Lykins
Columbus North High School has hired a new auditorium director.
Justine Lykins, a 2012 graduate of Columbus East, has moved into the role and began work on Jan. 17. According to school officials, her appointment still needs to be approved by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board and will be considered at tonight’s meeting.
Lykins, 29, lives in Elizabethtown. She has a college degree in technical theatre and tries to be active with the dramatic arts when she can, including through the Mill Race Theatre Company. She has been a stay-at-home mother for about five years.
“I kind of came across this job by accident,” said Lykins. She went to see a performance of “Elf: The Musical” in Bloomington and ran into a friend who knew about the opening at Columbus North. It turned out to be a good fit for Lykins, as stage management was her specialty in college.
As auditorium director, her duties include coordinating with people who rent out the space and working with student staff to support school and community events. She will be the technical director for the school’s spring play and will be able to direct a future production if she so chooses. She may also take over the school’s thespian troupe.
Her predecessor, former North auditorium director and drama coach John Johnson, is facing a charge of child solicitation, a Level 4 felony. He is accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy in North Vernon, according to court records. A probable cause affidavit filed states that John Johnson’s arrest stemmed from a Predator Catchers Indianapolis sting operation that was conducted on the dating app Grindr and other messaging platforms over the course of at least several weeks.
BCSC terminated Johnson’s employment in November upon learning of the allegations.
“The event from which these charges stem did not involve any students at Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., and at this time, administrators have not received any report of misconduct involving our students,” BCSC officials said in a formal statement. “We will continue to investigate and fully cooperate with law enforcement.”
They added that support would be made available to students and staff through school counselors and mental health partners.
Johnson had worked for BCSC for many years, having taken over North’s drama program from retired drama director and teacher Joe Tower in 1995.
Lykins said that she hopes to ensure the department’s continued success, as well as its improvement.
“I feel like there’s some big shoes to fill,” she said. “I know John did a lot, and I just hope that I can fill in for him pretty well and do what’s best for these kids and get them to love the theatre as much as I do. It’s a little bit nerve-wracking; there’s a lot to take in and a lot to learn. But once I kind of get the feel for what I’m supposed to do or how the job works, how all of the software works, I think it’ll be really fun.”
When asked what she might do to ensure that the theatre is a safe space, Lykins said she had been thinking about it but wasn’t sure, as she hadn’t met the students yet.
“I want the kids to feel comfortable with me,” she said. “I want us to have fun. I don’t know. I also don’t want to bring up recent events, because we shouldn’t dwell on it. We should move on.”
