ECHS

It's been a great month. First 9-weeks Honor Roll numbers are in! 425 (35%) Students earned Exemplary Honors (straight A's) and 790 (64%) made the Honor Roll (all A's and/or all A's and B's). Fall sports are all but finished and found great success. Rowan Pies finished at State. Girls and Boys cross-country advanced to Regional weekend again this fall with Callie Bentley taking first at both Conference and Sectional. The girls team advanced to State for the third year in a row where Callie made the podium again improving from a 23rd place finish in 2023 year to 20th this year! Joel Richter won sectional in tennis and advanced to the regional final before falling just short of a state finals qualification. Lastly, girls soccer won sectional and advanced all the way to the final four losing 2-1 in a hard fought game to Center Grove. Football advances to play Franklin Community this Friday in the 5A sectional championship game...and Winter sports are literally right around the corner.

FCCLA attended the National Leadership Conference in Orlando taking 4 outstanding young ladies/State Officers to what was a very worthwhile experience in growth and leadership. FFA has continued on the competitive circuit as well in attending the National Convention in Indianapolis this month and competing in multiple categories.

In the arts, Marching Trojans took Gold at ISSMA and are now in the midst of the Mid-States circuit. Additionally, we will serve as host for this fall's SEI Honor Band event. This month also brings with it "Holy Mother of Bingo," this fall's drama presentation...November 22, 23, and 24. Hope to see some big crowds.

Student Council hosted the first of two annual Blood Drives with Hoxworth (the next one will be in March) this past month, and with two pretty devastating hurricanes over the last several weeks, partnered with Matthew 25 Ministries to support those still suffering from these storms.

Important Dates:

November 13 - Early Release

November 22-24 - Holy Mother of Bingo

November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break
December 18-20 - Finals

December 21-January 5 - Christmas Break

January 6 - 1st Student Day of 2nd semester

It is hard to believe that the school year is 1/4 of the way completed! I hope each of you are enjoying your year. Many of you are now thinking about your future and making plans for life after high school. For some that means applying to college or tech/trade school or committing to the military. For others that may mean entering the workforce directly.

As the year progresses, I will have a few opportunities for students considering entering the workforce directly. These opportunities are in the areas of engineering, manufacturing, plumbing, millwork, excavating, machining, and electrical. If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please fill out the attached Google form.

Career Exploration Field Trip Form

Mrs. Rosfeld

East Central High School is proud to showcase Emily Klem, daughter of Brian and Chris Klem, as Student of the Month. She carries a 4.2 cumulative grade point average and has achieved exemplary honor roll for earning over a 4.0 her entire high school attendance. At school she is involved in cross country where she was named Academic All State, softball and FFA, a student organization focusing on agricultural education. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and an Academic Jacket recipient as a junior for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average for 5 consecutive semesters.

Emily is a current Lilly Finalist for Dearborn County which, if awarded, could mean four-years, full-tuition plus required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment at any Indiana public or private college or university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Emily has earned the Indiana College Core by earning 30 or more hours of college credit while in high school.

In the community she has volunteered at Dearborn County Ag Day, participated in the Hoxworth Blood Drive and donated over 70 dozen duck eggs to the local food pantry. She enjoys being outdoors, running and woodworking.

Emily plans to attend Purdue University and major in Agricultural Engineering. She thanks her parents and friends, “for always challenging me to be the best person I can.” For other students she advises, “Take advantage of the opportunities you’re given and don’t take anything for granted.”

East Central High School happily announces Ava Leihgeber, daughter of Kip and Amber Leihgeber, as Student of the Month. She carries a 4.1 grade point average. Her school activities include varsity soccer, Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Acts of Kindness (AOK) Club and Ecology (ECO) Club. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and an Academic Jacket recipient as a junior for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average for 5 consecutive semesters. She has also participated with the Unified Track Team for students with physical and intellectual disabilities.

She is a captain for soccer as a senior and was an Indiana High School Athletic Association Leadership Conference Nominee. She earned Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference ( EIAC) All Conference as a junior in 2023. Academically she has been on exemplary honor roll her entire high school experience. In the community she has participated in canned food drives, raised money for breast cancer and participated in the kindness matters campaign for mental health. She likes to spend time with family and friends while shopping, baking, boating and playing pickleball.

Ava plans to attend college and play soccer at Trine University. While majoring in Chemistry she will be in the physician’s assistant program. She thanks her parents for who she is today, teaching her to work hard and do her best. She says, “They have taught me many useful life lessons.”

Her advice to other students is to “stay organized, always do your best and most importantly to not take this time for granted. Although school is important, make time to enjoy it because it goes by fast.”

Seniors:

College applications should be completed. Nov. 1st was the deadline for Purdue University and for scholarship consideration at IU through the application. December 1st is the next hard deadline for University of Cincinnati applications. If students need any assistance do not hesitate to follow up with their guidance counselor.

ECHS will be holding our Financial Aid Night on December 18th from 6:30- 8:00 pm in the Performing Arts Center. We will have our representative from INvested who will do an overview on how to complete the parent and student sections of the FAFSA for the class of 2025. At this event we will also have staff from INvestED here to help parents and students complete the FAFSA. We highly encourage all parents and seniors to attend. If you can not attend the presentation, it will be live streamed on trojanmediaproductions.com and available to view at a later date if needed.

Seniors who are undecided about what to study after high school are encouraged to connect with Ivy Tech Community College’s Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP). This program helps high school graduates earn an associate degree in just 11 months and prepares them to transfer to a four-year college to earn their bachelor's degree. Contact Wendi Karle at wkarle@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us for more information.

Juniors:

SAT School Day: The SAT School Day test for all juniors in the state of Indiana will be given during the school day on March 5th, 2025. This test is free and used by the state for school accountability. The benefit of the test is that students will be able to use this score report for college applications. More information will be provided as the March date approaches.

Sophomores and Freshman:

Southeastern Career Center: The website to review programs for junior year scheduling can be viewed at https://www.sccusa.org/. Mrs. Tupper has met with all sophomores in their English class to invite students who are interested to attend a field trip to the Career Center on November 25th.

As always we are available to meet with students individually to support academic and emotional needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Results from today’s IHSAA State Meet:

ECHS XC & Distance Team finish (21st place)

Callie Bentley (Jr) hit the podium for the 2nd year in a row with a 20th place finish in a really fast-paced race. She finished 23rd last year.

EC Principal, Tom Black, an IHSAA board member was able to present her w/ her medal!

Defense pitches the shutout & sophomore RB Ryan Minges rushed for 235 and 4 TDs against Seymour! Carson Pieczonka scored his first touchdown of his high school career.

This past Friday 11/8/2024, EC went to win the 5A Sectional Championship. The defense pitched another shutout while the offense controlled the ball/clock and played smart football! They travel to Decatur Central Friday evening to play for another Regional Championship.

The Girls Basketball season is already underway with (2) victories last week over South Dearborn and Richmond. The JV team is also undefeated with (2) convincing wins.

Stay Connected to East Central Athletics:

Facebook: East Central HS Athletics

X: @ECTrojanSports

Who they are: These are a group of students at East Central High School who do the behind the scenes work for the Trojan Exchange. They help by making shirt designs, talking to teachers, and much more. The managers are split between two class periods so we have a total of 10 Brooklyn Stath, Leah Toney, Sam Lyness, Eli Selhorst, John Dixon, and Brenden Griffin. For operations managers, we have Brooklyn Stath, Anna Black, and Meredith Sizemore. Next for marketing managers, we have Brenden Griffin and Eli Selhorst. For finance managers, we have Sam Lyness and Soraya Leurck. Finally we have technology managers who are Leah Toney and Bree Cleary.

What they do: The Trojan Exchange offers many positions as a junior and senior. The managers are a group of students that support the officers. Each manager has their own position and works with their officer one on one. This past month the managers have been assisting the officers by hosting a capture the flag tournament at the school. The managers also accompanied the officers to sell Tackle Cancer Shirts at the football game.

Where we are located: We are based out of the Trojan Exchange store in East Central High School. We use our store cart to come to all of the home football games, and sometimes other sports games. The Trojan Exchange also holds events around the school.

Our Why: The managers play a key role in the Trojan Exchange. They help the officers and learn how to operate a business. This month the managers did a lot of the behind the scenes work. For example, they put up flyers around the school promoting the capture the flag Tournament along with working the tournament. The Trojan Exchange wants to highlight the managers for putting all their hard work and dedication into our student led business.

THANK YOU!!!

We want to thank the community for supporting the Darringer family and their fight against cancer. This wouldn’t be possible without all the support!

Happy Holidays from the Trojan Exchange! Our Winter Sale is now up and running! This new merchandise is available for a limited time, don't wait! Order now through November 25th (at noon) to get the perfect merchandise for you, and the best gifts for your loved ones. Ordering link is posted below and available on Facebook, Instagram, and our website.

https://stores.inksoft.com/ecwinter24/shop/home

Facebook - TrojanExchange

Instagram - trojanexchange

Our mission in the Trojan Exchange is to give students the opportunity to get hands-on business experience. The profit we earn off of our merchandise goes directly towards our senior scholarships. We thank you for your continued support towards our business! We are EC!

2024-2025 Yearbooks are now on sale! Reserve your copy today by going to www.yearbookforever.com, search ECHS, and select "Buy a Yearbook". There is a "Ship to Home" option available if you would like to have your yearbook delivered directly to your home. The deadline to order is April 30th, 2025.

Celebrate your senior and their success by purchasing an Ad for Grad. Ad for Grads are available to purchase online at www.yearbookforever.com. Search for ECHS, select "Buy a Personal Ad", and design your senior's Ad for Grad today! Deadline to order is April 30th, 2025.

Are you looking for a way to promote your business? Look no further and purchase a Business Ad in the 2024-2025 Yearbook! Buying a Business Ad is a great way to get your business's name out into the community and it also helps lower the prices of yearbooks for students. Go to www.yearbookforever.com, search ECHS, and select "Buy a Business Ad".

Do you have images you would like to submit and possibly have featured in the 2024-2025 Yearbook? You can use Yearbook Snap to upload your own images for potential use in the yearbook. Go to www.yearbookforever.com, search for ECHS, and select "Yearbook Snap". The access code to upload is: Trojans

Mrs. Stanley and the ECHS Yearbook Staff are teaming up with the Marine Corps this holiday season to collect toys for their annual Toys for Tots Drive.

MISSION: The basic mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to less fortunate children at Christmas.

GOAL: The primary goal of Marine Toys for Tots is, through the gift of a new toy, help bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to America's less fortunate children.

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/IL8U2H52Y5C6

WAYS TO DONATE:

1. Go Shopping! Bring in a new/unwrapped toy of your choice. The ages range from newborn-12 years old. Deliver your new/unwrapped toy to the donation boxes here at school by the front bus entrance.

2. Scan the QR code below or click the following link to access the Amazon ECHS Toys for Tots 2024 gift list. There are many toy options to choose from. Once you add your item to your cart and you go to check out, you can have the toy shipped to your residence and bring it in to school.

3. OR under “other addresses” in the shipping options on the Amazon list you can select “Kati A. Stanley’s Gift Registry Address” so the toy(s) you purchase will be delivered directly to ECHS.

We have hot pumpkin spice coffee, frozen pumpkin spice coffee, and pumpkin muffins. We continue to offer all of our previous drinks as well. Stop by between classes or during class to support the Cafe. We are open periods 2,3,5,6. Reminder to teachers that you are welcome to call the Cafe to have your order delivered. ( ext. 11994 )

StuCo was busy the month of October. On the one hand, 15 students and both moderators worked hard at the Freestore Foodbank to pack holiday boxes for the tri-state area. This round, StuCo boxed 450 holiday meals for 450 families on 5 pallets. In addition, the Hurricane Helene and Milton drive through Mathew 25 netted 6 skids and thousands of items for those impacted in both the Carolinas and Florida. Thank you to all ECHS community members who made this happen!

East Central HS of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America

1 Trojan Place, St. Leon, IN 47012

Phone: (513) 720-0878 Email: bosman@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

On Tuesday, October 29, 2024 the East Central Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) went to the North Dearborn Village to eat dinner and carve pumpkins with the residents. Ms. McConnell’s Culinary Students prepared the homemade chicken noodle soup and apple crisp for Tuesday’s meal. Students set condiments at the tables and served drinks and soups to the residents. As dinner went on, the sounds of the young and the elderly holding conversations could be heard throughout the room.

After dinner, students and the elderly began to carve pumpkins together. Booklets with stickers in them were given to each table so people didn’t have to free hand their design if they didn’t want to. As one student helped carve a pumpkin, a man told them, “this is my first time ever carving a pumpkin, I am so excited.”

There were many different pumpkins by the time everyone was finished. One North Dearborn Village resident carved a cat and another one even had a ghost popping out of her pumpkin! The carved pumpkins were displayed in the lobby of the North Dearborn Village. “I really enjoy doing this event every year because it is always so fun to get to know the residents and see the big smiles on their faces,” said East Central FCCLA President, Kara Rowland.

Over 30 East Central FCCLA Chapter members attended the pumpkin carving event, including FCCLA Advisers, Mrs. Josie Bonilla and Mrs. Brenda Osman. If your son or daughter is a student at East Central High School and would like to join FCCLA please contact one of the advisers.

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by members. It is the only career and technical in-school student organization with family as its central focus. Participation in national events, state programs, and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers and communities.

We are excited for our fall production of Holy Mother of Bingo. The play is an interactive murder mystery, with the audience playing bingo for prizes and the chance to figure out who the murderer is. Tickets can be purchased before the show at will call.

Four members of the East Central FFA Chapter competed in the National FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event on Wednesday October 23 at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. This event was held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Forty three state winning teams were there. Each teach competed on local and state levels to earn the privilege of representing their state at the National FFA Convention and Expo.

The Nursery/Landscape CDE is a competitive event in which FFA members test their knowledge and skills in nursery practices and landscaping. Participants must complete a general knowledge exam testing horticultural principles including plant anatomy, production, marketing, turf, landscape design and maintenance. Each participant must also complete practicums involving landscape estimating, plant propagation or potting, identification of ornamental plants, plant pests, diseases and plant disorders. They complete a verbal customer assistance practicums and members also tested their hands on skills by completing a series of landscape related practicums. This year members constructed a retaining wall, built a paver patio, placed sod, and also explained to a judge safety checks and operational procedures for a skid steer as well as an intermediate walk behind mower.

The East Central team consisted of Jasmin Keith, Evan Kramer, Riley Shumate and Wyatt Smith. They won the Indiana FFA Nursery/Landscape CDE in April in order to qualify for the national competition. They finished in the Silver Emblem category placing 22nd overall out of 43 teams.

I am attaching a team photo as well as some photos that were part of the team skills challenge.

PHOTO: EVAN KRAMER, JASMIN KEITH, RILEY SHUMATE AND WYATT SMITH

Students in digital photography got to choose a pumpkin and created their own Jack-o-lantern

design that worked best for showcasing their smoke photography. The students removed all

seeds and pulp for better illumination. Students walked out on location and found a background

that contrasted with the smoke colors. Using a DSLR camera, the students used a low ISO and

changed the camera settings to continuous shooting mode for they only had 15 to 20 seconds

before the smoke disappeared. After taking the photos, the students enhanced the color and

contrast in post-processing Lightroom software.

In Mrs. Gulasy’s ceramic class, students were excited to see their hard work pay off as they got

to see their sculptural containers with fitted lids be unloaded from the final glaze firing.

Are you interested in art, but not good at drawing? You can still be an artist in our Photoshop

class.

The students in the Digital Design: Photoshop class created pencil sketch caricatures with varied

advanced tools. With these tools, they can modify facial features of portraits and create natural

pencil textures without using the Pencil tool or Brush tool. In our Digital Design classes, we

work on a wide range of artwork from oil painting to poster design. If you are interested in

graphic design or fine art, please contact us or stop by our art rooms. We will provide you with a

list of the art courses we offer, and you can find classes that fit your interests for sure!

Congratulations to the East Central Marching Trojans for putting on a great performance at Whiteland Community High School. The band received a gold rating at this event.

Congratulations to our East Central Marching Trojans seniors for their years of dedication to our marching band. Seniors were recognized with roses and thoughtful senior baskets.

Congratulations to the ECMT for their best performance yet of the season this past Saturday. Trojans took home a 2nd place overall for percussion, and we had the second top color guard in our class. The Marching Trojans have two more competitions this season–Centerville Invitational on November 2nd, and MidStates Championships at Miamisburg on November 9th.

Mark your calendars to watch the ECHS Pep Band at the Girls vs. Jennings County game on December 3rd, and the Boys vs. Whiteland Community High School game on December 7th.

Please mark your calendars for the ECHS Band’s Winter Concert. The High School Combined Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble look forward to putting together some great music and performing for the community. We have some great repertoire planned!

The first eight weeks of the school year have been incredibly productive for Mrs. Hutzel’s Prep for College and Careers (PCC) students! They've delved deeply into self-discovery, mastering the ability to analyze their personal traits, interests, attitudes, and skills. Additionally, students have set both short- and long-term personal and career goals and have assessed their values, ethics, and standards within their families and communities.

To connect classroom learning with real-world applications, the students have been engaging with a variety of guest speakers. This year, they've already had insightful sessions with representatives from the Greater Cincinnati Apprenticeship Council, Ivy Tech Community College, and the Army, providing them with valuable perspectives and opportunities for their future careers.

The choirs did a phenomenal job at their fall concert on Sunday, Oct. 20th. The students put on a wonderful show and had a great time. The choir department will present their Christmas Concert on Sunday, Dec. 8th at 3:00p

Students from Mr. Kennedy’s and Mr. Moorman’s Engineering Classes visited Cincinnati Incorporated and explored the CI Facility. Students were introduced to what went on at CI, what they manufactured, Careers at CI and had a chance to talk and ask questions with current Engineers and other Employees. After a brief powerpoint about CI’s history, and their operations, the students were lead on a shop floor tour, where they got to see machines in action and manufacturing of some huge products. Many questions were asked and answered by the very intelligible staff giving the tours. The tour concluded with a demonstration of their new laser engraver and swag was distributed. Ask an Engineering student that went on the trip what they received.

In English 12 students are finishing up the Canterbury Tales. The students have enjoyed learning about the different pilgrims, the middle ages and background on Chaucer. We just finished reading "The Pardoner's Tale" and will have a unit test coming up. Macbeth is up next and is one of Mrs. P's favorite units of the year.

Students have been practicing their sewing skills by making some fun small projects and by working on their pajama pants apparel project. We have reviewed many basic sewing techniques and practiced them by making journaling bookmarks and fabric pumpkins. Students learned how to take body measurements and which ones to use in order to make an apparel item using a commercial sewing pattern.

Students in Adv. Nutrition and Wellness 1 are looking at how the body digests food and converts it to energy. While learning about the different nutrients that our bodies need we are practicing our culinary skills as well. We have looked at simple swaps to boost nutrients such as making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to increase the vitamin and mineral intake compared to a regular version.

Have you ever been curious about what it's like to be a teenager in a different country? What is their school like? What are their favorite things to do? What are their favorite foods?

This year, students in Japanese 3,4 and 5 joined a program called Kizuna Across Cultures: Global Classmates. EC was selected as one of the 40 high schools in the U.S. to join the program! In this program the students communicate with high school students in Japan. Our partner school is called Awaji High School, located in Awaji Island that is close to the cities Osaka and Kobe. Students use both Japanese and English to post comments about varied topics. So far they worked on two topics: self introduction and self identity. They are now working on a new topic and typing about their favorite foods in Japanese and in English. They are also preparing for the gift exchange event. They will send American snacks and candy, hand-made cards and crafts.

This month the math department would like to highlight our precalculus students. Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Bovard are working hard to get these students prepared for calculus next year. The students’ algebra skills are being challenged and improved upon daily as we continue to review and learn new concepts. The honors classes have just finished a chapter on functions, finding domain and range and finding inverse functions. We also worked hard at modeling functions and setting up real life problems. We began a new chapter and are finding the zeros of polynomials, the maximum and minimum of polynomials and graphing them without the use of a calculator. Mrs. Brown likes to incorporate trash basketball when reviewing for a quiz. The class breaks out into groups making sure their group members understand the concepts, answering Mrs. Brown’s review questions. If the team gets the answer correct, then they get to shoot the ball; the winning team gets a treat. We have enjoyed challenging these students and helping them improve their math skills so far this year.

Athletic Training Class with Mr. Henricks

Students are currently studying the lower extremity. They will be participating in hand taping and

splinting in the near future.

Freshmen PE with Mrs. Beck and Mrs. Andres

Mrs. Beck and Mrs. Andres are working with students to complete Fitness Testing.

Mrs. Andres just finished up the flag football unit and is currently working on the track unit. The

students have spent some time enjoying a little weasel ball and relaxation techniques. Ryan

Dragon did a fabulous job showing off his pitching skills.

Mrs. Beck completed the soccer unit and has spent time playing ultimate frisbee and football.

Her classes earned a choice day and enjoyed playing 9-square.

Strength and Conditioning with Mr. Sipe

Mr. Sipe’s classes maxed out at the end of Quarter 1. They are working on meeting their new

goals and look forward to seeing improvements across the board.

Lifeguarding with Mr. Loveless

The class has been working on emergency situations. They are currently working on

back boarding victims.

Earth and Space students have been learning about factors that influence erosion and weathering rates along with how natural factors can be affected.

Students have been learning about the Coriolis effect and wind patterns.

Students have done water quality testing lab, carbon and BTB solution testing lab, and soil horizon laboratory.

Students in AP Chemistry are learning about properties of gases and solutions. Students recently determined the molar mass of butane through the analysis of gas variables in a eudiometer tube.

Students in Chemistry II are expanding on building Lewis Dot Structures with expanded and limited octets of electrons. Students are also working to determine the molecular geometry and polarity of complex organic molecules.

Students in Chemistry I are evaluating strength of intermolecular forces through a variety of activities, such as determining the number of drops of certain liquids that can fit on the head of a penny and rates of evaporation.

In Mr. Owen's American History course, we are studying the era of Jacksonian Democracy and the rise of the Industrial Revolution in America. We are working on completing our Semester Projects involving the use of Primary Source Documents and the concept of Change Over Time. Ask your student about this bridge in Cincinnati:

In AP European History we are discussing the rise of Absolutism in Britain and France in the 17th and 18th centuries. Students are working on their Semester Projects involving a comparison of specific years throughout Europe. Ask your student about the significance of this painting from 1656:

Students in the Dual Credit Government class are analyzing court cases to determine the philosophy of past and present Supreme Court Justices. Students are working together to determine if the courts followed proper protocol or worked outside of their parameters in order to create more Judicial power.