THE YANCEY JOURNAL
VOL. 5, NO. 3
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Donation Helps Special Class
Mrs. Georgia Burleson, Micaville Blue Bell Plant Manager, presented a S2OO check from the
Blue Bell Foundation to Boyd Deyton, Principal of Micaville Elementary School on Tuesday,
January 13. The contribution is for use by the school’s Trainable Mentally Retarded class, which
is taught by Mrs. Patricia Mclntosh and her assistant, Pauline Livingston.
Annual School Board Report:
High School Is High
This is the third annual
report by ihe Yancey County
Board of Education and
covers the calendar year of
1975.
„ Highlighting the year's
events were the continued
progress on construction of
Mountain Heritage High
School and accreditation of
the county school system by
the State Department of
Public Instruction.
Building of the Mountain
Heritage High School, just off
Highway 19E West of Burns
ville, started in the fall of 1974
and work has progressed
steadily as scheduled. Latest
reports from Juno Construc
tion Company, general con
tractor, sets completion date
at June 7, 1976. The school
consists of 117,000 square
feet including a seven hun
dred, seventy five seat audi
torium and a gymnasium with
a seating capacity of twenty
four hundred. All basic
academic areas as well-as a
comprehensive vocational de
partment will be housed at the
new plant. The Board of
Education continued to spend
considerable time on matters
pertaining to the new school.
Arrangements for construc
tion of the water line to the
school required much atten
tion by the Board, but was
resolved by the Town of
Burnsville constructing the
line with a grant from the
Sta*e and funding by the
County. Low bids for science
equipment in the amount of
$49,600 and living center and
classroom equipment of $59,
750 for the new high school
were accepted on October 14,
1975.
I ACCREDITATION
At the August meeting of
I the State Board of Education
in Raleigh a certificate of
accreditation was presented
j to the Yancey County Schools
i and was accepted by Claude
Vess, Board Chairman. The
I accreditation culminated
I many, many weeks of work
I and entailed documentation of
I the present school situation,
■ enumeration of strengths and
I weaknesses and establish-
I ment of goals. Principals,
I faculty members from each
I school, administrative person-
I nel and board members met
I in June with an inspection
I committee from Raleigh and
I reviewed the comprehensive
■ plans for Yancey County
■ Schools. The Yancey system
I was only the seventeenth unit
I out of one-hundred and
I fifty-one in the state, to be
I accredited by the state de
partment.
APPOINTED PRINCIPAL
In March of 1975, Mrs.
Cara Cox, principal at Cane
River High School was ap
pointed principal of the new
high school. Mrs. Cox is now
spending much of her time
planning for next school year
and visiting other schools to
observe programs and study
curriculums. Other major
personnel matters during
1975 included the reappoint
ment of Edgar Hunter as
superintendent July 1, 1975-
June 30, 1979, and Frank
Robinson as principal at East
Yancey High School. Reduc
tion of Title I Federal funds
necessitated the elimination
of one aide position at six of
the elementary schools in the
fall of 1975.
TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS
Teachers at all schools
have been asked to sign a
letter of intent regarding their
wishes as to school assign
ment for the coming year.
Principals for the middle
schools selected last week are
Kenny Sparks-East Yancey
and Boyd Deyton-Cane Ri
ver.
The Board is meeting
during January with parents,
teachers, and interested citi
zens in each school to discuss
grades to be housed at the
middle schools beginning in
the fall of 1976. The plan
presently in effect and ap
proved by the Department of
Public Instruction includes
only the seventh and eighth
grades at the middle schools.
Capacity of the Cane River
and East Yancey plants are
approximately four hundred
and fifty each. The projected
number of seventh and eighth
graders for the 1976-77 school
year is 528 students.
ATHLETIC PROGRAM
The consolidation of the
high school athletic program
‘Progress
Edition'
The Yancey Journal
is planning to publish a
special “Progress” edi
tion on February 26,
1976. This issue will be
mailed to every box- |
holder In Yancey Coun
ty. Those who wish to
submit articles or pic- j
lures for this paper are
urged to bring them in
as soon as possible, as
a special edition of this
kind takes several
weeks to prepare.
BURNSVILLE, N.C. 287 M
was followed by the appoint
ment of the following coaches:
Ernie Hughes, varsity foot
ball; Joe Kruk, varsity boys’
basketball' Beth Thomason,
varsity girls’ basketball; Ben
Deyton, J.V. boys football;
Carroll Fender, J.V. boys
basketball; Blaine Whitson,
J.V. girls basketball. All
home football games were
played at the East Yancey
stadium. Home basketball
games are played at the Cane
River gym. The Mountain
Heritage boys varsity basket
ball team boasts a six-two
record and is ranked number
five in Western North Caro
lina.
HIGH SCHOOL BAND
The Mountain Heritage
High School band received
their green and white uni
forms the day of the first
home football game and
performed at each home game
last fall. The band participa
ted in the Asheville Christmas
Parade in late November and
plans a concert for the spring.
MHA TESTING
In September, the Board
approved a plan for offering
instruction to certain physi
cally handicapped children in
the county who are unable to
attend school. Later the Board
contracted with the Area
Mental Health Association to
do testing of special education
students.
\
NCAE INVITED
During the year, the Board
voted unanimously to extend
an invitation to the NCAE to
have a representative present
at all regular board meetings.
Policy stipulating that corpor
al punishment be used only
after other disciplinary means
have been employed, be
administered only by a
professional personnel and in
the presence of another staff
member, that a record be
made and that parents be
notified, was established June
30, 1975. The Board changed
the policy on the use of school
facilities by outside groups to
five dollar charge for fuel and
lights plus an amount to be
determined by the principal
for janitorial services, super
vision, etc. Policy concerning
religious groups at East
Yancey was re affirmed; ap
proval of a Bible Club
sponsored by the school with
no one person nor group to
meet with the club at the
school consistently.
Eleven thousand, nine
hundred and eighty-five dol
lars was spent by the Board
No School Friday-
Teachers’Work Day
Friday, January 16, will be
a teacher work day in all
Yancey County Schools. Stu
dents will be given a holiday
that day.
Although weather condi
tions have already caused a
loss in school time this month,
it is still necessary to give the
teachers a day to work on
records and report cards.
Each school administrative
unit in the state is now
required to include in its
school calendar a total of 17
work days for teachers each
Citizens Organize To
Provide Cemetery Care
At a public meeting on
Friday, January 9, a group of
concerned citizens voted to
organize an Academy Hill
Cemetery Association. The
ilight
for the major part of thje cost
of a multi-purpose building at
Pensacola School.
PROPERTY TRANSFER
The iloard transferred one
and six/tenths acres at Bald
Creek to the County to be
used as a site for a new day
care center; one and\one-half
acres at South Toe was
deeded to the County for lease
to the South Toe River
Volunteer Fire Department.
The Oak Crest School site was
transferred to the County as a
site for a multipurpose build
ing to be constructed with a
grant from TVA and HUD.
Board members Romie
Burns, Charles Gillespie and
Claude Vess attended the
district school board meeting
at Tuscola High School in
March.
Conservationist Urges Care
For N atural Resources \
BY RAY DORSETT
Soil Conservationist
With the beginning of the
new year underway, we are all
making \plans for the yeary
ahead. While we are making
our lists, why not include
conservation as a resolution to
meet. 1 am not only talking to
farmers, but would like to
encourage conservation prac
tices by homeowners, con
tractors, industries and muni
cipalities.
Our water and our soil are
two natural resources which
are widely abused. Millions of
gallons of water are wasted
each day by useless running
of water. A dripping faucet
can waste 100 gallons a day,
and each useless flush of a
toilet uses 10 gallons. Ex
tremely long showers and
washing only a few articles of
clothes rather than a full
washing machine load is also <
a common fault among many
of us. Not only are we wasting
water, but we are daily
polluting it by dumping trash,
metal parts and sewage in our
streams.
Have you ever taken time
to notice the large number of
plastic bags and gallon milk
jugs floating and hanging
among brush within our
streams in Yancey County?
This could all be prevented by
a little more concern and
pride among our citizens.
With the number and conve
nient location of dumosters
*. . _
ocsiae our roaas, n is useless
and disgraceful lo pilch o»,
year. On these days teachers
work on reports, attend
workshops for professional
improvement, or do other
types of work essential to the
promotion of a good instruc
tional program. While most of
these days are scheduled at
the beginning and end of the
school year, some are sche
duled throughout the year for
record keeping purposes.
First-semester report
cards will be issued to
students on Monday, the 19th
of January.
purpose of this organization is
to provide for the future care,
maintenance, and improve
ment on a permanent basis of
the Academy Hill Cemetery in
Burnsville.
The following officers
were elected: Mrs. Bruce
Westall is President; Mrs.
P.C. Coletta, Secretary; Mr.
Fred Proffitt, Treasurer.
It was voted to undertake a
campaign of three months to
secure funds and contribu
tions to be placed in a trust
fund, from which the income
can be expected to provide for
at least nominal care and
maintenance of the bemetery:
A committee composed of
Mrs. Nancy Styles, Mrs.
Lelah Johnson, and Mr. Fred
Proffitt was appointed to
obtain and deliver to the
Association’s secretary the
names and mailing addresses
of as many persons who
should share concern for the
future of this cemetery.
Anyone wishing to make a
donation to this worthy cause
can mail his contribution to
Mr. Fred Proffitt, Treasurer.
The restoration of the
Academy Hill Cemetery was
designated to be known as a
Bi-Centennial project.
garbage elsewhere in the
county.
Careful conservation of
soil is also another resolution
we should strive to meet. On
an average acre of land in
North Carolina 2 tons of
topsoil are lost eaeft year. It
takes nature a thousand years
to build one inch of topsoil, so
we should try to protect and
keep all the soil we can from
washing away. This can easily
be done by planting grass,
shrubs or trees on bare and
eroding areas in our yards,
CB Club
Donates
To Victims
The Mineral City C.B.
' Club Board of Directors and
members met Sunday after
noon, January 11. In the
business conducted at this
time, the Club donated S2OO
to the March of Dimes. They
designated SIOO of the sum
for Mitchell County and SIOO
: for Yancey County. They also
donated S2OO to the Oliver
Payne family whose home was
destroyed by fire last week;
and SIOO to the Livingston
family in who also had
a fire.
The C.B. Club will be
having a coffee break Febru
ary 14. Everyone is invited
charae
T tURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1976
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Gem Shop Owner, Jim McKinney, Studies Amethyst Cluster i
Amethyst Cluster Display;
Best Ever Found In State
BY WILLIAM F. JUD
‘‘This could easily be the
biggest and best amethyst
crystal cluster ever found in
North Carolina,” says “Jun
ior” Jim McKinney, owner of
The Gem Shop three miles
north of Spruce Pine, N.C.
“In fact, it may be one of the
best amethyst specimens in
the world.”
Although amethyst, a pur
ple variety of quartz, is not an
uncommon gem stone, it
rarely is found in such large,
clear, well-crystallized mass
es as this one. The speciman
weighs 170 pounds, or a bit
over 385,000 carats. Orchid
colored and deep purple
amethyst crystals the size of
golf balls jut by dozens from
this unique rock. Individual
gems up to 400 carats in
weight could be cut from
several of the crystal points.
Junior owns the speciman
in partnership with Bill
fields, and road banks. Only
1-2 lbs of tall fescue or
bluegrass and 9-12 lbs. of
10-10-10 fertilizer will estab
lish a good eover on 1000 sq.
ft. area and will also add
beauty. •* - l
With a little initiative and
pride we could all conserve
more of our natural resources
and beautify Yancey County
at the same time.
From the District Supervi
sors and staff of the Soil
Conservation Service, we
wish you a Happy New Year!
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Con nervation iet Cites Water Polluted With Metal
Collins, owner of the emerald
mine near Spruce Pine. L.A.
Sigmon and his family of
Lincolnton, N.C., found the
stone last winter buried in
mud in the wall of a 300-foot
long, 15-foot deep prospect
ing trench cut in the Reel
amethyst mine off secondary
road 1417 between Dellinger
Branch and Leepers Creek ten
miles from Iron Station in
Lincoln County, N.C. The
Sigmons found a total of about
350 pounds of amethyst that
day in a vein of quartz,
garnet, and mica which cuts
mica schist country rock.
Good gem-quality ame
thyst is hard to find on the
market. Prime Brazilian cut
stones sell for up to $lO a
carat. Several jewels have
already been cut from the
other Reel mine amethysts
found with Junior’s speciman.
“I’m sure there is more
amethyst in that trench,”
Junior says. The Reel mine
has been worked for amethyst
for more than ten years and is
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CauMruy S-To/ve
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open to collectors and rock
hounds on a fee basis. Several
years ago Junior tried, unsuc
cessfully. to lease the mine.
The October. 1975 issue of
Lapidary Journal carries a
news item about the amethyst
find that produced Junior’s
prized speciman.
Junior says that the
amethyst's purple color is
permanent, but the rock could
be damaged by freezing. Tiny
holes within the crystal are
partly filled with water which
moves about as the rock is
turned. If the water froze, it
could cause the amethyst to
split and pop.
For now. Junior plans to
keep the amethyst speciman
on display his shop three
miles north of Spruce Pine. If
he sells it. he says, he would
prefer to see it go intact to a
museum, rather than be
sliced into jewels. One of
Junior's customers wants to
buy the amethyst speciman
and have it cemented into her
rock fireplace as ultra-expen
sive decorative stone.
Hairdressers
To Attend
Meeting
i There will be a meeting
held January 23 in Mayland
Tech Cosmetology Depart
ment for all cosmetologists
from Avery, Mitchell and
Yancey Counties to decide
whether there is enough
interest in becoming an
affiliate to the North Carolina
Hairdressers and Cosmeto-.
logy Association.
All hairdressers are urged
to attend.