Columbus September | October 2023

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Live the Life You’ve Imagined.

Live the Life You’ve Imagined.

Live

the Life You’ve Imagined.

Live

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the only life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the community in the area to provide health care that includes living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the only life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Live

Live the Life You’ve Imagined.

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the only life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

the Life You’ve Imagined.

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the only life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the only life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour for our waiting list today!

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

For more information, call 812-372-8481

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Our attractive amenities and relaxed lifestyle at Four Seasons are unmatched in the Columbus area. We are proud to be the only life plan community in the area to provide health care that includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

For more information, call 812-372-8481

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

Four Seasons offers the maintenance-free living and features you’ve dreamt of, along with the security of over 50 years of quality care.

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

For more information, call 812-372-8481

For more information, call 812-372-8481

812-372-8481

Start living the life you always imagined. Come take a tour and sign up for our waiting list today!

For more information, call 812-372-8481

812-372-8481

1901 Taylor Road • Columbus, IN 47203 www.fourseasonsretirement.com

1901 Taylor Road • Columbus, IN 47203

For more information, call 812-372-8481

812-372-8481

812-372-8481

www.fourseasonsretirement.com

1901 Taylor Road • Columbus, IN 47203

1901 Taylor Road • Columbus, IN 47203

812-372-8481

www.fourseasonsretirement.com

1901 Taylor Road • Columbus, IN 47203 www.fourseasonsretirement.com

www.fourseasonsretirement.com

1901 Taylor Road • Columbus, IN 47203

www.fourseasonsretirement.com

812-372-8481

Publisher Richard Clark

AIM Media Indiana

editorial Editor Rachel Hensley

Senior Graphic Designer Keely Spitler

Special Projects Assistant Michael Donohue

Writers

Stephanie Strothmann, Barney Quick, Glenda Winders

Photographers

Carla Clark, Angela Jackson, Jana Jones, Melissa VanDePutte, Tony Vasquez

September 20, 2023

a dvertising

Art Director

Amanda Waltz

Advertising Design

Erin Caplinger

Mar Carson

Katelin Gephart

Rebecca Lecher

Josh Meyer

Wesley Rowles

Robert Wilson

Advertising Operations Manager

Stacy Doub

Account Executives

Rhonda Day

Christy Hubbard

Roger Schooler

Tessa Wetherald

r eader services

Mailing Address P.O. Box 3011, Columbus, IN 47202

Advertising Inquiries 812-379-5655

Back Issues

To order back issues of Columbus magazine, please send $5 per issue (includes S&H) to the mailing address above or call 800-435-5601. Please include the address to which your copies should be sent. PDF files are available for a fee of $20 per page and are permitted for personal use only.

All content ©2023 The Republic. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Because of a Columbus Magazine error, a few of the facts in the Felicia Garr profile story in the July issue were incorrect.

William Jenson is the now-retired director of secondary education for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., it is CivicLab’s goal to reach

equity by 2030 (Equity Works) and there were five Black students in Garr’s high school class with approximately 20 throughout the entire building.

Our focus is on your outcome

Since 2009, Kessler Investment Group, LLC (“KIG”), has helped individuals and institutions reach their investment goals. As an independent investment manager and a fiduciary, KIG believes the best way to help clients is by putting their interests ahead of the firm’s. One way we do this is to charge a fee for our advice rather than a commission. Our clients are never charged a commission for the sale of products manufactured by other companies.

We are dedicated to building strong, long-term relationships with our clients. Delivering solid, professional management of our clients’ investment portfolios is our only business. To exceed expectations and deliver results is the passion of every professional at KIG.

To learn more about Kessler Investment Group, LLC, please contact us for an appointment at 812.314.0083 or info@kesslerig.com. Our ADV Part 2 brochure and Form CRS are available at KesslerIG.com.

hi, columbus!

Fall is always my favorite time of year with everything to look forward to, and explore.

As I’m writing this note, I’m eager to experience the cooler weather and take part in fall activities: apple picking, pumpkin carving, going to haunted houses and watching my youngest brother compete with the Sound and Spirit of Columbus (read about their show in this issue, and then be sure to go check it out — I highly recommend it!).

I’m also looking forward to walking around and seeing the new Exhibit Columbus installations; it’s one of my favorite things to explore every other year.

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite fall activities in Columbus, and possibly discover a new favorite fall activity!

In this issue of Columbus Magazine, read about different cultures’ take on chicken and rice, the Ward’s bathroom renovation, the Sound and Spirit of Columbus’ new directors and upcoming marching band season and Molly, the treasured goldendoodle at Silver Oaks Health Campus.

Until next time!

Rachel Hensley

rhensley@aimmediaindiana.com

Up. Down. Sideways.

Keep your head on straight when markets move.

Some investors have learned how to ride out the most stomach-churning market cycles. Others follow the urge to jump out mid-ride. So what can you do to play it smart in a roller coaster of a market?

For starters, you can turn to us. We can help you find a clear way forward before fear or concerns take over with a strategy tailored to your situation. In our experience, perspective is the ticket to helping endure the ups and downs as you pursue your financial goals.

Contact us to learn how we can help.

—

in each issue of Columbus, we ask people for their opinions on a variety of topics. This month’s question:

What’s your favorite thing about autumn?

“i grew up in Vermont, and it is beautiful there. We have corn mazes, which are awsome, and apple cider doughnuts, the homemade doughnuts ones are the best. i love driving over the mountains and seeing all the leaves change. also, i am really big into fall decor, if you come into my house in the fall, there are leaves on my fireplace, pumpkins everywhere. fall is my favorite.”

Gabby Ostrow

—

“my favorite thing about autumn is the leaves changing colors and dropping from the trees to the ground.”

— Kim Hughes

“my favorite thing about fall is Octoberfest. The apple dumplings with ice cream on top are the best!”

— Abigail Cavanaugh with her dog, Luna

“The changing of the colors of the leaves. The trees are just gorgeous!”

Rick Siefert

“my favorite things about fall are the temperature change, the leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.”

“We are neighbors at a lake and we both love the changing of the leaves, it is beautiful. nhora added, it just makes you feel like you are transitioning to a more peaceful time.”

— Katie Baxter and Nhora Fant

— Andrew Carter, pictured with Colton Carter, left, and Ashton Carter, right

“a haunting on the hill”

By Elizabeth Hand

attention Shirley Jackson

fans! Hill House is still haunted and creepier than ever.

Holly Sherwin, a long-struggling playwright, receives a grant to develop her play “Witching night,” but she needs time and space to bring her vision to life. Luckily (or unluckily), she stumbles across a remote, enormous old mansion named Hill House, and it’s available. if you like your spooky season reading in the gothic, unsettling, nightmare-inducing realm, this 21st-century update on the sixty-year-old classic is for you!

it’s the first-ever authorized novel to return to the terrifying world of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House.” enjoy your sleepless nights! available October 3 from mulholland books/Hachette book group.

— Nanne Cutler

“the river We remember”

By William Kent Kruger

Customers and booksellers alike have loved William kent krueger’s novels, both the stand-alone books and his Cork O’Connor mystery series. now, his newest novel hits the shelves in what i hope is the first in a series featuring Sheriff brody dern.

The body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn floats to the surface of the river in the middle of a memorial day parade, and while the news stokes plenty of gossip among those who knew him, no one, including Quinn’s family, seems too shocked or too sad that he’s dead. it’s up to Sheriff dern to sort through the mounting suspicions and accusations to get to the brutal truth in this complex mystery.

as we’ve come to expect from krueger, the characters and the storytelling are masterfully drawn in this complex mystery set in a small town during mid-20th century america.

from atria/Simon & Schuster.

— Suzanne Fountaine

“Mother-daughter Murder night”

By Nina Simon

This story of family relationships is also a mystery involving three strong-willed and independent characters who are often in conflict with one another. When Lana, a highly driven Los angeles real estate broker, is diagnosed with cancer, she is forced to move in with her previously estranged daughter, beth. beth, who lives with her teenage daughter, Jack, in a small, coastal California town and works as a nurse in a senior living center.

While leading a tour as a kayak guide in the waterways near their home, Jack discovers a body and wrongly becomes a suspect in the man’s death. determined to clear Jack’s name, the three of them are compelled to work together to identify the real killer.

from William morrow/ HarperCollins.

— April Ginnings

“Midnight is the darkest hour”

By Ashley Winstead

Just writing the description of this book has me chuckling: it’s about a serial killer in the Louisiana bayou — possibly a mystical, vampire-like devil creature called the Low man — in a devoutly baptist town with its stereotypical cast of characters — the holier-thanthou preacher, the preacher’s mousy but conflicted daughter, and the prim and dutiful preacher’s wife, the town drunk, the drunk’s ne’er-dowell son, the former football star that became a cop — it sounds like a formulaic dud as i write it … yet — it works!

Winstead’s writing keeps the plot moving during a couple of unbelievable instances that would normally have me rolling my eyes, and the character development lures you into a story that seems like a simple whodunit, but it’s not. There are layers and the relationships are complicated, and i was eager to get back to the story every time i picked up this book.

available October 3 from Sourcebooks Landmark.

— Angie Revell

“edenville”

By Sam Rebelein

for fans of Stephen king, “edenville” follows Campbell, who, after a failed debut novel, accepts an opportunity as writer-in-residence at edenville College, despite objections from his girlfriend, Quinn, who grew up near edenville and doesn’t want to go back. Soon they are both entangled in a dark and disturbing adventure as Campbell discovers that something isn’t quite right in the town.

available October 3 from William morrow/HarperCollins

— Kylie Brooks

By Meg Kissinger

every child, every parent, every sibling — every single human being — must read this book. no matter how dissimilar we might be, we all share the experience of loving someone with mental illness. Whether those relationships remain sound or have fractured under the strain, each of us can take a step toward greater compassion and understanding by reading meg’s insightful and personal story.

— Beth Stroh

“While You Were out: an intimate Family Portrait of Mental illness in an era of silence”

One dish,

add some spice to your chicken and rice four cultures

By BArney QuICk // phoTogrAphy By jAnA joneS

Chicken and rice: They’re two of the most universally found foods people raise and consume. but it’s a testament to the flair with which cultures have evolved their cuisines that people have found many creative ways to combine and present them. Columbus boasts an abundance of ethnic restaurants, and it’s no surprise that they provide a wide array of takes on a combination so basic, yet, so full of possibilities.

So let’s wander Columbus’ culinary landscape and see the different varieties this popular pairing has to offer.

hibachi

Pho Shiki

2991 25th St. | 812-375-9999

This eatery’s name came about from the owners’ decision to offer the cuisines of Japan and Vietnam. It’s proved to be an appealing formula, as people of many nationalities keep the place bustling on a regular basis.

The term “hibachi” has its roots in an older Japanese term, “teppanyaki,” which means “grilling over an iron plate.” It was originally a cooking technique practiced by samurais and other upper-class Japanese, but the method spread to the entire society. Host Robert Huynh said that a hot temperature is key to the hibachi method.

Pho Shiki has an entire hibachi menu section, along with chicken, steak, salmon, tilapia, scallops and shrimp.

A customer favorite is grilled chicken breast, marinated overnight, and cooked with a combination of zucchini, carrots, onion, broccoli and mushrooms and served over jasmine rice.

“It’s the top seller on the Japanese side of our menu,” Huynh said.

chicken tikka masala

Apna Kitchen

1609 Cottage ave.

812-376-7000

This spot, offering all the various cuisines from the Indian subcontinent, takes a minute to find. It’s tucked into a space that’s actually on an alley between Central and Cottage Avenues. But Columbus residents found it, as its dining room is filled on a regular basis.

One menu favorite is chicken tikka masala. It’s a dish with a many stories of its origin. Two such stories trace its creation to Britain, however, one version contends the creator to be a Pakistani chef, while the other maintains it was a Bangladeshi chef.

Another story claims its origin to be inside India’s Punjabi region.

Kitchen manager Selem Muhammed said that his staff cuts boneless chicken breast into cubes, which are then stewed in a sauce made of tomato paste, cream and spices.

It’s served with basmati rice, shorter than many rice varieties, with an immediate recognizable aroma and a nutty flavor. It’s also glutenfree and has all of the eight essential amino acids.

Camilla’s Mexican Restaurant

1824 25th St. | 812-657-3665

Arroz con pollo, or chicken and rice, is, as the name suggests, a dish that doesn’t boast a great deal of adornment. However, at Camilla’s Mexican Restaurant, it’s prepared with an intent to bring out the essential appeal of its basic ingredients.

At Camilla’s, chicken breast is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and crushed chilies, cut into strips and grilled on a flat surface. It’s topped with a cheese dip and

served with white rice cooked in a chicken base with garlic, salt and butter, as well as tortillas.

“It’s very popular, both in the dining room and as a takeout item,” said Chef Ulises Ortez. “It seems to appeal to Americans more than Mexicans.”

He recommends eating it as it’s presented at the table, rather than with subsequent toppings. He said its simplicity is its charm.

arroz con pollo Ru Yi

General Tso’s chicken

Manager Andy Wu estimates that Ru Yi, located on the west side of Columbus, serves a mostly local clientele and many repeat customers, despite its proximity to Interstate 65.

He said that General Tso’s chicken is Ru Yi’s bestseller.

The claims about the dish’s origins are too numerous to list but include its creation by a chef trained in Hunan cuisine who handled banquets for the Nationalist government and subsequently came to New York, as well as its invention by chef T.T. Wang at New York’s Shun Lee Palaces in 1972.

Qing Dynasty General Tso Tsung-t’ang (1812-1885) never tasted or cooked the recipe named after him, although Wu said that he loved to cook.

Ry Yi uses thigh and leg meat, which is diced and marinated and coated with egg and cornstarch, deep-fried and then tossed in a wok with a sweet and spicy sauce.

While Ru Yi is best known for its East Asian fusion approach, Wu points out that it also has a traditional Chinese menu, including such dishes as sliced pork leg, pig stomach in chili oil and sirloin stew with radish.

2125 W. Jonathan moore pike | 812-378-8888

a brian and Lezlie Ward.

A pl Ace relaxto W

Ward family renovates master bathroom

By glendA wI nder S // phoTogr A phy By A ngel A jACk Son

When Brian and Lezlie Ward moved to Columbus 12 years ago, houses were at a premium. Cummins Inc. had just opened a new division, bringing in some 1,000 people to work there. With Lezlie still in their Evansville home, Brian picked out several properties to show her when she visited for a weekend, but by the time she arrived, most of them had been sold. The couple could only find two homes that would meet their needs, and they had to decide quickly before they were gone, too.

The house they chose was built in the ‘80s, and it needed work. The previous owners had made improvements but left before they fixed some of the problems the Wards thought were the most significant.

“When we first moved in here, the house was a giant mess,” Lezlie said.

The laundry room was in an awkward place, the mudroom was where everything was put that couldn’t fit anywhere else, such as “the Crockpot, the blender, a party tray that wouldn’t fit in the cabinets and a case of baked beans.”

The kitchen was dark and closet space was almost nonexistent. But it was the master bathroom that bothered them the most.

“You can’t feel clean if there is mildew growing on the bottom of your shampoo bottle,” Lezlie said.

It was tiny, cramped and windowless and it vented into the sunroom where they wanted family and guests to gather.

They wanted to get to work immediately, but unfortunately, houses were not at a premium in Evansville — it

took nine months to sell the one they were leaving. Paying two house payments each month put a dent in the funds they planned to use for remodeling, so they decided to hold off for a while.

While they waited, Lezlie painstakingly mapped out everything she wanted to change and engaged the services of Benchmark Construction’s InStyle kitchen and bath team to help with the design. But just when they were ready to begin, Brian said it looked like changes were going to happen at the MainSource Bank, where he worked, that might mean a transfer for him. Again, they put their home projects on hold.

However, the change was a merger with First Financial Bank and they didn’t have to move. So with Brian managing the business banking credit department, they called InStyle again to say the remodel was back on, but COVID-19 struck. The bathroom that Lezlie dreamed of having for so long was shelved indefinitely. Then, one day in 2022, when Lezlie was in the kitchen making chili and running the dishwasher, the black countertop suddenly split from one end to the other. The couple once again decided the time had come for remodeling. So they called InStyle, and this time they were able to complete the

addition of a new bathroom and the other renovations they wanted throughout the rest of the house. The builders started in July and ended in November.

“We got our house back just in time for Thanksgiving!” Brian said.

They lived in the house throughout the renovation process, storing their bedroom furniture in other rooms and sleeping in their daughter’s bedroom upstairs while she was away at college. During those months, the builders moved the laundry room to where the bathroom was and added attractive storage cabinets where the laundry had been to tidy up the mudroom.

They brightened the dark kitchen by putting down a lighter color of tile on the floor and installing white, granite countertops. They removed a bar where no one sat anyway, and turned the space into another storage area. The cabinets were in good shape, so they kept them but replaced the appliances.

In the master bedroom, they laid a light-colored floor and painted the walls lavender (Lezlie’s favorite color) and the woodwork white. The door that used to lead to the bathroom now opens into Brian’s closet, which they created with space borrowed from what was the bathroom and now the laundry room.

The main event, however, was the master bathroom addition, which at 12 feet wide, is close to the size of a bedroom.

“It’s a very big bathroom,” Lezlie said, “but I love it.”

Now, working as a yoga and meditation instructor, she said serenity and relaxation are important parts of her lifestyle, and she often meditates while she soaks in the freestanding tub. To that end, she made sure she included all of the natural elements in the décor. The tub provides water, and for fire, she installed a wall-mounted electric fireplace, which at first startled her husband.

“I said, ‘Really? A fireplace?’” Brian said. “But now I’m the one who enjoys it in the winter.”

The floor in this room is the real star. The wood and inch-square textured, slate tiles provide the earth and wood elements in an organic yin and yang pattern, allowing the person to step out of the tub onto a non-slip surface without

getting the hardwood wet.

To get the colors and pattern in the tile she wanted, Lezlie and Kit Erhman from InStyle bought more 12-inch webs with colored tiles on them and switched out the duller pieces for the ones they wanted.

“I pulled out the boring matte gray tiles and replaced them with silver, shiny, reflective and pink,” Lezlie said.

The light hardwood they installed there and in the bedroom had black flecks throughout it, so they selected the planks with the fewest bits of black for the main areas and laid the others in the big, new walk-in closet. A walkin shower and a chandelier that Lezlie bought way back when they first thought about remodeling complete the glamorous, spa-like look and feel of the room. But it has a practical side, too.

“Part of our idea was that we wanted to make it easy to age here,” Lezlie said. “The master suite has a shower and toilet, it’s close to the laundry and there are no s tairs to climb.”

Lezlie still wasn’t finished, however. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she spent hours looking out through the sunroom windows at the big yard around the pool thinking about what needed improvements. To that end, her pandemic project became to designing garden spots to enhance the landscaping and attract pollinators.

She installed a larger garden with plants and flowers in shades of lavender and green at one end of the pool and other flowers in selective areas throughout the yard. They also planted a tupelo tree for

color and berries for the birds. Under a large maple tree where nothing would grow, they laid a stone walkway. As a whimsical touch, colorful pottery fish that Lezlie made peek out from the vegetation.

The Wards have been married for 32 years. Both Indiana University graduates, they met after Brian graduated and had come back to Bloomington

from his job in Cincinnati to visit a friend. The friend was the boyfriend of one of Lezlie’s friends, and for a while, they went out together as a foursome. Eventually, Brian asked Lezlie if they could go out alone. She said it was the “best first date ever,” and the relationship eventually led to marriage. The couple have two children. Son, Jonathan, will

graduate from IU with a master’s degree in biotechnology in December and daughter, Suzanne, also an IU graduate, has been accepted at IU to pursue a master’s degree that will qualify her to be a speech therapist.

Brian’s career has all been in banking. Lezlie started out with a business degree and worked in advertising, but the unexpected death of her sister made her take stock of what she was doing with her life.

“I realized I wanted to do something to try to make the world a better place,” she said. “After my sister died, it hit home with me that you don’t know how much time you have and you want to make the best of it.”

After they were married, Brian earned an MBA at Xavier University in Cincinnati and Lezlie earned a master’s degree in counseling at IU. During that time, they only saw one another on weekends. Thanks to a job as a dorm coordinator that came with a salary and living quarters, her degree was completely paid for, and the money they saved allowed them to put a down payment on a house. They remember passing through Columbus during their visits to one another and thinking it was a beautiful town.

Lezlie managed a psychiatric clinic in Ohio before moving to Michigan, then she went to Evansville and is now here in Columbus. Today, she teaches yoga and meditation at Elemental, the Zen Wellness Center and the Mill Race Center. These days she uses her knowledge about counseling in her work as a licensed yoga

therapist, helping people learn to conquer their issues with these modalities.

And now, she has a serene home where she can practice the kind of self-care she recommends to her students.

“I give Lezlie all the credit,” Brian said. “She had a vision for all of it and made sure it didn’t look like an add-on from the street.”

And he and Lezlie both credit the Benchmark people for making it happen.

“They were awesome,” Brian said. “We had always heard horror stories about remodeling, but they were just wonderful. We would definitely use them again.”

The Wards liked that the builders who did their project were friendly and flexible

when they wanted to make changes, that they ordered supplies ahead of beginning the work so that there were no holdups and that they had their own subcontractors on staff. Lezlie added that she felt safe with the workers in her house and missed them when they were gone.

“I feel so grateful that we were able to do the renovation,” Lezlie said. “I’ve had health issues, and I know your body stays healthy and maintains itself if you have enough rest. I try to prioritize taking care of myself and maintaining my own balance — practicing what I preach in my yoga classes. Now, our house feels safe and cozy — our place where we come to relax.”

TO Our earS Music

By glendA wI nder S // phoTogr A phy By A ngel A jACk Son

CCasey Mitchell, band director at East High School, didn’t realize how much she loved marching band until she was a high school junior. Detrich Morrison-Jones, assistant band director at North High School, spent his youth touring with the gospel-singing ENS Jones Family Singers, with most of his musical emphasis on voice.

Their beginnings might not seem auspicious for successful band directors, but that’s exactly what they have become. Today, together with

Keith Burton, the band director at Columbus North High School, and Tim Brookshire, assistant band director at East High School, they lead the Sound and Spirit of Columbus, the marching band that resulted when student musicians from both high schools combined to form one outstanding band.

“We’re in year three now,” Burton said. “So it’s very much our marching band. The students from the two band programs don’t look

at it anymore like we’re two schools coming together, and it’s an absolute blast to work with everybody.”

He said the decision was a logical one because the band directors work with students beginning in elementary and middle schools who then get to be together again in high school.

“There’s a lot of combined effort,” he said. “So in our minds, it only makes sense to continue that collaboration. We are all under the same umbrella.”

Casey mitchell and detrich morrison-Jones

“i always knew i wanted to be a teacher. but i didn’t know i wanted to do band until it was almost too late. When i started playing the clarinet and joined band i thought, ‘This is like a family. it’s my favorite thing in the world.’ i felt like i was part of a family that worked together for something bigger than ourselves.”

— Casey Mitchell

He also has high praise for Mitchell and Morrison-Jones.

“We’re really happy to have Casey and Deitrich on board,” he said. “They are great additions to the team and highly skilled, highly motivated music educators. We’re super excited about how it has worked out.”

Mitchell was raised in the tiny town of Solsberry, Indiana, and was a sophomore at East Green High School when she joined the band.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “But I didn’t know I wanted to do band until it was almost too late. When I started playing

the clarinet and joined band I thought, ‘This is like a family. It’s my favorite thing in the world.’ I felt like I was part of a family that worked together for something bigger than ourselves.”

She knew then what she wanted to do with her life, and aware of her late start, she did everything possible to improve her musical ability. She took private lessons and worked extra hard during her junior and senior years. It paid off when she was admitted to Ball State University to major in music education.

“The professors were incredible and worked with

me a lot,” she said. “I had lots of room for improvement because I decided so late that I was into music. I also joined everything extracurricular that I could so that I was prepared to go out into the field and teach.”

One of the groups she joined was Kappa Kappa Psi, the music fraternity of which Morrison-Jones is also a member.

Mitchell said the most worthwhile thing she did in college — and one that helped form her philosophy of teaching — was to join United Sound, a mentorship program that instructs students with disabilities to play an instrument and invites them to join in some performances. From the stage at one performance, she saw a parent crying tears of joy to see her child playing with the group.

“Being able to bring music to everyone and make it an inclusive environment is what I really love to do,” she said. “I think Columbus does that really well, and I love being a part of it.”

Meanwhile, Morrison-Jones was growing up next door to a nuclear power plant in an equally tiny town of New Hill, North Carolina. While he was a student at Apex High School, he started playing the trumpet and then switched to the French horn. He figured out that he was never chosen for the all-district band and orchestra because there were so many trumpet players.

“There weren’t many horn players, so I said, ‘Let’s see where this takes me,’” he said. “I switched to the horn and made the all-district band, and I haven’t looked back since. I

love the sound of the horn and the way it sounds in conjunction with other players and their instruments.”

He also played mellophone and was a drum major for two years. He said his high school experience was extraordinary in that he had two band directors who both saw his potential. One treated him as an assistant band director, allowing him to choose music and lead camps and drills.

“With that experience, I decided for sure that I wanted to be a music educator,” he said.

Like Mitchell, his decision made him want to do everything he could to improve his skills. That included taking lessons with Andrew McAfee, the principal horn for 15 years with the North Carolina Symphony.

“It was those private lessons that molded me into the teacher I am today,” he said. “Mr. McAfee brought such care to every single lesson. I felt like I was a person who mattered every time I walked into those lessons, and that’s the way I try to teach here. My job is to mold our students into exceptional human beings.”

He majored in music education with an emphasis on the horn at Indiana University, where his primary teacher was Dale Clevenger, who had been the principal horn with the Chicago Symphony for four years — and Mr. McAfee’s teacher.

Morrison-Jones did his student teaching at Columbus North during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had an abundance of online students, and that taught me how to be as engag-

ing as possible,” he said. “To have a portion of our kids in the classroom and a portion online was tough. I remember getting an email from a parent who thanked me for talking to the kids who were online. That’s the point — to make school an enjoyable experience.”

Instead of looking for a job, however, he decided to go to graduate school at the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music, where he received a master’s degree in wind conducting. He finished his thesis while teaching during his last semester and said that decision prepared him even more for what he is doing today.

“I was able to really dive into the repertoire, rehearsal technique and score analysis,” he said, “so walking into my job here, I had a pretty good wealth of knowledge of the repertoire of bands and how to rehearse different kinds of bands. It was an amazing opportunity to refine my knowledge.”

Then, in December 2022, he was scrolling Facebook when he saw the post for a job at CNHS. He sent a text to Burton and was hired to be the assistant director, teaching all the bands and AP mu-

sic theory, as well as having students at Parkside, Schmitt and Southside elementary schools and making occasional visits to Northside and Central middle schools.

“I already knew the staff and most of the kids,” he said. “I’m ecstatic to be back home where I had my professional start.” Mitchell, who started her job in August 2022, said her interview process was a bit more stressful.

“I interviewed online,” she said, “and when I got off the call I said, ‘That did not go well.’ I was way more nervous

online than I would have been face to face.”

But when she was invited to visit both East and Central, she knew it was a “really, really good fit.”

“Part of the reason I took the job was because I didn’t know if I wanted to go into high school band or middle school band,” she said, “and it was a perfect opportunity for me to be able to do both. I love that about my job.”

Students can begin band for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. in sixth grade. There is a summer band camp for beginners and last year we had close to 200 students enrolled. They separate back into their various elementary schools, and then when they get to high school, they are together again.

“The kids love it,” Mitchell said. “When we come together for our first marching band rehearsal, and everybody is talking and excited to see each other, you can see the energy in the air.”

The marching band gets a kickstart with a few rehearsals in May, then rehearsals begin in earnest with band camp at North three weeks before school starts. During the fall semester, the teachers focus on marching band music. Students at both schools study the same music and have the same rehearsal rules for evening practices.

Rehearsals are outside of school hours, with Brookshire leading the percussionists and the other three directors rotating other duties like marching techniques, drills, music aspects and ensemble development with the rest of the band. They sometimes bring in other staff members, often college students, who work with

individual sections to make them the best they can be.

After a few weeks of practice, the band loads up their equipment in trailers and move to another school, then a few weeks later, they move again. The purpose is to utilize the equipment at both schools so that all the band members get to play at their own school. The directors time each move in coordination with where their football games are played.

The football field is our stage,” Morrison-Jones said. “We have different kinds of props we engage with, different visuals with our color guard and our flags to further create atmosphere and environment for what we’re trying to create.”

This year’s program is “From the Rooftops,” a collaboration of scenes, such as love scenes, chase scenes, party scenes and others that might be seen from a rooftop. It will include music from “The Greatest Showman,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and others. The band will perform the scenes as they learn them, building on them throughout the season and then putting the whole show together when they are ready. The color guard coordinator collaborates with the directors on the choreography.

During the North-East game, the band plays in the end zone to stay neutral.

“The kids root for their own school, but I don’t know that they care that much,” Mitchell said. “There is friendly banter, and we play the songs for both schools when they score a touchdown.”

Besides the program, another surprise for spectators this season will be small changes in the uniforms to

“all of us will come with some ideas about what would be effective and what we think the kids would enjoy. band is meant to be fun, and we always want to make sure the kids are engaged in the music.”

— Detrich Morrison-Jones

show the orange and blue of both schools. Band members are fundraising and saving money in the hope of adding new jackets next year.

Something else new this year is the use of 30 student leaders. To identify the best candidates, the directors held interviews where the students dressed up and brought transcripts, resumes and in some cases letters of recommendation.

“We gave them a little taste of what they’ll do in the future when they interview,” Mitchell said. “We were able to get their ideas, why they wanted to be a leader, what they see as the value of marching band and how they would help incoming members.”

Along with the four drum majors who lead the band, the others will do behind-thescenes leadership activities such as coming early to rehearsals and staying late to clean up, running music rehearsals, leading their section through drills and marching and other duties the directors assign to them.

“A big goal for us as teachers is that these kids are going out into the world prepared for whatever they’re going to be

doing, whether it is in music or not,” Mitchell said. “All the skills and experiences they have in band we want to go with them into the future.”

Come January, the directors will turn their attention to concert bands, but they will also start to look at possibilities for next year’s marching band performances.

“All of us will come with some ideas about what would be effective and what we think the kids would enjoy,” Morrison-Jones said. “Band is meant to be fun, and we always want to make sure the kids are engaged in the music.”

He said he appreciates being able to work with the combined band.

“The greater number of kids, the more resources that are available,” he said, “but I think the main purpose is to establish an even firmer kind of community within our entire BCSC band culture and not have one school against the other. I think we’ve been successful with that. We want to make our program as equal and as equitable as possible, and that shows in our name. We’re not the sound or spirit. We’re the Sound and Spirit, all together.”

a ‘paws-itive’

impact

One dog spreads joy to many at Silver Oaks Health Campus

By S Teph A n I e S TroThm A nn // p hoTogr A phy By m elISSA vA n d e p u TTe

There’s nothing quite as reassuring or comforting as a beloved dog, and the residents of Silver Oaks Health Campus in Columbus, Indiana, know that better than most.

Molly Mae, or Molly, as she is known, is a 5 ½ -year-old golden doodle who lives with the health care facility residents during the day, but is owned by her mom, Jennifer Zietlow, a speech pathologist there. Though Molly looks like a giant teddy bear, don’t be fooled by her calm demeanor. This pup works hard and has a big job to do every day.

Zietlow got Molly when she was 8 weeks old and quickly realized having her was like

having a new baby. “People greet the dog before they greet you,” she laughed and said she knew all along that as the pup grew, she would bring the canine to work with her to help those she serves.

Dressed in the same color work polo as Zietlow, blue and sporting a name badge, Molly enters the facility through the dining area each day and almost immediately is called for duty. A resident in a wheelchair greets her by saying, “Come here, Molly,” and the fluffy pooch obliges, gently ambling to her and providing comfort to aged hands that once owned an adored pet.

a resident sits with molly.

With her comforting complete, Molly moves to her next duty — morning staffing meetings — with other facility staff members, whom Zietlow calls Molly’s work parents.

The canine seems to listen to the tasks at hand for that day and then moves to her next responsibility, which is memory care for those with cognitive difficulties, located in the Legacy section of the facility. Zietlow shared that Molly knows when people need extra TLC and spends more time with those who are struggling and even stays close to someone nearing the end of life.

“Patients will ask, ‘can I?’ when they want to pet her, and she knows to be gentle. She is the kindest My Little Pony,” Zietlow said, joking about the pup’s large frame and weighing 80 pounds.

“She’s a little extra,” she laughed, then said that if there’s a piece of bacon nearby, Molly will snag it.

It’s all about bringing joy to the residents and staff at Silver Oaks, and if someone wants to give her a treat, Zietlow isn’t going to deny them the pleasure of watching Molly enjoy it. Molly gets rewarded throughout the day not only by interacting with people but by getting a snack here and there. She even has treat jars at the nurses’ stations and throughout the rest of the facility that proudly state:

“Molly’s Treats.”

Petting a dog can help those who aren’t fond of interacting with humans and are having trouble remembering past events because it triggers happy memories.

“Just a smile, a laugh, a notice of something you were familiar with,” Zietlow said.

molly and Jennifer Zietlow..

Perhaps there’s someone who’s a bit grumpy one day. After spending some time with Molly and her relaxed personality, the person’s demeanor changes.

“I am very fortunate to have a very well-behaved, well-loved partner. She adores people and loves to cuddle,” said Zietlow.

Molly is also schooled in the art of commands that are given by hand signals, something Zietlow has taught to the staff and residents. The only thing she doesn’t do is speak.

“She doesn’t bark unless I give her the command to bark,” Zietlow said, knowing that Molly’s voice could startle some people.

It’s not all work at the facility though for the sweet girl; she participates in activities with the residents and has

helped them celebrate theme days like 80’s Day, Dress like a Superhero Day and St. Patrick’s Day. She’s even present at bingo night — though no word on if the pup has ever won.

Molly’s family also enjoys her when she’s finished working for the day. Zietlow shares that once the polo shirt comes off, Molly knows she is done for the day and does zoomies in the backyard with her young human sister, Claire, Zietlow’s daughter.

“The two are birds of a feather,” Zietlow said. Both have the same hair and Molly enjoys sleeping with Claire each night. Some days, Molly knows that Claire needs her more than those at the health care facility and will stay at home with her.

Molly also gets into mischief from time to time, having eaten an entire gingerbread house once and sometimes stealing juicy strawberries out of the family’s garden. She’s also into aquatics, although Zietlow, who competes in triathlons, had to jump off a boat once to rescue her.

On the occasion that Molly’s mom and human sister want to take some needed time away, she stays with one of her favorite people at Silver Oaks, Dr. Mustaklem and his family, who adore spending time with her.

When asked if Molly will ever retire, Zietlow said a resounding, “No.” But that the fluffy pup of love will take paid time off when needed — though that may not be often. “People thank us for bringing them so much joy.”

Emily Brown & Raven Stadtmiller

Ceremony and reception at Factory 12 Event Loft April 21, 2023

Raven grew up in Columbus, attended Columbus East High School and briefly attended college locally, before transferring to IU Bloomington.

After Raven transferred, he got a job at a dining hall on campus where Emily also worked. They quickly became friends while secretly, both were developing deeper feelings for each other. Then, one night, they went to a movie with friends and it turned into a double date. They’ve been together ever since.

At first, Emily thought the proposal would take place on their anniversary, which falls on Valentine’s Day. “That’s a bit cheesy for me, so I wasn’t thrilled,” she said. “But the day came and went and he didn’t propose, so I kind of forgot about it.”

Then in the spring, Raven suggested they take a mini vacation, just a long weekend at an Airbnb, since they never had time to do it before. Emily thought it was a great idea, but had no idea that Raven was planning to propose.

“We ended up staying at this little farm outside Nashville (Indiana) and it was so delightful,” Emily recalled.

The first night there, after they got back from a romantic evening of walking around Nashville and eating dinner together, Raven proposed.

“I was so surprised, but so, so happy,” Emily said. “We then spent the whole weekend together before coming home and telling everyone the news.”

The wedding was small, just close friends and family. All of the vendors were great, and because her family lives a while away, it was great for them to see both families come together. They had friends come from as far away as Mississippi and even Germany.

“We didn’t really have a theme per se, but my dress had daisies on it, so we had yellow and green as our colors, with daisies on all the tables and in the bouquets,” she said. “For decorations, we kept it very minimal, just centerpieces and tablecloths.”

When asked how they felt on their big day, Emily said that they both felt it was a long time coming and they knew exactly what they wanted. “We are big fans of ZwanzigZ, so we went about a month before the wedding and picked some of their beers to have at the bar that day, and they were our caterer, as well. It was truly a perfect day.”

Originally, they planned to stay at home together for their honeymoon. But a couple of weeks before the wedding, Raven found tickets to Washington, D.C. for a really great price.

“It was really great to be away for a while, and I’m a huge history person, so the museums were a real delight. We’re already talking about making plans to go back,” she said.

Exhibit Columbus, Public by Design, Rock the Block: Party and Dance Show

1. people dance under interOculus. for exhibit Columbus’ rock the block party under exhibit Columbus installation interOculus.

2. ruchika modi, left, principal at pau, design group for interOculus, and elizabeth kubany enjoy the dancers and the music.

3. monja ninja dancers perform.

4. dance Street Studio performs.

5. dance With us dancers perform.

6. rJ bhangra academy performs under the interOculus.

7. Tom Harmon, mayor Jim Lienhoop and pam Lienhoop attend the party.

8. bollywood beats dance group performs.

9. evelyn morrison, at left, dances with Joseph altshuler.

10. rick Johnson, left, and mark elwood enjoy the festivities.

pHOTOgrapHy by CarLa CLark

Aug. 26

Flowing river

Fishermen fish in Flatrock River near The Robert N. Stewart Bridge.

PHOTO BY TONY VASQUEZ