by Shaun Tilghman

Family Hearing Center, Inc. is opening a new office in North Manchester (located at 225 E. Main St.) on Wednesday, July 31. Dr. Brandy Weaver, Au.D. will be the audiologist for the local branch, which will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dr. Suzanne Ginter, Au.D., who has been a licensed audiologist for 15 years, is the owner of Family Hearing Center, which also has offices in Bremen and Goshen. Prior to starting her own business five years ago, Dr. Ginter gained experience while working for other private practices, as well as for ENT (Ear, Nose, & Throat) physicians.

Like Dr. Ginter, Dr. Weaver earned her doctorate from Ball State University. “It worked out well that I was graduating from Ball State in May because [Dr. Ginter] was already part-owner of this building, along with Matt Mize, and she was looking for somebody to run the new office,” said Dr. Weaver.

“I actually did my fourth-year rotation with her at the Goshen office, so I think I will be a good fit for this office,” Dr. Weaver continued. “Plus, I grew up just west of Roann and have lived there all but two years when I lived in Fort Wayne, so the business is close to home and that works out really well too. I’m really excited about this because I’ve driven an hour and a half or more for work for the last nine years, so I’m grateful to only have a half-hour drive now.”

Dr. Weaver went on to say she is also excited to be able to offer members of the local communities better access to quality hearing services and quality hearing products.

“There is an audiologist that comes down to Wabash County Hospital once or twice a week, but really I’m the only one that will be available five days a week,” she explained. “So, the thought behind this new office is that it will save local people from having to drive to Fort Wayne or Kokomo or South Bend to receive help. I really just want to make my services available to the community, and hopefully there will be a lot of interest and eventually I’ll have a full schedule.”

Pathfinder Kids Kampus, “A Caring Place to Go and Grow!” is having an open house from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The open house will take place at the childcare center, located at 435 Campus Street in Huntington.

Everyone who attends will be entered to win one of the following door prizes, which will be drawn throughout the day: 1-$20 Wal-Mart Gift Card, 1-$20 Johnson Junction Gas Card.

At the open house, Pathfinder Kids Kampus staff will be taking attendees on tours of the facility along with answering any enrollment questions.

The sixth annual Trucks In Paradise Show will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24.  The event will be held at Paradise Spring Historical Park.  Registration hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Registration is open for all types of trucks, custom cars, and motorcycles.  The Heartland Career Center will be displaying an electric car.  Dash plaques will be given to the first 50 entries that register.  Awards will be given to the Top 20 at 4 p.m. and drawings for door prizes and two $100 gas cards.  Food vendors and other vendors will be on the grounds for the day’s events.  For further details you may contact Dan at 260-494-8243.

This benefit project is to help us in maintaining the historic cabins in the Paradise Spring Historical Park.

For additional information on the Trucks in Paradise Show please call 260-494-8243 or email trucksnparadise@gmail.com or come visit us on Facebook at Trucks in Paradise.

The Wabash Art Guild is proud to announce their 2013 Members' Art Show will be on display Aug. 14-Sept. 10 at The Clark Gallery, in the main lobby of the Honeywell Center, Wabash.

With free admission to the Clark Gallery 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., the public is invited to come in from the heat, and peruse some of the local artists' creations.

Artwork is judged in the following divisions with cash prizes awarded to first through third and honorable mention: Division A-Oils, Acrylics, Alkyds; Division B—Watercolor, acrylics under glass; Division C—drawing (pencil, charcoal, ink, pastel, etc); Division D—Misc. (Sculpture, pottery, collage, weaving, batik, woodcut, etc.); Division E—Copywork (art that has been copied from another artist).

On Friday, July 26 from 5 to 8 p.m., the Wabash Walgreens will be holding a Bowling for a Cure event to raise funds for the Relay for Life of Wabash County.  The event will be held at Wabash Cannonball Lanes. Pre-registration is not required and the public is welcome to come bowl individually or with a team. 

The 2013-14 school year begins for students on Monday, August 12.

Registration days for student enrollment are Wednesday, July 31 from 2-8 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. from 7 a.m.-1 p.m.

All North schools will report to Northfield High School to enroll.

All South schools will report to Southwood High School to enroll.

Students in grades 7-12 new to the school community should contact their respective school guidance departments prior to Aug. 3 for special enrollment appointments.

Book rental prices for grades K-6 is $190.00. Book rental charges for students in grades 7-12 vary individually dependent upon the courses in which the student is enrolled and will be assessed at time of registration.

By Ashley Flynn

features@thepaperofwabash.com

Northfield Jr./Sr. High School recently named Geoff Salmon as their new athletic director.

Salmon will be filling the shoes of Tony Uggen who has accepted a position as athletic director in his hometown at Blackford High School. Uggen had been athletic director since the 2003/2004 school year, and he was a teacher before that.

Geoff, a rookie in the administrative field, said this would be a new experience and challenge for him. He just completed his master’s degree at Purdue of Calumet last year in administration. His undergrad was also completed at Purdue where he received a degree in technology education.

Northfield received 46 applications for the job and interviewed seven before offering the position to Geoff.

“We have a lot of criteria we set. Obviously we want someone with successful experience as a school personal, whether it’s a teacher or coach, and we prefer a candidate with an administrative license,” Northfield Principal Mike Keaffaber told The Paper of Wabash.

by Kalie Ammons

Wabash County Promise is a program started by a partnership of the Y and the community to increase college attendance and end the cultural stigma of college being an impossible feat.

“It’s a real collaborative effort to make sure that every child has a trajectory, a plan. Whether it’s vocational school or a four-year degree, certification, technical training… Whatever it is, so when they graduate, they have a plan in place,” Amanda Jones-Layman, Director of Academic Engagement and Summer Learning Programs at the Y, told The Paper.

The Wabash County Promise will focus on children starting kindergarten follow them until they graduate high school.

“The focus group for this year is K-3rd grade. The idea that if you’re starting to talk about college in 11th grade, it’s too late to really do anything.”

The program is set up like this: starting during kindergarten registration, students open up a college savings account that they supply with $25 they raise on their own, after which local donors will match with $75. In fourth grade, the students will identify their dreams for the future. By sixth grade, all students will sign up for the 21st Century Scholars program. In ninth grade, they will sign a letter of intent to graduate. Finally, eleventh and twelfth grade will consist of filling out the FAFSA and applying for colleges.