East Washington Middle School will continue the fall sports programs as planned, despite cases of Covid-19 that shut both the middle and high schools down for two weeks. 

Below is the updated information:

PRACTICES – practices can be found on the following link: https://ewms.ewsc.k12.in.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=18144671&pageId=25273909

Practice dates and times August 24th – August 28th

7th & 8th Grade Girls Volleyball:        August 24-28    5:00-6:30 pm (MS Gym)

7th grade Coach: Kylie Anderson – 502-645-6766

8th grade Coach: Laura Purlee – 812-620-7204

5th-8th Boys Tennis:        August 24-28    5:00-7:00pm    (Tennis Courts)

Coach:  Matt Pickerill – mpickerill1@ewsc.k12.in.us

5th-8th Boys and Girls Cross Country:        August 24-28    5:00-6:30                          (Entrance Gate @ Football Field)

Coach:  Cameron Smith – 812-968-0830

7th & 8th Grade Football:        August 24-27    2:30-4:30pm.  (Football Practice Field)

8th grade Coach:  Jeff Pennington

7th grade Coach:  Chad Fleetwood

5th & 6th Grade Girls Basketball:  Start date – Wednesday, Sept. 2  2:30-4:30pm  (Aux. Gym)

All athletes should follow the instructions listed below:

1.        Report to the designated practice area  

2.        Athletes should come dressed in practice gear

3.        Water bottle

4.         Face mask

5.        Be on time for drop off and pick up times

Any student who was contacted by the school administration to self-quarantine is not allowed to participate in practices until their quarantine is over.  

If a student plans on playing, please contact the coach and let them know that they will be at practice when the self-quarantine is over.

Rural Indiana is not immune to the disruptions of COVID-19, and it is impacting our families, farms, and local businesses. Our communities are key to the state’s economic success, and through the Rural Road to Recovery initiative, universities and state agencies are joining forces to offer solutions and aid rural areas in our comeback.

From rental assistance to dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 on Indiana’s agriculture and food systems, and implementing the Broadband Ready Community Program, this initiative works to help keep people in their homes, food on our tables and internet access in remote areas.

For Hoosiers impacted financially by COVID-19, the state made $30 million available for mortgage payment assistance, $40 million to the Low Income Housing Emergency Assistance program, and created a $25 million program to provide rental assistance to most Indiana counties, including our area. To learn more about housing assistance, visit IndianaHousingNow.org.

This initiative also helps with our food supply chain, which was impacted by the pandemic. More than 94,000 people work in Indiana agriculture, contributing a combined $31 billion to the state’s economy. These are vital jobs and dollars Indiana can’t afford to lose. It’s key for farmers, agribusinesses owners, and the Indiana Farm Bureau to collaborate with the state and universities during Indiana’s recovery. Already, agribusinesses and producers are receiving assistance while applying for small-businesses loans and other financial resources. Indiana Grown is connecting farmers with different food banks and pantries to sell and distribute their Hoosier-made products, and assisting restaurants with social distancing guidelines to adjust their businesses reopening to dining customers.

With more Hoosiers and students working and learning from home, staying connected through the internet is becoming more important than ever. The Broadband Ready Community Program supports broadband development in our state. Through the Rural Road to Recovery, Indiana will improve broadband accessibility. Expanding affordable broadband coverage is key to education and training, e-commerce, agriculture, and health care, with each aspect being able to take place safely from home.

This is just the start of rural Indiana’s recovery, and innovative solutions will continue to be found as state leaders hold summer study committee hearings and gather for the next legislative session.

So much media coverage focuses on how the country’s largest cities will bounce back from economic damages, but rural Indiana and agriculture cannot be forgotten. With much of our state consisting of small towns, rural Indiana must be a priority if we are going to gain economic momentum and remain an agricultural leader. To learn more about the Rural Road to Recovery initiative, visit in.gov/isda.

Schools in Senate District 47 will receive nearly $900,000 in grants through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund, said State Sen. Erin Houchin (R-Salem).

The $61 million GEER grant program is funded through the federal CARES Act and focuses on ensuring device availability for at-risk student populations, providing educator training and improving the quality of remote and virtual education.

In Senate District 47, the following schools and school corporations received grants:

• Cannelton City Schools in Perry County received $30,000;
• Crawford County Community School Corporation in Crawford County received $11,943.75;
• East Washington School Corporation and Salem Community Schools in Washington County received a total of $162,588.54;
• Lanesville Community School Corporation, North Harrison Community School Corporation, South Harrison Community School Corporation, St. Joseph Catholic School, and St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran School in Harrison County received a total of $404,700.
• Paoli Community School Corporation, Springs Valley Community School Corporation, and Shady Oak Amish School in Orange County received a total of $196,850;
• Southeast Dubois County School Corporation in Dubois County received $55,000; and
• West Washington School Corporation in Washington County received $30,000.

“I’m very pleased to see so many local schools applied for and received these grants,” Houchin said. “Transitioning to remote learning is especially challenging in rural areas of the state like ours, and I look forward to seeing the teachers and students at these schools benefit from increased connectivity made possible by this funding.” 

Traditional public school corporations, public charter schools, accredited non-public schools, higher education institutions and other education-related entities were eligible to apply.

Eligible education entities were able to apply together or separately. A team from the Indiana Department of Education, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and the Indiana State Board of Education evaluated the applications.

For more information about the GEER program, click here. For a detailed breakdown of all grant recipients, click here.

Today, at approximately 1:27 p.m., Kosciusko County Dispatch received a call of CPR in progress on an unresponsive juvenile male that was pulled from a pond near the 11000 Block of N 1000 W, near Nappanee, Indiana.

The juvenile was transported to Memorial Hospital in critical condition. 

This incident is still under investigation by Indiana Conservation Officers and updates will be released as they become available.

Assisting agencies included: Indiana State Police, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and Nappanee Fire & EMS.

Salem Community Schools will be closed for two weeks due to the positive tests of several students and staff at Bradie M. Shrum Elementary, Salem Middle, and High School.

The schools will move to remote learning for two weeks through Sept. 4, which is the start of Labor Day weekend.

According to Superintendent Jon Acton, multiple students and staff have tested positive for Covid-19 in all three school buildings.  

The school released information yesterday that several on the school’s volleyball team were quarantined as well as one of its coaches. 

Those individuals who were in close contact with those who tested have been notified and school officials said that all impacted areas have been deep cleaned. 

Salem halted all volleyball activity until Sept. 3.

The county volleyball tournament was to have taken place this Saturday at West Washington High School. 

That has been rescheduled for October 3. 

Acton did not reveal the number of teachers and students who had tested positive or a number of those who had close contact and have been asked to quarantine. 

“Based upon our current quarantine numbers and the recommendation of the Washington County Health Department and the Chief Medical Officer [Dr. Jeff Morgan], ALL Salem Community Schools will move to remote learning for the next two weeks.”

Acton said due to extenuating circumstances, the Online Lions digital learning platform will be reopened for K-12 enrollment until Monday, August 24 at 3:30p. 

To join the program, please contact John Skomp at jskomp@salemschools.us or your building principals via email.

“At this time, all extra-curricular activities will continue as scheduled but will be closely monitored to maintain the safety of our student-athletes,” said Acton. 

Tonight’s football game has been limited to 250 in attendance per set of bleachers, or 500 total at Paul A. Graves Athletic Field. 

WSLM 97.9 FM will broadcast the game live for those who cannot attend. 

Acton and the school board had plans drafted up and ready before the start of school in case an outbreak took place. 

“We look at multiple factors to determine whether we remain “in-person” instruction or move to remote learning,” he said. “If only small numbers of individuals are impacted and they can be quickly isolated, we can continue traditional instruction.”

Acton said factors that could necessitate a move to remote learning may include: substantial numbers of positive or quarantined students, teaching staff, custodial staff, food services staff and/or bus drivers.