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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016
FANS COME OUT
Several fans cheer on the competitors in the first annual “Run for the Sun”
Electrathon. Photos by Alex Pace
Sims hosts ‘Run for the Sun’
VICTORY LAP
Alexandria Arnold takes a victory lap after win
ning the first heat of the Electrathon. Arnold is a
Barrow County School System student.
By Alex Pace
Journal Reporter
Area students competed
Saturday in the inaugural
“Run for the Sun” Electr
athon. Several teams com
peted in the first annual
event at the Sims Acad
emy of Innovation and
Technology, including a
group of Barrow County
School System students.
The team’s number 43
car was built to go as far as
possible on one Kilowatt
of battery power in one
hour. Several teams com
peted Saturday with their
cars, driving laps around
the front parking lot of
Sims.
Students work on the
Sims car during and after
school hours. The proj
ect teaches them about
engineering with a focus
on aerodynamics, light
weights and structure,
according to the group’s
organizer Steven Griffing.
Griffing said many of the
students started working
on the cars during a class
at Sims, but many have
stayed on the racing team
after finishing the path
way. The team includes
Alexandria Arnold, driv
er: Cole Sieveking, crew
chief; J.P. Kominiski,
engineer; Austin Lane,
design/fabrication; Mat
thew Fenley, design/fab
rication; Lawson Barlow,
design/fabrication; Brad
Shaw, fabrication; Philip
Copeland, fabrication; and
Daaron Russel, fabrica
tion.
The team’s car placed
first during the morning
heat of the competition,
but came in second by one
lap behind Grayson High
School in the afternoon
heat. Griffing said the stu
dents will now work to
improve the car this week.
“The battery pack used
in the afternoon race was
not performing as expect
ed, so students will run
load tests on both battery
packs this week to collect
data and decide whether to
replace a single battery or
the entire pack used in the
afternoon race.” he said.
The team is prepping for
a leadership conference
competition in March.
Griffing said the team
will continue to improve
the car and practice rac
ing during the upcoming
weeks.
“The 43 car had more
amp hours left at the end
of the morning race than
expected, indicating Alex
could have pushed the car
even harder than she did,”
said Griffing. “We will run
more practice laps with
this pack to determine the
optimal speed and gear
ing for this pack in future
races, specifically the race
on March 17 at the Classic
Center in Athens during
our Technology Students
Association State Leader
ship Conference.”
TEAM CELEBRATES
The Sims Academy of Innovation and Technology Electrathon team cele
brates after winning the first heat of the race.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
The Town of Carl
regular town meeting,
March 17, 2016
at 7:00 p.m.
BCSS begins budget work
By Alex Pace
Journal Reporter
The Barrow County School System has begun working on next year’s budget. The
district plans to develop and review the budget in the next few months.
The district’s 2016 budget video is now available on the BCSS website. The Board of
Education could receive an update on the budget at its March 29 work session.
Community meetings will be held April 7 (Apalachee High School) and April 14
(Winder-Barrow High School).
The BOE could tentatively approve the general fund budget on May 3, and the
full budget (including capital projects, federal programs) on June 7. The BOE could
approve the final budget on June 28. The millage rate will be set in the fall.
In split vote:
School start times approved
By Alex Pace
Journal Reporter
School start times will remain the same
for Barrow County School System students.
The Barrow County Board of Education
voted against flipping school start times in
a 5-4 vote on March 1.
Elementary school students will continue
to start at 8:30 a.m. and middle and high
school students will continue to start at
7:30 a.m.
A special committee was formed last year
to consider flipping the two start times. The
district flipped to the current start times in
2012, both for financial and safety reasons.
But BOE member Lynn Stevens said the
current start times could also be a safety
issue. Several board members spoke about
scientific research that shows later school
start times can improve academics of older
students.
BOE member Rolando Alvarez spoke
about other benefits, including increased
test scores, reduced health risks and
increased rest time for older students. The
board also discussed potential impacts from
both schedules on extracurricular activities,
sports and jobs.
But flipping the start times could have
increased transportation costs, requiring the
district to purchase nine new buses, totaling
at $783,000 (plus annual operation costs).
More than 7,000 people responded to
a survey on the issue, with 37.8 percent
choosing the current schedule. Over 22
percent voted to flip the schedule, and the
remainder was split between two other
variations.
Eleven of 14 school governance teams
voted to keep the current start times. Both
cluster governance teams voted unanimous
ly to keep the current start times.
CLEARANCE LETTER
The BOE also discussed a clearance letter
it received from the Georgia Department of
Education. The district had a finding in its
2013-14 audit, saying the accounting proce
dures were insufficient to provide adequate
internal control procedures over cash and
cash equivalents. Assistant superintendent
of business services Jennifer Houston said
at the BOE's Feb. 23 work session that the
finding was due to improper bank reconcil
iations. Superintendent Chris McMichael
stressed the finding was for 2014.
Houston said on Feb. 23 that the issue has
been addressed and the reconciliations have
been completed.
The district has implemented a correction
action plan on the issue. The GADOE has
closed the finding.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also at its meeting, the BOE:
•learned Education Local Option Sales
Tax receipts totaled at $725,400 last month,
which is down from the same month last
year but up from 2013 and 2014. Houston
said this could be from lower gas prices.
The annual ELOST total has continued to
increase since 2013.
•learned its fund balance totaled at $14.8
million at the end of February. The district
is 67 percent into the current fiscal year.
The district has received 70.8 percent of
budgeted revenues and spent 60 percent of
budgeted expenses.
APPROVED ITEMS
Other items approved by the BOE includ
ed:
•a bid from Preferred Test and Balance
for test and balance services at the new
Russell Middle School, totaling $25,000.
•a bid from Claridge for the turnkey
supply and installation of marker and tack
boards at the new RMS, totaling $67,000.
•a bid from Tandus Centiva (material) and
AAA Floors (installation) for carpet at the
new RMS, totaling $35,000.
•a revision to the curriculum development
policy to eliminate references to outdated
standards.
•a new Career, Technical and Agricultural
Education program, career management, to
be offered to eighth graders.
•a revision to the awarding units and
transferring credit policy to eliminate out
dated references. It will be tabled for 30
days for public comment.
•a revision to the gender equity in sports
policy to remove prior staff members’
names. It will be tabled for 30 days for
public comment.
•the purchase of 260 Dell Chromebooks
from SDF Professional Computers, totaling
$62,000.
•an agreement with Dell Computers for
Microsoft Office and Windows licensing
for $81,000.
•a closeout resolution with the Georgia
Department of Education on the Kennedy
Elementary School renovations.
•its bond resolution including a bid from
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC for a true
interest cost of 2.66.
RECOGNITIONS
Also at its meeting, the BOE recognized:
•Yargo Elementary School as the clean
school of the month.
•Nick Miller, Apalachee High School
student, for receiving the Emperor Science
Award. The award is given to 100 students
in the country that are interested in science
(particularly cancer research).
•Abdullah Al-Obaidi, AHS student, for
receiving the Georgia Youth Leadership
Award.
•Barrow County Cooperative Benevo
lence Ministry, Inc., for its annual Food-
2Kids sponsorship.
BOE approves personnel changes
By Alex Pace
Journal Reporter
The Barrow County Board of Educa
tion approved several personnel changes
at its Feb. 23 meeting.
These included:
HIRES
Tonia Robinson, special education
paraprofessional at Bethlehem Elemen
tary School; and Casey Barnett, parapro
fessional at Sims Academy of Innovation
and Technology.
TRANSFERS
Alishia Moss, from Apalachee High
School receptionist to principal secretary:
and Erica Wilson, from AHS special edu
cation paraprofessional to receptionist.
SEPARATIONS
Angela Peifer, AHS principal secre
tary; Amy Harrison, Bramlett Elementary
School Title I paraprofessional; Angela
Callendto, BRES lunchroom monitor;
Erin Echols, County Line Elementary
School special education teacher; Paula
Deaton, Kennedy Elementary School
nutrition assistant; Patricia Morgan, KES
lunchroom monitor; Suzanne Wilson.
Sims paraprofessional: Brenda Reynolds,
bus driver; and Kelly Felker, bus driver.
Barrow County
Senior Center
80 Lee St., Winder
Open to all county residents 60 and over.
~ Daily Lunch, Bingo, Billiards, Bible Study,
Cards, Day & Overnight Trips, Fitness Classes,
Guest Speakers and more ~
www.facebook.com/barrowseniors
770-307-3025
