The Press-Dispatch
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Local ��������������������A1-10 History ����������������������A6 Sports �����������������������A7 Classifieds ��������������A8-9 Home Life ��������������B1-5 Obituaries �����������������B4 East Gibson ���������������B5 Church �������������������B6-8 Opinion ����������������B9-10 WHAT'S INSIDE: Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Fax: ��������������������������812-354-2014 E-Mail ����editor@pressdispatch�net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Volume 150 Number 21 Phone 812-354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) $ 1 Three sections 32 pages Three inserts See COVID-19 on page 2 See SERVICES on page 2 See VOTING on page 2 See PC GR ADS on page 3 Madison Warner Valedictorian Ethan Gentry Salutatorian Class of 2020 to have 'virtual' graduation Friday By Andy Heuring Pike Central will officially graduate 149 seniors on Friday night. They have already donned their gowns and walked through the processional to pick up a diploma hold- er and shake hands with Pike Central Prin- cipal Brian Holland and Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Blake. As unusual as the end of their school year has been, with students not going to school the last 10 weeks, Pike Central's adminis- tration is trying to make graduation as nor- mal as possible. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pike Central has not had classes in the school since Friday, March 13. Schools are still on lockdown by order of the Governor un- til June 30. Pike Central planned a virtual gradua- tion. Last week, they had the kids come dressed up and in their gowns and mortar board hats with tassels. Just like in a typi- cal graduation ceremony, each senior was able to walk up and shake hands with Prin- cipal Holland and Superintendent Blake. However, due to COVID-19, they were giv- en the option of just getting their diploma cover, with no handshake. Photographer Jeff Harting was there tak- ing their pictures. They were also being videoed by Query Productions, which is owned and operated by recent Pike Central graduate Dylan Query. Also, there was no one in the gym except a parent, and a hand- ful of staff and photographers. Holland said each clip of all 149 seniors is being spliced into one video. It will include the speeches by Valedictorian Madison Warner and Sa- lutatorian Ethan Gentry. "We are trying to replicate the sense of coming from their seat in a traditional cer- emony. Mr. Holland would read their name. They would come forward and receive their diploma. . . We did what we could to take things from the traditional ceremony and capture it in the video," said Blake. She said they weren't able to get the Swing Choir together, so they pulled re- cordings from last year's graduation cer- emony of the choir performing Friends and For Good. The seniors in the caps and gowns in the choir are last year's seniors, but most of this year's seniors were in the choir last year." Blake said each senior was also filmed moving their tassel. Query is working on taking all 149 clips of that and making it in- to a special part of the video. They did not have a senior address this year, because of logistics. Holland said in the past, students interested in giving the senior address would try out for it in front of the senior class and the class would vote to select who they wanted. Because of the pandemic canceling classes since March 13, they weren't able to go through that process. The administration is adding one final touch to the video. It will include confet- ti being thrown at the end as Dr. Blake an- nounces them as graduates. "We had a little celebration with confet- ti thrown at the end to kind of give them a farewell the best we could," said Holland. All of the filming of the event took place in isolation, but at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 22, they will be able to view the gradua- tion, along with family and friends, all put together in one video. Blake said they don't have the link to the video they think will be posted on You- Tube. Blake said they will post the link on the school's website and on their Facebook page. It can be viewed starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, which is when graduation would have taken place or anytime after that. Holland said while talking to the seniors as they were being filmed, "The biggest thing they talked about is how much they miss it. . . They just miss the routine. They have been doing this for 12 years. They go home one Friday and then don't come back, and they don't get to finish the year," said VFW, American Legion to conduct Memorial Day services Members of the Coleman-Stewart Vet- erans of Foreign Wars Post 3587 will con- duct observances honoring veterans of all wars by visiting 12 cemeteries and the Pike County Courthouse this coming Memori- al Day. Honors rendered will consist of a devo- tion, 21-gun salute and taps. The first stop will be in Petersburg at the Old Town Cem- etery beginning at 7:25 am. At 10 :45 a.m., the honor guard will be at Walnut Hills Cemetery. That program will feature guest speaker Mark Schlecty. The Walnut Hills Memorial Day program follows eight more observances performed by the Petersburg Veterans of Foreign Wars members. Three more cemeteries on the Memorial Day schedule are then visited. The schedule includes: Assemble at the VFW at 7:00 a.m.; Old Town Cemetery at 7:25 a.m.; Twin Oaks Cemetery at 7:45 a.m.; Anderson Chapel Cemetery at 8:05 a.m.; Pleasant Ridge Cemetery at 8:20 a.m.; Vincent Church Cemetery at 8:45 a.m.; Ot- well Cemetery at 9:10 a.m.; Ivy Public Cem- etery at 9:30 a.m.; McClure Cemetery at 9:50 a.m.; Courthouse Memorial (Peters- burg) at 10 :10 a.m.; Walnut Hills Cemetery at 10 :45 a.m.; White River Chapel Ceme- tery at 11:35 a.m.; Odd Fellow Cemetery (Union) at 11:50 a.m.; and Atkinson Cha- pel Cemetery at 12:15 p.m. Post Commander Chris Kinman asks residents to "take a few minutes on the Me- morial Day holiday to visit the grave of a vet- eran, family or friend. It is a way to show gratitude to the one who paid the ultimate price for our freedom." U.S. flags on poles should be flown at half mast in the morning on Memorial Day and then raised to the top of the pole at noon. Members of the Petersburg VFW 3587 Post cordially invite the public to attend the Me- morial Day salute at any of the locations where observances are being conducted. Gravesite flags are available at VFW Post 3587. Individuals and organizations can pick up flags for placement on vet- eran's graves at 1202 E. Main Street. A cemetery custodian can draw the prop- er number of flags for each use. If veterans are buried in a family or non-custodial cem- etery, then an individual is invited to draw the flags for that use. It is requested that custodians and indi- Fifth COVID-19 case diagnosed for Pike County Feeding time It was feeding time for the ducks in Ashley Lake at Hornady Park on Monday afternoon. Joseph Loveall, Wyatt Sanders, Joseph Sanders, Tracy Loveall and Emma Loveall were throwing bread scraps to the ducks while visiting the park. By Andy Heuring In person voting hours and locations have been expanded in Pike County. The Winslow voting center hours have been ex- panded from Election Day only to include Saturday, May 30 from 8 a.m. to noon. It is located in the Winslow Community Center (Old High School gym). People can also vote in person at the Clerk's office on the second floor of the courthouse from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 26 to Friday, May 29, and then again from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 30 and Monday, June 1. Voting by mail this year is getting a big boost. Anyone can vote by mail this year by requesting an application for an absentee ballot. The application has to be filled out and returned to the Clerk's Office on or be- Voting hours and locations expanded Class of Hats off! we are Special Section Inside #CHARGER STRONG A fifth case of COVID-19 has been con- firmed in Pike County. Health Nurse Amy Gladish said the pa- tient is self-isolating at home. Gladish said so far none of the five cas- es in Pike County have been hospitalized. She said two of the cases are still active and the first three cases are now considered to be recovered. She also said one of the five cases was completely asymptomatic. Until Monday, the Pike County Health Department was doing the contract trac- ing to determine with whom the patient had been in close contact. Gladish said most of the patients don't have a clue how they contracted it. She added, "There doesn't seem to be any similarities between the five cases." Pike County continues to have the least amount of cases of any county in Indiana.