ECHS

As the first semester winds down and we enter the holiday season, we continue to have much to be excited about!

The winter drama presentation, The Happy Elf, is just around the corner, 12/5-12/7 with evening performances Friday and Saturday and 3PM matinee on Sunday. Our drama department does such a phenomenal job and our amazingly talented kids. Hope everyone is able to attend one of the performances.

In athletics, winter sports continue to find success. Both girls basketball and girls swimming and diving are dominating. Wrestling started with a big win over Franklin County in week one, and boys basketball starts their regular season this weekend.

The building renovations continue to move along with the library set to open, including the new Trojan Cafe space in January when we return from break. Although, we are planning a soft opening for the Trojan Cafe these next two weeks.

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, December 9th – HS Band Concert 7PM

Sunday, December 14th – HS Choir Concert 3PM

We are...

Tom Black ECHS Principal

"No leader is worth his salt who won't set up the chairs." Peter Drucker

Stay on track with key items and dates for all grade levels.

Welcome to the latest ECHS Guidance Department newsletter! We are here to support students academically and emotionally, and we hope this update helps keep everyone informed on important deadlines and opportunities.

Seniors: FAFSA and College Admissions

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is now open for the current cycle. The deadline for Indiana is April 15th.

• Action Required: All seniors must complete the FAFSA or sign a waiver. Waivers are available in the guidance department.

• Need Help?: INvestEd is available to answer individual questions for students and parents at 317-715-9007.

Seniors should follow up with counselors with admission issues or concerns. Counselors can assist seniors with contacting college admissions with questions particular to the students’ needs.

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 4th, 2026. 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. Applications can be turned into the guidance office.

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.

Congrats to Brogan on his commitment to Ball State! We wish you continued success!

Congrats to Callie on her commitment to Butler University! We wish you continued success!

Last year's yearbooks will be in at the end of September-mid October. If you have any questions email Ms. Stanley at kastanley@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us.

2025-2026 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. SALE: use coupon code FALL25 to receive $5.00 off your yearbook order now-the end of September. The deadline to order is April 30th, 2026.

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, 2026.

Are you looking for a way to promote your business? Look no further and purchase a Business Ad in the 2025-2026 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

We are excited to move into our new space at the beginning of December! Students will spend the first week after Thanksgiving break moving from our old space to the new cafe in the library. We will re-open on December 8th.

November was a busy and exciting month for our Student Council. We started off the month collecting over 300 canned goods and donating them to the North Dearborn Pantry. On November 15 & 16, members attended the IASC State Convention at Lawrenceburg High School, where the theme was “Lead Like a Champion.” President Tyler Stenger and Treasurer Taliana Wilson did an outstanding job presenting their round table session, “Ignite the Spirit,” where they shared how our council has worked to boost school pride. Their ideas and experiences were well received, and we’re proud of the way they represented ECHS. Members also visited North Dearborn Village, spending time with residents, singing Christmas carols, and making crafts together. The Student Council continues to plan some “Surprise & Delight” events to keep school spirit growing as we approach final exam week. It’s been a great season of leadership, teamwork, and giving back to our community.

FCCLA-November was another busy month! At the beginning of the month, several students attended Be a Teacher Day! These students had the opportunity to attend sessions at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis where they listened to an Indiana Teacher Of the Year, spoke with college representatives from all over Indiana, and were able to learn more about financial aid and scholarships available to potential teachers.

The Officer and Member of the month goes to…Josie Wolf, Vice President of Alumni. Josie is a sophomore and is excited to reconnect with our alumni! She is also works with Macy Lyness on the Chapter Service Project with the Dearborn County PAWS. Hailey Reniff is the member of the month. She is very involved in chapter activities and attends meetings regularly. Congratulations to these two young ladies.

On November 8, 2025, the 2nd annual Indiana FCCLA Fall Competition Day was held where over 65 East Central HS students competed in various events and received 42 Gold Medals, 21 Silver Medals, and 6 Bronze Medals in events including a Grilled Cheese Challenge, $15 Meal Challenge, Fashion Trend, Lesson Plan and Modification, Pastry Arts, Focus on the Basics, Child Safety Poster and more.

The Indiana State Officers, Abby Cross, Macy Lyness and Parker Simpson attended the National FCCLA Capitol Leadership Advocacy Training in Washington DC from November 15-18th. They received advocacy training about how to talk to their legislators about the value of Family and Consumer Sciences and FCCLA. They also had the opportunity to have a group photo on the lawn of the US Capital and meet with their state legislators. It was an impactful training and visit.

To wrap of the month, FCCLA and FFA held their annual square dance night on November 20th. Over 25 students attended and learned valuable listening skills while working together in a team to learn how to square dance!

Please follow our activities on Facebook at East Central High School FCCLA or our East Central HS FCCLA Website

The drama club is working hard for our production of The Happy Elf. The production is a combination of middle and high school students. The performance dates are Friday, Dec 5th and Saturday, Dec. 6th at 7:00p, Sunday, Dec. 7th at 3:00p.

East Central FFA Members Build Bridge at FFA Center

Every summer, East Central FFA members have a retreat in July at the Indiana FFA Leadership Center (https://leadershipcenter.inffa.org/ ) At the retreat, members always help out at the center with service projects. One of our tasks in July 2025, was to remove an old, rotting bridge that had been around for a long time. Mr. Johnson volunteered the services of East Central FFA members to build them a new bridge.

Starting in October 2025, Supervised Agricultural Experience students Jacob Boehringer and Troy Randolph volunteered to start construction of the bridge. The bridge consists of 16 foot, 4” x 6” pressure treated timbers fastened with 8” lag screws. Additional 2 x 6 pressure treated boards were used as supports in the center of the bridge.

On Saturday November 8 three FFA members installed the footings/supports for the bridge. Jared Enda, Tug Hornberger and Broegan Kunz excavated soil, added base material and leveled 6x6 pressure treated posts 16 feet apart to provide a solid footing for the bridge.

On Saturday November 22, eight FFA members completed the bridge installation. The structure was placed onto, and secured to the footings, and then donated composite decking was fastened using a hidden screw method. After all deck boards were placed, a circular saw was used to cut the ends flush (even) on both sides. Thank you to all FFA members for their hard work on this project.

Landscape and Turf Management Students Plant Trees at North Dearborn Community Park

On Wednesday November 5, 19 East Central High School Landscape and Turf Management students planted 10 deciduous trees at the North Dearborn Community Park, 5687 North Dearborn Road Guilford (former site of North Dearborn Elementary School). Twelve trees were planted at the park in December 2024.

The students worked with Brenda Wheat with North Dearborn Community Park to select planting locations. Plants and mulch were ordered from Natorp’s in Mason, Ohio. Funds to plant trees were a result of fundraising efforts that the agriculture department raises through its annual plant sale as well as through selling various shop-built projects throughout the year.

Students removed grass from the planting areas and dug planting holes 1.5-2 times the width of the root ball and depth was level with each tree's root flare. Each tree’s roots were inspected for circling roots, and if needed a box cut of those roots was performed to encourage future root growth to do so horizontally. Students backfilled the holes with soil making sure trees were straight. Trees were mulched inside a 4 foot diameter tree ring, and watered to thoroughly soak the roots and surrounding soil.

Post planting the students will continue to monitor how the trees are doing, and provide mulch each year as well as any corrective pruning each tree may need.

This was a great project for the East Central High School Landscape and Turf Management class. They hope to continue planting trees for the park.

Ag Power Students Complete Projects in Carpentry and Plumbing Units

Students in Period 7 Agricultural Power, Structure and Technology 1 have been working on projects in the carpentry and plumbing units. Carpentry projects included a classic wooden toolbox and peasant stool made from the old bookshelves from the ECHS library. They have also been working with PVC pipe in the plumbing unit. Students had to be able to make repairs in PVC pipe such as in irrigation or as a part of a homes drain/waste/vent system. Students also completed a PVC lawn sprinkler.

Ag Structures Students Build Firewood Racks

Students in Period 6 Agricultural Structures, Fabrication and Design built 3 firewood racks as part of their continuation of building more advanced carpentry projects. Students worked in groups of three to tackle the racks. Students framed the floor, attached vertical pieces, sides and steel roofing. The racks were sold to the general public.

Landscape and Turf Management Students Design and Build Garden Area

Students in Period 4 Landscape and Turf Management recently installed a raised bed vegetable garden on the south side of ECHS. Ag Structures students built 8, 4’ x 8’ raised garden beds. Landscape students installed gravel pathways, and over 50 herbaceous perennials and native shrubs.

For the second quarter students of Intro to 2D Art have been working on Posterized Pop-Art Portraits. We briefly discussed Artists Andy Warhol and Banksy while learning about facial features, proportions, color schemes, and palettes. Everyone used Photopea to edit their chosen image for printing before enlarging their posterizations by hand. A very specific grid with very finite measurements was required for accuracy. To see our students' finished portraits, come to the ECHS Art Show this Spring!

Jewelry students have most recently dabbled in torch fired, and kiln fired enamels. They applied Klyr-Fire and enamel powder to an abrasively cleaned copper surface then created solid fill, gradient, textured, or stenciled surfaces. These were turned into pendants, keychains, earrings, or other trinkets.

In Mrs. in Gulasy's painting class, students have explored the expressive medium of oil painting of still lifes/portraits. Still life painting is a group of inanimate objects arranged in a composition. The focus of this type of oil painting is the interplay of light, shadow, and color to create depth.

Painting students have been exploring various techniques and art movements in the realm of still life painting. From mastering underpainting to exploring impasto techniques, students are not only learning about the medium but also discovering their own artistic voice.

SPOTLIGHT ON AP DRAWING: BUILDING PORTFOLIOS One Stroke at a Time

This month, our AP Drawing students are immersed in their portfolio work—exploring creativity, refining technique, and developing a personal artistic voice. Each student is crafting a sustained investigation, experimenting with materials, and pushing their ideas through thoughtful sketches and finished pieces.

As deadlines approach, their portfolio of 20 finished works are filled with works showcase not only technical skill, but also curiosity, risk-taking, and originality. We’re excited to watch these portfolios come together and to celebrate the hard work and artistic growth of every AP Drawing student!

*Devin Fox – Devin is doing a series of 15 narrative cartoon illustrations based off of political satire about the government and social injustices. Devin uses symbolism, irony, stereotyping to convey his message. Below are illustrations addressing abuse to the elderly, voting rights, and immigration.

*Jocelyn Viel –Jocelyn is doing a series of 15 charcoal still life drawings based off of the ideas of “vanitas” to her still life drawings. Jocelyn set up a group of objects depicting her theme and drew them. Her charcoal drawings reflect the transience of life. Her still life drawings symbolize skulls, hourglasses, clocks, or wilting flowers.

*Khloe Kaeser - Her sustained investigation explores childhood fantasy as it transforms ordinary spaces—rooms in my house and familiar playgrounds—into imaginative, dream-like environments. I began by examining how children blur reality and imagination, often turning everyday settings into worlds of adventure, comfort, or mystery. I used my own childhood memories as a foundation, sketching rooms such as the bedroom, living room, and kitchen, as well as the playground where I spent time growing up.

Visual Art: Digital Design

Shun Kurumado

Are you interested in art, but not confident in using traditional art mediums? Even if you are not good at any of them, you can still be an artist in our Photoshop class.

The students in the Digital design: Photoshop class recently created photo manipulation images. In every lesson, they learn new tools and techniques that expand their creativity. This time, they learned how to use the masking tool and color adjustment tool, which help make images more realistic.

In our art department, we provide you with a wide range of courses from drawing to jewelry making to digital design. If you are interested in any of the courses, contact us anytime!

In Principles of Computing, students get a hands-on introduction to the world of computer science—no experience required, just curiosity and a willingness to think creatively.

This course begins with the essentials: understanding algorithms, developing logical thinking, and using flowcharts to map out how computers make decisions. From there, students jump into coding using several beginner-friendly programming languages, including Scratch, C, Python, HTML, CSS, and SQL. With such a wide range of tools, everyone finds a moment where the concepts truly click.

Beyond coding, the class focuses on real-world skills that matter far beyond a computer lab. Students practice teamwork, communication, documentation, adaptability, and strong work ethic as they tackle challenges, debug their programs, and collaborate on solutions. The excitement in the room when a program finally runs correctly is always a highlight.

Principles of Computing shows that computer science is accessible, creative, and fun. Whether students dream of designing apps, creating websites, or simply understanding how technology works, this course gives them a strong and supportive place to start. 🚀

The choir department will present their Christmas concert on Sunday, Dec. 14th at 3:00p. The show choirs, concert choir and tonal eclipse will be performing a variety of Christmas selections. Admission is free. We hope to see you there!

Congrats to the concert choir on their outstanding performances at the Ohio Valley Showcase on Tuesday, Nov. 18th. Students from 7 different choir programs around Southeast Indiana came together to perform. The students had a wonderful time and delivered some amazing performances.

Students in Principles of Engineering Class have been hard at work these last few weeks designing, redesigning, building and testing their Rube Goldberg machines. This was an extensive project that capped off the simples machines unit in their POE class. Students were given a list of criteria they had to follow and a simple task they had to complete. Simple tasks included drawing a line, ripping a piece of paper, turning on a light, popping a balloon, and extinguishing a flame just to name a few. They were the sole creators of these devices that started with creating a series of individual Brainstorm sketches, finalizing a design, then they had to make that design a reality in the creation process. They were given a base for them to attach their device to and let loose. The class built and tested and rebuilt and tested again and again trying to work out all the kinks and issues to get their device to run as efficiently as possible so that it would perform flawlessly on test day. This project gave the student the practice of creating something from nothing. Taking an idea and creating something that satisfied their lists of demands. These machines were, as you can see from the images, a very hands-on project. They gave them practice finding and selection of different materials, fabrication of parts, use of power and hand tools, as well as working on their teamwork, critical thinking, and time management skills. This project was broken up into many sections with each section having a specific deadline that they had to adhere to.

In Ms. Jackson's English 10 Honors class, students have been studying The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. They analyzed how rhetoric is used in this play, then learned a little bit about stage directions and blocking when they performed the famous assassination scene in class.

In the Ivy Tech English 111 classes, students have been putting the final touches on their argumentative research essay. After learning how to use the Ivy Tech library database, students have been working to incorporate material from academic journals and other credible sources into a research paper about their future field of study.

English 11 is wrapping up the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They have learned about life during the roaring 20s and the events that surrounded that time period. They will end the unit with a character analysis project.

English 9 is wrapping up the Romeo and Juliet Unit by doing a team speech project about life in Elizabethan England. They have to research a specific topic and present the six most interesting facts that they can find.

In English 12, we wrapped up Frankenstein with lively discussions about who the real villain might be: Victor or the monster. Students examined big ideas like scientific responsibility, the effects of isolation, and what it truly means to be human.

In AP Literature, students analyzed a series of short stories to sharpen their interpretive skills and then applied their understanding of Gothic conventions by creating their own imaginative versions of “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Mrs. Cecil’s English 10 students studied podcasts and had the opportunity to plan and record one of their own!

My English 10 students studied podcasting and to effectively craft a story. Instead of writing an essay, students worked in groups to craft a story and write a podcast script. Then, students recorded their very own podcast episode.

In Dr. Rose-Ronnebaum’s classes, students are diligently engaging with the SDCSC Writing Initiative through their journals. Each student received a journal, along with a pen and a pencil, courtesy of Dr. Rose-Ronnebaum, who successfully secured a grant from the Dearborn County Retired Teachers last year. Throughout the year, these journals will serve as tools for students to reflect, take notes, and create, enhancing their vocabulary and thought processes.

English 10 Honors students explored coming-of-age short stories and how they presented the challenges of growing from teens to adults.

COMM 101 Public Speaking class researched and developed Advocacy Speeches based on Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. In December, they will compete against each other for the best presentation.

ENGL 111 English Composition class researched and planned their Informative Research papers to be completed in December.

Advanced Child Development-The Advanced Child Development class has finished their hand embroidery on 13 squares and will begin sewing their quilts together. They should have them completed before Winter Break.

Advanced Fashion & Textiles-They are finishing their weighted vests for the Sunman Dearborn Special Education Department. They will begin a design project and implement their design on a ½ scale model.

Advanced Nutrition- We are exploring the importance of each of the essential nutrients. We learned all about carbohydrates and made different recipes revolving around whole grains and complex carbohydrates. Students also practiced making popcorn healthier by making herb and spice based toppings instead of butter and salt for their stovetop popcorn lab. We also dove into the nutrient, water and how important it is to stay hydrated. Students were able to taste a variety of healthy spa waters throughout this unit and even had a lab where each kitchen made a different spa water so that students could sample different options. We are moving forward and continue learning about the essential nutrients by moving into the vitamins and minerals unit.

Education Capstone-( EDUC 230)- Introduction to Special Education-The second year Education students are researching the different types of Assistive Technology devices that can be used with students with disabilities. The Education Professions 2 students also designed a logo and Mrs. Osman machine embroidered them quarter zip sweatshirts. They look so professional in their new shirts!

Introduction to Culinary Arts- For Thanksgiving students made either a Pumpkin or Apple Pie. They also learned how to make a pie crust from scratch. These students also made Pumpkin Spice Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting right before Thanksgiving Break! Throughout November, Students have been learning about Equipment in the Kitchen. This week students made Smoothies and Waffles in the lab, using various equipment that they have learned about.

Introduction to Fashion & Textiles- Students are exploring the elements and principles of design and how to utilize them in the world of fashion. They are practicing using these elements and principles in fashion design sketches and explaining their choices in a brief synopsis. We discuss a focus for the sketch and share as a class.

Principles of Fashion & Design- Students are finishing their pajama pants and will begin a basic design project and create the outfit at ½ scale.

Principles of Human Services Students are practicing professional communication skills by writing business letters and learning how to properly address envelopes. Students have been working on building professionalism and community engagement.

Principles of Teaching-EDUC 101-The first year cadet teachers are doing a great job assisting in their classrooms at the elementary and middle schools. They are currently learning about school governance and diverse learners.

ProStart 1- The ProStart 1 students are working through the ServSafe Manager food safety course, focusing on how to keep food safe in the foodservice industry. Students apply these principles in the culinary lab making various dishes throughout the chapters. For Thanksgiving students helped make Pumpkin Rolls that were sold to the Sunman Dearborn Staff and Community. This week the students will be making Mississippi Pot Roast Tacos, focusing on proper storage & preparation of food.

ProStart 2- In November, the ProStart 2 spent a lot of time making Pumpkin Rolls that were sold to the Sunman Dearborn Staff and Community. Monies raised help students going to the ProStart Culinary & Baking Competitions in February. These students also started a new unit on International Cuisine. All students picked a different country and created slideshows based on their country. Students are working on Cubanos this week in the Culinary Lab!

Pro1 & 2: Both of these classes of students had the opportunity to cater the EC Girls Basketball Team Dinner before their game on Nov 19th.

You can follow the EC Culinary classes and all of our adventures on Facebook at East Central High School Culinary Arts.

In October and early November students learned about the importance of Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. This holiday occurs the night of November 1st to November 2nd. The family members of loved ones who passed away go to their loved one’s gravesites and remember their special angels. A good depiction of this holiday is the movie Coco. Students in various Spanish classes created skull magnets to help them remember the importance of this holiday. The skulls and skeletons symbolize Dia de los Muertos.

Calculus 1 students have mastered taking derivatives of all types and have been working hard on applications of derivatives. They can find when a particle is moving left or right, when it is speeding up and slowing down and the total distance it has traveled. They can find the rate at which water is leaking from a cone and the rate at which a ladder is falling down a wall. Students have worked hard to read and understand the problem and apply the derivatives skills they have mastered to solve the problem. We will begin designing roller coasters, given certain parameters, to end the semester with a little bit of calculus fun.

The colder weather has arrived and the PE classes have been forced to stay inside. The boys

have been doing Presidential Fitness testing. This quarter they have completed the following 5

tests: the mile run, shuttle run, partial curl-ups, right angle push-ups, and sit and reach. All of

them gave 100% effort!. They have also been enjoying weasel ball and volleyball.

The girls got their dancing shoes out for some Just Dance. Fourth period even took over the

class and danced to “”Peanut Butter in a Cup”. They also did some relaxation techniques and

created some workout videos that they will be sharing over the next few weeks.

Lifters of the month are Luke Farmer and Audrina Dugan. Luke participates in track, throwing

shot put and discus. His goal is to throw 50 feet this year. Audrina Dugan plays basketball. Her

future goal is to play at a D1 college.

All three classes joined together to work on their ESL Lesson. It sparked a lot of good

conversations and collaboration.

Students learned about natural water systems that influence the water cycle and how water moves among Earth in different forms. Students then used that knowledge to learn about man made ways water moves for functions like waste management, clean drinking water, and drainage. Students were asked to use those concepts to create a 3D stem project of how they would build their city's water system.