By Justin Averette

A tea Saturday afternoon at Fountain Chapel AME Church honored the historic accomplishment of 2010 Peach Queen Jessica Swindle.

Swindle was crowned Miss Peach back in June, in process becoming the first black woman to hold the title.

Several community leaders addressed Swindle, praising her accomplishments, encouraging her to continue to work hard and wishing her good luck in the future.

“I’d like to say congratulations to Miss Swindle and encourage you to keep on keeping on,” County Commissioner Bobby Agee said. “I also want to thank you for being a role model for other young people.”

Other community leaders who spoke were Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver, Clanton City Councilman Greg DeJarnett, Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed, Maplesville Mayor Kurt Wallace, and Probate Judge Bobby Martin.

“We really appreciate Miss Jessica Swindle,” said Driver. “We are proud of you.”

“It’s been a long road, but you’ve persevered and gotten here,” Martin told Swindle.

Swindle was also presented with several scholarships and gifts.

A reception followed the ceremony in Fountain Chapel’s fellowship hall. The tea was sponsored by the West End Neighborhood Watch

Swindle is the 18-year-old daughter of Dwight and Madeline Swindle. This month she will start college at Alabama A&M University.

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

Seven really was a lucky number for 2010 Miss Peach Queen Jessica Swindle.

The 18-year-old Jemison high grad estimated Thursday that she had been in a total of seven Peach Pageants in various age groups before finally winning a crown.

“I’m so honored. I can hardly believe it,” Swindle said moments after her name was called at Chilton County High School.

Her parents, Dwight and Madeline Swindle were ecstatic — and quite proud too.

“She’s worked for this since she was a little kid,” said Madeline Swindle.

Her dad added: “Anything she’s ever done, she has always put her best foot forward.”

Swindle said she looks forward to her upcoming journey as Miss Peach and representing Chilton County.

Durbin Farms Market sponsored Swindle. In the fall, she plans to enroll at Alabama A&M University and study telecommunications. She would like to be a meteorologist in the future.

Linlee Karn won the swimsuit portion of Thursday’s pageant. She was also named Miss Congeniality.

Swindle’s court includes first alternate Marisa Hilyer, second alternate Candace Pierce, third alternate Leigh Anna Shavers and fourth alternate Krisi Caudill.

Earlier in the week, Kaitlin Ray was crowned Junior Miss Peach, Leah Easterling was named Young Miss Peach and Gracie Owens was chosen as Little Miss Peach. All four girls will be on hand for this weekend’s Peach Fest activities, including the Peach Parade and Peach Auction on Saturday.

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).

The Jemison High School Class of 1948 will hold its 62-year reunion at 6 p.m. on June 12 at Shoney’s in Clanton.

Class vice-president Norris Vickery sent invitations to class members and said he expects about 14 people to attend the reunion.

Vickery said 48 people graduated in the class.

By Justin Averette

Alex Moore’s family, friends, classmates and concerned community members said Saturday’s rally at Ollie Park was just the beginning of their efforts to address bullying in Chilton County Schools.

Alex Moore, a 15-year-old student a Jemison High School, jumped off an Interstate 65 overpass May 12, killing herself.

Alex’s supporters say bullying was one of several factors that led Alex to decide to end her life.

Page Perdue, a 2009 graduate of Jemison High, said she was happy to hear about Saturday’s rally, which was followed by a candlelight vigil in honor of Alex.

Perdue said she hopes the community learns a valuable lesson from Alex’s death.

“Our school system needs to be safe and inviting,” she said.

Perdue insisted the school system, parents and students must step up to make a difference. She said people must also understand the power their words have on others.

“The power of words can be so intense,” Perdue said. “The power of words can tear much deeper than physical hurt.

“It’s time our community took bullying more serious.”

Clanton Police Chief Brian Stilwell and Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis also addressed the crowd.

“A lot of time triumph comes out of tragedy, and let’s all work to make sure something triumphant comes out of this tragedy,” Stilwell said.

The police chief said there is often a wall children build between police, school counselors and teachers, and everyone must work to tear that wall down.

“We are here for you like we are here for your parents,” Stilwell told the children in the crowd.

Stilwell gave out his email address and said he wanted to schedule a meeting with kids and their parents to have a discussion about what law enforcement can do about bullying.

Davis said no one entity could fix the problem. It’s going to take students, parents, teachers, administrators and law enforcement all working together, he said.

Bullying seems worse today than in the past because students can’t get away from it because it now happens online, on Facebook and Myspace, Davis said.

“There is no way to escape that at 3 o’clock when we ride the bus home,” he said.

The sheriff said he would like to see lawmakers enact stronger anti-bullying laws.

“We need an Alex Moore law in Alabama,” Davis said.

Such a law should hold parents of bullies accountable for their child’s actions, he said.

“If we are going to stop bullying in our schools, there is going to have to be serious consequences,” Davis said.

During the vigil, students spoke about their experiences with bullying.

Thorsby eighth-grader Regina Wilson said Alex’s death didn’t have to be.

“Alex never deserved what she got,” Wilson said.

By Scott Mims

Anna Davenport of Jemison was named Chilton County’s Junior Miss on Sunday — just a year after her sister, Jana, was honored with the same title.

The upcoming Jemison High School senior also won awards for physical fitness, talent, self-expression and scholastics for a total of $3,300 in scholarships.

“Wow,” she said backstage after the winners were announced. “I’m very thankful. It was just a good experience…and I’m shaking.”

Davenport will go on to compete in the Alabama Junior Miss in January 2011 in Montgomery. Her college and career goals involve going into medicine and also majoring in music at either the University of Alabama or Judson College.

Jana Davenport, last year’s Chilton County Junior Miss winner, said she thinks her younger sister will do well at the state level.

“She’s very independent. She does pretty much her own thing most of the time,” she said.

The First Alternate and Spirit of Junior Miss winner was Kristen Robbins, a student at Chilton Christian Academy. Robbins was awarded $1,000 in scholarship money.

By Justin Averette

Fifteen-year-old Alex Moore fought many battles in her short life.
Her sister died in a freak accident less than two years ago, a devastating loss she never got over. She also lost a close cousin, and then last fall, her beloved pet dog.
The shy girl struggled with self-esteem and was teased by other kids for her weight, among other things.
While no one thing will ever explain why Alex made the decision she did Wednesday morning, her father believes a combination of things—the deaths in her family and the teasing—were factors.
Shortly before 7 a.m., Alex walked from her home off County Road 48 in Jemison to the nearby Interstate 65 overpass.
Once there, she jumped over the bridge into the southbound lane of traffic. She died from the impact.
Several drivers witnessed the incident, though no cars were involved.
The Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the death, has ruled the case a suicide.
On Thursday, Alex’s family and friends, including parents Jim and Jill Moore, were trying to make some sense of the tragedy.
Alex, whose full name is Jamey Alexandria Moore, left a note at home. Her father, Jim Moore, did not want to talk about the note’s content but did say Alex never got over the loss of her sister, Lesley Anne Harris.
Harris died after stepping into live electrical wires following an automobile accident in August 2008. She was just 24.
Moore said his daughter felt the driver should have been held accountable for the accident.
“She never got closure for that,” he said. “That’s always just eaten her up.”
Moore said his daughter in the past had problems with bullies at school and on the bus.
“I thought we had addressed most of that,” Moore said. “We knew it was going on some, but to what extent, I didn’t know.”
He said his daughter struggled with her weight and issues with her self-confidence. Also, Moore said Alex didn’t have a lot of interaction with other kids outside church, but that “she would shine through that so well.”
In the past two days, students and friends of Alex’s have suggested she was teased more severely than she ever let on.
“We didn’t know. She was more or less protecting the people who were tormenting her,” he said. “It looks like there were some issues of bullying.”
Moore said Alex was a good kid who offered to help her mother around the house the night before her death. He said she loved her country and animals.
Several Facebook groups were formed Wednesday and Thursday to allow friends and classmates to mourn and express their thoughts on the loss.
The largest group, Tears for Alex, had 1,550 “friends” Thursday night.
The student creator of the group wrote in the group’s description that Alex was teased daily: “Heartless people, our peers, teased her because she was not up to their standards. Well, not a lot of people are.”
Other comments recounted memories of the smart and quiet girl, who warmed up and made you laugh once you got to know her:
“I first met Alex when she was at the YMCA for summer camp years ago. She was bright, intelligent and a beautiful young lady. She could be so funny at times, and I loved having her as part of my group here,” wrote one commenter.
Another student wrote, “I talked to Alex every day that I saw her at lunch. She was one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.”
Law enforcement officials went to Jemison High School on Wednesday morning to let teachers, staff and students know what happened.
Every level was represented from Alabama State Troopers to Chilton County Sheriff’s Deputies to Jemison Police.
“We had support from every agency,” said Jemison High School Principal Alan Thompson. “I’m just so proud of how our community came together to help our students.”
Church youth ministers and pastors, school counselors and faculty members manned a counseling center for students throughout the day. Temporary private meeting rooms were set up in offices, classrooms and the auditorium.
Students were counseled in both individual and group sessions. About 20 to 25 students who knew the victim well sought individual counseling, Thompson estimated. Every student present was counseled in some way.
Many students have also missed class this week.
“The whole school gives our prayers and sympathy to the family,” Thompson said. “It’s a loss for us, too. We’re going to miss her.”
If any good comes from this loss, Moore said he hopes parents will talk with their kids about what is going on in their lives and when kids come to any adult with problems, whether at home or in church or school, they will be listened to.
“Whomever they tell needs to step up and take care of business,” he said. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
Alex’s visitation was Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. at Martin Funeral Home Chapel in Clanton. Funeral services will be Friday at 3 p.m. at Springville City Cemetery in Springville.
The Clanton Advertiser tried to reach Chilton County school officials for comment about the possible bullying at Jemison High School. Superintendent Keith Moore is out of town until Monday. Thompson could not be reached for further comment Thursday evening.
Sheriff Kevin Davis said Thursday afternoon he had no new information to share concerning his department’s investigation.
–News editor Scott Mims contributed to this report.

By Scott Mims

A 15-year-old Jemison girl was killed after jumping from an Interstate overpass early Wednesday morning in what the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department has ruled as a suicide.
The victim, reportedly a student of Jemison High School, jumped from the Chilton County Road 48 overpass onto the southbound lane of Interstate 65 near the 217-mile marker shortly before 7 a.m., officials confirmed.
One lane of I-65 southbound was shut down for approximately two hours. No vehicles were involved.
“It’s a traumatic thing for the family,” said Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis.
Union Grove Fire Department was dispatched to the scene, along with the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department, Alabama State Troopers, the Chilton County Coroner’s Office and Care Ambulance.
The sheriff’s department is the lead investigating agency in the case.

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.”