Articles by Mike Rhodes

Exchange Club Recognizes 30 Outstanding High School Sophomores

By Kallie Sulanke— MUNCIE, Ind.—The Exchange Club of Muncie honored 30 Muncie tenth-graders from Muncie Central High School and Burris Laboratory School during the Club’s annual Sophomore Honors Day luncheon on Thursday, May 5. As one way to support youth in our community, Exchange Club has hosted this event for more than 85 years. The purpose is to recognize students early in their high school careers and encourage and inspire them to continue to work toward continued high achievement as they complete high school. Student honorees enjoyed lunch with club members. Holly Stachler, educational consultant and owner of Upgrade ED,…

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AAUW Names Scholarship Recipients

By Sheryl Swingley— MUNCIE, Ind.—The Muncie branch of the American Association of University Women has awarded three $1,500 scholarships – two to Ivy Tech Community College students and one to a Ball State University student. The two Ivy Tech students earning the AAUW scholarship are Kami Fulkerson and Carrie Hopper. Fulkerson is working toward an undergraduate degree in special education. Hopper is working toward an associate degree in cyber security. The Ball State student earning the AAUW scholarship is Dawnya Mercado. She is working toward a master’s degree in social work. To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must…


George and Frances Ball Foundation Earmarks $400K to Muncie Children’s Museum

By Muncie Children’s Museum— MUNCIE, Ind. — The George and Frances Ball Foundation awarded $400,000 to the Muncie Children’s Museum More to Explore Campaign in 2020, designed to re-imagine and re-invigorate one of the community’s greatest treasures. Historically, Education and Youth have been the primary focus for the George and Frances Ball Foundation. In 2020, the Foundation awarded more than $2.9 million across 28 organizations focused on children, young adults, and educational attainment. The Muncie Children’s Museum was one of them. “We couldn’t be more grateful to the George and Frances Ball Foundation for its generosity and laser focus on…


MuncieJournal.com’s Reflections on John Carlson, Writer Extraordinaire

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief, MuncieJournal.com— Editor’s note: A few weeks ago we asked our readers to send us any stories or comments they wanted to make about John, and we would publish them. John passed away peacefully at his home on April 7, 2022. On Monday, May 21st, 2018 I received the following email. Hello Mike and Muncie Journal team, My name is Graham and I’m reaching out on behalf of White Castle in response to John Carlson’s recent column “In Praise of Gut Bombs.” The White Castle team really enjoyed John’s article and are happy that the restaurants have…


Muncie Native Awarded Prestigious National Security Scholarship

By Willow Howard— MUNCIE, Ind.—Former Muncie Central High School student and 2021 Delaware County Fair Queen 1st Runner-Up Taegan Carpenter was recently awarded the highly competitive Boren Scholarship. The Boren Scholarship is an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office of the US Department of Defense. This year, it was awarded to 208 college students across the nation and provides each of them with up to $25,000 for study abroad in areas critical to national security. Carpenter will be studying for one year in Taiwan to improve her Mandarin language skills. Carpenter is a 19-year-old college student…


Teens Can Sign Up for Free Summer Film School at Muncie Public Library

By Susan Fisher— MUNCIE, Ind.—Teens in grades 9-12 are invited to learn about videography and editing using state-of-the-art equipment at the 2022 Summer Film School at Muncie Public Library (MPL). This free program provides two weeks of hands-on production experience and classes related to film production and will take place at Connection Corner, MPL’s technology center. Film school instructors are Stuart Cotton, MPL Digital Mentor, and Spenser Querry, MPL Technology and Digital Specialist. According to Cotton, this year’s film school will be just a bit different than in years past. “This year, we will have shorter classroom sessions and more…


Family Photos, Documents Digitized for Free on ‘Community Scan Day,’ May 14

By Ball State Marketing and Communications— MUNCIE, Indiana – Ball State University Libraries, along with a few area partners, are hosting a community scan day—an opportunity for community members to have their family photographs and documents digitized, at no charge, in an effort to preserve local history. The event, “Preserving Local History: Community Scan Day,” will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on May 14 in the cantina at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens, 1200 North Minnetrista Parkway, in Muncie. In addition to having photographs and documents digitized and added to local digital archives, community members will be given a digital copy…


Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie: Snack Drive to Support our Summer Camp

By Zack Hansen— MUNCIE, Ind.—Did you know that our Club members can go through over 12,000 snacks over the course of the Summer? Our youth at Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie are continually learning and growing, and a nourishing & consistent diet is a huge part of what allows them to thrive. That’s why we’re running a Snack Drive from May 9th through May 29th: To give them the resources & support they deserve. However, we can’t provide over 12,000 snacks all on our own. We would greatly appreciate any donations to the Clubs, which can be done by…


Students Participate in 1st Annual ‘Archangels in Action’ Day

By Tara Edmondson— MUNCIE, Ind.—Students from St. Michael Catholic School, a part of the Muncie Catholic Pastorate, recently participated in their first annual Archangel’s in Action Day. Students, teachers, and helpers volunteered across Muncie, serving our brothers and sisters in Christ in the community. All grades, preschool through 8th, were involved in the day. Our students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade stayed onthe St. Michael campus, making 250 sack lunches for the Soup Kitchen of Muncie and 172 hygiene kits for Muncie Mission, while our preschoolers painted river rocks and artwork for Bethel Pointe Nursing Home, a cause championed by…


Ball State Returns to the Quad for 2022 Commencement Ceremonies

By Ball State Marketing and Communications— MUNCIE, Indiana – For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ball State University on Saturday returned to its traditional setting for its Spring Commencement ceremony. At the main ceremony held Saturday morning on the Old Quad, Ball State conferred more than 3,400 doctoral, specialist, master’s, and baccalaureate degrees for its Class of 2022. University President Geoffrey S. Mearns, speaking from the stage on the Fine Arts Terrace, encouraged the graduates to take a moment to appreciate the opportunity to play a vital role in a University tradition more than 100…