2001-2002
				The winter sports at Perry were once again near perfect. The boys’ basketball team ended their season with a 15-5 record. The girls’ basketball team had another great season. They won sectionals and went to regionals, but they lost in the last round to Ben Davis. Gymnastics ended 5-8 and went to Sectionals. Boys’ swimming also won Sectionals and ended the season 10-1. Girls’ swimming placed fourth at sectionals and ended the season 7-3-1. The wrestling team had another terrific season and ended it with a 28-1. Justin Dibbern, Jason Dibbern, Nick Henniger, and Nathan Moore all went to the individual State competition with Moore taking home the State title for the second time. The team finished second overall at State (Passages XXIX 86, 88, 94, 96, 98). Although she didn’t get as much mat time, Michelle Almond was the first PMHS lady wrestler (Baron 6). The bowling team had a record of 13-1. Although the participants couldn’t letter, Ryan Sullivan was the State champ; his match was televised (Passages XXIX 122). As winter began to come to a close, the Winter Dance was held, and the king and queen were Nathan Moore and Danielle Pernell. Another winter event for 2002 was the musical. “Oliver,” a story based on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, was extremely successful. Another dance that was happening was the Turnabout Dance. Mrs. Stonebrakers and the cheerleaders planned it. It was a hit. Dustin Hart was the king of the dance (Passages XXIX 22, 24, 153). Renovation was done at PMHS. However, The Indiana Department of Environmental Management tested samples from chemically treated non-contact cooling water that escaped from PMHS’ heating and cooling systems. The water ran into a ditch nearby and turned the water green (“Perry Meridian High water leak to be tested” B03). The PMHS speakers had one of its most successful seasons in its entire history. The speech team as a whole placed ninth at State. Lynette Disch placed second in radio while Cody Bell placed fifteenth in radio, Katrina Gossett placed twenty-fifth in original oratory, Lindsey Wells placed twenty-sixth in discussion, Ben Coe and Dustin Davidson placed thirty-ninth in scripted duo, Hannah Cartwright placed forty-first in prose, Megan Sharp placed forty-fourth in drama, Melissa Boyer and Cartwright placed forty-sixth in memorized duo, and Amy McManama was discussion moderator. The team’s coach, Mr. Moulton said, “This was our best showing since 1997.” Speakers had to be in the top seven at sectionals to attend State (Merida 1). Perry Meridian High School also gained national recognition for being a National Service-Learning Leader School. Perry Meridian students received particular attention for their work with the Julian Center. More than a third of Perry’s 1700 students participated in service-learning projects. The sponsor was Rosemarie Kuntz (McCleery S01). The spring play at PMHS was “The Crucible,” a play about the Salem witch trials by Arthur Miller. It took six entire weeks to prepare and thirty-eight cast and twenty-four crew members to put on the show. It was Miss Stephanie Davis’ second PMHS production (Passages XXIX 30). The spring sports at Perry Meridian did not show the athleticism of its other sports. The baseball team, unfortunately, lost in the first round of the sectionals. MVP’s were Brett Wampler and Jason Beck. The softball team ended the season 16-7, and the MVP was Julie VanZee. The girls’ tennis team placed fifth at Conference and fourth at the Jasper Invitational. They ended the season 10-7, and the MVP was Jessica Barner. The boys’ track team ended the season with a 32-22 record. They placed second at the Franklin Community Invitational, eighth at Conference, and ninth at County. Andy Shives was the MVP. He placed first at Conference in the 200 Meter Dash and third at Sectionals in the 400 Meter and 1600 Meter Relays. The girls’ track team placed ninth at Conference, eleventh at County, and fourth at Sectionals. Sectional champs were Janae Raker, Elizabeth Herron, Niki Tackett, and Brittany Moore. These ladies plus ten others qualified for Regionals (Passages XXIX 100, 104, 106, 108, 110). The prom theme was “Unforgettable.” The colors were purple, blue, and silver (Mays 2). Prom was held at Primo Banquet Hall. The queen and king of the last dance of the school year were seniors Danialle Spears and Danny Shapiro. Another unforgettable event was the Mini-Olympics, or the Mini-O. Dan Nitsch remembered the Mini-O, and he said that almost everyone was on a Mini-O team (Nitsch Personal Interview). So, when the Mini-Olympics was cancelled due to the weather for the first time in fifteen years, the seniors weren’t too happy. Although the day was rainy and cold, the students were still able to participate in the costume contest (Passages XXIX 32, 35). As the year came to a close, several outstanding seniors and teachers were given scholarships or other awards for their contributions and hard work during his or her high school years. Ben Felix was valedictorian of the class of ’02, and Kristen Lawlis was salutatorian of the graduating class of ’02 (Passages XXIX 37). Senior Katrina Gossett was nominated for the Abraham Lincoln Scholarship Award in Marion County. Although she was born with spinal musculatory atrophy, she was in the top ten of her class with a 4.5 GPA and is involved in National Honor Society, Focus, Thespian Society, Student Council, and Speech Team (Barner 3). The Outstanding Teacher of 2002 was Mr. Ron Cunningham (Outstanding Teacher Award plaque). The recipient of the James Head Academic Scholarship was Ben Hoff (James Head Academic Scholarship plaque). The winner of the Eugene Echols Award was Danielle Pernell (Eugene Echols Award plaque). Ben Felix won the Something Extra Award (Something Extra Award plaque). The Staffer of the Year was Keri Perrin, and the Editor of the Year was Jennifer Daupert (Passages XXIX 225). The 2001-2002 school year really was unforgettable. From two sectional wins to two individual State titles with renovation completed and an outstanding valedictorian, the year really was unforgettable. However, the September 11 attacks were still on everyone’s mind. Collin Fultz said the terrorist attacks were the biggest thing that happened during his high school years. He was taking ISTEP when the attacks happened, but during lunch, the televisions were on, and students were gathered all around them. The strange thing was that no one knew what really happened, who caused the attacks, or the timeline of events because the events happened after the students went to school. He said that although it nearly consumed the school for a few weeks, it didn’t change the school (Fultz Personal Interview). However, after the attacks, everyone felt closer, and this benefited Perry this year and for years to come. Works Cited Barner, Jessica. "Gossett nominated for Lincoln Award." Focus. 25 Jan. 2002: News: 3. Baron, Ross. "First lady wrestler." Focus. 25 Jan. 2002: Boys' Sports: 6 Eugene Echols Award plaque. 23 Apr. 2007. Fultz, Collin. Student. 2000-2004. Personal Interview, 9 Apr. 2007. James Head Academic Scholarship plaque. 23 Apr. 2007. Mays, Erin. "Prom theme and colors chosen." Focus. 1 Mar. 2002: News: 2. McCleery, Bill. "Perry Meridian High honored for community service work." The Indianapolis Star. 23 Apr. 2002: S01. Merida, Katie. "Speech team ends season with a bang." Focus. 29 Mar. 2002: 1. Nitsch, Dan. Student. 1999-2003. Personal Interview, 30 Apr. 2007. Passages XXIX: You Are Perry. Marceline, MO: Walsworth Publishing Company, 2002. "Perry Meridian High water leak to be tested." The Indianapolis Star. 13 Feb 2002: B03. Outstanding Teacher Award plaque. 23 Apr. 2007. Schoettle, Matthew. Teacher at Perry Meridian High School 1999-present. Personal Interview, 4-12-07. Something Extra Award plaque. 23 Apr. 2007. Stumpf, Chris. Student of Perry Meridian High School 1999-2003. Personal Interview, 4-12-07. Tonte, James. Teacher at Perry Meridian High School 1996-present. Personal Interview, 4-10-07.