JHS News

The Ed Yarbrough Tennis Facility has been honored with the 2025 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Outstanding Facility Award, recognizing it as one of the nation’s premier tennis venues. The USTA Outstanding Facility Awards program highlights facilities that exemplify excellence in construction, renovation, and ongoing maintenance, as well as a demonstrated commitment to the growth and development of tennis in their communities. 

Established in 1981, the USTA Outstanding Facility Awards celebrate tennis venues that set standard for quality and service, fostering a positive tennis experience for players and spectators alike. The Ed Yarbrough Tennis Facility joins a select group of facilities nationwide to receive this prestigious recognition.

As part of the award, the USTA will present an indoor award plaque and outdoor sign for display at the facility. Additionally, two representatives from the Ed Yarbrough Tennis Facility will be invited to attend the official awards ceremony held during the US Open in August.

“This honor and award represent all the contributions that our school and our tennis family has put into this complex to make it one of the best in the United States,” said Jasper High School Tennis Coach, Scott Yarbrough. “The support from our school, our community and our Jasper Tennis Family makes our complex one of the best.”

Congratulations to the Jasper Tennis Program on this incredible honor!

To view a video of the facility, click here to see a video created by Alayna Markovich.

The Greater Jasper Consolidated School Corporation School Board has been recognized by the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) with an Exemplary Governance Award (EGA) for calendar year 2024 for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to student success and professional learning.

The Greater Jasper Consolidated School Corporation School Board is one of only 124 school boards in the State of Indiana to earn an award through the EGA program this year.

The EGAs are conferred annually across four levels of distinction based on the points earned by school board members for attending ISBA seminars, workshops, conferences, and other learning events, as well as the completion of certain additional criteria, such as a retreat with an outside facilitator and goal setting to elevate student achievement outcomes.

“On behalf of ISBA, I would like to commend this dedicated group of school boards and school board members,” said ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin. “School boards perform a vital public service for their communities, and board members who actively participate in professional learning are better equipped to govern effectively and meet the needs of students.”

Award recipients were formally recognized at ISBA’s Spring Regional Meetings during the month of May.

“I am incredibly proud to work alongside a school board whose commitment to students, families, and our community is second to none,” said Dr. Tracy Lorey, GJCS Superintendent. “This Exemplary Governance Award reflects their integrity, vision, and dedication to ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed. Their leadership sets the standard for excellence in public education, and I am honored to serve with them.”

In addition to the board-level accolades, 239 school board members earned individual EGA awards.

ISBA provides a full range of professional learning opportunities at dozens of events throughout the year to inform and educate school board members about best practices, legislative issues, policy development, school law, and more.

For a complete list of individual and board award recipients for the 2024 award year, please visit https://www.isba-ind.org/ega.html.

The GJCS Staff Member of the Month Award honors staff members that show exemplary leadership, unwavering dedication, utmost professionalism, excellence in their roles, and their consistent willingness to exceed expectations for the betterment of GJCS.

The February Staff Member of the Month is Mrs. Lisa Guthrie from Jasper Elementary School. 

A fellow GJCS employee commented, "I am honored to nominate Lisa, as she deserves to be recognized for all of her hard work and dedication to Jasper Elementary School. From covering to where she is needed to her all she does for the Leader In Me Program, we want to recognize her for all she has done and will continue to do."

Thank you, Mrs. Guthrie, for all you do to make Jasper GREAT! 

An exciting project is underway at Ireland Elementary School and Jasper Elementary School. Mayor of the City of Jasper, Dean Vonderheide, has proclaimed January 31 at One Book, Two Schools Day. Students kicked off Friday morning with a video from the mayor, explaining this proclamation. 

What is One Book, Two Schools? This exciting project allows students at both Ireland Elementary and Jasper Elementary to participate in an all-school book club. Students at all grade levels at both schools will be listening to and/or reading the same book from January 31st to February 21st. 

Today students received their own copy of Mysteries According to Humphrey. A recommended reading schedule was shared to allow students to discuss the book with their peers in class over the next three weeks. On the school website, there are recordings of the readings from each day, read aloud by teachers. There will also be daily trivia during lunch. Nearly 50 Dubois County businesses and groups will also have trivia questions. Students should look for participation posters on doors and windows of local businesses and let an employee know they are reading Mysteries According to Humphrey and politely ask if they have a question for them. 

With the support of families and the community, GJCS aims to build a community of readers and make the next few weeks 

Jasper Elementary School 4^th graders have been working on a very exciting project over the past few months that included a presentation to Representative Shane Lindauer and Senator Daryl Schmitt.

Jasper Elementary School fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Donato, said, “As educators, our goal is to instill a sense of wonder in our students. Last year, while teaching Indiana history, my students learned about a second-grade class in West Lafayette that proposed and eventually passed a bill for the Say’s Firefly to become the state insect. One student in my class asked whether Indiana had a state fruit. This question sparked curiosity, and the entire class began researching. They soon discovered that Indiana did not have an official state fruit. Initially, they proposed the Pawpaw, as it is native to Indiana. However, they later found out that Ohio designated the Pawpaw as their state fruit in 2009”.

With a goal in mind of proposing the persimmon as the state fruit for Indiana, students got to work. Persuasive writing is a standard skill for fourth graders, so this project was an excellent opportunity to teach those skills. Students had to find three or more reasons why the persimmon should be the state fruit. Students researched various aspects of the persimmon, and the top four reasons identified were: Indiana currently lacks a state fruit, persimmons are native to Indiana, the health benefits, and the potential for the fruit and its wood to boost the state’s economy.

On Friday, January 24, 2025, five students (Grant, Mackenzie, Sophie, Ariel, and Sawyer) volunteered to create and present a slideshow. JES Principal Kent Taylor, Assistant Principal Ryan Erny, GJCS Superintendent Dr. Lorey, Representative Shane Lindauer, Senator Daryl Schmitt and all the fourth grade classes attended the presentation.

What ate the next steps? Representative Lindauer introduced House Bill 1618 to the committee, which aims to designate the persimmon as the state fruit. The students will present their argument orally to the committee on February 10^th at the Indiana Statehouse. Regardless of the outcome, this project-based learning experience in civics will be something the students always remember.

Students learned how to write a persuasive essay, expanded their knowledge of persimmons, gained skills for making oral presentations, and understood the state-level process of how a bill becomes a law. They also learned how to work collaboratively and discovered that while they are young, they can still make a different through perseverance and hard work.

As a Leader in Me School, Jasper Elementary students and teachers are always incorporating habits into their learning. When asked about what habits this project highlights, Mrs. Donato said, “The two key habits highlighted in the project are Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind and Habit 6: Synergize. For Habit 2, the students found inspiration in the Say’s Firefly project at Cumberland Elementary, envisioning what the result could be. Our students enthusiastically embraced the challenge of bringing this project to life. It was wonderful to witness their engagement and excitement during their research and writing. Many students even asked if they could come in before school or skip recess to work on their writing tasks. For Habit 6, the project evolved into a collaborative effort among the fourth graders. Each class either worked together to write an essay or allowed individual students to create their own essays. Additionally, students who wished to contribute artistically designed drawings of persimmons to serve as covers for their writings or displays. We are fortunate to have such incredibly talented students!”

The project is still unfolding, so stay tuned for exciting updates!