See what the local Newspaper has been writing about the school.

All articles are from the Greensburg Daily News

I haven’t yet met Pete VanBaalen, the new Greensburg Daily News Publisher, but his Saturday column was read with much interest. It couldn’t have led into my column any better if we’d planned it. When he reads this he’ll have a story about Decatur County to tell his father.

Published June 14, 2006

PAT SMITH: Sandusky School - stands for self-respect and faithfulness

First the latest about Sandusky School and then some humorous memories from Ben Richardson of his years at Sandcreek High School.

 The news about Sandusky - the school and some of those who attended the reunion June 3 will be featured on the Public Television Station program "Across Indiana" on one of the programs in the fall lineup. As you may know, it has already been featured on the House and Garden Television program "If These Walls Could Talk" and that program will be repeated later this month. Chris and Michelle Komora said they have been notified that the program will be repeated June 25 at 11 p.m. EST and again at 3 a.m. June 26. That will give those who can’t watch it at 11 p.m. the opportunity to have it taped so they can see it if they missed it when it first ran.

The crew from Across Indiana almost didn’t make it to Sandusky because the photographer had to go out on assignment when they thought the alleged murderer of seven people was about to be caught. The station quickly got another photographer and made it only a little late. The crew talked with a number of people. I can’t wait to see the program.

The Sandusky School gym filled up faster than for any years-ago ball game on June 3 for the reunion of everyone who had attended the school. It was the first time the reunion was held in the school in 28 years. In fact, the theme was "Back Home Again."

The pride and loyalty of those who graduated from the school was evident and with good reason. Those who attended Sandusky not only received a good education from teachers and books. They seem to have gotten something else that may be nearly intangible - something to do with self-respect and faithfulness.

The school’s colors of black and white (for Blackhawks) hung from the ceiling, black with white dinnerware, black napkins and black and white balloons held down on the tables by coal from the old hopper in boiler room. A bubble machine welcomed everyone.

The last principal and coach of the grade school (after the school became only an elementary school) attended by pure coincidence. Alan Small, principal from 1976 – 1978, said he was sure just passing through on his way home from a Presbyterian retreat in North Carolina.

"I was sure the school had been torn down and it was a great surprise to see it standing," he said.

The Komoras invited him to stay for the reunion. Sandusky was his first job as principal.

"This is great," he said. “So many good memories here. I remember the time we had to unfreeze all the plumbing for before school could open. There is so much interest and they’ve done great things with this school instead of tearing it down as has happened to so many schools."

Small, now a Presbyterian pastor and nursing home chaplain in Greencastle, said he’s going to look through his stuff to see what he can send back for the memorabilia permanantely on display in the school.

I talked with the oldest graduate of the high school. Rollin Bruner graduated in 1938 and was a basketball player.

"I graduated the year the gym was built," he said. "We had to practice at the YMCA. All our home games were played at the Y too."

Bruner is a farmer and has lived in Clinton Township all his life. He was the only one from the class of 1938 but there were two from the class of 1939. All told, there were 92 attendees who actually graduated from Sandusky High School – not bad when you consider that some classes had only eight to fifteen members.

Elizabeth Ann (Stewart) Smith attended. She taught the first four years (1941-1945) of her teaching career at Sandusky. Her husband, the late Mayor Shell Smith, attended from 1923 –1935. I saw Gene Pitts, son of beloved teacher and principal Orville Pitts, but didn’t have a chance to chat with him. In fact, there were about 150 others I would have loved to have talk with but time slipped away quickly.

Along with Across Indiana crew, there was lunch and numerous class photos to look at, photos to be taken, tours of the first and second floors of the school, videos to share and lots of former classmates to talk with.

The classes of 1955 and 1956 were honored at the reunion. The class motto 1955 was "Don’t itch for success, Scratch for it." For the 1956 class it was "Paddle your own canoe."

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First, though, I learned something new about the northern part of the county. For every person who has connections at Sandusky School, especially for those who don’t have the opportunity to see it in person, there’s news. There’s now a Website that has lots of before-and-after pictures of the inside and outside of the school and it has good information about old and new events. Chris and Michelle Komora have done a splendid job of getting the site ready and it’s easy to maneuver. They say it’s a work in progress and will no doubt be changed and added to as more information and pictures come their way.

Of course, not everyone uses the Internet but maybe a relative does or you can also use a computer at the library. The site will be especially welcome to those who live far from here and haven’t been able to see what’s been happening at their old school; or their parent’s school.

The site’s lead page is the black hawk, wings spread, landing on a basketball that was painted by Jim Spillman. There are photographs of past teams, family photos, work that has been or is being done on the school, pictures of special events such as the alumni reunion in 2006 and the Murder Mystery Night the Arts and Cultural Council held there. There’s a place you can go to find out when there’ll be a re-run of the House and Garden Television "This Old House" program about the school. There are quotes from alumni and teachers and articles from the Greensburg Daily News. There’s a "Remembrance" section where those who have died can be remembered. On the site now are remembrances for three who died in 2006; Jim Spillman, Ray Evans and Raye Woodhull. You can access the site at www.historicsanduskyschool.org.

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When he’s driving through Sandusky to Rushville he can see the fine old school that’s recently been featured on TV. It’s now the home of Chris and Michelle Komora and the Friends of Sandusky School are restoring the gym. The gym was added because the 1921 Sandusky basketball team played in the state championship games in what was called the "Sweet Sixteen." Those players had to practice in the schoolyard and the YMCA because they had no other place to practice. The gym was built a few years later.

The school/home was featured on Home and Garden Television and will be repeated in June. I’ll let you know the date when I find out. Sure we would’ve preferred the whole half/hour be devoted to Sandusky School but we’re glad it was brought to the attention of people all over the country.

Since the program aired the bleachers have been painted and repaired and railings added on the steps up and down the bleachers. Workers found plenty of bubble gum while scraping the bleachers and jokingly debated leaving it as memorabilia. One handicapped bathroom is completed and another one nearly so. The handicapped entrance on the east side will soon be finished. The original basketball goals have been scraped and painted and the old heaters and boiler pipes have been removed, including the asbestos, and the doors are repaired and working.

They’re ready to put a new ceiling on the gym. In fact, Jim Spillman said the Friends are now raising funds for the ceiling materials. Spillman said there are two or three ways of doing the ceiling but no decision has been reached as yet.

The Friends have had a lot of help, both physical workers and donations of supplies or funds from businesses that are interested in the project. Others mentioned several businesses that have helped ready the gym through donations of supplies. That includes Tops Home Supply, Newmans, Levensteins, Hoeing Supply, Delta Faucet, First Federal, Paul Pank at Hilliard Lyons, Davis and Daughters, Brian Brewsaugh at Precision Pattern Works and Brian did the metalwork for the doors in the gym.

Their names, and all who’ve donated, are noted permanently on boards and displayed in the gym. Volunteers have done most of the work. The Friends have been generous with their time and individuals who didn’t even go to the school have been noble in their support. The gym will be a boon for the great little community of Sandusky so they can have large meetings, dances, dinners, weddings and the like.

Clinton Township Homemakers held their Christmas party there, Friends of Sandusky School had a cookout and The Arts and Cultural Council held their Mystery Night in the gym. It was a huge success.

I visited Martha Jean Cartier, a former Sandusky student, last week. Martha is planning a casual meal for the Friends at her home on July 5. She said those interested in becoming a member of the Friends should come that evening and find out more about the project. A reunion of the alumni will be held in the gym June 3. It’s coincidental that their last reunion was June 3, 1978.

The Friends was started when Chris and Michelle and Spillman discovered that they and some former students had the same goal. They were interested in saving the school - especially the gym. The school is a prime example of the Arts and Crafts architectural style. Michelle said, "It’s a tremendous thing that there’s so much interest, love and genuine caring about this school." Probably not unusual though considering that the school was the center of the town, that Sandusky had a fine basketball team for some of those years, that it was small school in number of students and everybody cared about everyone else in the town and school.

Chris said that Wayne Goodman of the Indiana Historical Landmarks Foundation brought a member of the board from Indianapolis to see the school because he’s is impressed with the preservation project.

The Komoras are receiving calls from former students of descendants of students who want to donate items back to the school. Only recently they received a call from someone wanting to donate a sports jacket and trophy. Michelle has a new case to put some of the items in so everyone can see them. They already have a lot of memorabilia, including pictures of many of the classes and teachers but there’s room for more.