Four area toddlers received their GoBabyGo! vehicles and showed them off before taking them home during the Warsaw School Board meeting Monday.
Edgewood Middle School Project Lead the Way teacher Abbi Richcreek said this is the seventh year for the program. Over the past seven years, $25,000 has been raised through Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services (KEYS) grants and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 112 has contributed money as well to the program.
Participants are identified through Warsaw Community Schools Special Services, Joe’s Kids and private therapists.
Working in teams of three or four, Edgewood students collaborate with engineers from the community who serve as mentors throughout the program.
During the process, mentors from Dalton, DePuy and Grace College work with students to redesign and rebuild 12-volt Jeeps. It typically involves six to seven sessions, each lasting about two hours. The teams take into consideration what issues there are with the toddler and modify the Jeep accordingly.
Richcreek said the point of the program is to create independence and allow kids to be kids.
Including the four Jeeps that went home with the toddlers, 31 Jeeps have been customized for children in the area.
Richcreek thanked the Edgewood students and the mentors who participated in the program for their time. She also recognized all the mentors and gave them plaques. The mentors were Matt Miller, Dalton Foundries; Russ Lowry, Johnson & Johnson; physical therapist Aaron Turner, Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital; Larrie Davis, Johnson & Johnson; Chris Lord, Johnson & Johnson; Shaun Crist, Johnson & Johnson; Jon Fox, Johnson & Johnson, Matt Reimink, Grace College; Graydon Brath, Grace College; Coccia Kelden, Grace College; Joshua Nakasone, Grace College; Nathan Rulli, Grace College, Lauren Partington, Johnson & Johnson, and John Rak, Baxter Healthcare.

    Pictured (L to R) are Edgewood Middle School Project Lead the Way teacher Abbi Richcreek and Gene Richards, second district commander for the Department of Indiana VFW. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union
  

Before the Jeeps were shown off, the school board heard from Gene Richards, second district commander for the Department of Indiana Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In the 2nd District, there are 14 posts with Post 1126 in Warsaw. Every year, there are student competitions and a teacher of the year competition and each post submits an entry. Richcreek won as Teacher of the Year on the post level for Post 1126. She won $100 with that award.
Richcreek was also selected as the 2nd District Teacher of the Year. She won $200 with that award.
Richcreek was also chosen as the Department of Indiana Teacher of the Year. She received a plaque.
Richcreek will go forward to the national competition in the summer in Columbus, Ohio.
Richards said he’s hopeful Richcreek can do really well at the national competition and receive more accolades there.
Later in the meeting, WCS STEM instructional coach Derek Pike recognized Amanda Heltzel, from the Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Grace St. Clair, from the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams.
Pike said Heltzel and St. Clair are a huge part of the STEM program in the school district as community partners.
“Warsaw is blessed to have these two partners offer educational visits that are local and free,” he said.
In other business, the board heard prom is May 3 at the Tiger Den. The theme will be Masquerade Ball.