The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 50

cno The Indianapolis Star (Ql www.lndyStar.com Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Section NB InfbUne: 624-INFO (4636) Serving Hamilton County and the surrounding areas of Boone, Madison and Marion counties Starlit Church will close its preschool in May Upset parents caught by surprise; pastor says inadequate facilities led to decision to halt program. FISHERS "I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm going to go home and start calling around now. senior preschool three days a week. About 270 children are served by the preschool program.

Church officials describe the unlicensed program, which has been offered for nearly 20 years, as a service to the community. Linda Stanley, the school's full-time director, and about 30 part-time teachers will lose their jobs. Stahley couldn't be reached for comment The closing of the preschool will not affect the church's regular school. Parishioners learned the news Sunday when Kroeger announced it during all five Masses; however, Kroeger said most parents with children at the preschool don't attend the, church They found out Monday. "I have no idea what I'm going to do," said Stacey Hoelscher, who has a daughter at the preschool "I'm going to go home and start calling around now.

I wanted her to go through the preschool and then continue into the church's school." See Preschool, Page NB2 By Josh Duke josh.dukendystar.com Surprise, sadness and a little anger would best describe the emotions at St Louis de Montfort Catholic Church in Fishers Monday after parents with children in its preschool program learned it will end in May. The Rev. Timothy Kroeger said that while the preschool is losing money, inadequate facilities are the primary reason for the closing. "It is located in the basement of a church," he said. "That's just not an appropriate place, and we have no other space." The church offers a "Mom's Day Out" program one day a week, a junior preschool two days a week and a INSIDE TODAY Police enter home to arrest suspect Fishers police forced their way into a home over to weekend to arrest a 36-year-old man wanted on a burglary charge.

Page 2 Middle-schoolers help elementary program Oak Trace Elementary School has partnered with art students at Westfield Middle School to stage a holiday musical based on the children's book "The Polar Express." Page 3 News from schools around the area For school news from districts throughout the Star-North circulation area, check out our daily education roundup on Page 3 Stacey Hoelscher, parent UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL Mmm. rata ath students have quilt project covered mmwM Superintendent plans to retire in June Pike Township Schools Su BOONE COUNTY perintendent Edward Bowes has told the School Board he will retire next June at the end of his HL Idea remains viable for future, but 4-3 vote to deny funding kills project for this year. By James A. Gillaspy james.gillaspyindystar.com To a man, all seven members of the Boone County Council embraced the idea of a combined 4-H arena and county convention center Monday. But the refusal by four of them to approve $3 million in funding doomed any chance that construction of the 4-H Fairgrounds facility will begin this year.

Those voting against the funding were Paul Green, Jeff Heck, Ken Campbell and Butch Smith "I'm very disappointed," said County Commissioner- Byron Loveless, who with Commissioner Jo Baldauf attended the meeting and urged members to appropriate the money for a faculty council members and commissioners alike had viewed as an economic development opportunity. The vote derailed plans by commissioners to award the construction contract Monday. Instead, in their meeting following the council session, they voted to reject all bids for the work. "There isn't anything else we can do at this particular time," said Loveless. Commissioner Wendy Brant who had been an avid supporter of the project, recommended that county officials wait for a year.

"I'm very concerned about financing and the economic climate we're in," she said. With the exception of Roy Wood, who offered wholehearted enthusiasm for the arena, each council member spoke of the uncertain outlook for county revenues based on the property tax reassessment still under way. Council President Charles Eaton, who with Terry Brandenburg joined Wood in support of the project, also suggested that a more thorough business plan is needed to show that arena rentals and proceeds from the innkeepers tax will generate enough money to repay any investment of county money. "I love the project and hate the timing," said Eaton. Brandenburg said he was "somewhat apprehensive," but that proper funding mechanisms were in place and waiting a year would not make a differ- Problem-solving, precision, variety are some benefits from unusual exercise.

By Lisa Renze-Rhodes lisa.renze.rhodesindystar.com Taking care to cut on the dotted line was a skill Adam Sobat first mastered in grade school Now, the University High School sophomore and his classmates are seeing again the importance of measuring twice and cutting once as they create diamond-shaped pieces for what will be a hand-sewn quilt. "It's better than sitting and looking at a textbook," Adam, 16, said, as he placed a cutting wheel onto the blue denim fabric That response, while not quite the enthusiastic endorsement math teacher Lisa Bunch would have dreamt for, illustrates the reason for the quilting project "I was trying to think of something more interesting I could do for our 90-minute block period," Bunch said. An internet search for project ideas led Bunch home to quilting, a hobby she enjoys in her free time. "I'm noticing a huge difference in their enthusiasm and energy level" she said. The project began with a study of diamond patterns and involving students in designing their piece of the quilt Working first with construction paper, the students in two-person teams sat down to rough out their designs.

"The most fun was picking out the fabric we were going to use for our design," said Caitie Conner, 16. five-year contract. Page 4 Scrimmages give coaches better idea Scrimmages give area high school boys basketball coaches a chance to experiment with different combinations of players and get a feel for their teams' chemistry. Page 5 Morning workout keys Carmel girls team Carmel's girls swimming coach put his team through a tough two-hour workout just hours before the season opener. The strategy paid off as the team swam away with a win.

Page 5 Today's best bet If your musical tastes run towards the eclectic and they'd need to be really eclectic you could consider catching two shows Hcli WHO- staff photos Pressing need: Ross Earley (left) and Alex Alexander iron their squares of fabric that will be incorporated with other students' pieces to make a quilt for University High School. See Arena, Page NB2 Football team buoyed by memorable season "This has given some of these kids who aren't 'academics' a place to grow and be successful," she said. Marcia Esping works as a parent volunteer, sewing pieces and 1 1 1 in Broad Ripple. First up: the Misfits, an aggressive neo-punkmetal band whose fans PARK TUDOR ai, "I think it's really good to get children out of the classroom and doing something different." Once configured, the hard work of measuring, cutting, sewing and recut-ting began. Bunch said more than one student has come to her seeking a seam-ripper in an effort to correct a mistake.

That, she said, is part of the bigger-picture learning the project provides. ironing squares. She said her daughter, whom Esping described as a hands-on learner, has enjoyed the project "This is a change of pace," Esping said, as she delicately maneuvered the sewing needle over carefully pinned squares. "I think it's really good By Steve Brooks Correspondent Park Tudor is in the midst of celebrating the school's 100th birthday. But the birthday won't be the only reason to remember the 2002-03 school year.

The football season provided its own set of memories. On JJov. 8, the Panthers topped South Decatur 14-12 to win the school's first-ever football sectional championship. That win will be with the school much longer than Saturday's 32-0 loss to fourth-ranked Perry Central in the regional. "We thought we had a chance, but Perry Central is a very good team," says Park Tudor coach Tom Page.

"We found out what it takes to get to the next level and we're going to start working right away to get back. "But when the team left the Marcia Esping, parent volunteer field, I told them that I wanted to think about the journey we'd taken to get to that point and the success that we'd had. We did some things that had never been done before." Page should know. He's been Park Tudor's head football, coach for 16 years, and though the school has had some strong teams, none had made it past the sectional final. "We've had some pretty good teams here.

We had a very good team that played for the sectional championship in 1985, but that team lost to Eastern Hancock, which went on to win state," Page says. "That team was mostly seniors and had some stars. are known as the "fiends," performs at 8 p.m. at the. Vogue nightclub, 6259 N.

College Ave. Tickets: $15 Information: 1-317-239-5151. Then, let your eardrums recover with DaVuici's Notebook, a good-humored a cappella doo-wop group out of Washington, D.C. They'll sing at 9 p.m. at the Patio nightclub, 6308 Guilford Ave.

Tickets: $10. Information: 1-317-239-5151. Coming Wednesday A clash between a developer and people who fear flooding along the White River in Hamilton County as a result of filling in floodplain areas has taken some interesting turns. Just right: Jaime Ashmore makes certain her fabric is exact before cutting a straight line. "It's imperative that you have it perfect," she said.

will be a gift to the school from the math classes. Call Lisa Renze-Rhodes at 1-317-444-2604. "This problem- solving, that's a huge thing in life," Bunch said. "When you have a problem, you don't freak out about it, you analyze it, you fix it." The program has been equally appealing to both boys and girls, and Bunch said it helps students who may not normally excel in mathematics. to get children out of the classroom and doing something different." Different from the normal classroom routine, but not different from the exacting nature of math, students said.

"It's imperative that you have it perfect," Jaime Ashmore said. The quilt is expected to be completed by next spring and See Football, Page NB2 No one hurt when mayor's SUV runs into bus CARMEL STARNORTH CONTACTS "In about 95 percent of these kinds of accidents, there isn't a citation," Miller said. "It looks like he just drove his car into the side of a bus. It's a pretty cut-and-dried accident." Brainard said he was taking his four children to school at the time of the wreck but refused to comment on what school he was driving them to. He wouldn't elaborate on the accident, saying only, "It's very fortunate that there were no children on that bus." Call Bill Ruthhart at 1-317-444-2606.

Farrand, who was at the scene, estimated the damage to the school bus to be at least $2,000 to $3,000. Carmel police officer Chad Knight estimated the total damage to both vehicles to be $5,000 to $10,000. Brainard was driving a blue 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, which Carmel police Sgt. Greg Miller confirmed is a city-owned vehicle. According to the police report, the vehicle was towed by All American Towing.

Brainard was not cited. By Bill Ruthhart bill.ruthhartindystar.com Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard crashed his city-owned sport-utility vehicle into a Carmel Clay school bus Monday morning. At about 7:26 a.m., Brainard was westbound on 99th Street, attempting to turn left onto Westfield Boulevard, when he T-boned the driver's side of the southbound bus, which was carrying no passengers. "It was just a minor thing," Brainard said. "It was a minor property damage, and no one was hurt" However, Carmel Clay school officials are calling it the most severe accident involving a bus this year.

"This damage is the most serious we've had this year," said Ron Far-rand, the school district's director of facilities and transportation. "We've had a couple of fender-benders in parking lots, but this driver just drove right into the side of the bus." StarNorth sections are published Tuesdays through Saturdays. The StarNorth Bureau is at 13095 Publishers Drive, Fishers, IN 46038. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.

News: If you have a story idea or a question, call 1-317-444-2600. Send us a fax at 1-317-570-4490. "It was Just a minor thing. No one was hurt," said Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard of the crash..