NCHS Panther Partners
Celebrating Panthers who met at North Central and built a lasting love that’s still going strong today!
For David and Ashley Butz, their love story unofficially began in a very specific place: North Central’s 2001 Junior Spec show, TOGA. They were two high school students sharing a stage, unaware that life was already nudging them toward something bigger.
Both graduated from North Central in 2002. Though they knew each other in high school, it wasn’t until the summer after their freshman year of college, when they were both back home in Indianapolis, that their paths crossed again. This time, something clicked.
Their first official date was at the Applebee’s in Clearwater, an iconic spot that, sadly, no longer exists, followed by a Dave Matthews Band concert at Deer Creek. Ashley recalls the moment she excitedly called her best friend from high school and exclaimed:
“David Butz just asked me on a date!”
That moment would become the beginning of a love story that carried them through college, grad school, and eventually to their wedding in 2011. Since then, they’ve been building a full, joyful life together—one chapter at a time.
David and Ashley now live in Indianapolis with their two children, who attend Allisonville Elementary. David serves as the technology teacher at Willow Lake Elementary, while Ashley works as a lawyer at a national law firm.
Their current season of life looks a lot like many modern families: a steady rotation of kids’ sports, activities, and events, where they proudly play both chauffeur and cheering section. And they embrace the beautiful chaos wholeheartedly.
Jay and Lauren (Hill) Christy’s love story began in 2006 when they were both student assistants in swim class. Lauren, the ever-social butterfly, decided to befriend the quieter (and broodier) swimmer and attempt to bring him out of his shell. They became fast friends, merging their already-overlapping friend groups into one large group that took over the middle of the upper student center every morning. Jay and Lauren spent a significant amount of time together at North Central, bonding over their mutual love of the water, Latin, and stage crew, until they graduated in 2008. Their friendship stayed strong through the first three years of college at IU, but somewhere along the way, those friendly feelings turned into romantic ones. The IU vs. Kentucky basketball game of 2011 is generally considered by all parties to be the official start of Lauren and Jay’s romantic relationship. Fourteen years, several cats, a couple of dogs, and one human child later, Lauren & Jay are still celebrating IU wins.
From best-friendship to happily-ever-after, Washington Township Schools continue to play an active role in the lives of the Christy family. Their education shaped who they are both professionally and personally, and they take great joy in watching it do the same for their daughter.
After a decade-long career as a middle and high school Science teacher, Lauren shifted her career to the out-of-school education space. Lauren coordinates youth programs at The STEM Connection, where she gets to experience the joy and wonder of thousands of Indianapolis students as they experience 30 acres of nature and STEM. Jay has made great use of all of those Honors and AP Math classes he took at NCHS. He has been in IT and Software Development for his entire working life, which perfectly blends his love of computers, math, and quiet.
Jacob Ullom and Grace Lough met at Allisonville Elementary when they were in the same 3rd and 4th grade classes. While they met at Allisonville, the pair didn’t start dating until they were attending Eastwood Middle School, shortly after their 8th-grade trip to Washington, D.C.
North Central had a profound impact on their budding relationship. By the time Jacob and Grace graduated, the two had navigated different high school experiences. Grace was on the swim team, Panther Quest, and class council, while Jacob was on the golf and basketball teams, and in National Honor Society.
Their busy schedules still left time for Jacob and Grace to embark on some unique experiences together at North Central, like being editors for the yearbook and attending all the classic NC events like Homecoming, Prom, and Junior Spec.
Nowadays, Jacob and Grace live in downtown Indianapolis. Grace is active in Washington Township Schools as a second-grade teacher at Fox Hill Elementary, and Jacob works for HWC Engineering on the economic development team. This past fall, the two celebrated their 10-year anniversary just a few days before Jacob proposed at his family’s farm, surrounded by loved ones. It was the perfect way to mark everything Jacob and Grace have built together.
In fact, Grace is a second-generation “Panther” couple as her parents, Brad ’88 and Kimberly ’88 started dating their sophomore year of high school and have been happily married for 33 years. We are all looking forward to seeing Jacob and Grace follow in their footsteps.
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For more Alumni Highlights and information, please visit our NCHS Alumni Center.
