***I'm not sure why there are so many comments about no sex offender on Devinney Road. I found it pretty quick ... here's the link

When Mistie Meadows came to me about the bus situation, it was obvious she had done her homework. She had made many, many phone calls trying to resolve the situation. She got answers, she said, but they were not what she wanted to hear. She hoped that publicity about the situation could get something changed. And I hope she's right.

I can assure you, she's looked a lot of possible solutions and thought a lot about how to work things out but a working solution just hasn't presented itself.

For the sake of length, safety and relevance, I left out some of Mistie's story and information... But the story she tells leaves you with a creeped out feeling. For me, the most powerful thing she said was "You never see this guy until the kids are walking home from school."

A few things ...

• The men's charges: Both sex offenders were charged with indecent liberties with a minor. You can look it up on any number of state and watchdog sites. Due to the nature of the crimes, no further information or details of the crimes are available. Both men appear to be following instructions to register as offenders and so far don't seem to have broken any laws in regards to this situation. Any officer will tell you, there's nothing illegal about walking down the road you live on.
  
• The children do not go to an empty home. Their grandmother lives with them but because of poor health cannot drive or walk to get them. Also, house numbers and locations were left vague or completely omitted to protect the children and the offenders which as I've said above really haven't done anything wrong in this situation.
  
• Both W.D. Smith and Bruce Boyles said if there was a place to turn around, the bus would. Many schools have the new, longer buses which has required some routes and turnarounds to be altered. The layout of the road ... well, check it out for yourself, but a bend in the road makes the solution of neighbors watching them safely home impossible.
  
• A comment on the story -- this sums up an appropriate attitude I think and shows that this situation isn't all that rare or easily resolved:

My children live in a cul-de-sac and the school says it isn't long enough for the bus to come down to pick up my children. Something about road lengths. The cul-de sac is plenty big for the bus to go around. This means that I would have to sit in my car at the end of the road wasting that precious gas to keep them warm and then my children would have to ride a different bus home to a day care so that "I" can protect my precious children from a registered offender in our area. Readers, we do care about our children. Not all of us are rich enough to stay at home or pay someone to watch them. My children are old enough to stay home now but the bus situation and sex offenders prevent that from happening. Not all neighbors want to get involved or be bothered. After all they are my children. I do the best I can to protect them. The buses could make the little extra effort to drop them off in front of their homes. Once a sex offender gets hold of your child you can't turn the clock back. Its a simple solution. Drop them off in front of their homes. -- Sherry - Apr 28, 2008 10:33:15 AM

Labels: bus, Cleveland County Schools, education, sex offenders, Waco

Tonight’s the night. It all comes down to this. The orchestra and the pit. The cast and the stage. The crew and their headphones. Me and my bench.

It’s been quite a ride. I’ve fallen in love with the whole Shelby drama department. I’ve been allowed to be a part of the production as it went from stilted skit to honest-to-goodness, bona fide production. And it’s been fantastic.

Now, it’s time to take all I’ve learned from Kathie Burgin, Steve Padgett and Traci Aderholt and all I’ve learned from each cast and crew member and take to the stage.

On one of my favorite shows, Mythbusters, it’s common for one of the hosts to ‘give the odds.’ He’ll list off possible outcomes and their likelihood in percentages. Through careful planning and experience, the intended outcome is usually the favorite. Often receiving odds of 85 percent. The more outlandish the outcome, the smaller the percentage.

For me, the possibility my time on stage and Oklahoma! go off without a hitch is clocking in at about 89 percent.

I give 4 percent that I trip on my very long dress. Another 4 percent that I’ll trip someone else with my very long dress. There’s a 2 percent chance I fall into the orchestra pit in a whirl of floral pattern and clumsy. The final 1 percent goes to the outcome I actually give into my unwarranted stage fright and spend opening night hyperventilating in a costume closet.

To see how my predictions turn out, come see Oklahoma! and enjoy the show in Malcolm Brown Auditorium on Shelby High’s campus.

Tonight and Saturday, the show begins at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for students (and worth every penny. It’s a heck of show even if I don’t take a header into the pit.)

Labels: education, Oklahoma, schools

Want to know the worst thing about Oklahoma! rehearsals? Those songs get stuck in your head for days. Seriously. I’ve had a weeklong loop of “People Will Say We’re In Love.” Not torture but my goodness, it just won’t go away.
But on to other business.
The dress rehearsals have started. And we all look like a Mid-Western rainbow of gingham and flowers.
But everybody all dolled up really does have a profound effect on the feel of rehearsal. The boys amble along like honest-to-goodness cowboys. The girls are mindful of their full skirts and dainty bonnets. Everyone sings a little bit louder and gusto abounds.

Not only have costumes been added – the orchestra pit is starting to fill up as well. (And not with the bodies of actors who have fallen off stage.) The student musicians have been practicing and it shows.
No longer are performers drowned out by pre-recorded music blaring out of monitors on stage. No, it’s far more genteel now. Conductor John Champney and those populating the pit have their work cut out for them during these recent rehearsals.
While so much progress has already been made, there are still plenty of kinks to iron out in the production. Who goes where, what to do when you say this or that, which piece of set needs to be hauled upstage.
Steve Padgett makes no apologies.
Wait, I take that back.
He does apologize to the pit.
However, he doesn’t apologize for those of us standing around for what seems like vast stretches of time. Not that he has to. As I’ve been told, sore feet are just part of the process. And the drama veterans of Shelby High know it well. It’s the newbies like me who green enough not to see it coming.
It’s bittersweet to think that rehearsals a nearing their end – and becoming more stringent as a consequence. Once the performances start (the 14th, 15th, and 16th for those of you keeping score at home) that’s it.

Hope to see you there!
And be sure to checkout the Oklahoma! interactive feature on shelbystar.com.

Labels: education, Oklahoma, schools, students

Not much to report this week, really. Rehearsals have been few and far between this week. Between my schedule and the students’ schedules – there’s just been no time.

That isn’t to say students haven’t been funneling time into the production. Magically, a set has appeared where once there was merely timber and power tools and hope. A house was built and while it may not be able to withstand a stiff wind, it is certainly able to hold up the various students that have been weaving their way through the roofing beams during construction.
A windmill – that looks suspiciously like an oil derrick right now – graces the other side of the stage.

I tell you all this with a sort of carefree it-just-appeared sort of way. Certainly, nothing could be farther from the truth. While I am my desk or on assignment there are Shelby High drama students who are graded (at least in part) on what they build. There’s hauling material to and fro, painting (and perfecting the delicate art of moving large pieces of set while the paint is still tacky and wet), costuming…oh the costuming.

While the boys may be able borrow boots, dig out some old dungarees and tuck a mop of hair into a cowboy hat, the girls, I feel, have a harder time of it. The cache of dresses already made isn’t all that limiting but most must be altered in some shape or fashion in order to be “Oklahoma-esque” enough for the stage.

Some students are opting to make costumes. A small area, lovingly called the ‘sweatshop’, is home to piles of fabric, straight pins, ironing boards and sewing machines. The dresses to make, if you’ll recall my description from last week, require mounds of fabric and a lot of detailed sewing.

Yet, students who are in classes all day, rehearsals all afternoon and doing homework all night (and somehow managing a social life) have managed to pull together sets and costumes that would give professional theaters a run for their money.

Being part of this production has already given me an appreciation for the undertaking just being in the play can be…but lately, it’s also lead to a huge amount of respect for the people that make it happen.

Check out video of my costume (in all its glory) and rehearsal at shelbystar.com under the video section.

Labels: education, Oklahoma, schools, students

At my first rehearsal for Oklahoma! at Shelby High School, drama director Kathie Burgin welcomed me into the fold and then promptly put a piece of paper in my hand outlining just what was expected of me as a cast member.

I cannot, the paper said, use being in the play as an excuse to get out of the house. Well, that won’t be a problem. Mind you, it said nothing about using it as an excuse to get out of the office.
I also have to keep good grades. Easy enough, as I am not graded. Judged on a daily basis, yes. Graded, no.

At the top of the list of rules, in bold: no egos or temper tantrums.
I’ll keep that in mind. So far, smooth sailing.

To be honest, I was concerned about how I would be welcomed by the cast and crew.

It’s easy, I think, for people of a certain age to underestimate teenagers. Once you’ve worked in the ‘real world’ for a few years, it’s hard to feel sympathy for the troubles and stresses of high schoolers. But take a look at the cast and crew assembled in Malcolm Brown Auditorium and you don’t quite fear for the future as much.
They’re nice, funny, and conscientious — no one tried to stab me, no one egged my car, no one was strung out on drugs.
As my grandmother would say, they’re kids with their heads on straight.

As I type all that, I realize it kind of makes me sounds like I too used to have to walk to school up hill both ways…in the snow. A quick bit of math and I find that I’m around 10 years older than any freshmen cast or crew members. When younger students from elementary and the intermediate schools show up, I’ll be practically ancient to them. Remember how old everyone seemed when you were 11?

There’s a lot to look forward to. Next week, I’ll be heading to rehearsal more often. Learning the music and blocking (where I’m supposed to be on the stage) is going to be a big deal for me. And the costumes…a room, eerily reminiscent of a sweat shop, has been set up with sewing machines, ironing boards and patterns for students to create and alter costumes.
The set has been scaled back from original plans. Burgin said in the past two years, so much construction talent that she has to teach a lot of skills from square one. But with so many people on stage for the big numbers, the set will fill out nicely, she said.

Labels: education, just for fun, music, Oklahoma, schools, students

I love music. I love song. I have a good ear — I can hear an off note misfire without difficulty.

And there’s my curse people.

See, I know that when I sing, it’s not a pleasant experience for the listener. Oh, but I used to have a voice. As a child, I could sing. Somewhere in puberty I got womanly curves but lost a soprano set of pipes.

Oh how I wish I was one of those people (usually in the pew behind you) who make a joyful noise unto the Lord that's so cacophonous only their Lord and Savior could love it. They sing loud and proud and have no clue five miles away some golden retriever has cocked its head to the side in curiosity.

Nowadays, only an unfortunate few are privy to my singing. That’s about to change. Pretty soon, my voice will be on display for a much larger population.

Thanks to a kind invitation from Kathie Burgin and Steve Padgett — drama gurus of Shelby High School — I’ll be taking part in the school’s spring musical “Oklahoma!”
I’ll be going to rehearsals, learning the music, care of Tracy Aderholt, and the moves … I even get a costume. (I hope, hope, hope there's a bonnet.)

While preparing myself for the fabled gauntlet that is a Burgin-Padgett-Aderholt collaboration, I took a closer look at “Oklahoma!” I have to confess that while I’ve seen many musicals and know some by heart (Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...I could go on. And on.), I don’t think I’ve ever seen “Oklahoma!” in its entirety.

I know the part with the “Oooooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain…” I’ve always felt a sort of solidarity with people from Oklahoma. I’m sure when they tell people where they’re from they have to hear that line at least six out of 10 times. I know what a trial that can be after growing up with a name that has been the title to songs by The Association, Kool and the Gang and Madonna.
(I also feel this bond with people named Roxanne, Gloria, Michelle, Janie, Angie, Brandy, Laura, Caroline, Layla, Jenny - and your number, Mickey, Jack and Diane, Sara, Lucy, Rhonda, Jolene, Sandy, Sherry, Eileen, Loretta, Donna, and Stacy's mom.)

And I know “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” but that’s more due to my grandfather’s constant crooning when I was growing up than the movie.

I did some research — i.e. Google, YouTube and Wikipedia — and found some videos of the musical numbers. After watching the performances and the square-dance-like choreography I have a sneaking suspicion that singing may not be my biggest hurtle. (Cause my singing my be gauche but my rhythm is laughable. And it doesn't help I'm built like a chubby spider-monkey.)

But I look forward to learning about the production process and getting to know some of the students I’ll be working alongside with. I never did drama in high school, so I think this will be a nice chance to revisit those days. (AND THOSE DAYS WEREN'T SO LONG AGO...just for the record.)

So, check in here when you can. I'll be updating the blog when I can and every Friday I'll have a column in the print edition. I'll be doing some video, too.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions or advice.

Labels: education, just for fun, music, Oklahoma, schools, students

I sympathize with all those students, I really do. For me, the return to school was always a mixed occasion. Happy to be occupied with something other than digging in dirt or, once I was older, a summer job, was great but having to get up that early...and..learn...things...gah.

But as an education reporter I gotta tell ya, I'm thrilled that school is back in session. Summer, as you can imagine is a pretty lean time for a schools reporter. And much like summer vacation, the first two weeks were bliss. After the hectic rigour of the last days of school, a little down time was welcomed.

Week three was a different story. Keeping my story count up -- it's all about quotas -- with no schools to visit, it's hard. So I wrote about camps, the environment, the occasional crime stuff. Still, it was a pale imitation of the school beat heyday that runs form August to May.

But all that's over now. School's back. I'm back. And I'm excited about the year.

Here are some things I'll be keeping an eye on...

Shelby Middle's new uniform policy - Looking good and at 99 percent compliance the first day, everyone's eyes are on this school. (Continuing updates as milestones are reached...)

Accountability Report - Looks like a lot of schools are getting it right. Great strides were made all over the county. Still, some fell short. Marion Intermediate and James Love had some disappointing numbers but already teachers are working on any number of ways to improve scores. There's a lot of teamwork going on in the school system these days -- and it's a great sight. It'll be interesting to see just how these efforts pan out. (You'll see more in the paper about this bevy of numbers and data.)

Freshman academies -Everyone wants to increase the graduation rate and reduce drop-outs but it's clear there's no magic key to getting it done. Area schools have been trying out a freshman academies. If a student understands expectations, there's a better chance they'll meet them. I'll be talking with schools about how this is working and what kind of strategies are being used.

What else should I be looking into?

Labels: county, education, schools, students

I recently did an article about SAT performance in the county. Things have changed since I took the SAT. A new writing section has been added and 1600 is no longer a perfect score. The test, has been criticized as being biased...

Example: A famous example of alleged bias in the SAT I is the oarsman-regatta analogy question.The object of the question was to find the pair of terms that have the relationship most similar to the relationship between "runner" and "marathon". The correct answer was "oarsman" and "regatta".
The question relied upon students knowing the meaning of the two terms, referring to a sport popular with the wealthy. While 53% of white students correctly answered the question, only 22% of black students did. Analogy questions have since been replaced by short reading passages. However, gaps in scoring between black students and white students persist. - Wiki

But one of my favorite parts about the new SAT is the fact that the writing portion is scored not on factual accuracy but on the flow of writing. I could write the earth was flat and as long as I punctated properly, I could get a decent score.

All in all, I think county schools did well. All together they prepared hundreds of students to do well on the SAT. Any student who wanted to take it got to take it, so the numbers reflect an entire population of demographics.

Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, our local charter school, had a better average score than any of the high schools -- but hey, they only had to prepare 15 students. And while their scores are impressive...I am more impressed with the fact that so many students from N.C. actually took the test this year. Behind all these averages and numbers are students working hard to do well in school, parents supporting their quest and teachers arming them with the tools they need to get it done.

Labels: county, education, schools, students

Here's some of the stories I'll be working on this week...

• Kidsenses, in Rutherfordton, will be celebrating it's 100,000 visitor. Hopefully, I'll be there to cover (and partake) in the festivities!
• A local teacher has received statewide recognition for her work to keep students safe
• The Lumina Foundation, the YMCA and GWU have gotten a grant to study certain populations of college students
• Background checks...what do you get? How far back does it go?

Have I missed something? Any questions you'd like answered? Leave a comment or email me to let me know!

Labels: education, news, science, study

KidSenses Museum in Rutherfordton is aimed at children age birth to 10 years old. I'm a little older than that but let me tell you -- I had a blast.

I did find at least one thing that fit me...a throne. That's no coincidence. I want this to be my new office chair.

Labels: education, geek, just for fun, science, weather, weekend

State writing test scores

• Area schools are right at or a little above state average when it comes to the scores this year. Fourth-grade scores are down all over, seventh grade stayed pretty static as did tenth graders. The real standout is Kings Mountain High which saw a 20 percent increase in proficiency on the writing test. More in The Star later this week...

Uniform Fittings at Shelby Middle

• Educational Outfitters will be at SMS Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help size students for their uniforms. The kids seem surprisingly upbeat about the whole ordeal. For all the possibly nay-saying, everything seems to be going smoothly... the real test will be the first day of school.

Graduation

• Graduation is nigh upon us and let me tell you... it may be a hassle to attend one graduation ceremony. The heat, the crowd...not always pleasant. I'm responsible for covering five graduation ceremonies. I'm proud of all the graduates but if I'm running around high school campuses looking a little sour, you'll have to forgive me.

Labels: education, schools, students

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not, according to a study ordered by Congress.

Also, those who attended one of the four abstinence classes that were reviewed reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not attend the classes. And they first had sex at about the same age as other students — 14.9 years, according to Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

The federal government now spends about $176 million annually on abstinence-until-marriage education. Critics have repeatedly said they don't believe the programs are working, and the study will give them reinforcement.
However, Bush administration officials cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from the study. They said the four programs reviewed — among several hundred across the nation — were some of the very first established after Congress overhauled the nation's welfare laws in 1996.

Officials said one lesson they learned from the study is that the abstinence message should be reinforced in subsequent years to truly affect behavior.
"This report confirms that these interventions are not like vaccines. You can't expect one dose in middle school, or a small dose, to be protective all throughout the youth's high school career," said Harry Wilson, the commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families.

For its study, Mathematica looked at students in four abstinence programs around the country as well as students from the same communities who did not participate in the abstinence programs. The 2,057 youths came from big cities — Miami and Milwaukee — as well as rural communities — Powhatan, Va., and Clarksdale, Miss.
The students who participated in abstinence education did so for one to three years. Their average age was 11 to 12 when they entered the programs back in 1999.
Mathematica then did a follow up survey in late 2005 and early 2006. By that time, the average age for participants was about 16.5. Mathematica found that about half of the abstinence students and about half from the control group reported that they remained abstinent.

"I really do think it's a two-part story. First, there is no evidence that the programs increased the rate of sexual abstinence," said Chris Trenholm, a senior researcher at Mathematica who oversaw the study. "However, the second part of the story that I think is equally important is that we find no evidence that the programs increased the rate of unprotected sex."
Trenholm said his second point of emphasis was important because some critics of abstinence programs have contended that they lead to less frequent use of condoms.

Mathematica's study could have serious implications as Congress considers renewing this summer the block grant program for abstinence education known as Title V. The federal government has authorized up to $50 million annually for the program. Participating states then provide $3 for every $4 they get from the federal government. Eight states decline to take part in the grant program.

Some lawmakers and advocacy groups believe the federal government should use that money for comprehensive sex education, which would include abstinence as a piece of the curriculum.
"Members of Congress need to listen to what the evidence tells us," said William Smith, vice president for public policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, which promotes comprehensive sex education.
"This report should give a clear signal to members of Congress that the program should be changed to support programs that work, or it should end when it expires at the end of June," Smith said.
Smith also said he didn't have trouble making broader generalizations about abstinence programs based on the four reviewed because "this was supposed to be their all-star lineup."
But a trade association for abstinence educators emphasized that the findings represent less than 1 percent of all Title V abstinence projects across the nation.

"This study began when (the programs) were still in their infancy," said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association. "The field of abstinence has significantly grown and evolved since that time and the results demonstrated in the Mathematica study are not representative of the abstinence education community as a whole."

The four programs differed in many respects. One was voluntary and took place after school. Three had mandatory attendance and served youth during the school day. All offered more than 50 hours of classes. Two were particularly intensive. The young people met every day of the school year.
Common topics included human anatomy and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, classes focused on helping students set personal goals and build self-esteem. The young people were taught to improve communication skills and manage peer pressure.
___
On the Net:
Abstinence study: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/impactabstinence.pdf

Do I want my daughter having sex before marriage? NO!
In the event my daughter makes the (irresponsible) choice of having sex before marriage do I want her to know how to be safe (at least until I find out and kill her)? Yeah, actually.

Teenagers are going to have sex. Yeah, you may have taught your kid better than that but some teenage boys and girls come up with new ways everyday of talking your little darling into bed.

If they do have sex, maybe it's just that one time -- they've figured out they just aren't ready for it. They regret having done it. But if they don't know how to make that mistake safely, that one time could ruin their lives. AIDS, unplanned pregnancies and a litany of STDs are out there lurking.

Frankly, I don't think it should be up to the government to tell your kid about sex anyway. Of course, if you have cable, your kids probably know all about it anyway.

Labels: education, government, sex, spending, study