Brownsburg Magazine March 2021

MARCH 2021

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WELLNESS FROM THE GARDEN

Writer / Carrie Petty Photography Provided

March is the beginning. It is the time I wait for all year. The spring equinox will There is one place where I am certain we can arrive on Saturday, March 20 at 5:37 a.m. go and be perfectly safe. There is no mask I love how precise spring is. She knows needed, no threat of standing too close right when to get here, and it is always to one another, and no one coughing on when we need her the most. you. There is great peace, and even great wellness, to be found in a garden.

Begin your work with taking stock of your My entire yard is fondly called “the garden.” There is plenty of work and exercise to be found here year-round. It is where I find joy, and what I love teaching people about the most - how to grow a more beautiful life.

property. With a cup of coffee in hand, walk your property and dream a little.

What do you want to change? Would you like to grow more cut-flowers, and bring them indoors for family dinners? How about some more privacy - do you need

6 / BROWNSBURG MAGAZINE / MARCH 2021 / BrownsburgMagazine.com

Dig your horseradish in the full moon for the best flavor.

to plant a screen of trees? I usually begin by looking for the damage the winter harshness has created. With pruners along for the walk, I will discard any broken or unsightly limbs from woody plants. (Note: I always sharpen and clean all my tools prior to starting). This is a good place to begin.

Most importantly, begin to remove winter debris. Remove any remnants of last season’s garden. I always use a general granular, organic fertilizer and sprinkle around the base of the newly exposed green shoots. If the soil is thawed enough, I will edge the beds and get a crisp, sharp outline around each area. I try not to rake too much, as this will expose the weed seeds lying just under the soil. I want to leave those dormant as long as possible.

Weeding comes soon enough!

A spring snow in the garden often causes some panic. Many worry that daffodils will start to sprout too early. Folks often ask me, “Will they be OK?” The answer is most often yes.

Here’s the deal. Mother Nature has the whole timing thing down. She is all about timing. When you see those little crocus sprouts, or the tips of your tulips begin to emerge, don’t worry too much. They know what they are doing. If you want to cover them with a little newspaper or a sheet because a blanket of ice is coming, do it - especially cover if the flower buds are well emerged.

BrownsburgMagazine.com / MARCH 2021 / BROWNSBURG MAGAZINE / 7

I adore the perfect timing of it all. English gardeners have long believed in timing when it comes to the moon’s incredible power, particularly the gravitational pull. The Farmer’s Almanac reads, “Folklore is rich among farmers, given their close ties to earth and her natural rhythms.” The moon’s new and firstquarter phases, known as the Light of the Moon, are considered good for planting above-ground crops, putting down sod, grafting trees, and transplanting in the late spring. Also, you have to love this tip: “Dig your horseradish in the full moon for the best flavor.” This is good to know for that savory Bloody Mary. Now that’s wellness!

While I love the perfect timing of it all, it is OK to “force” a few things along the way. Now is a great time to plant small vessels with wheatgrass seed to use indoors for your Easter table centerpieces. Wheatgrass is like regular grass seed, but the blade

is thicker for a more pronounced tuft of green.

Also, get out and clip a few branches off your blooming trees, and place them in a vase of clean, warm water. Put them in some sunlight, and in about two weeks their buds will “break” and begin to swell. Soon you will have fresh crabapple, cherry, dogwood or redbud blooms indoors - all good varieties for forcing. This is a great task for children to do and can inspire their curiosity in the garden.

Wellness truly can come from the garden. Enjoy her beauty, the exercise and fresh air, and even the quiet time to think and ponder - all without a mask! Enjoy growing a more beautiful life my friends.

8 / BROWNSBURG MAGAZINE / MARCH 2021 / BrownsburgMagazine.com

SHINE ON

NO NPRO F I T ORG A N I ZATI ON OFFE R S SUP PO RT FOR LO CA L M OM S Writer / Jamie Hergott Photography Provided

Hendricks County mom Carla Sands has a college degree in aerospace engineering, a pilot’s license and a love for all things aviation. However, her high-flying career never could have prepared her for the trials, joys and pains of motherhood and

parenting her three adventurous boys.

She is now grounded in her mission to provide support and encouragement to local moms through her organization, which is called Shine, mama.

main programs - growth groups and prayer groups.

Groups of women gather to pray in the local community, and in doing so they share authentic pieces of themselves, “The vision is that we have a community being vulnerable about their struggles, of women, not just a friend group, not just histories, pains and sufferings. a small group, but this Hendricks County community of moms where we become Growth groups are an extension of better versions of ourselves together,” Purposeful Living groups, which Sands Sands says. became involved in a couple years ago.

Purposeful Living is an Indianapolis nonprofit that aims to help women find The organization is a Hendricks County support and purpose in their marriages, nonprofit whose goal, according to the careers, motherhood journeys and lives. official website, is to encourage moms to shine the light of Jesus Christ by “sparking Sands stumbled upon the group at a very low point in her life. growth, igniting purpose, and kindling community.” This is done through two MARCH 2021

Sands grew up in North Carolina, which reveals itself in her charming accent. Her nuclear family consists of loving parents and two sisters, so she has always had female support in her life. In college she met her husband, and followed him to Georgia where she began to work full time in the aviation industry. They began their family, and Sands found she enjoyed being productive outside of the home.

When her second son turned 1 year old, she found herself struggling to balance full-time work with parenting.

“I couldn’t love my kids as well as I really wanted to,” Sands says. “It was such a big struggle.”

She began to work from home, which helped alleviate some pressure and stress. However, in 2014 she suffered what she calls the most devastating loss of her entire life. Sands experienced a

miscarriage during her third pregnancy.

She discovered this at 12 weeks along.

“It was a tremendous loss,” Sands says.

“When you get pregnant, you think constantly about what will happen, what their name will be, what the baby will be like. The miscarriage broke me down. I struggled to feel whole again after that.”

A few months after her loss, Sands’ family moved to Indiana for her husband’s job.

In addition to her pain, she began to experience isolation in a way she never had before.

“We had two kids, I just suffered a miscarriage, we came to a state far away from family, I had no friends and I was working from home,” Sands says. “I was alone.”

Sands became pregnant again. She soon realized that what should have been an MARCH 2021

extremely joyous occasion was painted with fear and anxiety due to her recent miscarriage. She sank into a depression.

“I was angry and I was scared,” Sands says. “I was stuck at home with no friends, no support system, and was convincing myself I was miscarrying. It was so hard to just be a person at that time, much less a good mom or a good wife.”

Thankfully her pregnancy resulted in a healthy baby boy who completed their family beautifully, but Sands was still struggling to find purpose in her day-today work and parenting. In addition to not feeling happy, she felt guilty about not finding fulfillment as a mom. She assumed since she grew up wanting to be a mother, while also being a very nurturing person naturally, that she would feel full of purpose as a mother.

However, as many moms find out

“THAT RE ALLY SPARKED SHINE, MAMA. “GOD CRAFTED IT FROM THERE. IT CAME FROM MOMS GETTING AWAY FROM LIFE FOR A LITTLE WHILE TO REALLY BUILD A COMMUNITY OF LOCAL MOMS.” - CARLA SANDS themselves, parenting was much harder than she anticipated.

In 2018 Sands got connected with Purposeful Living, whose aim is to bring women out of isolation and into a Christlike community. Sands joined a group and found a community of women who were solely there to build her up and affirm her.

“I really started blossoming,” Sands says.

“I saw what a supportive, safe, healthy, authentic community could do.”

Around the same time, Sands took a work trip by herself to San Diego, California.

She traveled for work occasionally, but being able to escape to California’s sunny climate during a cold, gray Indiana January hit her differently.

“Every mom deserves a trip to some place sunny, to do something they want for a day and escape the madness for a day or two,” Sands says.

While she couldn’t provide exactly that for other mamas, she dreamed of a place or group where she could make a mission out of giving moms a break, and build an intimate community of support and encouragement for them.

“That really sparked Shine, mama,” Sands says. “God crafted it from there. It came from moms getting away from life for a little while to really build a community of local moms.”

Women have the option to choose between a growth group, which operates in semesters, or a prayer group, which is ongoing. Growth groups follow

PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T

ENJOYING RETIREMENT after surgery for back pain George Frampton recalls when his back pain started affecting his everyday life. He said he would often go walking with his co-workers during George Frampton and his wife, Chris lunch but struggled to keep up. And at his daughter’s wedding, he said he had trouble standing while his family “When patients have gotten to the posed for photos. point where nothing else is cutting it, “I was very debilitated,” said George. including injections, physical therapy and bracing, it may be the right time George underwent spinal reconto have a discussion with your doctor struction surgery at Ascension about surgery,” said John DePowell, St. Vincent Hospital and was exMD, a neurosurgeon specializing in the tremely pleased with the treatment of complex spinal disorders. personalized care he received.

If you are experiencing back or neck “I was very well cared for,” he said. pain that prevents you from doing the “The nurses and doctors interacted things you enjoy, now is the time to so well with both me and my wife, have a discussion with your doctor. and they included her in all Ascension St. Vincent is open for apconversations.” pointments, and their doctors, nurses George said he is now able to stand and care teams are fully prepared for upright and is enjoying retirement your safety in their care. Take the next with his wife, Chris. step to living with less pain.

If you are experiencing back pain, visit ascension.org/StVincentBrainandSpine and talk to your doctor at Ascension St. Vincent. © Ascension 2021. All rights reserved.

MARCH 2021

curriculums, the current topic being “My Identity.” The group then digs into who God says they are, referencing scriptures and stories that support how loved, chosen and accepted women are by God. “We talk about how we construe that as women, or even how the world construes it,” Sands says. “We try to combat the lies the world tells women with who God says we are.”

Growth group meetings take place in homes every other week. Women bring their children, who can safely play together close by. Prayer groups take place once per month. Eventually Sands would love to offer child care at in-person events so that more women have the option to come.

raising a cash flow of $5,000 per month

by August of this year. This money will be poured right back into the community of moms.

“All of our programs are free,” Sands says.

“I don’t want that to be a limiting factor.

We cannot heal and we cannot grow alone.”

For more information, visit shinemama. org, or email Sands at Carla.jo@ shinemama.org.

Sands also implements community outreach. She worked with Family Promise in 2020, organizing the delivery of flowers, cards and gift bags to moms for Mother’s Day. She also did outreach to Family Promise graduates when COVID hit, offering donations of gently used learning toys, board games, and arts and crafts supplies.

She has goals for the coming year, while also realizing flexibility is required due to COVID. She’s in talks with a Hendricks County gym about possibly organizing a play group, making sure Family Promise families are aware of the opportunity.

She is also working on a quarterly program called “In Her Words,” for which she invites people to speak on taboo topics such as miscarriage and infant loss.

Potential future topics are grief, domestic violence or special-needs parenting.

In 2020 Sands saw success, growth and hope in her organization. There was one growth group and one prayer group, and second groups will be launching in February. A total of 40 women were impacted through outreach in 2020.

Sands launched a 2021 giving campaign in January called “Be Bold. Shine Bright,” hoping to impact 100 or more moms by MARCH 2021

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EIGHT D E CADES IN LOVE 102-YEAR-OLD COUPLE FACES LIFE WITH GRACE, JOY AND POSITIVITY Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that life can throw us one difficult curveball after another. While the unknown can be frightening, disconcerting and overwhelming, there is always hope. Just ask Hendricks County locals Bob and Gerry Peterson, both 102, who have been married for 79 years. They made it through World War II, have survived two global pandemics, and through it all they have remained steadfast in their commitment to positivity.

Gerry was just 11 months old when her mother died of the Spanish flu in 1919 at age 23. Following the tragedy, Gerry, an only child, was raised by her dad and his half-sister.

“Mom never really spoke about her mother’s passing,” says Sandy Galyan, Bob and Gerry’s daughter. “I don’t think back then people dwelled on the bad. Instead, they wanted to move forward.”

And that she did. Not that she knew it at the time, but in 1923 Gerry met the love of her life, Bob, when she was just 5 years old.

Fast-forward to 1936 when the pair graduated from high school.

They tied the knot five years later in April of 1941. Not only did they go on to raise three children (Dave, Sandy, and Bob), but they also helped care for Gerry’s dad and Bob’s brother Raymond, a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair.

That kind of commitment is bound to add stress to any marriage, but Bob and Gerry took it all in stride. It may have something to do with the fact that they faced turmoil early on in their union as they married in the midst of World War II. In 1944 Bob went to enlist in the Army, but when he got to the front of the line, he was met by a relative on Gerry’s side of the family who asked Bob what he was doing.

“I’m joining the Army,” Bob replied.

The man shook his head and handed Bob his papers, then instructed him to get in the line for the Navy.

“Although he didn’t say it outright, he was indirectly telling dad that if he joined the Army, chances weren’t good that he would return from the war,” Sandy says.

Bob joined the Navy and served until 1946. He was sent to Pearl Harbor where he worked in communications as a typist under Admiral Chester Nimitz. While he was serving, Gerry gave birth to

MARCH 2021

their firstborn son, Dave, whom Bob didn’t meet until Dave was 2 years old. Through all of these hardships, however, Bob and Gerry embraced the goodness in life. As for Sandy and her brothers, they learned about commitment, patience, kindness and empathy simply by watching their parents interact.

“As we knocked on doors, I remember feeling so excited about bringing joy to someone else,” says Sandy, who for years has regularly volunteered to feed the homeless because she learned early on the satisfaction that comes from helping others. “I was also proud of my dad for being so caring.”

“In our house, affection was always shown - lots of hugs and kisses,” Sandy says.

Though the pandemic has been especially tough for the senior population, Sandy says that she and her brothers have continued to speak positively when interacting with their parents.

There was one particular way that Gerry showed her husband she cared. Every evening she would start making dinner, then stop what she was doing before Bob got home and retreat to the bedroom to fix her hair and makeup, and put on a fresh dress and apron. One day Sandy asked her mom why she went to such trouble.

“I love your dad, and he happens to work in an office with lots of pretty secretaries,” Gerry replied. “I just want to always look my best when he comes home.”

Though Gerry was never particularly athletic through her kids’ younger years, she was always game for going camping, ice skating, roller skating, and anything the family did because she wanted to join in the fun.

For Bob’s part, he often brought home cards for his wife, and whenever he bought her a nice outfit, he had it wrapped.

“Their love was evident just in the way they spoke to each other, with such kindness and respect,” Sandy says.

Bob went to work dressed in a suit and tie, and Gerry laundered and pressed those clothes so that he always looked his best.

“She would do those loving things for him because he was out providing for her,” Sandy says. “It was a continual circle of doing for each other.”

In April the pair will have been married for 80 years, so it’s not surprising that they are often asked about their secret for making love last. The couple insists that it’s very simple.

“We are blessed by God, we treat each other as equals, and we don’t entertain negative thoughts,” Bob says. “A good life is all about positive thinking. Negativity doesn’t get you any place except in trouble.”

“Mom and dad have not only loved each other, but have always been in love with each other,” Sandy adds.

They also spread that love to others. For instance, when Sandy and her brothers were growing up, her parents had a greenhouse on their property. Every Easter, Bob would take a flower, complete with foil and a bow, to widows at their local church. Sandy often helped in this annual endeavor and vividly recalls the feelings it stirred inside of her.

“We’re using what they taught us to navigate this time,” says Sandy, who every Friday takes her folks dinner from the Coachman, one of their favorite restaurants. “I call mom and dad on Thursday and ask them what they would like for their Friday date-night dinner.”

Sandy has a theory about her parents’ longevity.

“I think that God said to mom and dad, ‘A long time ago, I asked you to care for your parent and your brother during your early

Gerry, 1943

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married life, so now in your later years, I’m going to give you extra time together,’” Sandy says.

Being 102, the couple has plenty to reminisce about.

“Mom is more forgetful now, but what helps them stay connected is the fact that any given time, one of them can go back and say, ‘I was just thinking about so-and-so,’ and they can have a conversation about it,” Sandy says.

Not long ago Sandy asked her mom how far back she could remember knowing her dad, and there was a long pause that tugged at Sandy’s heart as she worried that perhaps the memories were starting to fade. Gerry sat and stared for a bit, and then all of a sudden looked up and said, “Well, maybe the first recollection I have at the moment would be in the fifth grade.”

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It’s also rather remarkable to still be able to draw stories from two living, breathing history books, as Sandy and her siblings gather details about their ancestors. For instance, Gerry’s Swedish grandparents put their 15-year-old daughter (Gerry’s mother) on a ship that went from Sweden to Belfast to America. She sat in steerage in the bottom of a ship where half the people couldn’t even talk to each other. When she arrived at Ellis Island, she registered as a servant.

“More than anything, I just have to say that it’s a privilege to have mom and dad as parents,” Sandy says. “They’ve taught us to be grateful and kind. They are honestly just so much fun.”

MARCH 2021

Peterson Family, 2020

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Bob at Pearl Harbor, 1943

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Embracing Abilities Staff & Friends

EMBRACING A BIL IT IES LOCAL AGENCY HELPS THOSE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

For years, Traci Gibson worked as a home intervention specialist for First Steps, an early intervention program that provides services to young children who have developmental delays or disabilities. With a master’s degree in special education and applied behavioral analysis, she was trained for such work and thrived in her field. When she and her husband Jon had children, two of whom had developmental disabilities, she was well aware of what they needed.

The problem was that so many others in the community were also in dire need, and after being put on various waiting lists for therapies, Gibson decided to do something about it.

“A lot of agencies are enormous and it’s hard to get your calls answered,” says Gibson, who opened Embracing Abilities in October of 2018. “I saw a need for a more familyfocused provider agency. “We put faces to the services. We have direct connections to those who provide the services for their loved ones.”

The organization started with a handful of people and a goal of working with 30 families. They added therapy services the following year and rented an office space in Plainfield, but outgrew it by April of 2019 so the following month they moved to a location in Avon between the Town Hall and Avon United Methodist Church.

The leaders took the old house on the hill down to the studs and rebuilt it to create an MARCH 2021

outpatient clinic with musical, recreational, behavioral, occupational and speech therapy.

“Our little 30-family goal was great, but we grew exponentially and surpassed that in two months,” Gibson says. “When we hit our two-year mark last October, we were serving more than 700 families.”

The staff members are currently gearing up to renovate the back part of the lot to build an inclusive and adaptive playground for the community this spring or summer.

“Typical playgrounds don’t fit every child,” says Gibson, noting that it will not be a playground strictly speaking, but rather an “experience ground” with outdoor musical instruments, as well as sensory and balance improvement activities.

Embracing Abilities serves a wide age range, from babies to elderly clients. Currently, their youngest is 2 and their oldest is in his 70s. Gibson shares how rewarding it is to provide caregiver support so individuals can focus their energies elsewhere from time to time and have a break. For example, perhaps a parent wants to attend another child’s basketball game but they have an autistic child who can’t handle bright lights and

loud noises. Maybe a mom and dad haven’t enjoyed a date night in months because they are constantly tending to their child’s behavioral and medical needs.

“Having someone come in and allow caregivers to take a break is so important,” Gibson says. “It’s a wonderful feeling in your heart to know you are impacting people in a positive way.”

Embracing Abilities offers a number of programs, including the Reach program, Summer Camp, Winter Camp and Parents’ Day Out. Last summer, due to COVID-19, they offered a hybrid virtual option for summer camp, but in normal times children meet up with their counselors to swim, go to a movie theater, attend a play, or visit a honey farm - different activities that are not always possible for families to participate in when they have other children because the excursion proves to be too overwhelming.

Throughout the pandemic, the staff has been pleased to offer therapy virtually.

“They still sing, dance, do art, talk about their feelings and do interactive things MARCH 2021

Gibson family

on the screen,” says Gibson, whose own daughter lives for the one-on-one interaction with her therapist at Embracing Abilities. “As a parent, it’s nice that our kids still have that connection because they have lost so many connections over the last year.”

Though the pandemic presented its challenges, Gibson is thankful for the way her staff and families were able and willing to adjust.

“It’s just learning a new world, but I feel positive about the ways we’ve been able to support people even with the curveballs that kept coming,” says Gibson, who felt a lot of pressure with 300-plus employees and 700plus families all counting on her to make the right choices.

She often hears from family members who express their gratitude for the way Embracing Abilities has positively affected their entire family’s life.

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“I’ve gotten messages that say, ‘I want to let you know that I’m in tears. I couldn’t do this without you guys,’” Gibson says. “That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

Gibson is quick to acknowledge that she couldn’t have gotten this far without the outpouring of community support.

For instance, when the staff members were building their clinic kitchen and had ordered IKEA cabinets that needed assembly, she posted a plea on social media, asking for volunteers.

“A number of people showed up who had no connection whatsoever to our organization,” she says. “They sat on the floor of the gym and helped us build.”

In November, they collected bottle caps in order to turn them in to a plastic plant and purchase buddy benches and picnic tables.

When they posted the request on their marquee, individuals began dropping off hundreds of bottle caps daily.

Gibson’s favorite part of the job is seeing and hearing how their services affect clients.

When the children come to the office or are dropped off for camp, their faces are beaming with enthusiasm - and they’re not the only emotional ones. Parents sometimes cry because they are so moved by the love and commitment on the part of the staff. One mother told Gibson, “I’ve tried multiple summer camps and have never seen staff that is so excited to work with my son.”

Founder, Traci Gibson

One family from Hamilton County makes the drive every day so their boy can attend summer camp at Embracing Abilities.

“That real-life feedback is what makes everything worthwhile,” Gibson says. “In the end, that’s why we are here - to better the lives of people with disabilities and also better the life of their families.”

The Embracing Abilities office is located at 6748 East U.S. Highway 36 in Avon. For more information, call 317-825-8326 or visit embracingabilities.com.

Founder, Jon Gibson & son

MARCH 2021

KEE P YO U R BRAI N I N SHA PE W I T H T H ES E T I PS ensure that you get at least 30 active minutes each day.

Writer / Kelsey Miller, Physician Assistant, IU Health Physicians Family Medicine in Brownsburg

As human beings, our bodies are constantly developing and changing. According to Harvard Health Publishing, there is no time in our lives when our brain and its functions remain steady. As you age, it is common to see changes in your ability to remember things.

It may take you longer to remember things such as names, faces, appointments or where you put something. Help preserve your memory and keep your brain in shape with these tips.

ST I M UL AT E YO UR B R A IN Continuously stimulating our brains can help build cognitive reserve, which is our brain’s ability to find other ways to perform different tasks. A strong cognitive reserve could help preserve your brain function for longer. Stay mentally active and stimulate your brain with mental exercises such as reading, learning a new hobby and completing word puzzles or riddles.

PH YS I C A L E XE R C ISE Physical exercise is not only great for our overall health, but also for our brain health. When we exercise, beneficial proteins are released in our brain. These proteins keep our brain cells healthy.

Incorporate daily exercises into your everyday routine to help

HEALTHY DIET It has been shown that people who eat more fruits, vegetables, fish and healthy fats are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia. Fuel your mind and body with healthy fat sources like nuts, unsaturated oils, and avocados, along with whole grains such as brown rice and oatmeal.

STAY SOCIAL Your mental health is important for your brain health. Strong social interactions and relationships have been associated with a lower risk of dementia. Healthy relationships with friends and family can lower stress and provide a strong support system. Connect with friends or family through tough and happy times to build a strong connection and foundation for emotional support.

LIMIT YOUR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION Excessive drinking can lead to long-term damage to your hippocampus, which is the part of your brain responsible for learning and memory. If you’re going to drink, try to stick to the recommended amount of one alcoholic drink per day for women and two per day for men.

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BR OW NS B U RG S CHOOLS HO PE S T HAT N EW 2 021 -22 STUDE N TS E NR OLL AS student enrollment for SOON AS POSSIBLE While the 2020-21 school year was Writer / Vicki Murphy

Brownsburg Community School Corporation (BCSC) has completed nearly three quarters of the school year with nearly 90% of students electing the full in-person option. Schools across the state closed last March, and many are still not open for in-person instruction. BCSC finished the 2019–20 school year online. With so much up in the air during the summer of 2020, it was difficult to predict student enrollment for the fall of 2020.

Many important decisions about staffing and class sizes for the upcoming school year are made in the early spring months. Each year, BCSC starts the hiring process to attract the best candidates to its “All A” schools. Brownsburg students are tops in the state in student achievement through the Indiana Department of Education’s ILEARN assessment.

Exceptional arts programs and championship athletics programs complement the top-notch academic experience at BCSC, contributing to its growth.

up slightly, many families may have decided to delay the start of kindergarten or remain in their previous school virtually after relocating to Brownsburg.

Currently, just over 10% of Brownsburg students are utilizing the district’s online option.

“As exceptional teaching candidates ramp up their job search for the 2021-22 school year, Brownsburg hopes to have a clearer picture of our future enrollment,” says Superintendent Jim Snapp. “Our future families can help with this by completing the online enrollment as soon as possible.”

Enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is now open online.

Brownsburg Schools encourages all families who plan to send their students to school in Brownsburg for the first time for the next school year to enroll at www.brownsburg.k12.in.us.

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BROWNSBURG EDUCATION FOUNDATION SUPPORTS CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Amy Payne

With a passion for education, Rene Behrend set out to become an elementary school teacher. After earning her degree from Miami University in Ohio, she taught for three years as a fourth-grade teacher at Eagle Elementary in Brownsburg. Once she and her husband Bill started their family, she stepped out of teaching.

The two have known each other since they were in the third grade. They “dated” briefly in the fifth grade, but split up when another 10-year-old caught Bill’s eye. The pair reunited years

later in college and went on to have two children, Julia (25) and Ben (23). They also have a lovable bulldog named Ruby.

In her free time, Behrend likes to put together jigsaw puzzles, bake, sew, and write letters by hand. She jokes that perhaps she should have been born decades ago, as she would have made a fine pioneer woman. In fact, when she taught fourth grade, the class even made butter.

“I never thought I’d return to work,” she says. “That was not part of our life plan once I had kids.”

In September of 2012, when both of her children were in high school, she had the chance to work with the Brownsburg Education Foundation (BEF).

“I had been super involved with all of my kids’ activities -

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volunteering to be trip coordinator for my son’s scout troop and making a spreadsheet of finances, and organizing the fall festival at White Lick and transitioning it into the Step-a-thon to raise money and finding sponsors for that,” she says. “When this job became available and I read through the job description, I thought, ‘Wow! They’ll pay me for everything I’ve been volunteering to do for the past 15 years.’ It’s just a good life lesson to always do your best no matter what task you are given.”

The BEF supports all students in the school corporation to enhance their education, with creative and innovative classroom materials, programs and projects. The foundation raises money through fundraisers, corporate partnerships and individual donors.

“That money goes back into the classroom in the form of corporation-wide initiatives that impact every student at every grade level and in every department,” Behrend says.

These include individual grants awarded to teachers, as well as scholarships awarded to graduating seniors. The foundation also funds permanent projects like the “Real Men Read” program for kindergartners, the “Log Cabin Homestead Project” for third-graders, and the “Purdue Science Express” high school program.

“Most of these permanent projects started out as grants that we funded year after year, but the Board of Directors decided that instead of the teachers applying for annual grants, we would incorporate them into our annual funding as part of our budget because we saw the value in them,” says Behrend, who cites the “Purdue Science Express” program as one of her favorites.

Through “Purdue Science Express,” the BEF funds the training for any high school science teacher who wants to be trained through Purdue to participate in the program. Once a teacher is trained, they then have access to an online catalog of more than $4,000,000 worth of research-grade lab equipment.

The teacher can reserve a piece of equipment to use in their classroom and Purdue representatives will drive it to BHS on a Monday morning, set it up in their classroom, leave it there for the week, and return on Friday to retrieve it.

“That program has enabled a lot of sophisticated lab equipment to be used by the high school students that they would otherwise not have access to until they got to college,” Behrend says. “That program gives them a sneak preview of it so they get experience with it before heading off to college.”

28 / BROWNSBURG MAGAZINE / MARCH 2021 / BrownsburgMagazine.com

When Behrend first joined the BEF, she worked as the assistant to the Board of Directors. As the foundation continued to grow and flourish, her role transitioned. Now, as executive director, she wears many hats.

“My job is varied,” she says. “Every day is different. Sometimes I’m updating the website. Sometimes I’m creating marketing materials, stuffing envelopes, or talking to donors and sponsors.

I also talk to teachers about things that need to be funded.”

Behrend is thrilled to be involved in education, because she loves it when a student has an experience that inspires or motivates them to investigate a topic in greater detail.

“As a teacher, I tried to do that in my classroom so that they were always curious about the world around them,” she says.

“The BEF tries to provide unique experiences for the students that also have that same impact on them, to make students lifelong learners.”

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Though the past year has been tricky in terms of finding safe and effective ways to fundraise in the absence of large, inperson events, the BEF leaders found creative ways to do so. For instance, the annual “Designer Purse Bingo” event, rescheduled from August to November, was also moved to a much larger venue that can accommodate 1,000 people, even though only 180 would be in attendance. This allowed for ample social distancing.

“It ended up being a wonderfully successful event, but we are certainly looking forward to getting back to doing things in a more normal fashion,” says Behrend, noting that BEF leaders still plan on holding their annual golf outing in June as well as the “Designer Purse Bingo” event again in August.

Under normal circumstances, Behrend visits classrooms almost every week to talk to kids and get their input. She then shares

their quotes and pictures with corporate partners and individual donors, so that they can see and hear about how their gifts are directly impacting students’ lives. During the current school year she has not been able to go into classrooms.

“I look forward to going back to the routine of our lives, though the pandemic probably showed us all that we’re more resilient and flexible than we have given ourselves credit for,” Behrend says. “You can do nothing or you can figure out how to pivot. I think we all learned how to make the best of a difficult situation.”

The Brownsburg Education Foundation is located at 310 South Stadium Drive in Brownsburg. For more information, call 317852-1056 or visit brownsburgeducationfoundation.org.

30 / BROWNSBURG MAGAZINE / MARCH 2021 / BrownsburgMagazine.com

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