LSC in the News
First JHS Girls Wrestlers to Compete at College Level
Lexi Baumgartner and Senniah Henderson made history as part of the first JHS Girls Wrestling Team and have now signed letters of intent to wrestle at their respective collegesHigh school wrestling can evoke lots of images: players pinning one another on mats, using feats of both mental and physical strength.
But girls were not typically part of this picture – until this year. And that image has changed for good.
This year, the IHSAA added girls wrestling as an officially sanctioned sport in the state of Indiana. And last week, Jefferson High School seniors Lexi Baumgartner and Senniah Henderson have signed letters of intent to wrestle at the college level this fall. Baumgartner will attend Adrian College to study dietetics; Henderson will attend Manchester University, majoring in elementary education.
“We are super excited for Lexi and Senniah to have this opportunity to represent Lafayette Jeff and LSC in the world of women’s college wrestling,” says JHS girls wrestling coach Clay Jones.
Girls wrestling started as a club at JHS, Jones says. He likes watching the girls learn, along with their male counterparts, how to apply strategy and calculation in their matches.
“There are a lot more lessons to be learned than just what’s in your regular classes,” Jones says. “There is different adversity that they will face.”
And wrestling, he says, can help with that, as the girls learn focus and determination.
“It’s a confidence-booster,” he says. “They can handle themselves.”
Both girls know they are breaking new ground as female wrestlers in a historically male-dominated sport. In fact, Henderson says, she didn’t even know she could be wrestler until she was approached.
“I was shocked because I didn’t know wresting was an option and that girls could do it,” she says. “I just decided to show up. I kept showing up because I wanted to be included in something and thought that wrestling was the only sport that I did very well in.”
And they have both found the atmosphere at JHS to be nothing but supportive.
“Nobody in the Jeff wrestling room looked down on us because we were seen as ‘girls doing a boys’ sport,’ " says Baumgartner “Instead they encouraged us, came to our meets, practiced with us, and supported us in every way that they could.”
And the lessons they’ve learned have meaning beyond the wrestling mat. Both girls say they’ve learned athleticism and skills. But they have also learned other skills and talents they have broader applications. Henderson says she’s learned patience, and how to slow down, be more intentional.
“I've personally learned a lot as a wrestler,” says Baumgartner. “I've learned how to take control of my mentality and how important it is to be in a good mental state before a match, because like my coaches always say, ‘If you go into a match thinking you're going to lose, you've already lost.’ I also learned how to have self-discipline, and how to be a leader and help my teammates when I knew that that they needed it.”
As they move on to wrestle at the collegiate level, they know it will be a new set of challenges. But, they say, they are prepared.
“I feel a little nervous,” admitted Henderson. “Because even though it is similar, I feel that I will be a struggle to wrestle freestyle. And I feel that it will be how I first started when I was inexperienced, but I also feel glad because it’s a great opportunity to get way better.”
In their first season, the JHS girls team won sectionals and placed 11th at Team State – and impressive start for the team. Baumgartner feels this success and her high school experience have helped prepare her for the challenges ahead.
“I think wrestling at the college level is definitely going to be a big change since it's a switch from folkstyle wrestling to freestyle wrestling,” she says. “It will also be much harder than high school, which I'd expected, but I think that It's definitely something Senniah and I will be able to handle. All our coaches were super supportive of us deciding to wrestle in college and their support made our decision to continue wrestling in college a lot easier.”
Baumgartner and Henderson have both felt the support of the wrestling family here at JHS. And Coach Jones hopes they know how much they have given to the program.
“Hopefully these two have set the tone,” he says. “Not just for this year’s team but for for future wrestlers. You can still be successful and compete in college even if you start your sophomore year of high school. It’s a huge accomplishment.”
LSC Announces 2025 Distinguished Educators
Lafayette School Corp. is pleased to announce its Distinguished Educators for 2025. These teachers, who are chosen by their peers, are those who exemplify the traits of caring professionals who go above and beyond each and every day, dedicating themselves to their students.
Dawn Sargent, a third-grade teacher at Glen Acres Elementary School, was named the District’s Distinguished Educator. She has taught at Glen Acres and at Sunnyside Intermediate School, and is currently part of the SCALE K-12 curriculum, which teaches students about microelectronics. Sargent is dedicated to her students, always offering them support, says Glen Acres assistant principal Stefani Goetz. She consistently inspires and empowers her students, challenging them, yet treating them with compassion.
Other school Distinguished Educators for LSC include:
Angel Elliott, nurse, Linnwood Preschool
Jessica Dalton, Kindergarten, Earhart Elementary
Cordell Ford, third grade, Edgelea Elementary
Ashley Baldwin, third grade, Miami Elementary
Adam Cross, special education, Miller Elementary
Megan Shumaker, third grade, Murdock Elementary
Anna Colosi, special education, Oakland Elementary
Rita Bostic, paraprofessional/RBT, Vinton Elementary
Molly Pratt, physical education, Sunnyside Intermediate School
Jill Heim, math, Tecumseh Jr. High School
Addie Pokrificak, social studies, Jefferson High School
Shawna Pearl, student success coordinator, Oakland Academy
An Up-Close Look at Manufacturing
The world of high-tech manufacturing is a fast-paced environment. Highly technical.
It’s the future of the U.S. economy. And a group Tecumseh Jr. High students experienced a day at Caterpillar to see what is involved in this work environment.
A group of 12 students toured the Lafayette Large Engine Center to see up close and personal how the factory manufactures its large engines. The 1.6 million square foot plant manufactures some of Caterpillar’s largest engines. The plant serves a number of key industries, from the power, marine and mining industries. Those markets purchase engines or gensets that provide power directly, or back-up power for data centers.
Students toured the factory and saw the many high-tech jobs operating that day. Each job is highly specialized and requires extensive training.
Safety is always a priority. Hence training and attention to detail are emphasized.
The students underwent their own training, just as a new Caterpillar hire would. They learned how to safely operate tools and inspect parts prior to an assembly.
After their visit, students were enthusiastic about the opportunities available in a workplace like Caterpillar.
“I am interested in journalism and engineering,” says eighth-grader Agalya Vasanthakumar Sujeetha. “But now I’m leaning more toward engineering.”
Students learn about opportunities in the Field of Human Services
Students in Laila Wilson’s Principles of Human Services class met with a panel of Human Services professionals, who shared with students their career path, education and why they chose their field.
Panelists included Anna Cordero-Munoz, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), The Springs; Paige Ittig, New Leaf and Outreach Intern, Tippecanoe County Community Corrections (current Purdue student); Katie Medrano, Training and Communication Outreach Specialist, Tippecanoe County Community Corrections; Stacia Bernard, Director of Day Services and Family Support, Wabash Center; and Jason Schatzer, Lafayette Police Department/School Resource Officer.
Students learned about what education, skills and certifications they needed for each job represented on the panel. For many jobs, a degree is not necessarily required, but training is. Cordero-Munoz says that having certifications enables to do more at her job, and it can increase one’s pay.
When asked about day-to-day responsibilities, it was clear that while there is an anticipated routine, those can change quickly.
“I usually have a general idea of what my day will look like,” says Bernard. “Then I show up at work and it’s dismantled. This is what happens when you work with humans.”
This was a sentiment shared by LPD Officer Schatzer. “It’s unknown every day,” he says. “I can be busy or there are days when there’s nothing going on. The joy is being able to help people when they’re in crisis.”
Each of these jobs, which involves working closely with people, often people who might be in a difficult place in life, requires critical thinking skills, patience, compassion and organization. And, the panelists stressed, the ability to communicate is key.
And they each emphasized the willingness to keep learning.
“Continue to sharpen your skills,” says Schatzer. “Be a student of your profession.”
It’s important in these fields to find time for self-care, Medrano says. But she, like the others, says the day-to-day stress and responsibilities are worth it, as they know they are helping others improve their lives. Medrano may see someone go through her program three or four times, but when a client sees success on the fifth try, she knows it was worth it.
The students walked away with a deeper knowledge of the many career paths that await them. And they gained a deeper understanding of what these types of jobs entail.
“I learned that there are so many different people who work in so many different fields,” says sophomore Na’Keya Riggins, who plans to go into child psychology. “It gave me a push to know that I want to work with people and help individuals.”
AP African American Studies Opens a New Chapter in History
Julia Avila is excited about her research project. She is looking into the life of Gladys Bentley, an American blues singer and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance. A cross-dressing performer, she adopted a stage presence, Barbara “Bobbie” Minton, and broke down barriers for both women and blacks in entertainment.
“She paved the way for representation in the LGBTQ community,” Avila shares.
W.E.B. Du Bois. Billie Holiday. Elizabeth Freeman. Zora Neale Hurston. These historical figures and many others are being explored in Jefferson High School’s AP African American Studies course. The course, new this year in Indiana, explores history, literature and culture in ways that students have never been exposed to before, says teacher Craig Henderson.
“I never learned much about African American history in high school,” Henderson says. “I think it’s important because it’s American history. Kids need to know more than slavery, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. I think it’s important we teach this stuff.”
There is so much in our society that has been contributed by African Americans, Henderson says, but it has often been overlooked or glossed over in other courses. This course gives students an opportunity to dive deep into people, issues and themes.
The students look at history. But they also look at art, music, literature and culture. Henderson has woven in a lot of projects – the Spotify rap project was a favorite.
It’s a rigorous course, Henderson says, which one would expect in an AP class. While the class engages in some healthy debate and critical thinking, it’s not with the intent of laying blame. They are focused on studying the facts.
“These are tough topics we can learn and grow from,” he says. “Here’s what happened, here’s what we can learn.”
One cannot fairly look at U.S. history without factoring in the contributions and treatment of African Americans, Henderson says. This class gives the students an opportunity to engage in these stories and the broader implications.
“Mr. Bojangles challenged minstrel show stereotypes,” Henderson says. “We realize how influential that was. We can have some really good discussions, really detailed. The students often bring ideas I didn’t even think of.”
Promise Moore is working on a project on Marcellus Williams. It’s a look at more recent history, as he was executed in Missouri in September 2024, even after the current prosecutor acknowledged errors were made by the trial prosecutors, witnesses were paid for their testimony, and the victim’s family begged for his clemency. Moore is looking to compare and contrast the injustice of the Black community in the legal system.
“There hasn’t really been made a space for Black people to either come to the legal system in search of help or to be in positions of leadership,” she says.
Moore enrolled in the class to engage in these issues. “I’ve really gotten to see a lot of extremes that white southerners went to keep their ideologies alive,” she says. “For this same reason, I knew that knowing the Black history of American is the history of America, and I was not educated enough.”
“I come from an interracial family,” says Hope Potts. “A lot of people sweep Black culture under the carpet. I get to take it home and engage my younger sisters. Racism is learned; racism is a social construct.”
But she does not feel that the course guides her to find these conclusions.
“It’s just the facts,” she says. “You’ve got to open up your ears and your eyes.”
Senior Nevaeh Rush feels that other history courses don’t tell the whole story.
“In order to understand people, you have to know their background,” she says. “Black Americans are Americans. Slavery, an entire social industry, is 200 years old. You don’t get to see the glamorous beauty that is African American history.”
“We get a deeper understanding of what they went through,” adds junior Maya Layton. “You can see a difference.”
This class, just like other AP classes, gives students a chance to delve deeply into the intersectionality, the complex issues that concern them, share their thoughts, and look to apply them to the current world, creating positive outcomes, Henderson says.
“An accurate picture of Black history, more than just slavery, more than the Civil Rights movement, now that’s African American history,” he says. “I don’t think you can tell the full story of American history without Black history.”
Lafayette School Corporation
Here in the Lafayette School Corporation, we strive to nurture, inspire and empower our students, staff and families.
See the entire video in District News or LSC in the News.
JHS Alumni Share Their Stories
Graduates of Jefferson High School have gone on to do some amazing things with their careers. We sat down with seven alumni to hear their stories, and about how their time at JHS helped them develop successful careers. Thanks to our amazing graduates who shared their stories!
Roadtrip Nation: Creating a Roadmap for the Future
At 17, who knows with certainty what the future holds? Who can imagine what their career will look like in five years, much less 20, 30 or 40 years down the road?
A young person’s career path – or road trip, if you will – can go in all sorts of directions. And Roadtrip Nation is here to help students start their journey.
On August 28, Jarrett, Maya, Penelope and Tate – the “roadies” of Roadtrip Nation – made a stop at Jefferson High School, sharing these messages of discovery, encouragement and empowerment with students. Their goal: help students turn their interests into a career.
It all starts with looking at one’s interests, the group says. Is there a way to turn whatever holds your attention into a career? Perhaps a love of storytelling evolves into a career in journalism or being a writer; a fascination with video games and design and presto, a video game designer is born.
“It’s OK to be drawn any which way your interests tell you,” Penelope tells the assembled group.
And while students are in those early stages of discovery, it can be possible to get off track. Lots of negative noise can come from those around you. It’s your job, Jarrett tells the group, to learn to shed the negative noise.
“It’s a distraction,” Jarrett says. “Focus on the positive. It’s about the things you learn along the way.
“The more skills you appropriate, the more you learn about yourself.”
The tools and resources available at roadtripnation.com can help students figure out their own journey. It’s normal and natural to feel a bit lost and overwhelmed. The most important thing is to follow your own instincts. You are the only one who knows what is best for you.
And there is no one “right” path. For each person, there are many possible roads to take. Roadtrip Nation shares stories of others and how their unique career path started, all with the goal of motivating young people to forge their own way - with courage and conviction.
“We do this for you,” they tell the students. “Today is all about you.”
A Lifetime in the Classroom
Chuck Herber has spent 58 years in the classroom - and he keeps coming back for more
In the opening sequence of the JHS lip dub back in 2015, Patrick CasaSanta, Sylvia Mueller and Shane Shipley were in awe when they asked Chuck Herber about the longevity of his storied teaching career.
“Mr. Herber, is it true you’ve been teaching for 50 years?” CasaSanta asks. “Do you still like it?”
“I don’t like it,” answers an enthusiastic Herber. “I love it!”
Fast forward to 2024, and the answer is the same.
For 58 years – 38 of them at Jefferson High School – Chuck Herber has been working with students, mentoring, teaching, inspiring. Helping them transform into the adults they will become.
A graduate of St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Herber studied English – a rigorous program, he recalls. After stints elsewhere, stumbling about a bit, with a foray into graduate school – “I was young and single” – he ended up in the classroom. And after a few years, he knew he wanted to make the move to JHS. He first applied in 1977 but was rejected; nearly a decade later, he was contacted and encouraged to reapply.
“When [Principal] Denny Blind was hiring, he wanted to get good teachers,” Herber recalls. “And how do you do that? Through the interview process.”
Herber recalls making an intense curriculum presentation, followed by meeting with parents and current students. After two hours or so of exhaustive questioning, he sat down for the final interview portion.
“Then he [Blind] did something nasty and awful,” Herber says. “It’s hilarious. We met in the privacy of his office, with an ashtray and a lighter on the table.” Blind, who was vehemently anti-smoking, hoped to trip up smokers into reaching for a much-needed cigarette, which would then rule out those candidates.
Herber passed that test – which didn’t make his then-superintendent happy. “That blasted Denny Blind steals more teachers from this corporation,” Herber recalls him saying with a laugh.
He came for the job – one that held not only prestige, but the promise of a brand-new 4 megabyte computer. The school corporation came through on that promise, and Herber continues in his role to this day.
Much of his career has centered around journalism courses and production of the school’s award-winning newspaper, The Booster. He has seen the changes in technology, from using linotype galleys and paste-up boards to computer pagination, developing film and creating contact sheets to all-digital photography.
Much of the motivation for producing The Booster has come from the students, Herber says. They are the ones who sell ads to support the production and printing of the paper. And they were part of the impetus for a project that is currently underway to digitize and preserve all copies of the Booster going back to 1913.
“It’s always the students,” Herber says.
Herber has fought to keep The Booster publishing all these years. Students benefit from the skills they gain as young journalists. Not only do they learn about reporting, writing and designing a newspaper, but they learn about the business aspects – often firsthand, as they sell ads to support the production of the paper.
“I’ve never had a kid who worked for the school newspaper who did poorly in college,” Herber says.
His connection to the students inspired him, at age 44, to go back to school and become a certified counselor. While he never worked in that area, it was one more way to help. Knowing when to make referrals and early intervention helps students get the assistance they need.
Teaching has been Herber’s life for 58 years. And it’s a career, he says, that might have never happened had he been drafted back in 1966. When his number came up, he went to the draft board and asked, “Do you think, should I immediately inform my principal?”
The women at the draft looked at him and shook her head, Herber recalls.
“She said, and I’ll never forget it, ‘Honey child, you stay with me. We need good teachers; we can get lots of soldiers.’ “
“I just love what I’m doing,” Herber says. “I love being with the kids. Can they be a pain in the neck sometimes? Of course.”
And then he quotes a favorite song from John Denver: “They are a promise for the future and the blessing of tomorrow.”
“On your down days, that keeps you alive.”
Fun Facts About Chuck Herber
No. of push-ups he can do: His best is 41.
He starts each day with a workout. “I’m interested in toning. It’s a great way to connect with the kids.
Favorites
Lessons: “When kids do their senior projects.”
A particular favorite: “How to Be a Millionaire by the Time You’re 40”
Book: Macbeth “I see how it applies to life – Bernie Madoff is Macbeth. Blind ambition can become total greed.”
Movie: Cecil B. DeMille’s “The 10 Commandments”
TV Show: “Father Knows Best”
Record album: The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
Newspaper: New York Times
And, naturally, The JHS Booster.
