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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MAY 28. 2009 — PAGE 5A
Opinions
Thank you to all who supported
MCMS attendance Extravaganza
Dear Editor:
On Thursday, May 21, at the
Madison County Middle School
Attendance Extravaganza, I wit
nessed the culmination of an
outpouring of generosity from
our community. There were so
many individuals, organizations
and businesses that donated an
abundance of time, money and/or
items to reward over 800 MCMS
students for their good school
attendance. Thank you! It was
amazing!
The goal at the beginning of this
initiative was to make the com
munity aware of our school atten
dance issues and help make good
school attendance a conversation
among our community members.
We knew that creating this conver
sation had to be essential if good
school attendance were to be a real
priority for students. This year, 78
percent of our school population
earned the reward by having no
more than nine absences and/or
10 unexcused tardies!
To say thank you seems to fall
short of the appreciation and over
whelming gratitude that I have
for each and every one that made
the Extravaganza possible. To list
each one of you would take pages,
literally. Through your donations
and help we were able to provide
fun for free to the students that
earned the reward. The way that
this community pulled together
is something rarely heard of in
the world in which we live. I am
moved to tears each time I speak
of the caring love and generosity
shown by you all. Your outpour
ing makes me proud and honored
to be a small part of this wonder
ful community!
Again, I say thank you to all
who had any part of making this
Extravaganza an extraordinary
day!You have made such a differ
ence in the lives of many!
With heartfelt thanks.
Sincerely,
Renee McCannon
MCMS Graduation Coach
County taking steps toward broader education
Dear Editor:
The Madison County Board
of Commissioners recently
proclaimed May as Literacy
Month. As president of the
Madison County High School
Book Club, it pleases me to
know that the county is taking
a step towards a greater and
broader education.
I believe that reading is
important to any person's life,
whether they live in a rural area
or in the suburbs. Reading pro
vides a way to not only escape
to far-away places, but also to
learn about those places, and
the far-away ideas that can be
expressed through literature
and publishing.
The High School Book Club
stands to promote reading in
this way: by designating a novel
for the following month and
celebrating such cultural events
as Black History Month and
Banned Book Week. We also
encourage reading throughout
the school by providing easy
ways to review and suggest
books read by the student body.
Madison County, too, can be
celebrated through literacy,
such as reading the works of
renowned Southern authors,
including William Faulkner
and Flannery O’Connor (this
is represented by a class at the
high school known as Southern
Literature, taught by Mrs. Lee
Burroughs).
As the daughter of an English
teacher, reading and being
aware of the literacy world have
always been a large part of my
life. I love books with a whole
hearted passion, though novels
are not the only pieces of litera
ture available to me, I am also a
fanatic of music and films that
convey a parallel message to
that of novels. Through these
media, others can partake in the
same message.
In total, literacy and reading
are a complete plus to Madison
County, and will certainly do
nothing but help the students
leam more about both them
selves and the ideas they live
with every day. That is why
reading is so important. Thank
you for promoting literacy!
Go check out a library book
this summer (it’s free)!
Sincerely,
Kayt Yeary
MCHS Book Club President
DFCS ..cont’dfrom 1A
Lisa Plank, DFCS director for
Madison and Oglethorpe coun
ties, said that approximately $30
million in federal and state ben
efits were distributed this past
year through Madison County
DFCS.
She said 1,500 families in
Madison County were receiv
ing food stamps as of April, a
25-percent increase since July
2008.
“It’s an astronomical increase
for the number of residents in
need,” said Plank. "... There are
more citizens in our community
during these economic times
that need help and I want people
to be aware of the services we
have for those in need.”
Plank said that over 1,500
families are receiving Medicaid,
a 10-percent increase.
"That is an almost direct result
of people losing their job, losing
their insurance and having to
come in and ask for benefits,”
said Plank. “We’re coming up
here asking for money, but I also
want people to know what we
can do for them. And we have a
lot to offer.”
Earlier this year, DFCS
returned $3,700 to the county
general funds.
“That shows a good steward
ship of the money of the citi
zens of Madison County,” said
BOC chairman Anthony Dove.
“When they ask you for money,
they take care of it. It’s unusual
for any department to write you
a check back."
The DFCS social servcies
staff is being furloughed one
day a month. Apart from cover
ing more foster care expenses,
the proposed budget increase of
around $4,000 would also offset
a fraction of what is lost through
those furloughs, but the state is
blocking the effort.
IDA issues report to BOC
Madison County Industrial Development and Building
Authority executive director Marvin White issued the fol
lowing report to county commissioners last week:
“The Harrison area water system installation loan was
approved by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority
(GEFA) May 19 for $2.3 million — $1.6 million forgivable
and $690,000 at three-percent interest over 20 years. We
attended the town hall meeting Chairman Anthony Dove
held in this community. There were positive comments on
this proposal. We will open bids on this project June 16 at
10 a.m. There will be 8.5 miles of line to install.
The Hwy. 98 water tank at the EMS building is almost
complete. We need to gravel the yard and fence the tank
area. This should finish this project and provide water ser
vice and improve fire protection to this area.
We are continuing to work on the Seagraves Mill Dam. We
will install two siphon pipes to meet Safe Dams EPD tem
porary water discharge until the dam can be classified as a
watershed dam, so NRCS funding can be obtained to make
repairs necessary for permanent fix to the dam. NRCS is
currently working on a couple of dams in Madison County.
The feed mill project is coming along as scheduled and
should open August 2009.
We plan to start advertising the Hull-Sanford wastewater
plant and drip field beginning the first of June. We applied
for GEFA stimulus funding on this project also. Not sure
whether we will be successful or not."
BOE approves personnel actions
The Madison County Board
of Education (BOE) made the
following personnel moves at its
May 12 meeting:
•Colbert Elementary School -
accepted the resignation of Susan
Hensley (effective May 29).
•Danielsville Elementary
School - laid off Lisa Manus as
part of the system’s reduction in
force (RIF) plan (effective May
29).
•Hull-Sanford Elementary
School - approved leave without
pay for paraprofessional Stacey
Gordon and teacher Tara Daniel.
•Ila Elementary School -
granted the internal transfer of
Terri Seagraves from paraprofes
sional to book keeper; approved
the hiring of Ashley Armour as
an after school program worker;
and granted maternity leave for
teacher Gina Mayne.
•Madison County Middle
School - laid-off Sabrina Howard
as part of the system’s reduction
in force plan (effective May 29).
•Madison County High School
- hired teacher Sabrina Bennett
as a 49-percent employee; grant
ed the transfer of T.C. Ledford
from Hull-Sanford Elementary
School to MCHS; hired Allison
Clarke as a long-term substi
tute; approved medical leave for
Tammy Caudell; accepted the
resignation of custodian Jimmy
Childs (effective May 15), hired
Paul Vanstone as a teacher; and
OK’d the transfer of parapro
fessional Angie Anglin from Ha
Elementary School to MCHS.
TUESDAY NIGHT
The Madison County made
five personnel moves at a caHed
meeting Tuesday. They includ
ed:
•approving leave without pay
for Comer Elementary School
paraprofessional Tina Hart.
•hiring April Tankersley as a
middle school agriculture teach
er.
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