SATURDAY
August 27,2011
Roxboro,
North Carolina
www.personcountylife.com
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Serving all of Person County since 1881
Couricr-®mejr
TOUGH LOSS:
Warriors rally past
Rockets in 2nd half
to claim 25-19 win
Thursday night A6
PCC AWARDS:
Foundation names
Excellence Award
winners B3
RPD'S LIST:
Roxboro police lists
Person County \s
Most Wanted for this
week A3
HALL OF FAME:
County Attorney
Ron Aycock named
to NCA CC Hall of
FameSC\ti
RCS OFFICERS:
Capps, Phillips
named co-presidents
of Roxboro Commu
nity SchooTs Student
Council^!
YOU READY?
Personiarts tell as
how they have pre
pared for Irene A2
HOME WIH:
Rocket volleyball
team claims victory
in home opener hb
STILL PERFECT:
Person tennis team
has pushed win
streak tofive A7
-]|
DEATHS
i[-
Ruby Dalton Adkins, 92
Gretna, Va.
See page A9
-itiMir-
AGENDA
A3
BOAT WRITES
A2
BOOKS
Bl
CLASSIFIED
B8-9
COMMENTARY
AS
COURT
B6
DO YOU KNOW
A2
EDUCATION
B2
FAITH & WORSHIP
B4-5
LEGAL NOTICES
B9
LIFESTYLE
B3
MOVIES
A3
OBITUARIES
A9
OBITUARIES
A9
REALTY TRANSFERS
B6
SPORTS
A6-8
TV LISTINGS
B7
Our
129th year
Number 69
Two sections
20 pages
Copyright
2011
The Courier-Times Inc.
I rights reserved
Storm expected to deliver rain,
Rf?
Strong windgusts in Person
IRENE
BY TIM CHANDLER
COURIER-TIMES EDITOR
tchnntller@roxboto-toutlet.com
As the coast of North Carolina
braces for a direct hit from Hur
ricane Irene today, Personians
are also preparing to deal with
heavy rain showers and strong
wind gusts associated with the
powerful storm system.
Interim Person County Emer
gency Management Services
Director Penny Payne said local
officials were “planning a partial
activation” of the county’s Emer
gency Operations Center (EOC)
early today.
“Person County Government
and City of Roxboro Government
has all of their services available
to support and protect the citizens
of the community,” Payne said.
“We are preparing equipment,
staff and other vital resources
should they be required.”
As of late Friday afternoon,
Hurricane Irene was forecast to
be a Category 2 storm and strike
the North Carolina coast near
Cape Lookout.
See IRENE, Page 10
PERSONALITY RESCHEDULED EOR OCT. 14-15
The annual Personality Festi
val, which was scheduled for Fri
day night and today in Uptown
Roxboro was postponed Thurs
day as weather uncertainties
related to Hurricane Irene were
looming.
Personality 2011 was resched
uled for the weekend of Friday,
Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15, in
Uptown Roxboro.
Personality organizers opted
to postpone the event due to the
forecast of sustained winds of 20
miles per hour and wind gusts
of at least 30 to 40 miles per hour
and the potential for up to two
inches of rain.
‘Very close to
perfect’
Person County Schools begin
new year really well’ Thursday
BY GREY PENTECOST
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITFR
gteypentecost@roxboro-courier.com
GREY PENTECOST I COURIER-TIMES
Woodland kindergarten teacher Amanda Morrow stands with two of her students, Emi Martinez-Alta-
mirano (left) and Haley Martin, as homeward bound students board the buses at the end of the day.
For Person County Schools
students, summer vacation came
to a close Thursday morning as
4,714 students made their way to
school for the start of a new year.
At Woodland Elementary
School students had been given
a snapshot of what they will be
expected to learn in the coming
days through content and concept
maps posted on each classroom’s
walls.
Woodland Principal Kirk Brozy
explained that the maps, created
for both reading and math (as
well as science in the fifth-grade),
are part of the Learning Focused
model’s research-based strategies.
At the end of each instructional
unit, he continued, students will
engage in “summary point writ
ing,” which involves using the
posted vocabulary words to an
swer the “essential question” of
the unit.
In his second year as Wood
land’s principal, Brozy noted that
the teamwork of the staff and the
vertical alignment (as students
build on the concepts they’ve
learned at each grade level) have
been the two biggest improve
ments he has seen since he’s been
at the school.
Schools Supt. Dr. Larry W.
Gartner visited several schools
Thursday, while other central of
fice staff lent a helping hand that
morning at the various schools in
the district.
“From all reports,” said Gart
ner Thursday afternoon, “things
are going really well.”
He said the only thing that sur
prised him was that Helena Ele
mentary’s third-grade had about
30 less students than expected.
Elsewhere in the district, he said
class sizes were in line with pro
jections.
Gartner said it was a “super
opening.
“And we kind of felt like it
would be,” he continued, “be
cause we had such good turn outs
at all levels for open house this
year, which is really a positive in
dicator of parents being involved
with their children’s education.
Every principal was just pleased
with the level of turnout for their
open house.”
Gartner said he also noticed
good attitudes among the staff
during last week’s workdays and
professional development ses
sions.
In a letter to PGS staff Thurs
day, Gartner mentioned that al
most 100 teachers participated
in technology workshops over
the summer, while others worked
with various other projects.
“We’ve just got a phenomenal
group of teachers and school
leaders,” he said. “I think some-
See PCS, Page 10
Megan Wright named Teaeher of the
Year at Roxboro Community Sehool
BY GREY PENTECOST
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITER
gteypentecost@roxboto-courler.com
Roxboro Gommunity School
fourth-year English teacher Me
gan Wright listened with the rest
of her colleagues and the school’s
students as the RGS Teacher of
the Year (TOY) was described
Wednesday. The fact that she
was the teacher being described
didn’t really “hit” her until RGS
Principal Walter Finnigan called
her to the center of the lobby to
be recognized.
“To say that I was grateful and
honored is an understatement,”
Wright told The Courier-Times.
“We have a close-knit family at
RGS, but I didn’t realize that my
colleagues felt confident in my
abilities, because at times, I sure
didn’t.”
Wright, who is also the film
class instructor and yearbook
advisor, said it meant a lot to her
that her current and former stu
dents were happy with the deci
sion as well.
During Wednesday’s school
wide announcement, Finnigan
read a statement from one of
Wright’s colleagues, who hads
known Wright since she was
a high school freshman, and
taught her in honors English
and teacher cadet classes I and II.
This colleague said that Wright’s
teaching strategies, knowledge
of current events and love for her
students were “outstanding.”
Although her first years teach-
V(?(? WRIGHT, Page 10
GREY PENTECOST I COURIER-TIMES
Megan Wright is greeted by her parents after being named Teacher
of the Year at Roxboro Community School.