Life in the Spotlight

As an only child, it would have been safe for Deborah Gannon to assume she would grow up with fewer connections to other children than her peers who had siblings. However this assumption is far from the reality of Gannon’s childhood, because her...

Susan Ibitz hacked my face. But let me explain. It’s not every day that a complete stranger looks at you and suddenly begins telling you details about your personality from just a moment’s glance.  But that’s exactly what Ibitz does. ...

Teaching our youth important life lessons through the lens of the past is important. This perfectly describes Jeannette Barich, 8th grade U.S. history teacher at Willowcreek Middle School in Portage, IN. Teaching from the...

Kristen Wring, a kindergarten teacher from Portage, has always been a supporter of education. “I love education. I loved school from when I was a student in elementary all the way to college. I’ve always loved learning and finding new, exciting...

Richard and Leslee Kretz are not only the dynamic duo of Portage High School, but they are the definition of what it means to be a great teacher. Whether it’s giving back to the community or making learning from home bearable for their...

For Jon Evers, Principal of Myers Elementary in Portage, the desire to make an impact in education was almost hereditary as he comes from a family with a strong presence in the classroom. “I have many family members that are either currently, or...

In Portage, Indiana, there’s a saying: Portage Proud. Sarah Wilkins, a school counselor at Portage High School (PHS), embodies that.  “I love the sense of pride that we have here. I feel like it’s been there since I was little and whether...

As one of the busiest and most popular locations in Portage, the Starbucks on US-6 requires the steady hand of a manager who understands both the business and the human elements of the industry. Thomas Kinsey is adept in both, and after almost 15...

Born and raised in Portage, Jacob Cohen has been through many life experiences that ultimately led him to pursue education and impact the lives of young students. After graduating from Portage High School in 2001, Cohen began pursuing his college...

Middle School teachers play a key role in a student’s education, helping them transition from the more free-form styling of elementary education into the rigors of high school. Jessica Bouma of Willowcreek Middle School is one of those teachers,...