A Catholic school teacher who has students aspiring to be like her has been nominated for Teacher Honor Roll. Her profile follows.
Sara Bear
School: St. Joseph Hessen Cassel Catholic School
Grade teaching: Prekindergarten
Education: St. John the Baptist, Bishop Luers and IPFW
Years teaching: 10
City born: Fort Wayne
Current hometown: Ossian
Family: Husband Tony and two children, Christopher and Allison
Book you’d recommend: Anything by Jodi Picoult
Favorite teacher: Peter Mooney
Favorite teaching memory: There are so many; I should write a book! I have kids tell me the funniest things!
Hobbies: Crafting, reading, spending time with my family.
Recommended by: Angie Sorg
Reason for recommendation: “Sara Bear is an amazing preschool educator. She demonstrates a love for kids, Catholic values, extensive knowledge of curriculum and is a friend to all. Sara greets you with a smile and a kind word. My daughter, who is now in first grade, says daily, ‘I just love Mrs. Bear and I want to be just like her when I grow up.’ Sara is the type of teacher that every child should have in their elementary years. She is that one teacher that each child will remember forever. She is inspiring and we sure love her!”
asloboda@jg.net
Events
• Parents of students killed in fraternity hazing incidents at Penn State and Louisiana State universities will present a program titled “Love, Mom and Dad” at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts at Trine University in Angola. The program, which is free and open to the public, will focus on the dangers of hazing and alcohol abuse.
• The Grace College School of Business’ annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will provide free tax preparation to older people, people with disabilities and lower-income individuals filing a basic tax return through the end of March. To make an appointment, email vitataxes@grace.edu or leave a voicemail at 574-372-5160. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, 610 Wooster Road, Winona Lake, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Ivy Tech, 2545 Silveus Crossing, Warsaw.
• Area middle school students may enter the 21st annual Middle School Bridge Design Competition set for 9 a.m. Feb. 15 at Concordia Lutheran High School. The 2020 DiscoverE Committee and the Anthony Wayne Chapter of the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers sponsor the event. The competition challenges students in the areas of engineering, design, science and creativity. Go to www.clhscadets.com/apps/pages/Bridge-Competition for details.
• High school students interested in criminology, psychology, chemistry, biology and environmental science may participate in “Mirror Lake Mystery,” a whodunit Feb. 20 at the University of Saint Francis’ Brookside Mansion, 2701 Spring St. Students will determine the culprit of a crime through scientific investigation, crime scene evidence collection and code breaking. Parents also are invited to learn about admissions and to hear from a student and faculty panel. Check-in begins at 4 p.m. Register for the free event at mirrorlakemystery.eventbrite.com. Limited spots are available. Contact Angie Springer at 260-399-7700, ext. 8100, for more information.
• Employers may register for the Manchester University career, internship and graduate school fair set for 1 to 3:30 p.m. March 4 in the Jo Young Switzer Center on the North Manchester campus. Registration cost is $40 to $50, depending on the type of employer. Fair sponsorship is available for $150. Go to http://bit.ly/MUCareerFair2020 for more information or to register. Contact CareerDevelopment@manchester.edu with questions. Donations for the Career Closet will be collected through Feb. 21. Gently used professional or business casual clothing and accessories will be accepted for students who cannot afford such attire for the fair. Donations may be brought to Room 103 of the Chinworth Center on the North Manchester campus or to Sarah Lauck at the Fort Wayne campus.
Financial assistance
• Farmers have through April 1 to nominate rural public schools for $15,000 grants designed to enhance science, technology, engineering and math education. Grants are awarded through the America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education program, sponsored by Bayer Fund. Go to AmericasFarmers.com for information.
• The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the Jesters program of the University of Saint Francis a $30,000 grant, a $5,000 increase from last year. Sponsored by the university since 1978, the Jesters is a performing group of people with developmental disabilities. It also is supported by the AWS Foundation, the M.E. Raker Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, the James Foundation, the Indiana Arts Commission and Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne.
• Applications are available for the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity program, which is designed to assist traditionally underrepresented groups in pursuing a legal career. Applications are available online at courts.in.gov/cleo and are due by March 6. Contact staff attorney Carlton Martin at icleo@courts.in.gov with questions.
• First Federal Savings Bank donated $10,000 to Huntington Catholic School through the Scholarship Granting Organization of Northeast Indiana. The donation provides scholarships to families for students attending Huntington Catholic.
• The Indiana Commission for Higher Education extended the grant deadline for the 2020 School and Community Partnership Grant to 5 p.m. Feb. 12. The grants are designed to bring together K-12 schools, post-secondary institutions, employers and community organizations to plan and implement supportive efforts for students of all ages completing education and training beyond high school. Go to learnmoreindiana.org/scholars/alumni-partners/ for details.
Warsaw
• Warsaw Community Schools is seeking community input on the school start and end time for the 2020-21 academic year. Go to bit.ly/wcsstarttime to take a survey. The website includes background information and research about sleep and school start times. Direct additional questions to the district’s central office at 574-371-5098.
Students and parents who have a favorite teacher can nominate the individual for Teacher Honor Roll. Send nominations to The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802; fax 461-8893 or email asloboda@jg.net.
To submit an item, send a typed release from the school or organization to Education Notebook, The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802; fax 461-8893 or email asloboda@jg.net at least two weeks before the desired publication date.
