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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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Tanner
Leggett
horses
around
as Texas
mascot
INSIDE A2
Walker
receives
tech grant
I Goal is to facilitate
change, remove
barriers for learning
| By Earline White
Managing Editor
I ' ''
D.F. Walker students will
have the latest in cutting
| edge technology thanks to
| a $1 million-plus state tech
i grant.
Interactive white boards,
| and production of podcasts,
| videos and even a school
I news program are just a few
f of the activities students in
| the Northeast Consortium
| (Edenton-Chowan Schools
and Perquimans County
Schools) can look forward
to thanks to their district’s
recent receipt of IMPACT IV
| grants.
| Nelle Hyatt, director of
media/technology for the
local school system, said,
| • “Edenton-Chowan Schools
are very excited to be a part
f of the Northeast IMPACT
Consortium with Perqui
mans County Schools.
“We are looking forward
to replicating the IMPACT
model at D.F. Walker El
ementary School and pro
viding the students and
teachers with collaborative
tools that enhance the use
of technology in the cur
riculum.”
D.F. Walker has received
a lot of media attention re
cently, being honored as the
alternate North Carolina
School of Character. Walker
took the honor last year for
the first time ever.
The IMPACT model is
based on a vision of media
and technology programs
grounded in a team ap
proach in which media and
technology professionals
plan with classroom teach
ers to design, implement,
and evaluate multidisci
plinary and thematic units
of instruction that inte
grate technology, informa
tion literacy, and 21st cen
tury skills throughout the
curriculum.
Every student will learn
technology to access and
demonstrate new knowledge
and skills that will be needed
to compete in a constantly
changing international en
vironment.
INDEX
A Local
Opinion.....A7
Land Transfers...........A4
B Sports
Recent events....B1
Nascar.... B2
C Community News
Upcoming Events..,...C2
Society. C4
Obituaries......C6
Church......C7,8
D Classifieds
Buy/Seli/Trade.D1,6
Service Directory.D2
Employment...D3
02006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
From left, language arts teacher Debra Rook with students Debbie Rojas and Julia Jones and Wren, a trainee for the Guide
Eyes for the Blind program. Rook's students take part in Wren's training and care while in the classroom.
• j •
Students and teacher train
dog for work with blind
by Earline White
Managing Editor
Debra Rook stood in front of the
overhead projector teaching the class
about introductory hooks in persua
sive papers.
Behind her, on a faded blanket in the
corner was a yellow dog. Across the
room in a noisy aquarium a mudskip
per hid among the rocks.
The cockatiel cage was empty, be
cause it gets too cold here in the
winter. Later, a mouse made a guest
appearance beneath the TV and ran
behind the bookshelf.
The students paid no attention to
any of the animals, except the sur
prise mouse, who caused a quick stir.
The yellow dog Wren slouched mo
tionless, lying down for an afternoon
nap with her pet monkey.
The kids keep an online blog of them
selves and Wren, their 6th grade service
project, thanks to Rook — a “bleeding
heart liberal” who has found a way to
pombine her love of dogs and kids.
Classroom pets
While teaching in Lee County, Rook
discovered a link between the kids in
her class and her pets. “We had read
ing rats,” Rook said of former mem
bers of the menagerie she once had
housed at another school.
During presentations, Rook said the
students found it easier to present to
Algernon, the rat, than to just her. It
was as if the students were more in
teractive with the animals*
They (the students) loved reading
aloud to Algernon.
“And I had students that would argue
their grade with the rat,” Rook laughed.
Seeing this as a positive thing, and
with the administrator’s permission,
Rook has continued her work, now
bringing into the classroom a hopeful
candidate for the Guide Eyes for the
Blind program.
Rook has prior experience with her
dog, Maren, that died over the summer.
Maren was a therapy dog and often vis
ited with Rook in the classroom.
And now there is Wren.
Sharing the love
“If you don’t have a pet at home it
makes you feel like you have one,” Ali
Belch said from the back of the room.
And it gives the students a chance to
learn responsibility for a pet.
“You used to have to take Wren out
and tell her to ‘get busy’ 10 times. Now
she goes as soon as she hits the grass,”
James Duncan said.
Yes, the students have also taken the
‘picking up poop with a plastic bag’
course too.
Destined fate
Wren will be the most chased after
thing at Chowan Middle School for now.
At 16 to 18 months, she will be taken
toN.Y. fortesting which, if passed, will
lead to her Guiding Eyes training.
“Most of the dogs don’t make it,”
Rook said, petting Wren on the head
after a quick walk down the hall, on a
leash of course.
“But she could go on to be a hearing
ear dog, search and rescue ... she will
go on and do something good for some
body I have high hopes.”
By that time the class will be going on
to 7th grade, out of the blocked classes.
By then they may not remember the
moral of the Theodore Taylor book they
read about a boy named Phillip going
blind and getting an assistance dog.
But two years will be long enough
for the kids to feel more comfortable
about speaking in public and Wren to
have learned her commands.
Strong bonds
“When we got her I just wanted to
cuddle with her she was so cute,”
Mary Myers said.
“She likes to skate on frisbees,” Shaki
na Lawrence said. “And drink from the
fountain,” Debbie Rojas laughed.
“I didn’t know about that one,” Rook
said loudly, laughing and shaking her
hand in front of her face.
See WREN, Page A2 >
Commissioner incumbents run for re-election
By Vernon Fueston/Contributing Writer
Winslow; Holmes, county
office a concern in the future
Cole: Recruiting business and
increasing tax base are goals
Harry Lee Winslow has
filed to keep his first district
seat on the county commis
sion.
A farmer and retired farm
loan officer, Winslow has
been a member of the com
mission for 14 years.
He was originally ap
pointed to the board to fill
an unexpired term of Wayne
Goodwin.
When asked about the
most important accom
plishments during his time
on the board, Winslow cited
the construction of a com
munity center on Highway
32, the County Extension
Office Building, and the new
public safety building.
“I think you might say
we’ve been working,” he
said.
Winslow has also served
on the Col- ■
lege of the P
Albemar- |l
le’s Board | l
of Trust- k
ees since 11
his first H
year on |
the com- Winslow
mission.
He said the county faces
a number of challenges in
the future. Most of them re
volve around money.
“We’ve got a lot of things
facing us,” Winslow said.
“John A. Holmes High
School needs renovation
and we’re going to need a
new county office building.
“With the cost of mate
rials, you can only do so
much. You have to work it
out over time.” t
Filing for the commission
Ralph Cole, the former
White Oak Elementary prin
cipal, has filed for reelection
to his third district seat. He
will be running against Earl
W. Willis.
Cole was born and raised
in Pasquotank County, but
has spent most of his pro
fessional life in Chowan
County.
He holds a bachelor’s de
gree from ECSU and a mas
ter’s in education adminis
tration from ECU.
He served as a teacher in
Chowan County for nine
years before becoming prin
cipal at D. F. Walker Elemen
tary for 28 years.
Married with three chil
dren, Cole, 67, currently
works as director of field
operations and clinical prac
tice for ECSU’s department
of teacher
education.
- “As an
i n c u m - 1
bent, I i
want to I
see good
things!
Cole
continue,”
Cole said.
“Chowan County is my
love, here. I want to pay
something back. I’m an
open-minded person. Even
though I’m representing the
third district, I’m looking at
the total county and what
we can do here.”
One challenge for the fu
ture, Cole said, will be re
cruiting new business and
developments that can in
crease the county’s tax base.
“I don’t want to keep impos
ing new taxes,” Cole said.
ri'.i-: ■
Town
receives
‘fine’
audit
Town needs to
bolster its savings,
accountant says
By Connie Sage
Contributing Writer
Edenton earned above av
erage grades on its 2006-7
fiscal report card, with trnly
one major area — the town’s i
savings account — needing
improvement, according to
a financial audit presented
to Council on Monday.
The town is “doing fine,”
said James P. Winston of the
Oxford, N.C., CPA firm of
Winston, Williams, Creech,
Evans & Co. “There’s always
room for improvement.”
Winston delivered a
72-page document of the
town’s financial statements
as required by the State and
Local Government Finance
Division which monitors
and analyzes the fiscal and
accounting practices of lo
cal governments. (■
Taxpayers, said Winston,
would want to know, “Do we
have any money in the bank?
Have we reduced liabilities?
Is there an overall gain in
net assets?”
The answer was “yes” to
all three questions.
■ The town exceeded
its liabilities for the fis
cal year ending June 30 by
$16,191,150. Total revenues
were $16,805,774, compared
to $16,548,037 in expenses,
for an increase in net assets
of $257,737.
That was an improvement <
over last year, when the town
spent $245,383 more than it
brought in, according to the
report.
“It’s certainly in the right
direction,” Winston told
Council.
■ He applauded town of
ficials for collecting 97.7 per
cent of taxes, compared to
the state average of 95 per
cent. A total of $1,272,329
in taxes (not including car
taxes) was received, com
pared with $1,155,146 for the
previous fiscal year.
■ The town’s unreserved
fund balance — what’s left
in savings — is $792,481,
compared with $2.1 million
in reserves for other towns
its size in North Carolina,
Winston said.
Said another way, Eden
ton’s available funds are 18.2
percent of the general ftind
expenditures, compared
with 62 percent for other
towns this size.
The town is not in trouble,
Winston emphasized, but
said it needs to bolster its
savings account.
“Eight percent is the trou
ble level. (Edenton) should
strive to improve that aver
age. I’d like to see at least 30
percent.”
“It’s about a third of what
it should be,” he said, and to
increase the fund, the town
has to spend less than it take
s in.
The audit was due to the
state last October but an
See AUDIT, Page A2 ►