Newspaper Page Text
Volume 12*#, No. 6
3 Sections
20 Pages
Wednesday.
Feb.
50 Cents *
Bone of the m
Georgia m
National
At The jTj
Cross- n jf~
roads
This
Week f fr^:
Calendar includes
registration at Rozar
Feb. 1 - 18 V Regis
tration for Perry Recre
ation Department youth
baseball and softball,
boys and girls, ages 4-
12. Season. April -
June. City residents
$26. County residents
$54. Register at Perry
Recreation Department.
Rozar Park. For more
information call 988-
2860.
Feb. 10 V Westfield
Lady Hornets face
Stratford at 7 p.m. at
Windsor Academy.
Macon.
V Westfield Hornets
face Central Fellowship
at 8:30 p.m. at Windsor
Academy.
Feb. 11 V Cheaper by
the Dozen opens at the
Perry Players theater,
909 Main St.. Perry.
Show time is 8 p.m.
Play continues Feb. 11-
12. 17-19 at 8 p.m..
Feb. 13 and 20 at 2:30
p.m.
Feb. 11-13 V Georgia
Wildlife Federation Fish-
A-Rama and Turkeyra
ma at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds.
Call (770) 929-3350.
Feb. 14
Day.
Feb. 17 V Perry Vol
unteer Outreach meets
at Perry Area Chamber
of Commerce offices, 6
p.m.
V Perry Area Chamber
of Commerce Executive
Board, 3 p.m., Chamber
office.
V Press conference to
announce Perry Com
munity Foundation, Inc.
3:45 p.m.. Perry’ Area
Chamber of Commerce.
V Perry Area Chamber
Board of Directors
meeting. Chamber
office, 4 p.m.
V Perry Area Chamber
of Commerce Business
after Hours at Jameson
Inn. 5:30 p.m.
V Miss Perry High
School pageant. 7:30
p.m. at Perry High
School Auditorium.
Admission is $3 for stu
dents and adults. Con
testants will be judged
on interview, sports
wear, evening gown and
answers to stage ques
tions.
Feb. 18 V Holiday for
students and inservice
day for teachers in the
Houston County public
schools.
Feb. 22 V Presidents
Day federal holiday.
Many financial institu
tions, government
offices and schools will
be closed.
F'eb. 23 \ Reception
for Houston County
STAR teacher and stu
dent hosted by the
Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce. 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 24-26
National Rodeo at Geor
gia National Fair
grounds and Agricenter.
March 2 \ The Hos
pice of Houston County
will offer a six-week
grief support group for
adults. The sessions will
be in Perry. Call (912)
987-1777 for informa
tion.
Miss PHS
Annual pageant to select Miss
Perry High will be Feb. 17.
Meet the candidates for the
title.
See page 3 A
Houston Home Journal
*
Official T egal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Ocilla principal to head PHS
By LANORRIS FLEMING
Home Journal Staff
Perry High School has a new princi
pal. During the Feb. 8 meeting of the
Houston County Board of Education
Bobby Griffin of Ocilla was named to
the position.
In a conference with PHS faculty
directly following the announcement.
Griffin stated that he is a teachers’
principal as well as a students' princi
pal.
"I set high goals for niyselt, students
and teachers.” said Griffin.
Griffin comes to Perry from Irwin
County where he has served as princi
pal of Irwin County High School since
Striking a nerve about education
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LISTENING Ga. Rep. Larry Walker (right) listens to a
concern from a constituent. Walker and other legislators
listened to almost 1,000 persons Feb. 12.
Teachers, parents share concerns about education bill
By LANORRIS FLEMING
6n Feb. 5 the house was packed as
teachers, parents, administrators and
other concerned community members
gathered in the Houston County High
School Auditorium to voice opinions on
Gov. Roy Barnes' education bill.
The Dill, which Rep. Larry Walker
termed an evolving document, has not
passed the House. However, a key com
mittee vote Feb. 8 passed, bringing the
package to the floor for discussion.
The bill in it’s current form has raised
a lot of concerns in the community. A
delegation consisting of Sen. Sonny Per
due. R-Bonaire. Rep. Larry Walker. D-
Perry, Rep. Pam Bohannon, R-Wamer
Robins and Rep. Robert. Ray D-F*>rt Val
ley. were on hand to listen to the con
cerned individuals address the issues.
High school basketball teams roar into second season this week
Perry Panther boys fall, Westfield Hornet boys and girls win in opening rounds of region tournaments
The second season of high school
basketball opened for both local
high schools Feb. 8.
For at least one of the four
teams, the second season was very
short. Perry fell to Pike County 59-
57 in a Georgia High School Associ
ation Region 4-AA game played at
Harris County.
Westfield stayed alive, however.
The Lady Hornets overcame a slug
gish start and pounded Central Fel
lowship 53-18 to advance to the
The Old Rditbte, Serving Hoaiton County Since Dec. 17. 1870
Cheaper by the Dozen
The newest Perry Players’
production opens Feb.
the scoop on the play a
who the stars are for thi
sentation. ATH i
See page, .
the summer of 1991.
According to Griffin he began his
career in education 28 years ago when
he was hired by Conrad Nix. current
Northside High School athletic director,
to teach and coach at the middle
school in Irwin County.
In 1975 be became assistant princi
pal of the school and moved up to prin
cipal in 1978.
“In 1987 when they combined the
middle and elementary schools, the
superintendent asked me it I'd like the
position of principal there.” said Grif
fin.
He remained there until he was
offered the position of principal at
In what Perdue called an exercise in
Democracy, the forum, although not a
question and answer session, allowed
those who had issues to discuss or
concerns to express an opportunity to
do so.
Those individuals who wished to
address the delegation filled out cards
and turned them in to the moderator.
George Falldinc. a parent and Robins
Air Force Base employee. He organized
the order in which they were to speak.
Some of the major issues addressed
were the creation of school councils,
fund cutting of paraprofessionals.
teacher accountability and tenure.
Kimberly Allen, parent and North
side High School teacher, said she
resents the tone Barnes has used
toward educators. According to Allen
although Barnes seems to think that
second round of the Georgia Inde
pendent Schools Association
Region 1-AAA tournament.
The Hornets also picked up a
first round win by downing former
Hornet Coach Jim Massey’s Wind
sor Knights 65-55.
No report about the Didy Pan
thers game against Manchester was
available at press time.
If the Perry team won. they will
faceTri County Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. at
the Jackson High gymnasium.
Playing at Windsor Academy, the
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Home Journal Photos by Charlotte Perkins
TALKING EDUCATION Ga. Sen. Sonny Perdue (right)
discusses education issues with Houston County School
Superintendent Charles Holloway.
Lady Hornets struggled early on,
and fell behind bv two points, 14-
12 late in the firsi half. Baskets by
Beth Ann Murph and Julie Todd
allowed Westfield to stake a 16-14
halftime lead.
The third quarter belonged to
Westfield. Lina Arnold had three
three-point goals in the quarter as
Westfield surged ahead 32 16 by
the end of the third quarter.
Todd's 12 points against the
Lancers was her season best.
Arnold finished the night with 15
Irwin High in 1991.
Griffin says that his philosophy is
"Teamwork.”
“Teams win," said Griffin, “individu
als lose.”
Griffin’s home team consists of his
wife Sharon Griffin, a certified public
accountant, and two children. His son
is a senior in the University of Georgia
engineering program and his daughter
is a business major at Valdosta State
University.
A committee of eight Perry High
School personnel .vhich included Jack
ie Jackson, instructional coordinator.
See GRIFFIN, Page 5A
tenure is the most important point for
the teachers, she has not once made
mention of it.
"I never once mentioned tenure."
said Allen. "II 1 am doing my job why
would I worry about being fired.”
Allen also made mention of the inde
pendent office of accountability and
funding for paraprofessionals being
cut. Her comments were met with
thunderous applause and those that
followed her reiterated many ol her
concerns.
Shirley Ixiwerv. board of education
member, appreciates that Barnes has
brought out the emphasis on educa
tion but is not happy with his tactics.
"He has alienated just about every
one by saying that we are not doing our
See LISTEN, page 5A
A to Z
it dy has
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30 0 on pages 2-
while Byrd had 4. Bennett had 1.
Thompson had 2 and Moore had 2.
Beth Ann Murph had 8 while A.
Murph had 2.
With the win, Westfield improves
to 2-18. Central finished the year at
6 18.
Westfield plays Stratford Feb. 10
at 7 p.m., at Windsor.
In the second game of the
evening, the Hornets took a four
point lead into the halftime break.
See TOURNEY, page 6A
ill
BOBBY GRIFFIN
New PHS Principal
Post Office
on hold again
ttaLSac Basra
Close but no cigar
that’s one of the ways to
describe how close Perry
came last week to con
struction on a new Post
Office.
Several government offi
cials spent about three
hours Feb. 10 discussing a
Eossible contract with
uilder Glen B. Clark Jr. of
Postal Services LLC. The
talks apparently broke
down when postal officials
realized Clark had not yet
met some of the stipula
tions of the contract.
Some of those attending
the meeting had hoped a
firm date to begin work
would be set. according to
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall.
That, he said, was not to
be.
Much of the meeting
revolved around various
pieces of paperwork which
postal officials said they
must have before Clark is
given a work order.
Bill Chapman, an aide in
US. Sen. Max eiand.
said representat of the
Postal Service "thinly stated
that in the next 3 days Mr.
Clark is to give mein an
updated schedule with
revised and certified plans."
Cleland recently wrote to
the U.S. Postmaster Gener
al asking for work to begin
on the project, and asked
for a meeting to get the
matter resolved.
Chapman said if Clark's
company. Postal Services
LLC, does not provide the
schedule and plans by the
first of March, there would
be several possible courses
of action.
The Postal Service could
See TALKS, Page 5A