My Fair Lady’
Set At KMHS
1-B
Bud Bumgardner Brings
Fun To KM Baseball
Member Of The
North Carolina
Press Association
VOL. 102 NO.7
Closing East
$1.1 Million Grover Building Project Approved
The Kings Mountain Board of Education Monday
night approved plans for a $1.1 million building at
Grover School which would replace the existing ad-
ministration building and provide five new classrooms
and a new cafeteria.
The 22,250 square feet facility could be occupied
next February if plans go according to schedule.
After necessary paper work is approved, bids could
be taken by May 15 and contracts awarded by the end
of school, architect Atilla Orkan said. Orkan said de-
molition and construction could begin in the summer
and the project could be "under roof" by November.
The board discussed the matter for over an hour be-
fore unanimously approving the project. Board mem-
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"Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1889"
Thursday, February 15, 1990
ber Billy King questioned the move because he said
the project is $350,000 over budgeted.
A smaller scale project, which would replace only
the buildings that would be demolished at Grover (the
old auditorium and administration building) would
have cost $819,000 but board members were told that
there was no possibility of expansion to that building.
The building to be constructed could have expansion
on either end.
Also, it was pointed out that the larger plan includes
larger classroom areas which will make it possible for
over-crowded classrooms in the current 4-5 grade
building to be moved into the new facility. Special
See Grover, 9-A
The possibility of closing East School came up
again at Monday night's Board of Education meeting
after East Principal John Goforth appeared before the
board to give an update on the work of a special com-
mittee appointed to study elementary reorganization.
Goforth, who chairs the committee which includes
educators and parents, said the committee now under-
stands that'the months of work school officials have
put into reorganization consideration was a "task that
has not been taken lightly."
For the past year and a half, the board has discussed
ways to try to balance racial percentages, especially at
East, and after a public hearing at East last fall the
board voted to keep East School open.
However, Goforth said two of the possible scenarios
being discussed by the new committee involves clos-
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KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. 28086
Idea Is Discussed Again
*Closing East and West and building a new K-5
school.
*Redistricting the three inside city schools (East,
West and North).
*Re-districting all five schools, including Grover
and Bethware.
*Closing East and West and re-districting the re-
maining three schools.
Goforth said the committee has also reviewed pro-
jected school enrollments, projected growth areas of
the city and the number of at risk students. He said the
committee will continue to meet and will also share in-
formation with the community through PTOs and fac-
ulties. :
"We're concerned about letting everyone know
about this," he said.
AVILAIT TVISOWINW AINAVH
Educators
To Decide
Pay Issue
Kings Mountain teachers and
administrators were to vote today
on a differentiated pay plan which,
if approved, would be implemented
under the state's Senate Bill 2.
A majority of teachers and ad-
ministrators must approve the plan
before either group can participate
mi. :
KMHS teacher Wayne
Thompson, chairman of a special
committee which worked on the
components of the local plan, said
all teachers have been contacted
through meetings and surveys and
he feels like the plan will be ap-
proved.
The plan includes up to four
components which teachers and
administrators can participate in to
receive pay bonuses. Thompson
said $36,750 would be available in
each of the four components for
end-of-the-year bonuses.
The state requires that the local
plan be reviewed every three years
but the local committee has decid-
ed to review at the end of each
year.
Thompson said some "extra" du-
fy Photo by Dieter Melhorn
ing East, as well as West School.
Goforth said the scenarios discussed by the commit-
tee include:
State writing test scores of Kings
| Mountain sixth and eighth graders
continue to improve, Asst. Supt.
Larry Allen told the Board of
Education at its regular monthly
meeting Monday night at the
Central Office.
Kings Mountain scores rank
among the best in the state.
i'm real pleased: with the
nrogress of our writing program,’
Fen said HO rowthe has-been -con-
sistent over the past several years
and we anticipate that it will con-
tinue to improve as we move into
the middle school program. Th 4
wt “making 2.5 or better in 1989 was
is evidence across thf “ade
from elementary th@®* 7
grade that there is a I
placed on writing." #00
Allen explained ti JU bhi
eighth graders are testea each fall.
They are tested in two of four dif-
ferent types of writing (persuasive,
point of view, clarification and de-
scriptive) but do not know before-
hand which types they will be test-
ed on.
Sixth grade scores showed sig-
nificant improvement over the past
two years, Allen said. In 1987,190
students scored 2.5 or better on a
scale of 0-4. In 1988, 261 scored
2.5 or above and in 1989, 230
scored 2.5 or above.
"Those figures appear to be an
up and down situation, but if you
look at the percentages you'll see
that the percentage of students
much higher," he noted. In 1987,
66 percent scored 2.5 or above, in
1988 79.6 percent scored 2.5 or
above and in 1989 85.8 percent
scored 2.5 or above.
"The percentages are the the true
Schools, City To Share
See East, 9-A
Kings Mountain Writing
Scores Among N.C. Best
indicators that growth has been
continual," he said.
"Eighth grade scores weren't as
pronounced, but we've continued to
show progress at the eighth grade
level," he said. \
Allen said the good writing
scores prove that "our efforts Ng
lower grades are really paying ##f."
In other action, the board: |
*Was told by Supt. McRaj that
teachers are discussing the geen:
ruling by the State Boald, of
Education that the Channel 1 fr ws-
cast cannot be shown durirg/ the
regular 5 1/2-hour schoof day
McRae said teachers are re-cnsid.-
ering the issue and should h
recommendation in the next 3
weeks.
See Writing, 9-A
Use Of Some Facilities
ties teachers already are involved
in at no pay, such as being club
sponsors, department heads,
Science Fair coordinators, etc.,
would qualify them for extra pay
under the plan. A committee at
each individual school would de-
MOONSHINE AND DRUG BUST-Kings Mountain Chief of
Police Warren Goforth, left, and Sgt. Mark Simpson inspect 23 gal-
lons and one pint of suspected moonshine and a half pound of sus-
pected marijuana that Simpson and Ptl. Charles Bundrick confis-
cated Saturday after stopping a motorist on North Watterson
Street. James Hilliard Roberts, 43, of Route 5, was booked for DWI,
transporting non-tax paid liquor, driving while license permanently
cide what activities qualified a par-
ticipant for bonuses.
See Teachers, 9-A
revoked, and felony possession of marijuana and possession of mari-
juana with intent to selland deliver. He posted $2,000 bond and a
first appearance hearing was on Tuesday.
Bridges Brothers Remain
Partners Outside Business
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Of The Herald Staff
Partners in the hardware business all their lives, the Bridges brothers,
J. C. and Glee Edwin, remain partners in retirement-and good friends
who together volunteer hundreds of hours in community service
You can set your clocks by them every morning now, although they
don't punch the clock anymore. Their favorite spot at 6 a.m. is the
Neisler Natatorium at Kings Mountain Senior High School where they
swim 30 laps for 27 minutes three mornings each week. They walk / 7
minutes four mornings a week or a total of two miles each day. §
A strict exercise program has become fun for both since their sudden
heart attacks came almost a year apart to the date. Glee, 64, was stick-
en with a heart attack in 1987 and J. C., 67, suffered his attack on F¢b. 6,
1988, almost six months after they sold Bridges Hardware, the family
business they had owned and operated since 1951. /
"We miss the people but not the pressure of business,” said Clie, who
in retirement has traveled with wife, Martha, to Northerti Europe,
Russia, Germany and Austria and is planning a ip t¢ Asan this
summer. 1 id
Glee also enjoys his shop and woodworking hobby, hime repairs,
yardwork and gardening ; !
J. C.'s woodworking shop is another of his favorite places and he has
more time now to expand his photography hobby, which includes shoot-
ing slides of his family trips to Europe to visit their son, to Epcot Center
in Florida, to Wisconsin to visit their sister in Chatek, Yellowstone
National Park, the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C. for the unveiling of the around-the-
world non-stop "Voyager."
See Bridges, 3-A
GLEE (LEf'T) AND J.€. BRIDGES
Ha i Kings Mountain's School Board
Classifieds ......... 10-B Monday night approved a contract
Engagements reves 6-B with the City of Kings Mountain to
Food ........ ii. 13-B share the other's facilities. 5
- Asst. Supt. Larry Allen said the
Po oy Tea > : plan approved by the school board
ACL IID nas T has only a few minor changes from
Police News....... 16-B one earlier approved by City
Religion.....l........ 8-B Counel de gra
& en said the two groups
School News... 1-8 to share any facilities necessary but
Spor ts fier sss sense save 4-A he expects most of the use will be
Weddings ............ 7-B ball fields and gymnasiums.
The facilities would be used free
and the user must leave the facility
H. Dean Ridings has been pro-
moted by Republic Newspapers as
publisher of the Kings Mountain
Herald, replacing Darrell Austin
who is resigning effective March 9
to begin his own advertising agen-
cy.
Ridings previously published the
Belmont Banner and Mt. Holly
News, also owned by Republic.
~ "I am very pleased with the op-
portunity to work as publisher of
the Kings Mountain Herald,"
Ridings said. "The newspaper has
an excellent record of service to
the community and I hope that my
involvement as publisher will con-
tinue and strengthen that commit-
ment."
Prior to joining Republic
Newspapers Ridings was employed
by Fackelman Newspapers as pub-
lisher of the Daily Standard in
Excelsior Springs, Mo., and the
Daily News in Richmond, Mo. He
Excelsior Publishing Company,
Richmond News Inc., and
Northland Sun Publishing
Company.
He served on the board of direc-
tors of the Richmond Chamber of
Commerce, Richmond Community
Improvement Corp., a local corpo-
served on the board of directors of -
in the "same shape it was found."
Allen said if any long-term im-
provements are necessary at facili-
ties, the city and school system
would have to have written agree-
ments if one wants to improve the
other's facilities.
The two groups have shared fa-
cilities in the past. When the new
junior high ‘was being built, Allen
recalled that junior high students
held classes in the Community
Center. Prior to 1967, school ath-
See Facilities, 9-A
Dean Ridings Appointed
Publisher Of KM Herald
RIDINGS AUSTIN
ration responsible for revitalization
of downtown Richmond, and the
Richmond Chapter of Ducks
Unlimited, and was a member of
the Rotary Club.
He is a native of Panama City,
Fla., and grew up in Singapore and
Hong Kong, where his parents
served as missionaries. He attended
Southeastern College in Lakeland,
Fla.
He and his wife, Kellie, have
two children.
Austin. served the Kings
Mountain Herald for 18 years as
advertising director and general
manager. He has 26 years experi-
ence in advertising.
Austin and his wife, Shirley, will
own and operate "The Sherwood
House," an advertising agency
based in Kings Mountain.
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