Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
November 25, 2009
Opinion
Declare among the nations,
and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not;
Jeremiah 50:2
OUR VIEW
School board
made right call
M onroe County's Board of
Education did the hard thing,
but the right thing, in transfer
ring principal Kay Williams out
of Hubbard Elementary School.
Williams was brought to Forsyth from Detroit
in the spring to be the new principal at
Hubbard.
In fairness to Williams, she had a tough job.
Outgoing principal Angie Dillon had a reputa
tion for running a tight ship, and the school
earned a reputation for academic achievement.
Those were daunting high heels to fill.
Further, the opening of K.B. Sutton
Elementary School meant the loss of many
good teachers from Hubbard. Many wanted to
go work for principal Joe Parlier at that shiny,
new school on Hwy. 83.
Still, it seems Williams hasn't done enough to
help her own cause.
Taken by themselves, the complaints against
her may seem minor. Reciting the pledge in
Spanish? Well, who doesn't want their child to
learn another language?
Having a doll named for President Obama?
Well, loving the president doesn't disqualify
someone from being a school leader.
Reciting the "minority fact of the day"? OK,
we know that political correctness infects much
of our nation's education establishment, so per
haps that's not so surprising.
But then Williams brought in two local fig
ures known for playing the race card, or at
least the victim card, to a PTO meeting to dis
cuss that divisive, racially-charged topic of —
umm, well, buying more textbooks. Injecting
controversial political figures into such a meet
ing was very poor judgment, and offended the
dedicated, hard-working parents and volun
teers all principals need to build an effective
school.
All these, taken together, along with other
lapses in leadership and misleading state
ments, seem to indicate that our top-notch
school system could have found a better candi
date.
Where do we go from here? First, Sharon
Hopper seems to be an excellent choice for
interim principal, a dedicated educator and
peacemaker who loves this community. We
urge parents and teachers to rally around her
leadership to rebuild the trust so necessary to
a good school.
And secondly, we think board members and
Superintendent Anthony Pack will have to be a
little more careful scrutinizing potential hires.
Everyone's entitled to one bad personnel deci
sion. But Monroe County has too good of a
school system to settle. We should insist on
hand-picking the very best personnel, hiring
people based on talent, reputation and work
ethic — regardless of skin color or other ancil
lary concerns.
is published every week by
The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, president
Robert M. Williams Jr., vice president
Cheryl S. Williams, secretary-treasurer
OUR STAFF
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Publisher/Editor
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Advertising
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Editorial Assistant
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50 N. Jackson Sh, Forsyth, GA 31029
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Publication No. USPS 997-840)
On the Porch
Shopping often best at home
S o Friday is the
day. That's when
we Americans
seize the
holiday
spirit by tram
pling over hapless
shoppers too weak
to endure the 5
a.m. stampede
into Wal-Mart. Or
by fighting off a
mob for the latest
iPod. Or by put
ting our phone on
speed dial until
we reach an oper
ator to order one
of those Obama
Chia Pets (don't order
yet, prices are dropping
fast.)
As for me, I quite
emphatically will not be
participating in Black
Friday. If I liked to shop,
then I wouldn't wait until
Christmas Eve to begin
doing it.
Actually, one reason I
hate to shop is because
I'm just not good at it.
Especially when it comes
to the big ticket items.
Now that our kids have
grown out their baby
seats, my wife has been
determined to get rid of
her loser cruiser, aka The
Van. So we were test driv
ing one of those Mazda
crossovers last weekend
and I asked the salesman
about my issues with
Mazda.
"We've got a Mazda van
now," I said knowingly.
"And I love the way it's
kind of sporty
and loose - you
can whip around
in traffic. But
when you start
going over 70
mph, the steer
ing wheel shakes
real badly. Is
that normal for
a Mazda?"
I could feel my
wife glaring
from the pas
senger seat.
"Is that the car you
want to trade in?" he
asked.
"Uh - yeah," I respond
ed sheepishly.
"Well then, I suggest
you don't say another
word about it," he replied.
Oh well. Turns out
telling a car dealer how
bad your trade in is
makes for a poor bargain
ing policy.
What I really want to
say is that we in Monroe
County can do a lot of
good things here at home
this Christmas. We can
donate toys to needy kids
through Kids Yule Love.
We can give items for
Operation Uplift to send
our soldiers overseas. But
just as importantly, we
can do our Christmas
shopping here with local
businesses.
You'll be surprised what
you can find here at
home. For instance, my
mom in North Carolina
has been trying for years
- often unsuccessfully -
to get rid of the voles in
her yard. No, those are
not orange-clad
Tennessee fans tailgating
by her pine trees -
though that would cer
tainly be obnoxious.
These are mole-like crit
ters that have decimated
her azaleas and shrub
bery - who survive all
manners of warfare
thanks to an elaborate
system of holes. Think a
frustrated Bill Murray
trying to eradicate
gophers from the golf
course in the Caddy
Shack movies.
Anyway, it seems the
folks who run North
Carolina have banned
one of the most effective
weapons against voles -
so called ZP Bait, made of
Zinc Phosphide. So my
mom and step-dad asked
me to find some of it in
Georgia and smuggle it
across state lines.
Forsyth Feed and Seed
is closed on Sunday so I
did a little preliminary
shopping by calling
Lowe’s and Home Depot
in Macon. Both reported
having some rodent killer,
but nothing that said ZP.
So on Monday, I went to
see David White at
Forsyth Feed and Seed. I
hesitated at first. A few
weeks ago one of the
stray cats that occupy
Jackson Street sprayed
beneath our office. I was
madder than Larry
Evans at a forsythia
nursery. It’s hard to work
inside a portapotty. So I
stormed over to the feed
store and asked for some
cat killer. The friendly
teenage girl there gave
me a look to say - you
cruel, evil man. Dare I go
back for more poison?
They might call the SPCA
on me.
But in fact, David had
just what I needed. I
bought out his Zinc
Phosphate and will carry
it to North Carolina to
slay the army of voles.
You see, you never know
what you’ll find shopping
in Monroe County. And
you might be just the
stimulus our struggling
businesses need. As an
added benefit, instead of
sending your dollars to
New York or China,
they’ll stay right here at
home. Just be sure you
start before Christmas
Eve.
E-mail Will Davis at
puhlisher@mymcmr.net.
Guest Column
Brent pipeline to UGA Sphinx Club
Barrett Grant, Charlie Haygood and Brad Harris as
new indcutees to the Sphinx Club are honored at
UGA’s homecoming.
BY BOB HARRIS
omecoming
for the
University of
Georgia was
held on
Saturday, Nov. 7, and
among the groups back
on campus for reunions
was the Sphinx Club. It’s
a group with a Monroe
County, and more specifi
cally, a Brent, Ga. connec
tion. Established in
1897, the Sphinx Club is
the University’s oldest
honor society, and is the
highest honor a UGA stu
dent can achieve. Its
members have made sig
nificant contributions to
UGA, the State of
Georgia and our country.
Among its student mem
bers have been three gov
ernors, Ernest Vandiver,
George Busbee and Zell
Miller. Former Gov. Carl
Sanders is an honorary
member. Sphinx Club
members are given
sequential numbers as
they are initiated and
after 112 years, only 655
individuals have become
members.
On game day Saturday
the alumni were recog
nized as a group on the
field and 10 new initiates
were introduced just
before kick-off.
And that Monroe
County/Brent connection?
The three and only mem
bers of the Sphinx Club
from Monroe County live
within a mile of each
other in the Brent
Community in southwest
Monroe County.
Charlie Haygood
(Member Number 460)
became a member of
Sphinx in 1963 while a
first year law student at
UGA. Charlie is a senior
partner of the Forsyth
law firm of Haygood,
Lynch, Harris, Melton,
Watson & El-Jourbagy, is
a double Dog having
attended forestry school
and law school in Athens
and has practiced law in
Forsyth for over 40 years.
Among the honors/activi
ties which Charlie partic
ipated in as a student
were Campus Leader,
Gridiron, Blue Key, ODK,
AGHON, Xi Sigma Pi,
Pyramid and
Outstanding Senior
(1963).
The second Monroe
Countian became a mem
ber of Sphinx in 2008
and was formally recog
nized at Homecoming
last year. Barrett Grant
(Member Number 647) is
the son of Dr. J. Ray
Grant Jr. and Leigh
Grant and was the vale
dictorian of the Mary
Persons Class of 2005
and is a 5th year senior
who will graduate on
Dec. 18 with a speech
communications degree.
Among the activities/hon
ors of Barrett while at
UGA include member
ship in The Dean William
Tate Honor Society (top
12 freshman men and
women selected each
year), serving as its
treasurer and president;
new student orientation
leader in 2007 and on
staff at the Visitor’s
Center as a tour guide, a
member of
ugaMIRACLE, formerly
Dance Marathon, co
director of the Morale
Committee in 2008, a
member of Phi Gamma
Delta (Fiji) fraternity,
serving as chaplain of
that fraternity, the UGA
Honors Program; and
UGA’s Campus Crusade
for Christ Ministry.
Following graduation,
Barrett will be leading a
team of recent college
graduates to Durban,
South Africa, through
Campus Crusade for
Christ. Barrett will be in
South Africa for a year
helping to establish a
Campus Crusade chapter
at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal. The
year will also include vol
unteering in an AIDs
hospice, at orphanages
and doing general con
struction.
The final member of the
Monroe County trio is
Brad Harris (Member
Number 652), son of Bob
and Laurie Harris. Brad
is also a 2005 graduate of
Mary Persons. While at
Georgia, Brad has been a
member of Alpha Tau
Omega fraternity, serving
as philanthropy chair
man, historian, rush
chair and vice president
and being named Brother
of the Year in 2008. He
won Honorable Mention
for the Thomas Arkle
Clark Award, a national
award given to the most
outstanding undergradu
ate member of ATO; a
DAWG Camp counselor
for two years and on its
executive board as direc
tor for participant
recruitment his senior
year; ugaMIRACLE
Morale Committee for
three years, serving as
morale co-chair during
his senior year; a mem
ber of the Georgia
Recruitment Team and
student coordinator; an
intern in the Office of
Admissions Relay for
Life; Order of Omega and
in the UGA Honors
Program. Brad will also
graduate Magna Cum
Laude on Dec. 18 with
Bachelor of Arts degrees
in International Affairs
and Sociology as well as
certificates in personal
organizational leadership
from the Terry College of
Business and a certificate
in Global Studies from
the Center for the Study
of Global Issues (GLO-
BIS). After the
Homecoming festivities,
Brad learned on Nov. 9,
that his application for
admission to the UGA
law school had been
accepted. Brad will begin
law school at Georgia in
August 2010.
All Monroe Countians
can take pride in the
accomplishments of these
three native sons.
Bob Harris of Forsyth is
an attorney with
Haygood, Lynch, Harris,
Melton, Watson & El-
Jourbagy, and is the
father of Brad Harris.