Beauty through Creativity

Art Club

Breanna Lambert

The Art Club, run by Mrs. Moore, brings artists in our school together. While they discuss ways to bring art to their community, they also participate in smaller fun projects as well.

The president, James Ellington (senior), assists Moore with tasks and announcements. He says he loves seeing new faces in the club and that each member brings their own art styles and flair to the club. If you are seeking a club where you can express yourself as an artist, this club is for you.

Movie Night at the Historical Artcraft Theatre

Free teen movie event for Johnson County middle & high school students (ages 12+). December 21st at 7:30 p.m. at The Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin. Tickets are live now. Seating is limited and everyone MUST register and have a ticket to attend. Tickets and full details are available at empowerteenmovie.eventbrite.com. There will be a free movie, free popcorn, free soda, and free candy!

An Inside Job: Student Media

Louden Doss

Student Media is a newer club at the school. They are responsible for putting together the monthly newspaper as well as the yearbook throughout the year. While the majority of students who participate in student media are part of the class, you can also participate as a club.

When it comes to deciding what goes into the newspaper, students can be assigned articles or will sometimes choose their topic. “I was given girls swimming,” reported Nolan Curry, “and I volunteered to write about Champions Together.”

If you’re interested in writing for the school newspaper, contact Mrs. Gipson.

2022 Letters About Literature: Statewide Writing Contest

Letters About Literature is a letter writing contest for Indiana students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or deceased) about how the book affected how they see themselves or how they see the world. Indiana students in grades 4-12 are eligible to enter the Indiana Letters About Literature reading and writing contest. The contest offers cash prizes, and submissions will be accepted through January 9th. Talk to your English teacher if you’re interested in participating!

Champions Together

Nolan Curry

Champions Together is an organization that focuses on giving those who cannot compete in sports an opportunity to compete in athletics. Recently, the Champions Together group held a candle sale that has been extremely successful and has raised more than expected. If you’re interested in participating in Champions Together, contact Mrs. Hogue!

Inclement Weather

Dr. Tim Edsell, Superintendent

November 14, 2022

Indian Creek Students and Families,

Winter weather is upon us for the 2022-2023 school year, and Indiana weather can be quite unpredictable. The safety of our students and staff is of utmost priority when making decisions for delaying or closing school. In the event of inclement weather on a scheduled school day, Indian Creek Schools will post school delays and/or closing information on social media and local media outlets, in addition to the automated phone call made to the families of Indian Creek students.

Indiana statute requires 180 days of instruction each school year, with make-up days as necessary. The 2022-2023 NHJ Calendar includes two (2) built-in make-up days, which fall on January 16, 2023 and February 20, 2023. Recent statutory changes only allow for three (3) eLearning days as an additional option in addressing inclement weather and school closings. Finally, once built-in make-up days and eLearning days have been exhausted, the school year may be extended, if necessary.

To review, school closings will be made-up for inclement weather by utilizing the days as prioritized below:

School Closing #1 - Make-up Day, January 16, 2023 (MLK Day)
School Closing #2 - Make-up Day, February 20, 2023 (Presidents’ Day)
School Closing #3 - eLearning Day (Assignments posted to Google Classroom/Canvas)
School Closing #4 - eLearning Day (Assignments posted to Google Classroom/Canvas)
School Closing #5 - eLearning Day (Assignments posted to Google Classroom/Canvas)
School Closing #6 and beyond - Additional school days added at the end of the school year

If you have any questions regarding make-up days for the 2022-2023 school year, please reach out to the respective school building for your IC student(s).

Trafalgar Fire Department

Tyler Rumble

In a previous edition, we introduced you to our school resource officers. We would like to continue this trend by introducing you to the emergency services in our area. First up is our Trafalgar Fire Department.

The Trafalgar Fire Department is Station 61 and is located on State Road 252 next to town hall. Not only do they cover our campus, they share our mascot: the Brave.

The station has four suppression units that are used to put out a fire during an emergency. These include Engines 61 and 62, Tanker 61, and Brush 61. The station also has three EMS and rescue units: Squad 61, Rescue 62, and Chief 601.

Thank you, Trafalgar Fire, for proudly protecting our campus.

Holiday Grams

Don't be a cotton-headed ninny muggins!If you would like to celebrate the amazing teachers, staff, and administration in your family’s life, consider a Holiday Gram from the NHJ Education Foundation! Simply use the QR code, choose the amount you want to gift, write a note about the educator, and both will be delivered for you. 25% of your gift will go to the Indian Creek Education Foundation to provide classroom grants.

December 9th is the last day to purchase Holiday Grams. Use this link to get started. If you have questions, contact edfoundation@nhj.k12.in.us!

Band and Choir Concerts

Abby Johnson

The choirs and bands will be having their winter concerts in the next two weeks. The choirs will perform on Dec. 1 with the middle school starting at 6:30 p.m. and the high school at 8:00 p.m. The bands will have their concert on Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m.

The high school choirs consist of the Chamber Ensemble, who will sing “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” and “Carol of the Bells”; the Concert Choir, who will sing “Christmas Time is Here” and “Cold Snap”; and the Rhythmaires, who will sing “A Holiday Road of Carols,” Stars I Shall Find,” and “Another Day of Sun.”

For the bands, this is one of their bigger concerts because all high school and middle school bands will play. The middle school bands will play pieces such as “Angels on Parade,” “Christmas in the Kitchen,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Mallets.” The high school concert band will play “Pat-a-Pan” and “Jingle Bells”; the symphonic band will play “Let the Bells Ring” and “Away in a Manger”; the percussion ensemble will play “Ukrainian Bell Carol”; and the jazz band will play “Jing Jing Jingle.” You can also look forward to a piece by the combined bands and some small groups, including a flute trio!

Building the Tribe: Founding of Indian Creek Schools

Moe Al Ghadban

In 1967, Mr. Ezra Satter was elected as the president of the first Indian Creek School Board. With approximately 30 other teachers, he led the charge in combining the three area high schools—Nineveh High School, Morgantown High School, and Trafalgar High School—into a single school: Indian Creek Senior High School. According to Mrs. Bratton, our current high school librarian, the name “Indian Creek” was chosen to represent all three schools because there is a creek that runs through all three townships.

When it first opened its doors, the school was much smaller. The first graduating class was approximately 60 seniors, but Indian Creek is currently anticipating approximately 130 seniors to graduate this May! What a growth spurt!

Veterans Day: A Day to Remember

Libby Hadley

Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 and is the day we honor those who served in our country’s military. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, World War I officially came to an end.

However, the first ever celebration using the term “Veterans Day” didn’t occur until 1947 in Birmingham, AL. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized “National Veterans Day” to honor all veterans. The celebration included a parade and other festivities.

It wasn’t until June 1, 1954 that official legislation was passed to approve Nov. 11 as the official day to honor American veterans of all wars.

At school, we celebrate Veterans Day by inviting the community to come into the school and help us honor our veterans. During the program, the choirs and bands come together to perform songs. The veterans who attend are asked to fill out a form with information about their time in service, and each veteran is named off and asked to stand so that we can honor them and thank them for their service. After the program, all veterans are invited to a free pork chop dinner prepared for them by the FFA.

If you did not have a chance to thank a veteran on Veterans Day, be sure to do so next chance you get. Also be sure to ask them their story.

Coming to America: Foreign Exchange Programs

Mohammad Al Ghadban

You’ve probably met some of the foreign exchange students, but you may not know about the different programs they use. Most programs, like Flex, require the student to maintain their grades, normally around a C average, though that is not always the case. Each program has different rules depending on the country. For example, the YES program, in Lebanon, requires students to be in grades nine or ten to apply; however, the Flex program in Moldova will accept students in grades nine, ten, or eleven.

Many exchange students apply to these programs because they want to try new things, share their culture, and meet new people. Some students come for one semester, and others come for the entire year. However, some exchange students face homesickness and it is one of the hardest parts of their year. One such student is Nova in t Groen, senior, who comes from the Netherlands and described her year as “exciting and challenging” because she had to adjust to new changes here.

My own experience has been good. Getting adjusted to the massive changes was not difficult for me with the help from my school, host family, and placement organization. I was able to pass the hardest part of the year, which is the first two weeks of adjustment.

Exchange students can participate in many different programs and they come from many different countries. There are scholarship programs funded by the U.S. Department of State, such as the YES and Flex programs, to which students must submit an application and do testing and interviews. The programs are very competitive, and it is more difficult to be accepted to some of these programs than it is to get in to Harvard. Students also have the option to participate in the programs via private pay where they fund their own experience overseas.

These programs are also available for U.S. Students, and if you are interested in becoming an exchange student, feel free to talk to me for information about how to contact an exchange program! Some programs’ application processes are open now!

Break Time

by Louden Doss

Welcome back, I’m sure everybody is super ready for school to start back up with their school schedules, day in and day out learning so much information. The one underlying question that hangs over everybody right now is “why did you come back”, so, in order to uncover the answer to this question, I asked a handful of people that very question. Our first interviewee is Jake Parker (Senior), he claims he returned because he “Had to graduate” and when asked if anyone forced him to return he said he returned on his own volition. Interesting to hear that he would return on his own, but being a senior is not odd for him to think of his future. Our next student to be interviewed was Peyton Pointdexter (Sophomore), when asked why he returned he stated “I had to” in a very monotone voice. This sparks interest in his answer, almost as if he was sent to school against his wishes, so I pushed deeper into the story, asking him if anyone forced him to return and he said that his parents did. While this may seem like nothing on the surface, we should keep an eye on this figure known as “parents'' Our final and most interesting peer that I interviewed was Chance White (Senior), asking the same questions from before, Chance’s groundbreaking answer was “I was legally obligated to come back”...shocking. Invested in where this could lead I asked what he meant by that and he quaintly said “The Government ''. This is a revelation. This may go much deeper and darker than any of us may have thought. I’ll have to stop for now, time is thin and evidence is stacked high, I will continue my investigation next month, farewell for now ICHS, and godspeed.

Environmental Science

Jalen Thompson

Mrs. Greenwood’s environmental science class recently had a guest speaker named Barbara Seal who came in to talk about native species restoration; Seal is uniquely qualified to talk about the subject because she runs a farm dedicated to it. This was an awesome experience for the class, but it is not the only one they will have this year!

In November, the class will participate in the Youth Environmental Leadership Summit (YELS) which was held at IU Bloomington on Nov. 4. YELS is a program designed to engage students in real world problem solving for environmental change and sustainability. Students will get to learn what it takes to be able to make a change for the better of the environment and how hard it is to sustain that change. “My students are most excited to learn about something new,” said Mrs. Greenwood, “and be able to have the opportunity to go somewhere new to learn about it.”

On Nov. 18, another guest speaker will be coming to class. Lisa MacPhee, the First Deputy and Treasurer of Soil and Water Conservation District, will be discussing efforts to restore soils in Morgan County. Mrs. Greenwood reports that her students are “excited about getting to learn from someone else for a change.”

IC Dances It Off at Homecoming

Gracie Werden

This month was the fall homecoming dance. The homecoming court included freshmen Oliver Hallett and Reese Tunnell; sophomores Adam Crouch and Brylea Scoggan; and juniors Kohlton Scoggan and Abby Moore. Nominees for king were seniors Aiden Pemberton, Parker Hogan, Josh Breeden, and Nolan Curry. Nominees for queen were Kaylynn Hammons, Paige Iaria, Kylee Jones, and Lauren McClanahan. At the end of the night, Hogan and McClanahan walked away with the crowns!

The homecoming dance was held on Oct. 1 and was a fun night to remember. The theme was Casino night, and attendees were dressed to impress! Huge shoutout to all of the volunteers who helped make the dance possible!

Brown County Tourism

Claire Rogowski

Driving through the winding roads of Brown County, you look out your window to see the beautiful rainbow of leaves around you when all of a sudden you hear the “BEEP BEEP” of the car behind you. You realize that when looking at the leaves, you weren’t paying attention and slowed down, so you speed back up and wave at the line of cars who got stuck behind you!

While this is just a story, things like this happen a lot in Brown County during the fall. With the air crisping and the leaves changing colors, tourists flock to Central Indiana. Places like Nashville and Brown County State Park—and even smaller towns like Trafalgar—have an influx of people during the season. The town in Brown County have taken full advantage of the great weather and tourists fall brings. There are live music events happening all the time, cute stores to shop in, and lots of other things to do, such as zip-lining, gold panning, swimming, horseback riding, hiking, and so much more!

Water ‘Bout It?

Water Brand Preference

Claire Rogowski

People always seem to get into a big debate over the best brand of bottled water. The best way to know for sure where your community stands is by doing a poll, so that’s exactly what happened. 37 of the 47 people surveyed said that they preferred Ice Mountain over any other bottled water. One thing to note is that most people picked the cheapest brand while the most expensive option, Fiji, was only picked once. When it comes to bottled water, what’s your opinion? Do you look at cost first? Or do you notice a difference in the taste?

Music at the Creek

Gracie Werden

Saturday Sept. 17 was a fun-filled, packed day at the annual Music at the Creek festival. There were lots of vendors, music, food, and games. The weather was very nice that day with blue skies all around. The FFA and Boy Scouts helped serve food during the event, and the intermediate and high school choirs did a wonderful job performing, and what an exciting opportunity to get to share with their community!

Overall, Music at the Creek is always a fun time for the community to get together and hang out with friends and family. The event takes time and effort to make it the spectacle that it is, but it helps raise funds for the NHJ Educational Foundation. There are always ways to be involved and help out with the events for the NHJ Educational Foundation, and other opportunities within the community as well. For more information, contact Kate Taylor at ktaylor@nhj.k12.in.us.

Legendary Auditions

Louden Doss

Auditions for the school play "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" began on Monday, Aug. 22. The play, which is produced by those with interest in theater, held their first round of auditions on Monday after school. The second round of Auditions was on the following Wednesday, Aug. 24. Even though auditions are over and the cast is selected, there is still much to do to prepare for performance with set building and backstage production.

"The feeling of being back on the stage may be nerve racking," said Rylee Duncan (senior), "but the opportunity to express myself fills me with joy, being able to escape and be someone else allows me to feel free." Rylee will be playing the role of Katrina Van Tassel in the production, which will be performed in late October. Those who are interested in helping with the play as tech or production crew should speak with Mrs. Atwood, who is returning to Indian Creek to direct the play. Students may also pick up information about the play in the library.