O' reP 9 r jM.
Volume 55, No. 7
ALBEMARLE fflGH NEWSPAPER
311 Park Ridge Road Albemarle NC 28001
982-3711
APRIL 1990
Longer Days Ahead for AHS
By Bill Snyder
The educational system in Amoica has been
criticized recaitly for its inability to produce
competent, successful students. Government
officials and other knowledgeable groups have
been offering solutions to this problem for many
years, but more recently the suggestions have
become more serious due to the increasing
competition posed by foreign nations such as
Japan and Germany, Especially here in North
Carolina education has been the object of much
scrutiny because our SAT scores were the lowest
in the nation last year. One of the most com
monly suggested solutions to America’s educa-
^on crisis is increasing the amount of time stu
dents spend in class.
As a result, governmental boards in North
Carolina have derived a tentative plan to lengthen
school days and overall school years. The Re
gional Selection Committee, appointed by Gov-
®nior Jim Martin, has chosen the Albemarle City
School System, along with eleven NC public
school systems, to field-test the state’s new edu
cational objective. The state’s arrangement will
Saturdays for Snow Days
By Alex Overcash
A new policy on make-up days has recently
^n passed by the Albemarle Board of Educa-
^on. Starting next year, all snow days will be
niade up on Saturday. In the past these “snow
^^ys” have been made up either during spring
break or at the end of the year. This has caused
many problems with graduation plans, and
®lso original family plans for spring break. These
j^akeup days will be determined by the board at
®ast one month prior to the event. School will
^gin at the regular time, 8:00 A.M., and will end
3:40 P^. (next year's hours), with buses run-
^g their regular routes. Although this new
^licy may be impopular, it will help the school
eep original plans and schedules accurate,
raduation will be a week later next year because
this new plan. Spring break will be several
ys longer, since no snow days will have to be
Scheduled into the calendar.
i
Marcus revels In the glory of graduation while underclassmen contemplate the
long days ahead.
employ a seven and 3/4 hour school day begin
ning at 8:00 A.M. and dismissing at 3:40 P.M.
This schedule, as opposed to our six-hour and 45
minute school day, will create enough time for an
extra class period. This will also increase the
number of credits required for graduation from
22 to 26. Aside from adding an hour to each
school day, the state is planning to add nearly a
month to the school year. The 1990-91 school
year will begin August 1 and summer vacation
will begin June 14. Christmas vacation, spring
break, and other school holidays will remain the
same, but a 3-day fall break will be implemented
to give students a little extra time away from
school.
All the fine details and up-dated schedules
have not been totally completed. Athletic sched
ules, grading periods, and other such listings are
yet to be arranged on the agenda. These details,
along with other explanations and expectations,
will be discussed by Lt. Govemor Bob Jordan at
graduation June 7. Lt. Govemor Jordan, along
with most other government administrators, have
high hopes for the revamped system. Albemarle
High School has been chosen to conduct this
program for two main reasons. First, AHS is
ranked in the bottoml/3 of all public educational
facilities in NC. The state prefers a middle to
low-ranking school system so any positive re
sults of their program will be easily noticed.
Most importantly, AH$ has been chosen because
we have air conditioning throughout the school.
This will prevent early dismissals of the students
due to heat, and it will also make for a more
comfortable environment in which to work.
Things "Brewing" For Albemarle
By Susan Grantier
Students protest Saturday make-up
days.
The quiet, small city we know as Albemarle is
in for many huge and surprising changes. As of
this wnting, Albemarle has been chosen as the
future site for Southern Dixie Brewery and Dis
tributors. This business will bring jobs andmuch
economic profit to Albemarle. The plant is to be
located in southeast Albemarle, on a large tract of
land close to the new Stanly County Fairgrounds.
Besides creating new jobs, the new beer dis
tributor will also purchase all of its aluminum for
cans from ALCOA, which is expected to lead to
an expansion in ALCOA’s size and productive
c^abilities.
With a new beer distributor to be located
within our own city, local beer drinkers are
organizing a referendum to repeal the law forbid
ding the sale of alcoholic beverages. They are
also hoping the new brewery will have an outlet
store and a tasting shop.
Other new shops, businesses, and athletic
events are sure to follow the new brewery to
Stanly County. A professional soccer team is
ab-eady looking at the area as a possible home to
a professional team, because it is situated so
conveniently to Charlotte and other surrounding
areas. The team will probably be called the
Albemarle Polyatomic Ions, as Mr. Blalock is
expected to become general manager of the team.
If you’re used to the quiet living of Albemarle
and don’t like change, you may want to look for
a new residence. During the next 5 years, Albe
marle will face new and exciting changes. With
Charlotte expanding to the east, we will eventu
ally be absorbed by that city!
Chemical Warfare on the Gridiron
By Tom Stubbs
Recently in the news, much bad publicity has been given to the dilemma of ho w and where to store
°^g-term, low-level hazardous waste. While the state decides where to put the bulk of our waste,
Solite Corporation in Aquadale, on a daily basis, bums hazardous waste to form an aggregate
Material used in building. Until recently, the plant was considerevd extremly safe in its practices, but
a few shocking truths become painfully evident. It seems that a little over a decade ago,when
high school stadiurn was being built, some extra materials for filler were needed. The filler
Material that was used, as it turns out, was the extremely toxic by-product given off by the incinerator
^ it bums the raw waste.
This shocking discovery was made six weeks ago, when a representative from the ACME Lawn
Corporation came to survey the football field for future repairs. Noticing the poor condition
° the field, he took a soil sample, which ACME’s chemists and later the EPA tested. Both sets of
Jst results yielded the same conclusion. The soil from the football field came back positive for three
"^^dly toxins.
Blalock is assembling a team of chemists to come and assess the damage already caused by
of exposure to the chemicals. He has compiled a list of possible reactions and effects the
^ emicals may have on humans. Topping the list is apathy, followed by lack of coordination, nerve
^amage, hair loss, and in sev«e cases complete nervous breakdown. If you or anyone you know has
jyerienced any of these symptoms, you need to file a report with the school and get a physician
from Mr. Blalock.
Mr. Edwards and concerned students test the footbaii fieki for radiattoii