By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools

I have the honor and the good fortune to interact with students from all aspects of our curricular offerings. 
Most recently, I attended a performance called “The Big Fish” at Perry Meridian High School, where the talent and acting were amazing. 

I watched a baseball game between Perry Meridian and Southport high schools go down to the final inning. These young men played their hearts out. 

I was also invited on stage at the phenomenal induction ceremony for Southport’s National Honor Society. The speeches were delivered with conviction and passion.  

Periodically, I am invited to serve as a guest speaker on our radio station at Perry Meridian. I believe that one of the best-kept secrets in Perry Township Schools is the station – Falcon Web Radio – which has evolved over the past several years. 

Perry Meridian is a perfect example of how students can take the practical experience of working in radio and push it to a computer platform where there are so many options for radio to exist. This format gives students that one-on-one experience of talking into a microphone to speak to an audience that could be 12 or 12,000. The program is available to anyone who has a computer.  

Students generate the content under the guidance of their advisers and are enrolled in mass media/radio production or part of the extracurricular club. Mr. Swengel serves as the instructor and also oversees the club for students who cannot fit the course into their schedule or just find it enjoyable to be part of the station.

Madison VanWinkle commented, “This course has strengthened my academic experience by giving me the opportunity to perform a job that I hope to do one day professionally. I have taken on many responsibilities and have worked closely with my peers and Mr. Swengel to treat and run Falcon Web Radio just as any professional radio station would operate.”

Madison said she’s learned a great deal about the radio and entertainment industry, along with improving her writing, communication and task-management abilities.

Claire Finke serves as the program director and disc jockey. She has interviewed me on several occasions about the referendum process to dress codes in school. Claire reports that Falcon Web Radio has allowed her to explore her passion for leadership and music with the opportunities and friends who she would never have had in any other clubs at school. 

The station is a dream come true for Mr. Swengle, who is truly dedicated to the station. He is an outstanding example of the quality of staff that we have in Perry Township.

By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools

We’re fortunate to have two great high schools in Perry Township; Perry Meridian and Southport provide excellent educational experiences for students. At every school board meeting we are extended the good fortune to celebrate an accomplishment of our students or teachers.
  
Our students and teachers at both schools excel in so many ways, and our athletic programs are no different. For decades Perry Meridian has been known for its outstanding wrestling program. In recent years Southport has fielded outstanding football teams. 

This year the Southport boys basketball team accomplished one of those once-in-20-year benchmarks. The team made it to the Final 4 in the state tournament. Reaching this level of play takes a great deal of dedication and hard work.

During our April board meeting we recognized the team and its coaches. There is some background about the team that you may find interesting. This team over the past three seasons has a record of 60-18 with back-to-back 20-win seasons. In addition, they are three-year Conference Indiana champions, Hall of Fame champions and sectional and regional champions. 

Individual accomplishments are almost too numerous to mention, but there are few that I wish to highlight. Joey Brunk and Paul Scruggs were named All-State, and Joey was named Academic All-State. That’s one we’re especially proud of Paul is an Indiana Junior All-Star core team member, and Joey – one of three finalists for Indiana’s Mr. Basketball – was named an Indiana All-Star last week. 

The exciting news is that all of our seniors have been accepted to college. Joey will attend my alma matter, Butler University. Luke Johnston and Evan Higgs will attend Marian, where they will play, not basketball, but football.

Elijah Walton is hoping to be involved in sports as he works on his degree, and David Reyes is planning to attend college and be involved in athletics. 

Congratulations to this great team, coach Kyle Simpson and his staff, athletic director Pete Hubert and all of those involved. 

We wish all of our student-athletes and coaches a great spring season. We hope you’ll support our players and schools by attending a game, meet or match.

While we always keep our focus on academic achievements, we all understand that athletics plays a key role in building school spirit and a sense of pride within the student body. Our goal is to develop students who value the community in which they reside while stressing the importance of being active members of the area.

By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools

Choosing a career path is probably one of the most challenging decisions that junior and senior high school students must make in their lifetimes.   

When students begin to narrow their areas of interest, this begins to influence the college and training institutions that they consider attending after graduation. Many times students select a career path through their experiences in extracurricular and cocurricular programs. 

These organizations – such as our Robotics Clubs – provide experiences that can greatly influence college and career choices.  Students also discover through summer and after-school work experiences their likes and dislikes when it comes to a daily work lifestyle.  

We are fortunate to have a large number of employers on the Southside who provide internships for our students.  

In addition, our Central Nine Career Center offers classes in such areas as engineering, horticulture and computer-aided design.  

I am extremely proud of our high schools and their determination to conduct experiences for students that give them opportunities to participate in activities that they may have never considered. The counseling departments strive to provide support for our students as they apply to colleges and make some key decisions about their year after high school.

One example of this emphasis was seen at the Southport High School career fair, which is growing by leaps and bounds. Nearly 300 students talked with people representing a wide range of careers.

Briana Underwood, one of our high school counselors, told us that last year we had 36 presenters, who represented 31 companies, and 136 students in attendance. This year the number of presenters numbered 73, and they represented 53 companies. The number of students increased to 286. 

Mrs. Underwood enthusiastically tells us that developing partnerships with many companies not only exposes our students to the types of careers that exist but opens the doors of the high school to showcase the talents and the quality of our students.  

One of the most significant aspects of the event was that the vast majority of employers who participated graduated from Southport. This was similar to a second homecoming for our presenters. Students could talk to people who had walked the halls of their school. 

The Southside is a great place to live, to go to school and to work.

By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools

My childhood memories of eating in the school cafeteria are not that exciting. The food choices were usually yellow in color, ranging from macaroni and cheese to corn, rolls and mashed potatoes with a huge glob of butter melting in the middle of the pan. I don’t know why but almost everything was always yellow.
 
The topic of school cafeterias is timely because March was designated as National Nutrition Month. We want you to know that our meals are planned using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrition Standards for School Meals. That simply means there’s a lot of science behind what we’re required to serve. You may find some of the following facts surprising.  

The standards require that we serve specific amounts of fruits, vegetables, grains, meat or meat alternatives and milk over a one- week menu. The quantities include minimums per day, and amounts vary by grade groups. Students in Grades K-5 and 6-9 must be offered a minimum of one-half cup of fruit for lunch daily. Grades 9-12 must be offered a minimum of one cup. 

The quantity of vegetables is more, with Grades K-5 and 6-8 being offered at least three-quarters of a cup daily and Grades 9-12 at least a cup. Of that amount, the offerings must include dark green, red/orange and starchy vegetables and beans or peas. Additional vegetables from subgroups may be offered to reach the total. No more than half of the fruit and vegetable servings can be in the form of 100 percent juice. 

All grains must be whole grain rich unless receiving a waiver from the state for specific items such as pasta.
In addition, the menus must also meet daily minimum and maximum amounts of calories, saturated fat and sodium based on an average for a five-day week. Manufacturer specifications for trans fat must indicate zero grams of trans fat per serving.

The daily calorie ranges for lunch are: Grades K-5, 550-650; Grades, 6-8, 600-700; and Grades 9-12, 750-830.

The increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables and changing to whole grain rich products has been an adjustment for the students. Everything from rice and bread to muffins, pop tarts and cookies must be whole grain rich. This is true with the menu items and any snacks that students may purchase.   

We work hard to offer food that will meet the requirements while being enjoyed by our students. However, we do see some waste, and we’re taking action to help stop that. Often, we see unopened packages of muffins, Grahams, milk, juice and other items not being eaten. Once the items have been served, we cannot use them again.

We plan to pilot a program to have tables in the cafeterias where students can put their unopened items, which will be inventoried, labeled and properly stored along with any unused food. We will partner with a nonprofit organization in the coming school year that will come in and “rescue” food that might have otherwise been wasted. The agency will collect leftovers distribute them to agencies that feed needy families.  
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We accomplish all of this through the hard work of our food service staff. Our hope is that our efforts help a child adopt healthy eating habits for a healthy future.