‘Tour’ of duty

Tom Gayda, Vice President for Student Activities
North Central High School

It’s been a great year to be an IHSPA board member. I’d say this year was about building stronger friendships with many of my fellow board members.

I probably spent more time with some board members than I did friends and family members. This summer I taught at three different workshops with Kim Green and Lori Wilken. We kicked off the season driving to Lawrence, Kansas, which was a fun way to start our summer tour together.

Kim also joined me, Mike Frazier and Ryan Gunterman on a trip to the JEA/NSPA convention in San Diego. We walked in the Pacific Ocean together, ate lots of good food and stayed in some real sweet hotel suites. We had great fun singing Tom Jones songs and enjoying the beauty of the West Coast.

I also am very proud of one of my own students, Nick Dugan, who successfully ran for the student board. He is my first student to serve on the board and I am continually pleased with the leadership and kindness he shows others inside and out of school. He is a quality young man who will one day be successful in the communications field.

Sarah Neblett leaving us for California was a great loss. In her two years on the board, Sarah provided great vision and responsibility on a variety of IHSPA projects. Sure, she had diva-like moments I always liked to point out, but Indiana’s loss is definitely California’s gain. I am glad Sarah returned as a speaker to this year’s convention. She was integral in the early planning, so it is nice to have her here to see the final results.

The board — and task teams — have many more great things planned for the future. Adding Diana Hadley to the mix at IHSPA will certainly help us realize many of the programs and initiatives we have discussed. With her and Dennis Cripe now working together at Frankin College, IHSPA should be in the best shape it ever has been. We are truly a lucky state to have two such dedicated and caring people head our state association. We can’t thank them enough.

Finally, if you are a new or old adviser, please consider joining a task team or running for the board. There is a lot going on with IHSPA, and a spot for everyone who wants to be involved. We have several challenges coming in the days ahead in Indiana, and the stronger our state association is, the greater successes we will have.