PHS MEDIA NEWS

For senior Tyler Griffith, the 2019 baseball season marks the end of a great high school career. His love for baseball was first discovered when he was eight years old. When Griffith had first moved to Paoli, he started in little league, and his love for baseball continued.

He currently plays many positions for Paoli’s baseball team, including pitcher, catcher and outfielder. The training required to get to where he is now gave him the opportunity to travel across the country playing baseball.

“Playing in high school has been a great experience, but I have a lot more memories playing travel baseball. I still have friends today from travel baseball that I would practically consider family. Growing up playing travel baseball has brought me closer to my family and teammates, and I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything else,” said Griffith.

While Griffith has been apart of baseball, he has accomplished a lot. In 2018,  the team won PLAC conference for the first time since 1994. Griffith has also earned individual awards.

“I have been all-conference at the high school level. I have also won the top defensive player award. During two years of travel baseball, I played for the Indiana Rawlings Tigers located in Clarksville, Indiana. I won the All-Tiger award. This award is granted to two outstanding players on each team. Playing travel ball, I have also helped my teams win multiple tournament championships across the United States,” said Griffith.

Griffith has learned valuable life lessons during his baseball experience.

“Baseball has taught me a lot about what it means to be apart of a team and how to work together in certain situations. I have developed a lot as a player playing travel ball through my high school career, but also as a person because I have learned how to be a good teammate and to always be supportive of others,” said Griffith.

With his many years of experience, Griffith would advise younger players to do their best, work hard and never give up.

Griffith is looking forward to his last year of high school baseball, but is sad to see it come to an end. Griffith strives for another conference title and a sectional title before he has to put high school baseball behind him.

“I’m pretty disappointed that this is my last year, but I’ve had some great memories. I will miss being apart of the sport more because I had made some many memories with different teammates over the years,” said Griffith.

Story by: Faith Wilder

Photo by: Karyas Slaten

Not a lot of people stay in their hometown their entire life, but this is not the case for PHS graduate David Padgett. Padgett attended Paoli from kindergarten to senior year and graduated in 1977. Following graduation, he went to work at Brittany Factory for 8 years. Padgett was then a student at Indiana University Southeast and earned his teaching degree. With his degree, he returned to Paoli High School and became a fourth grade teacher at Throop Elementary.

Padgett got married to his wife, Kathy, on June 21, 1997 and has two children. His oldest child is Nick, a senior, and the youngest is Libby, a sophomore.

Having spent a lot of time at PHS, Padgett has the ability to offer important advice to the students here.

“Enjoy school as much as you can and participate in everything that you can,” said Padgett.

In high school, Padgett was involved in FFA and really enjoyed going to the football games, basketball games and cheering on the Rams. Padgett’s biggest regret was not playing sports in school.

“You may not think it is, but school is one of the best things in your life. So enjoy it while you can and make many friends and memories before you graduate,” said Padgett.

Padgett has been teaching at PHS for 22 years, and at the end of year he will be retiring.

“I am looking forward to retirement. I hope to be able to go camping more, working in my yard and doing things with the family. I am going to also try to find a job so I can work some to help with the bills,” said Padgett.

Story by: Haley Owens

Paoli High School alumna Lora Laswell graduated in 1982. Laswell attended Paoli from kindergarten through graduation, and stayed even after graduating for her job and her family. While in high school, Laswell played volleyball as a setter and basketball as a guard. During Laswell’s high school years, sports had more of an impact on her compared to the actual school material, as well as her coaches more than her teachers.

“Ms. Baker and Ms. Phillips made an impact on my life when I was in high school. They were both my coaches, and I could go to them for anything, and still could. Ms. Phillips was my coach when my dad died. I was 13 when he died, and she helped me through that a lot,” said Laswell.

Besides volleyball and basketball, Laswell was also in chess club and worked in the summer at the vocational school in Rego for low income families.

“I didn’t really have high school jobs; I just worked through the summer. I worked at the vocational school when I was 14, and I got paid $3.65 an hour,” said Laswell.

Laswell now works for Paoli High School, acting as a groundskeeper, doing bus maintenance and helping coach girls basketball. She is married to her husband of 28 years, David Laswell, and has two kids, Logan and McKinzie.

Laswell doesn’t have any regrets from high school, but she did enjoy her time as a student.

“I loved attending PHS. I cried at graduation because I knew I would have to work full time and I would miss my friends. My advice to students today is to enjoy your life as a teenager and choose something you love to do as your career because if you love what you do, it makes it easier to go to work,” said Laswell.

Story by Gracie Walls

It is a given that people go their separate ways after graduating high school. For former PHS graduate Hannah Sanders, “separate ways” was completely leaving the state of Indiana. Sanders graduated from PHS in 2017, and she was an avid participant in tennis and cheerleading. Being on each of those teams, especially tennis, is what she misses the most from PHS.

After graduation, Sanders attended Ivy Tech Community College and majored in Graphic Design. After some time at Ivy Tech, Sanders made the decision to transfer to University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. While still studying graphic design at UCF, Sanders is registered in Disney World’s College Program which provides internships for students. Making all of these life changing decisions did not come easy to Sanders, especially being so young.

“It was really hard at first, and I do miss my family a lot, but I have made so many great friends here and that really helps,” said Sanders.

Sanders’s internship lasts from January until May, but because Sanders loves working there so much, she has decided to continue working at Disney World part time until she graduates from school. Currently, Sanders works in the custodial department for Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports. Her job is to help keep the different complexes clean for the athletes and fans who come to watch. Once the internship program officially ends in May, Sanders will be moved to “quick serve” food and beverage. Lastly, because Sanders’s major is Graphic Design, she can draw water art as a part of her job. Drawing Disney characters on the ground for park goers to view would be an example of a job she would have.

“Working at the most magical place on Earth makes life a little easier,” said Sanders.

Disney’s College Program experience will help Sanders with her future career in graphic design. Sanders plans to do a professional internship with Disney and eventually do graphic design work for The Walt Disney Company.

Looking back at her life at PHS, Sanders definitely has things that she misses. As aforementioned, Sanders misses playing tennis and being able to play with her teammates. Not being able to see her friends every day, as she lives in a different state, is hard too. Most of all, Sanders misses media teacher Heather Nichols the most.

Sanders’s life in Florida with attending UCF and working for one of the most popular theme parks in the world will prepare her for future work in graphic design, and she is excited about the future work that will come.

Story by Sara Kesterson

PHS graduate Marixa Oceguera was involved with a lot of activities in high school. She ran track, was a cheerleader, marched in the Pride of Paoli band and earned a couple of crowns throughout her senior year. She can still remember all the fun times at PHS when life was a little bit easier.

Oceguera was a cheerleader most of her years at Paoli. She started her seventh grade year and continued to be involved until her sophomore year. She was the cheer captain along with her best friend, Michala Robertson, and enjoyed going to football games on Friday and cheering on her fellow classmates to victory.     

“My favorite thing about cheer was learning new stunts. I miss cheering with my friends, and Friday night games were always fun,” said Oceguera.

She also ran track her freshman and sophomore years with Robertson. Oceguera would usually run the 100 meter dash, 1600 meter run and hurdles.

Oceguera’s senior year was the most royal of them all. She participated in a pageant, and although she didn’t win queen, Oceguera enjoyed the experience. She was also nominated for Homecoming Queen. She and one of her best friends, Keegan Anderson, were the Homecoming King and Queen that year. She was also the Prom Queen her senior year with Anderson as well.

The one activity Oceguera stuck with throughout her high school years was marching in the Pride of Paoli. She marched the saxophone, and it was her favorite activity during her high school experience. She looked up to the seniors each year and tried to set a good example for her section. Her very first year of marching band was 2012, and the show was “The Phoenix.” Her last show was “A View From The Top.”

“My favorite marching band show was ‘A View From The Top’ because it was my senior year and the most memorable,” said Oceguera

Oceguera was in band for a total of eight years and was in the marching band for six years. Along the way, Oceguera learned a lot of life lessons from former band director Bill Laughlin.

“Mr. Laughlin taught me lots of life lessons that I’m very thankful for,” said Oceguera.

Oceguera is now a student at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany. She is working for her degree in psychology. She is open to many different career paths within the field of psychology. She faces all the new challenges every college student faces. At one point, she had three jobs at once to try to keep up with all her financial needs. She now has her own apartment in New Albany and works at Texas Roadhouse as a waitress. She shares the apartment with her high school sweetheart Cyrus Dodson and their two dogs.

Although Oceguera graduated not long ago, her life has completely changed from high school to college.

Story by Angie Cejá

Mary Magner graduated from PHS with the class of 1994 and learned many valuable lessons from high school over the course of her years. She was involved in many clubs, including Student Council, National Honor Society, Tri-Hi-Y, Booster Club and Spanish Club. Magner also participated in Speech Contest each year.

“I won the humorous duo category freshman year, and it was so much fun. I would not regret doing all these extra curricular activities for a second,” said Magner.

Magner was not just a member of these clubs.  She was often in leadership roles, including Student Council Secretary and Booster Club President.

“I will say that the leadership roles and activities I participated in in high school did lead me to continue to pursue leadership roles in college and in my career,” said Magner.

Magner also had three sisters who went to school with her, which made her experience at PHS more exciting.  

“On our way to school, all of my sisters used to pile up in my older sister’s car and go to school. This was one of my favorite ways to start off my school day,” said Magner.

With graduation being 25 years ago, Magner has since taken greater steps in life. After attending high school, she was admitted to Franklin College the next fall semester.  

“Going to high school prepared me for college, and I was so excited to step foot on campus,” said Magner.

After graduating from Franklin in 1998, Magner became employed at Mitchell Community Schools and then transferred to Paoli in 1998. Through the years, Magner also obtained her master’s degrees. In 2001, she received a master’s in education from Indiana University Southeast. In 2016, Magner earned a master’s in counseling at IUS.  Magner’s husband also attended PHS, and both of her children currently attend.

Although Magner enjoyed high school, she is grateful for the opportunities she has had since graduating from PHS.

Story by Corinne Magner

PHS holds many memories for our current staff. Whether it revolves around hanging out with a friend group, going to basketball games, going out to eat or just walking around the town, there was always something to do. Art teacher Chris Jones has worked at PHS for 24 years, serving for our art department. He has been at Paoli since he was a kid and graduated from PHS in 1990.

“I’d just like kids to know what an awesome history Paoli really has. They may not think it looks like it now, but Paoli was a very neat little town at one time. It was a lot like Mayberry. We rode bikes to town, sledded on snow days and cruised town on Friday nights. We had homecoming parades and bonfires. There weren’t a lot of closed up businesses and boarded up storefronts. People seemed friendlier and more concerned for one another. There was always something to do, and when there wasn’t, we made up stuff to do,” said Jones.

Jones’s life at PHS was heavily influenced by many teachers and administration.

“Mrs. Tish Alder probably had the greatest impact on me. She was my art teacher and wouldn’t accept anything less that your best. And your ‘best’ was a matter of her opinion, not yours. She was tough, but I thank her for it,” said Jones.

English teacher Ruth Uyesugi, Spanish teacher Rachel Greathouse, now known as Rachel Carter, and math teacher Tom Stuckwisch all made Jones’s high school years memorable. Once he finished his education at IU Bloomington and IU Southeast, obtaining his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in education degrees, Jones came back to work for PHS. James Babcock was the principal at the time, and Jones fondly remembers his time under Babcock.

Having grown up in a small town, Jones did not have many people in his life who went to college to turn to for inspiration. It was not common for the students to go to college at the time, but Jones was determined.

“I don’t know that I had a lot of ‘big dreams’ or anything. Growing up in a small town like Paoli in those days, we were very insulated from the rest of the world. It seemed like everything we needed was right here. It wasn’t until I was about a junior or so that I even considered college as an option. I was always a good student, but didn’t really give much thought to what I was going to do next. By the time I was a senior, I decided I needed to go to school and get a degree. There wasn’t as big of a push for every kid to go to college back then. Most of my inner circle of friends weren’t going and my parents hadn’t gone, so when it was time to navigate the whole college thing, it was pretty scary. There was no internet and no email. People didn’t take college visits. You were kind of on your own,” said Jones.

After teaching for several years at PHS, there have been many changes to not only the school but also the community. Technology, involvement, the pressure to succeed and the physical appearance of the community have drastically changed since Jones was in high school. The students and staff use chromebooks for homework, tests, science labs and informational purposes, but Jones does not necessarily agree with the large usage of technology.

Jones also recalls that the push for college education was not as high as it is in today’s society. Students are now put under a lot of stress for their future compared to when Jones was in school. Jobs in Paoli were much more accessible for teenagers because of the factories and “Mom and Pop Shops.” There were many different stores that made Paoli more historically appealing and created an enjoyable atmosphere for students.

“We were allowed to be kids much longer when we were younger. Our parents weren’t as involved in our lives as they are today. I’m guilty now of it too, being overly involved in my kids’ activities. Back then, my parents worked, I went to school and in the evening and on weekends, we were home. Life has gotten a lot more hectic now,” said Jones.

High school comes with many lessons and regrets. Students may feel pressured to try something out, good or bad, or they may let other classmates influence their decision making. Whatever the case may be, Jones wants to change a few things about his high school career.

“I wish I’d taken more chances and gotten involved in things that I was afraid to try, and I regret caring too much about what other people thought and feeling like their opinions defined who I could be,” said Jones.

Jones and his wife, Katie, both work with students every day. His wife has been working at East Washington Elementary School as a school counselor for 14 years. The two have been married for 20 years and have three children together, senior Isaiah Jones, freshman Caleb Jones and third grader Hannah Jones. The Jones family attends Paoli Christian Church, and Chris serves as an elder.

Throughout his years in high school, Jones has learned a lot from his past experiences. He may seem to be just another teacher to some students, but to a lot of PHS students and staff, Jones has a huge role in their lives. He has several pieces of advice to share.

“Take advantage of all of the opportunities that have been laid out in front of you. Whatever you choose to do, do it well. Don’t blame others for your circumstances. The world won’t accept anything less than [your best]. Your circumstances are a result of the decisions you’ve made,” said Jones.

Story by Kinley Block

It is inevitable that siblings spend a lot of time together. For junior Erica Workman and sophomore Elizabeth Workman, this holds true. Along with school, the Workman sisters participate in many things together, including track, cross country and 4-H. They have been participating in 4-H for 7 years together.

Erica, the oldest, shows pigs, makes scrapbooks and is involved in Junior Leaders. Junior leaders is a program for 4-H members in grades 7-12 that teaches leadership skills and community service. The members assist with local activities, events and charities. Because she has been in 4-H for 8 years, there were many opportunities to learn along the way.

“I’ve learned that you have to take control when you are dealing with pigs. It is not easy, but I love it,” said Erica.

Elizabeth shows pigs, decorates cakes, and is involved in Junior Leaders.

Similar to Erica, Elizabeth is also very involved with her pigs. She has won Reserve Grand Champion and first place in her class several times.

“I love showing pigs. We get the pigs several months before fair, and that gives us time to work with them. When we get to the fair, we wash the pigs a couple times and shave them. Erica and I help each other clean the pigs and get them ready to show,” said Elizabeth.

Elizabeth plans on being involved in 4-H for the next two years alongside Erica. Being a part of the 4-H program has brought the pair closer together. They have grown together, worked side by side and learned how to encourage each other to do their best.

The girls look forward to spending the next two years together doing something they love.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn

Math teacher Aaron Key is a PHS graduate of the class of 2013. Key’s memories from PHS were too positive for him to leave forever. Therefore, he came back to make more memories, but as a teacher instead of a student this time.

When looking back, he thinks of some of his most memorable times, including graduating in the top five of his class. Academics were very important to Key, and it was the thing he took the most pride in as a student. He always put his academic responsibilities before anything else. One of the classes he enjoyed most was U.S. history with history teacher Chris Lindley.

“I loved getting to learn about what happened in our country over the years. I really liked the time period during the Oregon Trail. Mr. Lindley would also dress up occasionally, which also made the lessons we were learning engaging,“ said Key.

Although it wasn’t his favorite class, Key found he excelled at math. He continued to improve through high school and put his skills to work by becoming a math teacher.

Reflecting more into his high school career, Key was basketball player for head coach Dusty Cole all four years. From sophomore to senior year, he was a football player for former head coach Brian Balsmeyer. Key enjoyed the experiences of playing for both coaches.

“Both my football and basketball coaches really influenced me in a positive way. They demanded the best from you at all times. They pushed my teammates and me to get better each and every day and also hold each other accountable. What I loved most was not only did they teach you the skills required for the sport, but they both strove to teach us lessons that would be helpful in real life after high school,” said Key.

He also enjoyed playing with his teammates due to the fact that they were all close friends. Key describes the friendships as a brotherhood. They went through all of the long summer workouts and tough practices together.

“We had a lot of success in basketball and football my senior year. I attribute that to great coaches, great teammates and great leadership. It wasn’t easy. We practiced hard and pushed ourselves to the limits, but we were able to enjoy success because of it,” said Key.

Key also participated in different clubs, such as SADD, Booster Club and choir. SADD allowed Key to be a part of a group of students that were supporting each other in making the right decisions. He also was fond of choir due to his love of singing and playing music. Being a part of Booster Club gave Key the opportunity to support classmates in their sporting events as well.

“My junior and senior year, when the girls basketball teams won Sectional and went to Regional, we had the cheer block ROCKIN’ and it was PACKED with students. That’s something I wish would get back to how it used to be. We have a great group of student athletes, and I wish there would be HUGE cheer blocks to cheer them on this year and in the years to come at sporting events. It makes the games and atmosphere so much more fun,” said Key.

Key also enjoyed competing in the speech contest every year. His favorite memory was from his senior year when he and his high school friend Ian Bostock and won the contest by performing a comedy skit called “Bring Me My Brown Pants,” and they had the opportunity to perform in front of the school.

Although Key had a comical side to share, he made sure he was generally known for how genuine he was when it came to his behavior towards others.

“I was known as a good student academically, but more than that, I wanted to take pride in how I treated other students and staff. I always tried to be polite and say ‘good morning’ and ‘how are you today.’ It’s nice to see young kids take time out of their day to just simply ask an adult how they’re doing and be polite and respectful. That’s something I want to instill in my students now: not only being good in school, but being a great person,” said Key.

From his time at PHS in high school to his employment, Key has noticed changes in PHS.

“Everything was paper and pencil when I was in school. Cell phones are also a big issue now. When I was in high school, most people had smartphones, but we weren’t addicted to them,” said Key.

One of the main things Key misses the most about PHS is being with his friends. Most of them went their separate ways as they started their young adult lives.

Although there are many things he misses about being a student, Key will always remember the importance of what he learned from PHS.

“I grew up in the Paoli school system, and I plan on retiring from the Paoli school system. This is a great school. It provided me memories I’ll never forget. It provided me life lessons and prepared me for college and life after high school. That is why I came back. I care about Paoli schools. I care about this community and the kids that make it up, and I want to be a positive influence who prepares students for life and their future endeavors. I am truly Paoli Proud,” said Key.

Key can be found teaching one of his math classes.

Story by Ashlyn Bonta

Paoli High School alumna Cindy Stout graduated in 1978. After graduating, Stout attended IU Bloomington and studied to become a computer programmer.

After one week of attending college at IU Bloomington, Stout married her husband, Lex Stout,  and they both moved to Virginia. After moving to Virginia Stout, continued her college education until Stout’s husband decided to leave the Air Force. They decided to move back to Paoli to spend time with their families. Stout later quit school and started a family, and 16 years later, finished her teaching degree at Indiana University Southeast.

“I would not recommend quitting college that long and then going back. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done,” said Stout.

Stout has had many accomplishments throughout her life during and after high school.

“I would have to say that Ruth Uyesugi was the most influential teacher in my life, but she was also good friends with my in-laws and she went to my church. I knew her through many avenues. While a student here at PHS, I spent much of my time in her classroom or at her house working on the newspaper. However, when I started teaching here, Mr. Phil Andry was so very helpful and always willing to advise me to get me started in my career. He was also my geometry and physics teacher while I was a student. I actually worked as a TA for him my sophomore year,” said Stout.

During Stout’s high school years, she participated in track her freshman year, and played on the first girls tennis team. She played number one doubles with alumna Angie Bosley. Starting Stout’s junior year, she wrote for the sports section of the Paolite, and her senior year, she became the first female to write for the Paolite.

Stout had academic success through National Honor Society and graduating fifth in her class. Stout was fortunate to be able to play many sports and earn awards during her time at PHS. However, Stout also spent time building her family.

“I have been married 39 years to Lex Stout, and we have 2 kids. Joe Stout is 37 years old and is a day manager at FEDEX in Indianapolis. He and his wife Melissa have 3 boys, Owen, Gavin and Harrison. Our daughter, Amy Wesner, is 34 years old, and she runs the office for Silver Creek Engineering in Indianapolis. She and her husband Damien have a daughter Olivia and a son Maddox,” said Stout.

Stout has taught at Paoli for 22 years, and enjoyed each one. She has had many different experiences and opportunities throughout her lifetime. Before she was a teacher, Stout’s first real job was writing community sports stories for the town paper. She has also worked as a Pizza Hut waitress, a math lab supervisor and an elementary school aide at Throop. Despite these different jobs, her favorite has always been being a teacher.

“I have really enjoyed being a math teacher. I appreciate all the hard work my students do and all the support from my colleagues,” said Stout.

Stout is pictured today in the halls of PHS.

 

Story by Lili Seals

Color guard instructor Steve Satterfield graduated from Paoli High School in 1985. Satterfield was accepted into Indiana University and received a degree in psychology. This lead him to become a behavioral therapist for Dockside Services in Madison, Indiana. When he was in college, he became interested in color guard and has been an instructor since.

In junior high and high school, Satterfield was a part of drumline. He marched with the BlueCoats Drum and Bugle Corps from Canton, Ohio and was a world finalist. Despite his drumming success, color guard peaked his interest in college. Satterfield enjoys the appearance and outcome.

“I enjoyed the pageantry of color guard the first time I saw it and knew I wanted to be involved with this activity right away,” said Satterfield.

Satterfield found his high school instructor very demanding of him and his peers, but his color guard instructor, Kelly Stemple from New York City, inspirational.

“She was very strict and not very empathetic to students, being good at what we did,” said Satterfield.

The teaching habits of Stemple rubbed off on Satterfield as he works with his own guards. In the 29 years Satterfield has instructed, he has worked with many different schools but currently reaches 4 high schools and a university. He works with Paoli Jr Sr High School, Washington Co. Ky High School, Southwestern High School, Madison High School and Campbellsville University. Satterfield has won awards for nearly “everything there is to win.” This includes state championships for three states and the finals for each group he works for. Trophies aren’t everything to Satterfield, though. The real reward is his progressing students.

“The joy of seeing a group evolve and mature and blossom into a great performance is what makes it all worthwhile,” said Steve.

Satterfield’s work can be stressful at times. Parents and students don’t cooperate and put full effort in all the time, and when he already has so many other responsibilities, it can take a toll on him. Each group he tends to needs a lot of work apart from practices and designing the shows. No matter how much hard work is thrown at him, he sticks to lesson he learned in his own guard days.

“The other big reward I get is seeing students learn to have work ethic and learn that it takes a lot of hard work to win at anything in life,” said Satterfield.

Satterfield doesn’t intend to quit instructing anytime soon. He wishes to continuing teaching the skill and the unspoken lessons that come with it.

“Watching students become strong and confident in knowing how to work to achieve the goals they strive for is important in all aspects of their lives,” said Satterfield.

 

Satterfield is pictured with his color guard team.

 

Story by Jozalyn Kempf

Junior Megan Poe has been in choir for seven years. She has competed in events that require a high level of vocal ability, such as Solo and Ensemble and Honor Choir. Solo and Ensemble consists of learning a solo and performing it in front of a panel of judges, while Honor Choir involves auditioning for a coveted spot in a prestigious choir that performs difficult songs in front an audience.

However, the competition of being in choir isn’t why she participates.

“The complete reason I’m in choir is to just sing and have fun with my choir family,” said Poe.

Poe has many memories, but her favorite has to be from when former choir teacher Debbie Stroud was in charge of the program.

“My favorite memory has to be when I got my first ever solo with Mrs. Stroud in junior high. It was so much fun,” said Poe.

Poe enjoys singing tenor, which is one of the lower parts. For Poe, choir doesn’t come with any downsides.

“It always seems like I have fun in that class,” said Poe.

Choir not only provides fun for Poe. It also gives her an edge on what she wants to do once she leaves PHS.

“I plan on going to Indiana University for musical theatre, so choir helps me develop my voice so I’ll perform better in college,” said Poe.

Poe plans on singing for as long as possible.

“I’ll be in choir and doing things with singing for the rest of my life. I can tell you that for sure,” said Poe.

 

Story by Chandler Hinton

Former Paoli High School student Richard Minton graduated in 1972. After graduating, Minton decided to stay in his small hometown, and he has now lived in Paoli for 47 years. Minton believes his time at PHS helped him become the man he is today, thanks to some of his PHS teachers and coaches.

“During all of my years, my favorite teacher was Darrell Newkirk. He made my physical education class enjoyable, and he taught me many life lessons,” said Minton.
Minton was never a big fan of mandatory classes, but he enjoyed his history class with Gary Hagg.

“I took his class my junior and senior year and unexpectedly enjoyed it. I was never a huge fan of school. Sports kept my interest more than any of my classes,” said Minton.

Minton played basketball for the Rams for three years of his high school career. He played junior varsity during his sophomore season and was on the varsity team for his junior and senior years.

“My coach Mike Copper was a great coach. He would always joke with me and tell me that I needed to be taller, but he was a really good guy and taught me some great life lessons. I learned that I needed to be mentally tough and work hard to achieve great things,” said Minton.

Minton spent time outside of school with his friends Randy Chastain and John Huff.

“We spent lots of time driving around, playing basketball at the park, stopping by Chat-n-Snack and Shakeburger. We had some good times,” said Minton.

Minton worked at Shakeburger for part of his high school career and for some time after he graduated.

Minton met his sweetheart, Dinah Hypes, a sophomore at the time, his senior year of high school. Hypes was a basketball cheerleader and loved watching Minton play. They went on their first date at a restaurant called Tasty House after a basketball game one night, and the couple has been together ever since. The week after Hypes graduated, they were married.

After Minton graduated, he began working at Electricom and had several other jobs before working at REMC for twelve years. Minton now owns his own business, Minton Billiard Supplies, which has been going since 1989.

Minton, still married to Dinah, has two children, Kasie and Brent, and they also attended and graduated from PHS. Minton now has three grandchildren, Kaden, Benjamin, and Miley. Kaden also attends PHS while Benjamin and Miley are homeschooled.  

Minton has no regrets from his time at PHS, and he encourages today’s students and student athletes to work hard and never give up.

“Don’t get discouraged during practices. Put in the time and effort– it will be worth it. Keep practicing your sport and enjoy your time on the court. It won’t last forever,” said Minton.

Minton is pictured above with his wife.

Story by Kaden Lewellyn