Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / June 25, 2009, edition 1 / Page 9
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Hhutok by Uyii fan ?? .. The fire fighters have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming c o m pe ti - lion. Firefighters from pcific fl Shown for more than a dozen years on ESPN, the gru eling challenge pits teams of firefighters from across the U.S. and around the world against each other. Suited up in full-hunker gear - complete with a Scotts breathing appara tus - relay-style teams negoti ate a slate of challenges that simulate the work they do in real emergencies. Rescuing a 1 75-pound dummy and carry ing 40-plus pound hoses up stairs are among the duties each team must complete with precision; the slightest slip might give a competitor the edge. ? .'Ever since 1 wanted to join the fire department. I've wanted to do the (Scotts) chal lenge," said Harris, who is the veteran of the team, with 1 1. years at the department. "1 said. 'We've got enough women (in the department) now, let's see if we can get five to do it." Other individual and paired competitions are also part of the challenge, which rs hosted in locations across the country throughout the year. The world competition is slat ed for November in Las Vegas. But only the best- of the best get invites to it. "We're going to get invit ed; we're going to make it there!" exclaimed Richardson. While men's teams from the Winston-Salem Fire Department have competed and consistently done well in the competition for some time. Danielle White shows off her guns, r : ? 1 Natasha Owens the women's team, which was formed earlier this year, is still looking to make a name for itself. The five-member team represents almost half of the 1 2 women who currently serve the city as firefighters. "It's been a lot of fun. I think it's actually something that the women in the depart ment can bond to ... because we are obviously in the minor ity." Kostyrka said. "It's sorriethingthat the women can look forward to: it's an accom plishment for us to show that there are strong women out there." Harris, Kostyrka and Lacy brought home a bronze from their first competition in Monroe. They were behind the second-place team by a mere 13 seconds. But the third place standing was a good start for the team,' the women believe "The team that won first place was world champions . . . two years ago," Lacy revealed. Although the competition incorporates things that fire fighters do on the job, the combination of tasks and the intensity of the workout is far more than the women say they would typically encounter in a normal workday. "Sixty to 70 percent of the fire department's business is EMS calls," White explained. "Even though you're in shape, you think you're in shape, but you try to do the contest and you're like. Oh boy.'" Greensboro-based Piedmont Nutrition and Fitness has been helping the ladies get in shape for the upcoming challenge since March. Co-owner Natasha Owens says the group impressed her from the start. "The first day we worked out with them we were speechless," she related, "...these women were phe nomenal. They give at least 350 percent to every workout that they do. As soon as it was over, they were like, 'Alright, let's do it again. " Piedmont Nutrition and Fitness, which offers boot camp and other group training sessions, has offered its servic es to the group free of charge. "They help so many peo ple and 1 think that for them to want this so badly, why not help them?" Owens remarked, "i don't think we can ever give enough back to a firefighter." Owens, one of three own ers of the startup business, says she expects the women to do well in August. "They are so prepared and so ready for it that we're not worried at all," she said. "I'm definitely very confident that they'll finish first or second place." To help the Piedmont Nutrition and Fitness team with expenses related to- the upcoming competition, visit - w w w. pnf training .com and click "donate." ?v '? ? ' ?? /?-. . Flic Ph. to Goler wants to trade this land for some that the city owns. Forum scheduled on proposed City, Goler land swap SPhC I ALTO THE CHRONICLE East Ward Council Member Joycelyn Johnson will hold a community forum Tuesday. June 30, to discuss a proposed land swap between the city and Uoler A. NTH. Zion Church. The forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Winston Lake Family YMCA. 901 Waterworks Road. Under the pro posal before the City Council. Goler would give the city 14.6 acres it owns on the south side of Waterworks Road, across from the Winston-Salem Family YMCA, in exchange for 12 acres the city owns on the north side of Waterworks Road, east of the YMCA. Goler is seeking the land swap to Johnson build a $10 million nursing home in partnership with the Lutheran Council on Aging. Lutheran Services would seek the required zoning permits before con struction could begin. The land acquired by the city in the swap would be added to the city's park land inventory and developed for recre ational purposes and parking. Members of the city staff will be present to answer ques tions'. A map showing the tracts is posted at www.CityofWS.org. For more information, call City Link at 727,8000. Tests . from page A I graduation day did not receive diplomas. Fifty-nine local high school seniors received degree certificates in lieu of diplomas this year, said Kenneth Simington, assistant superintendent of Student Services for school system. Most of those who received the certificates - which is not an equivalent to a diploma and basically just states that a student completed all other high school requirements - as a result of failing the com petency tests. Simington said that many of those who failed the com petency tests had good grades in high school, other wise. "Every year, we have a number of students who accumulate enough credits to graduate, but have not met the competency standard." Simington said. "It is trou bling for us that a student would have made good grades and not pass the com petency tests." Mendez sayS the matter was recently brought to his attention. "I started hearing about students who have done very well in school ... but, because they didn't pass the competency test, they can't get a full diploma." he relat ed. "That just struck me as being extremely weird and unfair." Parents are not allowed to review the tests to see where their children scored poorly, another fact that concerns Mendez. "They need to change some of the policy," he said. "Students and parents ought to be able to see where their weaknesses are and be able to make that up." Simington says the Simington school system is bound by strict confidentiality guide lines from the state. The competency tests do not reflect a student's real capabilities and potential. Mendez believes. He says the community meeting is designed to get input from others and, possibly; develop an agenda to address the test ing issue. "I'm still getting or top of this, but the couple of peo ple that I did talk to have a real concern about that, that's why I want to open it up for a bigger discussion," he related. "It's just really getting off the ground. There's no conclusions drawn at this point, but it sounds like a problem we ought to be concerned about." Eighth grade tests are ini tially administered at the cul mination of the students' eighth grade year. Similar tests are given during what the school system deems as gateway years: at the end of the third and fifth grades. In recent years, eighth-graders who have taken the compe tency test have aced it the first time, says Dana Wrights, director of school system's Accountability Sevices wing, But regardless of when the test is taken, it is always based on the curriculum that the student taking it studied during their eighth-grade year, she added. "The competency test ... always reflects whatever they were required to learn in eighth grade. It's not a hard er test than what they took in eighth grade; in fact, it's vir tually identical," she said. Tutoring is available for those who continue to have problems passing, Wright saiid, and if the test is insur mountable, there are ways to get around it. Scoring above the 50th percentile in most nationally, recognized standardized tests ^ for instance, scoring a 480 or higher on the SATs in the category or categories where the student's compe tency score is lacking - is enough to circumvent the competency test for that area, she said. Students who finished high school this year but did not graduate because they weren't proficient in a com petency test may retake the test at area community col leges through the continuing education program. Simington said: In the event that they do pass the test at that time, the students may then receive their diplomas, provided that all other degree requirements have been met. A meeting about the eighth grade proficiency tests, and new testing requirements for the 2009 2010 school year will he held on Tuesday, June 30 at 7 p.m. at Emmanuel Baptist Church. 1075 Shalimar Drive. For more informa tion. call 336-788-7023. Chronicle the Choice for African-American News , is located at 617 N. Liberty Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336-722-8624 Fax - 336-723-9173 news@wschronicle.com Visit us at www.wschronicle.com to sign up for our online edition. The Chronicle was established by Ernest Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974, and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc. The Chronicle is a proud member of : National Newspapers Publishers Association ? North Carolina Press Association * North Carolina Black Publishers Association ? Inland Press Association Home Delivery Subscription Order ? YES, Please send me The Chronicle ? 2 years: $40.95 ? 1 year: $30.72 ? 6 months: $20.48 - . - - - / - ? ? ? ? ' ? Name * ? ' - ; ' ? ; - ? - ? ; " - ? ? ? ? ??? ? Address City r State Zip Phone Email Address ? VISA ? Mastercard ? American Express ? Check enclosed ? Please bill me Account Number Expiration Date Signature Send to: The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636, Winston-Salem, NC 27102 L J Business Office 723-8428, exL 100 Paulette Moore or ext. 101 Andrea Moses
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