PENDLETON — A new school year has brought a lot of new things to South Madison Community School Corp.
New teachers, new principals, new projects and new ideas were all on display when the corporation’s schools opened their doors Tuesday to begin the 2019-20 school year.
“It has been a really smooth summer,” Superintendent Joe Buck said. “We had several positions to fill, non-certified staff, teachers, administrators. Most of those were due to retirement.”
“Here at South Madison, we are fortunate to have a large applicant pool for our openings.”
Pendleton Heights Middle School
Jennifer Chestnut is jumping right in with a lot of new things in her first year as principal at Pendleton Heights Middle School.
She had been an assistant at the school and is taking over for the retired Dan Joyce.
The slogan for 2019-20 is PHMS CARES with the letters standing for Connecting, Accepting, Respecting and Engaging Students. Chestnut said there will be a continued focus on students inside and outside the classroom.
One of the projects this year will include the PHMS volleyball team — under the supervision of coach and teacher Rick Johnson — partnering with the Town of Pendleton and local business owner Travis Forrest to help maintain the roundabout grounds at the east entrance to the town, next to the school.
“It is great to see our students learning skills and giving back to a community that supports them in so many ways,” Chestnut said.
Chestnut said new assistant principal Tony Candiano and administrative intern Alicia Breedlove are heading a new way of fundraising, which will help provide means for outside the classroom trips and activities.
They have planned some restaurant nights where percentage of meal costs during a certain time period will go to the school. The first scheduled night is Aug. 19 at BJ’s Brewhouse in Noblesville from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Details and specifics have not been determined, but Chestnut said in November, a color run/chili cook-off/silent auction is planned.
The school also is participating in collecting gently-used or new athletic shoes through Funds2org.com. Donations can be dropped off at the middle school or at Serendipity Salons.
Facilities projects at the middle school this summer include the resurfacing of the auxiliary gym floor and reorganization and redecoration of cafeteria serving lines. The school also added an ice cream machine.
Pendleton Heights High School
The school is beginning to put the finishing touches on the activity center and surrounding area.
On Monday, new locker rooms and the extension of the wrestling room were open and ready to go. Buck did say that the actual activity center and new weight room will not be open for the start of school.
The Arabian horse sculpture that was located outside the area of the new center has been removed.
The school board discussed restoring or replacing the horse at a school board meeting earlier this year, but as of the most recent school board meeting, Aug. 1, Buck said a decision has not been made.
There are some more new things going on with the athletic side of things at the high school.
A new policy, initiated by athletic director Chad Smith, will allow all high school students free admission to all high school home sporting events.
Also, the school’s track has been resurfaced.
Inside the building, principal Connie Rickert added that four classrooms will have new carpet and some hallways and handrails in stairwells have a new coat of paint.
Maple Ridge Elementary School
Valerie Steger is the new principal, taking over for the retired John Lord. She was previously an assistant principal at the school.
Steger said youngsters that are neighbors to the school from the Maple Trails community will soon have a new way arriving to class.
“We are excited to have students that are walking and riding bikes to school from our neighborhood next door, Maple Trails,” she said. “This is the first time in 17 years we will have students walking/biking to school.”
The trail was not finished in time for students to exercise those options on the first day of school, however.
Steger said a new procedure will be implemented for lunch visitors, too, which will be communicated to parents at the end of the month. Lunch visitors will be allowed after Labor Day.
Pendleton Elementary School
Thanks to the help of fundraising the past two years, Pendleton Elementary-Primary Principal Eric Schill said improvements are in the works for the playground area.
Schill said, through fundraisers, the school was able to purchase and develop an all-inclusive playground area.
Due to weather the start of the project has been delayed, but work is expected to begin shortly after the start of the school year.
East Elementary School
Principal Andrew Kruer said the school’s Parent’s Club has plans on hosting several events throughout the school year.
Kruer said East will also have different family and community engagement events during the year.
Dates for all the events are still to be determined.
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Below is a list of new employees, or ones that have changed positions, for South Madison Community School Corporation. The 2019-20 school year began Tuesday.
East Elementary School
Margo Cromer, fifth/sixth-grade teacher
Kayleigh Hamilton, instructional assistant
Rachael Hornback, first-grade teacher
Rachel Owens, instructional assistant
Sarah Watson, computers
Cassie Wilson, instructional assistant
Kayleigh Wynn, instructional assistant
Maple Ridge Elementary School
Braden Albert, technical support
Luke Bremer, assistant principal
Chasity Denger, sixth-grade teacher
Leah Dummel, RTI assistant
Whitney Myers, special education assistant
Suzanne Slyford, special education assistant
*Valerie Steger, principal
Pendleton Elementary-Intermediate
No new staff
Pendleton Elementary-Primary
John Junco, assistant principal
Pendleton Heights High School
Ryan Jones, science
Rachel Lauermann, Spanish
#Robert Stevens, French
Pendleton Heights Middle School
Tony Candiano, assistant principal
*Jennifer Chestnut, principal
Douglas Dunn, instructional assistant
#Robert Stevens, French I, World Languages
*Was an assistant principal at the school in 2018-19
#Working at both PHHS and PHMS
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