Grove Gazette

On Sunday, Center Grove High School celebrated 638 graduates in the Class of 2022. These students spent half of their high school careers dealing with COVID-19, yet as you can see in this newsletter, they have accomplished great things with many more ahead for them. This experience has helped all of us appreciate gathering in large groups and seeing the smiles of our friends and families. It has also grown our appreciation for our staff and how hard they work for our schools. Our teachers are the true heroes of our school district. We can’t thank them enough for their dedication to our students. We hope our teachers, staff, administrators, and community members enjoy a safe and relaxing summer.

Sincerely,

Richard A. Arkanoff, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Center Grove High School (CGHS) graduated 638 students on Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. in the high school’s Ray Skillman Football Stadium.

The valedictorian of the CGHS Class of 2022 is Gavin Anderson. Gavin ended his high school career with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.864. He will attend Indiana University to study political science and music and plans to pursue a career in law.

The 2022 salutatorian for the Class of 2022 is Raef Sauer who finished with a GPA of 4.851. Raef plans to attend Indiana University to study Biochemistry and Spanish.

CGHS has several graduates who plan to serve in the military following graduation. Drake Buchanan has accepted an appointment to US Air Force Academy. Chase Ennis will attend Army ROTC. Eighteen students have enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines, or Navy.

Among the graduates, 279 seniors received Core 40 with Academic Honors diplomas, 13 received the Core 40 with Technical Honors diploma, and 47 seniors received both. To qualify for Academic Honors, students must meet additional requirements beyond the state mandates for a Core 40 diploma, earn a total of at least 47 credits that are recommended to include additional math. world language, and fine arts credits, earn a GPA of a B or better, and meet certain AP, dual credit, or SAT/ACT requirements. Technical Honors recipients must also meet state mandates for a Core 40 diploma, earn a total of at least 47 credits that are recommended to include additional math credits, earn a GPA of a B or better, and complete either dual credits in a technical area or additional career-readiness criteria. Read more.

The recipients include Aalok Adhikari, Ananya Balaji, Grayson Blackwell, Drake Buchanan, Jasmine Cangany, Lauren Erickson, Connor Green, Madison Herron, Easton Hewitt, Bella Hodges, Avery Holubar, Kamry Houston, Jeet Kekre, Alexandra Kominowski, Michael LaRocca, Hope Mander, Abigail Matthews, Ian May, Sydney McConnell, Macy McGill, Paige Merrill, Ava Migliorese, Peyton Murphy, Mehar Oberoi, Emily Pham, Ishani Regmi, Raef Sauer, Maddie Siems, Ainsley Smith, Kiersten Smith, Connor Smith, Tori Spencer, Rebecca Stockman, Shelby Walker, Makena Wallace, and Shirley Zheng. Read more.

Center Grove honored 77 current, former, and retired teachers with Legacy Awards at the 2022 Teacher Celebration on Wednesday, May 11. Legacy Award winners are nominated by Center Grove High School seniors. Seniors are asked to nominate the teacher they believe had the greatest impact on them during their time in Center Grove schools. Read more.

The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) will present the Nick Derzis Safe School Leadership Award for contributions and dedication to an SRO program to Dr. William Long, CGCSC assistant superintendent. Dr. Long worked to establish the Center Grove School Police Department in 2008. He was also instrumental in establishing the Center Grove Emergency Operations Center, a collaborative effort between multiple agencies to create a central response location to provide quicker, life-saving services to the community. Read more.

The Top 20 Students include Gavin Anderson, Ananya Balaji, Ryan Beach, Sharvi Bhat, Drake Buchanan, Katrina Buehrer, Nathan Ensley, Jarah Hassett, Jeet Kekre, Felipe Kroll, Daniel Mangan, Paulina McIntire, Carina Oza, Urvi Parihar, Stephen Reeves, Raef Sauer, Connor Smith, Kailyn Spitler, Rachel Stewart-Allen, and Isabel Wilson. Read more.

Four Center Grove High School students received medals for their outstanding scores on the National French Exam.

• Bianca Montecampi, Level 5, Silver Medal
• Krishaan Vadia - Level 2, Gold Medal
• Isabella Tran - Level 2, Silver Medal
• Adeline Moore - Level 2, Bronze Medal

Twelve students were honored with certificates.

• Level 5AP: Katrina Buehrer, Andreus Mullendore, Ananya Balaji
• Level 4: Irène Richardson, Zach Hoffman, Sarah Bernhardt
• Level 3: Gourav Pany, Isabella Dills
• Level 2: Rupesh Vats, Layla Raber, Evelynn Ridlen, Anubhav Majumdar

Read more.

Three Center Grove High School students participated in the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) Math Contest on Saturday, April 23.

• Anubhav Majumdar - 1st place, Geometry
• Daniel Liu - 2nd place, Algebra 2
• Shawn Liu - 3rd place, Algebra 2

The students were recognized during a ceremony on June 3 at the Indiana Statehouse.

Center Grove High School's HOSA (Health Occupations Student of America) team sent 34 members to the state competition April 21-24. They came home with two state champions and 42 Top 10 finishes. CGHS junior, Gowthamm Mandala, was elected Indiana HOSA Vice President. The team's sponsor is Andrea Teevan. Read more.

Craig Buckler will be named the next principal of Center Grove Elementary School. He will replace Dr. Krista Nelson, who will move to a district-level position, Director of Human Resources and Student Services. Mr. Buckler’s appointment was approved by the CGCSC Board of School Trustees at its April 21 meeting.

“We are thrilled to have Mr. Buckler join the Center Grove Elementary staff,” said Dr. Rich Arkanoff, superintendent. “Craig brings a tremendous amount of experience and success as an educational leader across Indiana.”

“I am very excited to join the Center Grove Elementary community,” said Buckler. “I am looking forward to making connections with the students, staff, and families and beginning this next chapter in my professional journey.” Read more.

Center Grove High School students Eva Alejo, Grayson Roberts, and Emily Boyer advanced to the Skills USA Commercial Baking State Competition on Saturday, April 8 in Indianapolis.

The students took three of the top eight spots in Region 5 to qualify to for the state competition. Their teacher is Susanne Ebacher-Grier. This is CGHS's first time competing in this competition.

All three of our Center Grove High School students placed in the top 10 of the Skills USA Commercial Baking State Competition - 5th, 6th, and 10th.

Center Grove High School's Sound System, Debtones, and CG Singers choirs competed at Heart of America National Competition on March 19, 2022.

Sound System was awarded National Grand Championship in Large Mixed Division with caption awards for Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Show Design, Best Crew, and Best Costumes. The Debtones were awarded National Grand Championship in Large Unisex Division with Caption awards for Best Choreography, Best Costumes, and Best Crew. CG Singers were awarded 1st Runner Up in the Concert Choir Division. Read more.

Eleven Center Grove High School seniors made the commitment to continue their academic and athletic careers at colleges or universities on Wednesday, May 4. Congratulations to these student-athletes:

• William Boas - Wabash College (Track & Field)
• Isaac Chandler - North Park University (Football)
• Kylie Crum - Milwaukee School of Engineering (Track & Field)
• Bryce Crump - University of Indianapolis (Wrestling)
• Garrett Crist - University of Southern Indiana (Swimming)
• Kiersten Smith - Lewis University (Swimming)
• Harrison Stomps - Indiana State University (Football)
• Bennett Strain - Wabash College (Tennis)
• Lauren Todd - Hanover College (Cross Country & Track & Field)
• Jordan Vaughns - Indiana University East (Basketball)
• Carson Wools - Trine University (Football)