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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010
EJMS science teacher lands national award
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
HOW'D A Jackson County
teacher learn that she’s going to
visit the president at the White
House?
She got a phone call from the
F.B.I.
The federal investigation
agency was calling Rachael Parr
— a 24-year veteran science
teacher — to conduct a back
ground check.
That’s when Parr — who has
spent the last 14 years teaching seventh grade
life science at East Jackson Middle School
— knew that she had won one of the most
prestigious awards in education.
Parr was selected as one of 103 math
and science teachers in the nation to win
the Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching.
She’ll receive her award at an all-expenses
paid five-day trip to Washington, D.C., later
this year — when Parr is also expected to
meet President Obama.
And, she’ll get a $10,000 award from the
National Science Foundation to be used at
her discretion.
The official announcement from the White
House came last week—about three months
after the F.B.I. called Parr asking for her per
sonal information. She was told she couldn’t
say a word about the phone call.
“So alter the FBI background check,
you’re waiting and waiting,” Parr said on
Thursday.
Getting the award is considered a top
honor in the nation. Parr was one of two edu
cators in Georgia to be given the award.
Once in the nation’s capitol, Parr will
participate in professional development pro
grams, and discussions with legislators on
how to improve math and science education.
“They want to hear from you; they want
to know your ideas,” said Parr, who said this
experience will be her first time talking to
policy-makers about issues in education.
The national award, Parr said, also high
lights the great educational prac
tices and learning in the Jackson
County School System.
“It validates, to me, my pas
sion, commitment and dedica
tion to the education profession,”
she said.
Her other greatest experience
in education?
Taking a deep-ocean dive in
Alvin — a research submersible
vehicle — to study hydrothermal
vents off the coast of Washington
state. Parr was one of three educators accom
panying University of Georgia oceanogra
pher Daniela Di Iorio on the 2008 trip on the
research vessel Atlantis.
For the journey to the bottom of the
ocean, it took two hours for Alvin to reach
its destination. Parr was in awe of the sea
creatures she saw from the windows of the
submersible.
“I was so amazed at what I was seeing on
the way down” she said. “It just looked like
thousands of stars ... that two hours was like
two minutes.”
The research trip was recently highlight
ed in an article published in “The Science
Teacher” — a professional journal for sci
ence educators. Parr co-wrote the article with
her fellow educators turned researchers Vicki
Soutar and Ron Prescott, a teacher at Jackson
County Comprehensive High School.
The 22-day trip — with a day spent in the
Alvin — was funded by a grant from the
National Science Foundation. Parr made the
ocean journey into a virtual classroom lesson
for her students.
“It was a wonderful learning experience
for me,” she said. “And I blogged to the kids
everyday. I wrote to them about what was
going on and the types of research that were
being conducted.”
Parr’s students have also learned first-hand
about coastal ecosystems — as she has coor
dinated a three-day trip to St. Simon’s Island
for seventh graders for the past 12 years.
A former district-wide teacher of the year
for the Jackson County School System and
Georgia’s top-named science educator in
2006, Parr said she encourages her students
to discover their world.
“I try to make everyday a ‘Wow’ day,”
said Parr, who earned her National Board
Certification in early adolescence science
in 2003.
Parr — who earned a specialist degree
and master’s degree from Piedmont
College, and a bachelor’s degree from
UGA — continues to improve her own
education.
This summer, she’s wrapping up her par
ticipation in the Rising Stars Collaborative
program — a performance-based initiative
that prepares selected educators for leader
ship roles.
Despite the leadership training. Pan-
plans to stay in the classroom.
She credits the county school system
and its employees for helping her land
the Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching.
“They’ve supported me through a lot,”
Parr said.
She especially credits Deborah
Riddleberger, professional learning coordi
nator for the district, and Tiffany Barnett, a
seventh grade math teacher at EJMS.
Riddleberger nominated Parr for this year’s
national award and Barnett nominated Parr
for the distinction three years ago, when she
was also named a state finalist.
“I’ve been very blessed by people around
me,” Parr said. “That’s what has enabled me
to do all of this.”
Outside of the classroom, Parr enjoys gar
dening, camping and “anything outdoors,”
she said.
She has two sons — Robert Parr, 22, a
Gwinnett County firefighter; and Charlie
Parr, 20, a Jackson County firefighter.
Parr also said she gets her love for teach
ing science from her parents. Her father
was long-time research scientist for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and her mother
was a teacher.
JCWSA: Water pressure should
improve for Hoods Mill residents
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
RELIEF FOR residents of the
Hoods Mill Road area plagued
by low water pressure should be
just weeks away.
The Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority voted
Thursday night to authorize up
to $7,500 to move the process
forward.
Originally, staff thought the
fix could be implemented for
less than $5,000 — and thus not
require a vote — but parts for
the South Apple Valley Road
pump station must be custom-
made, pushing the cost high
enough to require a vote.
Authority customers in the
area, in the vicinity of East
Jackson Comprehensive High
School, have long complained
of weak water flows. The
authority’s water manager,
Stacey Jenkins, came up with
the idea of, essentially, mov
ing the area from reliance on
the small East Jackson tank on
Waterworks Road into a higher
pressure service area supplied
by the larger tank at Dry Pond.
Jenkins said Thursday night
he expects the parts “in a cou
ple of weeks,” after which the
switch can be completed in less
than a week.
LESS LOST WATER
Authority manager Eric
Klerk reported that replacement
of the large wholesale meters
serving Jefferson, Braselton
and Hoschton appear to have
dramatically cut the amount of
“unaccounted for” water.
In May, the authority had just
2.82 percent of its water unac
counted for.
Usage for May was also up 40
percent over May 2009, while
billing was up over 20 percent.
Also helping cut down on
lost water, said Klerk, is a new
policy in which the authority
pulls the meter from customers
they do not hear from for more
than one billing cycle.
Customers are given ample
warning — letters and door
knob notices — but once the
meter is pulled, there is a $200
reconnection fee.
“It’s our way of forcing peo
ple to come in so we know
who is responsible for the bill,”
Klerk explained. “It’s shaking
some people out of the wood
work.”
Most of the problems stem
from tenants who signed up
for water, then left with no
forwarding address, or houses
foreclosed upon, he said.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also last week, the author
ity completed revisions of its
wastewater services contract, the
major thrust of which was to set
limits on how long a developer
or builder could reserve treat
ment capacity through purchas
ing a sewerage tap. It’s an issue
that came up when the housing
bust all but stopped residen
tial development, leaving the
authority with thousands of pre
sold taps but no time frame —
and often no likelihood — for
when the taps would be used.
The new policy gives win
dows of from two to five years,
depending on the number of
residential taps purchased, and
offers the developer a chance
to renew unused taps at the end
of that time for an additional 50
percent of the original cost.
The Jackson Herald launches e-edition, offering full newspaper online
READERS OF The Jackson
Herald now have a new option
to read the full newspaper online.
The new e-edition is in addition
to the newspaper’s traditional
website, jacksonheraldTODAY.
com which highlights headline
news and give readers a chance
to offer comments.
The new e-edition is the full
newspaper online where readers
can read individual stories and
view photos.
Access to the new offering
will be available for free until
July 13 at www.jacksonherald-
today.com/eedition.
The e-edition will be avail
able via computer, iPad and
smartphones.
Among the features will be
a “reader” that will translate
stories into a verbal rendition for
the seeing-impaired.
In addition, the site allows
viewers to email photos and sto
ries to friends and family and a
variety of ways to view articles
online.
“This is just another venue for
our readers to get their weekly
newspaper in an electronic for
mat,” said co-publisher Scott
Buffington.
For out-of-town readers and
the men and women in the
military overseas, the new elec
tronic access provides immedi
ate access rather than weeks of
traditional mail.
For all readers, the e-edition
will provide not only the cur
rent week’s newspaper, but an
on-line archive of past issues
as well.
“This is the full edition that
complements our existing top
stories website,” said co-pub
lisher Mike Buffington. “All
of this fits with our traditional
paper edition to deliver the most
comprehensive news coverage
of Jackson County available,
anytime, anywhere.”
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PUBLIC HEARING
The Jackson County Board of Adjustment will
hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, July 1,
2010, at 7:00 p.m., at the Jackson County EMS
Conference Training Room, 67 Athens Street,
Jefferson, Georgia, on the following matters:
1. BOA-10-03 -Tracy Milford requests a
variance on approximately 7.6 acre tract
located at 2405 U.S. Hwy. 441 S., Commerce,
GA to reduce side setbacks and buffer. (Map
024/Parcel 015J)
2. BOA-10-04 - William C. Grimes, Jr. requests
a variance on approximately .21 acre tract
located at 4381 Links Blvd., Jefferson, GA to
reduce rear and right side setbacks.
(Map105D/Parcel 067C).
Complete applications, plats, texts, maps, and
public hearing procedures are available for review
in the Planning Division Office, of the Department
of Public Development during regular office hours.
All interested persons are invited to attend.
Anyone desiring to speak in opposition to the
above case shall file a Campaign Contribution
Disclosure form at least 2 business days prior to
the July 1,2010 Public Hearing.
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