I Want and -sleed I
Your Vote May 2nd
Paijl Brooks
Board of Education - District 5
If you have Questions, concerns,
Suggestions or Criticisms, Call Me
522-1121
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We recently began our third year of
recognizing the "Certified Employee
of the Month" and the "Classified
Employee of the Month" in the Publ ic
Schools of Robeson County and we
are very pleased with how well the
program has been received. It is, after
all, our effort to salute people in our
system who may not, otherwise, receive
acknowledgment of all they do
for the students they come into contact
with and their schools.
It is so easy to accept the fact that
employees are paid to do a particular
job and that that pay is supposed to be
adequate compensation for what they
do. There's no doubt that what employees
earn in important since it is
how they sustain themselves and their
families. There is, however, something
more that can be done to reward
them. Teachers prepare lesson plans,
oversee the teaching of courses, grade
papers, and try to find the time to meet
with students who may need some
special attention. Additionally, they
also meet with parents to answer questions
the parents may have about their
children's performance in the classroom.
They often have cafeteria and
bus duty. Beyond that, they attend
workshops and other meetings and
take additional college courseson their
own time to help them be better teachers.
There's no doubt they deserve
recognition beyond their paychecks.
Then there are those employees
who are categorized as 'classified.'
While they may not be trained as teach
ers, they make an important contribution
to the well-being of out students
as well as to the smooth operation of
the school to which they're assigned.
They may serve as classroom assistants
who provide much needed help
for the teachers. They may serve as
cafeteria workers who see to it that
children receive the nourishment
needed for proper learning or custodians
who make sure that your children
are learning in a clean and safe environment.
They might also be bus
drivers who have the important task of
seeing to it that your children are transported
toand from school safely. Their
salaries notwithstanding, a pat on the
back is yet another way of letting
these people know that their work is
appreciated.
The people who are recognized at
each month's School Board meeting
are, of course, not the only employees
who deserve recognition. Many others
receive recognition at the school
level. The ones introduced at the
Board meeting have been randomly
selected from among those chosen at
the school level and Board recognition
is just another way of showing
our appreciation for a job well done.
As I said earlier, there is no doubting
the importance of salary but there
is also a great deal to be said for our
appreciation for what our employees
do and how well they do it and, as the
program enters its third year. I sincerely
hope that the program conveys
that to them. With some 3,000 employees,
we still have many to recognize.
Book Sale at
Public Libray begins
Robeson County Public Library will
hold its 2000 Book Sale April 13th-15th
in the old Lumberton Trading Company
building on First Street between
Chestnut and Walnut Streets. The
book sale will open at 5 p.m. on April
13th and close at 9 p.m. It will continue
at 9 a.m. on April 14th and close at 6
p.m. On April 15th the last day of the
book sale, the sale will begin at 9 a.m.
an conclude at 4 p.m.
The library is still accepting donations
for the annual sale. Books, videos,
books on cassette, encyclopedias
and reference books are welcome.
Please no magazines. You may bring
donations to the Lumberton Library.
Do you have any overdue material
that you borrowed from any of our
libraries? If so bring them in between
April 13-15, pay your overdue fee and
receive a credit that you can use at the
book sale.
For more information about this
year'sbook sale call 738-4859.
Uodtr a naw law you may qualify for
FREE DIABETIC
SUPPLIES!
EVEN IF YOU DQJiQI INJECT INSULINI
FOR SIGH UP CALL:
1-888-808-8774
GREAT LAKES DIABETIC SUPPLY, INC. -..-an?
Wanted!!!
Volunteers to teach F.nglish to nonnative
speakers. We especially need
tutors who can work in the mornings
or on Saturdays. No knowledge of
Spanish necessary. Training is free
and job satisfaction is guaranteed!
Formore information, call Heather
Jeeves at Robeson County Church &
Community Center(910)738-5204
Morw The $p6eson 'Trail
by Dr. Stan Knick, Director, UNCP Native American Resource Center
When Europeans came to the
Americas, they were looking for a
"New World." Their "Old World"
had proved to be a place with limited
opportunities for religious and
political freedom, for economic
development, for life without
devastating plagues, and for land on
which to live. Thus the idea of sailing
away to a "New Worlaj' of unlimited
opportunities seemed tabe the perfect
way out for many ordinary European
people. [
The "New World" also offered
the kings and queens a?JEurope new
and greater power. The country which
could control trade of the vast resources
of the "New World" would have an
immense advantage over countries
which were left out of the trade
arrangement. Spain and England
wanted power over each other. France
wanted power over both. Portugal
and The Netherlands each wanted a
piece of the new resource pie.
In the colonial view, the Indians
would just have to get out of the way.
Never mind that there was really
nothing new about this "New World."
Never mind that Native people had
been living here for many thousands
of years with their own governments,
languages and customs. Epidemic
diseases, warfare, assimilation,
termination, compensation and
relocation would do the work. The
Indians would just have to get out of
the way of what many Europeans saw
as "progress."
In the process, virtually all the
land in the Americas was taken over
by the outsiders. Indian people were
forced either to live on reservations
(land that the Europeans thought was
worthless) or to isolate themselves in
remote areas in order to survive. Many
Indians wound up living where no one
else would.
So why is there still, more than
500 years after Columbus, a desire in
some quarters to take what is left of
Indian land? Why, for example,
would the American Farm Bureau
Federation resolve within the last
decade to "support legislation to
establish the rule that all people have
equal rights and responsibilities under
the law?" This sounds harmless
enough, doesn't it? Why would the
Farm Bureau Federation be interested
in "equal rights and responsibilities
under the law?"
The Farm Bureau Federation's
resolution goes on to clarify its
position: 'The 'nation unto a nation'
treatment of Native Americans should
be abolished. We favor abolition of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs and
termination of special treaty rights to
purchase or negotiate for fair
____ ; J.
compensation. These steps will end
special treatment of Native
Americans and bring everyone to full
equality under the law." Despite the
subtle wording, it is apparent that the
Farm Bureau Federation is interested
in easy access to Indian lands for the
purpose of economic development.
What is there to be "developed"
on Indian land? Reservations in eight
western states have huge amounts of
coal, oil, natural gas, timber and
uranium. More than 40 percent of our
country'seasily-accessible low-sulfur
coal reserves are under Indian land!
Approximately 80 percent of
America's uranium is under Indian
land! According to Native Americans
in the 20th Century, the Navajo (Dineh)
Reservation alone contains "100
million barrels of oil, 25 trillion cubjc
feet of natural gas, 80 million pounds
of uranium, and 50 billion tons bf
coal."
The 500-year-old quest for
resources and power in the lands of the
"New World" is apparently not quite
finished yet.
For more information, visit the
Native American Resource Center in
historic Old Main Building, on the
campus of The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke (our Internet
address is www.uncp.edu/
nativemuscum).
Pembroke Kiwanis Report
The Pembroke Kiwanis Club held
its weekly meeting Tuesday evening
at the Jade Garden Restaurant with
Furnie Lambert presiding.
Program Chairman Ray Lowry
presented Dencie Page, Director of
Communities in Schools. CIS is a non
; profit, made up of 475 volunteers,
retired people, former teachers, former
professionals, people wanting to
; help out in the schools. They help
out in reducing the drop out rate. The
reading program has been very
sucessful in helping people of all
ages to learn to read. The community
in schools has been very helpful in
the Charter school program. This
assists them to graduate with ahigh
school diploma and getting themselves
a job. Mucho f the work is one
on one. truly a great help for them to
master the knowledge. The CIS
program helps in obtaining supplies
and facilities and funding, along with
getting volunteers to teach. CIS
helps the regular schools, the charter
schools and after school activities.
Our schools can be proud of the
combined efforts of the citizens in
Robeson County schools sytem.
Chairman Furney Lambert reminded
us that tickets are still
available for the Easter Dinner.
Dance to be held Friday. April 21st at
the Highland in Laurinburg.
Chestnut Street UMC Celebrates Holy Week
Chestnut Street United Methodist
Church in Lumberton will present a
dramatization of Leonardo da Vinci's
"The Last Supper" on Thursday. April
20. at 7 p.m. as one of the special
observances in the contemplation of
the events of Holy Week.
. In this program, the youth of the
church, dressed as the disciples, will
speak their minds to themselves, to
each other and to the Lord and question
"Is it I." Their costumes the disciples
positions as well as the beautiful
backdrop and other props resemble
theoriginal da Vinci's painting as close
as possible. The adult choir will present
choral interludes with an array of music
appropriate for this solemn and sacred
occasion. The service will conclude
with the congregation participating in
the Lord's Supper with Jesus and the
disciples and the singing of the beautiful
traditional hymn, "Were You
There."
This program is open to the public
and everyone is encouraged to attend
and share in these few sacred moments
of Jesus' life. This program is under the
direction of Mark Frazier, Director of
Music Ministry and Judy Seals, Living
Last Supper Theatrical Director. Chestnut
Street UMC is located at 200 East
Eighth Street. Dr. Stan Smith is the
pastor.
r E-mail the editor at^
brayhoyconnee@hotmatl.com.-1
Tell the Carolina Indian Voicel I
^what's happening with you. ZJ