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BY GARY STEWART
Managing Editor
Jim Scruggs has always been the kind of per-
son that stood out in a crowd...not just because
he’s 6-feet-6, but also because of the things he has
accomplished in almost 40 years as a North
Carolina educator.
The veteran Grover Elementary School prin-
cipal, who has held the same job for 32 years, was
recently honored as Principal of the Year in
Kings Mountain District Schools. The selection
by his peers only made official what students and
parents in Grover have known for years.
Seruggs wanted to be a teacher while growing
up in Cliffside, and shortly after becoming a
teacher and basketball and baseball coach at
hears Ellenboro he set his sights on administra-
on, ;
Ellenboro’s principal died during spring of
Scruggs’ third year there and he filled in until the
end of school. He applied for the job but was not
hired because he didn’t have a master’s degree.
“I decided I wouldn’t let that happen again, so
I went to Appalachain on a teaching fellowship
and got my master’s degree,” he recalled Tues-
day at his office.
Scruggs taught at Burlington for two years
before moving to Grover in the fall of 1956.
“We were a union school with grades one
through 12,” he recalled. Scruggs taught some
classes in addition to being full-time principal,
ard in 1960-61 he coached the girls basketball
eam, :
_ He's seen a lot of changes through the years,
including consolidation, intergration, several
school re-organizations, modern math, the addi-
tion of kindergarten, and most recently im-
plementation of the state’s Basic Education Pro-
ram,
But one of the best programs to come along in
recent years, he says, was the early childhood
dropout prevention program in which schools
screen incoming kindergarten students and pin-
point potential dropouts. “We are able to spot
ids with problems and offer books and advice to
parenis to help get them ready for school,” he
said.
He has seen teacher loads eased because of
reduction of sizes, the addition of teacher aides,
and the age of computers: has seen learning
become more comfortable due to carpeted
JAMES SCRUGGS
classrooms and efficient heating and cocling
systems; and has seen such brainstoris as A
modern math and open classrooms come and go.
“When I first came here we had some classes
with 85 to 40 students,” he recalled. “Now the
maximum is 29 but we shoot for the low 20's.
Computers have also helped ease the load. The
secretaries are doing blue sheets that teachers
used to turn in once a month and the teachers
don’t have to worry about it.”
Of course, all things that happen aren’t good,
and Scruggs has experienced his low points.
“One of the bad things I've noticed is that we
have more and more single-parent families,” he |
said. “There are a lot of divorces and more kids
with problems with their parents. Probably 25
percent of our students’ parents are either
divorced or re-married or separated and trying
to make a go of it on their own. There are more
and more kids who have a key to the house and
going home without anyone being there.’
Scruggs has always had high praise for his
staff, which includes 21 teachers and 12 aides,
Almost half of the teachers have master’s
degrees and a third of the aides are working on
degrees. Grover has produced the last two
Turn To Page 9-A
By GARY STEWART
Managing Editor
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education awarded bids totaling
$652,510 Monday night for con-
struction of the indoor swimming
pool at Kings Mountain High
School.
The board also approved up to
three alternate bids--which
would bring the total cost to
$702,990--if the Kings Mountain
Indoor Pool Foundation can
raise the extra funds. |
The alternates would allow the
‘foundation to add a
dehumidification system, an
energy-efficient vestibule area
and a better roof, said architect
Stan Anthony and Dr. Scott
Mayse, president of the founda-
tion which has been soliciting
funds for the pool construction,
Mayse said the foundation,
with the help of a $100,000 gift
from the school system, already
has enough money to cover the
base bids. He said he will ask the
foundation to authorize him to
borrow money to cover the alter-
natives, if the group feels it can
raise the necessary funds. If not,
he said, he will not sign a con-
tract for the additions.
“The basic pool is similar to
Shelby’s,” he told the board.
“We could very easily live with
_ it, However, the alternates would
make it a nicer facility and more
efficient to operate.”
Grading work for the facility,
~ which will be located on the south
side of the campus near the stu-
dent parking lot, has been com-
leted. The foundation hopes to
egin construction soon and com-
plete it next year. It would be us-
ed by the school system and the
community and the Pool Founda-
tion and City of Kings Mountain
have pledged to help with the
upkeep. v CH
Turn To Page 9-A
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: el | VOL. 101 NUMBER 20 WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1988’ KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORT Fu &
lo = = =
School Board App: Tia
Grover’s Scruggs chool board Approves : --
Principal Of Y In = 5 3
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rincipa ear door Pool Contracts :
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Principals King, Wilson
Promoted By School Board
Two Kings Mountain prin-
cipals were given promotions at |
Monday night's meeting of the
Board of Education at the School
Administration office.
Jane King, principal of North
Elementary, was named Direc-
tor of Instruction, and Ronnie
Wilson, principal of Kings Moun:
tain High School, was appointed
to the new positon of Director of
Personnel, Both appointments go
into effect July 1.
Mrs. King has been in educa-
tion for 20 years, serving almost
19 of them in the Kings Mountain
Distriet Schools, She taught
briefly at Franklin in Western
North Carolina and served one
year with the N.C, Department of
Public Instruction’s regional
center in Albemarle as a consul-
tant with exceptional children,
Between those two terms, she
taught fourth and sixth grades
and special education in Kings
Mountin. She returned to Kings
Mountain as director of the ex-
ceptional children’s program.
Most recently, she served as
principal of West School for three
years and principal of North for
two years,
“I'm real excited about the
new appointment,” she said
following Monday's board deci-
sion. “I feel like there are all
kind of new oppprtunities in
education and thgt the Basic
Education Plan is ffoing to offer
us new posions Jud programs
that will make it ¢hallenging.”’
Mrs. King said she welcomes
the opportunity fo work with all
the schools andifeachers in the
system, and the'jchallenge of
| him.
By LIB STEWART
NEWS EDITOR
Melvin C. Faucette, 62, returned to police duty this week after ser-
ving as a N.C. State Trooper 28 years ago.
His determiniation and spirit earned him the praise of his fellow
classmates at Gaston College Rookie School who at graduation Fri-
day gave him a plaque as the oldest rookie cop in the class of '88.
What he like most, however, was their close friendship. They dubb-
‘ed him “Paw Paw” and he came away with 13 adopted sons and
daughters between the ages of 22 and 38.
Kings Mountain Police Chief Warren Goforth also p-raised the
newest reserve officer in the Kings Mountain citizens can be proud to
know. We expect to learn much from him”, said the chief.
B Goforth said that Faucette will
work 10 hours a month primarily as
a reserve officer at Moss lake but
will also be riding the streets in a
patrol car. “We’ll keep him busy.
You can’t tie this man down’’, he
isaid.
“I had such a glorious inner feel-
ing that I completed rookie school
which reminded me of the time I
joined Grace United Methodist
8 Church,” said Faucette who said he
decided to get back into police work
because ‘‘it gets in your blood.” It
was important to me. I asked God to
help me and I asked people to pray
that I would make it”, he said.
Faucette’s father was a
El policeman in Salisbury 20 years
ol hy srg he died at age 51. Faucette
wet ne HE served as a state trooper from
MELVIN FAUCETTE 1950.60 with duty in Reidsville,
Madison County, Alamance County and and Nash County. In 1969 he
| moved to Kings Mountain and local people remember him as the
| manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken on East King Street. They
sampled his original recipes for ham and steak biscuits and
barbecue over the years. Faucette retired last September.
Faucette suffered a stroke in 1982 and it took him two years to get
id back in top physical shape. He completed 480 hours of law enforce-
ment training May 6, passing the rigid requirements for a cop with
flying colors. “Sometimes I'd come home from school sore and
bruised but my wife would encourage me not to quit. “You're tough
| and you can make it”, she said.
All his previous training came back to him, he said, as motor vehi-
| cle and search and seizure laws are the same he had learned years
ago. He scored 90 on the tough obstacle driving course, shot 94.8 dur-
j ing the day and 84.8 in total darkness on the police firing range, out-
shooting younger classmates. ‘‘We didn’t have as much paperwork
| to do years ago in police work”, said Faucette who said he thinks it
time police get back to policing and leave paper work to others.
Faucette said the instructors at Gaston College Rookie School
were excellent and that he will long remember the friends he made.
‘Earlier in his training, Faucette got the affectionate title of Paw
a Paw’ from Rodney Young of Cramerton. ‘Why I'd be proud to be
your Paw Paw”, said Faucette. Soon everyone in the class was call-
ing him “Paw Paw’’, an endearment which stuck.
Friday at graduation ceremonies, Young presented Faucette with
an engraved plaque as the Oldest Rookie Cop who was an inspiration
to all the class. The plaque carried the signature of all class
members: Young, Nick Flemming, Terry Floyd, Billy Gardner,
George Haydt, Jody Hooker, Felicia Howard, Debbie Hullender,
Matthew Hunt, Ashley Lusk, Kathy Richardson, Melanie Thornburg
and Kim Young. i ;
“A true police officer” is how his new and older friends describe
Faucette is married to Bobbie Gean Faucette and they reside al
| 704 Marion St. They are parrents of three sons, Lee, Wesley and
Turn To Page 9-A
PHOTOS BY DARRIN GRIGGS
HOME CLASSROOM-Aaron Taule, 4, loves school as much as his older brother and sisters, all
taught by their mother, Mrs. Brian Taule, at the David Baptist Church parsonage, their home.
Taules Educate Children At Home
By JUNE BALLARD
There are acceptable alternatives to our
established educational system. One such alter-
native is ‘Home School’, or tutoring. This is,
simply, teaching your children in your own time.
The state does not necessarily encourage this
practice but by no means does it discourage it.
The Brian Taules of Kings Mountain have
choses this program as a means of education for
their four children. Brian is the pastor of David
Baptist Church and he and his wife, Gale, along
with Jennifer, age 14, Nathan, age 9, Corrie, age .
7, and Aaron, age 4, reside in the David Baptist
Church parsonage on Shelby Road.
Gale, a former public school teacher, holds
classes daily beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing
for approximately 5'% hours. Sometimes the
children are taught certain subjects
simultaneously, but susally each child is taught
individually according to age.
Gale uses a yearly standard as a guideline in
each subject and this allows for a grade level
determination. :
Testing of the students is done yearly and sub-
mitted to the state. This is not a requirement of
the state but Gale has chosen to do so to deter-
mine how her children are doing.
A weekly visit to the library is a definite re-
quirement of Gales and periodic visits to the YM-
CA is also on her schedule. At the YMCA, her
children participate in sports such as basketball,
football, swimming, gymnastics, and others. In
addition to the group activities at the YMCA, the
Taule children also participate in a support
group which alows for group field trips and other
activities.
The formal part of home school follows
somewhat the same schedule as regular school,
and lasts for nine months, However, field trips
and other outings continue into the summer mon-
ths. Gale believes that nature and animals are
fabulous instruments for teaching along with the
more formal curriculum. Music also has an im-
portant place in their lives. A program of music
through tapes in incorporated into their studies.
Surprisingly, the Taules are not the only ones
Turn To Page 5-A
‘he was the son
Yr q
3
i
WILSON KING
helping develop the curriculum
for the new middle school which
will come into existence within
the next three years.
Mrs. Kings will supervise the
entire instructional program of
the system and implement new
programs which will come about
through the state’s Basic Educa:
tion program.
“We feel really pleased that we
have somebody of her
capabilites to be in one of the key
positions in the system,’ said
Supt. Bob McRae. ‘‘She has
clearly done an outstanding job
as principal. She's well-
respected by the people in the
system and the community and
we feel like we have made a very
sound decision.
Mrs. Kings replaces Martha
Bridges, who has announced her
retirement,
Wilson is completing his fifth
year as principal at KMHS, Prior
to coming here, he was principal
at Washington High in Eastern
North Carolina. he has also
taught and coached baseball and
football and served as an assis-
tant principal at Latta, S.C,
High School, and was principal at
Turn To Page 9-A
3 y REAL ok
tes Tuesday
Funeral services for Clin-
ton Pugere Jolly, 63, of 401
Maner Road, who died Sun-
day of an apparent heart at-
tack at his home, were con-
ducted Tuesday morning at
11 o’clock from Second Bap-
tist Church of which he was a
member.
His pastor, Rev. Eugene
Land, officiated and inter-
ment was in Mountain Rest
Cemetery.
A Cleveland
County native,
of the late
Clarence La- |
fayette and
Orangrel Bar-
rett Jolly and
was employed
as Vice Presi-
JOLLY
dent of Manufacturing at
Blackwelder Textiles in
Cherryville. He was formerly
Turn To Page 3-A
Luther D. Joy
Died Sunday
Funeral services for
Luther Dewitt Joy, 72, of 111
Waco Road, who died Sunday
in the Kings Mountain Con-
valescent Center, were con-
ducted Wednesday at 2 p.m.
from First Wesleyan Church
of which he was a member.
His pastor,
Rev. John
Harris, offici- §
ated and inter
Mountain Rest |
Cemetery.
Mr. Joy was
a native of
Gaston County JOY
and a retired textile
employee. He was a Navy
veteran of World War II. He
was son of the late James
Harvey and Nola Lawing
Joy.
Nirviving are his wife, Ida
Fortner Joy; two sons, Gary
Joy of Kings Mountain and
Leslie Joy of Marietta, Ga.,
two sisters, Mrs. Ruby Glad-
den of Kings Mountain and
Mrs. Margaret Millwood of
Shelby; and two grand-
children.
i
f