By
KEN KUSMER, Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A judge Monday declined to halt Indiana’s broad new school voucher program, saying the law was ‘‘religion-neutral’’ and likely to be upheld.
It was friend helping friend, brother helping sister, sister helping brother and so on as North Adams students converged on the Bellmont Middle School staging area Monday afternoon to find the right bus and head home after the first day of the 2011-12 school year.
All three public systems opened the 2011-12 school year on Monday with a full day of classes.
St. Joseph Catholic School in Decatur was among the schools kicking off the new school year on Monday.
Adams Central High School vocational teacher Jonathan Patterson has been awarded $2,000 by the ING financial services firm as part of its Unsung Heroes program for educators.
An announcement says the awards go to teachers "who have a significant impact on the lives of youth, but remain tremendously underappreciated and unrecognized."
Only 100 Unsung Hero awards were given out this year. Unsung Heroes started 15 years ago.
