The Board of Education is being asked to give it’s blessing for the formation of a baseball program for boys and a softball program for girls at DeKalb West School, at no cost to the school system
Jeff McMillen, speaking on behalf of a group of interested parents and students at DeKalb West, made the request during Thursday night’s school board meeting.
McMillen had also sent a letter to Director of Schools Mark Willoughby and to DeKalb West School Principal Danny Parkerson on August 7th.
In the letter, McMillen wrote “The DeKalb West Baseball Team will be made up of students enrolled in DeKalb County grades 6th, 7th, & 8th (including DeKalb Middle students) provided DeKalb Middle does not have a baseball program. The DeKalb West Softball team will be made up of DeKalb West students in grades 6th, 7th, & 8th.” (DeKalb Middle has a softball program).
“Students will need to maintain their academic grades as they would if they participated in basketball or cheering at DeKalb West.”
“The teams would have a head coach that will be a parent volunteer who will be approved by the principal and or director of schools and will attend any training classes that other coaches in the county are required to attend. Any other volunteer coach that will be present on the field or in the dug-out, may also need to be approved (but may not be required to attend any classes)”
“The baseball team would use the existing field at DeKalb West and the softball team would have access to the softball field located in Alexandria. Practices for softball could be conducted at the West School. Games can start as early as 3:30 p.m. so lighting will not be a problem. Transportation to and from practice and games will be provided by parents or guardians.”
“DeKalb West parents will form a Booster Club at the discretion of the principal and director of schools for providing funding for these sports. There will be no cost to the school system for uniforms, or equipment for startup of the league unless volunteered to do so. Any required monies will be deposited with the school at the schools request such as gate receipts and umpire fees, etc.”
“A list of Middle School teams with baseball/softball can be provided upon request.”
“This is a great opportunity for DeKalb West and the DeKalb County School System to broaden the opportunities given to the children of our system. DeKalb West has only basketball and cheerleading offered. This could allow more children an opportunity to participate in school-organized sports. The facility that DeKalb West has is another great reason for starting basketball/softball at DeKalb West not to mention the support that will be given by parents and businesses in our community. Under hard economic times, it would not be appropriate to ask for tax dollars for funding, but we will get the commitment for funding from parents and businesses in our community before starting.”
In his remarks to the school board Thursday night, McMillen said ” At this time, we are requesting permission to pursue the possibility of starting these programs. Much work will need to be done to make this happen, and time will be important because schools will be filling their schedules soon and the middle school will be having their tryouts for the girls soon.”
“Organized school sports are good for the kids, good for the school, and good for the parents and everyone else involved. Kids who are involved in sports are less likely to be problem students at school or in the classroom. They know to play sports, you are expected to make good grades, not be a problem student in class and outside of class, respect teachers and school personnel, be responsible, and give 100% effort.”
“DeKalb County has always been known for its baseball and we would hope these programs would be a stepping stone to the next level of play. If I understand correctly, anytime you offer a boys sport, you are required to offer a girls sport. We approached the parents of girls at the West School and they came up with offering softball. We know that it already exists at DeKalb Middle School, which is a good program, but they feel that this will allow more kids an opportunity to be involved. I would hope this would not create any problems between the schools, students, or parents.”
“When I was asked to help organize a baseball team, I tried to think about how it will affect my child, his school, and me as a parent. My thoughts are that if this extra playing helps develop him into a better player, better student, and better individual, it will be good for him. It can have a positive impact on the school by providing more opportunity for kids to participate, teach responsibility, and the importance of good grades, not to mention staying out of trouble. And as a parent, I know if it’s good for my child, it’s going to be good for other kids too.”
“The question of ‘can you be competitive’ has been asked and I don’t think anybody can truly answer that until you play the games. All programs have rebuilding years and I would consider starting a new program as a building year. I do know a lot of kids I’ve been around do have a big heart and I also think a good program is about more than just wins and losses.”
“Another question asked is ‘what happens when you’re gone’? I can assure you none of us are irreplaceable. There will be someone that will take your place. We’re not going into this with the attitude that it won’t work, but in the event it doesn’t, the school system will not be out any money.”
“For this to become a reality, the school principal, the school board, and director must support it. Without it, this will not work.”
The school board will study the issue in more detail during a workshop set for September 21st and make a final decision on the request at the next school board meeting on October 8th.

Second District School Board member Charles Robinson was re-elected Chairman of the Board of Education Thursday night.
The board re-organizes each September, naming a chairman, vice-chairman, and an assistant secretary.
Third District member Kenny Rhody was named Vice-Chairman and Fourth District member Joan Draper was elected Assistant Secretary for the year.
In other business, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby presented his monthly report on personnel to the school board.

Those employed since the August meeting are:
Melvin Riley, bus driver replacing Julie Fayette
Billy Curtis, driver
Tiffany VanWinkle, transferred to educational assistant
Cindy Armour, Sheryn Curtis, Libby Foutch, Mary Gay, Jamie Lankford, and Mary Neal as substitute cooks
Tanya Adkison, teacher at Smithville Elementary School
Approved Substitute Teachers:
Ellen Ammons, Guylene Atnip, Tracie Baker, Wanda Bradford, Jennifer Braswell, Jennifer Butts, Carolyn Caldwell, Jenny Cantrell, Nancy Cantrell, Matthew Carpenter, Jennifer Cole, Brenda Colwell, Julie Cook, Donna Davis, Tina Evans, Betty Fisk, Debbie France, Leanne Frasier, Ann Frazier, Holly Frazier, Kelly Frazier, Robbie Joan Frazier, Sherrie Giles, Janna Gillard, Johnna Goff, Doris Graham, Natalie Green, Vicki Haggard, Judith Hale, Charlene Hallum, Amber Hawkins, Connie Henry, Darnette Hibdon, Shirely Ingram, Sara Jared, Angela Johnson, Jennifer Judkins, Martha Knowles, Kym Lamson, Milinda League, Stacy Mason, Joel Moore, Eden Nokes, Jamie Nokes, Carol Northcutt, Ronda Northcutt, Angela Osment, Lisa Patterson, Elaine Perricone, Ivadell Randolph, Donna Robinson, Jessica Sims, Jalene Vanatta, Tiffanie VanWinkle, Wanda Vickers, Tom Werling, Helen Wilson, Jean Young, Kim Young, and Nancy Young.
Leave of Absence:
Betsye Walker, teacher at Northside Elementary School, as requested.
Lori Myrick, guidance counselor at DCHS, as requested
Resignations:
Wendy Bowling, educational assistant
Julie Fayette, bus driver
In other business, the school board adopted an amendment to the school calendar, changing the dates for spring break from April 2-9 to March 29th to April 2nd.
TCAP Testing will be April 15-22
The administrative day will be changed from May 24th to Friday, May 21st and the last day of school for students will be Saturday, May 22nd, 2010. Report cards will be sent home on that day.
The board adopted a resolution honoring bus drivers, proclaiming September 17th as Bus Driver Appreciation Day.
Director of Schools Willoughby says the tribute is part of the Utrust Make a Difference Program that the system is participating in this year to show school employees how much they are appreciated.
The resolution of appreciation states as follows:
“Whereas, the safety of our children rests in the hands of trained school bus drivers for up to three hours each school day, and,
Whereas, School bus drivers spend considerable time and energy in on-going training to maintain skills and keep current knowledge of school bus laws and safety procedures through continuing education classes, and,
Whereas, School bus drivers face both natural and unnatural hazards in the performance of their duties, and,
Whereas, School bus drivers consistently demonstrate patience, and kindness toward students, parents, and school staff in the performance of their duties, and,
Whereas, School bus drivers have collectively built a remarkable record of safety by driving for thousands and thousands of accident free miles, year after year, and,
Whereas, School bus drivers consistently put the safety of our children first and they maintain an awareness of student needs, school bus routes, mechanical issues, and weather conditions, and,
Whereas, School bus drivers frequently assist students in developing appropriate behavior and in dealing with issues confronting them daily through counseling and/or disciplinary techniques, and,
Therefore, Be it hereby Resolved, that the DeKalb County Board of Education officially recognizes all its school bus drivers for their continued and excellent services to the youth of DeKalb County.
Be it further resolved, that the DeKalb County Board of Education hereby declares September 17th, 2009 as school bus driver appreciation day in DeKalb County; and
Be it further resolved that each school principal is hereby encouraged to plan and implement a program of appreciation for school bus drivers who serve students in his or her respective school.”

The Kiwanis Club of DeKalb County recently received honors from the Division 2 Kentucky and Tennessee District.
Jim Westmoreland, Governor of Division 2 presented the club with banner patches for their involvement in the 2009-2010 Kiwanis Blood Drives through Kentucky and Tennessee.
Kiwanis of DeKalb County, who participated with 162 other clubs, received a patch for their highest percentage of blood units collected and a patch for the overall winner of the Kentucky and Tennessee District.
The Kiwanis Club thanks all of those who made this honor possible. Kiwanis meets at noon every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at Neo’s Cafe. For more information regarding Kiwanis, please call Judy Forrester at 597-2621.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is recognizing numerous airports across the state including the Smithville Municipal Airport with “Front Door Awards” for providing facilities and services that reflect community pride and commitment to quality. The awards were handed out at the 24TH Annual Tennessee Airports Conference on August 20, 2009.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression and our airports are often the front doors to our communities for visitors and business representatives,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “I’m pleased to honor these airports for their commitment to quality.”
Front Door Awards are presented by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission.
The criteria for the Front Door Award include: general appearance of the airfield, buildings and grounds; quality of services offered to passengers, aircraft and crews; availability and quality of information about the airport and the surrounding community; cleanliness and level of maintenance of areas used by the passengers, aircrew and airport visitors; courtesy and professionalism displayed by airport personnel; and, an overall impression of community pride and commitment to quality.
The goal is for every airport in Tennessee to receive this award in recognition of their commitment to quality and community pride.

If you own a cell phone, at some point you are likely to upgrade to a newer model. The Division of Consumer Affairs urges you to safely dispose of your old phone.
“It is important to properly dispose of your old cell phones to prevent your personal information from being stolen,” said Mary Clement, Director of Consumer Affairs. Cell phones are like laptop computers, they are often repositories of personal and sometimes sensitive information, including addresses, phone numbers, passwords, e-mail and account numbers. You wouldn’t dispose of your old laptop computer without wiping the hard drive clean; mobile devices deserve the same level of attention before you discard them. Encrypting passwords and other sensitive data stored on your cell phone can help prevent unauthorized access even after your cell phone is no longer in service. However, certain data on your phone, including contacts, photos and web search items may be recoverable with simple and inexpensive software programs.
Before you dispose of your old phone:
• Remove all personal information. Always remove the subscriber identity module (SIM) card from the phone.
• Remove all stored contacts in your phone book.
• Delete any lists of calls (received and made).
• Delete all voice mails, and sent and received e-mail and text messages.
• Delete photos and all web search history.
Your owner’s manual or your wireless provider will likely provide information on how to permanently delete information from your mobile device. Once you have deleted all personal information from your old phone, you can recycle or donate the phone. Cell phone manufacturers, service providers and nonprofit groups often have programs to refurbish mobile devices or recycle their components. Many organizations also collect old mobile devices for charitable purposes. For example, the Genesis House accepts donated phones the Sheriff’s Department collects from residents here.
These donated phones are refurbished and then given to clients as a way to contact Law Enforcement in case of an emergency. The cell phones only will call 911.
Consumer Affairs is a division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance, which works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee.