Newspaper Page Text
Volume 139. No. 5
3 Sections
14 Page*
Wednesday.
Feb. 2. 2000
80 Cents
At The
Cross
roads
Week
What's happening in
Houston County
Feb. 1 - 18 V Registra
tion for Perry Recreation
Department youth base
ball and softball, boys
and girls, ages 4-12.
Season. April -sune. City
residents $26. County
residents $54. Register at
Perry Recreation Dept.,
Rozar Park. For more
information call 988-
2860.
Feb. 2 -
Day.
v Tri-County basket
ball at Perry High, 6 p.m.
Feb. 3 - VFree income
tax assistance at Perry
Library from 12:30 to
4:30. Sponsored by
AARP. (This program to
continue every Thursday
until April 15.)
Feb. 4-6 V Motor Spec
tacular at Georgia Agri
center. Call (630) 566-
6100 for more informa
tion.
Feb. 4-5 >/ Area Class
AA wrestling tournament
at Fitzgerald High School.
Perry High will be repre
sented.
Feb. 5 Georgia legis
lators listening forum,
Houston County High
School, 10 a.m.
V Free income tax
assistance at Perry
Library from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m.. Sponsored by
AARP. (This program to
continue every Saturday
until April 15.)
Feb. 6 V Perry United
Methodist Church will
present Christian con
temporary artist “Nia” in
concert at 7 p.m. Admis
sion is free.
Feb. 5-6 V Heart of
Georgia Gun and Knife
Show, Georgia Agricenter.
Call (912) 474-1543 for
more information.
Feb. 7-12 V Region 4-
AA basketball tourna
ments for Perry High,
games at northern subre
gion opponents, TBA.
V Houston County mid
dle school basketball
tournament, schedule to
be announced.
Feb. 9-11 V Region 1-
AAA basketball tourna
ment for Westfield.
Schedule TBA.
Feb. 11 V Opening per
formance of “Cheaper by
the Dozen", a family com
edy presented by Perry
Players. 8 p.m. Adults SB.
12 and under, $5. Call
987- for reserva
tions. Additional perfor
mances at 8 p.m. on Feb.
12,17,18 and 19: Mati
nees at 2:30 p.m., Feb.
13 and 20.
Feb. 11-13 V Georgia
Wildlife Federation Fish-
A-Rama and Turkeyra
ma. Call (770) 929-3350.
Feb. 14
Day.
Feb. 17 V Perry Volun
teer Outreach meets at
Chamber of Commerce
offices, 6 p.m.
Feb. 22 V President's
Day federal holiday.
Many financial institu
tions, government offices
and schools will be
closed.
Reaching the Home
Journal
The paper office is
located at 807 Carroll St.
in downtown Perry. The
office is open 8:30 a.m.-
5:30 p.m., Monday-Fri
day.
Call 987-1823, fax to
988- or email to
homejrn Ohom.net.
The Old Reliable, Serving Houston County Since Dec. 17, 1870
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Better Post j
Office idea?
Letter writer offers easy way toj
solve Perry Post Office prob
lem.
See page 4 A
Houston Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Town meeting on education reform
set for Houston County High
Walker says that decisions on
Barnes' education proposals
will not be rushed
Bt CHARLOTTE PERKINS
"TTOtKw on tic. koy A
Barnes' education reform bill will be
held at 10 a.m., Feb. 6, at Houston
County High School.
The purpose will be for local legisla
tors. including Sen. Sonny Perdue. R-
Bonaire, and Rep. Larry Walker, D-
Perry, to hear citizen reactions to the
bill, which involves wide-ranging
changes and new approaches to public
Program needs
for schools
leads to heated
discussion
By LANORRIS FLEMING
Bam iSSIW. Staff
Reports from the Elemen
tary Assessment Committee
and the presentation of pro
gram needs for high school
counselors and athletic
directors were heated topics
at Jan. 31 Board of Educa
tion meeting.
According to Elementary
Assessment Committee
Reports, current testing for
elementary students with
the lowa Test of Basic Skills
are not adequate measures
of the students' learning
abilities and do not allow
teacher adjustments.
Committee members rec
ommended a new method of
testing called the Primary
Literacy Inventory. This
method will test a child’s lit
eracy development through
out primary grades.
According to members
from the committee the jjoal
of the inventory is to have
every child reading by the
end of third grade. The
method is divided into three
categories, 1) running
records analysis a sys
tematic observation of stu
dents that allows an observ
er to watch the child read
and targets the problems as
they arise. 2) Comprehen
sion gaining messages
and meanings from text 3)
Phonics understanding
the association between
sounds and written words.
According to Ruth O'Dell,
principal of Lindsey Elemen
tary. this method of teach
ing and learning would be a
valuable tool for parent con
ferences.
High school counselors
were on hand to address the
board with a program of
needs for their position.
James Kinchen, county
executive director for sec
ondary operations, prefaced
the presentations by stating
that no one wears more hats
than the high school coun
selor.
This point was driven
home as representatives
from the county's five senior
high schools made points
about their many roles other
than the ones they are paid
for.
According to Mary Lou
Carlson, Warner Robins
High School guidance coun-
See TALK. Page 5A
education.
Among the changes proposed are
increased accountability, the abolish
ing of the tenure system for teachers
entering state employment after July 1,
2000: the establishment of advisory
school councils, made up of parents,
teachers and business leaders:
increased funding to schools with good
academic performance and new
options for parents to transfer their
children from low-performing schools.
Walker, who serves as Democratic
House Majority Leader, said Feb. 1 that
the House Education Committee and
the House Budget Subcommittee are
going over the governor's bill “line by
line."
Thai's TOO days, but who is counting?
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A CELEBRATION Students in Houston
County public schools managed to get in
Students reach hump in quest for summer
By LANORRIS FLEMING
HOi«JOURNAL > STA2L - __^ j—^_ii^
Perry Kimary School cele
brated the 100th day of
school with a load of fun
activities for the students.
There were songs, hats,
glasses, cakes and many
other activities associated
with the number 100 to
commemorate the event.
According to Deborah
Ricks, instructional coordi
nator. all of the activities
were centered around math
and reading. The students
read books with number
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A LITTLE BIT OF FUN Students at
area elementary schools celebrated the
100th day of school recently with a variety
Confusion
Weather-cancelled ball games
leave coaches pondering who
will be seeded what foi
region ball tournament;
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themes, participated in
counting exercises and drew
pictures of themselves at
one hundred years old. One
first grade class read 100
books in 25 minutes.
Each class received a
plain white sheet cake that
they were allowed to deco
rate and have for dessert.
Classrooms were brightly
decorated with such items
as 100 balloons, one hall
was decorated with 100
teddy bears, walls were filled
with 100 words and stu
dents donned hats and
“It's not going to be rushed," Walker
said, adding that he and others are
doing a lot of “listening."
“I’m getting so many calls and e
mails (about the bill) that I can’t
answer them," Walker said. He said
many educators were expressing con
cerns about various aspects of the bill,
“but we've got to do something new in
public education. We can’t continue to
make excuses.”
Walker noted that concerns being
expressed have to do with “a perceived
reduction of s Late-funded paraprofes
sionals, the concept of the local adviso
ry councils, and the possible financial
See MEETING, Page 5A
Houston Hotnr Journal photos by Lanorris Fleming
their 100th school day before taking a
weather-related holiday last week.
glasses with the number
100.
The fun however did not
end there. Two awards were
also given out. Two students
became a little richer on the
100th day of school.
According to Ricks as a
fund-raiser to help with the
buying of new playground
equipment, children brought
in pennies by one hundred
of course.
"Each time a student
brought in 100 pennies they
See BREAK, Page SA
of activities designed to give the students
break near the middle of the school year.
New Church
Building
I Members of Hayneville Bap
t new family
ewspape r ,• r ije c t *rem6iiies.
in li&rai-v't' See page ißi
Forum will be Feb. 5
Houston County legisla
tors will host a public
forum Feb. 5 to give the
opportunity to express
views on the governor’s
education reform legisla
tion. House Bill 1187, A
Plus Education Reform
Act of 2000.
The forum will be held
from 10 a.m. noon at the
Houston County High
School Auditorium.
For the full text of
HBIIB7, visit
http: / / www2. state. ga. u s
/Legis/ 1999_00/leg/full
text/hbl 187.htm#pl.
For a synopsis of the
bill, visit the Georgia
School Superintendents
Association’s Web site at
http: / /www.gssanet .org/.
Donor gives
Westfield
$1 million
By LANORRIS FLEMING
B °fo»^rr.cen3y
became one million dollars
richer. In a meeting with the
press on Jan. 28, Michael
Drake, headmaster of the
school, announced an
anonymous donation of $1
million.
According to Drake the
donation will be spread out
over a period of three years
and will be used for need or
merit based financial aid.
“This is the best news a
school like Westfield can
get," said Drake. “Indepen
dent schools need support."
The donation was formal
ly announced to the school’s
faculty on Jan. 27.
"That was the best faculty
meeting I’ve ever had," said
Drake.
According to Drake the
recent donation is the
largest Westfield has ever
received and he feels blessed
that someone thinks that
much of the school. The sec
ond largest donation of
$200,000 was a pledge
made through a previous
fund-raiser that raised $1.2
million for the school.
The partial scholarships
given through the current
donation will be worked
much the same as college
financial aid is he said.
"Forms will be used and
family ability to pay state
ments will be obtained.
"Families would need to reap
ply each year,” Drake said.
The criteria for the partial
scholarship will include
admittance, an application
process and a committee
review. A three-person
scholarship committee
including Drake has already
been seated.
Although the donor remains
anonymous to the public
Drake did say that he is from
Houston County and is as
much a winner as the school.
“He receives long term
estate help and a tax break,"
said Drake, “he’s a winner
and we are winners."
Westfield, founded in
1970, has an enrollment of
594 students with the
capacity to grow.
According to Drake a K
-12 education would cost
$60,000 if there were never
any tuition increases and
more endowments mean
smaller tuition increases.