During his senior year at Tippecanoe Valley High School, B. Luke Scripture was named to the 2003 academic All-State first team in football, received the faculty’s Golden “V” Award, and received a Congressional appointment to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. After graduation from TVHS in 2004 he reported to Annapolis and became a Midshipman in the U.S. Navy. Four years later Luke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering and received a commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy along with orders to report to Pensacola, Florida for Navy flight training. He completed Navy flight training (fixed-wing and helicopter) and earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in 2010. In 2011 Luke received orders to report to HSL-51, a forward-deployed helicopter squadron based in Atsugi, Japan. While there, he was promoted to Lieutenant and in 2013 was designated a Helicopter Aircraft Commander in the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter. During his time in Japan, he deployed numerous times aboard three different navy warships, conducting joint and international exercises, humanitarian assistance missions, and operations supporting national and allied interests throughout the southwest Pacific. After over three and a half years in Japan, LT Scripture was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal in 2015 and received orders to report to his current duty assignment as a Navy flight training instructor in Pensacola, Florida.

No matter where he is stationed, he is active in church worship music and youth groups. His nominator said, “Luke not only was active in his religion but he treated people with respect. Luke is very well-disciplined and worked hard in school to earn good grades.” He is very thankful for the opportunities he had to see many parts of the world and to serve our nation, but he says he is most thankful for his family. Luke and his high school sweetheart, Sarah, have been married for seven years and have two young sons, Bronson and James.

Marilyn McDonald, a 1981 Valley graduate, made Silver Lake her business base for more than 25 years by being a successful wedding photographer who also manufactured and sold craft products wholesale.

But she wanted something else, a Subway franchise right there in Silver Lake. Lacking previous restaurant experience, she was turned down. “I fought to gain the franchise,” she says of the establishment that opened in November 2012. It currently runs above the national average and has received excellence of service awards every quarter it’s been open.

“What I am most proud of is the customer service we offer,” she says. “Managing 17-18 employees has its challenges but I strive to work with their schedules, which gives me some great employees.”

Last winter, she and her husband, Trent, took a look at a vacant spot in the Subway’s parking lot and decided a walk-up ice cream shop would complement the restaurant. The Igloo, the name of a business her stepfather Doyle Heckaman’s family operated from 1958-1975, sounded appropriate.

As inexperienced at operating an ice cream shop as she had been at owning a restaurant, she plunged in and now offers 20 flavors of Wisconsin ice cream, soft and hand dipped ice cream, non-fat yogurt, Italian ices, malts, shakes and sundaes. “It’s a fun place for everyone to come,” Marilyn says.

“With no formal education beyond high school, I’ve had to work hard and learn as I went,” she adds, “but it’s been worth it.”

If there’s anything Elizabeth Ann McCullough enjoys more than dancing, it’s teaching others to dance.

By the time she graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 2004 she had spent more than 10 years studying dance with Pamela and Louise, another Rochester studio and Debra Collier in Warsaw. And she had performed at the Akron United Methodist Church where she also taught dance to second, third and fourth graders.

By that time, Elizabeth Ann, more familiarly known as Liz, knew what she wanted: a dance studio of her own. Realizing it would take training, self-discipline and a lot of grit, she attended Ivy Tech Community College and Ball State University, where she majored in business and minored in dance. She continued choreographing and performing dances at the Akron United Methodist Church while polishing her own techniques.

In February 2011, she began teaching dance to children and adults at RTX (Rochester Tumbling Express). By September of that year she was able to see her dream become reality when she opened Liz’s Dance Studio LLC in Rochester’s old fire station, offering lessons in ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop.

“Starting my own business was a tremendous step out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I’ve had to adjust to working long hours between two jobs plus recently becoming coach for Rochester High School’s dance team. I honestly don’t consider these things obstacles. Everything worthwhile in life takes hard work and dedication.”

In recognition of her work, the Akron Area Arts League in 2012 presented her its fifth annual award for promoting the arts, and her studio received a first place award at the Round Barn Festival.

But as far as Liz is concerned, she receives awards daily. “Teaching dance to children and being able to fulfill my dream is such a huge reward,” she said.

“I’m lucky to be able to have a job that I love and that I am so passionate about. Most importantly, I get to share that with others.”

This article, written by Amanda McFarland, recently appeared in the Ink Free News.

AKRON — Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation covers a number of towns and, at one time, each had its own high school. Thanks to the efforts of several area residents, those schools’ memories are on display for all to see and reminisce.

Tippecanoe Valley High School houses several display cases near its gym, each holding special memorabilia from a different former high school, including Burket, Beaver Dam and Talma. Akron and Mentone also had high schools, however that memorabilia is on display in those towns’ respective elementary school buildings.

Instrumental in gathering the memorabilia are Wayne and Joyce Cumberland, Peg Eaton, Linda Tucker, Judy Haney, Dan Kramer and TVSC Superintendent, Brett Boggs. These and other individuals have worked to create and organize the displays so that the community can see and enjoy that part of its history.

“The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation is blessed with individuals who care deeply about the ancestry of our schools and have put countless hours into collecting and attractively displaying memorabilia from Beaver Dam, Burket, and Talma High Schools at Tippecanoe Valley High School,” Boggs said. “A stroll through the north entrance leading to the Tippecanoe Valley High School gym takes one back to the days when the young people in our community were served by these schools. Tippecanoe Valley thanks these individuals for helping keep the history of these schools alive in our community. Tippecanoe Valley also thanks the many Beaver Dam, Burket and Talma alumni who have donated memorabilia for others to enjoy.”

The project began in 2010 with a conversation between Boggs and Kramer about how they could save the old scoreboard from Burket High School. This, in turn, led to the idea of finding other memorabilia. Soon, announcements were going out and the public responded. Volunteers stepped forward to manage the collections. Donations came in totaling around $700 and Eli Zimmerman was hired to build identical display cases, each housing memorabilia from a different school.

Today, the scoreboard is now on display above a case full of Burket memorabilia. It still lights up and is turned on for every Tippecanoe Valley High School home game.

Not all of the high schools closed at the same time. Burket’s last graduating class was in 1955 and Beaver Dam’s was in 1962. Talma also closed in the 1960s, though the middle school continued in operation until a tornado damaged much of the town about a decade later.

While items are accepted from each school, Boggs and Kramer are especially interested in items from Talma High School, which is currently the smallest collection on display.

Boggs invites anyone who has items they would like to loan or donate to contact him at the TVSC administration office, (574) 353-7741 or email [email protected].

This original story can be seen at http://www.inkfreenews.com/2015/09/21/displays-keep-high-schools-memories-alive/

Among the Pace Setters for the 2015 United Way Campaign, the three school corporations based in Kosciusko County – Warsaw, Wawasee, and Tippecanoe Valley – decided to have a friendly competition. The winner was determined by the largest percentage of participation overall, with the winning school corporation receiving a traveling trophy. Warsaw came in at 15.0% employee participation, Wawasee was at 16.99%, while Valley saw 22.5% of our employees participate in this year’s United Way Campaign.

Thank you to TVMS Assistant Principal Cory Cooper for heading this year’s TVSC United Way Campaign. And thank you to all the TVSC employees that demonstrated a generous and caring spirit by giving the United Way. That’s Valley Pride in action!

A 1979 Tippecanoe Valley High School graduate, Matthew Tod Johnson earned a bachelor’s of arts and science degree from Letourneau University that paved the way for his being certified as a fraud examiner, an anti-money laundering specialist and a commissioned national bank examiner.

Recognized as an expert on financial fraud issues, fictitious financial instruments and money laundering, he frequently is called upon to testify against alleged criminals in federal courts around the country. So far he has testified in over 60 federal cases that resulted in a 100 percent conviction rate. He has dedicated 29 years with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in various capacities and worked with U.S. government entities that required travel to the Mideast, Africa, Central and South America and Asia while investigating alleged terrorist activity at the same time he was educating representatives of foreign governments on potential terrorist financing vulnerabilities. That work has earned him specific federal government awards for the performance of his duties.

While in college he spent almost seven weeks in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, assisting in building a camp for young people. He continues to work with several charities to help the less fortunate.
In addition to building a reputation and expertise in the area of fraud, anti-money laundering and investigation of terrorist financing, he admits to making a mean cheesecake.

Asked if he had a significant obstacle to overcome, he replied, “Other than trying to ‘stand out’ from the accomplishments of my siblings, rising above the environment of my youth—which my siblings also did—I have charted a better path than the one some felt I was predestined to follow.”

By the time Kevin Day graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 2002 he had undergone chiropractic procedures that eliminated his asthma and successfully treated shoulder and knee injuries incurred in football. “I was impressed,” he said. “Before that, I was like a lot of other people, convinced chiropractors were people who cracked backs.”

Diploma in hand, he knew he wanted to be a chiropractor. “I knew that was my goal and that I had a great deal of work ahead of me,” he said. That included earning a bachelor’s degree from Manchester College with a biology/chemistry major and graduating from Sherman College of Chiropractic with a Doctorate of Chiropractic degree.

Recognized by the International Gonstead Seminar of Chiropractic for outstanding dedication to the advancement of chiropractic, he also has been recognized by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and the Indiana State Board of Chiropractic.

With a busy practice in Warsaw, he has managed to graduate from the Fulton County Leadership Academy and earn certifications in athletic injury management, geriatric case management and pediatric management. He was elected president of the Lake City Chapter of Business Networking International in 2013.

He doesn’t consider himself a hero but he says he finds fulfillment in helping the area community while assisting others to reach their best health. This includes nutrition, infertility, pediatrics, geriatrics and sports related injuries. His office frequently is headquarters for food donations and Toys for Tots.

Dr. Kevin Day says he considers marrying his incredible wife, Caroline, his greatest achievement.