Member
North Carolina Press Association
KM Schools seek 1-cent suppl
get would provide for $8300 for custodial uni-
forms, a $2 per child increase for instructional
supplies, and $36,000 for a limited English pro-
gram, a non-funded federal mandate that re-
quires school systems to make the primary lan-
guage available to every student. The system will
also fund from local funds the salary of a school
resource officer who had been paid for two years
through a grant that provided 75 percent of his
Property taxes will go up one cent if Cleveland
County Commissioners approve, as expected, an
increase in the Kings Mountain District School's
supplemental tax from 18 cents to 19 cents per
$100 valuation.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said he will ask for an in-
crease in the supplemental tax to help implement
the non-certified salary schedule which will cost
over $200,000. The increased taxes will bring in
approximately $90,000, McRae told the board of
education Monday night.
McRae will also ask the county in late April for
$2.1 million in the proposed current expense bud-
get for 1998-98, an increase of 8.8 percent from
last year's budget.
> The proposed budget also provides for match-
ing benefits if the General Assembly approves a
proposed 8 percent hike in pay for the certified
staff for next year.
The proposed budget calls for employment of a
system-wide technology assistant at cost of
$25,000 and no new teaching positions. The bud-
FUN IN THE SUN
ud
*
salary.
Although not funded in next year's budget,
“A'little bit of energy and 4 little Bit of sunshine equals a whole fot
of fun for three-year-olds at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Preschool program. Tuesday's 70-degree weather provided the
KM wants to annex its own Moss Lake property
The city is moving to satellite
annex city-owned property at
Moss Lake and will ask local
legislators to introduce a bill in
this session of the North
Carolina General Assembly.
"This will be a zero popula-
tion annexation as we will only
be asking for annexation of city
owned property," said Mayor
Scott Neisler who said lake resi-
dents should have no fear of
having to pay property taxes to
Kings Mountain.
"We can't levy property taxes
Neisler got the green light
from Waco Town Board at a re-
cent meeting and meets
Monday night with Shelby City
Council and on April 7 with
Patterson Springs Town Board,
steps that are required since
these municipalities are located
near the lake.
Why does the city want to
satellite. annex Moss Lake?
Neisler says the city currently
buys retail electricity from
Duke Power and the franchise
tax the city pays for the power
on our own property,” he said.
Tickets go on sale locally
for Hall of Fame banquet
Tickets for the 10th annual Kings Mduntain Sports Hall of Fame
banquet and induction ceremony are on sale at the Kings Mountain
Herald, Carolina State Bank and McGinnis Department Store for $10
each.
The banquet is scheduled for Monday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at
Kings Mountain High School. Guest speaker will be former NFL
Most Valuable Player Roman Gabriel.
The Hall of Fame is planning several special activities to celebrate
its 10th anniversary, and the public is urged to purchase tickets in
advance since this eould be the largest crowd ever.
Inductees include former KMHS football coach Bill Bates, former
KMHS and University of Massachusetts basketball standout Carl
Smith, former KMHS and Appalachian State football and wrestling
standout Chuck Gordon, and long time Kings Mountain sports and
community supporter, Carl Champion.
The annual Special Achievement Awards will be presented to the
1996 Kings Mountain High School football team which won the.
‘Southwestern 3A Conference championship, and Jackie Houston,
who won four consecutive state tennis championships and complet-
‘ed her prep career with an 81-0 record.
goes to the state of North
In addition, the Hall of Fame will begin an annual practice of pre-
senting college scholarships to deserving KMHS student athletes.
Two scholarships will be presented this year. : :
In its first nine years of existence, the Hall of Fame inducted 30 in-
dividuals and five teams. Former individual inductees will be spe-
cial guests at the April 14 event. =
© The Kings Mountain Hall of Fame was organized in 1988 to pro-
‘mote and reward outstanding achievement in sports in the Greater
Kings Mountain area. It is a nonprofit organization certified by the
‘State of North Carolina.
The criteria for induction includes:
-At least 26 years of age or eight years out of high school.
-Being a native of the Kings Mountain School District, or having
accomplished his or her achievements while living in the Kings
Mountain School District which includes the old Grover, Bethware,
Davidson and Compact High Schools.
Nominations from the public are encouraged. To nominate some-
one for the Hall of Fame, present names and pertinent information
to a member of the Hall of Fame committee or by writing Kings
Mountain Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 340, Kings Mountain, NC
28086.
>
iF
:)
perfect opportunity for them to get outsid and play. Brom left to
right on the swings are Joey Dow (standing), Nicholas Jackson,
Anne Crawford, Haleigh Waddell
Carolina. However, if the trans-
mission point is located in a city
one half of that tax goes to the
city and Kings Mountain wants
to gain $16,000 a year in fran-
chise tax.
The mayor said the city can't
by law satellite annex
Woodbridge, North Shores or
any surrounding areas of the
lake and therefore would have
no taxing authority of people
living around the lake.
Neisler said he had contacted
the Woodbridge Homeowners
Association explaining the city's
and Jared Boyd.
position in its efforts to annex
city owned property.
"We want them to know
we're not trying to grab them
up.
Moss Lake is located three to
five miles from Kings
Mountain and 1 1/2 miles from
Shelby. Neisler said that the
city can't annex property locat-
ed further than three miles from
its city limits without consent of
local cities which adjoin it.
Neisler says the General
Assembly has approved satel-.
See Annexation, 4-A
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tax hike
McRae aid the board would need to look at how
to handle waste collection if the city gets out of
the commercial pickup business. He estimated
the annual cost at $30,000.
Prior to the review by McRae of the prelimi-
nary local budget requests, the board heard a pre-
by Bob Boyd,
Causby/Boyd Associates, on results of the com-
pensation study his firm conducted on salary
representing
See Tax Hike, 11-A
Survey response
concerns schools
A county substance abuse
survey did not reveal if any stu-
dents see themselves as alco-
holics nor did it ask the ques-
tion of where and how
underage drinkers got alcohol.
"It's a community and coun-
ty-wide concern,” said Jimmy
Hines, coordinator of CODAP
and Cleveland County Health
Department official, who talked
Monday night to the Kings
Mountain Board of Education
about the results of the survey
conducted in the Cleveland
County schools.
The survey revealed that 14
percent of sixth grade girls in
Kings Mountain schools and 39
percent of seventh grade boys
experience with alcohol and
drugs and in eighth grade the
percentage is higher with par-
ticipation by 50 percent of girls
and 57 percent of the boys.
"Seventh grade is a real con-
vieern area, said Dr Jane King;
Assistant Superintendent for
Instruction.
"The pattern begins to level
off here by grades 11 and 12 but
there's a significant jump from
sixth to seventh grade among
smokers and by those who say
they have used alcohol and
drugs," she said.
Hines said the good news is
that preventive forces are at
work in the schools. He men-
tioned particularly the school's
suspension policy, Health
Council, the D. A. R. E. pro-
gram, family support programs
and the new character educa-
tion program which he said the
system could integrate with
both family support and drug
and alcohol prevention.
"The more support a child
CHEERLEADER - Jennifer Hickman, KMHS junior, overcame a
growth deficiency and. now is one of the most energetic cheer-
leaders on the varsity basketball team.
Jennifer may
has from his family and a child
with good health habits and
good self image. is unlikely to
do drugs," said Hines.
"Put a message on your re-
frigerator to tell your child you
won't tolerate drugs and alco-
hol," he said.
Hines warned about alcohol
which is packaged deceptively
in berry flavors in colorful bot-
tles and in popsicles, illegal
for kids to buy but being mar-
keted heavily by youth.
Patsy Rountree, Director of
Health Education, said the sur-
vey, would include a follow-
up. She said the results of the
survey would be directed to the
Kings Mountain Health Council
for their recommendations.
Rountree said "Student View,"
was administered to 6,925
sixth-12th graders in Cleveland
County Noveinber 19, 1996. The
results were based on 6,679
completed surveys with 90 pers.
cent of the students
Cleveland County taking part.
In Kings Mountain, 1,731
students completed surveys for
an 89 percent participation rate.
The survey targeted students
who were non-users; students
who reported no problem asso-
ciated with their use; students
who reported using and experi-
encing some problems associat:
ed with the use of alcohol,
drugs or smoking; and students
who who are dependence risk
or demonstrate an extensive
pattern of alcohol and other
drugs with four or more conse-
quences directly associated
with their use or alcohol or oth-
er drugs.
"Any use of alcohol or drugs
is a problem," said Rountree.
be small
but she has big plans
Jennifer Hickman, 16, packs a
big wallop in her tiny four feet
tall 70 pound frame.
A cheerleader for the Kings
Mountain Mountaineer varsity
basketball squad, she refused to
be picked up and cooed over as
an elementary school student.
As a high school student who
recently turned "sweet 16" she
enjoys her popularity on and off
the basketball court.
When people saw the only
child of Pamela Hickman and
Ricky Clinton they would in-
stantly coo and pick her up.
But Jennifer would ask them
to put her down. Though she
had the body of a 2-year-old,
she was no baby. Diagnosed
with growth hormone deficien-
cy at the age of 7, she was four
years behind in her growth.
People were at first surprised
that Jennifer, who weighed only
24 1/2 pounds and stood only
36 inches tall, could make such
progress in first grade in school
* which she loved.
But Jennifer, who beat the
odds, had staying power and
excelled in her school work and
is now one of the most popular
junior students at Kings
Mountain High School.
Ms. Hickman said that
Jennifer's growth disorder was
not detected at birth. But by the
time Jennifer started school in
Kings Mountain she was still
being picked up and starting to
get picked on by bigger kids.
At her family's urging, the
parents took Jennifer to Dr.
Philip Day in Grover.
Day was aware of a new hor-
mone therapy that promotes
growth. He referred Jennifer to
a specialist who recommended
four hormonal injections a week
for four years until Jennifer
reached puberty. During the
first year Jennifer grew four
inches.
Ms. Hickman said she was at
first skeptical about the injec-.
tions but Jennifer liked her new
height and continues to gain in
small amounts. Nobody picks
on her for being petite and she
has many friends in the high
school where she is a busy, ac-
tive student and on the A-B
honor roll.
"Let's face it, in life appcar-
ance means a lot," says her
proud mother, a secretary for 15
years at Cleveland Regional
Medical Center in Shelby.
Jennifer has learned much
about the nursing profession
from her mother and as a vol-
unteer in the Candy Striper pro-
gram at Kings
Hospital. Her goal is to enroll
at Baptist Hospital in Winston-
See Jennifer, 11-A
nie
Mountain