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PAGE 10B - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 13. 2007
Pictured are students from Laura Becker’s fifth grade class are pictured at The Enterprising
Environment Station.
Fourth, Fifth Graders Use 'Party
Tables' To Learn About Careers
Fourth and fifth grade students at Benton
Elementary School participated in the Career
Party Stations. Each station was set up like a mini
party table, where students completed an activity
that represented a different working environment.
Then the students discussed which environments
fit which careers and how their different interests
and personalities can influence the types of careers
they may choose in the future.
The stations included: The Realistic Environment
Station, where students attempted to thread a nee
dle and sew a button onto fabric; The Investigative
Environment Station, where students com
pleted various brain teaser puzzles; The Social
Environment Station, where students enjoyed juice
and engaged in a conversation about various topics;
The Artistic Environment Station, where students
tried their hand at drawing various objects; The
Enterprising Environment Station, (pictured) where
students came up with sales pitches for unrecogniz
able objects; and the Conventional Environment
Station, where students edited a story.
Learns All The Sight Words
Logan Crews, a kindergarten student at Commerce Primary
School, recently learned all his sight words. He is pictured with
Principal Kim Savage wearing his new sight word T-shirt.
EJMS, KBMS
Students Make
Honors Bands
Kings Bridge and East
Jackson middle school band
students recently participated
in auditions for the Georgia
Music Educators Association
(GMEA) 2008 All-State
Band and District 13 Honor
Bands.
Members of the 2008
District 13 Honor Band
from Kings Bridge Middle
School are Carolyn Cown,
eighth grade, clarinet; Melissa
Spinelli, eighth grade, trom
bone; Keven Meehan, sev
enth grade, tenor sax; and
Caroline Flynn, seventh
grade, bassoon.
Members of the 2008
District 13 Honor Band from
East Jackson Middle School
are Stephen Bramblet, sev
enth grade, tenor sax and
baritone sax; Steven Lerose,
seventh grade, baritone sax;
and Jonah Craymer, eighth
grade, trumpet.
Two students earned places
in the 2008 All-State Band.
They are Carolyn Cown,
who will represent KBMS,
and Stephen Bramblet, who
placed with the highest score
in the district with the bari
tone sax.
The District Honor Band
took place in Toccoa Friday
and Saturday, Feb. 8-9. The
All-State Band will meet in
Savannah Thursday-Saturday,
Feb. 28-March 1.
Jackson EMC Solicits Applications
For 'Youth Citizenship Award'
Jackson Electric Membership
Corporation is accepting
applications for the Youth
Citizenship Award (YCA).
High school juniors and
seniors are encourage to apply.
As college admissions are
becoming more competitive,
Jackson EMC realizes that
more students are looking for
community oriented activities
to place on their applications
and resumes, and this program
will not only provide a great
resume builder, but will also
applaud student volunteerism
and civic involvement.
Applicants should be
involved in community or
school volunteer organiza
tions where improving the
community is the chief objec
tive. Leadership positions and
grade point averages are con
sidered but are not a neces
sity for this award. Rather, stu
dents should show why they
volunteer and how much time
they devote to their activities.
The winner of this award
will earn, along with a $2,000
college scholarship, a $1,000
grant to distribute to a school
or civic organization of choice,
and an all-expense paid trip
to Washington, DC, for the
Washington Youth Tour.
More than one student
from a school may apply, and
students do not have to be
Jackson EMC customers to
participate but must attend a
high school in Jackson EMC’s
service territory. Applicants
should complete an applica
tion form and send at least
one letter of recommendation
from a sponsor of a group
where they volunteer. The
deadline to apply is Feb. 29,
2008.
Does County School Board
Need A Bigger Meeting Room?
By Kerri Testement
Is the meeting room for the
Jackson County Board of
Education too small to welcome
the public?
That’s what Redd Howe
explained in detail to the school
board Monday.
Following last month’s packed
meeting at the BOE office, Howe
crunched the numbers on the
situation.
Howe said the meeting room
totals 844 square feet — with 440
square feet assigned to board
members and the superinten
dent. The remaining 404 square
feet is available for the public.
Howe said there were 67 peo
ple who attended last month’s
board meeting, with another 32
people waiting in the hallway.
There were 35 seats available to
the audience.
Based on those figures, Howe
said the meeting exceeded the
maximum occupancy limit of 56
people.
The number of people in the
tightly packed room was also
a violation of a National Fire
Protection Association code, he
added.
Howe said if Monday’s meet
ing exceeded 56 people, he was
prepared to ask superintendent
Shannon Adams to cancel the
meeting.
The Jackson County BOE
typically doesn’t have a large
audience attending its meetings,
except when honoring students
or educators.
Last month’s meeting not only
included patrons of Jackson
Comprehensive High School
who were upset about issues at
the school (see related story),
but also a number of educa
tors who were being honored as
teachers of the year.
Howe suggested the BOE move
its meetings to the auditorium at
JCCHS. He further suggested
the school board provide tran
scripts of the meetings to the
public, including a video that
citizens can purchase for $20-25
on DVD.
Adams said the board will con
sider meeting at another location,
but wouldn’t make any promises
at Monday’s meeting.
Howe also asked Adams and
the board member to “sincerely
thank’’ the public for attending
last month’s meeting and taking
an interest in their business. He
said he didn’t hear those com
ments last month.
Other Business
In other business, the Jackson
County Board of Education:
•learned that the budget pro
cess is on schedule, although
local school leaders are still
unsure of the expected state con
tribution for the next budget.
•learned that construc
tion of the new Gum Springs
Elementary School is expected
to be “substantially’’ completed
around the end of April.
•learned that the school sys
tem has received more than
1,000 responses from the parent
perception survey. The school
system will continue to accept
the surveys — available at schools
and online — through Friday.
•learned that the school sys
tem has received more than
$4.4 million of the SPLOST III
funds through November 2007.
The county school system has
also received 80 percent of local
taxes for the year for its budget.
•learned that East Jackson
Elementary School had the high
est attendance rate for the fifth
month of the school year, with
more than 97.8 percent of stu
dents attending classes during
the month.
•named Kathy Wilbanks as
chairperson of the BOE and Jill
Elliot as vice chairperson for the
2008 fiscal year.
• approved $30,000 in SPLOST
funds for instructional technol
ogy upgrades at JCCHS.
• tabled a new policy for grad
uation requirements. The new
policy would follow new state
standards. The new policy would
apply to ninth grade students
next school year. Those students
would have to earn a minimum
of 28 units in order to graduate.
The units would include four
each in English/Language Arts,
math, science and social studies,
CTAE (Career, Technical and
Agricultural Education) and/or
modern language/Latin and/or
fine arts; one unit of health and
physical education; and four to
eight units of electives.
•approved the re-organization
of the Teaching and Learning
department. The assistant super
intendent for Teaching and
Learning would supervise a
director of special programs, a
director of instructional technol
ogy, a director of curriculum and
assessment, a director of special
education and the principals.
He Saw His Shadow —And Got Eaten
Marie Barnwell’s kindergarten class learned
about Groundhog’s Day. They predicted
whether or not the groundhog would see
his shadow, made a Groundhog Day puppet,
read Groundhog’s Day stories, and wrote
about Groundhog’s Day. They also made edi
ble groundhogs. Pictured are Caleb Shook,
Yamilet Vasquez and Eli Savage with their
groundhogs.
W Is For Waffles
Kindergarten students at Commerce Primary Carson Bridges, Ragan Allen and Estefanie
School recently made “Wonderful Waffles” Valle as they add water and stir the waffle
while they studied the letter “W.” Pictured are batter.