Portland native is honored as principal

Portland native Nikki (Hosier) Bullington was recently honored as Community Action of Southern Indiana’s Educator of the Year in October.
Bullington is principal of Clarksville Middle School and received the award for her outstanding job of providing knowledge, curiosity, open-mindedness and critical thinking to her students.
Bullington is a 1998 graduate of Jay County High School, a 2002 graduate of Ball State University with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, earned a health certification in 2003 and a master’s degree in education in 2006, both from Indiana University, and an administration license from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2008.

Benefit auction
The 34th annual Holiday Benefit Auction of Arts Place was held Nov. 18.
More than 300 were in attendance and a record $26,217.50 was raised.
The auction is a kick-off event for the 2017 annual fundraising campaign and proceeds support education programs, performances and exhibits at Arts Place.

Fair winners
Pennville Elementary recently held its Science Fair.
Class champions were Madison McLaughlin, kindergarten, Color Wheel project; Olivia Kahn, first grade, Fire Uses Oxygen to Burn project; Aiden Coleman and Samantha Kahn, second grade, Lua Pele project; Isaac Springer, third grade, Homemade Flashlight project; Gabe Pinkerton, fourth grade, Energy From Garbage: How to Make Biogas project; and Makinsey Murphy, fifth grade, Owl Pellets project.
Regional qualifiers in third grade were Karyssa Denney, Strawberry DNA project, Dannicka Sorensen, Non Carbonated Pop project, and Isaac Springer.
In fourth grade were Hannah Armstrong, Fastest Way to Cool A Soda project, Cami Paxson, Electric Circuit project, and Gabe Pinkerton.
In fifth grade were Lilly Barker, How Temperature Effects Popcorn project, Trace Corwin, Homemade Water Filter project, and Makinsey Murphy.
Regional qualifiers will compete in the East Central Indiana Regional Science Fair to be held on Feb. 18 at Ball State University.