INSIDE THIS ISSUE Classifieds..............................................................................A4 Community Calendar ..............................................B9, 10, 11 Healthy Times ...............................................................A10, 11
See our ads on pages A6 & A16 INfortwayne.com
Serving Northwest Fort Wayne & Allen County
February 28, 2014
Select Sound, Minstrel Magic take Carroll stage By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcmedia.com
Timeless themes will dance across the stage when Carroll High School’s show choirs perform Saturday, March 15, at the Carroll Classic Invitational. The host school’s girls’ choir and mixed choir will perform in exhibition while judges tally scores for visiting schools. For Carroll, it’s the last local show of a long season. The Indiana State School Music Association will compare scores from throughout the season, throughout the state, to decide which 18 schools compete the following Saturday at the state finals. Carroll show choirs director Jill Jeran shoulders the additional responsibility of being host to 11 other high schools. Carroll also hosts middle school choirs on Friday, March 14. “It is a larger responsibility to make sure everything is in line and
PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW
Carroll High School’s Select Sound girls’ show choir enacts a chapter from the women’s suffrage movement. Costumes evolve from authentic 1800s dresses to modern pantsuits.
Allure, Charisma ready at Northrop. Page A3 the schools have the opportunity that they need,” Jeran said. “It just takes loads of volunteers. We have chair people of all of our committees though the parent/booster group. We try to make it
a fun, educational experience, stress-free, and make it a great day for everybody.” Jeran directs the Select Sound girls’ show choir and the Minstrel Magic mixed show choir. “We
Schools add class hours to make up for lost days Public and private schools have begun rescheduling a record number of snow days, even as winter reserves the option of forcing more changes to school calendars. For the first time, schools have the option of lengthening the school day to make up state-required student days. School officials insist that student safety will continue to drive their decisions on whether to delay or cancel classes. Some local districts had canceled school for 13 or more days. Other school bells were delayed by two hours due to fog, cold or hazardous travel. Fort Wayne Community Schools Public Affairs Director Melanie Hall said the school calendar has been extended at least
“… the safety of our students is our first consideration.”— Melanie Hall, public affairs director, Fort Wayne Community Schools through June 11. She said the district tracked snow days going back through the 19992000 school year. “The previous high was six closures in 2011, all in February,” Hall said. But even more snow dates will not force a change in Fort Wayne’s graduation schedule. Those ceremonies are scheduled for June 21. School districts must meet a minimum 180 student attendance days. Schools first canceled classes on Jan. 6 and 7, immediately following the winter break. The Indiana State Board of Education has granted schools a waiver for those first two days. Some districts extended the first semester
because of the storms. The state also postponed the window for the important ISTEP tests. Schools now may finish the tests as late as March 21, instead of March 12. Test results are used to measure school success and to assess teacher performance. Schools made up classes on Presidents Day, or held classes on days that had been set aside for teacher conferences. Most districts extended the school year. The state also granted permission to extend the school day to make up hours. Northwest Allen County Schools lengthened dozens of school days effective Feb. 25. SuperSee SCHOOLS, Page A2
Times Community Publications
gsnow@kpcmedia.com
3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808
By Garth Snow
PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW
Carroll senior Conner Mullett, from left, junior Mason Ashment and senior Alexa Heyneman are at center stage for the closing of the Minstrel Magic mixed show choir’s program.
start our competition season in January and go through almost the end of March and compete nearly every weekend,” she said. Blair Zemaitis, the assistant director, explained the stories behind this year’s shows. “Our women’s group is doing a history-theme
show about women’s suffrage,” she said. “We span the ages of women’s suffrage from Susan B. Anthony all the way up through modern-day women, so we have costumes that go from authentic 1800s to women in pantsuits, which is fun for the girls to have such variety in their costumes,
and variety in songs. Their dance moves reflect that as well.” “The mixed group is doing an original story that our creative team has made up, about forgiveness and finding your own path, and misguided love,” she explained. “It is between a father and See MAGIC, Page A4