Fairfield Junior/Senior High School

The top eighth graders from Fairfield Junior High School were honored by the Kiwanis Club at Maplecrest this afternoon. Several awards were handed out, and a few of Fairfield's individuals spoke on their experiences as junior high students and how that has impacted them. Fairfield students on hand were Kolten Harris, Elijah Kio, Regan Paxton, Lacy Stoltzfus and Allie Stahly. Adler Bender was also chosen, but did not attend.

Congratulations to the winners and seniors in the Art Honor Society who were recognized at this past weekend's Fairfield Art Fest! Among those recognized were our National Gold Medal winner in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Aislin Hunsberger; Ava Packer, Best of Show for Intro Art; Katie Todd, Best of Show for Advanced Art; as well as Art Honor Society seniors Mallory Behles, Mathias Corbin, Kairi Castillo Hernandez, Jackson Hayes and Andrea Breandenberger. Well done everyone, the talent at Fairfield is tremendous!

A little late start to the week with some crumby weather on Monday and Tuesday, but everyone was super busy to end the week. Baseball avenged its NECC tournament loss to Eastside with a come-from-behind 8-4 win Wednesday afternoon. Trailing 4-2, Fairfield notched a run in the sixth and five in the seventh to steal the win. Owen Garrison homered and Eli Miller drove in three in the win. Keegan Miller struck out 14 Blazers in six innings on the hill. The JV dimed Eastside, 11-1, led by Logan Miller’s one-hitter with eight punchouts. Alec Hershberger struck out 12 over six innings as Fairfield beat Fremont, 6-1, Thursday night. Mitchell Miller had two hits and a run scored. The Falcons earned a pair of quality wins Saturday, besting both Jimtown and Northridge by matching 4-3 scores. Against the Jimmies, Cohen Yoder and Keegan Miller each had three hits and Landon Miller went five strong on the hill, striking out four. Against the Raiders, Garrison went six innings, scattering just three hits while Keegan Miller drove in three. Cohen Yoder had saves in both games. Eastside continued to have Fairfield’s number in softball, winning 5-1 on Wednesday. Bailey Willard added a double among two hits for the Lady Falcons. A homer and two RBIs from Makenna Steele along with enough pitching from Faith Berkey led Fairfield to a 4-2 win over Fremont. Ava Bontrager and Makayla Culp each had two hits in the win. It was a tough weekend for the team at the Mishawaka Caveman Classic, dropping all four of its games. Fairfield lost to Western 12-2, Mishawaka 6-3, North Miami 10-9 and Niles 11-1. Notable for the Lady Falcons was a two-homer, seven-RBI game for Steele in the North Miami contest. Tennis continued to mow over NECC opponents, Thursday a 5-0 Falcon win at home over Central Noble. Addison Mast, Abby Gall and one dubs all won 6-0, 6-0 to highlight the quick evening. JV won the better half of their matches, 5-4. More of the same on Friday as the Lady Falcons moved to 7-0 in the conference with a 5-0 win over Prairie Heights, giving up just one game in the near perfect sweep from its five courts. Fairfield also won its lone JV match 3-0. Saturday the varsity won the Angola Invite, the JV won the East Noble Invite and the junior high team was second at West Noble in a banner day for the program. The high school boys golfers finished fifth at Saturday’s Concord Invite at Bent Oak. Brayden Miller was the match medalist with a one-under round of 71, but needed a three-hole playoff to fend off Northridge’s Brock Reschly for honors. Miles Nine shot 82 and Andrew Miller had an 85 to help the Falcons. Junior high golf on Thursday saw Fairfield post a 223 to split its duals with Northridge (178) and Urey (228) at Meadow Valley. Fairfield shot a 210 to place fourth in the quad at Maxwelton on Friday, losing to Warsaw, Wawasee and Central Noble. The Falcons picked up two wins Saturday, shooting 203 to better Goshen’s 217 and Ulrey’s 236 at Black Squirrel, but trailed both Northridge and NorthWood. Smith Wogomon and Elijah Kio shot PRs in the Black Squirrel match.

Get your teams together everyone and come to the first Fairfield Academic Team Trivia Night! Friday, May 12, at Fairfield Jr./Sr. High School, the doors open at 5:30 p.m., and trivia will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria! Academic Team students will be running trivia answers/ selling snacks and drinks. Teams can have up to 10 people, $15 per person or $150 per table (10 people), and creative names are encouraged! Please RSVP by emailing English Academic Team Coach Veronica Furfaro at vfurfaro@fairfield.k12.in.us including your name, team name, phone number, and how many team members you'll have. All checks should be made out to Fairfield Jr./Sr. High School.

Fairfield High School released its Academic Top 10 for the 2022-23 school year. The 10, which represent the top of their academic class, were named based off two factors - grade point average and SAT/ACT scores. The 10 will represent the senior class at graduation to speak as part of the celebration. Fairfield's Academic Top 10 are, from left to right, Zach Grindle, Amelia Black, Marisa Kaufman, Ella Branneman, Brandon Kauffman, Alec Hershberger, Makayla Culp, Andrea Brandenberger, Lynden Chupp and Luke Holsopple.

They are heroes in their own right every day, and are fighting the hangries with a fury! Friday is School Lunch Hero Day, and our cafeteria workers deserve the super hero treatment! If you didn't hug a super hero today, better find one next week and let 'em know they are appreciated!

For those of you who haven't checked out our new Fairfield Community Schools app, here's a YouTube link to see some of the highlights of what is offered and the ease to which you'll be able to find it! While the app is awesome, our website is completely revamped and ready to serve you better than ever before!!! https://youtu.be/Gl3pIcUwMx4

We're thrilled to announce the new app for FCS! It's everything FCS, in your pocket. Download for Android https://bit.ly/3mArFvU Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3mtMQQh

Fairfield's 8th graders traveled to South Bend to see the Cubs play baseball against Cedar Rapids Wednesday morning as their 8th grade trip. The kids were able to enjoy the full spectrum of the gameday experience, and a nice day away from the grind. Thank you South Bend Cubs for hosting our kids among the fans in attendance!

We talk all the time about the support staff, and how they keep the wheel moving at all of our schools. And they do. HOWEVER, without the teachers, there is no class. There is no school. Your jobs seemingly has no job description with the magic you perform on a daily basis. Your innovation, your intuitiveness, your counsel, your care, your unwavering love for the kids and your fellow teachers - you are loved! Thank you teachers as we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week!

A little note from around the area of one of Fairfield's own continuing to sharpen his iron. https://gclancers.com/news/2023/5/1/mens-track-field-plastow-willard-earn-athlete-of-week-distinction.aspx

A reminder that Fairfield color guard is holding auditions this Wednesday (5/3) and Thursday (5/4) from 3:30-5 p.m. at the Fairfield Coliseum. The club is accepting all 7-12 graders, and no experience is necessary.

It used to be a saying no one wanted to hear, "Off to the principal's office you go!" With a crew like this, that phrase doesn't apply. We have some of the best principals in the game, and are proud to celebrate them today! Happy Principal Appreciation Day to our leaders - Jason Grasty, Nick Jones and Sarah Flagg at Fairfield; Wade Jagger at Millersburg; Carla Hochstetler at Benton; and Meg Gingerich at New Paris!!!

Fairfield golf was sharp at Maxwelton last Monday, posting a 159 to edge out Wawasee’s 168, both getting a team win over West Noble’s 211. Brayden Miller was the medalist with a 36, Miles Nine had a 39 and the trio of Carter Kitson, Andrew Miller and Jasper Carl all handed in 42s. Wawasee won the JV contest by one stroke, 193-194. Jake Elliot paced the Fairfield undercard with a 46. A day later at Meadow Valley, Miller’s 35 pushed Fairfield to a 166 and wins over Westview (184) and Angola (191). Elliot and Benjamin Kio both fired 45s to lead Fairfield to a 196-214 win in the JV card. The Falcons shot 322 to finish fourth at Saturday’s Wawasee Invite at Maxwelton. Miller posted 73 for third overall and Kitson finished at 79. Alec Hershberger’s 11 strikeouts led Fairfield to a 5-0 win over Garrett in the opening round of the NECC baseball tournament. Keegan Miller drove in three in the win and Michael Slabaugh had four hits, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Fairfield was the ‘road’ team Friday for the first game ever played on the new Fairfield baseball field, and withstood Westview, 12-6, in the tourney semi-finals. Fairfield coaxed 12 walks and rallied with seven runs in the sixth inning to pull away for the win. Hershberger had a no-hitter going for 5.1 innings Saturday, but Eastside managed to get enough done offensively to win, 3-1, in the tourney championship at Fairfield. Hershberger struck out 10 in the complete game, but two Blazer runs in the sixth and one in the seventh gave the visitor’s the title. Elkhart clipped Fairfield in JV baseball last Monday, 5-4, in Elkhart. Fairfield stayed clean in NECC tennis play this week, starting with a 5-0 win over Busco. Addison Mast led the way with a shutout at one singles while Elyse Yoder and Abby Gall both lost just one game in their singles sweeps. The Lady Falcon JV closed out a 9-2 win over the Eagles. More of the same on Tuesday with a 5-0 win against Fremont, Mast and Gall giving up just one game between them in the victory. JV Falcons won 7-2. In the prime NECC showdown Thursday, two dubs picked up a third-set win to keep Fairfield clean in the conference at 5-0 with a 3-2 win over Westview. Malley Behles and Ella Branneman rallied to win 6-3 in the decisive set with the other courts settled at two apiece. Mast rolled in losing just one game and Gall won 6-3, 6-2 to set the tone for the Falcons. Westview won seven of 11 on the JV courts. Fairfield trailed 10-6 but rallied with four runs in the seventh for an eventual 13-10 win at Garrett in the opening round of the NECC softball tournament. Amelia Black was a homer short of the cycle with three hits and three RBIs while Makayla Culp scored four runs. Too much of a good thing early almost cost Fairfield in an 8-7 nailbiter over Angola in the NECC semis Thursday. Fairfield led 8-0 in the sixth, only for Angola to get two back in the bottom half then leave the tying run on base in the seventh. Faith Berkey homered and Bailey Willard tripled in the win. Eastside had its way in the championship game, pounding Fairfield 17-4 Friday night. Makenna Steele hit the first Fairfield homer in the new stadium and drove in all four runs for the Falcons. Fairfield managed just two wins in the field among its output in a 96-36 girls track loss at West Noble Tuesday night. Madelyn Culp took high jump (4-10) and Jalyn Stofleth claimed pole vault (8-6) for the Lady Falcons. Marco Garcia and Nick Hofer both doubled, but the Fairfield boys lost to West Noble 94-38. Garcia won the 100 (11.60) and the 200 (23.90) while Hofer took both throws, the shot put (49-9) and the discus (124-8). Olivia Dewald was second in both the 100 (13.22) and 200 (28.39) and Culp was second in high jump (4-10) to highlight Fairfield at Friday’s Wabash Apache Invite. Hofer was first in shot put (47-7) and third in discus (127-8) while Ethan Hochstetler was second in discus (130-2) for the boys. Baseball and softball also had their sectional draws announced Sunday evening by the IHSAA. Both tournaments will be held at the Field of Dreams Park at NorthWood. Softball draws Wawasee in the first game of the six-team bracket, the winner getting Lakeland in the semis. West Noble and East Noble meet in the second game, the winner getting the host Panthers. Baseball draws NorthWood in the bye game of their tourney draw. West Noble and Lakeland open, with Wawasee and East Noble in the second game. Those two winners will meet in the first semi-final, the Falcons and Panthers playing in the second semi-final. NorthWood announced it will release dates and times sometime today for both tournament brackets. Those dates and times will be announced via response post on Facebook and Instagram, and the Fairfield athletics page will have updates as well.

Bragging rights were on the line Friday afternoon when the students of Benton Elementary took on the staff in a winner-take-all game of basketball. Prior to the contest, sixth grade teacher Lindsay Kauffman was honored for her 11 years of girls basketball coaching at Fairfield, to which Kauffman announced this week she is stepping away from the program. As for the actual hoops, the staff had a decided height advantage buoyed by the assistance of state champion Brea Garber. The scoreboard shut off with so many points scored. It was a 'tie'!

Fairfield High School will be hosting a bevy of camps this summer. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s being offered. More information on any of the camps can be directed to Sheila Miller in the FHS athletic office. Camp registrations are due by May 5, or a late fee will be added for each camp registration after the 5th. Boys Summer Youth Camps Football - $40 May 22-25 Grades 6-8 - 3:30-5:30 p.m. -AND- July 11-14 Grades 1-5 - 5:30-7 p.m. Tennis - $35 June 5-9 Grades 6-8 - 10 a.m. - noon Grades 3-5 - 1-2:30 p.m. Baseball - $40 June 26-30 Grades 3-5 - 10-11:30 a.m. Grades 6-8 - 12-1:30 p.m. Grades K-2 - 1:30-3 p.m. Basketball - $45 July 17-20 Grades K-2 - 9:30-10:50 a.m. Grades 3-5 - 11 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Girls Summer Youth Camps Tennis - $35 May 29-June 2 Grades 6-8 - 10 a.m. - noon Grades 2-5 - 1-2:30 p.m. Softball - $35 June 5-9 Grades 6-8 - 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Grades 2-5 - 1-2:30 p.m. Basketball - $35 June 12-16 Grades 6-8 - 10-11:30 a.m. Grades 3-5 - 12-1:30 p.m. Grades K-2 - 1:30-2:30 p.m. Cheerleading - $35 Grades K-6 - 5:30-7 p.m. Volleyball camp is TBD

The 12th Man Club Golf Outing is set for Sunday, June 25, at Maxwelton Golf Club in Syracuse. The four-man team scramble begins at 1 p.m., an annual fundraiser to help support the Fairfield football program. Full details, registration and sponsorship opportunities as well as program details can be found at the link below: https://sites.google.com/fairfield.k12.in.us/12thmanclub/home

Fairfield's Work-Based Learning class spent an afternoon exploring downtown Goshen. While completing their list of challenges, students learned about the benefits of small businesses and all there is to experience right in their own backyard. The class would like to thank the Goshen Business Community for welcoming our students and providing a fun learning experience, the Chamber for the use of the conference room, as well as thanks to Janus Motorcycles, The Soapy Gnome and Springer Printing for giving our students some behind-the-scenes tours.

Fairfield High School students accompanied sociology teacher Ryan LeCount to Faith Mission in Elkhart for a service project. Aside from a tour of the facility, students were able to serve lunch as well as learn about the purpose and structure of Faith Mission. The trip was part of a class unit on social stratification.

BREAKING NEWS: Fairfield High School girls basketball coach Brodie Garber has decided to step away from the program, effective immediately. He told the program this afternoon in a meeting at the school. A statement from Garber: “I have decided to step down as girls basketball coach at Fairfield High School. By no means was this an easy decision. I have several heartfelt thank you’s. Thank you to my family for their support and allowing me to do something I have thoroughly enjoyed. To the many administrators that I have worked with throughout the years, you have constantly supported and believed in me and I greatly appreciate that. My coaching staff has been amazing. Winning was nice, but spending quality time with you guys in the gym was even better. To all the young ladies I’ve been able to coach. You all hold a special place in my heart. Whether you are a current player or past player, I look forward to supporting you in the years to come. Lastly, thank you to the Fairfield Community for your constant support of Fairfield Girls Basketball. Thank you, Brodie Garber" A statement from Fairfield Community Schools superintendent Dr. Carrie Cannon: "I am sad to hear but fully understand the next journey in his life. It's sad to have coach Garber step down, but we fully understand and support his decision, and are proud of what he has brought to Fairfield Community Schools as a basketball coach, but also a person of high character and educator. “Coach Garber has built a great program that consists of mental toughness, high character players and a great feeder system that is demonstrated by our Lady Falcons on a daily basis. We will be looking for the same type of values, skill set and leadership qualities from our next ladies basketball coach. “Coach Garber will still be a teacher here at Fairfield Community Schools and we are luck to still have him in that capacity. We want to thank coach Garber for everything he has brought to our basketball program and the personal investment he has brought to the girls' lives.”