Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2C
^Reporter
July 6, 2016
Around Monroe County
Charter school at Burruss Correctional
Training Center graduates first class
BY ALEX KINSELLA
Monroe County teach
ers and staff helped 24
Burruss prison inmates
get their high school
diplomas.
On Thursday, June
23rd, the Foothills
Education Charter High
School at the Burruss
Correctional Training
Center graduated its
first class. 24 young
inmates received diplo
mas after completing
coursework through
Foothills.
The Foothills program
is accredited, and the
degree consists of 23
units like a traditional
high school course load.
The school has another
six sites where it offers
evening classes for
any student, not just
inmates.
Foothills
Superintendent Dr.
Sherrie Gibney-
Sherman began work
ing with Burruss
Warden Benjamin
Ford and others at the
Georgia Department of
Corrections last summer
to deploy the Foothills
program. Classes began
in August. The gradua
tion ceremony was held
in the Training Center
at Burruss.
Ford said that the
program has been the
“number one priority”
for the Department
since its planning stage
last year.
Charles Dunn gave
the keynote address.
Dunn served in federal
prison for more than
two decades since 1992
on cocaine conspiracy
charges in Columbus,
Monroe County teachers
were a big part of prepar
ing the first graduating class
from the Foothills Charter
School inside Burruss state
prison in Forsyth. Local fac
ulty included, from left, Mark
Smith, Dr. Greene, Ms. Jack-
son, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Battles,
Ms. Wooten, Dr. McCord, Dr.
Jackson, Ms. Metcalf and
Ms. Fields. At left, Burruss
inmates William Ellis (left) and
Devin Fyfe stand earned their
high school diplomas as part
of the first graduating class of
Foothills Charter High School
at Burruss. Photo/Alex Kin-
sella and Mark Smith)
Ohio and was released
several years early for
his accomplishments
inside prison walls.
Dunn not only complet
ed over 90 courses but
taught and made cur
ricula for poetry, anger
management, and suc
cessful living classes.
“I got in two knife
fights, two fist fights...
and was transferred to
super-max,” Dunn said
about his earliest days
in prison. He was enthu
siastic in addressing the
24 Foothills graduates.
“You gotta get out of
prison from the inside
out,” he said.
Among Monroe County
teachers and staff at
Foothills were: Sandy
Colwell, Dr. Tisha
Davis, Racine Dorsey,
Holly Hamlin, Chelsie
Metcalf, Carlos Sanchez,
Chuck Simmons, Mark
Allen Smith, and Sarah
Alford, who served as
one of two Site Directors
for the program.
Although the gradu
ates will continue serv
ing their sentences,
they spoke highly of the
Foothills program.
Devin Fyfe said that
getting started taking
courses “was a very easy
process.” Fyfe plans on
furthering his education
past high school while in
prison.
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New warden named at Burruss
Georgia Department of
Corrections Commissioner Homer
Bryson announced the promo
tion of Rockmart. native James
Payne to Warden at Burruss
Correctional Training Center
in Forsyth effective July 1. As
Warden, Payne will be responsi
ble for overseeing 253 staff mem
bers and 806 medium security
male offenders.
“James has shown great leader
ship skills during his 26 years
of service,” said Commissioner
Bryson. “We are excited to see his
continued growth and success in
his new role as Warden.”
Payne began his career with
the Department in 1990 as a
Correctional Officer at Hays State
Prison. In 1992, he was promoted
to Sergeant. He transferred to the
Northwest Probation Detention
Center in 1994, when he was
promoted to Chief of Security.
In 1999, he was promoted to
Manager of the Communications
Center at Central Office. In
2001, Payne was selected to
Warden James Payne
serve as a Program Development
Consultant, working with the
Corrections Division Policies and
Procedures. Three years later,
he was promoted to Assistant
Superintendent at the Northwest
Probation Detention Center. He
served in this capacity until 2010,
when he became an Auditor with
the Investigations & Compliance
Unit. In 2013, Payne was promot
ed to Superintendent of Phillips
Transitional Center, where he
currently serves.
Payne earned a Bachelor’s and
Master’s degree in Business
Administration from California
Coast University. He has com
pleted the following departmen
tal training: Basic Correctional
Officer Training (BCOT),
Professional Management
Program (PMP), POST IT, Senior
POST Instructor Certification,
Corrections Leadership Institute
(CLI), and Wardens Pre-
Command.
The GDC has one of the largest
prison systems in the U.S. and is
responsible for supervising nearly
52,000 state prisoners. It is the
largest law enforcement agency
in the state with approximately
10,500 employees.
For more information on the
GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit
http://www.gdc.ga.gov
Backlot’s Annual Community
Appreciation Night is Sat.
BY DENNIS SMITH
The Backlot. Players
Guild will host its
annual Community
Appreciation Night on
Saturday, July 9 at 7
p.m. Area residents are
invited to attend a com
plimentary ‘finger food
and dessert’ reception
followed by a sneak pre
view of entertainment
that, will be presented
during the coming sea
son.
“We are really excited
about our kicking off our
season of new shows,
said Marion McDougall,
Artistic Director,
Backlot Players Guild.
“We have five tradi
tional stage plays, two
radio-show re-creations
and a special salute to
America concert sched
uled in 2016-17 at The
Rose Theater.”
Forsyth’s Backlot
Players have provided
top-notch live entertain
ment for the past 21
years, with The Rose
Theater as home since
2001.
Headlining the new
season is the musical
‘Footloose,’ which will
be presented by a cast of
over 30 actors, dancers
and singers. Next in the
season lineup will be the
comedic farce ‘Arsenic
and Old Lace.’
The season contin
ues with ‘Jolly and the
Pirate Queen,’ the annu
al youth production;
‘The Crucible,’ a drama
by Arthur Miller, and
the comedy ‘Rumors’.
Rounding out the full
line up will be a Salute
to America concert
and two radio show re
creations, ‘Frankenstein’
and ‘It’s a Wonderful
Life.’
The Community
Appreciation Night
debuted five years ago
and proved to be a suc
cessful way for the
Backlot organization to
show appreciation for
the support it receives
from its many friends
and patrons in the area.
The Backlot Players
Guild is a local non-prof
it organization founded
in 1994.
The Rose Theater is at
23 W. Johnston Street,
Forsyth. Admission
to the Community
Appreciation Night is
free.
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