Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PIERCETON -ÊA Pierceton man is being held on $2,000 bond for allegedly having an illegal methamphetamine lab on his property.
Kevin Wayne Weikart, 34, of 8476 E. CR 350N, Pierceton, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail Thursday at 1:44 p.m. on one count of having an illegal drug lab.
According to the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force, several complaints were received about Weikart's possible illegal drug activity and, after a one-month investigation, a search warrant was issued.
When police searched Weikart's residence, cylinders holding anhydrous ammonia and a firearm were found in a shed. The containers were leaking and volatile.
According to the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force, Weikart also was charged with dealing in methamphetamine, a Class B felony, and operating an illegal methamphetamine lab with a firearm present, a Class C felony.
The Indiana State Police lab clean-up team and the Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Office assisted in the investigation.
Leesburg School Wins National Award
BY DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer
LEESBURG - Only two schools in the state are honored with National Title I Distinguished Schools Recognition Program awards each year, and Leesburg Elementary is one of them this year.
Thursday afternoon, representatives of the Indiana Department of Education made the "surprise" announcement to the school during an assembly. Leesburg Principal Marv Marino and his secretary were the only two people at the school who knew Leesburg was to receive the award beforehand.
"We're very pleased," said Marino of the award. "It's very nice to be recognized and we're very proud of our (Title I) program."
Along with the recognition and a plaque, Leesburg receives a $12,200 high-performing grant award.
"You are the inspiration for schools across Indiana," LeeAnn Kwiatkowski, IDOE Title I director, told Leesburg School at the assembly.
The National Title I Distinguished Schools Program is a project of the National Association of State Title I directors, and provides an opportunity for Title I schools from every state to be publicly recognized for their positive educational achievements.
Each state may nominate two schools for national recognition, one from each of two categories. The categories include a school that has exceeded its adequate yearly progress for two or more years, and a school that has significantly closed the achievement gap between student groups.
Schools nominated must have demonstrated high academic achievement for two or more consecutive years; met or exceeded state standards for making AYP for two or more consecutive years; and demonstrated a poverty rate of 35 percent or higher for the nominated year. Each participating state establishes and implements its own process for determining exemplary school effectiveness.
Leesburg Title I teachers will showcase their program at the state and national Title I conferences.
Marino said the state called Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth several weeks ago to let him know Leesburg was being considered for the award. They then called Marino for a telephone interview a couple weeks ago. Program consultants then visited Leesburg and met with Leesburg teachers, administration and parents. Last week, Marino said he received a call from the IDOE Title I office that Leesburg had been chosen to represent Indiana at the national conference and to speak at the state conference. The state representatives were very impressed with Leesburg's Title I department.
Marino said it was very hard to keep it a secret, and the award belongs to the teachers and staff who make Leesburg's Title I program work.
"It's a good staff, and good kids, and the staff really cares," said Marino.
Leesburg's Title I program focuses on grades kindergarten through third grade.
In kindergarten, identified students participate in an extended day program focusing on reading and writing. The program provides students with an extra hour of instruction every day.
Primary students are placed into literacy groups based on individual student reading assessments. According to LES's program description, provided by Marino, "By pulling together our internal resources, we are able to run 17 to 20 literacy groups at each grade level led by classroom, Title I, special education and (English as a Second Language) teachers, along with trained assistants. These 45-minute daily sessions feature instruction based on a balanced literacy approach to reading and writing, which compliments regular classroom instruction."
First-grade students participate in only one literacy group, but second- and third-grade students have two daily groups. Students are retested quarterly and regrouped as needed. First-grade students not reading at grade level are given daily one-on-one instruction.
Four nights a week, Leesburg offers an after-school program to selected second- and third-grade students. During the summer, the school corporation offers kindergarten and first-grade students Summer Reading Camp. Jump Start, also a summer program, is offered to identified students in grades 2-6.
"All of those things together, we look at as part of our program," said Marino.
Parental involvement is another key to the Title I program's success, he said.
The parent coordinator provides an opportunity for parents of kindergarten and first-grade students to receive training to help their student at home. The Sus Amigos program offers parent workshops taught in Spanish designed to teach parents about important school topics. Hispanic students may attend an after-school program for one hour four nights a week. A Leesburg church has partnered with Leesburg Elementary to offer a weekly ESL Homework Club.
"That's a real key to a child's success," said Marino of parental involvement.
IDOE Program Consultant Lenee Reedus told the LES assembly, "Today, you all should be very excited. You guys are role models to all the schools across Indiana."
When looking at Leesburg for the award, Reedus said she found the school to have a welcoming environment from the moment she walked into the school. The school has found a creative and productive use of the limited space and resources it has. Each teacher makes every classroom very welcoming.
"Be encouraged and keep up the good work," Reedus said.
