THE YANCEY JOURNAL
VOL. 4, NO. 5
Students
Prove
Success
* “The State’s investment
in a comprehensive kinder
garten program is definitely
paying dividends,’’ State
'School Superintendent Craig
Phillips said today following
release of a kindergarten
evaluation report to the State “
Board of Education.
Phillips’ conclusion is
based on three significant
findings:
» (1) At the end of the
1973-74 school year, as well as
for each school year since the
State’s kindergarten program
was implemented, kinderrgar
ten students in North Carolina
have scored higher than
kindergarten students in the
nation in language, mathe
matics, and reasoning ability
(1.Q.).
(2) The performance of
kindergarten students in lan
guage aud mathematics has
improved each year during
the last five school years.
(3) Third-grade students
involved in the pilot kinder
garten program in 1970-71
obtained significantly higher
scores than similar non-kin
dergarten third graders in
reading, punctuation, social
maturity, and reasoning abi
lity. *• ✓
During the 1973-74 school
year, state-supported kinder
garten students scored higher
than 71 percent of the
kindergarten students in the
nation on mathematics, 85
percent on language, and 62
percent in reasoning ability
(J.Q.). The -same North
Carofina kindergarten stu
dents scored at a comparable
level to a national population
in self-acceptance, social ma
turity, school affiliation, and
self-security.
“Achievement in lan
guage and mathematics on
the part of the state-suppor
ted kindergarten students has
consistently increased since
1969-70 when the first kinder
garten classes opened/’ said
Phillips. For example, in
1969-70 the average kinder
garten student in North
Carolina scored higher than
64 percent of the kindergarten
students in the nation in
language, whereas in 1973-74
the typical kindergartener
[Cont’d on page 21
YDC Rally
Set For
Saturday
Priscilla Hartle, President
of the North Carolina Young
- —Deaocrats€hrbs,~witlbethe
honored guest at the 11th
Congressional District YDC
Rally held this Saturday
night, February 1, 1975 at
7:30 p.m. in the Burnsville
Community Building. it?
This is Miss Bartle’s first'
tripf'to Yancey County. Ac
companying her will be
representatives from 15 coun
ties of the 11th District
including the District Presi
dent, Larry Leake.
The Yancey County YDC
cordially invites all Democrats
of all ages to attend this free
rally. There will be no speech
making, just lots of good
coaNtersation. Refreshments
will be served free. .4
m The YDC says “Come as
you kre on Saturday night,
have some cake, and meet one
of our State’s political lead
ers, Priscilla. Let’s give her a
warm Yancey County wel-
Men Work In Forested Area
SOS y - , V teSSA “' ■'{,» f
ate.
IV A
M *
/t
Women Paint Signs For Forest Service
| • -H h '
fj J i a JJ :
■■ ~ _ A *» • * . * L
r J* .
-■i
Felled Trees Are Cut Into Lengths
Promotes Pride, Accomplishment: ■ ———
Operation Mainstream
Operation mainstream is a
federally funded program in
which persons over 55 are
channeled back intd the
mainstream of life. This
program recognizes that just
because a man is getting on in
years doesn’t mean he isn’t
capable of giving a days work
for a days pay. To qualify for
the program all a person need
be is 55 or older with an
income during the last 12
months of less than $2,300 or
$2,900 for a family of two. A
physical paid for by the Forest
Service is also required.
District Ranger Johnny
McLain is very enthusiastic
about the program as he says
“We have had great success
during the past two years. L
feel we have really accomp
BURNSVILLE, N.V. 28 714
lished a lot and that the
people participating in the
program have a kind of new
purpose in life and feel anew
sense of pride and accom
plishment. We have had these
people working on all kinds of
projects from recreation clean
up to timber stand improve
ment and working as a
member of the survey crew.
One crew is presently con
structing a bicycle trail
adjacent to Black Mountain
Campground. Another job we
are real proud of was accom
plished by our ladies. They
have done a fantastic job of
painting all our signs and
anyone who visits the Nation
al Forests can appreciate the
hours of labor they devoted to
this project.
But what does the progam
mean to the people participa
ting in it? As one 75 year old
fellow puts it “I have been a
worker all my life. I just don't
feel good to go home with
nothing to do.” Another says
“Working . here means not
having to ask for welfare
assistance, Social Security
just isn't enough to live on”.
One spry grey-haired lady
who is says "I
like being busy, Ijhave always
been a hard worker. Now my
children are grown, 1 and have
their own families to keep
them busy. 1 gues&there just
isn’t enough around the house
for me to do. Now I feel useful
again. Somebody needs mte.”
IWwMltoAwm i»7i.
uM'MI 1 HMlvr'iHlxlJ > m Mm i i -
B W^rw : :sßethk Made
! j Ml M\\i m KkiE
1 Emnlnlei' Undalisn -fa-']
/fjictcd 4jrie property of the T
\PaWkway Pillyhouse, to,{ether f
with t mu illy kec firing ;
probltm N; i ' \ f nancmi \ the : '
necessary 'uiksep ol \'.th|s '
theater facility, jhave raised
grAve doubts a? to whether
the! Playhfoiise c&p operate
this coming sur ime\7 \A I ;
The prospec of abandon- ;
ing the summer tlieawr Ifitm-/
28 years of,
tion is particularly dishoat'f
ening at this titte. Forjtws
past several ye: rS the Nay
house has appeared to oe x
Too Much
Sugar Is
Unhealthy
BY CLAY WILIAMS -
“outreach” columnist
Overweight contributes to
practically every known rhajor
cause of death except suicider
according to Dr. Lewis Bock,
{ chief of the Personal Health
V Section of the Division of
' Health Services. \
“Perhaps the single most
it important cause of wide
spread obesity in the United
States is the over use of high
caloric foods wilff low nutri
tive value,” Bock stated,
“and table sugar heads the
list of such foods.” J
Bock said the recent surge
in sugar prices has pointed up
our preoccupation with sugar
as a flavor additive.
“Babies are introduced to
~sugar Immediately ~ after ’
birth,” Bock noted. “From
then until death we consume
tons of it. An average size cola
drink contains about, seven
teaspoonfuls of sugar, and we
think nothing of consuming
several per day. Americans
eat an average of about 150
pounds of sugar each year,
enough to add 50 pounds of
weight if eaten in addition to
an adequate, diet. When you
consider that sugar is abso
lutely void of nutritive value,
and actually foreign to our
bodies, there’s little wonder
we suffer so many chronic
[Cont’d on page 2]
Erwin Bank
Reduces
Lending Rate
First Federal Savings and
Loan Association of Erwin has
again reduced its base lend
ing rate, according to John
Logan, president of the
financial firm. The new rate
will be 8.75 percent on loans
•made on new houses up to 80
percent of total value. 9
percent is charged on older
homes and if the loan-to-value
ratio exceeds 80 percent,
another one-quarter percent
is added to the base rate.
Logan said there had been
substantial inflows of deposits
during recent months and
there was plenty of money
available for loans. The thrift
institution has offices in
Erwin and Jonesboro.
Notice v
Effective today Westco
Telephone Company will
change office hours to the
following: Open at 9:30 a.m.
Close at 12:00 noon, -and
•ii tv \mp/ I jim/
flourishing The quality of
productions\mas beep better
thap ever before, the attend- |
ance pt performances ahd the ’
enrollment of sifndjeij ts have
broken previous recordi. The
Appeared;bright, until
shortly befo'to\£fo-fotj has the
crfticdl sttpadiorKVw’is dis
cr<%d - ! '/
theater building and
the two dormitories, Wrtjicu- J
larly, Were found t| fiye
. an appallfog -degree
df vandalism. Windows' were \
bfoken. furniture srpashed,
and beddipg rip
ped. paint /splashed
w lerever it Wobki do the
gi eatest damage, j Ail this
aj pears to have been tile work
ofj delinquent juvenilea moti
vated by whatever it; is that
finds -pleasure in Canton
destruction., . , K
The Always limited finan
ces of the Playhouse pimply 1
cannot stand the expefise of
repairing the damage.{.Even
aside from the vandalisjm the
outlook was grim. The eco
nomics of the Playhouse over
the years are that operating
revenues have closely bal
anced operating expenses.
But t[ie revenues have never
been sufficient to ! make
needed improvements and
keep the buildings m good
repair.
The buildings are old and
continually in need of repair.
The dormitories, in particular,
nave always beep under
maintained- flootsv have sag
ged, plaster fallen, plumbing
leaked. One of the girls’ baths
has acquired the name of the f
“submarine/oom” because it
is so often under water.
The students have been
good sports about putting up
with the crude living condi
tions, but there are limits
beyond which dilapidation can
reasonably go. The Drama
Department’ at Greensboro
which operates the Playhouse
'’"- , * ’
V : t*)r
I : *
/ I
A.A 1 *
m ..*>**♦***
. , jw-.-JO 1 S
; Qennett Receives Scholarship
Bobby Bennett, pictured above, is the recipient of a
scholarship to the two-week “Modern Farming Shorten urse”
sponsored by the First Citizens Bank * Trust Company and
The Northwestern Bank. Bobby will depart for Raleigh on
February 2. The N.C. Bankers Association, N.C. State
University and the Agricultural Extension Service work
cooperatively to feature the shortcourse. Bobby la thcTaon of
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bennett of Burnsville. He has an
outstanding high school record for participation la sports,
extracurricular activities and agricultural projects. Among
agricultural honors was honorable-mention and second place
winner of the WNC Horticultural Crops Contest in succeeding
years. Bobby works part time In sliftik akflia and »■
no nyopfey to put into
Playhouse? repairs, and is very
conoVned ajbout bringing
studentV to ; {dormitories in
\ such bad 'feonfition.
\lp years'-jjast, the State
Legislature h!ai twice come to
the fescue with appropria
tions -$25,000 in\thejl9so’s,
aryl SIO,OOO j additfonal so
1966. But tlfo present reces
n sion year is riot favorable for
gettir g aid from the financial
ly ha -d-presscid General As
semb ,y. The critical need has
\ been- discussed with Yancey
County’s State Representa
tive, j Glenn Morris, who is
greatly concejrned withvthe
Playhouse, arid promises to
do the best he can.
Local friends of the Play
; house are {exploring all
/ avenues for spying this most
valuable of j the county’s
' cultural attractions. Some of
'the labor for{ making repairs
( may come frbm the Federal
Emergency Employment Act,
which •subsidizing the
employment of a number of
people for the county. School
Superintendent Edgar Hunter
promises to provide some of
the needed labor from this
source. " , ,
At the January meeting of
the Chamber of Commerce,
the suggestion was made that
if the dormitories cannot be
brought to a habitable state,
the summer students might
be housed in private homes.
At least three directors
immediately volunteered that
they would undertake to
house a student during the six
weeks of the theater season.
The Burnsville Little
Theater is rtiaking plans to
raise money for the Playhouse
by presenting a one-act play
later in February and a larger
production in the spring. This
generous action by the local
amateur group is evidence of
their concern for the future of
the kindred theater operation.
im
Earnest Hughes
Hughes Is
F ootball
Coach
Mr. Earnest Hughes has
been employed as Head
Football Coach for Mountain
Heritage High School for the
- year J 975-76, it was announ
ced by the Yancey County ~
Board of Education.
Mr. Hughes, a native of
Winnsboro, South Carolina,
graduated from Winnsboro
High School in 1968 and
continued his education at
Clemson University where he
graduated in 1972. He played
varsity football in high school
and also three years varsity
fcjpfoall while at Clemson
He was freshman
coach during his senior year
at the University.
Mr. Hughes holds a B.S.
Degree in Social Studies and
fras tatoght school one year at
Charlotte High School in
Punta Gorda, Florida where !
he was assistant varsity
football coach and head track
coach. Mr. Hughes has been
i teaching at Brevard High
School, Brevard, N.C. for the
past two years and has been
assistant varsity football
coach, J.V. basketball coach
and track coach.
Mr. Hughes and his wife
Susan and two children,
Crawford age 5 and Keleigh
age t presently reside in
Brevard, N.C. but will be
moving to Burnsville early
this summer. v
Mr. Hughes will assume
his duties as teacher and head
football coach with the begin
ning of the 1975-76 school
year.
r ‘ ' . ■ “ ' , # " i;„ .
Senior
Citizens
To Meet
The Senior Citizens of
South Toe Valley will meet in
the'fellowship Hall of Celo
United Methodist Church on
Sunday, February 2 at 3ioor
p.m. The Brown’s Creek’
Baptist Church will furnish
refreshments. There will be a
program consisting of tra-,
velogue pictures of Korea by
Mr. and Mrs. John Ramsey
and special music. . 'j
"T
U-pStR 1
A ' fl ' J
* .1 m ’ ;t