By Ben Flanagan

North Chilton County schools are preparing for the 2010-11 year by holding orientations to allow students to see their class schedules early, visit with teachers and fill out paperwork ahead of time.

Jemison High School will hold several orientation sessions for students next week, beginning Monday, July 26 at 6-7:30 p.m. for grade eight. Grade 12 will meet on Tuesday at 5-6:30 p.m., and grade 11 at 6:30-8 p.m. that same evening. Grade 10 will meet on Thursday, July 29 at 5-6:30 p.m. followed by grade 9 at 6:30-8 p.m. On Wednesday, July 28, JHS will hold a new student orientation from 9 a.m. to noon. All students must have a parent or guardian with them to register. Students can provide family contact information as well as check-out information, which indicates who can check students out of school for illness or emergency situations. Students will also receive their class schedules at orientation, and they can purchase lockers for $10.

Jemison Middle School will hold an open house from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 6 for registration where parents can meet their teachers and parents can fill out any necessary paperwork. They are also invited to tour the new facility. Students are required to rent lockers this year at a $5 cost. They will not be allowed to carry backpacks during the day.

Jemison Elementary School will hold orientations on Aug. 3 for kindergarten at 6 p.m. and first grade at 7 p.m. They will hold orientation on Aug. 5 for second grade at 6 p.m., for third grade at 6:30 p.m. at fourth grade at 7 p.m.

Thorsby School will hold a new student registration meeting Aug. 2-3 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m. in the counselor’s office. Orientation for all students will take place on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium. Students can bring school supplies and purchase lockers for $10.

By Stephen Dawkins

With the council chambers inside the Jemison Municipal Complex almost filled to capacity, the city’s council spent most of Monday’s meeting recognizing some of the community’s most outstanding members.

“I think this is the first time since we’ve been in the new building that we’ve had a packed house,” Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed said about the more than 50 people in attendance.

First up was Jemison Elementary School teacher Christin Starr Bashaw, who was named Chilton County Teacher of the Year. Bashaw was presented a plaque by the council.

Next was Tommy Lenoir, coach of Jemison’s 12-year-old Dizzy Dean baseball all-star team. The team over the weekend was invited to participate in the Dizzy Dean World Series tournament, a trip that Lenoir estimated would cost from $5,000-$8,000.

The council voted to donate $2,000, and state representative Jimmy Martin made contributions of both state funds and his own money.

“I have been astounded at how the community has responded to this,” Lenoir said. “We’re living a pipe dream, so we don’t want to come back with anything less than a World Series championship.”

Martin also presented a grant for $25,000 to the Jemison Police Department for the installation of e-ticket hardware in police cruisers.

After most of the 50 attendees had taken their leaves, the council got down to more pressing business.

Reed told three members of the Oak Grove community that roads in their area could be paved as soon as Friday.

Donna Bice presented a petition to the council that included the signatures of six residents on Railroad Street, asking that a speed breaker be installed on their road. The council voted to grant their request.

The council also approved Tammy Miller as court clerk/magistrate for Jemison Municipal Court and approved Shelia Hogge as the new city clerk, replacing Mary Ellison, who is retiring.

“We look forward to working with Ms. Hogge, and we would like thank Ms. Ellison for her years of service,” Reed said.

The council voted to approve a vehicle belonging to the police department as salvage. People now have the opportunity to place bids on the 1996 Ford Crown Victoria, which will be displayed near city hall.

Lastly, the council adjusted the water bill of Betty Adams before voting to pay the bills and adjourning.

From Staff Reports

The Chilton County Board of Education approved employees for the 2010-2011 school year Monday afternoon at its monthly meeting.

The following individuals at North Chilton County schools were approved:

•Jemison Elementary: Counselor and Media Specialist Jared Hood, Elementary Teacher Brandi Bean, Elementary Teacher Samantha McClendon, Elementary Teacher Melissa Short.

•Jemison Intermediate: Cafeteria Assistant Manager Alyson Glass (transfer), Media Specialist Karen Hayes, Special Education Teacher Assistant Rebecca Faucett.

•Jemison High: Cafeteria Assistant Manager JoAnn P. Hall (transfer), Eighth Grade English Teacher Jaime E. Mitchell.

•Thorsby: Assistant Cafeteria Manager Frances Allison (transfer), Science Teacher Timothy K. Williams, Science Teacher Derrick Littleton, Collaborative Education Teacher Holly Deavers (transfer).

By Stephen Dawkins

Heading off a problem before it could arise, school and city officials worked together to develop a traffic plan for the opening of the new Jemison Intermediate School.

Now, they can only wait and see how well the plan works.

The new school, located adjacent to Jemison Elementary School, will bring to the area about 600 more students and employees, many of whom will share entrance and exit routes with more than 900 JES students and about 100 more employees.

“We wanted something in place before school started, and we had a really good conversation,” JES principal Louise Pitts said about a group that included fellow principal Mark Knight, school superintendent Keith Moore, school transportation supervisor Joe Dennis, Jemison city councilman George Brasher and others.

The meeting produced a detailed plan. In the mornings, all parents dropping off students will use the far east entrance, or the road nearest to County Road 51. JES parents will circle around in front of the school, while JIS parents will continue straight down the road, beside JES and behind JIS, before unloading students on the west side of the new school.

The afternoon pick up routes will be the same at JIS, but JES parents will, as they did last year, pick up students on the east side of the school.

Buses will use one route to drop off and pick up students at both schools, driving by the west side of the elementary school and in front of the intermediate school.

Jemison Elementary tested the routes for the last couple of weeks of the last school year, and a letter and traffic map was sent home with students’ final report cards.

“We’re hoping, but we won’t know until we get out there and see how it works,” Knight said about the plan. “It will be trial and error. We hope everybody will be patient with us.”

Any problems would likely be compounded the first few days of school because parents, especially of kindergarteners, are more likely to drive their children to school instead of letting the bus pick them up.

Knight encouraged anyone with questions about traffic or any other issue related to JIS to attend the school’s registration and open house from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 6.

Also, traffic rules will be posted online at www.chilton.k12.al.us/JMS/jms.htm.

Here are honor roll students for the latest grading period at Jemison Elementary School.

First grade, all A honor roll
Nathan Bailey, Samantha Baker, Adriane Beavers, Georgia Belligan, Austin Black, Kinley Bolton, Luke Brasfield, Eli Brasher, Austin Brown, Carson Brown, Yahir Cabrera-Salazar, Taylor Carden, Noah Carroll, Emily Castro-Romero, Braden Compton, Kameron Dawson, Zully De Valle, Harmony Demissie, Bronson Dufrene, Allison Edge, Hannah Ellison, Jose Flores, Maria Flores, Ivonne Garcia, Patrick Garrett, Jailyn Giddens, Riley Giles, Lane Golden, Humberto Guajardo, Caitlyn Harris, Jackson Hayes, Ashlee Hilyer, Kylie Hutton, Nathan Johns, Sarah Jones, Anna Kendrick, Derick Lowery, Karla Mancilla, Gabriela Marquez, Rilee Martin, Hayden McCullough, Colin Meeks, Yanet Melchor, Brenda Mendoza, Courtney Moore, Deven Moore, John Moore, Madeline Morris, Victoria Olguin, Laisha Pinon, Addyson Plier, Brianna Poe, Cody Posey, Audrey Price, Tres Price, Ethel Rico, Jason Rico, Jewelianna Rodriguez, Dallas Sadler, Ryan Scales, Austin Scott, Christian Simpson, Brooke Smith, Clara Smith, Samantha Snipes, Blaze Thompson, Christopher Tolbert, Marifer Valencia, Abigail Vansant, Angela Vazquez, Carlos Villeda, Caitlin Waddell, Paisley Walker, Cole Wilson, Austin Wyatt.

Second grade, all A honor roll
Dylan Benton, Elijah Bittle, Bryanna Blackmon, Leah Brackin, Conner Bullock, Jackson Burnette, Savannah Busby, McKenzie Cleckley, Logan Dalton, Cassidy Dansby, Leiah Davison, Hannah Ellison, Jared Fisher, Caroline Foote, Emily Fricke, Grayson Gann, Emmanuel Garcia, Sara George, Autumn Gilreath, Grayson Graves, London Grinstead, Danny Hafer, Bradley Headrick, Tucker Hilyer, Dawson Jones, Julia Kiefer, Sairah Kilgore, Taylor Lane, Chase Lang, Morgan Langston, Tiffany Lemley, Jonathan Lowery, Damion Martin, Daniel Martin, Clyde Mathis, Bree Morris, Keneth Orozco, Mattie Pace, Anna Patterson, Bryanna Phillips, Sha Kyia Pierce, Kelsey Porter, Nicolas Ray, Jessica Robinson, Courtney Rogers, Gentry Scott, Ty Scott, Gracie Smith, Jacylin Smith, Jordan Smith, Emily Smitherman, Morgan Smitherman, Colin Tillery, Austin Tolbert, Tori Tucker, Anna Walling, Briana Watson, Emma Weaver, Braylen Woodruff, Tyler Wright.

Third grade, all A honor roll
Marissa Adams, Christopher Aldana, Jacob Beal, Brittany Bice, Hailey Bice, Cassie Black, Suzie Blue, Tyra Brown, Jose Campos, Andrew Carlisle, Shianne Conn, Jacob Crabb, Tanna Curtis, Kinsley Davison, Megan Deavers, Bryann Elliott, Juan Garcia, Deboran Garrett, Wesley Gore, Daniel Green, Blanca Guzman, Jordan Hallmark, Colin Hayes, Ashton Hobbs, Garrett Ledbetter, Andie Lusco, Maria Maldonado, Gracie Mims, Madyson Mizelle, Haley Moore, Madison Nemec, Abigael Perales, Patrick Pickett, Melaney Pope, Ashley Porter, Blake Smith, Jerika Smith, Jaray Smitherman, Jake Thrash, Margaret Torres, Lauren Tucker, Gabe Wilson, Makenna Wiseman, Logan Woodley.

Fourth grade, all A honor roll
Dalton Anderson, Vaden Arnold, Josh Bice, Aaron Blankenship, Chyenne Boykin, Fletcher Brantley, Lauren Broussard, Zack Burnett, Jayda Emfinger, Moserrat Flores, Michael Garcia, Noah Glenn, Madelynn Kendrick, Dylan Levering, Kelsey Lowery, Justin Macks, Ashley Martinez-Moreno, Karmen Mims, Briana Moody, Charlsie Murphy, Hannah Northcutt, Averie Porter, Koby Posey, Danielle Sadler, Ryan Smith, Sawyer Smith, Lesli Thrash.

First grade, A and B honor roll
Antonio Abarca, Ricky Absher, Terra Anderson, Naohmi Andrade, Bryan Angel, Kelsey Argo, Cole Autrey, Hunter Baker, Brandon Barcenas, Robin Burnette, Ben Champagne, Kaden Childress, Jacob Cleckler, Macaleb Collum, Cameron Crabb, Emilee Culver, Amberly Davenport, Adamaris Delgado, John David Dixon, John Doaks, Ashley Drinkard, Breana Eaves, Joshua Gilliland, Jocelyn Guizar, Katie Haggard, Zyon Hardnett, Ryan Harris, Brianna Headley, Brennen Henderson, Angie Hernandez, Breauna Hill, Caleb Hobbs, Sarah Hubbard, Evelyn Jacobo, Andrew Johns, Morgan Johnson, Gema Juarez, Logan Kiefer, Jacob Lane, Natalie Larroca, Julio Lopez, Arturo Malpica, Jase Marshall, Adia Martin, David Martinez, Rebeca Mendoza, Conner Miracle, Luke Mitchell, Oscar Mondragon-Flores, Adrianna Newson, Max Noyola, Lynealya Nunn, Isaac Ramirez, Josiah Rhine, Adam Rico, Brandon Robinson, Kody Robinson, Tylan Rudolph, Jaylin Smith, John Lewis Smith, Logan Snipes, Desare Swindle, Erica Swinea, Michael Taylor, Alexandro Torres, Bladimir Torres, Tarun Varner, Daniel Walker, Du’vaughn Williams, Zamario Williams, Keeli Wilson.

Second grade, A and B honor roll
Keith Adams, Brittany Alonso, Michelle Alstott, Alana Alverson, Elizabeth Bice, Tosha Burnett, Austin Byars, Jorge Calzoncit, Priscilla Carroll, Tyler Chapman, Hannah Grace Childress, Rebecca Childress, Ja’Lessia Childs, Christopher Christensen, Zac Clark, McKinnley Collum, Brandon Connell, Cameron Cox, Bentley Cross, Shelby Crowson, Isabel Cruz, Payge Davis, Carlos Delgado, Chloe Eddins, Asia Flores, Colton Forester, Morgan Fowler, Brandon Garcia, Jesus Garcia, Noah Gilliland, Daphne Gonzalez, Dulce Gonzalez, Jacob Harris, Jadelyn Hatch, Jasmine Ingram, Cierra James, Eshala Jones, Destiny Kelly, Braden Lawley, Jacob Littleton, Axel Magallanes, Junithan McCall, Kimberlee Nieto, Monse Olarte, Jordan Rape, Madeline Rhudy, Phoenix Roper, Alex Schrader, Kamron Simmons, Autumn Smith, Brazier Smith, Stormy Smitherman, Ashanti Sowell, Anna Speakman, Ceaira Stockdale, Reace Thompson, William Turner, Antonia Verastegui, Alexis Vernon, Kalyb Williams, Savanna Woods.

Third grade, all A and B honor roll
Elian Alvarez, Jacob Anderson, Ashlyn Blankenship, Tyler Burnett, Chance Caraway, Hannah Coffee, Shilah Conn, Hope Creamer, Akilah Davis, Peirston Dixon, Johniya Doaks, Sarah Dover, Caleb Driskill, Christie Dutton, A.J. Eaves, Daylan Edwards, Erristen Evans, Bryant Flores, Felix Flores, Jose Flores, Rodrigo Flores, Patrick Gentry, Jasleigh Glass, Cindy Guajardo, Haley Haggard, Sadie Henry, Carlos Hernandez, Dylan Hill, Madie Isbell, A.J. Jackson, Gannon Jackson, Casey Jones, James Jurgens, Dylan Knight, Hunter Knight, Braden Larocca, Adan Lowery, Hunter Lowery, Madeline Manning, Sean Martin, Karla Martinez, Dylan McCombs, Braden McDaniel, Chance Merrell, Andrew Milford, Mackenzie Mizzell, Kayla Moore, Abby Moran, Lexy Murphy, Sergio Nava, Selena Noyola, Tanish Nunn, Jason Pena, Jason Perez, Daniela Pinon, Preston Porter, Camryn Pritchard, Taleshia Ramsey, Nephtally Rangel, Christopher Rico, Arnoldo Rivera, Ashley Sanders, Alexis Sauer, Ari Simon, Alyssa Smith, Anyah Smith, Samantha Smith, Kiara Stelle, Jaren Swindle, Jarred Taylor, Laurin Tillery, Juan Trejo, Katlyn Woodruff, Kathy Yaras.

Fourth grade, all A and B honor roll
Isaiah Absher, Lane Adams, Marisol Alcantara, Dakota Arnold, Blake Ash, Shyanne Bailey, Alyssa Benton, Gingeng Blanco, Bolton Kennise, Nich Brasher, Aryn Caputo, Dylan Carden, Austin Chapman, Katelyn Chapman, Zacoya Childs, Jordan Cleckler, Maleah Collum, Brandon Crabb, Dillon Cunningham, Nikeisha Davis, Hannah Dutton, J.T. Ellison, Eric Evans, Amaya Freeman, Kasey Garrett, Rene Gigandet, Nathan Gilliland, Tremayne Green, Andrew Hamblin, Noah Henry, Cody Hilyer, Tyler Huff, Edson Jimenez, Makenzie Johnson, Alyssa Keller, Trinity Kendrick, Josh Lollar, Tyler Lutz, Morgan Mahaffey, Shanda Manasco, Cheyenne Martin, Kaylob Martinez, Brady Mathews, Garrett McWhorter, Tyler Means, Chase Merrell, Gavin Miller, Memorie Miller, Drue Moore, Jordan Naugher, Lawson Payton, Dalton Phillips, Nathan Phillips, Landen Posey, Courtney Ray, Kaycee Ross, Jose Sanchez, Autumn Sauer, Annie Smith, Joshua Smitherman, Patrick Storey, Jaylyn Swindle, Lucia Tapia, Angel Trejo, Alan Villeda, Zach Vowell, Samantha Wyatt, Noah Young, Kinsey Zell.

By Stephen Dawkins

When two Jemison Girl Scouts needed help, they looked no further than their former elementary school principal, Louise Pitts.
To obtain their Bronze Award, Taylor Brown and Lexi Hann organized a community project: collecting canned food for the Sonlight Center, a local food bank, shelter and thrift store.
“They knew how we like to participate in community projects,” Pitts said. “They brought the boxes and printed out fliers for each class, and I offered an incentive: Any class where each student brought in at least two cans, they would be entered into a drawing for a prize.”
Several classes met the requirement, and Pitts said the prize has yet to be determined.
More than 600 cans were collected during the project’s official time period two weeks ago. Those cans have already been taken to Sonlight Center, and Pitts said students are still bringing in cans.

By Stephen Dawkins

Though Jemison Middle School will occupy the new Jemison Intermediate School next school year, Superintendent Keith Moore said the Chilton County Board of Education still plans for a four-school system in the city.
JMS is moving so that repairs can be made to the school’s 70-plus-year-old gymnasium.
Education officials have been waiting for the state to conduct a final inspection and officially turn over JIS, which is adjacent to Jemison Elementary School and across town from Jemison middle and high schools.
Moore said the board should take control of the new school soon and that Jemison Middle’s move will likely take place over the summer, which would require contributions from 12-month employees, such as administrators and maintenance workers.
“We want to do it when it would cause the least amount of confusion,” Moore said. “I’m sure we’ll have some teachers that will volunteer their time—and their families’.”
Jemison Middle’s move will be temporary.
“Once the repairs have been made, we’re going to go to the four-school system like we planned,” Moore said.
The board decided at its Tuesday meeting that grades 4, 5, and 6 will occupy the intermediate school. The middle school currently houses grades 5-8. Eighth grade, whose wing is actually connected to the high school, will stay at its current location while the other middle school grades move to the intermediate school.
Once the gym has been repaired, seventh grade will move back to the middle school, ninth grade will become part of the middle school, and fourth grade will move from the elementary school next door to the new school.
Moore said he did not have an estimate for the cost of repairs to the JMS gym—and said the repairs would take longer than the three months available during the summer.
Moore said the board decided it would be unsafe for middle school students to be in their current facility while repairs were being made to the gym.
“I think we’re doing the right thing,” JMS principal Mark Knight said. “This building needs a lot of attention.”

By Stephen Dawkins

Part of County Road 44 in Jemison will be closed Thursday as city workers replace a culvert pipe under the road.
The section of the road from the intersection with County Road 51 near Jemison Elementary School to the intersection with County Road 42 will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., said Shannon Welch, assistant to Mayor Eddie Reed.
“We’ve got to dig up a culvert pipe and replace it,” Welch said. “With all the rain we’ve had, the road is trying to cave in.”
Welch said the pipe has deteriorated, and rains have chipped away at the side of the road. Workers will put in a new 60-inch pipe and gravel and re-asphalt the road.
The work was scheduled for this week because JES students are out of school on spring break, so the work won’t create problems with parents getting their children to and from school.
Still, the road closing means motorists will have to detour down County Road 42 to Highway 31 North, and then back up County Road 51.

By Louise Pitts

Last week, several teachers at Jemison Elementary School were awarded PEECH Grants. Betty Giles and Pennie Broussard, members of the PEECH Grant Committee, brought the good news and presented the checks to the fortunate teachers.
Since educators are experiencing trying economic times, these grants were appreciated and will be used to purchase needed items for the classroom.
The recipients were: Jill Davis, Stacie Childress, Lynn Price, Lisa Short, Hollie Connell, Alex Ellison and Samantha McClendon.
This week is National Breakfast Week. The theme is “Ready, Set, Go.”
The lunchroom ladies at Jemison Elementary School spent this past weekend decorating the lunchroom with a race car theme.
They also developed a menu to go along with the theme. Students were served “Ready, Set, Go Sausage, Biscuit, and Gravy” on Monday for breakfast.
Our lunchroom ladies always go beyond the call of duty to provide our students not only with a wonderful breakfast but to entertain and make the students’ meals enjoyable.
We are very fortunate to have such caring and talented lunchroom ladies.

Louise Pitts is the principal of Jemison Elementary School.

By Stephen Dawkins

The library at Jemison Elementary School  checked out its 100,000th book of the school year.
The occasion—which occurred during Literacy Week and on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, no less—demonstrates how teachers and administrators have challenged students to read and how the students have responded.
School librarian Regina Young didn’t know exactly what book was the 100,000th to be checked it out or what student checked it out Tuesday.
“She was so busy, she missed it,” JES Principal Louise Pitts said.
“I missed it by about 200,” Young said.
Young stays busy because the library is used so regularly.
Pitts said most libraries use a fixed schedule, where each class visits the library at a certain day and time each week, or a flex schedule, where students visit the library individually after they have finished a book.
The JES library used both types of scheduling, and so as many as 12 classes visit the library on a given day to go along with the students that drop by as they finish a book.
“Ms. Young gives us the best of both worlds,” Pitts said. “Without her doing this, we wouldn’t be learning like we’re learning.”
The emphasis is part of the school’s employment of the Accelerated Reader program, where students are tested on their reading comprehension and their reading level increases as they perform well on the tests.
Each student has his or her own library card, and they have been instructed on how to use them to check out and check in their books without Young’s help.
The school even has a reading coach, Stephanie Halpert.
The students seem to enjoy the challenge of raising their reading level and trying more difficult reads.
“Ms. Pitts, I’m on a 4.3 level!” third grader Brianna Edwards exclaimed Thursday after checking out a new book.
“They love to tell you what level they’re on,” Pitts said.
Young said it’s not uncommon for the library to check out 1,300 books a day, remarkable considering the school has an enrollment of 885.
“That’s becoming our issue now is that so many kids are checking books out, they can’t find them on their level,” Pitts said, but that’s a problem she doesn’t mind having.