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NION SRE SRT The Kings Mountain Herald SIDEWALK SURVEY BY EMILY WEAVER THE HERALD Ll What does 9/11 mean to you? Lt. David Allen State Highway Patrol, Kings Mountain “It gives me a sense of how vulnerable we still are. A lot of people do not agree with us, our beliefs or how we live. Our way of life is still under attack and we need to be aware of that.” Chief Frank Burns KM Fire Department “It’s really changed the way I look at things. I never thought we would receive a terrorist attack like that before. We don’t need to take things for granted any- more, because you never know.” Chief Melvin Proctor KM Police Department “September 11th was a day that woke America up, to realize that we are as vulner- able now as anyone and that spiritually, we need to depend on something greater than ourselves.” Rick Murphrey Kings Mountain Mayor “I think that day brought our country together in sup- port of our troops and the heroes that give their lives to save lives. It gave us the resolve that our country has to fight terrorism.” Dr. David Irish Retired military chaplain Kings Mountain “It reminds me that we need to pray for our coun- try. Not just God Bless America but God Save America and keep us safe. Spirituality and patriotism should go hand in hand.” YOUR OPINION HB Thanks for ‘61 reunion To the editor: On August 19, I had the pleasure of attending my 45th high school reunion. I just wanted to say to the reunion committee, thank-you for all of the hard work. It was wonderful for me to get to spend some time with all of my old classmates. It was fun getting to see all of them and talk about what's been going on with one another over these past 45 years. My hat’s off to the great class of 1961 and I hope to see all of you again for our 50th reunion. Thanks, Frankie Gladden Understand the Constitution To the editor: This September 17th is Constitution Day, which is the day in 1787 when delegates to the convention in Philadelphia, PA approved the United States Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of our nation and is the basis of the structure and powers of the federal govern- ment. Legal experts around the world consider the Constitution to be one of the most remarkable documents in history. Before the Constitution could be legal and valid, it had to be ratified by nine of the thirteen original states. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the constitution, guaran- tee certain rights for the individual such as the rights of free speech, freedom of religion, and trial by jury. This anniversary should be an occasion for all Americans to study and understand the authentic history of how the Constitution was written. The concepts of separation of pow- ers and checks and balances helped the United States to become one nation and to form “a more perfect Union.” The Constitution has served the United States well for over 200 years. We should be knowledgeable and alert to preserve the legacy of the plan of national government given to us by George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and the other Founding Fathers. Sincerely, Russell Davis Jr. Charlotte OPINION POLICY All letters must be signed, and for verification purposes include the address and phone number. Letters should be limited to 500 words. Mail your letter to Editor, The Herald, P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086; fax to (704) 739-0611; or e-mail to KMH Letters@kingsmountainherald.com. Letters sent by fax and e-mail must also include name, mailing address and phone number for verification purposes. First National Bank Presents Just In-Time For Watch ole PSX Ni *Seiko *Bulova sCaravelle Wittnauer «Citizen and more! ae [a an a ata ARNOLD'S £73 BS pl g Yewe ry & — 3 “De 4? > EZ Goff Gallery < wast er(l@rrwrien. © 226 5. Washington 5t., Shethy : 704-487-4521 Toll Free 1-800-827-1873 f= Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9am-5:30pm Fri. Df Visit us at www.amoldsjewelers.com SCOGGINS From 1A tions, including fewer top positions.” “The numbers of adminis- trative positions has gone down since the merger and I don’t know where he is get- ting his figures from, saying that the positions have increased, but that is not true,” said Board Member Phillip Glover. He said that the position they just filled, that of Darrin Hartness becoming assistant superin- tendent, was needed to be filled for a school system of their size. “To claim that we are approximately in line with other systems of our size says that the rest of the state is efficient. This ignores that education in our state and elsewhere, has become a lucrative feeding ground for thousands of educationists with tepid post, post, post graduate degrees who offer nothing to the classroom teachers or their students,” Scoggins stated. His second concern was that of creating positions with vague titles, like Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. “In North Carolina and across the country, curricu- lum is a vague, indirect col- lection of jargon that is likely unread by any of you on the current board. It is written in North Carolina and else- where ostensibly by teachers. But it is lock-step dogma, not worthy of the claim by edu- cationists that it is specific to teaching.” He said that teachers already write cur- riculum and they are “direct- ed sternly” by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, hence cre- ating too many positions that are in charge of the same thing. Some assistant princi- pals, if not all principals on some level, also focus on cur- riculum. Cleveland County Schools employs 2,300 workers full- time and around 200 workers part-time. The exact number of employees in each of the three districts (Shelby, Kings Mountain and Cleveland County) before they merged could not be determined before press time. “There has not been a significant change in numbers of employees since the merger,” said Director of . Public Information Donna Carpenter. Scoggins stated in his let- ter, “I know that a metamor- phosis often takes place in boards of education, and members become cheerlead- ers for programs, programs, programs, simply because great souls have to do some- thing, and bless pat, if the funds are provided. Elected board members grounded in business, science, and com- merce often move from a position of self-confidence and become dependent on publications and philoso- phies they don’t bother to examine critically.” He also expressed concern in the board’s search for the school system’s next superin- tendent. “I am painfully aware that many of your decisions are controlled by law, and that in many cases, your votes are dictated by principles etched in stone. However, I hope you have the luxury of your integrity when you select a new superintendent,” his letter stated. Scoggins strongly encourages board members to look beyond the fancy titles and degrees and choose someone who has experience in a “strict academic disci- pline, like in math or sci- ence” and has been “a tough principal with steeled ability to control students and to direct teachers. “Education degrees are notoriously easy to get and yet the people who get them are our leaders,” he said. Scoggins told members that he has several books that document the decline of edu- cational standards and that some masters and PHd degrees are being handed to people without any exams or papers. As a final message he said, “You have a chance to do something different here, but I don’t claim to have all the answers. I hope, however, that you won't ignore the ris- ing tide of people who believe that you must do something different.” “Everybody has the right to voice their own opinion and he has that right, whether I agree or disagree,” Glover said. “We definitely value the community’s input as we continue our search for the next superintendent,” said Chairman George Litton. He said that the surveys the public has been able to access and complete, linked on their website, has proven very informative and helpful in their search. He said that lis- tening to the results of both community and staff surveys and brainstorming a similar list of candidate qualities, before reviewing applica- tions, greatly helped them focus on finding the perfect superintendent. Scoggins taught the last 15 years of his career in educa- tion at Shelby High School. He also taught part-time at Belmont Abbey and Gaston colleges in English, Composition and Literature. He now owns and runs Scoggins Nursery, cultivat- ing trees and shrubbery, at 134 Phifer Circle, in Kings Mountain. From 1A Chaplain Irish, knowing that we have the support of our family members at home,” he said. The wife of James “David” Creighton, serving with the 505th, was at the ceremony with her 6-month-old son, David Lee, a son James has never had the chance to see or hold because she was still pregnant when he left a year ago. “I can’t wait for him to come home. I'm so ready to At the Joy Theater September 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 7:30 pm September 10 at 3:00 pm Any student FREE with paying adult. see him,” she said. Creighton does not like to be reminded of the six months that he has missed with his newest son. “We could never imagine terrorist attacks that we have read about and watched on television, occurring in dis- tant lands, could ever hap- pen in America,” Murphrey said. “Terrorism follows no rules, terrorists spread vio- lent death upon innocent vic- tims and on 9-11-2001, the day that will live in infamy forever - an unprovoked and horrific cowardly act of ter- rorism occurred when four commercial aircraft were hijacked and death plunged from the sky in New York City, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. Thousands of innocent people were killed on this dark day in American history. This act was to scare and humble our nation, to surrender our freedom, but the spirit of democracy can not be killed.” He thanked the Kings Mountain Police, Firefighters, State Highway Patrol, emergency rescue personnel, and the Sheriff's Department for their brave Friends are friends forever “Bethware Class of 1962” commitment to the people of Kings Mountain. “We have had to learn what it means to respond to sudden, life changing events, unexpectedly. September 11th changed our world and left a mark on history, indeli- bly, forever,” said retired mil- itary Chaplain Dr. David Irish. “One thing we've come to realize in this world is that we can expect the unexpect- ed. The thing that impresses me is that when these unex- pected things come, so does the next day come - no mat- ter what.” ow SHEER edF bron nes
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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