Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
Page 6B FEBRUARY 13,2008
School News
The Jackson County School System held
its system-wide spelling bee Tuesday, Feb. 5,
at Kings Bridge Middle School. Reed Oliver,
an eighth grader from West Jackson Middle
School, was the winner, and Kayla Banks, a fifth
grader from Maysville Elementary School, is the
alternate. Left to right are (front) Colin Whitley,
Meghan Dowell, Newt Gilman, Chris Lewallen,
Kayla Banks, (back) Caitlan O’Donnell, Reed
Oliver, Ainsley Lee and Megan Hutchinson.
For Real: 'Hallucination' Is
Winner For County's Top Speller
“Hallucination” was the win
ning word for this year’s spell
ing bee for the Jackson County
School System.
Reed Oliver, an eighth grade
student at West Jackson Middle
School, was named the winner
of the event.
Kayla Banks, a fifth grade stu
dent at Maysville Elementary
School, was the alternative win
ner.
Reed will represent the Jackson
County School System for the
District Three spelling bee Feb.
23 at Collins Hill High School’s
theatre in Suwanee.
Other school winners were
Megan Hutchinson, Benton
Elementary; Meghan Dowell,
East Jackson Elementary;
Newt Gilman, East Jackson
Middle; Ainsley Lee, Kings
Bridge Middle; Kayla Banks,
Maysville Elementary; Chris
Lewallen, North Jackson
Elementary; Caitlin O’Donnell,
South Jackson Elementary;
Collin Whitley, West Jackson
Intermediate; and Reed Oliver,
West Jackson Middle.
Other school alternate win
ners were Mac Moore, Benton
Elementary; Daniel Reaves,
East Jackson Elementary;
Christian Jarecki, East
Jackson Middle; Tesia Gaines,
Kings Bridge Middle; Lexxy
Delaney, Maysville Elementary;
Kennedy Lance, North Jackson
Elementary; Katie Seddon,
South Jackson Elementary;
May Xiong, West Jackson
Intermediate; and Montana
Scott, West Jackson Middle.
Locals Graduate From UGA
The following Jackson County
students graduated during fall
semester at the University of
Georgia:
Cora Mick Andrews, Hoschton,
doctor in philosophy; Margaret
Suzanne Beckham, Commerce,
bachelor of science; Adam
Richard Cochran, Commerce,
bachelor of science in agricul
ture; Emily Renee Edwards,
Hoschton, bachelor of science;
Christy Lynn Westmoreland
Epps, Commerce, master of
education; John Bernard Eskew
Jr„ Pendergrass, master of educa
tion; Michael Eugene Giallanza,
Hoschton, bachelor of business
administration; Rachael Kay
Glick, Hoschton, bachelor of
arts; Jessica Graves, Jefferson,
master of business adminis
tration; Tyler Gene Graves,
Braselton, bachelor of science in
education; and Laura Ann Hall,
Jefferson, bachelor of business
administration.
Megan Ann Hix, Commerce,
bachelor of science in family
and consumer sciences; Jennifer
Nicole Pope, Commerce, bach
elor of science; Julia Elaine
Servatius Shearer, Commerce,
doctor of philosophy; Jessica
Nicole Shirley, Jefferson, bach
elor of science; Kurt Michael
Stehr, Commerce, bachelor of
arts; April Dawn Stephenson,
Commerce, bachelor of science
in family and consumer scienc
es; Kayla Deann Stephenson,
Commerce, bachelor of science
in family and consumer sci
ences; Willis Harold Wilbanks
III, Jefferson, bachelor of sci
ence; Levi Shane Wilkerson,
Hoschton, bachelor of business
administration; and Darea Jill
Wilson, Jefferson, bachelor of
science in agriculture.
2 CHS Grads
Make Dean's
list At W-L
Two Commerce High
School graduates were
named to the dean’s list for
the fall term at Washington
and Lee University,
Lexington VA.
They are Laura Elizabeth
Sanders, a junior, who is
the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. David Sanders; and
Benjamin Daniel Wilson,
also a junior, who is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel
Wilson.
To earn dean’s list recog
nition, students must attain
a grade point average of at
least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale and
carry a minimum of 12
hours of coursework
School Board Looks At
Feasibility Study For JCCHS
By Kerri Testement
Following complaints from
parents, the county board of
education is looking at poten
tial improvements at Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School.
On Monday, Jackson County
School System superintendent
Shannon Adams outlined what
a feasibility study — which has
already started — will review at
JCCHS.
The anticipated six-week study
will review the feasibility and
costs of building a choral facility,
adding more classrooms (includ
ing a potential two-story build
ing) , constructing a multi-purpose
facility and moving vocational
labs back to the JCCHS cam
pus. Currently, some vocational
labs are housed at the Gordon
Street Center near downtown
Jefferson and students are trans
ported between the two school
campuses.
The facilities issues at JCCHS
has surfaced since the open
ing of the new East Jackson
Comprehensive High School
in August 2007. Some JCCHS
patrons have publicly said the
new school’s facilities are far
superior to JCCHS, which
opened at its present location
for the 1990-1991 school year.
Last month, a representative of
some JCCHS patrons spoke to
the school board about various
issues at the older high school.
Adams said this week that the
Jackson County School System
will not be eligible for state funds
for new school construction for
three to five years.
Based on state-provided esti
mates, the county school sys
tem has 47 “surplus” elemen
tary classrooms and 27 “surplus”
classrooms at the high school
level, Adams said. State funding
doesn’t account for attendance
zones, he added.
As for renovation funds,
Adams said the county school
system is eligible to apply for
$2.7 million in state funds.
The school system may apply
for those funds in December
2008, and if the state approves
the application, those projects
can begin in summer 2009,
Adams explained. Local money
may then be used to match the
state funds, he added.
In the past fiscal year, more
than $990,000 has been spent
on additions, renovations and
improvements at JCCHS.
Adams described those projects
as “above and beyond routine
maintenance” at the school,
which included removing old
carpet and replacing with new
tile, and new practice fields for
football and soccer.
Adams further outlined how
the county school system has
spent $70 million in school bond
funds, since voters approved the
measure in September 2004.
At the top of the list was the
new EJCHS, which cost more
than $41.7 million. That figure
doesn’t include $1.5 million for
a wastewater treatment plant for
the school, and $1.6 million for a
stadium and track at EJCHS.
Other capital outlay proj
ects used with the bond funds
were: Gum Springs Elementary
School, $14.9 million; Kings
Bridge Middle School, $17.2 mil
lion; wastewater treatment plant
at KBMS, $1.2 million; South
Jackson Elementary School
addition, $1.8 million; Maysville
Elementary School addition,
$4.7 million; and West Jackson
Primary School addition, $1.3
million.
Those projects totaled $85.9
million, with local sales tax
funds supplementing the addi
tional costs for the bond pack
age, Adams said.
Perform At PTO Meeting
The kindergarten classes at Commerce
Primary School recently performed Valentine’s
Day songs and poems at the PTO meeting.
Pictured are students in Marie Barnwell and
Elaine Jones’ kindergarten classes. Left to right
are (front) Mario Thomas, Olivia Oliver, Alex
Vandiver, Clark Bruce, Yamilet Vasquez, Paola
Gomez, Elliot Kelley, Logan Huff, (back row)
Hannah Lord, Keila Osorio, Dawn Whitlock,
Abigail Suarez, Kiley Love, Katherine Adkins,
Lexi Love and Matthew Balaban.
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