LT Achievements & Recognition

recognition and achievements

Highlights from the 2020-21 academic year (partial listing)

Athletics

LC Boys Track & Field Head Coach Tim Richey was inducted into the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame.

LC Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Al Gooden secured 500 career wins. He is the first African American Indiana High School Basketball Coach to achieve this milestone.

LN Boys Basketball Coach Jack Keefer was named Marion County Coach of the Year. LN Basketball Shamar Avance was MIC Player of the Year, Marion County Player of the Year, and Indiana All-Star.

LN Football Donaven McCulley was named the 2021 IndyStar Marion County Male Athlete of the Year.

LN Girls Basketball Jayla Smith received the following accolades: MIC Network Player of the Year, ALL-USA IndyStar Super Team, ALL-USA Central Indiana Girls Basketball preseason Super Team (1st Team), McDonald’s All-American nominee for the Midwest, and Indiana All-Star team.

Sectional Champions for LN and LC include: LN Boys Varsity Tennis; LN Girls Tennis; LN Boys Track & Field; LN Varsity Softball; LN swimmer Tristan Eckert, 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke; LN swimmers Emma Pletcher, Brielle Vail, Elizabeth Fritz-Kent, and Carol Ludington, 200-free relay IHSAA State Track Meet State Champions include: LC Kamyren Garrett, High Jump; LC Taylor Herbert, 100-Meter Dash

LN Wildcats were the 2021 4A State Runner-Up in Boys Basketball.

Marion County High School Girls Track & Field Champions include: LC Morgan Murff, Discus & Shot Put;

LC Taylor Herbert, 100-Meter Dash; LN Brielle Vail, 3200-Meter Marion County High School Boys Track & Field Champions include: LC Tivon Wiley, Pole Vault; LC Brandyn Barrett, Long Jump; LC Paul Goins, 110-Meter & 300-Meter Hurdles; LC Kamyren Garrett, High Jump Middle School MIIC Champions include: Fall Creek Valley Wildcats Girls Soccer; Belzer Bears Football; Fall Creek Valley 7th grade

Boys Basketball

Middle School Marion County Champions include: Fall Creek Valley 7th Grade Boys Basketball; Fall Creek Valley 8th Grade Boys Basketball; Fall Creek Valley 7th Grade Girls Basketball; Fall Creek Valley 8th Grade Girls

Basketball

2020 All-MIC teams for fall sports include: LN Kyle Manner, for Boys Tennis; LC Alannah Washington and LN Kimora Whetstone, for Volleyball; LN Brielle Vail, for Girls Cross Country; LN Vincente Aguilar, LC Elmer Garcia, LC Hernan Polanco, for Boys Soccer; LN Emma Cox and LC Mychaela Johnson, for Girls Soccer; LN Donaven McCulley, LN Omar Cooper, LN Larry Harris, LN Romaro Warren, LC Tyler Cunningham, for Football 2021 All-MIC team for winter sports include: LN Shamar Avance, LN D. J. Hughes, LC Greg Jenkins, LN C.J. Gunn, and LC Dameriz Merriweather for Boys Basketball; LC De’Naria Washington,LN Jayla Smith, and LN Monica Williams for Girls Basketball; LN Jeremiah Henderson and LN Anthony Hughes for Wrestling; LN Emilio Perez for Boys Swimming & Diving The Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) Top 50 all-state football team include: LN Wide Receiver, Omar Cooper, Jr. and

LN Quarterback, Donaven McCulley

LC Kamyren Garrett, High Jump, finished 1st and tied the Indiana record by clearing 7 feet 2.5 inches and LC Taylor Herbert, sprinter, finished 6th in the 60-Meter Dash with a time of 6.531 at the Adidas Indoor Track and Field Nationals in Virginia Beach. LC Kamyren Garrett, High Jump, cleared 7 feet 3 inches at Kenny Randle Track & Field Invitational after breaking his own two previous school records. Garrett, the U.S. indoor leader and national high jump champion at 7 feet 2.5 inches is also the 2021 Outdoor Leader.

IBCA Boys Basketball All-State ‘Supreme 15’ for seniors and underclassmen include: LN Shamar Avance, Senior All-State Supreme 15 Team; LN D.J. Hughes, Large School All-State Team; LC Greg Jenkins, Honorable Mention; LC Dameriz Merriweather, Honorable Mention; LN C.J. Gunn, Underclass All-State ‘Supreme 15”; LC Josh Mickens, Underclass Honorable Mention

LN junior, C.J. Gunn was named to the 2021 Junior All-Star Basketball team. LN Cal Shepherd was named to the 2021 Baseball South All-Star Team. 2021 All-Marion County baseball team includes: First Team: Charlie Hawk (LC – 1B), Enas Hayden (LN – OF), & Cal Shepard (LN – P) Second Team: Trevor Jones (LN – 2B), Tyler Walkup (LN – 3B), Owen Quinn (LN – OF),

& Jayden Anderson (LC – P)

ALL-USA Central Indiana Baseball Super Team includes: First Team: Charlie Hawk (LC) and Cal Shepherd (LN) Second Team: Jayden Anderson (LC), Enas Hayden (LN), & Tyler Walkup (LN).

Kam Garrett (LC)

LC Kamyren Garrett was named 2021 Mr. Indiana Track & Field by the Indiana Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches.

Performing Arts — pandemic

restrictions limited most of the performing arts competitions and performances LN Advanced Dance Team competed in the IHSDTA Avon Invitational: 1st in Hip Hop, 3rd in Jazz, 1st in Duet, and the top three performing soloists. Tyson Moore (LN) was recognized as the 2020 Indiana Percussion Association Individual Snare Performer of the Year.

LN Choirs performed at the Avon Invitational, bringing home the following awards: Legacy, 7th overall; Sabrina Ola, Most Outstanding Performer for Legacy; Bella Bravada, 6th place; Maddie Griewe, Most Outstanding Performer for Bella Bravada; Adria Scott, Grand Champion of the solo competition. At the LC hosted annual Classic competition: LN Legacy, Grand Champion; Bella Bravada, first Runner Up with Best Band; Antonia Ferran, Grand Champion of the Solo Competition; Franny Church, Best Soloist

LC Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble

earned a gold rating at the Indiana State School Music Association Virtual Evaluation.

Amy Beverland sixth grade students, Sophia Simonsen, Rose Wells, and Aleesa Ampil were three of 60 Indiana choir students selected for the Indiana Elementary Honor Choir who performed at the Palladium Concert Hall.

Academic

The LN newspaper, the LN North Star, was the winner of the Division 3 newspaper Hoosier Star Award from the Indiana High School Press Association.

The National Merit Scholarship Program recognized LC Morgan Murff and LN Paris McClendon as 2020 National Merit Achievement Scholars. LN had two Questbridge scholars in the Class of 2021. Ainee Martin and Joi Henson were awarded a four-year, full tuition scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. Belzer Middle School Ariah Hughes was selected by the WNBA to receive hands-on journalism training. At the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, LC Kirsten Albershardt received a Silver Key in Ceramics and LC Chrisann Taylor received Honorable Mention in Mixed Media.

Fall Creek Valley Middle School Gearcats

Robotics Team secured the Design Award in the Heritage Christian League competition. LN North Star editor and senior, Natalie Rowland, was named the 2021 Indiana High School Journalist of the Year by the Indiana High School Press Association.

15 students from McKenzie Center for

Innovation & Technology received 48 awards in the 2021 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state competition. LN Kayden Beatty was awarded the Presidential Scholarship at Wabash College. LN Kelly Curry was named a 2021 Purdue University Vet Scholar. 10th grade students recognized as Kiwanis “Character Counts” Award Recipients for 2021 include: LC Josh Mickens, LC Olivia Tran, LN Natalie Bozinovski & LN Gianfranco

Cardenas

LN National Merit Scholar, Quinten Rostron, was awarded a full scholarship, including tuition, on-campus housing, and stipends from the University of Alabama. LC Sunzia Reza received the Horatio Alger National Scholarship, one of two students in Indiana to receive one of the 106 scholarships awarded. LC Alexis Allen, LN Rachel Bakx, LN Olivia Magnuson, & LN Melissa Rigdon were recipients of the Next Generation Hoosier Educator Scholarship. LN Cecilia O’Leary placed third nationally in the Cartooning category for her graphic on Restorative Justice at the National Federation of Press Women Education Fund Awards.

LC Madison Guyse was named an Indianapolis Student Leader by Bank of America.

Faculty

Dr. Shawn Smith was a Distinguished Presenter at the Indiana Black Expo’s African American Excellence in Education Awards ceremony. Administrators Franklyn Bush (LC), Justin Hunter (ST), and Victor Bush (LN) were award recipients. LN Journalism teacher and newspaper advisor, Heather Klopfenstein, was presented with the 2020 Indiana High School Press Association Ella Sengenberger Indiana Advisor of the Year Award. The Lawrence Township School Foundation named two teachers as 2020 Susan Jordan Excellence in Education Scholarship recipients: Sabrina Roll from Belzer Middle School and Lori Weber from Oaklandon Elementary School. The Ellen DeGeneres show recognized Forest Glen 2nd grade teacher, Pascual Cubero Soto, after learning about a conversation he had with his students about the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Cubero was interviewed by Ellen and given $10,000 financial gifts to both he and the school.

Alicia Stevens of Crestview Elementary was named a recipient of the 2021 Edthena Teacher Leader Impact Award. Walgreens recognized Lindsey Shaurette of Winding Ridge Elementary School as a WE Teacher Award Recipient.

Pascual Cubero Soto

MSDLT

The Early Learning Center (ELC) at Mary

Castle was named a top three finalist for Best Preschool in Indianapolis Star 2020 Best Things in Indy Community Choice Awards.

McKenzie Center for Innovation & Technology

was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Indiana Governor’s Workface Cabinet Award for Excellence.

MSDLT is the winner of a National School PR Association Digital Media Excellence Award for the 2019-2020 Annual Report. Indiana Department of Education recognized Oaklandon Elementary, Skiles Test Elementary,Winding Ridge Elementary, and Belzer Middle School as the recipients of Indiana’s inaugural Purple Star designation. The Purple Star designation honors schools displaying a significant commitment to service members, veterans, students, and families connected to our nation’s military. MSDLT was named a 2020 recipient of the Spirit United Award from the United Way of Central Indiana. The MSD of Lawrence Township is the first school district to receive this award.

MSDLT achieved Gold Level in the American Heart Association Workplace Health Index for the second consecutive year.

MSDLT Alumni

Matthew Kovacs (LC Class of 2020) participated in the Presidential Inauguration, holding doors for both President Trump and President Biden. Kovacs is a member of both the Coast Guard and the Ceremonial Guard in Alexandria, Virginia. 2 LN alums won 2021 Oscars. Tiara Thomas (2008) won an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah. Mike Conley (2006) won for best live-action short as an executive producer of Two Distant Strangers. 2015 LC graduate, Braxton Kennedy Hiser, was crowed 2021 Miss Indiana. She will represent Indiana in the Miss America Pageant.

2018 LN alum, Garrett Burhenn, was drafted to play Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers. Linebacker and All-American, Cameron (Cam) McGrone, (LC Class of 2018) was drafted by the New England Patriots. Running back, Gerrid Doaks, (LC Class of 2016) was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

Braxton Kennedy-Hiser

Lawrence Township Board of Education

Front Row (left to right): Dr. Shawn A. Smith, Superintendent • Amy Norman, Member • Reginald McGregor, President Back Row (left to right): Richard Freije, Jr., Member • Crystal Puckett, Secretary • Wendy Muston, Vice President