Lady Kat wrestlers honored by school board
Also, KHS student receives QuestBridge scholarship; Ivy Tech offers insulin admin class
This article is brought to you by Moore's Home Health and Medical Supply. For 67 years, Moore's Home Health has been Howard County's leading provider of assistive and adaptive home medical equipment and supplies. Call 765-454-5210 or visit Moore's at 608 W. Markland Ave. to let them help meet your healthcare needs!
Six Kokomo Lady Wildkat wrestlers were honored with a Resolution of Appreciation and Commendation at the monthly Kokomo Center School Corporation Board meeting on Feb. 6. Four-time state champion Aulani Davis, a senior, was among those singled out for honors, as was her teammate, senior Fielou Van Bruggen.
Also up for honors from the board were junior Alona Smith, sophomore Brielle Humphries, and 9th graders Amirah Marciniak and Marli Redfern. All six wrestlers qualified for the 2023 Indiana High School Girls’ Coaches Association State Wrestling Finals at Mooresville on Jan. 13.
“Our wrestling coaches were thrilled to have a full, competitive girls’ team for the first time ever at Kokomo High School with a contingent of 12 Lady Kat wrestlers,” said KHS Varsity Wrestling Coach Jacob Bough in the board resolution.
There was special mention for Davis who pinned three out of four opponents at the state finals and finished first in the 138-pound class, scoring 27.5 points for the team. She also was awarded the Indiana Girls’ Wrestling Mental Attitude Award at finals. According to the resolution, Davis is ranked 26th in the nation by Team USA Wrestling in her weight class.
The resolution also mentioned individually Humphries for her fourth place finish medal and international student Van Bruggen for earning a seventh place medal.
Kokomo Girls’ Head Wrestling Coach Thad Tyra singled out Davis as a standout wrestler “from day one for me in first grade,” he said. “Aulani never stopped improving as a wrestler. And now, to be a four-time champion, that is historic.”
Noah Thompson receives National QuestBridge Scholarship to Notre Dame
At the same meeting the KCSC board also passed a resolution of appreciation and commendation to senior Noah Thompson, who was selected as one of two 2023 Indiana Lilly Endowment Scholars in Howard County but declined that honor to accept a National QuestBridge Scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
The QuestBridge Scholarship was founded in 1994, and its website states that the non-profit organization, “connects exceptional, low-income students with leading colleges and opportunities.” The scholarship is a full ride, including money for travel expenses, and will allow Thompson to graduate debt-free.
KHS Principal Angela Blessing, speaking after the resolution was passed, stated, “We are so proud of Noah, and these two huge honors. To not just get one honor in the Lilly, but to have to decline it for the honor of the QuestBridge is amazing.”
Blessing also noted that this is only the second QuestBridge scholarship to be awarded to a Kokomo student in the last four years.
“For him to continue with the legacy of his father, who was a Kokomo graduate and went on to Notre Dame is really exciting, and truly does reflect that legacy matters,” said Blessing.
Thompson is also a member of KHS student council, National Honor Society, and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board. He is the son of Angela Thompson and the late Jeremey Thompson.
Ivy Tech to offer two-day QMA Insulin Administration class in Peru
Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo is offering a two-day QMA Insulin Administration course in Peru that concludes with taking the state certification examination.
The class will be offered in three phases, the first two meeting at Ivy Tech’s Peru instructional site, 425 W. Main St. Classroom instruction is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, with practice testing scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28. The state exam can be taken at the testing centers on the Ivy Tech campuses in Kokomo or Logansport at a future date.
Legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly in April 2019 allowed qualified medication aides (QMAs) to administer insulin to specific patients at licensed health facilities. Previously QMAs were permitted to administer certain medications orally, but not by injection. Bill sponsor State Sen. Justin Busch, R-Fort Wayne, said, “This common-sense solution could help save lives and add optional additional training for existing workers to increase their skill level to meet the needs of Indiana’s workforce.”
This course will instruct the QMA in the roles and responsibilities of insulin administration. Ivy Tech Community College is an approved Indiana State Department of Health Qualified Medication Aide training program location. Prior to any insulin administration, the individual must currently be on a QMA registry or have completed the QMA 100-hour training and successfully completed a QMA Insulin Administration course like the one Ivy Tech is offering.
The fee to take the class is $200. Students must provide a copy of their valid QMA certification as well as provide a state-issued identification card and driver’s license.
To register for the QMA Insulin Administration class or for more information, please contact Bonnie Devers at bdevers3@ivytech.edu or 765-252-5497.