Basketball Scoreboard
SATURDAY
Norwell DeKalb
December 21, 2013
Weather Cloudy and rainy today. High 41. Low tonight 33. Rainy again Sunday. High 43. Low 22.
The
Page A7
62 50
Garrett Leo
91 82
Lakeland Eastside
ppd.
Fairfield Hamilton
Star
Auburn, Indiana
52 32
Columbia City 61 East Noble 51
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Home for the Holidays
GOOD MORNING
“This tops the list and couldn’t be a better Christmas.” Kim Harris, Prairie Heights High School math teacher, surprised by her son’s early arrival home from Afghanistan
CHRISTMAS
High water could make travel difficult FORT WAYNE — The Indiana Department of Transportation is warning drivers to be on the lookout for high water and slick conditions this weekend, due to changing weather patterns in the forecast. Today, significant snowfall from the past week is melting because of the above-freezing temperatures. Heavy rain expected through the weekend will increase the potential for high water on roadways. “If you come across a flooded roadway, turn around,” said INDOT spokeswoman Mary Foster. “Never drive through standing water. According to the National Weather Service, most flooding deaths occur in automobiles. Six inches of standing water is enough to stall a car and a foot of water will float many vehicles. Temperatures are predicted to fall Sunday night and into Monday, increasing the chance for freezing on the roadways.
SURPRISE Soldier in Santa suit shocks mother BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
BRUSHY PRAIRIE — Kim Harris thought she won a poinsettia in a Prairie Heights Schools’ staff Christmas breakfast lottery Friday, but instead, she ended up with the best gift ever. A Prairie Heights High School math teacher, Harris won a rigged lottery, as Superintendent Alan Middleton drew her name. Because of that, Harris had the chance to sit on Santa’s lap in front of all her colleagues. Only she didn’t know who had donned the red Santa suit and beard. As Harris sat on Santa’s lap telling him what she wanted for Christmas, she said, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men. I have a long list.”
Video of Spc. Ethan Harris surprising his mother, as well as interviews with Ethan and his parents, Kim and John Harris, is online at kpcnews.com. Scan the QR code to watch it on your tablet or smartphone.
School leaders react to new grades
Coming Sunday
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Local schools received their annual report cards from the state Friday. Some school leaders could look at their high grades as holiday presents just before Christmas Break. But other superintendents questioned the accuracy of the grades, which are based heavily on ISTEP+ tests that were plagued by technical problems last spring. “I consider them to have no value, no validity whatsoever,” Jeffrey Stephens, superintendent of DeKalb Eastern schools, said Friday about the new grades. “When you have such a technical screw-up that occurred last spring and you try to use that grade, there’s no validity in that entire test.” Hamilton Community Schools superintendent Jon Willman said data attached to the school grades by the state is frustrating and largely unhelpful. Superintendents at Lakeland, Westview and East Noble districts
Nativity Scenes
See a couple remarkable manger scenes, living and handmade, in our area. Sunday’s C1.
LOOK FOR VIDEO Check out the latest KPC Media Group videos kpcnews.com
Info • The Star 118 W. Ninth St. Auburn, IN 46706 Auburn: (260) 925-2611 Fax: (260) 925-2625 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (toll free) (800) 717-4679
Index Classifieds.................................B6-B8 Life..................................................... A3 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion ............................................. A5 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A7 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 101 No. 350
SEE SOLDIER, PAGE A7
See the moment at kpcnews.com
PHOTOS BY PATRICK REDMOND
U.S. Army Spc. Ethan Harris gave his mother, Kim Harris, a Prairie Heights High School math teacher, quite the Christmas present Friday in coming home early from an Afghanistan tour. Ethan removes his Santa beard at a Christmas breakfast for Prairie Heights Schools’ staff, much to his mother’s tearful surprise. Once he removed his Santa suit, Ethan gave his mother a big hug.
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Topping the list with a gift she already had received, Harris told Santa, “My son is safely on U.S. soil from Afghanistan.”
also questioned the validity of the grades, issued Friday by the Indiana Department of Education. The state bases the annual grades on test scores in language arts and math. High school grades factor in graduation rates and scores for college and career readiness. DeKalb Central Superintendent Sherry Grate took a positive view of the A’s earned by five of the district’s six schools. Only DeKalb Middle School, with a D, did not earn a top grade. “We are extremely proud of our district!” Grate said in a written response to the grades. “We have worked diligently as a school district to strive to achieve our vision of becoming Indiana’s highest-performing school district,” Grate added. “Our schools have demonstrated tremendous progress over the past four years on the state’s standardized testing measures. We recognize the significance of these ratings, however, also understand that this is one way in which we can determine the progress being
Northeast Indiana School Grades • SCHOOL Grade Grade NAME 2013 2012 DeKalb Eastern Eastside Jr-Sr High C B Butler Elem C B Riverdale Elem A A DeKalb Central Waterloo Elem A D DeKalb High A B DeKalb Middle D C Watson Elem A C McK-Harr Elem A B Country Mdw Elem A A
made by our students and our schools.” Garrett-Keyser-Butler schools showed improvement at Garrett High School, which earned an A, and J.E. Ober Elementary School, with a B. “These increases have been a result of the hard work by our students, staff, and parents,” said Tonya Weaver, Garrett’s director of administration and innovation.
SCHOOL Grade Grade NAME 2013 2012 Garrett-Keyser-Butler Garrett High A B J E Ober Elem B C Garrett Middle D A Hamilton Hamilton Jr-Sr High C C Hamilton Elem C C Private Schools Lakewood Park A A Saint Joseph A A Saint Mary Elem B A
She also responded to Garrett Middle School’s grade, which dropped from A to D in one year. “It is interesting to note that the formula’s design enables a few students to impact a school’s letter grade dramatically,” Weaver said. “Even with this being said, instructional strategies have been put into place to bring our middle school back to the A status. Our
SEE GRADES, PAGE A7
Unemployment rate rises despite job growth FROM STAFF REPORTS
INDIANAPOLIS — The four counties of northeast Indiana saw their labor force numbers grow in November as the unemployment rate rose, said a report released Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The statewide unemployment rate declined in November, the DWD said, dropping 0.2 percentage points to 7.3 percent, lower than all neighboring states. “Today’s job numbers are welcome news to every Hoosier
and are a testament to the hard-working people of our state and the businesses that power Indiana’s economy every day,” said Gov. Mike Pence. “The continued downward trend in unemployment and the significant growth in private-sector jobs demonstrate that Indiana’s economy is strong and growing stronger every day.” DeKalb, Noble and Steuben counties saw the number of people employed in those counties rise for the month, but those numbers were
offset by the labor force increases. DeKalb County’s unemployment rate rose from an October figure of 6.7 percent to 6.9 percent. The report showed 18,916 DeKalb County residents had jobs in November, an increase of 225 from October. But the county’s labor force grew by 291 people to a total of 20,321. Noble County’s unemployment rose 0.4 percentage points from October to 7.2 percent. Steuben County saw a similar rise.
Christmas Sunday Services
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Sun., Dec. 22 9 AM & 10:30 AM
December 24 6 PM
Unemployment rates In percentages COUNTY DeKalb LaGrange Noble Steuben Allen Elkhart Indiana* U.S.*
NOV. 2013 6.9 6.4 7.2 7.3 6.9 7.6 7.3 7.0
OCT. 2013 6.7 5.9 6.8 6.9 6.7 7.4 7.5 7.3
NOV. 2012 8.6 7.7 9.1 8.7 7.8 9.2 8.4 7.8
*seasonally adjusted SOURCE: INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Fairview Missionary Church Phone: 260-665-8402 •www.fairview-missionary.org
525 E 200 N, Angola, IN (1 mile east of Meijer and Menards)