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Page 2A The Kings Mountain Herald January 16, 2003 COLE The band program at Kings Mountain is quite large, with approximately 100 kids in the Blazer Band, which is for grades 10-12, 50 in the 9th grade band, 75-80 in the 8th grade band, and 60-65 in the 7th grade band. “That's close to 300 kids that we teach each day,” said Cole. Cole said that he has split his time between school buildings since he came to Kings Mountain. However, he only has two buildings to cover now, since the old Central School closed. He teaches at both the high school and the middle school. The other band director, Gil Doggett, who is also from Forest City and did his student teaching in Kings Mountain, teaches in both buildings as well. The band performs at all of the home football games and some away games as well. The students also march in two parades dur- ing the year, said Cole, as well as give a holiday con- cert each December. Among other events in the spring, they do a concert band com- petition and usually send students to the district and state honors bands, he said. During his time at Kings Mountain High School, the band has had many notable opportunities. Both the 9th grade band and the Blazer Band have performed at the state music convention. The band has also performed at the national convention of the American School Band Directors’ Association. The band has also played for two presidents, Clinton and the older Bush. The band also takes a trip to Florida every three years to perform at Disney World in either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot Center. A lot of work is involved in helping students play well enough to perform in such prestigious places, though. Cole said that he has enjoyed the challenges involved with teaching kids to play musical instruments. “I just enjoy the challenge of taking kids with no musi- cal knowledge and molding them into hopefully good musicians,” he said. Several members of the Kings Mountain band have gone on to major in music, said Cole. Several are band directors, while others con- tinue to play in college and community bands. Some have even become profes- sional musicians, he said. Recently Cole had approx- imately 70 students audition for the North Carolina All- State Honors band, the highest honors band in the state. Kings Mountain usu- ally has students get accept- ed to play in the band, said Cole. Cole and his wife, Sarah, share the love of music. Sarah Cole also served as a band director in the Kings Mountain school district for thirteen years; however, she now works with special needs children at the middle school. She plays the clar- inet, bass clarinet, and saxo- phone, said Cole. Both Cole and his wife still enjoy play- ing in the Winthrop Old English Wind Ensemble. Cole also plays in the Continental Divide, a rhythm and blues band based out of Charlotte. The couple has enjoyed traveling extensively with various musical groups and to visit musician friends. They toured Europe for 17 days with the Kings Mountain band once. They traveled to Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Ireland with area college bands and to Australia to visit Cole’s college room- mate, who was serving on a six-month teacher exchange in Sydney. “We like to travel,” said Cole. “All our travel has been related to music, so that’s been real special for us.” While the Kings Mountain band program continues to thrive, Cole will be there teaching his students to love music, just as he has done for:26 years: ot! i Bi ABIGAIL WOLFORD / HERALD Becky Cook and Louise Lynch pour punch for people at the Relay for Life kickoff on Monday evening. KING From 1A together as a team to move our community progressive- ly forward.” Music will be provided by Veronica Green, Shana Butler, and the Bynum Chapel Choir. Also, lyrical Diamond Heart Pendant dances will be done by “Faces of Praise” from Adams Chapel and the “International Gates of Dance.” “I know the city’s happy to be hosting the event again,” said Ellis Noell, Kings Mountain special events coordinator. “I know it was successful last year. I know we're happy to be hosting it as part of the trib- ute to a great man.” Additional Martin Luther King Day events will take place in Shelby on January 20. Those interested in par- ticipating in the “Unity Walk” from the Cleveland County Law Enforcement Center to Shelby High School should meet in the Shelby High School parking lot at 11:00 a.m. Transportation will be provided from the high school to the law enforce- ment center, said Rev. Charles A. Turner, president of the Cleveland County chapter of the NAACP. The march will take place at 11:30. The program will start at noon and will last an hour, he said. The Honorable Teresa Harper Vincent of Gilford County will speak at the event. Vincent is a graduate of Shelby High School and cur- rently resides in Greensboro. I would like to say “Thank You” to those who adopted abused children as well as adults. You gave voluntarily from the heart, so that abused families would have gifts under the tree. Those loving people and I would like to say thank you and may God bless and be upon you. Abuse Prevention Geraldine Wray RELAY From 1A for the team that is the most spirited in other ways as well. Teams considered for the award will have to meet numerous requirements, such as having a theme on the night of the relay and participating in the educational activities on the night of the relay and at the meetings before the event. “I've been able to see what all the funds that we talk about do for cancer patients,” said Cathy Powell, a “Voice and Face” for the American Cancer Society. Powell told the story about how she won her battle with breast cancer at the meeting. Last year, Kings Mountain raised over $84,000 for cancer research through Relay for Life and ranked sixth in the nation for per capita giving, said Andrea Whitesides, community income manager for part of the southeast division of the American Cancer Society. While teams are already forming for the relay, all who wish to get involved are wel- come, said Lisa Howell, 2003 Kings Mountain Relay for Life co-chair. The relay is constantly looking for new people to get involved and help raise money for cancer research. “Newcomers are great,” said Howell. People who want to participate but don’t have a team may sign up and be assigned to a team, she said. The registration fee is $10 per person and includes a t-shirt. Survivors do not have to pay the registration fee but will still receive a t-shirt, she said. Early registration is best if the team wants to have a good campsite on the night of the relay, she said. Teams usually consist of ten or more people. The money for cancer research is raised through the fundraisers the teams do prior to and on the night of the relay. Howell encouraged teams to do one or two fundraisers a month during the few months before the relay. The relay will have theme hours through- out the night on May 2-3. Themes will include cowboy hour, pajama hour, beach hour, military hour, team banner hour, sur- vivor hour, and luminary hour. Survivors will start the relay with a lap of honor. At this point, more volunteers are needed for the event, both to serve on teams and on the executive committee, said Dena Blalock, the other 2003 Kings Mountain Relay for Life co-chair. Corporate sponsors are also needed for the event. For more information, contact Dena Blalock at 704-739-1564 (home) or 704-853- 1502 (work) or Lisa Howell at 704-739-1203. SCHOOLS From 1A percent ofits students’ parents, which is not an easy task since the school accepts stu- dents from all over the county. Grigg said the school currently has 50 stu- dents. The population during the first semester was 66 but 16 students were returned to their home schools at semester break. The current population will probably increase during the second semester, he said. The school can accept up to 72 students. Phil Weathers told the Board that Cleveland County Schools’ Dropout Prevention Task Force will begin an alterna- tive school type situation at Cleveland Vocational Industries. It would serve stu- dents who have been suspended for up to ten days, allowing the students and the schools credit for attendance by those stu- dents. Weathers said Kings Mountain and Shelby have been invited to participate at a cost of $6,250 each. Cleveland County Schools would provide $12,500 and will apply for a $75,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Prevention Commission. Most of the money would go toward hiring a teacher, teacher assistant and guidance counselor. The program will be known as CSTOP - Community Short Term Opportunity Program. Weathers explained that at-risk students who are suspended for up to ten days often fail a semester’s classes because of the absences. “They would be counted present during this time, and would get to continue their school work,” he said. All of the details of the program have not been worked out, he said, but he will attend another meeting on January 21 at Cleveland Vocational Industries to hear more about it. He will address the School Board again at its work session on Friday, January 31 at 8:30 a.m. at Central School. Pre-application for funding must be in Raleigh the same day, he said. Monday’s action, which passed 5-0, does not commit Kings Mountain to participating in the program but was an endorsement of support for the program. Weathers said the program would serve up to 20 students at a time on a flexible schedule. Transportation would not be pros vided, he said. . “I think it’s a good concept,” said Board Ain't it nifty, vice-chairman Stella Putnam. “I’ve never agreed to just sending them home because that’s where they want to be.” rales Not all suspended students will be eligi- ble for the program. Any participants must be recommended by their principal and the student would have the option to attend or stay at home. Weathers said four western NC counties - Rutherford, Polk, Transylvania and McDowell - have such programs in place and have reported success. He said the Task Force visited the Rutherford County school. In other action Monday, the Board: BM Heard a report from John Goforth, exec- utive director for instruction and curriculum on the Governor's Report Card which is due to be released on February 20. HB Goforth also reported that KMHS had completed its first round of end-of-course tests and preliminary results appear to be very successful. There was drastic improve- ment in many subject areas, with some of them showing their best scores ever. In Algebra II, 96% of students were proficient, he said. In chemistry, 89% were proficient, and in English I, 95 % were proficient. U.S History improved from 51% last spring to 69%, which is well above the State average. More end-of-course testing will take place at the end of the school year. BW Goforth also reported that teachers, par- ents and students are revising Pupil Educational Plans in grades 3-8; and that KMDS is among a number of schools in a multi-county area re-applying for a $7 mil- lion Master Science Foundation Grant. The grant, which was turned down last year, would include $1.6 million in scholarships to UNCC, and Kings Mountain students would receive “five or six” of those scholar- ships, he said. HM Was told by Supt. Larry Allen that the State School Board had rejected a recom- mendation that would require elementary P.E. for at least 30 minutes a day. While that recommendation was defeated, Allen said the State Board is “encouraging” schools to provide at least 150 minutes of P.E. per week in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week in middle schools. He said KM elementary schools now pro- vide “30 to 40” minutes, three times a week. HM Presented an award to KM Middle School 7th grader Cory Phillips, who drew the Christmas card that the superintendent sends out each year. This year, Allen said he sent a card to every school system in the State. I made it to “50”! 1-16-53 #2, | Betty Ingle is a special person to 8 1772 all of us and to anyone else that &/ | knows her. She holds a special | *§ place in our hearts here at CCB. hy wk, 8 Happy Birthday! We Love You! y Your friends at CCB P&Z Board meets Tuesday BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD Staff Writer The Kings Mountain Planning and Zoning Board met on Tuesday evening to discuss zoning laws in two parts of the city. The first zoning issue dealt with the existence of abandoned manufactured homes, or trailers, that are more than 15 years old. Steve Killian, director of planning and economic development, along with a planning board committee, argued that the old, aban- doned trailers needed to be removed or replaced with new or used trailers that are less than 15 years old. The board decided to for- ward their findings to City Council for further discus- sion. Secondly, after much dis- cussion, the board unani- mously voted to recom- mend to City Council that manufactured home owner Alice White be permitted to replace her old single-wide home with a new double- wide home. Since her sin- gle-wide home dated back to the 1970s, a replacement of the same size could not be found. Because her new manu- factured home will be larger than her current one, the board needed to change the zoning on Pearce Court in order to allow her to upgrade her home. Many of White's neighbors signed her petition to change the zoning. All were notified of the possibility of the change, and none voiced any objection. Among the concerns mentioned at the meeting by board members was the possibility that changing the zoning on Pearce Court would someday lead to a trailer park on the road. TAX From 1A 2A Sas AQ Cid LA , money, he said. The newly negotiated tontract with” Duke Power for four years with no rate increase will also save the city money, said Murphrey. By becoming self-insured, the city was also able to save over $400,000 a year, he said. “We're always looking for ways to save money,” he said. “We've worked to save money so that we have one of the lowest rates in the area. We'll continue to work to lower rates.” Statewide, local govern- ments receive a median of 4.04 percent of citizens’ incomes, said a report from the John Locke Foundation, a nonprofit public policy research group in North Carolina. However, Cleveland County receives only 3.81 percent. Most counties in western North Carolina take less than 4.04 percent of citizens’ incomes for the local government. Other counties with smaller tax needs include Rutherford, Ashe, Iredell, Caldwell, Avery, Alleghany, and Wilkes counties. Similarly, Kings Mountain takes less money per person for the local government than many municipalities of similar size in western North Carolina. In fact only a few cities took less tax revenue per person in 2001 than Kings Mountain. Kings Mountain received an average of $1,013 per per- son in 2001, whereas Shelby received $1,046, Lincolnton received $1,182, and Statesville received $1,231. Forest City ($920) and Morganton ($989) received less money per person than Kings Mountain. Travel No More! Specializing In The Latest Designer Fragrances HANDBAGS Give A Gift That Both of You Will Enjoy! No Imitations Don’t forget Valentine’s Day Feb 14th 232 S. Lafayette Street 704-481-1896 Mon.-Sat. 9-6 v, Sunn, If you find your favorite fragrance for less anywhere else we will match or beat the price!
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Jan. 16, 2003, edition 1
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