From staff reports

Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, Jemison Middle School will offer more choices as part of its mandatory uniform dress code for students.

“When we informed parents and students that we were going to keep the uniforms even after the board’s county-wide vote, we had an even mix of positive and negative responses,” JMS principal Mark Knight said in a release. “But both supporters and opponents suggested we broaden the policy some.”

Starting in August, students may wear collared shirts of any solid color, not just navy, gray and white as required by the initial policy. Also, students may opt to wear a school related T-shirt any day of the week, not just on game days.

“But the no-denim policy remains,” Knight said. “Students will need to wear khaki, black, or navy pants with the collared shirt or Jemison tee. No jeans.

“In April, the board did not vote to support an idea to make school uniforms a county-wide policy, but after the ‘no’ vote, the superintendent told those of us that already had board-approved uniform codes that we could keep them,” Knight stated. “Jemison Middle never wavered in its decision to keep their uniforms.

The Chilton County Board of Education on April 19 voted against the implementation of a county-wide uniform policy, but previously approved policies at individual schools were unchanged.

“Because the opponents made the most noise, it’s easy to think that the community as a whole was against our uniforms, but it would surprise many to know that we had as many emails and calls supporting them as we did complaints. Parents and teachers both know that our dramatic decrease in discipline issues, our improved safety and our increased academic scores all came about when we brought in uniforms, and we’re not willing to sacrifice safety for fashion.”

Students will still not be allowed to wear hoodies, cargo pants or kangaroo pouches. And the policy of not allowing hair in the eyes is still in effect.

But Knight said the addition of color choices will satisfy most.

“With more colors, we allow for more choice while still maintaining the integrity of the dress code policy. Everyone wins—most importantly, the students.”

Parents wanting more information to know more about the updated uniform policy can view it online or get a copy at registration in August.

Registration for students new to Jemison schools is from 9-11 a.m. and from 1-3 p.m. on Aug. 11; for students returning to JMS, including new fifth graders, registration is on Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Law enforcement officials encourage residents with emergencies to always call 911 instead of a police department.

That point has been made more imperative by the incorrect number for the Jemison Police Department listed in the current Chilton County edition of Yellowbook.

The telephone number for Jemison Middle School is listed for the city’s police department.

The police can be reached at 688-4492, but again, anyone with an emergency should call 911.

“We probably get as many requests for assistance or inquiries within the police department through the front office as we do through our [911] dispatch,” JPD Chief Shane Fulmer said. “But dispatch is more efficient and there’s an accountability there. Call them; that’s what they’re there for.”

JMS principal Mark Knight said an extra 20 or so calls a day have stressed school secretaries that were already stretched thin.

“They’re calling saying, ‘I thought I was calling the police department,’” Knight said. “I called (Yellowbook) and let them know I wasn’t real happy about it. But we just give them the right number. I guess that’s all we can do.”

The publication with the incorrect information was printed in March.

Also, the police department’s address is incorrect, being listed as the location of the old Jemison Middle School.

The correct address is 14 Padgett Lane, Jemison, 35085.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Jemison Middle School will likely continue to occupy Jemison Intermediate School for at least one more school year.

The intermediate school was built last year to ease crowding by giving Jemison four schools.

Shortly thereafter, education officials decided the transition would include moving the middle school to the intermediate school, located adjacent to Jemison Elementary, so that renovations could be completed at the old middle school building, which is adjacent to Jemison High School.

But the high cost of the renovations coupled with evaporating state education funding has put the project on hold, at least until the Alabama Legislature passes a budget.

“None of us like the building sitting empty like that, but right now we’re just having to wait,” Chilton County Superintendent of Education Dave Hayden said.

No timeline has been decided on beyond waiting to see what action is taken by the Legislature.

Before students could move back into the old building, the gymnasium—which has been declared unsafe—would have to be demolished, a new gym constructed and the entire facility renovated, Hayden said.

A two-year-old estimate on the project was $1.8 million, a number that could be higher when work actually begins.

Hayden said getting an answer about state funding would be the first step; he would then meet with the Board of Education to discuss whether the renovations would be possible.

If and when the updates were completed, a decision would have to be made about which grades would move back to the old building and which ones would remain at the intermediate. Even grades that are currently at Jemison’s high and elementary schools could be moved.

The elementary school currently houses grades kindergarten through fourth grade, the middle school houses grades 5-7 and the high school houses grades 8-12.

Jemison Middle School Principal Mark Knight said the intermediate school building meets the needs of his teachers, students and administrators.

As for the future, Knight said he plans only to be back in the new building next school year.

“We’re assuming next year will be the same,” Knight said.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Sharrif Simmons on Friday took Jemison Middle School students “from the page to the stage.”

Simmons used that phrase, meaning taking education learned in the classroom to produce a performance, to both describe his career and tell students what they should aspire for.

Using a blend of music and poetry, Simmons entertained and instructed about 575 kids in the JMS cafetorium for the school’s Black History Month program.

Simmons asked attendees if they listened to music, and then what genre of music. The students seemed partial to hip hop, and Simmons compared hip hop lyrics to poetry.

He read one of his poems to the rhythm created by an acoustic guitar.

“There were a lot of images in there, a lot of words,” Simmons said. “That poem is about how music changes. When you’re writing poetry, focus on images. It’s like painting.”

Simmons performed a second poem, to a slower musical beat, and stressed the emotions invoked.

“A lot of it is how you feel,” he said. “How you feel is part of you being unique when you’re writing your poem.”

A third poem was written in French—Simmons has lived in New York, Paris and Ethiopia—and a final one discussed the importance of protecting the environment.

“Be unique in everything you do,” he concluded. “The experiences you go through are important.”

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

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 Ben Flanagan

The Chilton County Board of Education decided Tuesday that grades five, six and seven would occupy the halls of the new Jemison Intermediate School beginning next fall.

Jemison Middle School will be temporarily closed for repairs.

Superintendent Keith Moore said the JMS gymnasium is currently in too poor of condition to house students, so the grades listed above will attend JIS until the facility and other areas of the school are fixed.

Moore estimated the repairs would take at least a year to complete.

Eighth grade students will attend Jemison High School.

For more information on the changes, check back with clantonadvertiser.com on Wednesday and see Thursday’s paper.

Maplesville High School teacher and reading coach Gina Riley visited the board to seek approval to continue working on loan to the Alabama Department of Education’s reading initiative program. The board approved Riley another year to work as a reading coach by granting a waiver on the current leave policy.

By participating in the reading initiative, Riley said she gains knowledge as an educator that would benefit the Chilton County school system.

“I want Chilton County to be on top,” she said. “I want to represent it as well as I can.”

The board approved leave requests for Faye Collins, Beth Meank, Nancy Powell and Tracey Roberts.

The board passed a resolution to approve several school requests, including granting Chilton County High School permission to pay $1,225 from the junior class fund to Donnie Hand and Ray Sosa for making the school’s prom DVD.

The board gave Clanton Elementary School permission to transfer Tracey Brown to a contact substitute position and hire Rachel Morris as a contract worker to complete Brown’s assignments for the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year.

The board gave Clanton Intermediate School permission to pay Courtney Burke as a contract substitute. It also gave Isabella High School permission for its teachers to take third grade students on a field trip to Atlanta on May 14.

Jemison Elementary School was given permission to pay Dana Price as a contract substitute. JHS was given permission to take students to Math/Science Day at Six Flags in Georgia on April 23.

The board approved the hiring of Tracey Edwards as its new federal programs secretary and bookkeeper.

The board also passed a resolution to approve summer office hours for county school offices and the central office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.

The board accepted the resignations from the following county school employees: JES teacher Anne Chandler, Verbena High School teacher Marilyn Coe, CIS and bus shop teacher aide and bus aide Sharon Cost, JMS librarian Teresa Davis, VHS counselor and media specialist Jacqueline Fike, VHS band director William Hodges, VHS and bus shop teacher and bus driver Thomas Husley, Thorsby High School assistant lunchroom manager Annette Jones, THS and bus shop teacher and bus driver Jerald Jones, bus driver Otha Lee Little, CCHS teacher Richard McKee, Clanton Middle School teacher Sandra Mitchell, bus driver Betty Moore, VHS teacher Josh Robinson and CMS cafeteria manager Kay Lucas.

The board approved posting a vacancy for Isabella High School physical education teacher and football coach for 14 days. The board will hold a special meeting on May 6 to determine the hire.

The board approved changing its June meeting from June 15 to June 14 due to a conflict with a superintendent’s conference.

It also passed a resolution to approve an ELL summer camp proposal funded through Title III.

Principal contracts were approved for Greg DeJarnett, Rebecca Threlkeld, Dennis Cobb, Ricky Porter, Louise Pitts, Mark Knight, Alan Thompson, Maggie Hicks, Russ Bryan and Tommy Glasscock.

The board also approved a resolution to allow First Methodist Preschool to use a school bus on May 5 to tour kindergarten rooms at Clanton Elementary School.

The board passed a resolution to approve an extending computer maintenance contract with J&W Communications and Electronics for one year at $23,995 as per bid option.

The board passed a resolution to allow homebound services for two Chilton County students.

The next board meeting will take place on May 6 at 8:30 a.m.

By Mark Knight

In a time of economic strain, it might seem too difficult to come together for those in need.  But Jemison Middle School continues to do so into the winter and spring.
JMS is already focused on its award-winning Relay For Life team and the team’s fundraising.  According to Relay chairwoman Shonda Copen, the school is not at a loss for ideas.
“Our faculty and student participation has been incredible,” Copen said. “We’ve even had kids bring in lists of Relay fundraising ideas because they want to help out even more.Our Valentine’s Day pictures raised over $1,000, and we’re also selling Valentine’s candygrams.  But that’s just for starters.”
Copen said other fundraising ideas include Jean Fridays for faculty and a big school dance in the spring when the weather is warmer.
Assistant principal David Seale is also getting into the act.  A part-time musician, Seale has created a downloadable album of original songs with the proceeds going to the Relay team.
“I’ve released a few albums on iTunes, and I had a couple of new songs as well, so I set up an online store with an 18-song collection of old and new tracks for only $10, and that money will go to our team,” Seale said. “It’s a way for people to donate to a terrific cause and get a little something for themselves in the process.”
Two of the songs have true JMS connections.  One song, “Closer”, is a duet with JMS 7th grader Sarah Brantley that was performed at last year’s JMS talent show.  Another is a song Seale wrote years ago that he has played for JMS kids in past years.
“I played ‘Fat Dog’ for some fifth graders a couple of years in a row, and this year, several of them asked when I was going to record it,” he said.  “So I thought, ‘Why not?,’ and it’s now a reality.”
The album is available at davidseale.bandcamp.com. Buyers can get the whole album or just individual songs in formats that are compatible with mp3 players, iTunes, and iPods. He is also selling a seven-song CD for students for $3.
The Relay fundraising comes after two other incredibly successful drives.  As reported by The Clanton Advertiser in December, JMS history teacher Scott Ellison initiated a winter coat collection in which JMS sixth graders accumulated nearly 150 coats for needy students and families in Chilton County.
And Copen headed up the freeze pop drive for US troops fighting overseas.  With an initial goal of 1,500, the school surpassed that mark within the first few days.
“We had one homeroom alone reach 1,500, so our goal had to be adjusted,” Copen said. “I am just overwhelmed with the response from our school family here in Jemison.”
Ellison echoed Copen’s sentiments: “I know times are tough for so many families in our area and state.  To see the spirit of giving come through so strongly in our students is very inspiring, and I know that it will make a difference in their lives to see that their positive actions have an effect on others.”

JMS names students, teacher of the month
Jemison Middle School recently selected its students and teacher of the month for February.
The teacher of the month is Julie Lawrence.
Students of the month are: eighth grade, Madison Smith and Austin Dansby; seventh grade, Tyler Henderson and Maggie Zhang; sixth grade, Jordan Mahaffey and Kasia Millender; fifth grade, Alexis Easterling and Drew Bryant.

Mark Knight is the principal of Jemison Middle School.

Jemison Middle School inducted 65 new members to their Beta Club on Feb. 4.

The club had 39 members.

New officers are Morgan Lucas-president, Tyler Henderson-vice-president, Tayler Mazingo-secretary, Yoandra Camarillo-treasurer, Lauren Crosby-seventh grade representative, Madison Smith-eighth grade representative, and Brady Graves-activity planner.  Club sponsor is Karen Hayes. Pictured are (seated): Morgan Lucas, Tyler Henderson and Tayler Mazingo; (standing): Madison Smith, Yoandra Camarillo, Lauren Crosby and Brady Graves.

By Scott Mims

Jemison Middle School is collecting items to send to U.S. military troops in Iraq. The item of choice? Flavored freeze pops.
Seventh grade teacher and SGA sponsor Shonda Copen attended a conference last fall in which she participated in a Freedom Calls teleconference with soldiers in Iraq. One of the soldiers said the temperatures were around 90 in the fall, and the troops couldn’t get enough of the frozen treats.
“One of the things that he said when we asked, “What do you guys need?” was that they cannot keep freeze pops,” Copen said.
The JMS Student Government Association is sponsoring a school-wide project, Operation Freeze Iraq, through Feb. 12. The goal was set at 1,500 freeze pops, but nearly 3,000 have already been collected.
“Every student was asked to bring at least two unfrozen freeze pops,” said seventh-grader Griffin Street, SGA vice president. “One fifth grade classroom has already collected 1,600.”
The last day to donate is Feb. 12. Businesses, churches and individuals may also make a monetary donation to help with shipping expenses. All those who donate will have their name printed on the box.
As for the freeze pops, the more the merrier. Copen noted that all pops should be delivered in their unfrozen state.
“You don’t hear of freeze pops going over there that often,” she said.
Several students and school staff have relatives in the military who are either on their way overseas or will return soon. Street has a cousin, and seventh grade teacher Clarissa Smith has a stepdaughter.
“It’s personal. It makes you want to do all you can to help out,” Smith said.
“If I were over there, I would want something cold to eat,” added SGA treasurer Macey Thompson.
For more information, call the school at 280-4840.