The Greene County Democrat

Category: School

  • Newswire : Cop acquitted in shooting death of Black Minnesota motorist – Philando Castille

    But the town dismisses the police officer following the verdict

    By Frederick H. Lowe
    castile
    Philando Castile

    Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com
    A majority White jury today acquitted a Minnesota police officer in last year’s shooting death of a Black motorist who told the cop minutes earlier that he was a registered gun owner and was carrying a weapon.
    The jury acquitted Jeronimo Yanez, of the St. Anthony, Minn., police department of all charges, including first-degree manslaughter, in the shooting death of Philando Castile, 32, on July 16, 2016, in Falcon Heights, Minn., near Minneapolis.
    Diamond Reynolds, Castile’s girlfriend, who was sitting in the car’s front passenger seat livestreamed the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook. Reynolds testified that she livestreamed the shootings aftermath because she feared Yanez would kill her. Reynolds’ 4-year-old daughter was sitting in the car’s backseat.
    Yanez testified that he stopped Castile’s car because he resembled one of two men who were involved in a recent robbery. When Yanez stopped the car, Castile told him he was a registered gun owner and that he was carrying the gun at the time. Castile was ruled out as a suspect in the robbery. No one has been arrested.
    According to a transcript, Yanez said, “Okay, don’t reach for it.” As Castile reached for his ID and proof of registration, as requested by Yanez, he fired seven shots killing him. Police found Castile’s .40 caliber pistol in his right front pocket. The gun contained a loaded magazine but there wasn’t a bullet in the chamber.
    When the verdict was read, some spectators cursed the jury, shouting that Yanez got away with murder.
    Following the verdict, the City of Anthony announced that it has dismissed Yanez as a police officer.
    The city officials said in a statement, “The City of St. Anthony has concluded that the public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city. The city intends to offer Officer Yanez a voluntary separation agreement to help him transition to another career other than being a St. Anthony officer. The terms of this agreement will be negotiated in the near future, so details are not available at this time. In the meantime, Officer Yanez will not return to active duty,”
    Last month, a majority white jury acquitted Tulsa, Okla., police officer Betty Shelby of first degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed motorist, after his vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The deadly shooting occurred in September 16, 2016.
    Shelby collected more than $35,000 in back pay and has returned to work but not to patrol. Crutcher’s estate has sued Shelby and the City of Tulsa. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks financial damages and departmental reform.
    In the Crutcher shooting and in the Castile shooting, both cops used the same defense. They said they fired their weapons because they feared for their lives.

  • Board to pursue making Robert Brown Middle School an Art & Technology Academy

    At the Greene County Board of Education meeting, held Monday, June 12, 2017, Superintendent James Carter, Sr. proposed that the board consider Robert Brown Middle School becoming an Art and Technology Academy and authorized the superintendent to apply for a Magnet School grant for this purpose. Dr. Carter explained that in this arrangement art and technology would be taught across the curriculum broadening the core curriculum for students.
    Dr. Carter also stated that the Arts and Technology Academy would compliment the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics) program that will be implemented in grades 4-8 at Robert Brown Middle School in the next school session.
    In his report Dr. Carter announced that the Chrome Books Program/Tablets will be available for students, parents and teachers in the 2017-2018 school session. This is a collaboration with the Housing Authority of Greene County and Stillman College. “In the Chrome book collection students and teachers will be able to discover a series of programs that will help teachers learn to use this product effectively,” he stated.
    According to Dr. Carter, approximately 947 Chrome books and Tablets will be issued to students for use in school and to take home for continued school work. He explained that students and parents will be trained in using the Chrome books and Tablets. “We want our teachers, students and parents to feel confident using Chrome books technology in this new endeavor. The end results will be more online coaching and mentoring that helps them design learning experiences for each student,” Carter said.
    Dr. Carter informed the board that according to recent reports the third grade cursive writing proficiency percentage indicated that 85% of the students were proficient in cursive writing.
    The board approved the following personnel items for Robert Brown Middle School recommended by Superintendent Carter: School Personnel recalled at Robert Brown Middle School: Teresa Atkins – Family and Consumer Science; Jacob Sullivan – 8th grade Social Studies; Jeffrey Nolen – 7th grade Social Studies; Ms. Majorie Duncan – 5th grade teacher; Ms. Wanda Blakely – Special Education teacher; Ms. Shunetta Kirkman – 6th grade teacher. Ms. Ashley Moore was hired as 5th grade teacher at RBM

    The board approved the non-renewal of Ms. Raven Brown, Special Education Teacher at RBM and the involuntary transfer of Ms. Doris Robinson from P. E. Teacher at Robert Brown to P.E. Teacher at Eutaw Primary. The board approved the following personnel items for Greene County High School recommended by Superintendent Carter: Three-year Principal’s Contract for Mr. Garry Rice, for the period of July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2020; Fentress Means – Greene County Learning Academy; Mrs. Nancy Cole – Long-term Sub Social Studies. The board also approved a family Leave Request for Ms. Linda Little, Social Studies teacher at Greene County High.
    Dr. Bennie Pennington was hired as Lead Teacher at the Greene County Learning Academy, and Mrs. Sondra Green was approved as full time Health Science teacher at Greene County Career Tech Center.
    On the recommendation of Superintendent Carter, the board approved additional Service Contracts 2017 – 2018 for the following employees at Greene County High School: (Separate Contract): Rodney Wesley – Head Basketball Coach (Boys); Kendra Payne – Head Basketball Coach (Girls); Janice Jeames – Girls’ Volleyball Coach; Frederick Holmes – Band Director; Jerome Franks – Head Baseball Coach (Boys); Su’Kova Hicks – Head Softball Coach (Girls); Drenda Morton – Cheerleader Sponsor.
    Additional Service Contracts 2017 – 2018 were approved for the following employees at Robert Brown Middle School: (Separate Contract): Corey Cockrell – Athletic Director, B – Team Basketball; Jacob Sullivan – Assistant Football Coach; Jeffrey Wesley – Head Basketball Coach; Marjorie Duncan – Head Girls’ Basketball Coach; Dorris Robinson – Cheerleader Sponsor.
    The following personnel were approved for Seamless Summer Feeding Program to operate at Eutaw Primary June 5 – 15, 2017 and at Greene County High School June 5 – 29, 2017 at a rate of $15.00 per hour for Managers and $13.00 per hour for Cooks: Linda Underwood – Manager at Eutaw Primary; Rosie Davis – Cook at Eutaw Primary; Mary Hill – Cook at Eutaw Primary; Gloria Lyons – Manager at Greene County High; Jessica Lake – Cook at Greene County High; Youlonda Coleman – Cook at Greene County High.
    The board approved employment of the following teachers for Summer School June 5 – June 16, 2017 (Funding Source – Federal Funds): Greene County High Teacher, Kelsey Smith – Special Education, Summer school teacher.
    At Eutaw Primary the board approved employment of Jacqueline Allen as Reading Intervention Teacher and Brittany January as Math Teacher at Robert Brown Middle School.
    The board approved the non-renewal of Ms. Sherry Wright as bus driver.
    Under administrative services, the board approved the following:
    * First Reading Federal Funds – Conflict of Interest Policy.
    * Agreement between Greene County Board of Education and Criterion Consulting, LLC for professional consulting services in area of Finance.
    * Travel for Frederick Square to attend the National Conference on School Discipline in Atlanta, GA., June 21 – 24, 2017.
    * Travel for Linda Underwood to attend the School Nutrition Association Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA., July 9 – 12, 2017.
    * Travel for Sharon Jennings to attend NAESP Leadership Institute in Alexandria, VA. ,July 26-28, 2017.
    * Travel for SFC Timothy Gibbs and JROTC students to attend the LeaderSTATE STEM Camp at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS on July 17 and July 21, 2017.
    * Four Day Work Week beginning June 5 – 9, 2017 and ending the week of July 24- 27, 2017.
    * June 29th as payday for the month of June due to the 4-day work week.
    * System to close July 3rd as part of the Fourth of July Holiday.
    * Budget Amendments recommended by the CSFO, due to the SDE by June 15, 2017.
    * Bank reconciliations as submitted by Ms. Katrina Sewell, CSFO.
    Superintendent presented the board with a draft of the Greene County Board of Education Strategic Plan for first reading. The board will review the plan at a work session tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 26, 2017.

  • Greene County IDA cosponsors dinner and barge trip to promote waterway links for industrial development

    Phillis Belcher and Tiffany Gribsy talking to John Laney, Mayor of Demopolis

    The Greene County Industrial Development Authority together with the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority and the Marengo County Economic Development Authority sponsored a catfish dinner and barge ride last week to promote waterway transportation as a key element of an industrial and economic development strategy for the area.
    Phillis Belcher, Executive Director of the GCIDA, indicated, “Greene County has a thousand acre, Crossroads of America Industrial Park at Boligee, that is served by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the Interstate Highway System, Colonial Pipeline and major railroads. We have one petroleum storage and distribution business in our park, which has a docking and loading facility on the waterway.”
    “We supported this dinner and barge trip to promote our industrial park, which has sites for several potential industries, to insure that state and Federal officials as well as private industry representatives are aware of Greene County and other neighboring sites in the Black Belt. Greene County is surrounded by waterways and rivers. The Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway is our eastern boundary; the Black Warrior Tombigbee Waterway borders our county to the west. We also have the Sipsey River, which is not channelized to our north.”
    The dinner on Thursday night, May 26, 2017 was held at the Demopolis Civic Center and attended by 100 public officials from Greene, Marengo and Hale counties. Greene County Commissioners Lester “Bop” Brown and Allen Turner attended as well as Mayor McAlpine and City Council members from Forkland. Several GCIDA Board members including: Dr. Warren Burke, Teresa Beeker and John Zippert also attended the dinner.

    On Friday morning, a group of 40 people, boarded a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging and maintenance barge, docked in Demopolis for a three hour trip on the river system. The barge, which is generally used to maintain the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, took the group from the dock down river to the Demopolis Lock and then back north to the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers and five miles, up the Black Warrior Tombigbee Waterway.
    Mitch May, Director of the TTWDA, based in Columbus, Mississippi said his organization was “a four state compact of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky to promote development of industrial and recreational sites along the waterway in cooperation with the state, Federal and local governments, like the Greene County IDA.”
    Danny Hensley of the USACoE office in Tuscaloosa, pointed out during the barge ride, “that you can go anywhere East of the Mississippi on the waterway systems; and that the Tennessee Tombigbee and Black Warrior Waterways are a reliable, dependable and cost effective way to ship materials within the U. S. and to international destinations through the Port of Mobile.”
    Phillis Belcher, Tiffany Grigsby (Vice Chair) and John Zippert (Secretary) of the Greene County IDA participated in the barge ride.
    The barge passed under the Highway 43 Bridge and went past the Demopolis Cement Plant, which relies on barge transportation to ship in raw materials and to ship out its finished products. On the trip the barge met other barges going in both directions, many fishing boats with people enjoying the water and passed many fishing camps nestled along the banks of the river. The barge travels at about 5 to 8 miles an hour depending on currents and load.
    “We were not able to take the barge up the Tombigbee to the Crossroads site at Boligee because of the distance. It takes 7 to 8 hours to reach our park by barge from Demopolis. We will plan another trip from the Heflin Lock at Gainesville, on the river to Crossroads some time in the future and invite more Greene County people to experience the values of barge transportation and our location on the waterway,” said Belcher.

  • NAACP National Board makes dramatic move to regain relevance

    By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor)

    cornellbrooks_3794_fallen_web120.jpgCornell Brooks of the NAACP

    Why did the NAACP’s national board vote to part ways with their president, Cornell William Brooks? Several longtime members contacted by the NNPA Newswire were shocked to hear the news. Brooks, 56, has served in the position since May 2014. Some NAACP insiders said that there was a lack of communication between the NAACP’s large board of directors and Brooks. Others say that a lack of fundraising prowess was the reason.
    On the day the board voted to end Brooks’ tenure as president (his current contract expires on June 30), NAACP Board Chairman Leon Russell announced that the 108 year-old organization is “re-tooling” and embarking on “an organization-wide refresh” in response to the “audacious challenges” in “today’s volatile political, media and social climates.”
    During an interview with American Urban Radio Networks, Brooks was asked why he was being let go. He responded: “I can’t point to any substantive reason. What I can point to is this: the NAACP over the course of less than three years, is more visible, more vocal, growing in members, donors, presence in the courts and in communities across the country.”
    Brooks continued: “We’ve had nine court victories against voter suppression in ten months. We not only demonstrated in Flint, we filed suit in Flint…online membership is up 87 percent and online paper membership is up seven percent. Online donations are up 800 percent,” Brooks added. On May 21, Brooks was bombarded on Twitter with positive praise from well-wishers for his three years as NAACP President.
    Brooks was also instrumental in spotlighting the damage President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions will likely do to voting rights with a demonstration in Alabama that resulted in Brooks’ highly publicized arrest.
    During a May 19 media call on the end of Brooks’ presidency, NAACP National Board Chairman Leon Russell and Vice Chair Derrick Johnson told reporters that the search for a new leader will start immediately and focus on, “renewed nimbleness and vigilance so that we can aggressively respond to the current climate of political unrest as well as the assault on human rights.”
    Russell also added that, “we don’t have a job description in front of us.”
    Russell said that there would be a, “system-wide and strategic revisiting of processes…that will ensure the NAACP can address these 21st century challenges.”
    Russell also said that he and Johnson would manage the day-to-day NAACP operations on an interim basis until a replacement for Brooks is found. They also announced a NAACP “listening tour” in an effort to be informed “by the people we serve” and to “harness grassroots energy” while at the same time listening also to current staff, past leaders in the Civil Rights Movement and “philanthropic” groups.
    The NAACP makes this startling leadership change at an incredibly crucial time. President Donald Trump is reeling amidst accusations of collusion with the Russian government, during the 2016 election season and obstruction of justice involving former FBI Director Jim Comey’s investigation of it. Attorney General Sessions easily represents one of the biggest threats to policy issues disproportionately impacting African Americans.
    But the NAACP has clearly taken a back seat in terms of national attention. Younger, tighter and more focused movements such as Black Lives Matter, Color of Change and now The Indivisible Movement have leveraged social media and narrowed priorities to push there agendas as the NAACP has remained in a traditionalist managerial model that would appear ill-suited for the times.
    The vote by the 64-member NAACP national board to part ways with Brooks took place during a quarterly board meeting in Florida and on the same day that Dr. Rev. William Barber stepped down as NAACP North Carolina State President. Barber has led the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina and won political and public relations attention as a result. He is now focused on a diverse “poor people’s campaign” modeled after Dr. Martin Luther King’s own work.

    Lauren Victoria Burke is a speaker, writer and political analyst. She appears on “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin every Monday. Lauren is also a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.

  • New Peace and Justice group to launch African Liberation Day May 25

     

    m.laminsaidykhan

    M. Lamin Saidykha

    (TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – The former head of Greenpeace Africa took the opportunity of the climate march in Washington last weekend to announce that “Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity”- a new Africa-wide social movement focused on climate change – will be officially launched on African Liberation Day – May 25.
    “It’s a terrible injustice that even though we the people of Africa collectively contributed the least to emissions, we are the ones that are paying the first and most brutal price,” said Kumi Naidoo, adding “we’ve got climate refugees, land that’s drying up, water sources that are disappearing and so on, which is already creating a quite a catastrophic situation.”
    “We feel extremely hurt that the countries that carry the biggest responsibility continue to deny their responsibility, but also deny the very fact that the science is absolutely clear that we have to get off dirty energy,” he said in an interview with the news show Democracy Now.
    Some 200,000 took part in the DC event, which included spontaneous music and informal speeches. The new group lists “Actions & Events” on their webpage for May 25.
    “We chose that day so that we can remind ourselves, our leaders and the world that we are tired of waiting for that liberation to be delivered. And to show them that we are prepared to take action and hold political and business leaders accountable and reinvigorate the journey to that better life for all.”
    It continues: “We are one of the youngest continents in terms of our demographic profile but we have some of the oldest leaders. If political leaders were honest with themselves many would acknowledge that they’ve been in power for far too long. They’ve run out of fresh ideas. We need to make way for younger people who have new perspectives on the problems facing the world.
    Africans Rising is about deepening solidarity across the continent. We must step up and be the first to speak out against human rights violations.
    The group’s coordinator is Muhammed Lamin Saidykhan, a 32-year-old Gambian human rights activist who organized widespread protests leading to the resignation of former Gambian head of state Yahya Jammeh..
    The Kilimanjaro Declaration, the movement’s founding charter, the Kilimanjaro Declaration, reads: “Africa is a rich continent. That wealth belongs to all our People, not to a narrow political and economic elite. We need to fight for economic development that is just and embraces social inclusion and environmental care. We have a right to the ‘better life’ our governments have promised.”
    For more information, visit the webpage at http://www.africans-rising.org/
    GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media.

     

  • Local DST Alumnae Chapter awards college scholarships

    Delta.jpg

    Shown above Scholarship Recipients: Jasmine Williams, Greene County High School; Darrylvoceya Campbell, Greensboro High School; Yasmeen Amerson and Lauren Smith, Greene County High School. Recipients not shown include: Sabrina French Greene County High School and Nahia Constant, Greensboro High School.

    The Greene County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. awarded scholarships to graduates of Greene County High, Eutaw, AL and Greensboro High, Greensboro, AL. Greene and Hale Counties are within the Chapter’s service area. Each recipient will receive a $500 award once he or she has confirmed enrollment in a postsecondary institution.
    The Sorority Chapter held a reception for the recipients and their guests on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at Ruby’s in Eutaw. Mrs. Nancy Cole, shared an inspirational meditation. Dr. Carol P. Zippert, the Chapter’s 2nd Vice President, brought words of encouragement. Chapter President Andrea Perry greeted the assembly and Isaac Atkins introduced the DST Chapter members present. Mrs. Nancy Cole served as Mistress of Ceremony.

  • Farmers reap ‘bitter chocolate’as unrest rocks Ivory Coast in Africa

    Cocao producerin Ivory Coast
    Producer displays cocao harvested in Ivory Coast

    May 15, 2017 (GIN) – Troubles in the Ivory Coast have pushed the price of cocoa to its highest level in five years.

    Don’t blame the farmer. In the world’s largest producer of cocoa, farmers have been going hungry since government slashed the price it guarantees for farmers by 36 percent, then withheld payments due since October – even while the nation’s economy grew by close to 9 percent for each of the past four years.

    Visitors to the capital, Abidjan, may see signs of new wealth and a surge in construction transforming the city. Investors have poured in from Mauritius to Morocco. But many ordinary Ivorians have yet to see the benefits of growth.

    Daily broadcasts on state TV celebrate the nation’s so-called economic miracle, but an outburst of social unrest this year – the worst since 2011 – is a sign that people are running out of patience.

    “There’s a colossal development gap between Abidjan and the interior,’’ Youssouf Carius, an economist with Pulsar Partners, a private investment fund, told Bloomberg News. “Even though some areas have a lot of potential, private investment won’t arrive as long as public services remain largely non-existent.’’

    “People feel that inequality is growing, and it’s a feeling that’s fanned by symbols: in Abidjan, you won’t go a day without seeing a Porsche Cayenne,” Ranie Kone, an economist, told a reporter. “We’re in a culture where showing off is very important and people tend to live above their means.”

    While farmers, rough diamond miners, and former rebel soldiers struggle to get a living wage, the number of dollar millionaires in Ivory Coast climbed 45 percent in the past decade to 2,500, more than the African growth average of 19 percent, AfrAsia Bank Ltd. said in a report. It’s likely to jump another 80 percent in the coming decade, according to the bank.

    Meanwhile, over 8,000 former rebel soldiers who were promised bonuses for helping to bring President Alassane Ouattara to power in 2010 are taking up arms over the promise broken by the administration. Military violence has been reported in the nation’s two largest cities and witnesses on the ground describe empty streets, closed schools, banks and offices in the upscale Plateau district.

    “The situation is dangerous in terms of what will happen if a full-blown confrontation erupts between loyal forces and mutineers, Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris reported. “The civilian population will be caught in the crossfire.”

    Elsewhere on the continent, Madagascar, the world’s largest grower of vanilla beans is predicting steep price hikes after a tropical cyclone in March destroyed over 30% of the crop.

  • Board of Education approves non-renewal of school personnel recommended by superintendent

    The Greene County Board of Education held its monthly meeting, Monday May 8, 2017, one week earlier than usual to satisfy the timeline for end of school requirements regarding school personnel. State law mandates that non-tenured personnel must be notified of their non-renewal status 15 days prior to the end of the school term. Individuals who receive a non-renewal notice from the Board of Education, may still be considered for continued employment for the next school term.
    With the recommendation of superintendent Dr. James H, Carter, Sr, the board approved the following personnel for non-renewal by school.
    Eutaw Primary School: Eric Hendricks, Physical Education Teacher; Jackie Allen, Reading Intervention.
    Robert Brown Middle School: Sheketha Crowell, 5th Grade Teacher; Sheila Billups, 5th Grade Teacher; Shenetta Kirkman, 6th Grade Teacher; Wanda Blakely, Special Education Teacher; Joseph Polk, 7th Grade Teacher; Tiffany Linebarger, STEM Facilitator; Angel Cordona; Adjunct Dance Instructor; Vassie Brown, Adjunct Instructor, Drama; Frank Jackson, Auto Mechanic Teacher (part-time); Teresa Atkins, Family and Consumer Science; Jacob Sullivan, 8th Grade Social Studies; Jeffery Nolen, 7th Grade Social Studies; Marjorie Duncan, Reading Intervention.

    Greene County High School: Frank Jackson, Auto Mechanic Teacher;
    Greene County Career Tech Center: Sondra Green, Health Science Teacher (part-time); Tweela Jordan, Teacher Aid (part-time).
    Greene County Learning Academy: Cordarrin Wilson, Alternative School Teacher; Fentress Means, Alternative School Teacher.
    Additional Service Contracts (separate contracts) were terminated for the following personnel:
    Rodney Wesley, Head Basketball Coach (Boys); Kendra Payne, Head Basketball Coach (Girls); Gentrell Eatman, Head Football Coach; Eric Hendericks, Assistant Football Coach; Walter Taylor, Assistant Football Coach; Janice Jeames, Girls’ Volleyball Coach; Frederick Holmes, Band Director; Jerome Franks, Head Baseball Coach (Boys); Jacob Sullivan, Head Softball Coach (Girls); Angel Cardona, Dance line Sponsor; Cordarrin Wilson, Track Team. Under personnel items, the board approved a three year Principal Contract (probationary) for Toice Goodson, 9th Grade Academy Principal.
    The board approved the following personnel for the system’s Summer School Program.
    Eutaw Primary School Teachers: Diana Bowen; Pamela McGee; Montoya Binion; Keisha Williams; Tamecisha Abrams.
    Robert Brown Middle School Teachers: Vanessa Bryant, 4th Grade; Theodora Scott, 5th Grade; Shunetta Kirkman, 6th Grade; Katoya Quarles – Math, 7th & 8th Grades; Su’Kova Hicks – English, 7th & 8th Grades.
    Greene County High School: Angela Harkness; Gilda Jowers (additional facilitator).
    The following administrative services, recommended by Dr. Carter, were approved by the board.
    * Travel Biloxi, MS to attend 2017 Spring Nike Championship Basketball Clinics on May 12, for Rodney Wesley, Jeffery Wesley, Kendra Payne, Codarrin Wilson.
    Provide Summer Feeding Program at the following school sites: Greene County High School – June 15-30 (duration of Summer School Program); Eutaw Primary School – June 5-16 (two weeks).
    Replacement of controls for units above ceiling and remove additional insulation for new controls into existing heating and cooling units at Robert Brown Middle School at additional costs of $8,000.
    Authorize Superintendent Carter to secure independent experts to determine cause of buckling of gym floor at Greene County High School.
    Chief School Financial Officer, Katrina Sewell, presented the board with the April Accounts Payable Check Register and the Payroll Check Register. Sewell reported that all local accounts have been reconciled with the exception of Carver Middle School/Paramount accounts, which are consolidated through March, 2017. According to Sewell, the system has requested assistance from the State Department of Education to complete the bank reconcilements.
    The CSFO also noted that the Bus Fleet Renewal Fund for 2016-2017 was short $19,000. This amount will be reimbursed to the general fund account from the 2017-2018 Fleet Renewal Fund.
    Superintendent Carter presented updated on various programs/projects of the current school year including the following: Family and Consumer Science; Computer Science Program; Drama Program; Career Tech Program; JROTC Program; Dual Enrollment; Choir; Community Services.

  • May is National Foster Care Month

    Judge Judy.jpgShown above Judge Judy Spree signing proclamation surrounded by l to r: Jimmie Zoppie Foster Parent, Fannie Smith President of Foster Parents, Mattie Gray Foster Parent. DHR Staff: Director Wilson Morgan, LaTonya Wooley, Foster Care Worker, Jacqueline Hughes, Family & Children Services Supervisor, Beverly Vester, Q.S. Coordinator and Kimberly Tyree.

    May is National Foster Care Month, a month set aside to acknowledge foster parents, family members,volunteers, mentors, policymakers, child welfare professionals, and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections. During National Foster Care Month, we renew our commitment to ensuring a bright future for the more that 400,000 children and youth in foster care, and we celebrate all those who make a meaningful difference in their lives.
    Greene County encourages citizens to volunteer their talents and energies on behalf of children and adults in foster care, foster parents, and the children welfare professionals working with them during this month and thoughtout the year

  • Trayvon Martin, who dream of being a pilot, to receive Honorary Aviation Degree Florida Memorial University will posthumously award Martin at the HBCU’s commencement this month.

    By Taryn Finley
    Trayvon M
    Trayvon Martin at aviation high school

    An aviation school in Florida is honoring Trayvon Martin with a posthumous degree at its commencement this month.
    Florida Memorial University, a historically black college, announced in a Facebook post Wednesday that the 17-year-old, who was gunned down by a neighborhood watchman in 2012, will receive a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science with a concentration in flight education on May 13.
    The degree will honor the “steps he took during his young life toward becoming a pilot.” His parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, will accept the degree on his behalf.
    The university’s president, Roslyn Clark, said that awarding the posthumous degree is important for the school and noted that Fulton is an alumna of the HBCU.
    ` “Of special significance is awarding posthumously the Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation to Trayvon Martin. Sybrina, our alum, epitomizes strength and dignity as she uplifts other victims of violence while effecting change for a more equal and just society,” Clark said in the press release.
    In addition to the degree, the HBCU will host a post-commencement fundraiser. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Trayvon Martin Foundation, which is headquartered at the college.
    Before he was killed, Martin had dreams of becoming a pilot. Fulton told the Tampa Bay Times in 2012 that her son spent time studying at George T. Baker Aviation School during his freshman year of high school. Martin was inspired by his uncle, Ronald Fulton, who had a brief career in aviation. Barrington Irving ― who in 2007 became the youngest person at the time to pilot a plane around the world solo ― also had a big influence on Martin’s interest after he started attending Irving’s summer youth programs.
    “He loved flying and working with his hands. Barrington Irving took him on his plane at the Opa-Locka Airport. He got a chance to sit in the cockpit and that did it for him,” Fulton told the Times. “He wanted to be a pilot or work as a mechanic in aviation. He was mechanically inclined and could fix just about anything.”
    Neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman killed Martin five years ago in Florida. Zimmerman called 911 to report that Martin, who was carrying an Arizona Watermelon Fruit Juice and Skittles, looked suspicious. Despite dispatchers instructing Zimmerman not to pursue the teen, he did anyway. He got into a fight with Martin and fatally shot him.
    Martin’s death sparked protest nationwide and led to the creation of Black Lives Matter. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in 2013.