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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL School system keeps pace with student enrollment By Billy Powell Contributing Writer The current Houston County Board of Education and its Superintendent, Danny Carpenter have met the challenge of unprece dented growth in the county through building new schools and adding classrooms. To keep pace with stu dent enrollment that has increased by 615 students per year since 2002, four new schools have been built: David Perdue Primary, Lake Joy Elementary, Thomson Middle School and Huntington Middle School. In addition, 23 of 34 cam puses have been improved and an amazing 460 new classrooms added. Ten cam puses have undergone sig nificant renovations. This includes five elementary schools (Lindsey, Bonaire, Morningside, Perry Primary and Kings Chapel), two middle schools (Warner Robins and Northside), and three high schools (Perry, Northside and Warner Robins). Three new schools will open next school year in August 2007: an elementary school on Lake Joy Road, an elementary school off Moody Road and middle school off Sandefur Road. Two addi tional schools are projected to open in 2010-2011: a mid dle school and a high school, W -.IKSbBiSLj ... -' wm la ® ■ BjjtffßßSßß S ,/'ye f, 1 k sss3 : ■ *w~ <Hi » j g» ihJP* CunSuß I Am \ \ IBPnpapWS 1 N§ \ ■ iilil fi j v . j ,v aWWffli "'H I j Jpk mHl' p&JWf. II 'Me'-. *4 bb nv« b mm .. JPuTAyc% ; •• ’ * Submitted Billy Powell Pictured, front row from left, are Houston County Board of Education members: Jim Boswell, vice chairperson, Pamela Greenway, chairperson and Danny Carpenter, super intendent. Back row, from left: Tom Walmer, Fred Wilson, Dr. Charles “Toby” Hill and Skip Dawkins. Not pictured: Griff Clements. LETTER From page 4A Mac is now officially endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. So, who is the true friend of business? I travel a lot, and in fact I am writing this from China. I can no longer carry an overnight bag on a plane with simple things like toothpaste. I now have to wait in line at the baggage claim which adds hours to my trips. What does this have to do with anything you ask? We are dealing with terrorists who won’t stop until they have converted the good old US of A to Islam. That is not going to hap pen, which means we are in a war with people who think nothing of killing innocents to try to get their way. I want someone representing me who feels the same way and not somebody who votes to allow illegal immigrants to come to America and then wants to offer them free health care and social security. As I travel abroad I realize that if I don’t speak the local language ... I’m out of luck. If I find a menu printed in English, it is a privilege ... not a requirement. I don’t want my ballots printed in other languages. If you live here...learn to speak the language. I’m for legal immigration; illegal, no. And finally, on issues of domestic threats, I simply can not fathom a world where peo ple like Nancy Pelosi and both to be located at Old Perry Road and Piney Grove Road. These five new schools are funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax approved by voters in September 2005. The listing of accom plishments, initiatives and awards both county-wide and by individual schools pro vided by Beth McLaughlin, director of Community and School Affairs, via a query are too voluminous to men tion; however, of signifi cant note is the fact that the Houston County School System is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and was distinguished by being named a “2005-2006 Super System for Quality Schools.” Test scores in reading, English/language and math ematics competency test ing have consistently met or exceeded standards. Moreover, SAT scores exceeded the state average by 24 points this year plus Houston County students in the top ten percent out scored the national average of their peers by 28 points. Contributing to this suc cess was the fact that a whopping 99.3 percent of its teachers were identified as “Highly Qualified” based on degree, state certification and subject matter compe- Charlie Rangle are making decisions on what is best for protecting me and my family. To keep from rambling, I want to make two more points. The Macon Telegraph ran an article quoting the non-partisan Knowledgis LLC, which ranks mem bers of Congress on effec tiveness. Jim Marshall is ranked number 407 and Cynthia McKinney is num ber 408. I bring this up because Jim is taking credit for money funding RAFB when in reality this was done by Saxby Chambliss and Jack Kingston. Elow much influence can you have in Congress when you are one notch above Cynthia McKinney? Mac goes back It’s Not About the Car... F^lm l^t'xaß'm *JH Hb& a Wt 4 . jjy aM It’s about the precious cargo it carries. As a local independent agent, we can design an insurance program that's just right for you and your family. Give the people you love Safe.Sound.Secare * protection from Auto-Owners Insurance Company. Walker ( J Insurance Agency, Inc. tence. The school system has received high marks nation ally for technology - the HCBOE being selected “sec ond in the nation” for large school systems using digi tal technology. Additionally, the Post 3 board member, Gillis “Skip” Dawkins, has been named vice-president of the Georgia School Board, a state-wide association. Being a pace setter in tech nology, the school system has implemented an automated emergency calling system, which can notify 15,000 par ents of important announce ments within a matter of minutes. Further, $7 million dol lars have been invested in technology, including wire less labs. The system pro vides an enviable two-to-one student -to-computer ratio, fortified by 2,000 work sta tions, Students are provided email accounts and can take courses on-line by computer to make up classes and to practice SAT and college board testing. Based on progress report ed to date, it is evident that the school system is keeping pace with the county-wide growth explosion - an 11 percent increase in student enrollment over the past four years, 22, 698 to 25,160 - while at the same time maintaining excellence in the classroom. to Congress and picks up his seniority right where he left off; including 10 years of ser vice on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. In short, Mac Collins is a real businessman who can bring home the bacon for this district. No, this is not an issue of sending someone to Congress because you like them ... it goes beyond the “likeabil ity” factor. It is about our businesses. It is about our future. It is about how you want to live and in what kind of world. Mac Collins is the man I trust to represent me on these issues. Stephen Davison President, Clean Control Corporation 1110 Washington Street Downtown Perry 987-8000 The toddler test I have a suggestion. Before an appliance is put on the market, the designer of said appliance should go through a test. The designer should be put in a room with this appliance and any other he or she has designed. Then a toddler, preferably one between the ages of 18 months and two years with an extremely inquisi tive mind, should also be placed in the room, with a few chairs that are easy to move and climb. Then the designer is assigned with one task and one task only: use the appli ance or appliances for the household task intended, while keeping the toddler safe and out of trouble. And while keeping the appliances safe from the toddler. If the designer finds this possible to do, then he or she should approve the appliance for sale. If he or she finds this almost impossible to do, and a lesson in frustration, then they should rethink their design before ever allowing the appliance to hit the market. This simple test - or les son in futility as the case may be - is a picture of my life these days. My younger son thinks his purpose in life is to turn every knob, open and shut every door, push every button and climb on any chair he can find. His latest attempt was to pull the kitchen chair over to the sink, climb up on it, turn the fau cet on full throttle, and stand with the spray hose, ready to give the kitchen a bath. Char-Proiled Sizzling Steaks arwmtertor *.7i e*tt 1»6 • TO7-W77 imm m&i WBsm*. & Ilf lig , \ "i‘ : v Earn 5.00% APY from your checking account! Wall Street Checking Enjoy big benefits like a 5.00% APY interest rate for your balances of $2,500 or more. Lower balances earn .25% APY. You never pay a per-check fee and there’s no monthly service charge with only a SI,OOO balance. Plus, you get 6 FREE ATM withdrawals every month from any ATM anywhere. ® THE BANK OF PERRY 3J PERRY,GEORGIA 1006 Main Street • Perry 24-hour ATM at 908 Washington St. Convenient Saturday hours 9 a.m. to noon. Call us at 478-987-2554 www.bankofperry.com Member FDtC U 879 This in the space of time it took me to walk from the opposite end of the house to the kitchen. His plans were thwarted, and he was safely returned to the floor, where he took off to devise some other form of mayhem. He makes his rounds rather efficient ly: see if Mommy will let him turn on the dishwash er, then see if he is allowed »^K|| I / % ■. 11 ■ 4 Sherri Martin The Front Porch sion, just within his reach. Then go and try to open the dishwasher and climb in. Then drag a chair and try to press every button on the microwave before mommy notices. If all that fails, go on to less technical things such as emptying the silverware drawer or pulling all of the books off the shelves. My husband and I have considered chaining the chairs to the kitchen table, or removing them all together. amwM JIIBp and advertise it in 'ofy Hflusiroi VUiyQuintal 2 DAYS - 4 LINES ■T.-S-SSrSw I DIM LIKES 38861 THURSDAY, OCTOBER S, 2006 ♦ However, since we use them on a regular basis, this doesn’t seem to be the answer. Instead, I spend much of my day removing him from dangerous or simply non helpful* situations, while still trying to let him have fun and explore. Yes, appliance designers should have to endure the toddler test, then perhaps they would come up with some designs that would help us moms keep a lit tle portion of our sanity. Those appliances specially designed for homes with curious children could even be marketed as “TF” - tod dler friendly. I predict that sales would skyrocket. This would be a market niche they never imagined - rather than soccer moms, toddler moms desiring to keep their cool and their kitchens in order. And while I’m making suggestions, how about all of you toy designers out there? Couldn’t someone please come up with a toy that is at least half as interesting as the DVD player? You’d make millions, I promise. You can con tact Sherri martin at TheFrontPorch@windstream. net to open the oven door and climb in. Then go and mash the but tons con veniently located on the bottom of the televi- 7 like the fire online bill pay and fire debit card. ” Open your own Wall Street Checking account today. • Get a FREE Gift! • We'll pay you $lO for unused checks from your account at your old bank. Annua) Percentage Yield (APY) effective 9/18/06. Rates may change after opening. Bank rules and regulations apply. Fees may reduce earnings. Ask for details 5A