NORTH CENTRAL PARKE NEWS

For the fourth year in a row, the Parke Heritage High School boys basketball team claimed the sectional title on Saturday, March 7 at Greencastle High School.

The Wolves defeated South Putnam in the Championship game, 56-44 to claim their fourth consecutive title. .

Parke Heritage advanced to the championship game with a 85-22 win over South Vermillion in Friday’s semifinals. In the first game of the tournament, the team squeaked by Greencastle, 56-44 in overtime.

Parke Heritage will play Centerville in the regional round at Martinsville on Saturday, March 14 at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.95 with an online registration. They can be purchased at this link. The game will also be livestreamed. WAXI 104.9 radio station will also be broadcasting the game.

Team members are front- Bryce Branson, Parker Hopkins, Leyton McMullen, Isaac Pickel, Treigh Schelsky, Carter Crum, Brenden Goins, Joel Miller, and Jonah Hopkins; back- Carter Kelly, Michael Smith, Jackson Jenkins and Damon Patton.

Hallie Miller and Nolan Bridge are the District #6 winners of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Voice of Democracy essay and speech contest. Hallie received first place in the high school division and Nolan earned first place in the middle school division.

A banquet was held at the American Legion Post #331 in Brownsburg on Sunday, March 8. They now move on to the state level.

front- Griffin Woods and Lilly Peacock; back- RES fifth grade teacher Royale Pefley and PHMS principal Lisa Wrightsman

The members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) organization recognized the winners of their essay contest in a special ceremony held Friday, March 6 at the Rockville Christian Church..

Grade winners in the essay contest were fifth grade- Griffin Woods from Rockville Elementary School and eighth grade- Lilly Peacock from Parke Heritage Middle School.

The essay topic was “Lunch With A Signer,” which asked students to imagine meeting a Declaration of Independence signer. The essays were judged on accuracy, originality, and historical content.

Parke Heritage High School winter athletes were honored at the Wabash River Conference (WRC) banquet held Wednesday, March 11 at the Beef House in Covington.

Those receiving All-conference honors were front- girls wrestling- Rheese Benjamin; girls basketball- Birkley Schelsky, Lila Busenbark, and Kennedy Mitchell and girls wrestling- Braelyn Reifel; back- boys basketball- Brenden Goins, Carter Crum, Isaac Pickel; boys wrestling- Tucker Conley; and boys basketball- Joel Miller and Treigh Schelsky.

Both the girls and boys basketball teams were Conference Champions.

The Parke Heritage Middle School seventh grade girls basketball won the Banks of the Wabash tournament on Wednesday, March 11 at North Vermillion.

The Wolves received a bye in the first round. In the championship game, the team was victorious over South Vermillion, 22-16 in overtime.

Team members are front- Maiya McLaughlin and Ellyrae Rader; middle- Allie Sauter, Landrie Frazier, Cobie McCrory, Abby Mauntel, Chloe Branson, and Coach Elise Mauntel; back- Coach Nick Sauter, Morrissa Brown, and Riley Okerson.

Parke Heritage High School junior boys basketball player Carter Crum reached the 1000 points milestone during the South Vermillion game on Friday, March 6 at Greencastle High School.

He was recognized by Coach Rich Schelsky during a timeout for reaching this accomplishment.

Parke Heritage High School senior wrestler Tucker Conley placed fourth in the 215 lbs. weight class at the 1A and 2A state meet held at Southmont High School. There were 650 wrestlers representing 100 schools at the competition. This state event is focused on the smallest of Indiana’s schools as Indiana does not have a class system for wrestling.

Rockville Elementary School is celebrating students selected for "Mrs. Bonomo's Blooming Bunch". Students are selected based on the Five to Bloom goals.

These areas include growth mindset, goal setting, emotion management, empathy and kindness, and problem solving.

Students selected for Thursday, March 12 are Connie Stevens, Blakleigh Oliver, Bastien Sapp, Kamiyah Bennett, Bailey Wells, Blakely Swinney, Wade Fagg, Corrine Secuskie, Phoenix Cagle, Oaklyn Strassler, Jeffrey Earl, Jason Benzenhafer, Jimmy Thom, Christian McFall, Kinsley Hathaway, Luca McGill, Lincoln Sandusky, Lawson Bridge, Skylar Beck, Oakleigh Wyatt, Maggie Mauntel, Elijah Douglas, and Jaxston Gooch.

Families with three or four-year-old children are invited to enroll their children in the Wolfpack Preschool as a part of North Central Parke Schools. Beginning in the fall of 2026, the Preschool will be housed in the new Early Childhood addition at Rockville Elementary School.

Registration dates are Wednesday, March 25 from 5:30- 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, March 31 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and Thursday, April 2 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. All registration times will be held at Rockville Elementary.

The child must be at least three years old by December 1, 2026 to enroll. Registration is open to all families. All meals and snacks are provided at no additional cost. CCDF and On My Way Pre-K vouchers are accepted. Also, scholarships for enrollment are available.

For more information or questions please contact Marci Graves, Early Childhood Director, at gravesm@ncp.k12.in.us or 765-597-2748 or visit the NCPC website: Preschool Enrollment

Rockville Elementary School and Turkey Run Elementary School are still accepting enrollments for fall of 2026 kindergarten students.

The child must be five years old on or before August 1, 2026.

All students will be required to have a kindergarten screening. Parents need to reach out to their school to sign up for a time to bring their child to the school for the screenings.

If you need more information or have any questions, please contact the RES school office at 765-569-5363 or email Kieran Clapp or the TRES school office at 765-597-2760 or email Brittany Shannon

NCPC Calendar for 2026-2027

Spring Sports Schedules

Parke Heritage High School students are nominated by staff members to receive the Wolf Award. Basis for this award include integrity, responsibility, communication, collaboration, reliability, creativity, 21st Century skills, accountability, and good character.

Amelia Woodard (left)- “Amelia is such a great addition to class! She is positive, funny, and works hard each day. She is helpful to all staff and students. I'm glad she is at PHHS!”

Nate Woodard (middle left)- “Nate is such a positive influence in our school. He is always respectful and prepared for discussions. He is a great example to younger students and athletes.”

Max Baldwin (middle right)- “Max is undeniably a very talented young man, but he is also humble and kind to everyone around him. These qualities are what impress me the most about him and make me very proud. I know he'll be successful at everything he does and will help others become successful, too!”

Kody Cheeseman (right)- “Kody has been a real pleasure to have in 3D Art. His ideas, follow through on creating, workmanship and diligence in creating his artwork is commendable. He works through class and often comes in during other available time to work on his art pieces.”

SPRING PORTRAITS: Turkey Run Elementary will have spring portraits taken on Thursday, March 26. Only students who purchase a package will be photographed. Portraits are to be ordered online. Code: TRES26
SPRING PORTRAITS: Rockville Elementary will have spring portraits taken on Thursday, March 26. Only students who purchase a package will be photographed. Portraits are to be ordered online. Code: NCRES26
SPRING BREAK 2028 TRIP: Enrollment for Budapest, Vienna and Prague 2028 is now open! Limited spots available- lock in your spot with only $95.Enroll by March 6 and receive a $200 discount. Check out the trip details here: www.eftours.com/3023363CU Space is limited and spots are first-come, first-served! If there are 18 travelers who sign by the March 6 deadline, this will unlock two $500.00 scholarships! Have additional questions? 📧Email Leitha Stone 💬 Live chat: 📞 Call: 800-665-5364 🖥 https://www.eftours.com
NEW DRIVERS EDUCATION INFORMATION: Effective July 1, 2026, students will be able to obtain their driver’s license on their 16th birthday if they have completed all of the requirements for driver education. The driver education course includes 30 hours of online or classroom instruction plus six hours of driving. Students must also hold a permit for six months. Contact Claudia Overpeck with questions. Drive schedules are being adjusted as necessary to accommodate the new deadline.
FINANCIAL AID FORMS FOR SENIORS: The 2026-2027 FAFSA form is officially open for students and their parents at studentaid.gov. Students are encouraged to file the FAFSA by Indiana’s state deadline of April 15, 2026. The Commission for Higher Education’s Outreach Coordinators are available for assistance by visiting LearnMoreIndiana.org/contact. More information about the FAFSA and resources for students and educators can be found at LearnMoreIndiana.org/FAFSA. The 2026-2027 FAFSA opt-out waiver can be found on CHE's website.
ATHLETIC SCHEDULES: Printable athletic schedules can be found on the NCP webpage: Schedules. Athletic schedules may be constantly changing. To stay updated, download the Event Link app or go to their website at https://eventlink.com/ Parents can subscribe to daily emails that are sent out daily to remind you of upcoming event
SCHOLARSHIP AND APPRENTICESHIP INFORMATION: Seniors: Several scholarships and apprenticeships are available to PHHS seniors. These scholarships and apprenticeship information can be found on the PHHS Scholarship page.