Over 20 years experience! Call for an appointment today! 704.473.4048 786 Bell Rd; Kings Mountain 8 KMHS athletes tops in grades; board weighs driver’s ed funding DAVE BLANTON dave.kmherald@gmail.com Kings Mountain High School’s varsity athletes topped their district coun- terparts academically in the 2012-2013 school year, pulling down an average GPA (unweighted) of 3.18. That distinction earned them the Coach Jim Tay- lor Academic Excellence Award given to the high school with highest un- weighted GPA of all varsity athletes. The trophy was pre- sented at Monday night’s meeting of the Cleveland County Board of Education. Superintendent Dr. Stephen Fisher called the accomplishment “a tremen- dous feat” for the school where he taught math for several years. KMHS is also his alma mater. Early voting starts Oct. 23 Early voting for the No- vember 4th general election will begin in Kings Moun- tain Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Kings Mountain Wom- an's Club on East Mountain Street. Election officials will give you your ballots from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, Friday, Oct. 24, Saturday, Oct. 25, Monday, Oct. 27, Tuesday, Oct. 28, Wednesday, Oct. 29, Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 and on Sat- urday, Nov. 1, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Same day registration won't be allowed during early voting in North Car- olina and Election Day bal- See VOTING, 7A INSIDE tie of Tims Hascdoin Battie of 6 0000: EN ST ECE Order your revolutionary license plate! Pg 9A 8 98525700200 Dr. Brian Hunnell, the district’s director of admin- istrative services, said the GPA is based only on the 2012-2013 school year and isn’t cumulative. Hunnel also noted that all Cleveland County high schools’ ath- letes averaged higher than a 3.0 GPA in the same period. Crest High School collected the award last year. Julie Rikard, an assistant principal at KMHS, and Mark Latham, the school’s defensive football coordi- nator, accepted the award Monday night. In other school board news, the panel heard about the progress and success of a Summer Literacy Acad- emy that was held over a four week period during the summer. Laura Beaver, who is the school district’s Title I Cur- riculum Coach and Parent kmherald.com Involvement Coordinator, said the program seeks to fill the gap for younger stu- dents who are at risk of fall- ing behind in reading. She was joined by Ryan Etheridge, a Title I teacher who helped run the acad- emy and since then has been appointed to lead Burns High School’s Freshman Academy. Staffers from the acad- emy said parent involve- ment in the program exceeded their expecta- tions and said they hoped to expand the program in the future. Two elemen- tary schools — Graham and James Love — participated in the academy. From 8:30 am. to 12:30 p.m., the students participated in a variety of learning experi- ences designed to teach and See KMHS ATHLETES 7A Volume 126 ¢ Issue 42 ¢ Wednesday, October 15, 2014 rps xk kK 5024700 5p ORTAL LIBRARY E y 1 58086-3450 FIRM Zann 1150 Kings Mountain High School assistant principal Julie Rikard, at left, and the KMHS defen- sive football co-ordinator Mark Latham, at right, accept the Coach Jim Taylor Academic Excellence Award from Jim Taylor at Monday’s school board meeting. Major remodeling for McDonald's Framing sub-contractors work on the exterior of the Shelby Rd. McDonald’s Thursday af- ternoon. The fast food restaurant is getting a new look inside and out and expects to hold a grand opening in mid-December. Speak Your Kiser family star in Liberty Mountain Drama Mind On Schools Danny Blanton A public forum to dis- cuss the Cleveland County Schools system will be held at the Kings Mountain Na- tional Guard Armory Tues- day, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. This is the third Town Hall meeting held in the county in recent months sponsored by board of edu- See SPEAK YOUR MIND 7A ELIZABETH STEWART lib.kmherald @ gmail.com Krista and Patrick Kiser and their children, Ella, Matthew and Jack, are among Kings Mountain families in the large cast of “Liberty Mountain," the drama by Bob Inman about the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain, which ended a two weekend run by the Kings Mountain Little Theatre Sunday to sell-out crowds. “Our sons are fasci- nated with stories about the 18th century and the boys have collected artifacts and enjoyed Living History presentations at the Battle- ground," said Krista Kiser, a psychologist with Cleveland County Schools working with pre-schoolers and ele- mentary children at Graham Elementary School. Krista said that when she * Live Music October 18th * Liver Mush and her husband learned about tryouts for the drama that the boys were so excited and Jack, 7, landed the role of “Franklin” in the play. “We aren't all in the play together at the same time but we were so thrilled that each one of us was part of this history-making world premier," she said. Patrick Kiser, General Counsel and VP of Kis- er-Harriss in Belmont, helped his son learn his lines and played “Bloody Bill” Cunningham. Mat- thew, 5, and Ella, 2, were also in several scenes in “Liberty Mountain” and were excited that their big brother had a speaking role. “I enjoyed getting to run down the theater isle with the other boys and watch- ing my Daddy play ‘Bloody Bill’” Matthew says. Jack says “I liked carrying a See KISER FAMILY, 7A * Little Miss Liver Mush Pageant * Pompkin Painting * Hi * Liver Mush Eating Contest The Official North Carclina Fall Liver Mush Festival 704-482-7882 uman Hat ister Wheel : DAVE BLANTON \ dave.kmherald@gmail.com The McDonald’s on Shelby Rd. is in the mid- dle of a major renovation project that’s giving the fast-food joint expanded drive-thru capabilities and a fresh look inside that will in~ clude a variety of electronic games aimed at its younger customers. “It’s going to be a more modern look in- side,” said store manager Brittany York, who said her store handles about 1,400 transactions on a typical day. “We’re also installing a double drive-thru.” That McDonald’s location is planning a grand opening to coincide with new neighbor Wal-Mart’s grand opening on December 10. McDon- ald’s hasn’t set a grand opening date yet, but York said it would be in early to mid December. On hand for the big day? The compa- ny’s instantly recognizable spokesperson Ronald Mc- Donald. Also planned are raffles for free prizes and a host of kid-themed games. Construction began last Monday. By late last week the restaurant was shrouded in plain lumber boards as contractors built a new outer shell. Construction on the additional drive-thru got See McDONALD’S 7A Krista and Patrick Kiser with Matthew, Jack and Ella in cos- tume for “Liberty Mountain". 8am to4 pm Historic Court Square in Uptown Shelby, NC * Pet Activities * inflatables * Pet Parade and Costume Contest * Banio Petting Zoo * Food and Craft Uendors
