Northwest Allen County Schools graduates now have a new way to stay connected with the district app through the newly formed Carroll High School Alumni Association.
The group also serves former students of the high schools that joined to create Carroll more than 50 years ago.
appWe wanted to honor the past that we came from and make sure that we also include Arcola and Huntertown alumni as well,app association secretary and 1990 graduate Terri Uchtman told the school board during a presentation last week.
The association stemmed from conversations among a few people last spring, said Steve Lubbehusen, president and longtime Carroll staff member.
appWe thought itappd be a good idea to come up with an alumni association since Carroll High School has been around for 54 years,app Lubbehusen said, noting he considers himself a Carroll Charger despite not graduating from the school.
The nonprofit, which was incorporated by the state in August, offers various membership levels. Costs range from $5 for a one-year individual membership to $500 for a family lifetime membership.
Kristi Schlatter, board secretary, thanked Uchtman and Lubbehusen for their initiative to start an alumni group.
appItapps something Iappve hoped for for a long time,app said Schlatter, a Carroll graduate. appIappm so excited that weappre actually getting to start it.app
Superintendent Wayne Barker said he envisions the alumni association working with the districtapps new education foundation, which is expected to be operational by the end of the academic year.
appI think those two work well together,app Barker said. appIappve seen them work well together in previous districts.app
Public education foundations raise private dollars for school districts. Such groups annually generate more than $16 million for districts statewide, according to the Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations.
The alumni association’s accomplishments so far include creating a membership form, a Venmo account and a page on the school website, . The group has also signed up members at student basketball games and through an email to NACS employees, Uchtman said.
Goals include holding alumni events, such as monthly lunches and a golf outing, and establishing alumni and athletic halls of fame, Lubbehusen said.
appOne of the biggest things thatapps driving this is weappd also like to offer scholarships,app he added.
