Newspaper Page Text
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Peach County High School
is pleased to announce that
Homecoming Spirit Week is
September 20-23,2011
See page 9
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Vol. 126 Issue No. 32 sb«
Legal Organ For Peach County, City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron
Jail
Project
Almost
Finished
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
It took about a year and $9 million,
but the new. improved Peach County
Law Enforcement Center is virtually
finished.
At the regular meeting of the Peach
County Board of Commissioners last
week, Public Works Director Paul
Schwindler told commissioners he had
inspected the new LEC and consulted
with contractor Massee Builders on
last-minute items that still needed
fixing. He said those items had
been dealt with and he has no objec¬
tions to the Certificate of Substantial
Completion. That certificate is a
document that states a project has
been done according to specifications
and the building or buildings in ques¬
tion are ready for use. The new jail
wing, Task Force Building and kitchen
renovation were finished over the past
10 months, with only the renovation of
the old jail remaining. The last part of
#
the project is now done.
Commissioners unanimously
approved accepting the certificate.
in other business, Fire Chief/
Emergency Management Director
presented commissioners with designs
for the sign to be placed in front
of the new Public Safety Building.
The building on Highway 34! near
Hunt Elementary School includes the
administrative offices of the Peach
County Fire Department and EMS,
and bays for fire trucks and ambulanc¬
es. Doles said he preferred the option
with black background and gold let¬
tering. Commissioners approved that
Continued to page 2
Local Weather Forecast
Wednesday, Sept. 21
Isolated
Thunderstorms
Hi:8S a
Lo:65°
Thursday, Sept. 22
Scattered •At
Thunderstorms
Hi:86°
Lo:64
Friday, Sept. 23
Scattered
Thunderstorms
Hi. 84*
Lo:56
Saturday, Sept. 24
Sunny jr\
Hi:81 *
lo:55*
Sunday, Sept. 25
Mostly s Sunny
Hi. 82
10,58*
Monday, Sept. 26
Mostly 84* Sunny
Hi.
Lo:58 *
Tuesday, Sept. 27
Sunny (Clear) ©
Hi.84*
Lo.58‘
t ur s
GA 30602-0001
ams to :
Retire After
i Half Century
of Law Practice
See page 3
Peach County's“ Newspaper
Blue Bird
New Propane
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Blue Bird President Phil Horlock discusses the features of the corn
pany's propane-powered school busses at a recent demonstration.
Photo by Victor Kulkosky
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
_
"Look where the world is, we have
to create a better environment,” Blue
Bird President Phil Horlock said at a
recent press conference.___
The event was held to introduce
local media to Blue Bird Body Co.’s
next generation of propane-fueled
Hunt, Concert to Honor
Wounded Veterans
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This gathering from a previous Wounded Veterans Hunt features a total of 13 Purple Hearts among 10
participants. The next Wounded Veterans Hunt is slated for the first weekend in November.
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
They served Uteir country, some¬
times literally leaving a part of them¬
selves on foreign soil, now. Middle
Georgia has more chances to honor
woumkd veterans.
school busses. As Horlock noted in his
opening remarks. Blue Bird is already
ahead of the pack, with the only full
sized propane-powered school bus
on the market, a version of its All
American model. Blue Bird is now
taking orders for busses based on Blue
Bird Propane-Powered Vision, which
combines Blue Bird’s school bus bod¬
ies with new engines built by Ford and
The Bass Pro Shop Sportsman's
Warehouse will be the focal point of
both events. First up will be a fund¬
raising concert, entitled “A Blast From
the Past.” featuring Joey Rand. He
goes all the way back to Bill Hailey
and the Comets - of “Rock Around the
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* blooded bulls. Must Very see! female gentle Two and pitt full
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preferred home togeth¬
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using Roush CleanTech.
Horlock said Blue Bird will soon
begin producing an All American
model with the new technology, which
he said includes a more powerful V10
Ford engine, improved from a previ¬
ous V8 engine. The Roush technol¬
ogy substitutes propane for the Ford
engine’s usual gasoline.
Horlock said the new All American
propane bus will have a 67-gallon fuel
tank and a 350-mile range, while the
new Micro Bird model will have a
43-gallon tank and a 300-mile range.
He said both models will come with
a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty,
improved from the previous two-year
warranty.
Horlock said the Vision line will
cost a few thousand dollars more than
standard models, but should quickly
make up the difference in lower fuel
costs. He said a gallon of diesel fuel -
the fuel for most school busses - sells
for about $3.80, while propane sells
for about $1.30 a gallon, less than
half the price. He said propane is
also readily available from domestic
sources.
During an interview session,
Horlock said the new Blue Bird pro¬
pane busses are all-propane powered,
while previous models were gaso¬
line-propane hybridsr He said* the
new models have lower and
maintenance costs.
Propane busses also lack that famil¬
iar school bus roar.
“Drivers love the quiet,” he said.
“They can hear the kids on the bus
ses.
Horlock said demonstration models
of the new busses were in California at
the moment, where reports suggested
potential customers are enthusiastic.
Production on the Next Generation
Propane-Powered Vision busses
should begin in February or March of
next year. Horlock said a “significant
portion” of Blue Bird employees will
be working on the alternative-fuel
models, and 60-70 new employees
have already been hired.
Clock” fame for our younger readers.
and has spent many years performing
The Sounds of Elvis Show.
The veteran performe.' will do one
show only to help wounded veterans.
October 15 at Bass Pro Shop in
» Continued to page 2 _
1 Petith Publishing ( o. \etespaper
September 21,2011
Ed Hears
The Plan'
.....
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Darnell Springer, Hunt
Elementary School chorus
teacher, performs the national
anthem at this month's Board of
Education meeting.
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
“That sounds nice,” people often
say, “but show me the plan.”
People attending the September
meeting of the Peach County Board
of Education received an outline of
“the plan” (three outlines, actually)
developed among Superintendent Joe
Ann Denning and staff.
One part of the plan is to put
the right team in place and promote
within, and the first presenter was
evidence. Annette Ross is the new
Executive Director of Curriculum
and Instruction and an in-house pro¬
motion. She titled her presentation
“Promoting a Failure-Free System.”
Ross sketched a few pieces of the
chain of command at the Peach County
schools. The “building leaders,” that
is, principals, are the instructional
leaders in each school. Her depart¬
ment’s role is to provide support to
teachers to empower them to do their
jobs. To provide that support, C&l
established a Teaching and Learning
Team with specific areas: Jennifer
Farrow, K-8 math, science and inte¬
grated technology (technology that
helps teachers and students); Donnita
Bellamy, K-8 English/language arts,
social studies and English as a second
language; Sheela Stembridge, all high
school math; Vickey Silas, all high
school social studies; Laura Cooper,
all high school ELA and ESOL. Tara
Raines, high school science; and
Ginny Jackson, high school integrated
technology.
Ross and her staff will focus on pro¬
viding professional development for
teachers on a list of subjects. Among
these are Project-Based Learning,
which Peach County High School has
already begun. PBL, which is becom¬
ing increasingly popular among edu¬
cators, uses a multi-dimensional
approach to learning. Students learn
the facts and skills, then apply them
to the kind of problems and situa¬
tions they might encounter in the real
world. Students break the projects
down into steps, make plans, and do
presentations at the end of the project.
PBL’s popularity in part lies in teach¬
ing students to use knowledge and
skills they way tliey are likely to do in
the workplace.
Teachers will also be brought up
to speed on Common Core National
Standards. Ross said Georgia is
among 44 states that have signed on
to a program to develop a common set
of standards for what students should
and be able to do in each core sub¬
ject. such as English, math, science
and social studies. Along with the
Common Core is an approach to teach¬
ing and learning called the “Standards
Based Classroom " A standard spells
out particular knowledge or skills a
student should acquire in each grade
and subject, and how the student will
demonstrate that knowledge or skill.
Ross said ail curriculum, assess¬
ment and instruction will be “explic
Continued to page 3--