Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Can’t call it ‘stuff anymore
MIKE AND other staffers at The
Jackson Herald are not my only editors.
Every week I run my column by a much
tougher critic. That would be my dear
wife, Shirley. I read it aloud to her before
turning it in to Lisa or Kathy at the office
in Jefferson.
A couple of weeks ago I was reading
and Shirley stopped me in mid-sentence,
raised her voice and said, rather sternly,
“Cut out the stuff. You write entirely too
much about stuff.’’
And so, dear friends, in future col
umns you’11 see less and less stuff. It’ll
still be stuff; I just can’t call it that. I know better than
to argue with the editor-in-chief.
OK, so you are wondering why I read out loud to
her. Reading to one’s self is all right; reading to oth
ers is better. It helps me realize how ridiculous some
of my stuff sounds. (Sorry about that, Shirley, but old
habits are hard to break. I’ll try harder.)
❖ ❖ ❖
I’ve also been accused of slanting my material
toward the growing number of senior citizens who
read The Herald each week. I make no apology.
What do you expect? I’m a senior myself, and if I
write something that helps my old friends, it pleases
me very much.
In fact. I’d like to pass on a few helpful tips right
now.
If (not if, when) you lose your glasses, don’t run
all over the house looking for them. And don’t enlist
family in the search.
Do this first: check the bridge of your nose, your
temples, and your ears. It just may be that your
glasses are not lost. And neither are you. You just
temporarily forgot that you were wearing them.
Second, some of you guys wake up early and
make the coffee. I suggest you turn on the lights and
get accustomed to the darkness.
Now, the basin or container where you pour the
water has a lid over it. It is very important to raise
this lid before pouring. If you don’t, you are going to
pour water all over the kitchen counter and floor, and
you’ll have some explaining to do when the madam
wakes up.
This third problem started when old men began
using underarm deodorants and hair spray. The fact
that these products are in pressurized aerosol cans
exacerbates the situation.
Here’s my advice; When you go to the bathroom
to groom yourself for the trip to Cracker Barrel or
Waffle House, turn on the light and read the labels.
Otherwise, you might spray your underarms with
hair spray, and - trust me - you’ll wind up with a
sticky, gooey mess on your hands. Well, not really
your hands; a little higher up.
You are wondering by what authority I dish out
advice to old folks, aren’t you?
Experience, friends! Experience!
❖ ❖ ❖
While old age has its problems, it also has
its perks. For example:
Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
In a hostage situation, you are likely to be
released first. No one expects you to mn -
anywhere or for anything, certainly not for
political office. There is nothing left to learn
the hard way. Things you buy now won’t
wear out. You can eat supper at 4 p.m. You
quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter
who walks into the room. Your eyes won’t
get much worse. Your joints are more accu
rate meteorologists than the national weather service.
Your secrets are safe with your friends because they
can't remember them either.
❖ ❖ ❖
To vote or not to vote. That’s another advantage
of aging.
I didn’t vote in last week’s Republican or
Democratic primary. That may come as a surprise to
some of you. I’ve always voted, and my reason has
always been the same: because I can.
So why didn’t I vote last week? Because I didn’t
have to. The freedom not to vote is just as great as
the freedom to vote.
In the past, I’ve said if you don’t vote you have no
right to complain. I know a lot of people who haven’t
voted in years, and they are among the champion
complainers of all time. Well, I guess I am joining
them.
If voting gave me the right to complain, now I’ve
got to come up with a new right. I’m not about to
stop complaining.
Hey, I’ve got it! As taxpayers, we pay those politi
cians’ salaries. They are our employees, right? They
work for us, right?
It took me a while to realize that those guys waste
an awful lot of time and do a lot of bickering.
My no vote last week was my way of saying I’m
tired, weary, fed up, confused, disappointed, lazy -
and just sorry.
Am I discouraged? Pessimistic?
I asked those questions last week, and my answer
was “Absolutely not!’’ Despite what I said two para
graphs ago, I still feel that way.
Somewhere, somehow, sometime - perhaps in
the next generation - fate, circumstance or a Power
greater than ourselves will raise up leaders more
interested in America than they are in their party or
themselves.
Things will get better - but not right away. A
Harry Truman doesn’t come around every decade. I
believe he was the last president to say - and mean
it - that “the buck stops here.’’
Virgil Adams is a former owner/editor of The
Jackson Herald.
virgil
adams
Remembering Tom Bailey
Dear Editor:
My husband, Tom Bailey, died tragically on April
5, 2010 while on a cmise with myself and my two
sons.
We were supposed to be celebrating our four-year
wedding anniversary at Chateau Elan last night but
God had other plans for Tom.
Tom loved Jefferson and always talked about our
eventually moving back to his hometown, where he
grew up, after our oldest graduated from Mill Creek
High School in May 2011.
He was laid to rest in Jefferson, Georgia, on April
11, 2010, behind his family’s Ford dealership.
I am a better person because of Thomas H. Bailey,
and so are my boys, Trevor and Carter. Even though
we knew each other just short of five years, he taught
me more about love and family than he will ever
know.
My boys and I continue to try every day to find our
new “normal.’’ We miss him so much. We know in
time our hearts will heal, but our family just isn’t the
same without him.
Hug your loved ones today, for you don’t know
when their last day may be. It really is true. You
sometimes do not know what you have until it is
gone.
Heaven is a brighter place today because of Tom.
We love you, Thomas H. Bailey.
Sincerely,
Leigh, Trevor and Carter
Planners update code on mobile homes
BY KATIE HUSTON
THE JACKSON County Planning Commission
approved a text amendment repealing age require
ments on manufactured homes at its Thursday
night meeting.
The approval amends the current Jackson
County Unified Development Code (UDC) to
repeal the requirement on age of manufactured
homes, and also clears up the inspection process
for relocation and replacement of manufactured
homes.
The change comes after the Georgia General
Assembly passed Senate Bill 384, which requires
that placement of a mobile home onto property
may not be based off of the age of the home.
Public development planner Toni Smith said
that the UDC was amended to show that planning
commission staff will no longer look at the age
of a home, but will continue inspections as it has
prior to the age requirement.
“We’ve gone through and actually, kind of clari
fied a few different issues that we were already
doing,’’ Smith said. “(We) wanted to make sure
that it was clear to anyone who came in to apply
for a permit that it was in writing so that they could
see it without any question.’’
All recommendations of the planning commis
sion from Thursday night’s meeting will go before
the board of commissioners on Aug. 16, at 6 p.m.
at the Jackson County Courthouse.
In other business at the Jackson County Planning
Commission meeting on Thursday night:
•it was announced that the Jackson County
Comprehensive Plan was completely reviewed and
approved by the Department of Community affairs.
CORNELISON HONORED
Previous Jackson County Planning
Commission member and chairman Tim
Cornelison was honored by the planning
commission for his service from 2004-
2009. Cornelison (L) is shown above
with current chairman, Jeff Perry (R).
The plan will now go on to the Jackson County
BOC for resolution of approval in August.
•a request was approved to amend the cur
rent UDC in relation to the new Flood Damage
Prevention regulations. The current regulations
were approved by the BOC in April, however,
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
made changes that required a text amendment.
The change only affects the date of applicability,
changing it from Sept. 29, to Dec. 17.
•previous planning commission member and
chairman, Tim Cornelison, was honored for his
service with the commission from 2004-2009.
Previous member, John Gaissert, was also recog
nized, however he was not present at the meeting.
co-principals for 2010-2011
SJES DUAL PRINCIPALS
Pam Johns (R) and Jane Scales (L) will enter into a
dual principalship this school year at South Jackson
Elementary School. The job sharing is the first of its
kind for the school system, however, has been suc
cessful in other systems.
Photo by Katie Huston
Just the facts...
Jane Scales
First education-related job:
•social studies teacher at JCCHS
Years working in education:
•30
Other positions held in
the Jackson County School System:
•social studies teacher at JCCHS
•assistant principal for instruction at JCCHS
• principal at MES
Post-retirement plans:
•continue teaching graduate classes at Piedmont
College, Athens
•supervise student teachers for Piedmont College
Pam Johns
First education-related job:
•physical education teacher at SJES
Years working in education:
•32
Other positions held in
the Jackson County School System:
•physical education teacher at SJES
•halftime social studies teacher SJES
•halftime assistant principal SJES
• principal at SJES
Post-retirement plans:
•work on projects around SJES
•create potential compost and school garden
•evaluate and improve children’s nutrition
• travel
SJES to have
BY KATIE HUSTON
WHAT BEGAN as two
friends having dinner prior
to a board of education
meeting, evolved into a
plan to cut expenses in the
school system with an idea
- while out of the ordinary
- that officials took seri
ously.
This is the case with Jane
Scales and Pam Johns, who
will enter into a dual prin
cipal role at South Jackson
Elementary School for the
2010-2011 school year.
While having dinner.
Scales, then Maysville
Elementary School princi
pal, and Johns, SJES prin
cipal, brainstormed on ways
to cut back.
“During the discussion,
we also talked about when
we would retire and we
both agreed that we were
not ready to completely
retire,” Scales said. “The
idea of job-sharing came up
and we discussed the idea
of retiring and sharing the
principalship. Although it
was an unusual idea, we
believed that it would work
in our situation.”
While the dual role of
principal is a first for the
school system, it has been
done successfully in other
schools, both in and out of
the country.
“We found that it would
save a significant amount
of money if we shared the
position at South Jackson
Elementary and hired a
new administrative team
at Maysville Elementary,”
Scales said.
She said that administra
tors had been asked to think
outside the box, which is
exactly what she and Johns
did.
“(Superintendent Shannon
Adams) has worked with us
for many years and under
stands that neither of us
would do anything that
would be detrimental to
children,” she said.
While Scales said that she
was reluctant to leave MES,
she knew Johns didn’t want
to leave SJES, where she’s
spent her entire 32 years of
teaching.
“I love it because to me,
it’s like the best of both
worlds,” Johns said. “I get
to work with people I love
and enjoy working with -
and kids I enjoy seeing and
bring smiles to my face
- and then also have some
time off to do some things
that I want to do.”
Final preparations are
being made this week as far
as exact strategies on shar
ing administrative tasks.
Scales, Johns and Resa
Brooksher - SJES assistant
principal for instruction -
will share all administrative
duties except for financial
transactions, which Johns
will continue handling. The
shared duties include teach
er evaluations, attending
school-related events, stu
dent achievement monitor
ing, working with parents
and student discipline.
Scales will work all day
on Mondays and Tuesdays,
as well as Wednesday
mornings. Johns will work
the remainder of the week.
The two will meet each
Wednesday while their
time overlaps and debrief
about the week. In addition,
if one principal is sick or
unable to attend a meeting
or school-related event, the
other principal will fill in.
In order to get the plan
in place, Scales and Johns
each had to officially retire
for 30 days before return
ing to work. According to
Scales, this is a requirement
of the Georgia Teacher
Retirement System, which
allows retirees to return to
service at 49 percent or less
time. This saves an employ
er 23 percent.
In addition, the two
co-principals will not be
receiving benefits, further
saving the system.
“(The) main area of sav
ings is in benefits, but there
will also be savings because
of years of experience and
advanced college degrees,”
Scales said.
It’s unclear at this time
exactly how long the dual
roles will last, and if SJES
will return to only one prin
cipal or continue with co
principals in future years.
“We are going to work
really hard to create an
effective dual principal-
ship this year,” Scales said.
“Then we will make deci
sions about next year.”
Between them, the two
principals have 62 years of
experience, and will soon
add another.
“I think (it’s) business as
usual,” Johns said. “Except
now you’ve got two expe
rienced administrators
together.”
Feedback from teachers,
parents and students has
been positive, Scales said,
and she has high hopes for
her new role.
“I look forward to work
ing with Ms. Johns and Ms.
Brooksher and the students,
parents, faculty and staff at
SJES,” she said. “I appre
ciate Dr. Adams and the
Board of Education for giv
ing us the opportunity to try
something new. The 2010-
2011 school year should be
very interesting.”
Braselton to hold blood drive Thurs.
THE TOWN of Braselton will hold a blood
drive on Thursday, July 29, from 2-7 p.m.
The blood drive is being held in honor of
Jackson Austin, a young boy who has battled
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and
Tony Funari, a Braselton council member.
All donors may enter for a chance to win a
$1,000 gift card.
The blood drive will be held in the Braselton
Community Room, located in the lower level
of the Braselton Police and Municipal Court
Building, at 5040 Ga. Hwy. 53.
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CARD OF THANKS
Even the small things you do
really add up to be something great -
Thanks for your kindness,
and showing you care.
Mrs. Florine Griffeth
and the family of
R. L. Griffeth