On Tuesday Sept. 10, Dr. Terry Terhune announced to the Greenwood school corporation that biology teacher, Mrs. Karla Bates passed away. Mrs. Bates suffered a medical emergency while she was driving home from Northern Indiana, and died in a single car accident.
Mrs. Bates was born in 1976 in Vallejo, California to her parents Linda Ingram and Paul Sykes. Mrs. Bates graduated from Fairfield High School, in Fairfield California in 1996. She then attended Solano Community College where she majored in Biotechnology she then attended California State University of Hayward, where she majored in biological science and minored in biotechnology, she then received her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Science. She worked as a Lab Technician for Cargill Inc for several years, before deciding to pursue a career in education. After 12 years of working in a laboratory she had a desire to teach “at risk” students in an urban environment, she herself was a “at risk” student herself in high school and it was her teacher who went above and beyond teaching who changed her life. She then moved to Indiana where she attended University of Phoenix of Indianapolis, where she obtained her teaching certification. She completed her student teaching at Northwest Community High School, and then served as a substitute teacher at Perry Meridian Township Schools. Mrs. Bates was then hired at Greenwood High School July of 2015 where she served as a biology teacher, until her passing in 2024.
Mrs. Bates is survived by her children, Carlea Sykes and Anthony Tunstall, her younger brother, Paul Sykes, her sister Alisha Sykes and her niece Mai’Lisha Strane, and her parents Linda and Paul.
After the passing of Mrs. Bates, Greenwood schools banded together in support of the biology teacher. On Sept. 12, GHS students came together and organized a “red out,” in honor of Mrs. Bates favorite color, where students of all ages, regardless of having had Mrs. Bates or not showed their support for the grieving family in a symbolic act. Students from Mrs. Bates classes and others, created sidewalk chalk messages to Mrs. Bates in honor of the impact that she had on her students. Mrs. Bates was then honored with a moment of silence at the opposing Mooresville’s football game on Sept. 13. And students showed up once again on Sept. 20, throwing red confetti and silly string at the home football game as well as displaying a banner saying “Mrs. Bates, forever in our hearts.”
Mrs. Bates left a lasting impact on her niece, Mai’Lisha Strane, a freshman at Greenwood
“My aunt was the sweetest person ever. She always had my back, no matter what; even when I was in the wrong. I will miss the long talks she and I had and the bond that we had, it was really special to me. She was like a second mother to me. She always took me places or door dashed me food and got me stuff. She and I always talked about how she was going to hand me my diploma when I graduated,” Strane said.
