Newspaper Page Text
Page 8B
February 7, 2018
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Exporter
Daughter creates festive
event to honor Annie Evans
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Valentine’s Day is
approaching and it’s time
to celebrate the joy of
love. There are wonderful
stories of marriages that
have endured “better or
worse” for decades and of
blossoming relationships
anticipating what life will
bring.
One special type of love
is that between daughter
and mother, often repre
senting the bond between
two people who know
one another better than
anyone. Chandra Walton,
daught er of Annie Ree
Evans and Larry Evans,
decided to celebrate her
mother on Jan. 20. She
picked a day that wasn’t
Valentine’s Day, a birth
day or retirement. Walton
chose a day when she
could completely surprise
her mother and the cel
ebration would be totally
about her.
“I wanted to give my
mom her flowers while
she is alive,” said Walton.
“I wanted to show her
how much she is appreci
ated.”
Working on all the
details over about six
months, Walton, who
lives in Jacksonville,
Fla., invited 120 guests,
including many family
members and her moth
er’s friends. No men were
allowed.
She created a magi
cal semi-formal event
at the Monroe County
Clubhouse, decorating
in gold and white with
a theme of elegance and
roses.
“She likes pretty
things,” said Walton.
“She’s a girlie girl.”
She arranged a special
dinner and entertain
ment. by Betty Stewart,
Sandy Buckner and
Ingrid Brown. She set
up the stage, decorated
tables and made name
tags for each guest. She
prepared her own trib
ute to her mother and
arranged for special com
ments from others. She
had some talented friends
helping her get it all
together locally, includ
ing Winifred Berry, Lola
Zellner, Alecia Hansford,
Emma Hansford, Juanita
Pitts, Wanda Freeman
and more. Others
included on the evening’s
program were MiKara
Brown, Janice Slaughter
and Shirley Henderson.
Annie Ree Evans
taught school for many
years in Butts County,
being summoned back
several times even after
she retired. She was
especially known for her
ability to teach young
children to read and often
volunteered to teach
those that others found
hard to teach. Walton
said her mother was
Teacher of the Year four
times.
Annie Ree Evans is the
wife of longtime Monroe
County commissioner
Larry Evans and is the
mother of twin sons in
addition to Walton. She
has been like a mother to
many others through her
years of teaching and her
work in the community.
“She has a lot of daugh
ters but only one birth
one,” said Walton.
Evans continues to
give her time and tal
ent. to many as she
works with the Hubbard
Alumni Association in
various ways, includ
ing organizing the King
and Queen pageant, each
year, Monroe County
Workforce Development.,
her church and other
groups. She also inspired
her daughter to develop
her abilities to create and
organize.
The scripture verse
Proverbs 3:15 was placed
on the greeting table:
“She is more precious
than rubies; nothing
you desire can compare
with her.” The statement
refers to Wisdom, but. can
certainly also apply to a
wise woman.
The evening created
a lot. of memories that,
will long be enjoyed,
according to those who
attended. One of Walton’s
greatest achievements
was keeping the event, a
secret, from her mother,
Right, Chandra Walton
transformed Monroe County
Clubhouse into an elegant
banquet hall for an event
to honor her mother. Left,
Walton, right, and her
mother, Annie Ree Evans,
are pictured together at an
earlier event.
with so many people
involved and so much
preparation. One of her
mother’s classmates told
her they were going to
a church banquet, to get.
her to the surprise gala,
and Walton even helped
her pick a dress for the
‘church banquet..’ She said
she was ‘super careful’
and thinks her mother
was truly surprised.
Plans for new
Agriculture facility
move forward
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Plans for Monroe
County Schools’ new
agriculture-science build
ing are moving forward.
School facilities director
Roger Onstott told the
school board on Jan. 23
the SP Design Group of
Macon had completed
a sketch of the planned
building that. week.
The agriculture-science
building will be on 12.8
acres owned by Monroe
County Schools on
Thornton Road, near T.G.
Scott. Elementary and
Monroe County Middle
School Banks Stephens
campus. The structure
is planned for the use of
high school and middle
school students.
When asked about, a
projected completion
date for the agriculture-
science building, Onstott
said, “Everything has
flown through [getting
approval at. the state
level]. All we have left, is
grading; then we’ll put. it.
out. for bids.”
The building will
include a cattle barn, hog
barn, pavilion, storage
areas for feed, fencing,
gates and a grassy area
for pasture in front..
‘There’s a good buf
fer all the way around,”
said Onstott. “The space
is good. [Mary Persons
agriculture teacher Bill
Waldrep] has got room
to grow it. however he
wants.”
A board member asked
if there are any adjacent,
property owners who
might, object, to animals
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on the property. Onstott
said there is only one pri
vate property owner next,
to where the agriculture-
science building will be.
That, owner does not.
live on the property and
has not. expressed any
concerns. Onstott said
that, animals will not. be
housed at. the site con
tinuously. They will be
brought, there for activi
ties like FFA shows or
specific classroom activi
ties and generally housed
overnight, and then
transported back to their
permanent, pastures.
Board member Priscilla
Dost.er announced
that, the FFA Alumni
Association will honor
parents of the Mary
Persons and Monroe
County Middle School
students who have
excelled in FFA team
competitions over the
last, year on Feb. 8 at.
Blue Tick Mercantile.
It. was suggested that,
she have a sketch of the
proposed agriculture-
science building to dis
play at. the event.. Doster
emphasized that. Monroe
County teams have
done exceptionally well
in agriculture competi
tions at. region, state and
national levels, which
is one reason the school
system is investing in
the facility to meet, the
interest in the field and
provide more opportuni
ties.
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t.y news, Onstott said the
Monroe County Schools
maintenance crew had
cleaned out. all the fil
ters in the Hubbard
Elementary air circula
tion system in four days.
He explained that, recir
culated air goes back to
the classrooms so that. it.
doesn’t, have to be reheat
ed, but. hot. water coils
had gotten stopped up
at. Hubbard Elementary.
Onstott said the crew put.
new roofs on both sides
of the system.
“We are always looking
to improve and to do in
house,” said Onstott.
He said the crew regu
larly replaces lighting
fixtures at. the facilities
to keep lighting work
ing well and to avoid the
need to replace too many
at. one time. The crew
has also been busy tak
ing bookshelves out. of
the school media centers.
“We keep getting
requests for more
computer space,” said
Onstott. “It’s valuable to
be able do it. in house.”
“Media center have less
books because students
can access books online,”
said Superintendent. Dr.
Mike Hickman.
Onstott was proud of
the work the maint.e-
Pictured are Monroe County
Schools'working drawings
of the cattle barn, hog barn
and pavillion that will com
prise the new agriculture-
science building.
nance crews had done
getting the Education
Center ready for Monroe
County Achievement.
Center to move into at.
the beginning of the
school year. Because
of the renovations, the
student and staff were
able to move into a nicer
building than the one
they left.
“Whenever the yard
crew was inside because
of rain, they were doing
the floors and ceiling,” he
said. “We want the move
to be to their benefit.”
Other projects com
pleted over the summer
included moving the
bank of transformers at.
Mary Persons as part, of
replacing the switch gear.
As a result., the high
school cannot, lose power
because of problems
with the transformers
or switch gear. Hubbard
Elementary installed a
new playground with the
same equipment, as the
new playground installed
the previous year at.
T.G. Scott. Elementary.
Onstott said there are
good warrantees on the
equipment..
Assistant superinten
dent. Jackson Daniel
added praise for the
employees the school sys
tem has hired that, make
it. possible to take care
of much maintenance,
repairs and renovations
without, hiring outside
contractors. Hickman
said he saw Onstott and
a crew going around with
a blowtorch to melt, ice
in any dangerous spot,
before students and staff
came back to school after
snow days.
“The devil’s in the
details,” said Daniel.
‘You don’t, see what, goes
on day to day.”