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Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • ssislander@bellsouth.net
September 29, 2008 Established 1972 Vol 36 Issue 39
Uproar over Risley
Parents upset
at closing of
middle school
By Matthew J. Permar
Two weeks ago, Glynn
Comity School Superintendent
Dr. Michael Bull visited Risley
Middle School and announced
to the staff that this is last
year that Risley will serve as a
middle school.
Beginning with the 2009/10
school year Risley will become
RECA - Risley Early College
Academy - a program that
is currently in place at the
school.
RECA is operating this year
in the Risley building along
with the middle school as a
‘school within a school’ under
the direction of former Risley
Middle principal Dr. Vallerie
Cave.
The Early College Academy
was partially the brain child of
former Assistant Superinten
dent of Student Acheivement
Algie Davis.
Bull’s announcement
brought an onslaught of pro
test not only from Risley Mid
dle parents and teachers, but
from community activists who
came to the Board of Educa
tion (BOE) meeting on Tues
day, Sept. 23 to voice their
concerns.
Among those who spoke
was Risley Middle PTA presi
dent Tina Nimmo, who pre
sented the BOE with petitions
requesting the school board to
wait until the 2010/11 school
year when the new southwest
middle opens before closing
Risley Middle.
According to Nimmo, the
petitions contained 1,000 sig
natures.
Nimmo said that waiting
for the new southwest middle
school to open will allow Ris
ley Middle students to experi
ence the smaller school setting
which will provide them with a
better opportunity for success.
Bull's plan is to relocate Ris
ley Middle students to Glynn
Middle, Jane Macon Middle
and Needwood Middle schools.
Risley is slated for renova
tion next year and will become
the home of the Early College
Turn to Page 6
Risley protest
BOE backs
superintendent on
Risley decision
By Matthew J. Permar
Glynn County Board of
Education chairman Mike
Hulsey was surprised by the
citizens who turned out at the
board's meeting last week to
voice objections to the closing
of Risley Middle School.
School Superintendent Dr.
Michael Bull had announced
Risley Middle would close at
the end of the current school
year in order for the facility
to be renovated and become
Risley Early College Academy
(RECA)
During the Tuesday, Sept.
23 board meeting, Hulsey said,
"We've been talking about
RECA for a year. There have
been numerous articles about
it. We've discussed it at board
meetings. The plan was for
RECA to be running this year,
but we decided to operate it as
a school within a school to see
if the interest was there for an
early college program. RECA
Turn to Page 6
Board backs change
Glynn Rec Dept,
tapped to host
2009 Fastpitch
World Series
By Matthew J. Permar
It won't be official until the
Glynn County Commission
puts their stamp of approval
on it, but women's fastpitch
softball is very likely coming to
Glynn Comity.
Last week, Glynn Recre
ation Director Wesley Davis
came to the county commis
sion's finance committee with a
request that his department be
allowed to host the 2009 World
Fastpitch Connection's (WFC)
World Series next July.
The week long fastpitch tour
nament is for women's teams
with players in the 8 to 18 age
range and is slated for July 13
-19.
"This will be a tremendous
undertaking for my depart
ment," said Davis, "but the eco-
Turn to Page 6
Rec. Dept, hosts WFC
CoastFest is back!
DNR's CoastFest
set for Oct. 4
Over the last twelve years,
one of the more popular events
in Glynn County has been
the Department of Natural
Resources' CoastFest.
This year CoastFest will be
held on Saturday, October 4
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DNR
Regional Headquarters, Con
servation Way at U.S. Hwy 17
South, Brunswick.
CoastFest is an educational
and interactive festival that
Scenes from CoastFest 2007 - Above:
Revolutionary War re-enactors demonstrate
how to use a musket. Below: Native materials
used for traditional Gullah Kunda crafts.
Above: Face painting - always popular.
Above: The kids always love it when the Civil
War re-enactors fire the cannon.
Right: Creek Indian Jim Sawgrass is a regular
feature at CoastFest. Bottom: learning the old
ways hands on. Islander staff photos
allows children to explore and
learn about Georgia's natural
resources with exhibits from
over 85 area coastal, envi
ronmental, educational, and
resource organizations.
Activities and exhibits
include: building bluebird hous
es, live history demonstrations,
'Touch-tanks' with live marine
Turn to Page 11
CoastFest '08
