Newspaper Page Text
September 7, 2022
Reporter
Page 5B
FISH
Days
Call to
find your
nearest
pick-up
location.
ili@Soutn|and Fisheries
High Falls thrift store s Kelly Dunn is Everyday Hero
when she was just 14 and
she thinks the former
popular restaurant would
now serve perfectly as a
museum for the High Falls
area. She thinks High Falls
gets picked on a lot and is
doing her part to make the
area more than just a “land
of misfits”.
She is a single mother
who is the daughter of a
single mother and raised
3 sons and a daughter. She
is also a certified nursing
assistant who worked with
hospice and home health
care for five or six years.
Music and the river are
her passions. Although
not a musician, she keeps
instruments handy if one
stops by.
She founded the Sister
hood River Run which now
has 40 women members.
Kelly says the group is
“Hens only. No roost
ers allowed.” The women
take kayak trips down the
Towaliga and Ocmulgee
Rivers sometimes camping
overnight along the way.
And they always leave the
rivers cleaner than they
found them. Kelly said, “I
love junk, but I hate trash!”
When asked what advice
she would like to give
young Monroe Countians,
Kelly said, “Listen to your
spirit. Follow your calling.
Seek out your calling. Don't
just do what everyone says
you're supposed to do. Find
out what your calling is.”
Kelly Dunn
I f there is a welcome
center in High Falls,
the Riverwood Thrift
Shop would be it. Situ
ated between the interstate
and the High Falls State
Park, the store
stays busy
with locals and
nearby camp
ers. Owned by
Kelly Dunn,
the business
has been a fix
ture in the area
since 2006.
Kelly, the youngest of
eight children came to
Monroe County from
Jacksonville, Fla. when
she was just seven years
old with her mother June
Eaves, who is well known
for her work with the Geor
gia Extension Service and
for helping start the Circle
of Care. She told Kelly she
knew she was in the right
place when she moved to
High Falls
because
the last five
digits of her
new phone
number were
the same as
her birthday.
Kelly said her
mother didn't
start out with an education,
but she continued studying
and retired with a teaching
degree.
Kellys first real job was
working as a waitress at the
Falls View Catfish House
*rf/r
' ,7 «1IUV IIl AVO' *
Monroe County Schools start with
more students, traffic problems
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
On the first day of school
for 2022-23 (Monday, Aug.
1) Monroe County Schools
had 4,489 students en
rolled, compared to about
4,200 students when the
2021-22 school year ended
in May, Superintendent
Dr. Mike Hickman told
Monroe County Board of
Education on Aug. 9.
He said that end of the
year totals are always lower
than the first day of school
numbers. The school sys
tem doesn’t take students
off of its roles if they don’t
come at the beginning of
the new school year until
the fifth day of class. The
student count on which
the state bases its funding
to local schools is taken in
October.
In response to a question
about the 3K classes shown
on the attendance totals,
Hickman said these are
special needs students, and
Monroe County Schools
has had these classes for
five or six years. There is
one 3K student shown at
K.B. Sutton Elementary,
one at T.G. Scott and 12 at
Hubbard Elementary.
On the first day of school
Mary Persons counted
1,199 students, Monroe
County Middle School 989
students, Monroe County
Achievement Center 89
students, K.B. Sutton
Elementary 689 students,
Hubbard Elementary 744
students and T.G. Scott
Elementary 799 students.
The largest cohort of stu
dents was in 9th grade with
393, with 3rd grade not far
behind at 382. The smallest
grade level was 12th grade
at 275 students, with 4th
grade and 6th grade tied
for the next smallest at 305.
Hickman said bus routes
are going relatively well;
all buses were back in by
5:30 p.m. on the first day of
school whereas the normal
time during the school
year is about 5 p.m. He said
there is sufficient staff in
the Transportation Depart
ment, and one positive
indicator is that transpor
tation director Jake Davis
hasn’t had to drive a route,
yet. Hickman said all buses
are air conditioned.
Hickman said there are
some traffic problems, par
ticularly at Mary Persons.
Traffic is backing up on
Lee Street in the morn
ings. A deputy is working
the traffic but there is little
he can do if traffic doesn’t
move at the high school.
Hickman said he met with
the Sheriff’s Office and the
Police Department earlier
that day and they are work
ing on some plans.
“There’s no silver bullet,”
said Hickman.
He said parents could
help the traffic problems at
T.G. Scott if they wouldn’t
line up so long before
students are released at
3:30 p.m. Traffic is flowing
better next door at Monroe
County Middle School.
Hickman said there have
been 52 student covid
cases and 33 staff cases of
covid since school started,
including the pre-planning
period for staff. He said
that number is high but
not as high as last year.
Hickman said those who
test positive for covid
are getting better more
quickly and there is not
the urgency felt in the past.
Monroe County Schools’
contract with ESS to pro
vide substitute teachers is
working well so far, which
is alleviating some of the
pressure caused previously
by teachers being out with
covid.
The largest number of
covid cases among staff was
16 at K.B. Sutton Elemen
tary; all are now back
at work. There were 13
student cases at K.B. Sutton
and also 13 student cases
at Monroe County Middle
School. There were no staff
cases at Mary Persons,
Monroe County Middle
School or Monroe County
Achievement Center.
The Board of Education
approved 90 fundraisers
for various groups and
organizations within the
school system. Hickman
said the number of requests
for fundraisers is always
high at the beginning of
the school year because
sponsors/advisors want to
be sure they submit their
requests in time to have
them approved before they
want to begin the fundrais
ers. There were requests
from all schools except
Monroe County Achieve
ment Center.
Chris Johnson, Monroe
County Schools director of
finance, said the budget is
on track for the fiscal year,
which began on July 1. He
said the biggest expenses
at the beginning of the
school year are the renewal
of software licenses; one
license for the business
office is $60,000/year. These
licenses affect all the school
departments, including the
transportation department.
Johnson said the ES-
PLOST collection in July
was the highest ever at
$705,000. During this five-
year ESPLOST cycle, the
average monthly collection
has been $477,000. Johnson
said at this pace the current
ESPLOST will reach its
cap in 11 months. Mon
roe County voters must
approve a new five-year
ESPLOST for collection of
the tax to continue without
a break.
Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Jim Finch updated the
board on system grants and
facilities projects. The De
partment of Public Health
grant for an additional
school nurse ($56,000) is
complete, and the nurse
to be hired was on the
personnel actions for the
board to approve. Monroe
County Schools has con
tracted with Russ Moore of
Newnan to work on the $3
million College & Career
Academy grant application.
He will be paid 2.8 percent
of the grant if he is success
ful in securing it.
Hickman said that school
systems that were success
ful in getting the College &
Career Academy grant last
year had hired consultants;
so the Monroe County
committee decided to do
so.
Regarding facilities
projects, Finch said work is
being done on rehabilitat
ing the Mary Persons ten
nis courts, with the project
about 30 percent complete.
The contractor has com
pleted a project at Westside
High School and should
have more crews available
to work at Mary Persons.
Finch said gravel has been
laid.
He said work has stalled
on the baseball/tennis
complex, which includes
enclosure of the batting
cage, because there isn’t a
plan for a sewer system,
although a bathroom will
be needed with the traffic
generated by the complex.
Facilities & maintenance
director Roger Onstott has
contacted the engineer.
The project is 8 percent
complete with the budget
amount unavailable.
The $1.4 million rooftop
HVAC replacement at
Monroe County Middle
School is considered 15
percent complete; the
contractor is securing
equipment. The $1.5 mil
lion stadium restrooms and
concession stand project
is considered 15 percent
complete with concrete
due to be poured and
walls going up soon. The
estimated $700,000 project
to mitigate erosion at the
Hubbard Elementary cam
pus is 5 percent complete
with the survey complete
and bid specifications being
developed.
Pre-Order
NOW!
8th Annual
154 Lockett Street • Culloden, GA 31016
The School House in Culloden
September 17th, 2022 • 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m. - Until
Ride Registration ($5 per person)
Sign up and Silent Auction
Ride Starts
Memorial Service at the Memorial
Monument
Lunch ($5 plate) & Silent Auction
ATV's, Side by sides, motorcycles and law enforcement vehicles and jeeps are
welcome. Motorcycles will have a different route to avoid a short stretch of dirt road.
T-Shirts $20 each (SM - 2x) $25 (3x & 4x) • Decals $5 each
All proceeds go to the Deputy Michael Norris Scholarship Fund and
Georgia Concerns of Police Survivors.
For further info call 478-214-4522.