beginning Feb. 1.

-- Accepted the Family Medical Leave Act request from Amy Degitz beginning Feb. 19, and using her sick days during that time.

-- Accepted the resignation as Rick Forrester as part-time teacher aide for Wabash Middle School effective Feb. 23.

-- Approved Heather Jessee as Winter Guard director for the 2017-18 school year.

-- Hired Khristian Atchison as math teacher effective Feb. 22.

-- Approved the recommendation to pay math teachers Joey Till, Justin Denney and Tyler Olson their hourly rate to teach a class during their prep to help fill a vacant math position at Wabash High School.

-- Hired the following as coaches for the 2017-18 spring sport season: Bill Barrows, assistant varsity baseball; Nick Hentgen, reserve baseball; Mike Vinopal, assistant boys track; Mike Denney, varsity girls track; Katelin Vogel, assistant girls track; Sarah Cole, assistant girls tennis; John Yoakum, varsity girls softball; Brad Wagner, assistant girls softball; Katie Cromer, middle school track head coach; Beth Barden, middle school track assistant coach; Tyler Niccum, middle school baseball head coach; John Davis, middle school softball head coach; Stacie Parrett, middle school football assistant coach; Lyndsi Schenkel, middle school soccer head coach.

-- Approved the recommendation to create a business position for Wabash City Schools.