White Oak Parents Join To Reduce Number Of Combination Classes
By JACK GROVE
A large group of parents of
White Oak School children attend
ed the Edenton-Chowan Board of
) Education meeting on Sept. 2 to
protest the overlapping of grade
level in some of the school’s
classes.
The group, variously estimated
at 70 and 100 parents, was unhap
py to find on the first day of school
that five classes from
kindergarten through the fifth
grade had been combined. The
doubling up began with a mixed
kindergarten and first grade class
and the doubling went up to fourth
and fifth grade students.
School Superintendent John
Dunn explained that a shifting
school population from the town to
the country had caught the system
off guard with eleven more
students at White Oak than had
been expected.
The state allots one teaching
position for each 26 students and
mandates no more than 29
students per class. Dunn said that,
while the projected enrollment for
elementary school students was
right on target, there was “just an
imbalance between schools.”
Working within the constraints
of the state’s figures, it was
thought necessary to combine the
classes. Dunn said that this has
had to be done in “many, many
school systems across the state.”
The White Oak situation was
helped, however, by the transfer
of one teacher from D.F. Walker
to the school.
That transfer allowed for the
reduction of the combination
classes from five to two while not
affecting Walker’s student popula
tion. One of the combination
classes now has nine kindergarten
and 18 first grade students. The
other combines 17 first and 10 se
cond grade students.
In an interview Monday, Dunn
was asked if this combining of
students would degrade their
education. "No matter how
students are grouped, you still
have students of varying
abilities,” he responded. The
superintendent explained that a
grouping method of teaching is
routinely used in elementary
classrooms.
He said that while a teacher is
intruding one group of classrom
students (in uncombined classes)
another will be doing “seat work,”
such as coloring, writing or
reading. Teacher’s aides are used
in all classrooms from K-3 and
work with groups of students after
the teacher has started them on
their daily work. Dunn said that a
three-group method is traditional.
Another situation that has wor
ried parents is school bus over
crowding. Dunn said that there
were enough seats. He said that
this was an annual situation but,
“there may need to be some ad
justments made in the first 10
days.”
Dunn said of the meeting, “The
parents were concerned and voic
ed their concerns. We would have
done it differently if there was any
other way. I do not feel that it’s a
detriment to the education of the
children. It is possible that the
kindergarten children could ad
vance faster than otherwise, hav
ing role models to follow.”
Not all parents are completely
satisfied. When asked if she was,
Shelia Sawyer said, ‘‘No, I’m not.
I don’t think that anyone is
satisfied with combination
classes. However, having two is
better than five. Now we need to
work on eliminating the two.”
Sawyer expressed appreciation
to the school board members she
talked to prior to the meeting who
repeated her objections in public.
‘‘I’m very well pleased in thp
response that I got personally
from the board members that I
contacted,” she said.
Volume LI I - No. 35
THE CHOWAN HERALD
_Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
_Edenton, North Carolina, Ihursday, September 11, 1986
Single Copies 25 Cents
On Sharing the Burden
We get the feeling, since th<
change in leadership in th<
University of North Carolim
system, that the welfare of th<
taxpayer is not among the firsi
* priorities of the new
administration.
One reason Bill Friday was sc
effective with the legislature ir
promoting the university was that
he was so modest in the demands
he made for himself. He went foi
years without accepting whal
would have been considered
I reasonable compensation for his
work. It was not until he was
ready to retire that his pay was
pushed up to a reasonable level
Then, when he did retire, th<
new man, C. D. Spangler, Jr., ol
Charlotte, did not take office al
the entry level although he had nc
background of experience in
higher education. He now makes
f $112,200 a year, which is more that
the two best-paid governors in the
country draw.
Mr. Spangler had been in office
only a few weeks when he broughl
in Jay M. Robinson, Then
superintendent of Mecklenburg
schools, as legislative liaison at
$100,000 a year, replacing a very
effective $45,000 a year man. Then
il Wyndham Robertson was brought
aboard as acting vice president
for communications at $92,500.
Now there is a pecking order in
the university system, just as
there is in most organizations. To
kep things in balance, the salary
of Raymond H. Dawson, vice
president for academic affairs,
had to be raised to $111,600 and
t* that of Felix Joyner, vice presi
dent for finance, to $110,500.
All these slots are in the general
administration, from where the
fallout will spread to the 16 cam
puses. Certainly if vice presidents
in the general administration are
averaging $100,000 a year,
chancellors and vice chancellors
Continued On Page 4
8HRINERS PISH PRY SUCCESSFUL-Marvin Barham (1.) and Tom Byrum, at cash register, were
^ some of the Shrlners contributing to a successful fiahfi? Saturday. $6,200 in sales netted some $3,500 that
^ wUl benefit the crippled children’s hospital in South Carolina.
■ ■
Town Council Approves
Five Out Of Six Requests
With one notable exception, the
Edenton Town Council was in an
approving state of mind at their
Tuesday night meeting. Six re
quests concerning real estate
■ were brought to the council for
1 action.
Disapproved was a request for
! a special use permit by Arch B.
Edwards to operate a bed and
breakfast inn at 307 North Broad
Street. This property is across the
1 street from three existing inns
owned and operated by Edwards.
Edwards presented the request
and used a plat to illustrate the
present and proposed inns. He
said that the new inn would pro
vide six additional rooms for
visitors and would enhance the
neighborhood with a renovated
structure.
Backing Edwards’ request were
Chuck Smith, president of the
chamber of commerce, and Bob
Thomas, developer of a planned
Travel Host Inn at the intersection
of U.S 17 and N.C. 32.
Smith told the council that the
additional inn would be helpful to
the economy of the town. Thomas
said that he felt that the proposal
would not be in competition with
his highway motel and would
enhance the in-town accommoda
tions already in place.
Council members Marina
Crummey and A.B. Harless said
that they had received phone calls
from several less than en
thusiastic neighbors of the pro
ject. They said that they didn’t
want any more commercialism in
the neighborhood.
Taking this objection one step
further, some council members
felt that allowing the inn on the
east side of Broad Street would
open the door in the future to other
types of businesses in an other
wise residential neighborhood.
Another objection to the plan
was that guests would have to
cross the busy thoroughfare to the
main inn for meals.
The request was denied on a 3-2
vote.
Approved were:
• Issuance by the town of $40,000
in revenue bonds for a loan to
John T. and Linda L. Dowd. The
proceeds will be used to the
renovation of the second floor of
the Dowd Insurance Co. building
at 214 So. Broad Street.
• A special use permit to allow
Claude Small to operate a coin
laundry at his warehouse on
Badham Road.
• The purchase by Alice Marie
Taylor of town property at 308 No.
Oakum Street for $3,525 for the
construction of a home.
• The purchase of town proper
ty by Emily Edwards located at
300 No. Oakum for $4,000 for the
construction of a home.
• Authorization for the town to
demolish a dwelling on the west
side of the old Double Cola plant
was held in abeyance. The
building is in disrepair and
located directly over a sewer
main and is owned by Kathleen
Skiles and Celia Goodwin.
Social Services
Plans Commodity
Distribution
The Chowan County Depart
ment of Social Services will be
distributing cheese, butter, flour,
com meal, dry milk, rice and
honey to the residents of Chowan
County at two locations on Tues
day, September 16. Applications
will be processed and com
modities distributed at the
Edenton-Chowan Rescue Building
on West Hicks Street in Edenton
from 9:00 to 12:00 Noon; and at
the Center Hill-Cross Roads Fire
Department Building at Cross
Roads from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. on
the same day.
The commodities will be
available (as long as the supply
holds out) to all households receiv
ing food stamps in Chowan Coun
ty and other households meeting
certain income levels. The food
stamp households will be notified
previous to this day to bring in
Continued On Page 4
LOOK TO FESTIVAL—These people have special reason to look forward to the annual
which benefits that high school band program. Otis Strother, J.A. Holmes Band Director, is flanked by
Sue Rountree, President of the Band Parents Assoc, and Ronnie Sawyer, Peanut Festival Chairman.
reanui restival Parade Set For October 4th
The countdown has begun for
the eleventh annual Peanut
Festival which will be held in
Edenton, October 4-5. The
members of the Edenton-Chowan
Band Parents Association will
once again host this weekend of
family entertainment.
Although Chowan County is the
smallest in the state, Chowan
count grows 6,300 acres of peanuts
which gives a gross income of ap
proximately $6 million. In addi
tion, there are several major
peanut processing plants here
which employ approximately 350
persons. It is to this vital industry
that the annual Peanut Festival
gives tribute.
The two day event begins Satur
day morning, October 4, at 10:00
with one of the largest parades
anywhere in the Albemarle area.
Anyone interested in participating
should contact Shelton Stryker or
Waldo Winslow for more
information.
Also at 10:00, the sailboat regat
ta will be casting off from Eden
ton Marina. They will be following
a course set from Edenton Bay.
Trophies will be awarded for this
event at 5:30 at Edenton Marina.
Following the parade, spec
Mayor John Dowd
Recuperating
Edenton Mayor John Dowd is
recuperating from surgery per
formed at Pitt Memorial Hospital
in Greenville last week.
Dowd, who had been troubled
with back pain, was referred
there Thursday and surgery to
remove a herniated spinal disk
was performed Friday.
The mayor was visited by Town
Council members and the Town
Manager Sunday evening. They
reportedly found him in good
Bpirits and ready to return to
Edenton. He was released from
the hospital Tuesday and prill con
tinue to recuperate at his home.
The regular Town Council
meeting Tuesday night was
chaired by Mayor Pro Tem Willis
Privott.
tators may want to enjoy delicious
Carolina bar-be-que which will be
for sale at the Scout Hut from
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Take your lunch to Hicks Field
and enjoy it while watching bands
from throughout North Carolina
and Virginia compete for honors
with their exceptional shows.
Once again this year, Fisher Nut
Co. of Edenton will present
trophies to the winning bands at
4:00 p.m.
Be sure to take a leisurely stroll
through the arts and crafts booths
that will be set up in front of John
A. Holmes High School. Local
Craftsmen will be displaying
many items made with skill and
illustrating their talents.
Hicks Field will be the setting
for two exciting raffle drawings to
be held at 3:00 p.m. Home Federal
Savings and Loan has donated a
$100.00 savings account which will
be awarded to a lucky person. Be
sure and go by and register at the
local branch located at 101 West
Continued On Page 4
FAIR TIME—Some 20 rides will be featured on the midway at the
Chowan County Fair to be held Sept. 15-20. The annual event is spon
sored by American Legion Post 40 at the fairgrounds adjacent to the
Post 40 building on U.S. 17 Business south of Edenton. Rides, games,
agricultural exhibits and refreshments will be found in abundance dur
ing fair week.