Don’t forget to vote!
Williams: ‘Money to follow children’
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Claiborne Parish School Board is asking for the public’s support on Proposition
16.
In last
Thursday’s regular school board meeting, Claiborne Parish Schools
Superintendent Dr. Janice Williams said that the special called election was
coming up soon, and asked for the public’s support. Slated for November 14, the
election will only be for all of Precincts 11 and 81, and part of 08, 10, 21,
22, 92.
If
passed, she said, the monies raised from the tax renewal will follow the
children of the Pineview School District, which closed last year. Those
students were disbursed between Homer and Summerfield schools.
When
Pineview closed, the school board requested an opinion from the Louisiana
Attorney General’s Office as to what to do with the money. The opinion returned
stated that the school board could use the money for “the purpose of supporting
the education of students who reside in School District No. 16 and attend
public elementary and secondary schools in Claiborne Parish.”
This
means that whatever money was dedicated to Pineview will follow the children
who attended Pineview to the Homer and Summerfield schools where they now
attend.
For
more information, please contact the Registrar of Voter’s Office at 927-3332.
School District No. 16 Proposition
(Tax Continuation & Rededication)
Summary: 10 year, 5 mills property tax continuance for giving
additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in the
District, including paying the cost of acquiring, constructing, improving,
operating and maintaining public school buildings, facilities and equipment,
and supporting the education of students who reside in the District and attend
public schools in Claiborne Parish outside the District, with all such purposes
also being applicable to the proceeds heretofore and hereinafter collected from
the five (5) mills tax authorized to be levied by the District through the year
2009 pursuant to an election held on March 14, 2000.
Shall School District No. 16, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana (the
“District”) levy a five (5) mills tax on all the property subject to taxation
in the District (an estimated $100,100 reasonably expected at this time to be
collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten
(10) years, beginning with the year 2010 and ending with the year 2019, for the
purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary
schools in the District, including paying the cost of acquiring, constructing,
improving, operating and maintaining public school buildings, facilities and
equipment, and supporting the education of students who reside in the District
and attend public schools in Claiborne Parish outside the District, with all
such purposes also being applicable to the proceeds heretofore and hereinafter
collected from the five (5) mills tax authorized to be levied by the District
through the year 2009 pursuant to an election held on March 14, 2000?
Homer man arrested for theft
The Guardian-Journal
Several
items that were stolen from a Homer residence led to the arrest of a Homer man.
James
“Jimmy” Youngblood Jr., 48, was arrested Monday, November 2, and charged with
illegal possession of stolen things, with a bond of $5,000, and theft over
$500, with a bond set at $10,000. He was also charged with a parole violation,
with no bond.
According
to reports, Youngblood admitted to Homer Police Chief Russell Mills that he
allegedly pawned several items taken from a home in Homer. Among those items
were chain saws, weed-eaters, nail guns, and other items.
Youngblood
was also found to be in possession of two credit cards. Activity reports
indicate that the cards were used in Homer, Minden, Bossier, Shreveport and
Magnolia, Ark. These reports has been turned over to Bossier and Minden authorities. The other law enforcement agencies have been notified to work the case
within their jurisdiction.
Three
of the pawned items have been located in Bossier City, Mills said, at two pawn
shops.
The
investigation is still ongoing at this time. Assisting agencies were the
Haynesville Police Department and Minden Probation and Parole.
In an
unrelated incident, another Homer man found himself behind bars for allegedly
assaulting another person.
On
Monday, November 2, DeMario D. Henderson, 20, was arrested and charged with
illegal possession of stolen things, with bond set at $2,000, and aggravated
assault, with a bond of $2,000.
According
to reports, Henderson was picked up on the two warrants. Henderson is accused
of being in possession of a pair of baby shoes stolen in a burglary that took
place on September 21. Allegedly, he sold the shoes.
The
aggravated assault charge stems from an incident that occurred on or around
October 28. He allegedly pointed a gun at another person walking on Monroe Avenue.
History in the making...
Claiborne native centenarians celebrated
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Pictured above are three sisters, all
more than 100 years of age. The Thornton Sisters were celebrated just a week
shy of Maggie Mae Thornton Renfro’s 115th birthday. From left are Rosie Lee
Thornton Warren, age 104, Carrie Lee Thornton Miller, age 107, and Maggie Mae
Thornton, age 114. They are pictured with quilts presented to them by The
Quilting Queens of Webster Parish. The quilts were made by Levada Mitchell,
Rita Gray and Virginia Watson.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
“Love
everybody.”
That’s
the secret to life, according to Maggie Mae Thornton Renfro, 114. She and her
two sisters, also more than 100 years old, were celebrated at a gala event
Sunday afternoon where their family and friends gathered to pay tribute to
these three women.
More
than 400 family members, friends, elected officials and dignitaries assembled
at the Minden Civic Center to mark the historic event.
“We are
making history today,” said Chris Broussard, Cultural Crossroads event
coordinator. “We are so glad that they were feeling well enough to grace us by
being here.”
Maggie
Mae was born November 14, 1894, but according to her, she was born in 1895. She
left home at 19 to become a cook, said Julie Vogel, president of Cultural
Crossroads. She then joined a crew that traveled all over the south. She earned
enough money to buy her own truck, transporting workers from job sites in Arkansas and Oklahoma. She married Rudy Renfro in Texas, Vogel said, and although the
couple had no children of their own, Maggie Mae adopted her niece, Mattie, when
she was only nine months old.
The
stock market crashed in 1929, when Maggie Mae was just 35 years old.
The
1900 census, according to Robert Young, with the Guinness Book of World
Records, is the earliest documentation of Maggie. She was just four years old.
The
1910 census shows her sister, Carrie Lee Thornton Miller, affectionately known
as “Noonie,” at just eight years old. She was born April 9, 1902, and is now 107 years old. She finished the eighth grade and went on to become a sharecropper
with her husband and later in life worked as a housekeeper in private homes,
Vogel said.
“Noonie”
married Arthur Miller at the age of 16. He is now deceased,” Vogel continued.
“Carrie moved to Minden in the late 40’s and early 50’s. She had one son,
Milton Miller, who is also deceased.”
Carrie
was 27 when the stock market crashed.
The
youngest sister, Rosie Lee Thornton Warren, was born January 6, 1906, and is now 103 years old. Affectionately known as “Squate,” Vogel continued, Rosie finished
the eighth grade and went on to become a sharecropper and also worked in
private homes.
Rosie
married Tom Warren who is now deceased. They had seven children. Two are
deceased, Bertha Capers and L.C. Taylor. Her other children are Retha Brown,
Lovie Warren, Ella Warren, Lillie Phenix and Eddie Warren. “Squate” moved to Minden in 1953.
She was
23 when the stock market crashed.
The
three sisters were born to Dellie and Wylie Thornton, Sr.
Young
said that their combined ages, at 324 years old, has hit the all time record
for being the oldest African-American siblings in the United States. Maggie Mae, affectionately known as “Sugar,” is the oldest African-American
woman in the United States, the oldest person in Louisiana, and the fifth
oldest in the nation. She also carries the distinction of being the seventh
oldest person in the world.
Lt.
Gov. Mitch Landrieu’s office, Sen. David Vitter’s office as well as Minden
Mayor Bill Robertson, all issued proclamations in their honor.
Jean
Doerge, on behalf of First Lady Michelle Obama, read a letter from her
recognizing the accomplishments and the lives of these three incredible women.
Darden
Gladney, on behalf of Glenbrook School, presented the three ladies with
paintings in honor of the Triumph Over Tragedy project, which involves 21
parishes, including Webster and Claiborne.
“When
something we love becomes a memory,” Gladney said, “that memory becomes a
treasure.”
Sen.
Robert Adley thanked the sisters for their memories.
“Thank
you for the memories you’ve given us and for the ones to come,” he said.
Secretary
of State Jay Dardenne has proclaimed November 14, 2009 as Maggie Mae Thornton Renfro Day in Louisiana.
A
community photograph was also taken when the event came to a close. That
photograph will be displayed at the Dorcheat Museum. Also the Minden Community
Chorus provided special music for the event. Several other dignitaries were
present to tell the stories of the Great Depression, honor the sisters and tell
stories of their experiences with them.
Councilman wants to change charter
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Homer’s
District 1 Councilman Scott “Doc” Roberson wants to change the town’s hiring
practices as it relates to the mayor and the chief of police.
The
idea, he said, is to allow the council, as a whole, to decide who is hired or
terminated in the town’s administrative office and other town departments as
well as police personnel.
But,
according to law, it’s not as simple as putting it before the council to vote
on. According to Town Attorney Jim Colvin, the chief can fire an officer
without council approval, but he cannot hire one without their approval. The
police policy manual specifically states that the chief has the authority to
terminate an officer with just cause.
“Subsequent
to a pre-disciplinary conference, the Chief of Police may terminate an officer
if an incident or action or inaction is deemed to be of a very serious nature
which is not defendable or if a review of the officer’s classified complaint
file indicates that progressive discipline has not been effective,” the policy
states.
As far
as administrative staff within town hall, the charter only states that the
mayor has supervisory authority. It does not specifically say that he has to
have council approval to hire or terminate an administrative employee.
According to the charter (Chapter 2, Administration, Section 2-1. Departments
of town government.), “Each department shall be supervised by a selectman
designated mayor and approved by the selectmen, except for the Department of
Police and Town Hall, which shall be supervised by the mayor.” Otherwise, the
charter is silent on the issue.
However,
the town’s policy states that anyone hired is approved by the council.
According to its hiring/termination policy, Section D, Selection, “the Mayor
will review the Department Head’s choice. If the Mayor has no solid objection
to the Department Head’s choice, the applicant will be referred to the Board of
Selectmen for their approval, and if hired, all paperwork and documentation
will be turned over to the City Clerk.”
For
example, if a position needed to be filled in the administrative office, the
department head (the town clerk) would make a recommendation to the mayor of
her choice. The mayor would take her recommendation into consideration and
there are no objections, then he would make the recommendation to the council
for approval. This process would be followed in all departments.
The
policy also states this procedure would be followed in regards to all
department heads, except for the police chief, who is an elected official.
Colvin
is expected to address the council with his findings at the next council
meeting.
In
other council news, the back up of sewage into a Homer resident’s home spurred
the discussion of the failing water infrastructure throughout the corporate
limits. District 3 Councilman Toney Johnson made a motion to pay the invoices
associated with the sewage backup into the home of Rita Williams. The issue is
that ServePro, the company who cleaned her home, hasn’t given the town a price
to pay for the work done.
The
council decided to table the issue until a price could be provided.
But,
the discussion didn’t stop there. The issue boils down to money. The town has
spent countless thousands of dollars reimbursing or paying for repairs to
residents’ homes or the water infrastructure.
“We do
not have the money to keep doing this,” Homer Mayor David Newell said. “Income
is going down, and we do not have the money to do everything for everybody.”
The
town’s financial consultant, James Colvin Sr. cautioned the council again, that
paying for these repairs to citizens’ homes is beginning to add up.
“Spending
like you have been is depleting the town’s funds,” he said. And if the town
isn’t careful about what it spends, it could mean they will have to vote to
amend the budget to account for the spending above 5 percent. According to law,
the council has the authority to spend money within 5 percent above its budget.
But after that 5 percent, the council would have to go back and formally amend
the budget to reflect that spending.
The town
has repeatedly sought grants to fix the problem, but according to Newell, the
town’s engineers have not returned his calls to get the process rolling.
According to the town attorney, there is a certain process the engineers must
follow in order to solicit grants, and part of that process is getting the
engineers to do their part.
Roberson
suggested hiring a grant writer to help the process get rolling. The mayor and
the rest of the council agreed that would be a good idea, so when the 2010
proposed budget is introduced before year’s end, a salary for a grant writer
will be budgeted in.
Along
this same issue, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will come down hard
on the Town of Homer if it does not get its water system repaired and up to
code. According to Colvin Sr., $50,000 has been budgeted into the 2010 budget
to repair the water system. Colvin Jr. told the council the bottom line is
this: if the town doesn’t get it fixed, the EPA will shut down the water
system.
On a
lighter note, the proposed budget to be introduced is balanced, Colvin Sr.
said. The budget also includes a utility rate increase across the board. That
increase includes water, trash pickup and other services. It breaks down to a
$3 to $4 increase per household.
In
police news, the council approved the hiring of Thomas Davis to the Homer
Police Department. According to Police Chief Russell Mills, Davis has worked
for the police department before and is a certified officer.
The
next town council meeting will be held December 7, at 6 p.m. in council chambers located at the Homer Police Station. For more information, please call
town hall at 927-3555.
Claiborne school nationally recognized
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A Claiborne Parish School teacher has been nationally recognized for its character building
program.
Dana
Smith, a teacher at Haynesville Junior/Senior High School, was given the
Promising Practices award for the school’s character building program, formerly
known as Character Counts. The school was chosen out of 170 schools across the
nation which participated in this new program.
According
to Teresa Price, 4-H Character Counts coordinator, she is proud of Smith for
the accomplishment.
“Dana
came back from Baton Rouge and took what she’d already been doing in the
Haynesville schools and applied for Promising Practices,” Price said. “And she
was granted that award. The very first Promising Practices award that Louisiana will ever have went to Dana Smith. She put Louisiana, most importantly Claiborne
Parish, on the map.”
Smith
said she was excited about where this is taking character education. The new
character education program is based on 11 basic principles that offer a
different way of teaching character education.
“Since
coming back from Washington D.C., I have done this every day just to see how
the kids would react to it,” Smith said. “Already, throughout the day, I’m
hearing students telling other students these things. They have to buy into
what you’re telling them, and if you live it, the kids will get it from you
too. I am very excited about the direction they want to take us, and I would
love to have your support in working this into the curriculum.”
According
to Price, character education was introduced to Claiborne Parish in 1997
through a grant that made the old program, Character Counts, available. The new
program, called National Schools of Character, put the 11 principles together,
and under that umbrella each state has the option of having a developing a
state school of character. Until approximately six months ago, Louisiana did not have this program. Through the sponsorship of the LSU AgCenter, Smith and
Price sat on the committee that developed a program for the state.
Price
and Smith attended the national conference in Washington, D.C., the 2009
National Forum on Character Education held in Alexandria, Va.
“Through
a grant, were able to go and learn more about the character education’s
partnership program that the state is now a part of,” she said.
Under
each state school program is the Promising Practices award, to which Smith
applied for and won.
This
program is turning around how character education is taught.
“Basically
the whole premise of character education, and the way that character education
is going now is holistic,” Smith said. “We don’t want to go buy some cute
little books, crayons and some puppets, and let’s do character education once a
month. That’s not how it needs to be taught anymore.
“In
order to raise our test scores, which is what we’re striving for, we have to
make these kids realize that they are important, and what they have to offer is
just as important as the next child,” she continued. “To make them feel proud
of themselves and responsible for themselves, we have to incorporate character
education in every aspect of the curriculum.”
In
other news, the school board recognized one its former superintendents who
passed away recently. Mrs. Geraldine Coleman, wife of former District 4 school
board member A.J. Coleman, accepted a resolution in honor of her late husband.
Coleman
served the school board for 29 years, and during that time, served as president
and vice president of the board, chairman of finance, transportation,
long-range planning and executive committees.
“I
would just like to express my thanks for you doing this in his honor,” Mrs.
Coleman said as she accepted a framed copy of the resolution from School Board
President William Maddox. “Children were his heart. If he were here tonight,
he’d be smiling.”
District
4 School Board Member Stanley Edwards expressed his thoughts to Mrs. Coleman
after she accepted the resolution.
“He is
smiling,” he said to Mrs. Coleman. “Not many months go by that I do not sit at
this board that I don’t think about Mr. A.J. He was a wonderful friend and a
wonderful school board member. More than anything, he was my friend, and I’ll
always remember him.”
In
personnel actions, the school board approved the recommendation from
Superintendent Dr. Janice Williams for a graduation coach. Harold Ray McFee, of
Minden, was approved to take the position. Williams said they received five
applicants for the position, which will be part time. His start date began
November 9, and will end June 30 of this school year.
McFee
will focus on grades 8-12 and concentrate on Homer High School, which carries a
very low graduation rate. He will also be consulting with Haynesville Jr./Sr.
High School as well as Summerfield. According to Williams, he will assist with
student attendance, review test data, as well as maintain close contact with
the school systems – teachers, students and parents.
Some of
the qualifications for the position, Williams said, included a teaching
certificate with preference to secondary experience.
Paid
for through stimulus monies, the position can be extended if the need arises.
In
other personnel actions, Ginger Murphy has been hired as a child specific aide
to assist a student at Summerfield who was recently in a four-wheeler accident
just a few days after school started. Her job is to be with him at all times
during the school day.
Also,
James Mahn was hired as a vocational teacher at Homer High School. He will
replace Ralph Pike, who resigned.
The
school board is also advertising for two paraprofessionals for Haynesville
Jr./Sr. High School and one special education teacher for Homer Junior High.
According to Williams, these three positions have become available due to the
number of students who have transferred into these schools. Homer Junior High
has shown an increase of 16 students, and Haynesville Jr./Sr. High has shown an
increase of 34 students.
The
paraprofessionals will be paid through the State Fiscal Stimulus Funds. The
special education teacher will be paid through the school board’s general fund.
These are only one year appointments, which will go only through the end of the
school year.
In
other news, the school board continues its revisions to its policy manual. In
this meeting, they approved two sections of the policy which deal with payroll
procedures and electronic communications.
Section
DJC, dealing with payroll procedures, highlights that all permanent employees
will be paid over a 12 month period, and all payments will be made through
direct deposit. It is also noted that any individual hired after July 1, 2009 will have their pay direct deposited into their checking accounts. Williams
says this is mandatory.
“If a
payroll check is lost, there is a five-day turn around with replacing that
check,” Williams said.
Section
GAMIA, which deals with electronic communications between employees and
students, was signed into law during the 2009 legislative session. This law
must be in the school board’s policy by November 15, 2009 in order to be legal.
“It
provides some guidelines for communications from employees to students,” she
said.
The
first provision is that they use a method or means to contact the students that
is in place with the school system.
“This
means communicating with our students using our computers, our email, our fax
machines,” Williams said. “If by chance there is an employee who needs to
communicate with a student through personal means, by his or her own cell
phone, that has to be made available to the principal, or that individual
supervisor. There has to be a log kept and that log must be kept for at least
one year.”
The
policy also defines electronic communications, electronic mail and things of
that nature.
“By the
same token, it gives some actions in place for any violations,” she said. “This
restricts communications with our employees and students to our computers –
computers and software that is owned by the Claiborne Parish School Board.”
An
in-service for principals will be held in the near future on this policy.
The
next school board meeting will be held Thursday, December 3, at 7 p.m. in the school board meeting room at Central Office. For more information, please
call Central Office at 927-3502.
NFL star meets SHS students
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jenni Williams
The fourth grade class at Summerfield School crowded around one of their own Thursday, November 5. NFL Player Demetrius
Bell, left tackle for the New York Buffalo Bills, came to his alma mater to
deliver turkeys to each family at the school. The kids had everything from
arms, clothes and footballs autographed by Bell.
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
Buffalo
Bills star Demetrius Bell returned home this past week to give a little
something back to the community he was born and raised in.
Bell, a 2003 graduate of Summerfield High School (SHS),
journeyed home to Summerfield last Thursday, to personally hand out 250 turkeys
to the families of students attending his alma mater.
Mechie,
as Bell is known around these parts, was able to meet most of the students
currently attending SHS, as each of the teachers took turns with their students
in a short visit with the star.
Looking
on from her place at the registration table where the families came to pick up
the turkeys, was Mechie’s proud mother, Gloria Bell, who is also a graduate of
Summerfield, and a pretty awesome basketball player herself.
With
athleticism so obviously in his blood, it was no surprise that Mechie was
offered a full-paid basketball scholarship to Northwestern State University in Monroe/Natchitoches.
After
starting on the Demon basketball team for his freshman and sophomore years,
Mechie made the decision to try out for the football team. At 6’6” and 305
pounds, it was an obvious move to make.
He was
able to red-shirt the following year after making the team and started in all
22 games of his junior and senior years, while continuing to play basketball,
also.
Mechie
was drafted into the NFL (National Football League) in April of 2008 to the New
York-based Buffalo Bills, where after just one season with the team has become
their starting left tackle.
According
to a recent news article on the Bills website, Bell is an athlete that has been
blessed with a rare athleticism for his considerable size and has shown major
improvement since his year as a rookie. The offensive staff has great faith in
his abilities.
Of the
250 turkeys, 205 we given to families of Summerfield students and the other 45
were personally delivered to area residents by Mechie and his mom.
Many of
the teachers currently teaching at the school were also there at the time of
his education. High school history teacher Devona Cowling remembers the few
short years she was able to contribute to that education, “He was such a
well-mannered, bright student. Always with perfect conduct and an excellent ‘A’
student. He really like Social Studies. We are so very proud of him.”
It is
obvious how much of a star this young man was in the classroom and now on the
football field, and after never having played organized football until his
junior year of college.
****Any
family that was a recipient of the turkeys wishing to send Demetrius Bell a
thank you can contact the high school for his forwarding address.
HHS receives ExxonMobil grant
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jenni Williams
Haynesville High School science department receives a grant from
ExxonMobile to purchase needed supplies. Pictured above are (left to right)
Nicole Cryer with Crump Oil, Laura Pair with Dixie Mart, Carol Waller with
Crump Oil, Martha Parson, recipient and HHS Principal Bill Kennedy.
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
Haynesville
High School Chemistry and Physics teacher Martha Parson was the lucky recipient
of a $750 grant from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program.
Crump
Oil of Haynesville, along with school officials, were able to secure the grant,
which is one of 2,400 available to schools across the country that are served
by Exxon or Mobil stations.
These
grants were made possible by funding from the ExxonMobil Corporation, along
with Dixie Mart No. 8 in Haynesville.
Parson,
thrilled with the grant, said, “I have a list ready and I will get as many things
on it that I can.”
The
ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is designed to provide station
retailers with an opportunity to invest in the future of communities through
educational grants to neighborhood schools.
They
believe that, as members of the community, local retailers are best qualified
to work with local educators to help identify schools and programs, such as the
science department at Haynesville High School, most in the need of support.
