NCHS Panther Partners
Celebrating Panthers who met at North Central and built a lasting love that’s still going strong today!
Who knew you could find love in D Hall? But that’s exactly what NCHS 2003 alumni, Paul and Sarah (Oldham) Clayton did. Looking back at their first encounter, Sarah said, “I don’t know how he knew me, but I remember him sitting at the end of D hall in the mornings and saying hi and telling me I was cute when I walked to first-period Spanish. I didn’t know how to take his compliments, so I always scurried by him in the morning. I asked him to sign my yearbook at the end of freshman year. He wrote, Stay cute, Sarah. I don’t think I had a real conversation with him until we auditioned for choir sophomore year.”
Paul and Sarah went on their first date to Woodland Bowl, where Paul won three out of the four games, and the rest is history.
The couple has many fond memories of their time together at NC, ranging from a humanities class field trip to participating in a variety of performing arts programs. Sarah was in marching band, speech team, Descants, and was a writer for a Junior Spec act. She shared, “Between rehearsal or games, my friends and I would walk somewhere close for dinner, hang out before rehearsal then have fun at the game. It was a really good time with friends.” Paul got to spend time with Sarah in the marching band as a percussionist. He also spent time with friends on a makeshift drumline.
Thankful for her time at NC, Sarah said, “NC shaped who I am because there are so many activities to choose from and positions to sit in. I was able to participate in several activities and connect with several different types of people. I was able to be in leadership positions while in high school so I learned a lot of leadership skills. I also had to learn how to accept not being in leadership positions and how to be an effective leader of a team. Those are skills that we constantly learned.”
Sarah graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Journalism and a concentration in public relations. She was also on the Cardette pom and kick line. Paul graduated from the University of Phoenix after stops at Alabama A&M and IUPUI where he played in the pep band.
Since graduating, the Claytons have stayed local to Indianapolis and are highly involved in the community.
Paul works as a Territory Marketing Manager with Arlington/Roe and owns a media company called NAZ Media Group where he focuses on audio and video production as well as manages logistics for a band. He also teaches drum lessons with The Trap Orchestra. Additionally, Paul serves as the Director of Marketing and Technology for the Rophe Free Clinic, a clinic housed in their church, Solid Word Bible Church. He also sits on the board of directors for the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation and is chair of their education committee.
Sarah co-owns Oldham Insurance Agency with her brother Don (NCHS Class of 2006) where they help people protect their assets using insurance products such as home, auto, and business. They also help clients protect their income with disability and life insurance. Sarah is also a member of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and is a volunteer with the Kids Ministry and Dance Ministry at Solid Word Bible Church.
The Claytons’ three daughters are continuing in their parent’s footsteps and currently attend Washington Township Schools. We love how the Claytons Washington Township connections span the generations!
The love story of Ben and Tricia (Muterspaugh) Galanti began in 1989 when they met as freshmen at North Central. They were introduced at the fall musical, Fiddler on the Roof, by a mutual friend who thought they would be a good match. They continued to get to know each other through Pep Band where Ben played the tenor sax and Tricia played the clarinet. It turns out this mutual friend had good match-making skills because twenty-five years of marriage and three kids later, they are still together!
Ben attended Grandview, Crooked Creek, and Westlane while Tricia attended Allisonville and Eastwood. Tricia’s mother, Mrs. Muterspaugh was a science teacher at NC for decades.
For their first date, the couple went to an NC Men’s Basketball game. Tricia shared, “The Pep Band wasn’t playing and we got to attend the game as our first date. We went to Strawberry Hill for ice cream over in Castleton. My dad drove us! My mom wouldn’t let me do much else so a lot of our dates were school activities. Ben was my first boyfriend. I live on the east side of the district and he lived on the west side of Washington Township so NC was often the meeting place for our dates.”
Ben and Tricia enjoyed their student life at NC and were involved in band, orchestra, and science olympiad. Tricia shared, “We were big nerds!” Science Olympiad competitions took them to Alabama and Colorado for state and national competitions, but one of their favorite memories was, Hello Dolly, the musical their senior year. “We both had parts. Ben was in the pit orchestra and I was on stage in the ensemble. We loved all things music.”
Reflecting on their time at NC, Ben appreciates that NC had so much to offer. “I could try so many different things to see what I liked and what I didn’t like. I wasn’t intimidated when I went to college at a big school.” Tricia shared, “Going to IU, I often had professors guess that I went to NC because I was so prepared. I am indebted to Mrs. Libby for her writing class. My first writing class at IU seemed easy after her class. We were so confident when we graduated.”
After graduation, Ben and Tricia went on to further their education at Indiana University and Purdue University. Today, Ben works as a mechanical engineer and Tricia is a family doctor. They are involved with their church, Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, and live in Carmel with their three children.
Craig and Cindy (Collins) George have had eyes for each other for over five decades. They first met in geometry class as sophomores in 1971. They scheduled a tutoring session after school to study for a geometry test and Craig admits, “I may have exaggerated how much I needed a tutor. She spoke so well and had a good sense of humor.” Cindy shared that she was impressed with his confidence and way with words. “Back then we talked a lot on the phone.”
After recently attending their 50th NCHS Class Reunion in the fall of 2023, they looked back fondly over their time at NCHS. Craig shared he enjoyed basketball games and cruising on the north side with Cindy to the away football games. Cindy agreed they loved football games and added marching band events and marching at the Indy 500 Racetrack.
During their time at North Central, keeping a strong focus on grades and opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities was important to the couple. Cindy played the flute, liked cheering on the athletic teams, and was focused on getting good grades. Craig enjoyed playing golf at Crooked Stick and working on old cars, even back then. “My grades were never an issue. I earned ‘Honorable Mention’ in the National Honor Society.”
The Georges credit North Central for their success and feel that NC offered more opportunities for social development. Being a large school for the generally more affluent north side, NCHS offered challenging academics and many college-level classes. The competition was strong. Craig shared, “I was able to test out of both Freshman English and Spanish/Foreign Language classes at DePauw.”
Craig started his college career at DePauw, finishing his bachelor’s at IU Bloomington before attending law school, but ultimately found success at Allstate in the property claims department. Craig’s experience at Allstate helped lead the Georges to then open a construction and contents restoration business in 1993. In their first year, the business won “Rookie Franchise of the Year” and since then the Georges have received several awards for their exemplary customer service, both with that business and with another company they owned specializing in fire and water damage repair.
As Craig started at Depaw, Cindy began attending the University of Evansville, then transferred to join Craig at IU Bloomington. After college, she worked in the WTS school system until the couple opened their business. Cindy now works part-time for a non-profit organization doing accounting and HR. Outside of work, Cindy is a certified Master Gardener in Indiana and Kentucky and uses her gardening skills to serve as a community volunteer for several organizations.
Craig and Cindy lived in Washington Township from 1985 to 1993, before moving to Kentucky. You might recognize their familiar faces as Cindy worked for Washington Township Schools as a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide during most of that time, while Craig coached the boy’s Westlane/Delaware Trails Little League teams.
The love story of Lucas Moehle and Andrianna (Hji-Avgoustis) Moehle began in the summer of 2010. Andrianna’s friends showed Lucas a picture of her and asked if he was interested, and his response was, “Absolutely!” The only problem was that Andrianna happened to be grounded all summer, but they didn’t let that stop them. The couple was able to meet up outside of Andrianna’s dad’s house that summer before having their first official date at Olive Garden after Lucas received a gift card for Christmas.
When they first met, Andrianna thought Lucas was cool and funny, goofy with a lot of witty jokes, and really easygoing “He was the total jock kind of guy, focusing mainly on sports and spending time with friends.” Lucas’s first impression of Andrianna was that she was really pretty in a unique way, and had such an interesting personality that he kept wanting to be around her. He said, “I had never met anybody like her.”
While at North Central, Andrianna was in several honors classes. And while she and Lucas did not have any classes together, luckily they had a big group of friends that often intermingled. The couple has a lot of shared memories, but each has their own favorite. Andrianna’s was the last day of senior year, when students had a big party in the parking lot at school, while Lucas’s was playing one of his last high school baseball games at Victory Field.
Reflecting more upon their NC experience, Andrianna and Lucas share the same sentiment – that being exposed to all different cultures, ethnicities, and languages in the halls of NC, and having friends from all different walks of life, helped shape the current worldview that they have today.
Lucas and Andrianna both graduated from Indiana University Bloomington and the couple has moved back to Indianapolis where they live with their two dogs.
Lucas now works as a Business Analyst for a wine and spirits distributor. Outside of work, he is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, is a part of The Greener Society that provides support to the Parks Alliance and Indy Parks, and recently received certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine for Personal Training and Nutrition as well as a certificate from the Purdue Extension in Urban Agriculture.
Andrianna has her masters in Public Affairs, and Graduate Certificate in Public Management from IUPUI. Today she serves as the Director of Governmental Affairs (lobbyist) for the Indiana Manufacturers Association. She is also a graduate of the Indiana Leadership Forum (Class of 2021) and was recently recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal for the Class of 2023, Twenty in their 20s. Outside of work, Andrianna is a member of the development committee for the Washington Township School Foundation and a board member for the Government Affairs Society of Indiana.