Wednesday, June 24, 2009

PHS Speech Results at NFL Nationals


The PHS speech team just returned from NFL Nationals and brought back a School of Excellence Award. It is an outstanding tribute to our kids and the work all of you have put into them over the years. Believe me, our coaching staff realizes that it does "take a community."


Andy Langdon led the way in main event finishes with a 4th place finish in Humor. Rebecca Moberly finished 13th in International Extemp. John Patrick and Cam Robertson advanced to the top 30 in Drama and Original Oratory respectively. Bryt Hiatt advanced to the top 60 in USA Extemp. Rick Elm and Andy Sanchez narrowly missed advancing to the top 60 in Duo (by one point). Chad Griewank - with only two days of practice - finished in the top 100 in Humor. (Chad was an alternate who moved into a qualifying spot right before the tournament when a Munster student had to drop.)


There were between 220 and 250 entries that qualified for the national tournament in each event.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

2009 BPA Nationals

Congratulations to the 2009 BPA National Qualifiers for an outstanding performance at last week's National Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. They did an outstanding job, representing their school and community with class and quality performances.

Members who were National Finalists (placing in the Top 10) in their respective events.

Payroll Accounting
Kasey Greer
Spreadsheet Analysis
Stefan Baird


Entrepreneurship
Ben Kraszyk
Extemporaneous Speech
Tim Gordon

Small Business Management Team
Doug Booth
Bailey Capper
Tim Gordon
Ben Kraszyk


Medalist Winner in Open Events:

Administrative Support Concepts
Kasey Greer

Monday, June 22, 2009

2009 Distinguished Alumni Award


The 28th Plymouth High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Award was presented at the Plymouth High School Alumni Banquet held on Friday, June 19th.

Recipient of the award is Raymond A. Roth, Class of 1963.

Raymond Albert Roth, a 1963 graduate of Plymouth High School, was born on Nov. 21, 1945 in Plymouth to Albert and Mary Ethel Roth. He completed his grade school education at St. Michael Catholic School in Plymouth. The son of a longtime portrait photographer, he graduated from the Ray Vogue School of Photography in Chicago in 1966.

Ray served in the Indiana National Guard from 1966-1972. During his service, he trained as a paratrooper with the 151st Infantry Battalion at Fort Benning, Ga. He had the honor of training with John Wayne, who was learning to parachute in preparation for the filming of the movie The Green Berets.

In 1967, Ray was hired as a photographer at WSBT-TV; the CBS affiliate station in South Bend. He worked as a staff photographer, chief photographer, assignment editor, and finally as an on-air reporter/photographer until his retirement on Nov. 30, 2005. During his career at WSBT, Ray reported news stories on U.S. presidents, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, sports stars and other newsmakers. He filmed and interviewed presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, President Gerald Ford, President Bill Clinton, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy a month before his assassination. He also interviewed baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Ernie Banks. In addition, Ray interviewed General William Westmoreland, Vice-President Dan Quayle and comedian Jerry Lewis. He also met Ronald Reagan during his term as governor of California.

As a broadcast journalist, Ray earned acclaim for his investigative reporting of the Four County hazardous waste landfill in Fulton County. His breaking news coverage revealed the landfill was operating without a legal permit and was polluting ground water as well as the Tippecanoe River. As a result of his exposé, the landfill operators were tried in federal court and ordered to pay a substantial fine and close the facility.

In 1974, Ray joined reporter Dick Maginot on a trip to Recife, Brazil to film a documentary financed by Church World Services on the country’s widespread destitution and suffering. He also traveled several times to Washington, D.C. to report on congressional issues of local interest. In 1988, he earned the Indiana Best TV Documentary of the Year Award from the Associated Press for his production of the 25th anniversary of the 1963 closing of the Studebaker automotive plant in South Bend. He also earned a second-place news award from the Associated Press for his 1990 documentary on the 25th anniversary of the deadly Palm Sunday tornadoes in northern Indiana in April of 1965.

He is a lifetime member of St. Michael Catholic Church in Plymouth and a 25-year member of the Knights of Columbus. He also was a member of the Indiana News Photographers Association for many years.

Ray was married to Dawn Ann Travis for 30 years until her death. Ray is the father of Amy Knapp and Daniel Roth, both of Plymouth. Ray has three grandchildren. Ray and Rebecca Rudd Tyree were married in 2005.

For thirty-eight years, Ray was well-known and respected for his accuracy in news reporting. He enjoyed covering feature stories and sporting events in northern Indiana, especially in his home town of Plymouth.

Previous winners of the award are: Major General Larry N. Tibbets, Class of 1952; James L. Parsons, Class of 1933; Dr. Foster and Louise Link Montgomery, Class of 1930; Commodore Schuyler F. Heim, Class of 1902; Mearl D. Strombeck, Class of 1918; Walter A. Glaub, Class of 1932 and Charles O. Glaub, Class of 1935; Noble E. Kizer, Class of 1919; Lt. Col. Lewis L. Hawkins, Class of 1948; Donald R. Minx, Class of 1940; Florence Hoham, Class of 1922; George F. Stevens, Class of 1920; Dr. Edith Boyer Schuman Tackitt, Class of 1923; Dr. Ruth Mangun Holland, Class of 1942;
C. Arthur Thomas, Class of 1926; Dr. M. Sue Pifer, Class of 1957; Marshall F. Kizer, Class of 1925; Dr. James Harley Kellar, Class of 1939; Frederick C. Morrow, Class of 1941; Robert L. Hileman, Class of 1940; Scott Skiles, Class of 1982; Lester D. Read, Class of 1943; Francis W. Johnson, Class of 1933; Clifford L. Linedecker, Class of 1950; Don Aker, Class of 1949; Max Frederick (Fred) Kehoe; Class of 1946, and Steve Yoder, Class of 1958.