Four-year-old Grant Brown holds up a peace sign with two of his fingers as he poses with the winners of the first-ever RunDown 5K & Fun Run. The young to not-so-young, kids to grandmothers, experienced runners to walkers who were challenged to tread the 3.1-mile course, laced up their shoes Saturday morning (April 25) at DeKalb West School for this fundraising event for Down syndrome awareness.
Grant, who was born with Down syndrome was the friendly 2015 “Face of the Race.” He is the third child of Stephen and Amanda Brown, who are the parents to Grant’s two siblings, Austin, a student at D.C.H.S., and Lydia, an 8thgrader at DeKalb West School.
“In the beginning, it’s devastating,” Grant’s mom said of his early newborn days. “You want everything to be perfect. Really, now, looking at him, he is perfect.”
Children born with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21. Normally, people are born with 46 chromosomes. An individual with Down’s has 47.
“That extra chromosome is okay,” Brown said. “We wouldn’t change him for a minute.”
Admittedly, raising a child with a genetic disorder took a period of adjustment, but overall, she says it has been a positive experience.
“Fortunately, we’ve not had a lot of the health issues that can come with Down’s,” she said. “He’s very stubborn, but he’s very loving too.”
“We were told a lot that they’re (D.S. children) a little more laid back and maybe not as active,” Brown said. “That’s certainly not the case here. He’s a lot of fun and very energetic.”
Grant’s DWS Pre-Kindergarten teacher Amy Pack-Young echoes his mother’s take on the little boy’s spunk.
“He is stubborn and energetic, but most of all very comical!” she said. “He loves to play in the IPad center, pretend play and dance. His favorite teacher is Holly (Bain, Educational Assistant). She has been awesome to work one-on-one with Grant within the classroom. I’m really his second favorite because I’m as stubborn as him,” Young adds with a laugh.
Grant’s genetic disorder certainly has no bearing on his acceptance at school or anywhere in the community.
“All the preschoolers have overall been great with Grant,” his teacher says. “They have taken him on as younger brother. Everyone at DWS knows Grant. He greets everyone with a hug, big smile and sometimes a kiss,” Young said.
“He’s like a rock star almost,” his mom says laughing. “He’s a celebrity. It’s the same way at church and wherever we go. It’s pretty funny.”
Down syndrome’s affect is different for each child, says Alecia Talbott, Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, who was on hand race day to provide additional information about D.S.
“Typically, there will be some cognitive delays and some difficulty with working memory,” explained Talbott, whose third of three children was born with D.S. “Generally, for most kids, they’re going to do everything that their typically developing peers are going to do. They’re going to run and play, jump, ride bikes, and do other things. They’re going to learn a little bit differently, and it might take a little bit longer. They may need some additional support to see those things happen.”
Grant and his family are blessed with an abundance of support from other people including their church home at Salem Baptist Church and many members of the community.
“We’ve always had a lot of people behind us,” Brown said. “That’s why our shirts say G-force. We have such a force behind us. Seeing the community come out like this has been amazing.”
“The faculty and staff at DeKalb West School have played such a huge role in Grant’s life this past year,” Brown adds. “From his teachers to the students, everyone treats him so well. All the faculty/staff have made him and us feel so special, and their love for him is evident. We want to thank each of you for everything you do for Grant.”
“When you’re raising a child with special needs, you need support,” Talbott adds. “There are hard days. There are challenges. Seeing the support of the community like this makes parents like us feel good. There’s stressful days, and it’s very helpful to have other folks reach out and say we love you too.”
221 people registered for the race with 162 people participating in either the 5K or fun run, according to Clark Oakley, who helped organized the event with Andy West from Smith County who also has a child with D.S., Kelly Pyburn, Amanda Brown, and Joey Agee.
Over $6,000 was raised for Down syndrome awareness. This event would not have come about if not for the founder, Addison Oakley, an 8th grade student at DeKalb West. Oakley, who has a cousin with D.S. and is also best friends with Grant’s sister, Lydia has wanted to do something for several years now for Down syndrome awareness. With the help of her mother, Lisa and father, Clark they created RunDown 5K, a non-profit organization. This will become an annual event to help provide resources for children with DS in DeKalb and Smith County.
“We want to thank everyone who supported this race in any way,” Oakley said. “We couldn’t have done it without the volunteers who gave of their time and the sponsors who supported our cause financially.”
For more information on Down syndrome, check out www.somethingextra.org.

Several people accused of recent wildlife hunting violations appeared in DeKalb County General Sessions Court on Thursday, April 9.
Eight men and one woman were charged on 113 offenses and eight pled guilty to some of the charges under negotiated settlements. Six adults including Abbey Caldwell, Austin Cook, Daniel Stanley, Evan Cripps and Dustin Cook, along with three unnamed juveniles from DeKalb County and Charles Calvert of Warren County, were charged with multiple accounts including spot-lighting, hunting during a closed season, hunting from a public road and hunting from a motorized vehicle.
According to a prepared TWRA media release, “The case started when TWRA Warren County Officer, Pete Geesling, received a tip regarding illegal spotlighting in late December. He and fellow Warren County TWRA Officer, Jason Ramsey started the investigation. TWRA DeKalb county Officers, Joe Fortner and Tony Cross, joined the case when tips indicating illegal activity in DeKalb County came in from social media around the first of January. After collecting further evidence, TWRA Officers interviewed eight suspects the first weekend in February. Three suspects were interviewed multiple times.”
“Those indicted admitted to driving a 20 mile stretch of road and illegally taking 11 deer on different nights. The men surrendered five deer racks, three rifles and one bow. The men also consented to the search of a vehicle. TWRA Officers removed the carpet in the trunk of the vehicle for DNA testing of blood and hair, used to prove the number of deer transported. Officers also found a spotlight, empty cartridges and a knife. The men surrendered and consented to the search of an I Phone, which revealed several incriminating photos.”
“Officers worked with the DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney, Greg Strong, to determine 113 charges for the six adults and three juveniles. After determining charges, all suspects involved in the case met with Officers. Officers cited warrants but did not physically arrest any of the men. All pled guilty. Four of the men were offered pretrial diversions from the Assistant District Attorney General. Three pled guilty but were not offered pretrial diversions. Eight of the nine were sentenced. The ninth, an unnamed juvenile is also facing several unrelated violations and that case has not yet been settled in court.
The eight defendants who appeared in court on April 9th were fined a total of $10,329.00, received a combined 22 years of revoked hunting privileges, 16 years of suspended probation and all eight must retake the hunter education course.

The DeKalb County Board of Education will seek consultation from the Tennessee School Boards Association is establishing a procedure for selecting the next Director of Schools.

Following an hour long work session, the board held a brief special called meeting Monday evening and voted to move forward with the process. “I make a motion that we consult TSBA for their free service with guidelines on how to proceed with our director selection process,” said Fourth district member Kate Miller. Seventh district member Shaun Tubbs offered a second to the motion.
The board’s policy states that the board must develop a procedure for selecting a new director before it begins a search. “Prior to conducting a search to fill the position, the Board shall initially develop the following:
* A job description
* A timeline
* A process for accepting and reviewing applications
* Selection procedures
Based on the school board’s action Monday night, a TSBA consultant will be asked to meet with the board of education, at no charge or obligation, to discuss options with the Board and to explain the Search Service in detail. Specific items to be covered at that time include planning a tentative timeline; defining the scope of the search; and discussing qualifications, contractual details; community/staff involvement; media relations; and confidentiality.

Alexandria voters will have a chance to elect a mayor and as many as five aldermen in the town’s election on September 3.
Qualifying petitions are now available from the DeKalb County Election Commission. The deadline to get in the race is noon on June 18.
In this year’s Alexandria election, three aldermen are to be elected, each to serve a four year term. Meanwhile, a mayor and two other aldermen are to be elected to fill vacancies or the remaining two years of unexpired terms.
The sitting members are Mayor Tony Tarpley and Aldermen Pat Jackson, David Cripps, John Suggs, and Bennett Armstrong. All are serving as appointees except for Jackson, who was elected in 2013 and still has two years remaining in his term.
Those who have picked up petitions from the election commission to date are as follows:
Mayor: Tony Tarpley (4 year term)
Alderman: Bennett Armstrong, David G. Cripps, and John Suggs (all for 4 year terms)
No petitions have yet been issued for the two-2 year terms to fill vacant/unexpired terms.

A New York non-profit group, which operates a residential facility for youth, has reportedly made an offer for a lease/purchase of Lakeside Resort, which is under the control of UCHRA.
According to the Herald-Citizen, the formal offer by Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch for Lakeside Resort was recently presented to the UCHRA’s real estate committee during a meeting in Cookeville. No specifics were given but the letter stated that they would like to purchase from UCHRA the buildings, machinery and chattels of the resort on Center Hill Lake, with the offer contingent upon UCHRA renegotating the lease with the Corps to at least 2050.
According to the group’s website, a number of programs are offered at the current location in Long Island, N.Y. — including a residential program — on the 70-acre farmstyle campus. The Ranch opened in November of 1980 and offers a safe haven for children who have been neglected, abused or in a time of crisis. Referrals come from the court system and private agencies.

The offer includes an initial payment of $50,000 and subsequent payments of $5,000 each calendar month for 13 years, beginning in June of 2015.
The total purchase price would be $830,000, which is below the reduced asking price of $999,999.
However, restrictions currently in place by the Corps of Engineers could prevent such a facility at Lakeside Resort.
Kevin Salvilla, natural resource manager at Center Hill Lake, reportedly informed the real estate committee that while Lakeside is an asset for DeKalb County there are conditions for its use and one is that it cannot be used for residential purposes, except for security. The intent of the location is for recreation. It’s a parks and recreation lease, he said.
But, according to the current lease with UCHRA, the leaseholder must have an educational component to the operations.
If a deal were to be approved as offered, UCHRA would still have to pay off its loan debt through Rural Development. According to Luke Collins, Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency executive director, the agency still owes $1.4 million on the property and the purchase price would not cover it. Collins said he has been told the lienholder will not release the lien without full payment of the debt but there could be an option for refinancing.
According to the Herald-Citizen, the real estate committee is set to meet again May 19 at 9 a.m. in Cookeville to look at submitted proposals and make a decision. In the meantime, representatives of the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch board may meet with Salvilla and other employees of the Corps of Engineers, to discuss specifics of the proposal.

DeKalb County High School Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America students have qualified to compete at the national level based on their performance at the recent Tennessee FBLA State Leadership Conference. The chapter also has a young lady who was elected to serve as state secretary on the FBLA Executive Council.
These top Business and Technology students from DeKalb County High School will be attending the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference and Institute for Leaders. They will join over 5,000 other conference delegates from across the nation to participate in national-level business skill competitions, workshops, business sessions, and the national officer candidate campaigns and elections.
Future Business Leaders of America is a national organization for high school, college, and middle school students preparing for careers in business and information technology occupations. The organization’s activities and programs compliment classroom instruction by giving students practical experiences through application of the skills learned at school.
The local chapter is seeking sponsors to help fund the FBLA students’ trip to the National Conference, which will be June 27-July 2 in Chicago, Illinois. The following students are eligible to attend this National Leadership Conference:
•Keely McKay, Anna Malone, and Hailey Walker: Community Service Project
•Nicole Atkins: Securities and Investments
•Hannah James: Tennessee FBLA State Secretary
•Aspen Flarity: Social Media Campaign
The cost of the trip is approximately $875 per student. This is the first time in several years that students locally have qualified for nationals. Unfortunately, there are no chapter funds available for these students and they are responsible for the cost of the trip. If you would like to help you may donate by accessing Gofundme.com/s7erpg or contacting Marilyn Roberts at DeKalb County High School.