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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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