February 15, 2012
A
i SCHOOL NEWS
The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.net
Page 3B
13 BCHS students inducted into NTHS
Thirteen Bessemer City High School students have been
inducted as members of The National Technical Honor So-
ciety because of academic achievements in a Career Techni-
cal program. Membership in the society is the highest
scholastic honor award for excellence in Career and Techni-
cal Education in America.
The National Technical Honor Society’s designation is
one of only three honor societies that are placed on the North
Carolina transcript. Students who accepted the invitation
were provided a tassel that may be worn at graduation cere-
monies and a National Technical Honor Society award
sticker for their diploma.
To be invited, students must be a senior with a current cu-
mulative 3.0 grade-point average and have a 3.5 grade-point
UNCC honors local students
Seven students of Kings Mountain were
recently listed on UNC-Chapel Hill's
Dean’s List for the fall 2011 semester: Al-
lison Cummings, Kelsey Harvey, Erica
Hicks, Michael Homesley, Chelsea In-
gram, Hannah McGill, and Davis Phantha-
lack.
Garrett Hastings and Taylor Rippy, both
of Grover, were also on the Dean’s List.
Seven from Kings Mountain seceived
degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill in the
spring of 2011: Chad Pearson - Master of
Performing.
Arts in Exercise and Sport Science; Jessica
Yarbro - Bachelor of Science in Psychol-
ogy; Amber Baxley - Bachelor of Arts in
Psychology; Marvin Brice - Bachelor of
Arts in Political Science; Lauren Suber -
Bachelor of Arts in History; Adam Pasour
- Bachelor of Arts in International Studies;
and Emily Smith - Bachelor of Music in
Marcus Carpenter of Bessemer City
earned his Juris Doctorate in Law from
UNC-Chapel Hill in Spring 2011.
average in all Career and Technical Education classes com-
pleted. Students must also be scheduled to complete, or have
completed, a College Prep Course of study in the current
school year. Students must be in attendance 94 percent of the
school year and have no suspensions from school.
The honored students are Justin Cobb, Payden Dover,
Sury Gama-Hernandez, Aubrey Hallman, Meghan Hilton,
Destiny Huggins, Cameron Hunter, Noemi Jimenez, Megan
Phillips, Somer Picklesimer, A.J. Stinnett, Megan Summey,
and Regan Summey.
Advisor of The National Technical Honor Society is
Wanda Huffstetler. Susie Parker is the Career Development
Coordinator at Bessemer City High and Karen Gilbert is CTE
Director for all Gaston County Schools.
at Clemson
William Robert Locke
Jr. of Kings Mountain has
been named to the Dean’s
List at Clemson University
for the fall 2011 semester.
He is majoring in Civil En-
gineering.
To be named to" the
Dean’s List, a student
achieved a grade-point av-
erage between 3.50 and
3.99 on a 4.0 scale.
—————
Ozzy “Jeff” Toth, 11, of Kings Mountain recently won a !
Spelling Bee at Kings Mountain Intermediate School. |
Jeff is in the Academically Intellectually Gifted program §
at KMIS. He is an “A” Honor roll student who enjoys
drawing and reading. His favorite subject is science.
Locke honored
Nathan Michael Boone finished the Bee as runner-up.
KM students honored
for success at UNC-G
Two from Kings Mountain
were listed among the recent
graduates of UNC-Greensboro
for the fall semester of 2011.
Kelsey Michael Adams of
Kings Mountain graduated with
a Bachelor of Arts degree. Lau-
ren Kustra Goodson graduated
with a Master of Science degree.
Elizabeth B. Anderson,
Melvin L. Clark, Jr., Teal R.
Curry, Jennifer M. Falls, Mea-
gan V. Hawkins, and Tonya B.
Overman, all of Kings Moun-
tain, were listed on UNC-
Greensboro’s Deans’ List for the
fall 2011 semester.
Students who earn a grade
point average of 3.50 or better
and who have no grade below
B- for the semester will be
placed on the Deans’ List if they
have completed at least 6 credit
hours at UNCG.
- Kings Mountain’s Melvin L.
Clark, Jr, Teal R. Curry and
Cynthia J. VanZomeren were
listed on the school’s Chancel-
lor’s List for the fall 2011 se-
mester.
Herndon, Ruth on
Meredith’s Dean’s List
Kathryn Pierce Herndon |
and Margaret Winter Ruth,
both of Kings Mountain,
made it onto the Dean’s List
for the 2011 spring semester
EY [RE
Editor
at Meredith College in
Raleigh. The two were also
listed on the college’s Dean’s
List for the Fall 2010 semes-
ter.
How to Help Elderly Drivers Limit or Stop Driving
Dear Savvy Senior;
I’m worried about my father’s driving.
At age 84, his driving skills have dimin-
ished significantly, but I know he’s
bound and determined to keep going as
long as he’s alive. What tips can you
recommend that can help me help my
dad stop driving?
Nervous Daughter
Dear Nervous,
For many families, telling an elderly
parent it’s time to give up the car keys is
a very sensitive and difficult topic.
While there’s no one simple way to han-
dle this issue, here are a number of tips
and resources you can try to help ease
your dad away from driving.
Take a Ride
To get a clear picture of your dad’s driv-
ing abilities, the first thing you need to
do is take a ride with him watching for
problem areas. For example: Does he
drive too slow or too fast? Does he tail-
gate or drift between lanes? Does he
have difficulty seeing, backing up. or
changing lanes? Does he react slowly?
Does he get distracted or confused eas-
ily? Also, has your dad had any fender
benders or tickets lately, or have you
‘noticed any dents or scrapes on his: ve-
hicle? These, too, are red flags.
Start Talking
After your assessment, you need to have
a talk with your dad about your con-
cerns, but don’t sound alarmed. If you
begin with a dramatic outburst like
“Dad, you're going to kill someone!”
you're likely to trigger resistance. Start
by gently expressing that you’re worried
about his safety.
For tips on how to talk to your dad
about this touchy topic, the Hartford Fi-
nancial Services Group and MIT Age-
Lab offers some guides titled “Family
Conversations with Older Drivers” and
“Family Conversations about
Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia & Driv-
ing” that can help, along with a online
seminar called “We Need to Talk’ that
was produced by AARP. To-access these
free resources, visit safedrivingforalife-
time.com.
Like many elderly seniors, your dad
may not even realize his driving skills
have slipped. If this is the case, consider
signing him up for an older driver re-
fresher course through AARP
Power Lift
Chairs
Just 549-29
Call:
Learn how a long-term care insurance
policy can help you live life your way.
(aarp.org/drive, 888-227-7669), your
local AAA or a driving school.
By becoming aware of his driving limi-
tations, your dad may be able to make
some simple adjustments — like driving
only in daylight or on familiar routes —
that can help keep him safe and driving
longer. Or, he may decide to hang up
the keys on his own.
Refuses To Quit
If, however, you believe your dad has
reached the point that he can no longer
drive safely, but he refuses to quit, you
have several options. One possible solu-
tion is to suggest a visit to his doctor
who can give him a medical evaluation,
and if warranted, “prescribe” that he
stops driving. Older people will often
listen to their doctor before they will lis-
ten to their own family. :
If that doesn’t do it, ask him to get a
comprehensive driving evaluation done
by a driver rehabilitation specialist —
this can cost several hundred dollars. A
driving evaluation will test your dad’s
cognition, vision and motor skills, as
well as his on-road driving abilities. To
locate a specialist in your area, contact
the Association of Driver Rehabilitation
Specialists (driver-ed.org, 866-672-
9466) or the American Occupational
Therapy Association (aota.org/older-dri-
ver).
If he still refuses to move to the passen-
ger seat, call your local Department of
Motor Vehicles to see if they can help.
Or, call in an attorney to discuss with
your dad the potential financial and
legal consequences of a crash or injury.
If all else fails, you may just have to
take away his keys.
Arrange Transportation
Once your dad stops driving he’s going
to need other ways to get around, so
help him create a list of names and
phone numbers of family, friends and
local transportation services that he can
call on. To locate community trans-
portation services call the Area Agency
on Aging. Call 800-677-1116 for con-
tact information.
Send your questions to: Savvy Senior,
P.O. Box 5443, Norman OK 73070, or
visit Savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a
contributor to NBC Today show and
author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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