Congratulations to the top three academ-ic achievers in the Class of 2010 atLaFayette and Valley high schools.Valedictorians are Joshua A. Redden, LHS,and Lacie Brown, VHS. Salutatorians areAvion Foreman, LHS, and Whitney MarieHinson Miller. Historians are Joanne Dixon,LHS, and Delaine Daniel, VHS.

LaFayette High Valedictorian JoshuaRedden plans to pursue a bachelor�s degreein mechanical engineering from AuburnUniversity and start his own racing team inthe Formula Car Challenge. He holds a95.8148 GPA and has won academic awards

for the highest average in advanced geome-try, advanced U.S. history in 10th and 11thgrades, advanced biology, advanced physi-cal science, and advanced chemistry.

Joshua is a three-time recipient of thePrincipal�s Award, a member of the FirstTimer�s Club and a four-time recipient ofCharterBank�s All A�s Award. He was theChattahoochee Federal Credit UnionStudent of the Week, a member and presi-dent of the CCCTC FFA organization,SkillsUSA treasurer, CCCTC BESTRobotics Team, National Society of HighSchool Scholars (2006-2010). He has

received �Gold� scoring on the WorkKeyscareer readiness exam and has OSHA train-ing in general industry safety and construc-tion safety and health.

In the community, Joshua participated inthe SkillsUSA Adopt-a-Grandparent pro-gram and the Chattahoochee Fuller Projectfor housing.

Joshua is the son of Mr. and Mrs.Denson (Cassie) Redden.

Valley High Valedictorian Lacie Brownholds a GPA of 4.54. She plans to attendthe University of Alabama in Huntsville inthe fall and major in engineering. Lacie�s

high school activities and honors includethe National Honor Society, Beta Club,French Club and History Club. She wasamong the Top Three students all four yearsat Valley High. As a member of theMarching and Concert Band, she was cho-sen for the JSU Honor Band and the AuburnHonor Band.

Lacie is the daughter of Wendy Brown ofValley and Scottie Brown of LaGrange, Ga.

LHS Salutatorian Joanne Dixon has aGPA of 92.5556. After graduation, sheplans to attend Southern Union and pursue•Continued on page 14

L. RileySupt. JPP FPE

ES CO

CTC

BurnsBHSE

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VHSLLE

LHS

May 2010Frances King, EditorLeonard Riley, Superintendent

VHS TOP SENIORS – Left to right are Lacie Brown, valedictorian; Whitney HinsonMiller, salutatorian, and Delaine Daniel, historian.

LHS TOP SENIORS – Right to left are Joshua Redden, valedictorian; JoanneDixon, salutatorian, and Avion Foreman, historian.

Congratulations to the top seniors and all graduates

Page 2 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

Huguley Elementary School isa bouquet of spring activity.Students are busy as bees planting,collecting, designing, walking,kicking, and even flying. Studentsin Wendy Robinson�s pre-k classhave been learning about farm life.During the unit study childrenplanted tomatoes, made homemadebutter, constructed a child—sizedbarn and even got to meet live baby

chickens. They also went on a fieldtrip to the Callaway GardensButterfly Center.

Jo McMurtrie�s kindergartenclass built a raised garden in theircourtyard. It is divided into squarefeet so that each child has his/herown garden. They planted a varietyof flowers and vegetables. Theplants are just beginning to sprout.

Huguley Honor Society mem-bers collected supplies for theHumane Society. They donatedfood, toys, kitty litter and bleach tohelp sustain the homeless pet popu-lation in our area. Humane SocietyDirector Shon Sims showed appre-ciation by addressing students onthe benefits of spaying and neuter-ing their pets.

Students get creativeThe Student Government led

Huguley students in the celebrationof Earth Day by sponsoring an

Earth Day Flag Contest. Fifth grad-er Caitlyn Turner was the winner.Classes also pledged to make threespecific changes in their habits tobetter serve the welfare of the plan-et. Fifth graders in Lindsey Earles�social studies classes hosted theLiving History Museum for parentsand students. They assumed thecharacter of historical figures andwhen summoned came to life andshared their life stories. ChristyMeadows� third grade classesshowed off their designs at theAnnual Invention convention heldin April in the Huguley gym. Theyprovided models, marketing strate-gies, and demonstrations of theirimaginative ideas.

Tina Moman and Jason Phillips�physical education classes inspiredclassmates and teachers to partici-pate in the Relay for Life Walk.Overall they earned over $700 for

the American Cancer Society.Huguley pupils reap

some rewardsFourth and fifth graders were

kicking and screaming - and for agood reason. Their SAT scores fromlast year earned them the right toparticipate in the Fourth vs. FifthGrade Kick Ball Tournament. Hardwork on this year�s SATs was com-pensated with outside activities forfirst graders, an ice-cream party forsecond graders, and third gradersdined outside on pizza after gamesand activities.

Fourth graders were soaring aftertheir study of the Wright Brothers.They designed paper aircraft andcompeted for the most original andefficient planes. They also com-memorated the year 1903, when theice-cream cone was first introduced,with some flavorful reenactments.

Finally, this is the end of an erawith the retirement of theConnections editor, Frances King.We would all like to wish her ahappy retirement and hope thatwherever she lays down her roots,her future will be bright and rosy!

Well, Field Day is almost here,teachers are starting to figure high-est averages, and AR points aremounting. So the end of the schoolyear is around the corner. It is timefor me to reflect on the year andthank all the people who helped usget through it so smoothly.

Our 411 students supplied uswith exciting and enriching experi-ences. Students were involved andinnovative. They challenged andamazed us, and they reminded us ofwhy we are here. Our students rep-resent the future, and the impact wehave on them is our imprint on thatfuture.

Thank you to our Huguley com-munity that so tenaciously supportsus. This includes all our involved

parents and grandparents as well asservice minded citizens. Our excep-tional Partner in Education, Knauf,continues to be generous and dedi-cated to promoting the importanceof quality in education. HuguleyElementary School is blessed with adevoted staff that continues to worktirelessly to teach and enable ourstudents to meet head on the chal-lenges of the future.

Sincerest thanks to all of you forfaithfully assisting us in our goals toaddress the needs of our students ininnovative and effective ways whilebettering ourselves in the process.Have an adventurous and produc-tive summer. I look forward to see-ing most of you, relaxed and raringto go in the fall.

Gratitude for SupportBy Nancy Maples, PrincipalHuguley Elementary School

FARM LIFE — Students in Mrs. Robinson's pre-k class have been learning aboutlife on a farm. During the unit the children planted tomato plants, made homemadebutter, constructed a "child-sized" barn, and even got to meet live baby chicks.Shown are students observing baby chicks.

HISTORY MUSEUM — Front row: Tori Roberts, Jonathan Ragland, and WillBrown. Back row: Autumn Grant, Jaeda Robinson, Peyton Meigs, Jarell Stanford,Ryan Meadows and Dylan Harmon.

EARTH DAY: Everyone wore green.

I would like to take this opportu-nity to thank Frances King for all ofher hard work and vision for theConnection. For approximately 10years Chambers County SchoolSystem has been able to provide thisnewspaper to parents and the com-munity, and this would not havebeen possible without Mrs. King.She has helped to build the publicrelations efforts and partnerships thatare imperative to the success of ourschools. I would like to congratulateher on her retirement, but also thankher for all of her hard work and ded-ication to public relations inChambers County Schools.

Overall, we�re completing the2009-2010 school year on a positivenote. While we have lost some finan-cial reserves as a result of the eco-nomic downturn and proration,we�ve managed to maintain theintegrity of our programs. We appre-ciate the cooperation of the schoolboard, our administrators, teachers,parents and students in making this asuccessful year.

A proud moment for ChambersCounty Schools was the meeting ofAdvancedEd/SACS a few weeks

ago in Atlanta, where our school dis-trict was officially awarded system-wide accreditation. The QualityAssurance Review QAR) Teammade the recommendation lastspring after a year of self-study andintense work by committees of edu-cators, parents, students and mem-bers of the community. All 11schools had to be accredited individ-ually before we could begin the sys-tem-wide accreditation process.Only 188 school districts nationwidereceived this distinction. The districtaccreditation process is only aboutthree years old. Thanks to all whoworked so hard to make this dream areality.

On the heels of the districtaccreditation came the developmentof our five-year strategic plan, whichalso involved months of intenseplanning, meeting and input from thecommunity. Now, our challenge is toexecute this ambitious plan to moveforward in four areas: quality teach-ing and learning, effective leadershipand human resources, support forsystem-wide improvement, and clearand collaborative relationships.

Our technology team has beenworking diligently after hours fromMay 5-15 to upgrade our system�stechnology infrastructure. Our tech-nology director, Michael Sanders,explains in more detail in his articleon page 14. These upgrades weremade possible through a $1 millionfederal E-rate grant with approxi-mately $300,000 in matching funds.

The Central Office personnel arereally enjoying the offices of the newadministration building. All of theadministrative offices are now in onelocation, creating a more cohesive,efficient work environment. Thespacious boardroom is also a verycomfortable and pleasant environ-ment for meetings.

I am completing my 19th year assuperintendent of education. Asalways, I appreciate the support ofour communities and citizens.

Have a wonderful and restfulsummer.

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 3

Riley’s Corner

Chambers County Board of EducationP.O. Box 408 • LaFayette, AL 36862

Phone: (334) 864-9343 • Valley 706-586-2280Leonard Riley, SuperintendentWilliam A. Martin III, President

Joe C. Davis, Vice PresidentJeffery Finch Alane DuncanClifford Lyons Mary S. Terry

L. RileySupt.

CHAMBERS COUNTY SCHOOLS2010-2011 Calendar

“Creating Life-Long Learners Is Our Business”Pre-planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tues, Wed, Thursday & Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .August 3, 4, 5 & 6, 2010 Teacher Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thursday, August 5, 2010Professional Development Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friday, August 6, 2010First Day of School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monday, August 9, 2010Labor Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monday, September 6, 2010Parent’s Day (School in Session) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monday, October 4, 2010Veterans Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thursday, November 11, 2010Thanksgiving Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wednesday-Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .November 24-26, 2010

Christmas HolidaysDismiss school at end of day, Friday, December 17, 2010

Return to school Monday, January 3, 2011

First Day of Semester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .January 3, 2011Martin Luther King, Jr.-Birthday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monday, January 17, 2011Professional Development Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friday, February 18, 2011President’s Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monday, February 21, 2011

Spring Holidays Dismiss school at end of day, Friday, April 8, 2011

Return to school Monday, April 18, 2011

Last Day of School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wednesday, May 18, 2011Post-Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thursday & Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .May 19 & 20, 2011

KNOLOGY PICNIC — Every year, Knology of the Valley sponsors a picnic at Rocky Point on WestPoint Lake for selected students and their teachers from Chambers County and Lanett City Schools.Pictured at the picnic are the teachers and students from Chambers County Schools. We appreciateall of our Partners in Education for supporting our schools.

Important Dates for end of the School Year 2009-2010Last day for students is Thursday, May 20

Post-Planning - Friday, May 21 and Monday, May 24Professional Make-up Day - Tuesday, May 25

Page 4 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

READ ACROSS AMERICAFive Points Elementary

School celebrated Read AcrossAmerica the week of March 1-5.The children participated in sever-al activities throughout the week

such as Hat Day, Crazy Sock Dayand Tacky Day. They all had anopportunity to try green eggs andham for breakfast. On Tuesday,March 2, the students were readDr. Seuss books by Mrs. Givins,Mrs. Ison, Mrs. Herston, Ms.McFarlin and Payton Thrift, a stu-dent from the Teacher EducationProgram offered to VHS and LHSjuniors and seniors. All of thesefestivities were done to celebrateDr. Seuss. All of the children hada great time!

TOUCH OF CLASS DAYEach year at Five Points

School, the teachers, staff, andvolunteers come together to intro-duce the students to different clas-

sical and artistic pieces. Each hallin the school is decorated with flo-ral arrangements and plants, art ishung on the walls, and classicalmusic is played throughout theschool. All of the teachers andstaff dress up in their Sunday�sbest and are served lunch by can-dlelight in the lunchroom.

This year Touch of Class Daywas on March 16. The students allcame to school dressed in suitsand beautiful dresses. They partic-ipated in art activities that intro-duced them to some of the greatestartists. Laura Lowe�s class paintedA Starry Night by Van Gogh.Other classes wrote poems aboutspring and drew pictures. The stu-dents, parents, and volunteerswere served an elegant lunch inthe cafeteria on tablecloths and bycandlelight. Here, the students gotto practice what they had learnedabout manners.

The students who participatedseemed to have really enjoyed theactivities and learned a lot aboutelegance, grace, and manners.

SPECIAL OLYMPICSWe had three of our students to

go and participate in the secondannual Special Olympics at RamStadium in Valley on April 23.

Mariah Goffer, an eighth grad-er at Five Points ElementarySchool ran the 50, 100, and 200-meter dash. She won two first-place ribbons and one third-placeribbon.

Dondi Smith, a sixth grader atFive Points Elementary School,ran the 50 and 100-meter dash andhe won two second-place ribbons.Dondi also participated in the soft-ball throw competition where hewon a third-place ribbon.

Zachery Witham, a fourth grad-er at Five Points ElementarySchool, won two first-place rib-bons for the 100 and 200-meter

dash, a third-place ribbon for the400-meter dash, and a second-place ribbon for the long jump. All

of the children who participatedhad a great time and enjoyed get-ting the chance to compete.

Busy, challenging yearmarked by loss of teacher

By Rhonda Givins, PrincipalFive Points School

Another busy school year isabout to come to an end. As Ireflect back, I think of all the chal-lenges the teachers and studentsfaced this year. The hardest andmost painful was the passing ofMr. King. Through tears andlaughter, the Five Points Familywas able to embrace his memoryand move forward. Each day asthe students go to the gym, theypass the memorial tree that wasplanted in his honor. Mr. King’sfamily has placed a marble benchat the site for students to sit andreflect quietly.

This year we celebrated severalevents, but the best celebrationswere the 100 days of school with akickball game, Read AcrossAmerica Day by reading Dr.

Seuss’ books, "Touch of ClassDay," and good behavior partieseach grading period. The mostmemorable behavior party was theEgg Hunt. Students hunted forprizes and tempting treats. At theend of state assessments everyonerejoiced by participating in SpringFling. Students, teachers, and par-ents celebrated by playing gamesand enjoying special refreshments.We still have Field Day andAwards Day to celebrate!

I encourage everyone to readthis summer. Reading books cantake you to faraway places, bring asmile to your face, tears to youreyes, and cause you to imagine -what if. I wish for all my students,teachers, and parents a safe, fun,and relaxing summer.

ST. PATRICK’S TREE – The lunchroom staff at Five Points Schoolenjoy decorating so much that they decided to leave theirChristmas tree up all year, decorating the tree for different holidaysand occasions. Touch of Class Day on March 16 was the perfectopportunity to decorate the tree for St. Patrick’s Day, only a daylater. Shown in front of the tree are Mary Smith, sixth grade; KirstinBurdette, sixth grade, and Daijahana Walton, fourth grade.

Five Points students, from left, Zachery Witham and DondiSmith carry their school’s banner for the opening cere-monies of Special Olympics.

TOUCH OF CLASS DAY – Seated around the lunchroom table on Touch of Class day at Five Pointsare (left side): Alisha Greer and Bishop Lathonia Wright, Right Side: Neal Greer, Tammy Greer andShamonica Greer.

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 5

As our 2009-2010 comes to anend, Fairfax Elementary Schoolwould like to wish our secretary,Laura Hull, success at our CentralOffice. We wish a happy retirementto Mary Carter. Mrs. Carter served ascustodian for 26 years. We will missyou both.

The first week in March ourschool participated in Read AcrossAmerica. The students and facultyenjoyed such events as guest readers,crazy socks day, designing their ownDr. Seuss hats, and wearing sun-glasses. East Alabama FireDepartment reviewed fire safetywith students. They gave students afirsthand experience by sharing howto escape from a fire using themobile fire trailer.

In mid-March we wrapped up ourmath tutoring program, where par-ticipants received an extra dose ofmath practice. We would like tothank our PTO for supplying moneyfor classroom supplies for our MathTutor Volunteers. On March 25, weheld Family Math and ScienceNight. The grades were divided ingrades bands; k-1, 2-3, and 4-5.Some of the activities familiesenjoyed were graphing, patterning,taking temperatures, and more. TerriCulpepper collected door prizes thatwere given during the event.

SAT-10 and ARMT were given togrades 1-5. Mrs. Groover provideddaily treats for those who worked

with diligence and arrived on time.Students who met third quarter goalfor Accelerated Reader were givenMardi Gras beads and masks andmovie time. Students are currentlystriving to meet their goals for an ARt-shirt to be given at Awards Day. Wethank our PTO for purchasing theset-shirts.

In April our school was buzzingwith exciting events. Kindergartenwelcomed spring with Kite Day.Classes celebrated Easter with egghunts, picnics, and treats.

After returning from a muchneeded Spring Break students wereentertained by Kay S. Heath, a chil-dren�s author from Dawson, Ga. Thechildren heard about her books andwere given the opportunity to pur-chase and have them autographed.Mrs. Heath taught for 30 yearsbefore retiring to become an author.Fairfax was the first Alabama schoolshe had ever visited. We thankMartha Anne Belser, first gradeteacher, for making these arrange-ments.

A pep rally was held on April 22for the participants in SpecialOlympics. SGA and Honor Societymembers made banners for theevent. The participants were wel-comed to the rally through a victoryline and awarded a �gold medal� fortheir courage and efforts.Participants and a portion of the stu-dent body were led in songs anddances by Fairfax P.E. coaches.Special Olympics took place the fol-lowing day at Valley High�s footballfield. The students returned withmany ribbons and smiles that madethe hard work worth the effort.

Relay for Life plans include hatsand sunglasses day, movie and pop-corn time, give to the change jug ingym for extra recess time, Mini-Relay for Life walk, and fifth gradelip sync. All money will go to the

American Cancer Society in memo-ry of Jerri S. Holley, and in honor ofKaren Brown and Debbie Bridges.

Our Honor Society observedEarth Day by beautifying our cam-pus. They potted flowers for thefront door entrance, planted a tree,and landscaped a small plot at car-port. Their work really makes thecampus look nice.

May Day activities are scheduledfor May 14 and will include conces-sions, a blow-up slide, moonwalk,relays and tug-of-war competitions.Awards Day will be held on May18.We look forward to awarding stu-dents who have strived for excel-lence and met their yearly goals.Invitations will be sent home withstudents who are receiving awards.

FAIRFAX HONOR SOCIETY recently planted trees, flowers, and bushes to beautify the campus.Pictured above are (front row) Jackie Little, Callie Pike, Lindsey Siggers, Malik Lyons, Cierra Bassett,Kevonte Cooper, (back row) Omar Turner, Hillary Vickers, Gabby Davis, Lawson Bonner, MatthewAllen, Noel Davis, Janasia Travis, and Caitlyn Hutchinson

A T.E.A.M. Approach:Together Everyone Achieves More

By Fran Groover, PrincipalFairfax Elementary School

This statement is very familiarto people in education. You see iton pens, notepads, magnets andcoffee mugs. The popular phrase isused in businesses and organiza-tions as a rally to bring peopletogether for a common good. Inthis situation, education is a perfectatmosphere for the TEAMapproach to be beneficial. Giventhe right atmosphere, staff, and par-ents, this phrase can come to lifeand ignite the education of a child.

New curriculum and higherstandards have helped our staffgrow closer as a team. All staffmembers are collaborating witheach other now more than ever.New ideas and strategies are sharedon a regular basis in both formaland informal settings. Teachers arefinding ways to lift each other up,generate ideas to help strugglers,and analyze student data toincrease student learning.

Students also have the opportu-nity and the need to work togetheras a team. How wonderful it is togo into a classroom and watch stu-dents in action helping each otheras peer tutors, peer helpers, andjust all around showing greatfriendship. Recently, Fairfax

Elementary held a SpecialOlympics pep rally for all of ourstudents who would be participat-ing in the event. To see studentsembracing this effort; waving ban-ners, cheering for the participants,and sending them off to victory in aheart-warming way was more thatthe adults could imagine. We wereso proud for our special Olympicathletes and the entire cheeringcrowd who showed friendship andcompassion.

Parents, I definitely do not wantto leave you out. You are part of theTEAM as well. Although it is sum-mer and families will have relaxingdays of no homework, tests andprojects, your work is never done.As part of the team, you can findconstructive, educational activitiesfor your child, prepare them for thenext grade, express your desire forthem to start the year off on a greatnote, and at the beginning ofschool, express to your child�s newteacher that you want to worktogether as a TEAM so your childwill have a successful year.

I wish you all a terrific summerfull of laughter, relaxation, andquality family moments. See you inAugust, TEAM!

SPECIAL OLYMPICS PEP RALLY — Fairfax Student Government and Honor Society recently showedtheir support for the Special Olympics. The students made banners to be hung at the event and partici-pated in a lively pep rally. Also showing their support at the rally were the second grade classes andstudents from each homeroom. The participants shown received medals at the end of the spirit line.

Page 6 — Chambers County Schools Connection — March 2010

Mrs. Robinson and Ms.Meadows� third grade classes arehaving a Cultural Fair for May. Inreading, third graders have beenreading about cultures and com-munities around the world. Duringthe Cultural Fair, students willlearn the diversity between cul-tures including ethnicity, tastesamplings of their foods, and com-pare their ways of life to ours.

Ms. Brock and Mrs. Winston�ssecond grade classes had a selec-tion in their reading books aboutcowboys. To incorporate real lifeexperiences with literature, theyhad a visit from a horse namedPrimo. Primo belongs to BarbiEarle and Becki Earle, aunts ofLilyan Earle, a student in Ms.Brock�s class. Tonia Earle,Lilyan�s stepmother, accompaniedthem. The guests demonstratedhow to handle and take care of

horses. The Earles have been rid-ing horses since they were twoyears old. They were able toanswer numerous questions thatthe students asked them abouthorses.

The pre-k and kindergartenclasses participated in a Trike-a-thon fundraiser for Valley Haven.Students collected pledges andbrought their bicycles and tricyclesto school and rode while the teach-ers and parents looked on.

Ms. Coffel and Mrs.Thompson�s Pre-Kindergarten hashad some firsthand experiencewith their study of spring. Aftersharing what they knew aboutspring already, students have heardmany stories and learned manyfacts about spring. One thing stu-dents shared was that they see but-terflies during this season. Afterreading some books on how butter-flies develop, the pre-k studentswere fortunate enough to receivesome caterpillars! Students havebeen watching the caterpillars eatand grow, form their chrysalisesand emerge as butterflies in a spe-cial butterfly habitat. The class willbe letting the butterflies go afterobserving them for a few days.

Elizabeth Flowers, a fourthgrader, participated in the SpecialOlympics at Ram Stadium. Sheplaced in each event in which sheparticipated. The events were 100-meter walk, 50-meter walk, 100-meter run, 50-meter run, and soft-

ball throw. Elizabeth was firstplace in the 50-meter walk. Cheerswere heard from students all overthe school when Mr. Sikesannounced how well she did.

Mrs. McQuiston’s pre-k classtook a groovy trip back to the1970’s. Each student made his ownlava lamp. The cool craft usedwater bottles, water, vegetable oil,food coloring and Alka-Seltzertablets. With help from their teach-ers the students turned these sim-ple ingredients into a bubblinggood time.

The AR Award for reachingpoints goals in March was a trip toValley Bowl. The students �had aball� at the bowling alley. This tripwas the first time some of the stu-dents had been bowling.

The Positive Behavior Supportactivities continue each month toencourage students to be on theirbest behavior at school. The Aprilactivity was Freaky Free Day.Students were allowed to dressbackwards, have a free afternoonoutside, and eat Popsicles.

In May, the PBS monthly activ-ity is Sports Day. Students willparticipate in various ’sport’ activi-ties.

The PBS Lunch with thePrincipal in May will recognizeone student from each classroomfor his/her achievements. OtherPBS recognitions are given to theEmployee of the Month and theClass of the Week.

My how fast a school year pass-es! It seems only a month or so westarted this school year. I havealways heard how time flies whenyou get older, and now how truethat statement has become. I amfinishing my 41st year as an educa-tor. Each year has brought forthnew challenges. What a change Ihave seen in all these years. Butone thing has stayed constant -children have always been childrenand for the most part eager to learn.

I started my first year when manlanded on the moon and now thespace shuttle program is near anend. I am now working with thesecond generation of children inmany families. It is always surpris-ing to see how many children pat-

tern after their parents.This school year has been a

pleasant one as each and every oneis always a little different. Newexperiences bring about new chal-lenges. It has always been my goalat the start of the school year foreach child to be challenged eachand every day and to come homesaying I had a great day at schooltoday and I learned a lot of newthings.

I hope all our children and par-ents have a great summer andenjoy being with each other. I liketo remind our parents to enjoy yourchildren and let each day be alearning experience for your child.Always remember, parents aretheir children�s first teachers.

Rewarding School YearPasses Quickly

By Paul Sikes, PrincipalBob Harding Shawmut Elementary

PRIMO VISITS BHSE – Lilyan Earle (blonde girl at the front of the horse) is pictured with her auntsPrimo. The second grade classes enjoyed the horse presentation.

BIG WINNER — Elizabeth Flowers and Paraprofessional HollyHinkle from B. H. Shawmut Elementary are pictured with the rib-bons Elizabeth received at the Special Olympics.

B HS E

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 7

FCCLA and FFA held a clean-up project at W. F. Burns MiddleSchool in observance of EarthDay. Members weeded theflowerbed around the sign in frontof the school and picked up trashon the school grounds. FCCLAand FFA will end our school yearwith a joint banquet in May.Inspirational Guest Speaker

Jean Majors, a retired teacherand inspirational speaker from theGreater Valley area came toMarlyn Guillen�s class on April 6and 7. Mrs. Majors spoke to thestudents on following dreams,goals and aspirations. She read anOld Russian story and asked thestudents several questions pertain-ing to the text.

Mrs. Majors also read thepoem, �The Dash� and stressed to

the students the importance ofmaking the right choices. She stat-ed, �The choices that one makescould cause one to look back andbe proud or cause disparity.� Aftershe read the two famous pieces ofliterature, she presented each ofthe students with a special token.The special token was a beautifulegg with an inspirational quoteinside along with treats. Mrs.Majors informed the students theegg represents �new life and a newbeginning.�

At the end, students wrotethank you letters to Mrs. Majors.Mrs. Majors inspired everyone inthe classroom. The students at W.F. Burns were delighted to receivethe special token and message.Mrs. Majors planted a seed for thestudents of the Greater Valley area.

YEAR 2010 ESSAY CON-TEST WINNERS — Ty Howard &InspiraGen Institute, LLC spon-sored the �YOU Were Born to BeG.R.R.R.R.E.A.T.! TM Middle &High School Essay WritingContest. Winners were BethMoore, Grand Prize winner;Kayden Cannon, Second Placewinner; Shekeira Hatfield, ThirdPlace winner, and Jace Perry,Third Place winner.

Exciting year is ending soonBy Priscella Holley, Principal

W.F. Burns Middle School

It�s hard to believe that anotheryear has passed so quickly. Evenwith the end of the year approach-ing, students are still motivated,and they are still learning newinformation each day.

We are so grateful for the con-tinued support of CharterBank,our Partner in Education, and fromour PAC. Again this year,CharterBank and our PAC provid-ed breakfast for our students eachmorning before SAT and ARMTtesting. CharterBank also contin-ued their tradition of sponsoringour honor roll pizza break, ourAnnual Awards Program, and pro-vides school supplies for all of ourstudents. We have been adoptedby The Upper Room Church, andthey have provided parties for thebest-behaved classes each semes-ter.

Our school had the pleasure ofhaving two creative, innovative,hard-working and dedicatedteacher interns from AuburnUniversity pair with two seasoned

teachers from the staff. We’ve alsohad two hard-working administra-tive interns spend a week with me.I hope the best for all of the internswith their future endeavors in thefield of education.

We were honored to have TheGreater Valley Group to visit withus twice this year, and we hopethey will come back. HomelandSecurity visited and worked withus to improve the safety of ourschool.

We are excited about namingour new gym in honor of CoachArthur Dunn, and we hope youwill come to the dedication onSaturday, May 15 at 3 p.m.EDT.

As we prepare this summer for anew school year, I would like to askparents for their continued supportin encouraging their students tosucceed academically and behav-iorally in the classroom on a dailybasis. We hope you have a safe andrestful summer, and we look for-ward to seeing you in August 2010.

YEAR 2010 ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS — Ty Howard & InspiraGen Institute, LLC sponsored the“YOU Were Born to Be G.R.R.R.R.E.A.T.! TM Middle & High School Essay Writing Contest. From leftto right are the winners: Beth Moore, Grand Prize winner; Kayden Cannon, Second Place winner;Shekeira Hatfield, Third Place winner, and Jace Perry, Third Place winner.

EARTH DAY PLANTING — W. F. Burns students planted trees and cleaned up the school groundson Earth Day.

Guest speaker andstory teller JeanMajors visited Ms.Guillen’s classes onApril 6 and 7.

FCCLA and FFA collected items for a baby basket for the Circle ofCare. Logan Ragsdale is FFA president and Sara Otto is FCCLA pres-ident.

Proper Dress: Walk into JohnP. Powell Middle School and youwill not see boys’ pants fallingdown with their underwear hang-ing out. Principal Terry Reed hasinstilled the importance of properdress in his students. He has cre-ated a bulletin board in the hall-

way with a picture of each malestudent dressed appropriately withbelts and their shirts tucked in.His education to his students goesfar beyond the required textbook.He has a true concern for each ofhis students. Students wererewarded for following properdress with a basketball tourna-ment.

Also at John P. Powell, in orderto kick off testing, students weretaken outside and each homeroomlaunched a balloon with the schooladdress attached. The studentswere excited that one of the bal-loons was returned by a resident ofColumbus.

Students in Mark Robinson’s

reading class at John P. Powell inLaFayette have been reading thebook �The Boy Who SavedBaseball� by John H. Ritter. Asan extended activity to demon-strate the students’ knowledge ofthe book, students worked incooperative groups to create boardgames based on the book.

Students were required to makequestion cards from the story inorder to move their playing pieces.The students really seemed toenjoy this learning experience.

Student Anfernee Bullard hasan extremely great talent for art.He seems to be able to draw mostanything he looks at. He has beendrawing ever since third grade.Anfernee also enjoys acting andplaying basketball. In addition tohis art, he keeps up his classwork.

Page 8 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

Confidence in OneselfBy Terry Reed, Principal

John P. Powell Middle School

Confidence is another word forself esteem. It is the way you seeyourself. You can build your self-esteem by changing the way youthink about you. You are worthy.You deserve to feel good about your-self. Self-esteem and self confidenceis the power on the inside whichallows us to feel good about our-selves so that we can rise above ourcircumstances. If you believe thatyou are worthwhile and valuable,then the approval you need and seekcomes from within, from you, andnot from others; you learn to trustyou.

Confidence in oneself is lasting.When you approve your actions,your feelings, and your thoughts,you build confidence that no one cantake away from you. When you seekapproval from others, however, youlose control over that sanction.Appreciate your own efforts; don�twait for others to approve you. Giveyourself a hug, a pat on the back, agold star, and more.

How many of you know or haveheard of Whitney Houston? As ateenager, Whitney Houston cultivat-ed her singing talents under thewatchful eye of her mother, CissyHouston. Her Mother, Cissy, was thefounder and a member of a groupcalled the Sweet Inspirations whereshe was a star in her own right.

Whitney tells how she used tosing with her mother and dependedon her to help her when she per-

formed. She said, �I remember whenI was 17, I was getting ready for ashow� that she and her mother weredoing together that night. Her moth-er called, sounding hoarse, and said,�My voice is gone and I can�t sing.You have got to do it by yourself.�Whitney panicked and said, �I can�tsing alone, we will just have to can-cel the show.� Her mother said, �Ofcourse you can-you�re good.�

Whitney went on and tried anddid just fine. As she sang, her confi-dence improved and she sang betterand better each time she went out.Later, she discovered that the wholething had been a setup. Her Mothersaid, �I was kind of sick, but I reallyhad to show you that you could dowhatever you want to do if you real-ly want it. If you want it, all youhave to do is do it.�

Confidence in yourself will allowyou to come out ahead every time.There is an old proverb that says,�Winners never quit and quittersnever win.�

Another example of confidenceis that I encouraged my students totake the ACT test because I had con-fidence in them. Terrika Mangrammade a 15, Shaqwe�yddeus Vinesmade a 17 and Sheneckwa Kylesmade a 20 on the test. All three ofthese are eighth grade students atJohn P. Powell Middle School. Nowmore students are asking for regis-tration packets and preparing to takethe test.

HIGHEST ACT SCORERS — Principal Terry Reed would like to congratulateTerrika Mangram, Shaqweddeus Vines, and Sheneckwa Kyles for their outstandingachievement on the ACT test. Terrika scored a 15, Shaqweddeus scored a 17, andSheneckwa scored a 20. They are pictured with Principal Reed. Mr. Robinson’s students worked in groups to create game boards.

JPP student Anfernee Bullardis a well-rounded student witha great talent for art.Pictured are JPP students modeling proper dress.

Honor GraduatesCongratulations to the Top Ten

graduates of the LaFayette HighSchool Class of 2010. TheValedictorian of the class is JoshuaRedden. Josh is the son of Mr. andMrs. Denson Redden. He has anumeric grade point average of95.8148. The class Salutatorian isJoanne Dixon, daughter ofAtherlean Grady. She has a92.5556 numeric grade point aver-age. The third highest grade pointaverage of a 92.3333 belongs toHistorian Avion Foreman.Rounding off the Top Ten gradu-ates in order are Re�Kente Beaty,Trevor Norred, Jederi Finley,J�Qua Swanson, Tynice Johnson,Nikki O�Donald, and OliviaHolston.

First Timers Club Congratulations to the newly

inducted members of theLaFayette High School FirstTimer�s Club. These membersinclude Tykesha Bryant, JoshuaBurton, Stephen Frazier, JustinHolloway, Rick Martin, MicahMiles, Jordan Morgan, TaunieNorred, Nathaniel Paige, Lakeitha

Seroyer, Joseph Singletary, andJamarcus Walton. PrincipalJaspconia Florence Moore and thefaculty and staff of LHS salutethese students who passed all partsof the Alabama High SchoolGraduation Exam on their firstattempt as tenth grade students.

Retirement at Its Best Angela Hornsby will be retiring

at the end of the 2009-2010 schoolyear. Ms. Hornsby has served thestudents of Chambers County forthe past 28 years. She will bemissed as our media specialist. Allof us at LHS wish her much happi-ness as she begins this new chapterin her life.

We Wish You A Fond FarewellCoach Ike Grant will be leaving

LHS as head football coach andathletic director at the end of thisschool year. He has shown untiringdedication to our students and ath-letes for the past 34 years. His hardwork and determination broughthim honors as 3A Coach of theYear 2005 and he achieved his100th victory as head of theBulldog squad. We commendCoach Grant and would like him toknow he will be missed.

Grant will remain an educatorwithin the county system. In the

2010-11 school year he will teachdriver’s education at Valley High.In the late 1960s/ early 1970s,Grant was an outstanding runningback at Benjamin Russell High inAlexander City. He then playedcollegiately at Alabama State andwas in the NFL for several years,playing alongside the likes of JoeNamath and Ed Marinaro with theNew York Jets. His son, CoreyGrant, will be a freshman runningback at the University of Alabamathis fall.

Superintendent Leonard Rileythanked Grant on the job he did forLaFayette High for a long periodof time. In recent years, the schoolsystem has made some improve-ments at Bulldog Stadium.

Riley thanked Grant for havinghad input in that and on havingdone a good job in keeping the sta-dium and its playing field in goodshape over the years.

Riley commended Grant onhaving done good work, too, inkeeping the LaFayette High athlet-ic programs in good shape finan-cially.

Prom 2010 LaFayette High School present-

ed �A Night in Hollywood� onApril 10. The gym was trans-formed with an array of black, sil-ver, red, and gold, which set the

tone for the lovely red carpetevent. The students enjoyed musicprovided by DJ BK of the TrunessCompany of Columbus, Georgiaand feasted on a delicious meal oftheir liking.

The crowning of Re�KenteBeaty and Tynice Johnson as PromKing and Queen was the highlightof the night. Special thanks go outto the prom sponsors: GeraldineDunn-Lee, Tangere Davis, andStacey Duncan.

Trecarya Mitchell, VickieKeith, Ella Floyd, Chris Vaughn,Jonte� Taylor and retired teacherRobert Langley deserve a heartfeltappreciation for their help in mak-ing the prom a success.

To the junior class, we com-mend you on your tireless effortsin assembling the prom props andin making the night a beautiful andsafe evening. Thank you to theparents and the community for allof your support.

On The RunCongratulations to the 2010

Track Team for their journey to theState Meet at BirminghamSouthern. The teams placedrespectively as First Place BoysTeam and Second Place GirlsTeam at Sectionals held atBeauregard High School. Theteam will travel to compete forstate honors in Class 3A.

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 9

When times get hard and moneyis low, laughter is always good forthe soul. Despite the financial hur-dles, LaFayette High School hashad to jump through, we have hada great school year getting all ofthe important tasks accomplished.

Join LHS during the month ofMay as we bring recognition andhonor for the many accomplish-ments of our school. Thursday,May 6 was our MusicDepartment�s banquet. Also on thisday our undergraduates receivedtheir honor awards. Our studentswith exceptionalities participatedin the Knology Picnic on

Thursday, May 6. Tuesday, May 11 at 6 p.m. is

our annual Athletic Banquet.Senior Class Night will be held onThursday, May 13 at 6 pm wherealumnus Corey Askew will inspireand motivate our senior class on tonew heights. The community isthen asked to join our students,faculty, and staff at our 2010Graduation Exercises on Friday,May 21, 2010 at 7 pm CST atBulldog Stadium.

This is the night our students allwait for and the best way a second-ary school has to tell a student,�Job well done.�

Principal�s CornerBy Jaspconia Florence Moore, Principal

LaFayette High School

CENSUS — LHS students test for the Census exam.

Angela Hornsby

Ike Grant

Valley High School Lady RamsTennis Team placed first in theirSectional Tennis Tournament andadvanced to the 5A State TennisTournament in Mobile. The LadyRams dominated the sectional tour-nament winning with 44 points. InSingles, they won at #1, #5, and #6seed. In Doubles, they won at #3seed.

Haley Hajek was the favorite towin the tournament at the #1 seed.She dominated her competitionwinning her finals 6-1, 6-3 againstCarroll Ozark. Tessa Clanton, #5seed, lost the first set but made acomeback splitting sets in her finalswinning 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Cassidi

Crosby, #6 seed, went undefeatedthis season and breezed through herfinals winning 6-1, 6-2. In Doubles,Tessa and Cassidi split sets in theirsemi-finals and final matches. Theybattled back and beat Eufaula in anintense championship match.

All the girls won in their firstrounds at singles and doubles in thetournament. Jaci Butts #2 seedadvanced to the finals but lost atough match to Greenville 3-6, 2-6.Ryeneshia Hutchinson, #3 seed,and Sherry Williams, #4 seed,made it to the second round beforelosing to Greenville and CharlesHenderson. Haley and Jaci, #1 dou-bles, won their semi-final match insplit sets against CharlesHenderson but lost a tough one toCarroll Ozark in the finals.Ryeneshia and Sherry, #2 doubles,beat Eufaula 6-4, 6-4 in the firstround but lost a long split set matchto Charles Henderson 3-6, 6-2, 3-6in the second round.

The Lady Rams went undefeat-ed this season in sectional matches.Being the favorites to win theSectional Tournament they took the

lead and aced their competition.They were determined to makeState two years in a row.Congratulations on a great seasonand placing first in the SectionalTennis Tournament.

Valley High Lady Ram TennisTeam: Haley Hajek, Jaci Butts,Ryeneshia Hutchinson, SherryWilliams, Tessa Clanton, CassidiCrosby and Coach Dana Williford.

The Vallerata Staff is pleased todedicate the 2010 yearbook to theValley High School’s Administra-tors. "Valley High has been throughmany changes the past few years,and with this new administrationthe school finds balance betweenfun and learning. We thank theBoard of Education for sending usthese top-notch individuals whowork together as a team to buildbetter teachers and students."Congratulations to Jim Davidson,Sharon Weldon and MontrayThompson!

The 2009-2010 VallerataAnnual Staff was recognizedrecently at a Georgia/Alabama

regional advisers’ workshop inEllerslie, Georgia. Valley HighSchool received the highest honorsamong the schools represented.The staff was commended for hav-ing met every deadline on time, fortheir superior organizational andsales skills, and for their positiveattitude. Advisor Debra Clark wasoffered a scholarship to theNational Jostens Workshop inScottsdale, Arizona.

On April 24, Dakota Hamby andCarmen Goodwin were crowned asVHS�s Prom King and Queen.Students are chosen based on theirparticipation in the planning forprom during their junior year.Dakota and Carmen both put in ahigh amount of effort and madesure the prom setting looked amaz-ing. We are very proud of our 2010VHS Prom King & Queen!

On April 27, AuburnUniversity’s assistant head coachand wide receivers� coach TrooperTaylor spoke to Stacey Shaver’s12th grade English class. CoachTaylor gave an impromptu speechto the seniors about the importanceof education and God’s guidance intheir lives as they move out into the"real world." Coach Taylor evenposed for pictures with Mrs.Shaver’s class. Thank you, CoachTaylor, for your wonderful wordsof wisdom, and "War Eagle"!

Finally, as graduation ap-proaches, the VHS faculty and staffwould like to take this opportunityto congratulate our senior class ontheir success, both present andfuture. We wish you all the best ineverything, and we hope youremember all of the lessons wetaught you.

Page 10 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

Congratulatory NoteBy Jim Davidson, Principal

Valley High School

I would like to congratulate theBoys� Track team on placingsecnd at the State Track meet. Iwould also like to congratulate ourGirls� Tennis team on being giventhe Sportsmanship Award at theState Tennis meet, and the Girls�Softball team on qualifying for theRegional Softball tournament.

I am extremely proud of ourstudent body at Valley HighSchool for all they did to help

VHS win the Pennies Make Centsand the Outstanding Schoolawards for the 2010Hike/Bike/Run fundraiser. I wouldalso like to thank the whole stu-dent body and teachers for what Ibelieve has been a great year atValley High School. To theSENIORS of 2010, I wish you allthe best and I hope you know thatVHS is always here for you if youneed us. Have a great summer.

The Lady Rams Tennis Team placed first in the Sectional Tennis Tournament and advanced tothe state tournament in Mobile. Congratulations, Lady Rams!

The 2009-2010 Vallerata Staff won highest honors at the Georgia-Alabama regional advisors’workshop.

Principal Jim Davidson at the yearbook dedication. The year-book was dedicated to the VHS Administration.

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 11

Pre-kindergarten students atLaFayette Lanier ElementarySchool have had an exciting andproductive year. Some of the high-lights of our year include Trunk-or-Treat, a Thanksgiving Feast, and aMardi Gras parade. We haveworked hard preparing for kinder-garten. Along with learning thealphabet letters and sounds andcounting and numbers, we haveworked hard on speaking in com-plete sentences. Our language skillsemerge when we tell a story aboutour drawings. We can�t wait forkindergarten!

The kindergarteners atLaFayette Lanier have been verybusy working on a variety of activ-

ities. We have participated in theWellness program by going onnature walks to help promotehealthy and happy bodies. Blendinghundreds of words as well as seg-menting them in order to preparefor the DIBELS test has been amajor task. Writing short sentencesled to writing short stories. We thenused our writing techniques to writemathematical sentences in additionand subtraction problems. Thekindergarteners at LaFayette Lanierhave worked diligently becausethey have been excited about FirstGrade.

Dr. Jason Etherton of TheFamily Dentistry recently visitedLafayette Lanier Elementary’s firstgrade. Dr. Etherton and his staffdiscussed with us how to properlytake care of our teeth and gums.The dental staff shared ways to pre-vent "tooth bugs" and keep ourmouths clean. Many of us wereshocked to find out that our mouthhad "bugs" in it. Dr. Ethertonexplained that everyone has "toothbugs" and our job is to keep those"tooth bugs" out of our mouth asmuch as possible. Keeping the"tooth bugs" away was made easiersince Dr. Etherton left each of us abag of dental care goodies. Thanks

to Dr. Etherton.The second grade students have

been working hard on reading andmath skills. In reading, we havefocused on comprehension skillsfor third grade by using active par-ticipation. In math, we have learnedhow to add and subtract three-digitnumbers and how to multiply. Inscience we celebrated Earth Day bycreating litterbugs. Clean house-hold recyclable items that wewould normally dispose of were thematerials for our litterbugs. A fewof the types of bugs created weremosquitoes, bees, and even dragon-flies. We also cleaned up around theschool by picking up trash.

In writing we have beenexpressing ourselves fluently. Wehave been successful writersbecause of lessons from Step Up toWriting. We have become veryexcited about preparing what waitsfor us in the third grade.

LaFayette Lanier Elementarythird graders have been learningabout our solar system. Each of usselected a planet and created a proj-ect. Imaginations were hard atwork! We brought in models of theplanets in diorama, poster, andmodel form. We each presentedour project to the class, and every-one learned a lot. Next, we arelooking forward to learning aboutthe states of matter.

Fourth graders at LaFayetteLanier have recently finished aunit on electricity. We observedstatic electricity, and constructedsimple series and parallel circuits.We also conducted an experimentto determine the difference in con-ductors and insulators. We testedvarious materials and found that

some materials, called conductors,let electric charges move thoughthem easily while other materials,called insulators, do not. Sciencehas been very exciting this year. Wecan’t wait to see what fifth gradescience has waiting for us.

LaFayette Lanier Elementaryfifth grade students have workedincredibly hard on all of the stateassessments in March and April.We are completing various projectsfor the end of the year. In math, wehave learned about all of the work

that goes into building a house.After viewing several house plans,we are drawing our own dreamhouse plans, making materials lists,and estimating the cost to build thehouse. In language, we haveworked on our persuasive writingskills by inventing a new item andadvertising it to the class. We evenmade our own commercial! We areexcited about summer break, butare really ready to move on to theadventures that await us at W.F.Burns.

Bullying is common among ele-mentary and middle school years.Studies show that up to 20 percentof elementary school students admitto doing the bullying and as much as80 percent admit to bullying in mid-dle schools. Bullying is an aggres-sive behavior that is intentional. Itcan take place in many forms, suchas hitting, kicking, threatening, teas-ing, name calling, excluding othersfrom a group, sending mean notes,or emails. (Olwenus, 1993; Roland,1989; Smith & Sharp, 1994). We arehearing more and more about bully-ing incidents in the news lately, andwe want to have a plan in place tohelp with this problem.

Each spring, LaFayette Lanierteachers research a current topic ineducation. This year the teachers aredoing research on bullying.Teachers are reading research arti-cles and will present their findingsto the faculty. By understanding bul-lying at our school, we can addressthe problem.

At this time, the most importantstep after the research is to involve

students and parents. Parents andteachers will meet in a joint facultymeeting in May. Parents will listento the main points teachers havefound in their research and then par-ents will add their concerns. Thismeeting will be the first in a series ofmeetings. The goal of the meetingsis to assess bullying at LaFayetteLanier and come up with a preven-tion plan and implement it whenschool starts in August. Bullyingprevention will be the responsibilityof the school staff, students and par-ents working together in order tocome up with a successful program.

In our meetings, parents andteachers will go over the State ofAlabama Student HarassmentPrevention Act of 2009. We�ll alsoaddress the characteristics of a bully,common myths about children whobully, peer risk factors, how much ofa problem is bullying at LaFayetteLanier, where it happens, who isbullied, what are the causes, howstudents and parents can report it,how will it be documented, andwhat will the school do about it.

Bullying PreventionBy Victoria Leak, Principal

LaFayette Lanier Elementary School

STUDYING ELECTRICTY — Debra Swader's fourth grade science class at LaFayette Lanier studiedelectricity. Science came alive to the students when they experimented with electrical current and cir-cuits. Pictured working are Keniya Sanders, Jeresha Walton, Patrick Askew, Chris Conner andMarveuntae Dunn.

LEARNING DENTAL CARE — Dr. Jason Etherton of The FamilyDentistry recently visited Kathryn Garmon and Judi Murphy's firstgrade students. Dr. Etherton and his staff discussed how to properlytake care of our teeth and gums. Pictured with Dr. Etherton are (front)Kaydence Miller, MaKaylynn Rodgers, TaDarius Anderson, MadilynnJackson, Aaliyah Coleman, (back) Zyamber Todd, Shelby Bassett,Rashin Salter, Jordyn Wilkerson, Heidi Browning, and LaJerel Woody.

Page 12 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

From Tamala Brooks,PTO president:

The LaFayette EastsideParent/Teacher Organization isproud of another successful schoolyear. We�ve been instrumental inmeeting the needs of our students,faculty and staff with parental andcommunity involvement. This yearwe held our first Little Miss and Mr.Eastside Pageant and it proved to bean enormous success. This createdgreat involvement from our stu-dents, parents and school staff. Thepageant generated needed fundingand also provided great entertain-ment that included musical selec-tions, talent and a wonderful displayfrom the participants.

We are also proud of our contin-ual support in educational projectsthat continue to stimulate the learn-ing process at Eastside ElementarySchool. We are continuing efforts tosupport our educators in raising testscores and improving communityawareness and involvement withinthe education process. We pride our-selves in creating an open-doorenvironment at Eastside where our

parents are comfortable with oureducators and our students have alearning conducive environment.

We have had a wonderful year ofsupporting the Accelerated ReaderProgram at Eastside Elementarywith the Accelerated Reader Storefilled with prizes to reward our stu-dents and with the quarterly partiesthat inspire improvement andincrease the students� willingness toexcel. Our community support forfundraising with cookie doughsales, pageants and other productsales have allowed us to continue tosupport our children and our schoolduring recent economic times. Weare extremely proud to have the sup-port of our parents and our commu-nity in all of our fundraising efforts.This allows us to continue ongoingprojects and rewards that enhancethe quality of learning at Eastside.

We look forward to ending theschool year with a blast. We areplanning a wonderful May Dayexperience and we also look for-ward to a wonderful day on AwardsDay to recognize those studentswho have gone above and beyond inthe classroom through their academ-ic excellence and positive behav-iors.

The Eastside PTO not only seeksto support our students but we alsostrive to show the faculty and staffthat we are in full support of theirtremendous efforts in educating ourchildren for a brighter future. Wesupport our faculty and staff withluncheons and rewards. We are trulydelighted to have such a wonderfulfaculty and staff at EastsideElementary School. We are looking

forward to a bright future at EastsideElementary School as we continueto support our students, our facultyand our community.

Grade Level HappeningsFirst graders at Eastside have

been very busy this spring! Theyworked hard and did their best onthe SAT Test. They participated inan Easter Egg Hunt. First gradershunted prize-filled eggs and had aPopsicle party for good behavior.First grade will learn about Asiancountries during the month of May.

Eastside is very proud of ourthird grade gifted chess team. Theycompeted countywide for the trophyand won for the first time in Eastsidehistory! We are so proud of ourchess champ, DeKren Smith!

Fourth graders have been verybusy in preparation for the SAT-10/ARMT & DIBELS test. We willfinish the year off with a thematicstudy of Canada. Students haveresearched and written reports andhave been involved with art projectsthat represent the country.

Summer Reading - Read!By Ericka Compton,

Media SpecialistDuring the summer break, every-

one will enjoy playing outside,swimming, fishing, riding bikes andgoing on marvelous adventures. Asyou plan your summer adventures,there is one adventure waiting onyou. This adventure can take you tofaraway planets, mysterious man-sions and all sorts of places. Youdon�t have to leave LaFayette. Allyou have to do is pick up a book andread.

The public library is the most

adventurous place you can go dur-ing your summer break. Join thereading summer program, "Make aSplash - READ" which begins June5. I will see you there! More detailswill come home soon about thesummer reading program.

Important information forparents from Gwen Brown,

lunchroom manager:This summer let’s choose to par-

ticipate in the First Lady’s �Let’sMove: Initiative to CombatChildhood Obesity.� I heard obesi-ty threatens the healthy future ofone-third of all Americans. Obesityrates have tripled in the past 30years. The United States spends 150billion dollars every year to treatobesity-related conditions and thenumber is growing. It is reportedfor the first time in American histo-ry, our children’s life expectancymay be shorter than their parents.Each day we wake up to face anoth-er day of choices. The choices thatwe make may impact our lives forthe better or worse. Every day Iwake up and decide to make eachday a healthy day! Let’s Move:

Toward lifelong habits that will helpprevent childhood obesity.

SAFE SUMMER FUNFrom your school nurse,

Nurse McClellandWell, it is that time of year for

outdoor fun and relaxation. Beforewe go outside for summer fun, let�sgo over a few tips. Of course, youknow we have to be prepared for thesun�s rays and that means you mustALWAYS WEAR YOUR SUN-SCREEN. The best time to be out-side is early in the morning or in theafternoon after 2 p.m. when thesun�s rays are not so strong. Makesure to keep your bodies hydrated;that means we need to drink plentyof water when we are outside. It is agood idea to keep a bottle of waterwith you. Take a break and go in forfew minutes to cool off and refillyou water bottle. Also remember towear your protective gear when rid-ing your bike, skateboards or scoot-ers. This is a must! Remember whenswimming to never swim alone.Make sure to wear a life vest andnever run around the water.

A message from our principalBy Rennie Sheree Core, Principal

Eastside Elementary SchoolAgain the end of the school

year is fast approaching. We,the faculty and staff, wouldlike to express our apprecia-tion to the parents, families,and community for their sup-port. You have been engagedin all aspects of the students’academics and your voice hasbeen heard. Testing,Accelerated Reading activi-ties, Relay for Life, Book Fairs,

Parent nights and otheropportunities have been verysuccessful because of yourinterest in Eastside and thestudents.

During the summer it isimportant to continue readingand practicing math skills sothe children will retain theskills taught throughout theyear and be prepared for thenext school year.

INVESTIGATING PLANT LIFE — In January, Kimberly Kalla's third grade class invoked a scienceinvestigation to determine the importance of sunlight in a plant's life. Two plants were involved. Oneplant was placed in a dark closet while the other was placed in the window of the classroom. Afterapproximately 30 days, the plant trying to survive in darkness was brought out and placed back in thelight. The class determined that the plant trying to survive in darkness grew weak and lost a great dealof its nutrition, turning white. On Thursday, April 22, in celebration of Earth Day, Miss Kalla's classplaced both plants, along with other colorful plants and a cabbage, back into the earth in front of theK-5 building in the school's yard.

TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENT — Career Tech studentAshley Kyles works with pre-k students on a science activity com-paring Kool-Aid coloring and regular tempera paint. Studentsshown are DarShunna Seroyer and Izayrius Ray.

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 13

RETIREES PRESENTED PLAQUES — 2009-2010 Retirees from the Chambers County SchoolSystem include Angela Hornsby, media, LaFayette High School, 32 years; Judith Murphy, teacher,LaFayette Lanier Elementary, 24 years; Terry Gosdin bookkeeper, Central Office, 31 years; MariannaL. Allen, paraprofessional, Eastside Elementary, 29 years; Mary Carter, custodian, Fairfax, 26 years;Susan Mitchum secretary, Special Education, 25 years; Jonathan Washington, custodian, Valley HighSchool, 25 years; Lucile Jones, bus driver, 25 years; Charlotte Pinkard, secretary/bookkeeper, BobHarding Shawmut, 23 years; Willard Eason, bus driver, 13 years; Wanda Bain paraprofessional,LaFayette High School, 11 years; and Frances King, public relations, Central Office, 10 years. Someof the retirees are shown above after receiving plaques at the May meeting of the Board of Education.

Strategic Plan approvedChambers County School

System is very proud of the com-pletion of the Five-year StrategicPlan. The planning process actual-ly began last fall as a result of a rec-ommendation from the SACS com-mittee during the DistrictAccreditation process. The plan isbased on data collected from twocommunity forums, two online sur-veys (parent and employee), and a

committee of eighteen individuals.The responses during each of thecommunity forums drove thebeginning work of the committeeas school system beliefs and a newmission statement were developed.The forum responses were thenused to develop an online surveyfor parents and employees.

The comments received duringthe two forums concerning thequalities of a good school systemand the factors that the public feltessential to be included in the five-year plan were the backbone of theentire process. The goals andobjectives in the plan were devel-oped from the ideas generated dur-ing the forums about a dreamschool system. The focus was onhigher student achievementthrough improvement in four areas:quality teaching and learning,effective leadership and humanresources, support for system-wideimprovement, and clear and collab-orative relationships.

Chambers County SchoolSystem encourages employees,parents, students, and the commu-nity to review the newly adoptedplan. It will be available on thesystem website beginning in May.

Kelli TuckerSchool Improvement

Specialist

By Gina SandersConnection Committee

The Chambers County Connection is los-ing its long-time editor, Frances King, asshe retires from her position in public rela-tions for the Chambers County SchoolSystem to spend time with family andresume freelance writing, among otherthings.

Mrs. King came to Chambers CountySchools as a consultant in 1997 to work withthe late Charlotte Waites to organize a sys-tem-wide newspaper. Since then, the job hasevolved into a full-time coordinator of pub-lic information, including not only editingand writing for Connection, but producingpress releases for the school system, andhundreds of articles and photographs forvarious school events and interests.

Mrs. King stated, �Over my 12 yearswith Chambers County Schools, I have beenprivileged to work with around 100 differentteachers on the Connection Committee.Without these dedicated men and women,the publication wouldn�t have been possible.I also appreciate Mr. Riley and the Board ofEducation for providing this opportunity. Ihave enjoyed getting to know and work with

the principals, teachers and support person-nel in our schools and with a very profes-sional Central Office staff. I have learnedmore about K-12 education than I everdreamed, but the greatest joy has been help-ing to publicize the achievements of thechildren of Chambers County. I will miss allof you.�

The Connection Committee memberswill miss Mrs. Frances, as she is known tothe committee. Misty Letson, committeemember from Fairfax Elementary, saidabout Mrs. Frances, �She loves our schoolsystem and has been a dedicated ConnectionCommittee leader. She has taught me thevalue of public relations.�

Vicki Bramlett, committee member fromLaFayette High School, will miss the hospi-tality that Mrs. Frances always extended toour group. Often, Mrs. Frances would treatthe committee members to her delicioushomemade brownies, and she has very gra-ciously agreed to share her recipe. (Seebelow.)

What does Mrs. Frances plan to do afterretirement? She replied, �When I retire, Godwilling, I plan to resume freelance magazinewriting, maybe write a book, spend time

with my family � especially my fourgrandchildren, do church work and pursue amyriad of other interests that I hope I canfind time for.�

The members of the ConnectionCommittee appreciate all the time and ener-gy Mrs. Frances has shown through theyears as editor of Connection and wish hermuch happiness and success as she pursuesother interests.

Brock Brownies2 sticks Parkay margarine2 cups sugar1/2 cup cocoa4 eggspinch salt1 tsp. vanilla1-1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Melt mar-garine. In a mixer, add sugar, cocoa, eggsand margarine. Mix well. Add salt, vanillaand flour. Spray a 9x13 metal pan with PAMand pour mixture into pan. Bake for 1 hour.Immediately ice with chocolate butter cr�mefrosting.

Butter Cr�me Frosting1 stick Parkay margarine

1 box confectioner�s sugar1 tsp. vanillacocoa (it is up to you how chocolaty youwant it.)milk for consistency

Melt margarine. In a mixer, add confec-tioner�s sugar, margarine, vanilla, cocoa andmilk. Mix well. Frost those brownies!

Recipe Note: Well, here it is. Eventhough my mom came up with this recipe, ithas become Brock Brownies. The realsecret? My oven is a little off — you willhave to play with yours to get it like youwant it! — Tammy Brock

Chambers County Connection’s Editor Frances Kingwraps up PR service to Chambers County School system

Thanks,Connection

Committee Members1997-2010

for a job well done!— Frances King

By Michael SandersDirector of Technology

Your District TechnologyTeam has been busy over the pastcouple of months and are lookingforward to being busy during themonths ahead. We have beenfortunate this year in havingsome state and federal funds atour disposal that were dedicatedto the enrichment of the schooldistrict�s technology environ-ment. Below is a brief overviewof some of the projects we havecompleted this year and what weplan to complete over the sum-mer.

We were able to request bidproposals for additional comput-ers twice over the past schoolyear. In the fall, we were able topurchase 250 computers, andthen get an additional 400 in thespring that were distributed toteachers and students across thecounty.

We moved our applicationservers from a cramped, over-heated room in the basement atthe old Board of Education

building to a new spacious,specifically purposed serverroom at our new BOE Building.During the move, we were ableto complete an upgrade to thedistrict�s data storage capacity.We increased our total capacityfrom 400 Gigabytes to 2.1Terabytes (2100 Gigabytes).This gives us five times the stor-age capacity that was originallyavailable.

In May, we will start and com-plete a project to upgrade thespeed of the district�s wide areanetwork. This project willreplace all of our current networkswitches and upgrade them fromspeeds of 100 Megabits per sec-ond to 1000 Megabits (1 Gigabit)per second. This will allow traf-fic to flow ten times fasterbetween the teacher or studentcomputers and the applicationservers at the central office or tothe outside world. This projectwill also replace our currentwireless networks with a central-ly managed wireless networkthat will cover the entire school

system.Over the summer, we will be

adding thirty SMART boardsthroughout the district. These

interactive boards will help theteachers foster a 21st centurylearning environment andincrease student involvement intheir daily lessons.

A percentage of our technolo-gy funds every year are set asidefor teacher professional develop-ment. This summer, we aresending thirteen of our teachersto the Alabama EducationalTechnology Conference inBirmingham to receive hands-ontraining with current and futuretechnologies. These teacherswill take their new found knowl-edge back to their respectiveschools and help foster the use oftechnology in daily instruction.

We have also scheduledTechnology in Motion to providetraining to our teachers on avail-able online resources and toolsthat they can utilize in creatinglessons and student activities.

Working with the teachers,students and administrators, thetechnology team will continue toassess our current technologyenvironment and strive to imple-ment needed changes.

Improvements and upgradeswill ensure that we keep up withor stay ahead of the technologycurve so that the students of theChambers County SchoolDistrict will have every possibletechnological advantage.

Page 14 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

By Cathy GregoryChief Financial Officer

The Alabama Association ofSchool Office Personnel (AASOP)is an organization composed ofmembers who are employed inschool office support positions.Chambers County hosted the 2010AASOP — District VII AnnualMeeting on Tuesday, April 20,2010, at the Langdale UnitedMethodist Church Family LifeCenter. Attending were 68 schooloffice employees from sevenschool districts.

We enjoyed a delicious meal,catered by Miss Red�s Place, withstudents from our school districtserving as waiters and waitresses.Deanna Fuller, a teacher from FivePoints Elementary School, enter-tained us with three inspirational

songs and Danny Berry, Directorof Elementary Education andFederal Programs Director forChambers County Board ofEducation spoke about the impor-tance of school office support per-sonnel.

Following the meal and enter-tainment, the annual AASOPDistrict VII Business Meeting wascalled to order by Cathy Gregory,President. JoAnn Magby,Secretary, read the minutes fromthe 2009 meeting that was hostedby the Phenix City School System,and Cookie Thomas, Treasurergave the financial report. Eachyear, AASOP District VII awards a$500 scholarship to an AASOPDistrict VII member or the child ofan AASOP District VI member.

This year, the scholarship wasawarded to Cassandra Dowdellfrom Opelika City School System.A new slate of officers were elect-ed: President - Hollye Beck,Auburn City; Vice President -Antoinette Anderson, BullockCounty; Secretary — Denise Allen,Auburn City; and Treasurer — JanSwiderski, Auburn City.

Diane Sherriff, SpecialEducation Director for ChambersCounty Board of Educationinstalled the newly elected officers.After a greeting from the new pres-ident, Hollye Beck, and door prizeswere presented to all attendees,the meeting was adjourned. The2011 annual meeting will be hostedby Auburn City Schools.

Cathy GregoryChief Financial Officer

Michael SandersDirector of Technology

an associate�s degree in radiogra-phy.

Joanne�s awards have includedthe CharterBank All A�s award, thePrincipal�s Award (twice), FirstTimer�s Club and highest averagesin Advanced Algebra I, advancedchemistry, advanced U. S. history,and geometry.

She has been a member ofFuture Business Leaders ofAmerica (FBLA), HealthOccupations Students of America(HOSA) — historian, and SGA. Shehas served as a Main Office Aidand Guidance Counselor Aid. Shehas also had experience in childcare and as an after-school tutor.

Joanne is the daughter of thelate Solomon Grady and Mrs.Atherlean Grady.

VHS Salutatorian WhitneyMarie Hinson Miller holds a 4.53GPA. As a member of the AlabamaNational Guard, she plans to attendbasic training in July and advancedindividual training (AIT) inOctober to become a 68W combatmedic. After completing her train-ing, she plans to attend KansasState University to major in nurs-

ing and hopes to become a physi-cian�s assistant.

Whitney has been in the Top 10and Top 3 in her class all fouryears. She was Student of theMonth during her freshman, soph-omore and junior years. She�s beena member of French Club, BetaClub, Key Club, National HonorSociety (secretary-treasurer), Quilland Scroll, Rampage Staff,Scholars� Bowl Team, SGA andRambassadors. Her junior and sen-ior years she was the Valleratabusiness manager assistant and hersenior year, she was named MissVHS.

Whitney is the daughter ofMarshall Hinson, Sr. and TammyRobinson, both of Valley, and thestep-daughter of Troy Huddlestonof Valley. She is the wife of JeremyMiller of Valley.

LHS Historian Avion Foremanwill graduate with a weighted GPAof 4.33. Avion has achieved thehighest average scores in businesstech. essentials, advanced chem-istry, advanced U. S. history, alge-bra 2/trig. and the highest GPA inthe junior class: President�s Award.

He won a Varsity Football trophyand was named Mr. LHS.

Avion is a member of FutureBusiness Leaders of America(FBLA), Future Farmers ofAmerica, the LHS Varsity FootballTeam, SGA (treasurer and parlia-mentarian), Students againstDestructive Decisions (SADD)Leadership Team, and has beenparliamentarian of his class. He�s amember of Mt. Calvary BaptistChurch where he is a member ofthe choir and treasurer of SundaySchool. In the community Avionhas been involved in Adopt aFamily and Habitat for Humanity.

VHS Historian Delaine Danielhas a GPA of 4.52. She plans toattend Southern Union and thentransfer to Auburn University tomajor in accounting.

Delaine is a member of theNational Honor Society, Key Club,French Club and Color Guard. Shehas been the head majorette and aRambassador. She marched in the2007 Macy�s ThanksgivingParade.

Congratulations to all these out-standing students.

CONGRATULATIONS Continued from page 1

School office personnelhold meet at Langdale

District Technology Team busy upgrading local system

Chambers County Career TechCenter Student

Organizations Compete As an integral part of the Career and

Technical curriculum, each area ofstudy is assigned a student organiza-tion. These organizations provide stu-dents with a vital means for developingand enhancing professional and leader-ship skills. Throughout the year, eachorganization holds monthly meetings,performs community service projects,and competes in leadership and techni-cal skills competitions.

The Chambers County Career TechCenter (CCCTC) has an active localchapter in each of the following nation-al student organizations: HealthOccupation Students of America(HOSA), Family Career andCommunity Leaders of America(FCCLA), FFA, Future BusinessLeaders of America (FBLA), andSkills-USA.

This year, CCCTC students compet-ed in numerous competitions across thestate and have received many awardsand accolades.

Students from CCCTC�s FCCLAchapter traveled to Montgomery tocompete in Alabama STAR (StudentsTaking Action with Recognition) onSaturday, March 13. Whitney Fulcherand Taylor Fawley competed in theFCCLA Focus on Children event andwon a silver medal. Payton Thrift com-peted in the FCCLA Chapter Showcaseevent and won a silver medal and over-all gold medal. Sherry Williams com-peted in the FCCLA Entrepreneurshipevent and won a bronze medal and anoverall gold medal.

During their spring break,Automotive Service Technology stu-dents Daniel Maddux and MattSanchez traveled to BarberMotorsports Park in Birmingham tocompete in the Ford — AAAAutomotive Service Competition.These two students placed third in theevent and earned scholarship offerstotaling $25,000 each.

Students from the CosmetologySection of Skills-USA and the FBLAchapter participated in the AcademicCompetition for Excellence (ACE) atWallace State Community College inSelma, where they competed in cosme-tology and business on April 23.Cosmetology student Danyetta Rossearned a silver medal by completing along-layered haircut, up-do hairstyle,and written test.

On April 27, students from theBuilding Construction and Automotiveprograms spent two days at the Skills-USA state conference in Birmingham,where they competed in automotiveservice technology, motorcycle service,masonry, carpentry, and job interview

events. These students spent two daysperforming individual skill tasks anddemonstrated mastery of each skillarea.

Rounding out the competition sea-son, the CCCTC FFA chapter traveledto Montevallo on May 7 to compete inLivestock Judging, Forestry,Landscaping, FFA Creed, andExtemporaneous Speaking events.Brad McDaniel from Five Points won abronze in junior tractor driving and theQuiz Bowl team from W.F. Burns fin-ished fourth.

In 2009-2010, enrollment in 19 Career Technical Educationprograms throughout the county was 859 for the first semester,representing 57 percent of the available student population, and818 for the second semester, representing 54 percent of availablestudents.

Enrollment in the nine occupational programs here at theCareer Technical Center during the first semester was the highestin 12 years, with 341 students enrolled. The second semesterenrollment was 304. An increasing number of advanced diplomastudents are now attending Career Tech programs. This year, boththe valedictorian and salutatorian from LaFayette High Schoolwere completers of programs on the CTC campus: ValedictorianJoshua Redden completed the Aquaculture/Environmental Scienceprogram and Salutatorian Joanne Dixon completed the HealthScience program.

In 2008-09, 87.5 percent of senior concentrators enrolled incareer technical programs reached their benchmarks in reading andmath. The school completion rate (graduation) was 86.7 percentamong senior concentrators participating in career technical educa-tion. This is a higher percentage than the overall graduation rate.

Our teachers have tracked their students after graduation, and in2008-09 the placement rate for senior concentrators (in jobs relat-ed to their field of concentration) was 94.92 percent. In addition,67.8 percent were enrolled in postsecondary (two and four-year)education.

Dual Enrollment with Southern UnionNine of our Health Science students, through a grant, complet-

ed six college hours and eight of the nine earned a Carnegie Unitwhile attending the health science program at CTC. Among thosestudents taking college level courses, there were two A�s, two B�s,four C�s and one D

At the Awards Ceremony, 112 seniors received Certificates ofCompletion. Some of these seniors were enrolled in more than onecareer tech program.

The Work Keys program measures competencies in threeareas: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and locatinginformation. We had 132 seniors in Key Train, a pullout programfor initial testing, practice and remediation. Seventy-five of thesestudents earned a Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), with 7Gold, 42 Silver and 26 Bronze designations.

Business Industry Certification - Twelve career technical pro-grams out of 19 this year passed business and industry certificationand during the next school year, two more, Industrial Services andAutomotive Service (NATEF) will become certified.

BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology)All 341 students were engaged in this Robotics program and

about 15 students worked after school hours to design a workingrobot from a box of parts that were sent to us. Our team earned firstplace in T-Shirt design, first place for Most Photogenic, and theFounder�s Award for Creative Design.

Grants received included: Tallapoosa River ElectricCooperative $1,000 for Industrial Services Program, LegislativeGrant (Reps. Bridges and Laird) $2,500 for WorkKeys testing,Coosa Valley RC&D council $8,500 for Greenhouse at Powell,21st Century Classroom Grant from SDE - $85,000 for ACCESS(interactive video conferencing lab) for the Teacher EducationProgram.

From the Governor�s Office of Workforce Developmentthrough Southern Union State Community College, for dualenrollment opportunities in the areas of Industrial Services andHealth Science, we received $161,875 in grant funds.

Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010 — Page 15

Productive year with highenrollment at CCCTC

By Darin Baldwin, DirectorCareer Technical Center

JOINT ADVISORY BANQUET – On Tuesday, May4, members of the CTC Joint Advisory Committeeand other guests heard a report by Dr. MatthewHughes, director of the Governor’s Office ofWorkforce Development, about the exciting oppor-tunities for workforce development in ChambersCounty and throughout Alabama. The Office ofWorkforce Development has awarded almost$162,000 to Southern Union to provide dual enroll-ment at the Career Technical Center, whichHughes called “an outstanding facility with greatleadership.” Shown left to right are CCBOEPresident Bill Martin, Supt. Leonard Riley, CTCDirector Darin Baldwin, Dr. Hughes and IDA BoardPresident Cary Baldwin.

FCCLA TEAM – (L-R) Whitney Fulcher, Taylor Fawley, Payton Thrift and Sherry Williams all won medals inthe STAR competition on March 13.

COSMETOLOGY WINNER —Pictured above is Danyetta Ross,a cosmetology student at theCareer Technical Center whorecently placed second in a cos-metology “Academic Competitionfor Excellence” at Wallace StateCommunity College in Selma.

Page 16 — Chambers County Schools Connection — May 2010

NEW TEACHER GRANT AWARDED — Tracy Martin, third grade teacher, receivedThe Alabama Power Service Organization New Teacher Grant. This program recog-nizes outstanding first-year teachers and provides funds to purchase classroomsupplies. The winners receive a $1,000 grant to purchase materials and supplies fortheir classrooms. Debbie Whatley, left, presented Tracy Martin with the AlabamaPower New Teacher of the Year Award on April 22.

DRAMA PRESENTED — The Columbus State University Drama Department presented Eastsidestudents with a play based on Barbara Park’s children’s book, “Junie B. Jones and A Little MonkeyBusiness.”

You are invited to theDedicatory

Serviceof the

W.F. Burns Middle School

Gymnamed inhonor ofCoach Arthur Dunn Jr.

Saturday, May 15, 20103 p.m. EDT

W.F. Burns Middle School292 Johnson Street Valley, AL 36854

TRIKE-A-THON — The pre-k and kindergarten classes participated in a Trike-a-thon fundraiser forValley Haven. Students collected pledges and brought their bicycles and tricycles to Bob HardingShawmut Elementary and rode while the teachers and parents looked on.

THE GRUFFALO — Recently, LaFayette Lanier Elementary's media specialist,Ellen Emfinger, read the book “The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson to the pre-kinder-garten students. After reading the book the students enjoyed perusing the websitewww.gruffalo.com. Later in class, Jennifer Hollingsworth continued the lesson byhelping the students make gruffalo masks that they were able to use in the puppetcenter. Pictured is Mrs. Hollingsworth's class with their masks.