PHS acting class gets writing credit for this weekend's show

PLYMOUTH – It’s a becoming a tradition that nobody wants to end.

Several years ago the Plymouth High School theatre class – tired of buying scripts that they eventually ended up re-writing anyway – decided to write their own play and but it on stage. It’s something that has taken on a life of its own.

For the third year the class presents a show they’ve written entitled “A World of Words” on Friday and Saturday at the PHS Auditorium. Show time each night is 7 p.m.

“Several years ago we bought a script with a bunch of sketches in it and we liked about half of them,” said Jane Faulstich who teaches the class at Plymouth High School. “We used those and then re-wrote a bunch to fit our kids. We decided we could do a better job writing sketches to fit ourselves and we’ve done it ever since.”

So far she hasn’t been disappointed.

“I don’t want it to stop,” she said. “It’s such an exciting process. Yes, it’s difficult and when we come up with the overall concept the kids have that really kind of frightened look. But then they start bringing back scripts around Christmas time and we start putting things together and it all seems to fit when we get done.”

Members of the class are given a concept and then in a creative process that resembles Saturday Night Live begins writing sketches, working on concepts and then bringing them in to audition for a place in the show.

Many of the sketches come from true experience. Just ask Christina Chipman, a junior in the class who wrote and performs in several sketches in the show, including one she penned entitled “The Twelve Top Reasons I’m Glad You Dumped Me.”

“There were some names I would have liked to put in the sketch,” she said with a laugh. “I decided to keep it confidential.”

The process is an exciting one for the students as well as their teacher.

“I think it’s really cool for me to see what I’ve written get put up on stage,” said Chipman. “I’m in the journalism class and I could see myself continuing on in writing. I’ve won essay contests and things like that. Writing for the stage is a lot harder. You have be very conscious of writing something that your audience is going to enjoy.”

The Advanced Acting Class is; Sam Compton, Jordin Cook, Austin Craft, Sarah Craft, Jessie Gibbs, Stephanie Gorka, Lauren Kelso, Tayler May, Allasyn Slater, Dalton Van Dusen, Emily Walden, Rebecca Brumbaugh, Christina Chipman, Michael Gray, Olivia Hilliard, Christina Krozel, and Kelsey Shaffer.

Lighting technicians are Billie Carothers, A.J. Ruffing, and Dennis Watson. Sound Engineers are Jordan Knapp and Cody Langdon. Wing Managers are Cody Benjamin and Shaylee Vice. The backstage crew is Emily Blake, Amanda Bottomley, Andrea Bottomley, Meagan Fisher, Timothy Gomez, Colton Honeycutt, Amanda Irwin, Phil Iwinski, Christina Krozel, Sarah Mann, Daren Miller, Ashton Morrow, Trisha Neidlinger, Kori Potoczky, Stephanie Rosas, Ben Shortt, Dalton Van Dusen, Tyler Vermillion, Michael Yoder, Andrew Youst.

Plymouth grad sees life as a chance to learn

EVANSVILLE, IN – One Plymouth grad has learned a valuable life long lesson.

“You're never really done with your education,” said Dr. Brandon Eggleston. “That's really a good thing and it's something more and more people are realizing.”

Eggleston – a 1996 graduate of PHS – learned first hand the value of constant learning. Starting his college career at Taylor University, he moved to IUPUI for his Masters and then to Indiana University Bloomington for his PhD. He is now Assistant Professor of Health Services/Administration at the University of Southern Indiana.

“I started out wanting to be a doctor. I saw all the good they do and how they help people,” he said. “As I continued with my education it became clear to me that not everybody who wants to be a doctor can be a doctor. I started to look at the other career options available to me. I really like the public health focus that's preventative. Doctors for the most part deal with illness and treatment. We deal in prevention.”

Eggleston knows hard work led to his success.

“I think having to work hard for something definitely makes you appreciate it more,” he said. “I loved athletics when I was at Plymouth but I felt like I was definitely more of an academics guy than athletics. Athletics meant a lot to me because I had to work so hard to compete with the other guys.

“It was the same thing when I got to school – especially in the doctoral program. These people are the best and the brightest and when you get your opportunity you have to be ready.”

Eggleston did just that and his hard work has led to some exciting opportunities for him.

“I've had the great chance to travel the world, do some teaching and set up programs for all ages of people,” he said. “I can't believe sometimes that I get paid to do something that I really wanted to do. I love what I do and I really love coming to work everyday.”

Eggleston's field is also one of the fastest growing. The recent debate over health care and it's skyrocketing costs has placed a great emphasis on his work.

“Regardless of what we do (about health care), it isn't about who's going to pay for it. We simply have to be healthier,” he said. “We need more balanced diets and moderation. In a way its a good problem because we have a society of 'Milk and Honey' – we can have anything we want whenever we want. Cookies and hamburgers were 'treats' in the '50's. Now they're an everyday thing. We don't have to worry so much anymore about infectious disease but we need to spend more time making good decisions on diet and exercise and relieving stress. Learning those things can be very empowering to individuals.”

There was another lesson that Eggleston has learned along the way that he feels is important to those just starting out.

“I think patience is probably the hardest thing to learn,” he said. “We live in a world of instant technnology and its difficult to learn to be patient.”

Eggleston's website is located at http://health.usi.edu/faculty/faculty_vita/Eggleston%20Homepage.pdf and he also has a blog from his time of teaching in Germany at http://www.usigermany2010.blogspot.com/

Podium is in sight for Uceny

SAN DIEG, CA – One thing that makes a world class athlete a world class athlete is a drive, deep inside, to push yourself harder, to always strive to be better tomorrow than you are today.

Plymouth grad and world class track athlete Morgan Uceny is no different.

“When I first got out of school I don't know if I really thought it would happen (making the Olympic team),” she said from San Diego, preparing to head to Europe for meets in Birmingham, England and Stockholm, Sweden. “I got out of college and things began to fall into place. When I first started I just wanted to get there. Now I want to be on the podium.”

A new coach and a new place to train in the past year have put that possibility in place for the runner who finished second in the 800 last weekend in the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston. 

“I moved to the Mammoth Track Club last year and I've made a huge jump from previous years,” she said. “There was a time when I was just in the race with some of the best runners in the world. Now I can stay with them. I can be one of those difference makers at the front of the race. It's a lot more intense training than what I've been doing. I just need to keep going, trust my coach – he knows what he's doing – and keep doing what I've been doing.”

The life of a professional athlete is a different one, especially in the world of track.

“It's kind of like a full time job,” she said. “You can easily spend six hours a day training. You have your tough run in the morning. The evening run is more for recovery. You get therapy at different times during the day, it all depends on the day.

“You have an agent that handles your shoe contract, people that handle your travel, doing interviews. We're still not NBA players but it's a different kind of thing.”

Uceny recently changed sponsor companies from Rebok to Adidas and travels this weekend to Europe for a pair of indoor meets. One of the top runners in the world in the 800 and 1500, the indoor season is a tune up for the coming outdoor season.

“The indoor meets aren't as competitive especially in a year where there is an outdoor World Championship,” said Uceny. “Indoor season is kind of a means to an end. I'm trying to get in shape trying to prepare for the outdoor season.”

See video and track Morgan's success on the web at http://www.mammothtrackclub.com/

Miller fighting his way to the top

By James Costello

PLYMOUTH — A mixed martial arts cage is hardly the place most people would describe as “an oasis”.
Being locked in a roughly 20-foot space with someone who wants to either beat or choke you unconscious or else wrench your joints out of socket hardly seems to fit the definition.
Nevertheless, that’s exactly how 19-year-old Plymouth native and 2010 PHS grad Ricky Miller described entering the cage for the first time, a 170-pound bout at the Century Center in South Bend December 11.
“This was my first fight, so I didn’t know what to expect,” said Miller. “It was coming up to the fight, I was getting more anxious, and I was the second fight of the night and the first fight just went by so fast. I remember coming out at the Century Center in the Colosseum Room, and all the seats are up and everybody is looking down. When you’re coming out you can hear everyone, and you’re just pumped. When they called my name, right when I walked out I just felt amazing in there. It was my own little get-away when I walked into that cage. It was my own little oasis.”
Miller went on to win the fight in less than a minute via head and arm choke, an experience that left him hungry for more, he said.
“It happened so fast. I felt so awesome, I was beating my chest, and what’s weird is I just kind of stood in the cage. When the fight was over, my trainer said, ‘Ricky, get out of the cage, what are you doing?’” Miller chuckled. “I wasn’t tired, no heavy breathing at all. I just wanted to keep going. I felt like I could fight again.”
Miller will get his chance this Saturday as he fights once more at the Century Center, this time in the 180-pound class in an event called the Michiana Fight League SuperBrawl Bash.
For the few people left on the planet who haven’t yet heard of the sport of mixed martial arts, its a fighting sport that traces its roots to the ancient Olympic sport of Pankration, blending numerous striking arts such as western-style boxing and muy thai kickboxing with grappling arts like wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. MMA came into existence in 1993 contemporaneous with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, originally an eight-man tournament showcasing fighters of various styles to resolve the hypothetical question of which fighting style is the best.
Since Dana White and brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta took over the UFC in 2001 from founders Art Davie and the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pioneering Gracie family the UFC has undergone numerous developments, and with the company’s television deal with Spike TV in 2005, it has become a household name and the biggest in an ever-growing array of MMA promotions companies around the world, broadcast in over 130 countries and in 20 different languages worldwide. Fighters now train in a variety of styles rather than just one and weight classes and the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts have been instituted to keep the sport safe and competitive.
Just three years ago, Miller had no idea what mixed martial arts was. Through the invitation of a friend to a makeshift fight gym in Plymouth, the former Plymouth High School wrestler became fascinated with it, eventually making the move with trainer Travis Smith of Knox to the Bulldog Fight Team in Osceola run by pro light heavyweight and UFC veteran Todd “Bulldog” Brown.
“I had a buddy one day say, ‘Hey, you want to go to a wrestling mat?’ and I said sure,” Miller said. “It was kind of in the back of Plymouth, a torn down, weird-looking place. I go in the back of this building and one half is a workout area and in the other half there are the mats. I’d go in there while everybody was training and practicing and hit the bags or whatever. They were doing MMA, and at the time I had no idea what it was.
“Over those two years I got into it... but I had not fought for two years because I didn’t have the stand-up, and the gym kept changing — new people came in and out,” he continued. “Not many people stayed with it like I did and a couple of the other people from my gym. Then recently, about not even a half-year ago, my trainer had us stop training at his gym and we started going up to a real official gym called Bulldog Fight Team in Osceola, which we drive up to religiously, and that’s where I really got my skills.”
For Miller, the transformation from a high school wrestler to a 1-0 cage fighter has been dramatic. He attends training five days a week at his Osceola gym, where fighters drill muy thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu throughout the week and MMA on the weekends, and after never having heard of the sport less than three years ago, he says he now can’t imagine life without it.
“When I was 16 I was a wrestler and I really didn’t have anything else,” he said. “With wrestling there was just wrestling... with MMA you’ve got stand-up, wall, takedowns, slamming and everything in between. I wanted to explore that and get more versatile. I wanted to learn all about the sport. Even if I get to the highest level, there’s still more to learn. It’s non-stop; the game changes so much.
“The sport just amazes me. Everybody asks why I do this. Me, I just love the sport. If I didn’t have this, I don’t know what else I would have.”
Miller hopes to stay active in the sport and eventually to go pro one day, not for love of fame but for the love of the sport.
“I want to go pro. I want to get big one day. It’s not for the fame, it’s just to become better,” he said. “I want to achieve the highest level that I can and be the best at this sport. That’s a long way from now, but I don’t see myself falling astray from this sport because I’m so into it.”

Reprinted with the permission of the Pilot News

Pinkerton to be honored by Hall of Fame

Larry Pinkerton

PLYMOUTH – A man who did much for student athletes all over Indiana as an administrator has been honored by his home county for his skills on the basketball court.

Most Marshall County resident's know Larry Pinkerton for his 19 years as Principal at Plymouth High School. In his time there Pinkerton served in various leadership positions for the IHSAA and helped further the opportunities for student athletes at PHS and everywhere in the state.

In Kosciusko County Pinkerton is known as an outstanding three sport athlete in high school who attended Ball State University on a football scholarship and was a three sport athlete there as well. In June Pinkerton will take his place in the Kosciusko County Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I guess it's not something you say out loud around here but I graduated from Warsaw High School,” said Pinkerton with a laugh. “I don't think many people here knew that. It seems like 100 years ago now but we had a pretty good team when I was in school. We won our sectional my junior and senior year (1954 and 1955) and got beat in the final of the regional by Mishawaka one year and South Bend Central the next.

“We had 18 schools in Kosciusko County then – schools like Atwood, Etna Green, Mentone – and you didn't play them all in the season but you fought them in the sectional. It was tough. Everybody wanted to beat the County Seat school.”

Pinkerton was a three year starter at guard at Warsaw and his senior season averaged around 15 points a game. It was his skills on the football field that helped with his college education.

“I went to Ball State on a football scholarship and while I was there I played basketball and I was on the baseball team,” he said. “Then the semester grades came through and after I saw them I decided I probably needed to cut back some and spend a little more time on classwork.”

Graduating with a degree in education Pinkerton took a job at Wilson Junior High School in Muncie as a teacher and a coach.

“I coached freshman football and 8^th grade basketball,” he said. “The kids there went on to Muncie Southside. I really enjoyed coaching. I used my time in Muncie to get my Masters, my six years and then got my Administrator's degree.”

Pinkerton's first job as an administrator was as Assistant Principal at Griffith High School.

“While I was there there was a young lady attending high school there named Donna Konapasek who's now Donna Chaney,” he said. “I had the honor of hiring her to teach science when I came to Plymouth.”

Pinkerton moved on to be Principal at Twin Lakes High School before moving on to Plymouth.

“I have to be honest I was shocked when I got the letter that I was going into the Hall of Fame. I thought they must be scraping the bottom of the barrel to want me,” he said with a chuckle. “It's something that I'm very proud of. They introduced us all at halftime of the Wawasee, Whitko basketball game a couple weeks ago and you kind of forget about it over the years but there were a lot of really good ball players there, guys you played against in the sectional and remembered. I was really proud to be out there with them.”

Pinkerton's official induction will take place in June.

Pinkerton with Warsaw football teammate, friend and long time Indiana State Senator Kent Adams

More pending legislation regarding schools

The following is a report on legislation currently being considered by the Indiana General Assembly from Plymouth Superintendent Dan Tyree. It is presented to inform residents on bills that could have an impact on public accredited schools. It is not meant to express an opinion for or against any such legislation.

House Bill 1002 calls for funds for the enhancement and addition of Charter Schools to be authorized. The bill is calling for these dollars to be taken from public school transportation funds. Transportation funds are collected by local property taxes.

Where, you might ask, are Charter Schools located in Indiana? According to The Hechinger Report, 70% of Charter Schools in Indiana are located within the Indianapolis Public Schools district. The remaining Charter Schools are, for the most part, in urban areas such as South Bend, Gary, Fort Wayne, and Evansville.

Do you think this is a good idea? Do you agree with the state sending your property tax dollars to Indianapolis and other urban areas for Charter Schools? If you are for this or against this, please take time to email Senator Ed Charbonneau and Representative Nancy Dembowski to tell them how you feel.

Edward E Charbonneau – S5@in.gov
Nancy Dembowski – H17@in.gov