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Record Editor After the discovery of decades-long wrongdoing, Wilkes Central High Schools selection committee for the National Honors Society is revamping its procedures. The problems were brought to light after the parents of some Wilkes Central students, who did not make the National Honor Society (NHS), filed grievances with the school. Some parents say their children were omitted from the NHS because of shoddy procedures at the school. Principal Charles Mitchell said, "We realize that the process was bad and needed to be improved upon." The procedure, "is being corrected now," Mitchell said Monday. "I conducted an internal audit (on the committee's procedures) and discovered it needed to be brought up to date," he said. Membership in the National Honor Society gives students leverage when applying to colleges and for scholarships and other financial aid. Some parents say that the problem was brought to the attention of school administrators last year and that nothing was done. "He (Mitchell) said he would look into it then, and that's as far as it went," said one parent who asked not to be named. Mitchell said that some changes were implemented last year after complaints were made. Wayne Barker, assistant superintendent for Wilkes County Schools, heard the appeal from six students and their parents in mid May. On May 19, Barker sent a letter to Mitchell and the students outlining areas where the school was out of compliance with NHS procedures listed in its by-laws. According to Barker, those were: There is not a current set of by-laws available at Wilkes Central; The selection process, criteria for eligibility, and the procedures have not been available; Anonymous ballots were submitted by teachers; The number of teachers on the faculty has been out of compliance; A procedure for notifying students not selected has not been in place; There has not been a published dismissal procedure. In his recommendation, Barker wrote, "The procedure for choosing students for membership in the National Honor Society at Wilkes Central will be changed to be in full compliance with the national organization. Once the selection procedure changes have been made…this will be made available to all students and parents so that they know what they need to do and when they need to do it." Barker also said that each member of the faculty committee should have access to the national guidelines and school by-laws. In addition, Barker wrote, "It is my recommendation, if the student chooses to do so, that any student who was denied membership into the National Honor Society at Wilkes Central during the 1998-1999 or 1999-2000 school year be inducted into that organization. This induction would be based on the student being academically eligible and have no serious legal or school violations. There are also a number of students who may have been academically eligible but did not apply for membership to the organization. With a new process in place, some of these students may wish to apply for membership." About 75 Wilkes Central students submitted information to the school's NHS committee this year. Of them, 43 were inducted into the society during an April 7 assembly at the school, Mitchell said. The criteria for NHS includes academic achievement, leadership abilities and service to the community. A 3.5 grade-point average is required. Student may seek NHS membership during their sophomore, junior and senior years. The main complaint parents made was that the teachers' ballots were allowed to be anonymous. "It is not a secret society. It should be above board," one parent said. "This procedure is a blatant misuse of power by teachers." Another parent said that some students have been inducted after cutoff dates had passed to enter colleges, causing hardship for students seeking early admission or financial aid. Some believe the wrong procedure has been used at the school for as many as 40 years. Barker wouldn't speculate on how many students may have been affected over the years. "I only looked at the last two years, he said." He added that he knew of any similar problems in other county high schools. Mitchell said, "An apology has been offered to any students who have been over looked due to any inadvertent technical error." "It's our goal that all deserving students receive proper recognition," Mitchell said. "Wilkes Central has had a tradition of excellence and we want to continue to maintain that."
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Teague may withdraw case Depending on historic displays Record Editor A Moravian Falls man, who is suing Wilkes County over the posting of Ten Commandment plaques in government buildings, may cease his involvement in the case soon. But Lance Teague, 35, a Zen Buddhist, says that depends on the presentation of proposed historic displays. "If they (the displays) are the way they say they'll be, I won't be involved in it," Teague said in an interview with The Record on Friday. "That would be a welcomed development in the case," County Attorney Tony Triplett said Tuesday morning. "If that does happen, we'll be very happy to have this resolved." The plaques, which have been posted in courtrooms in the county courthouse and the Commissioners' Meeting Room, will come down when the displays go up, according to county officials. Triplett hopes that the first display will be up this week in the commissioners' meeting room. Teague says his main problem with the plaques is that they have been posted in courtrooms where people have "no choice but to be there." The displays will contain historic legal documents including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Magna Carta and the Ten Commandments. One will be displayed in the board's meeting room in the County Office Building and the other in the lobby of the courthouse. "I think that's fine, but we'll have to wait and see what they look like," Teague said. "Since it's going to be in the lobby, I think one in a hundred people might look at it. Since they're not in the courtrooms, they'll have no sway on people." The plaques have been up since October. The Wilkes County Board of Commissioners approved the action. Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of N.C. filed the lawsuit on Teague's behalf on April 17. In the lawsuit, Teague claims that his First and Fourteenth amendment rights, as listed in the U.S. Constitution, were violated by the governmental display of the plaques. Last Tuesday ACLU Attorney George Daly argued a motion in Wilkes Superior Court asking that the plaques be taken down before the court case is heard. Triplett countered that the displays would be replacing the plaques in several days and that the motion would be "moot." Judge A. Moses Massey denied the motion. "I was disappointed," Teague said during the interview. "I didn't see the point as being moot because something unconstitutional was going on then." It's unclear if the case would be pursued without Teague. His attorney, George Daly, could not be reached for comment. Triplett said the ACLU must have a plaintiff to pursue a case. About replacing the plaques with the displays, Teague said that the county is "either trying to save face or trying to loophole the law." He added, "What really disappoints me is that Americans are sitting in a courtroom trying to find a way to get around the Constitution. Like I told my lawyers, I'm sick about the whole thing." Even if the case goes no further, Teague says he feels he has accomplished some things. "It has obviously done some good," Teague said. "I feel that taking the plaques out of the courtrooms is protecting people's First Amendment rights."
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'Overwhelming' response
Church play
draws crowds
Record Editor 
Oak Grove Baptist Church has caused an area-wide stir with its production of "Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames." Since it began on May 21, about 3,500 have seen the drama, which depicts the spiritual afterlife, according to Oak Grove Rev. Rick Tomlinson. Monday night had an "overwhelming turnout," Tomlinson said. "We had 500 inside. We had them sitting in the floor and standing along the wall. They were just anywhere we put them." There were many more who were turned away, Tomlinson said. "The fire department was helping direct traffic and they estimated they turned away 1,000 people," he said. The play was originally scheduled to run three nights. As of Tuesday morning the plan was to show the drama through Friday this week. "It could go past that," Tomlinson said. "We'll just try to make that call as we go." What's more impressive than the people just watching the drama is the number of people who have been "saved" during the event, Tomlinson said. As of Monday night that number had grown to 482 with 84 being saved in that one night alone, he said. "We've had many more rededications than that," he added. Tomlinson said there are about 30 church members, who have been trained in counseling, available to assist people with spiritual needs. Phillip Smith, a North Wilkesboro carpenter, plays the part of Jesus. He is the only one of the 90-member cast who is not a member of Oak Grove, Tomlinson said. Why the success of the drama? "I think it's just the reality of life after death," Tomlinson said. "So many of the scenes portray people going to heaven or hell. Each one of the scenes relates to people today." Tomlinson said, to his knowledge, this is the first time the play has been shown in this area. He said Director Dale Shepherd had rewritten many scenes before the play was performed. The play will began at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) through Friday. Tomlinson suggested that anyone who wishes to attend get there early. Seating is on a "first come, first serve" basis and admission is free. Tomlinson says the number of people flocking to the church has awed him. "We thought it would go real good. The Lord has just blessed us. It's just unbelievable," he said. The church is located on Quarry Road off N.C. 268 East. |
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Record Editor Between $5,000 and $7,500 has already been run up on the county's legal bill for defending the posting of Ten Commandment plaques in government buildings. And, the work isn't over. County Manager Gary Page estimates that County Attorney Tony Triplett has spent between 50 and 75 hours on the case. Triplett charges the county $100 per hour for his services, Page said. That includes preparing for an American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina sponsored lawsuit and designing an historic display which will replace the plaques. Page said that the plaques should be replaced by the displays before June 20. That's when the lawsuit, filed by Lance Teague of Moravian Falls, is scheduled to be heard. Triplett is hopeful that the first display will go up in the commissioners meeting room this week. It's unclear how much money may eventually be spent on the county's defense of the wooden plaques. "That depends on how much further they (the ACLU) want to go with the litigation," Triplett said. During an earlier interview with The Record, Triplett declined to comment on the cost of the plaques' defense. He said it could possibly influence the outcome of the case. He did say he had spent "a substantial amount of time" on the case. North Carolina Press Association Attorney Amanda Martin during an interview Tuesday morning said, "That's crazy. They (the county) probably do have the right to keep the descrip-tion of the (legal) work confidential." Citing open records laws, Martin added, "I don't think there's any reason for them keeping the amount of the legal bill a secret." Triplett said Tuesday, "I wouldn't argue that the amount of money is public record. But my preference is not to discuss matters of the case that the ACLU may want to involve in any-way." Triplett's fee is different for attending public meetings than for his other work. The county pays a $26,400 annual retainer fee for Triplett to attend the Wilkes Board of Commissioners meetings. The plaques were placed in courtrooms and the commissioners meeting room in October. The county originally paid $636 for the plaques. Later, the five commissioners each wrote personal checks for $127.20 to reimburse the county for the expense.
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Record Editor Superior Court Judge A. Moses Massey calls his involvement in a court case ironic. The irony is his Christian name in relation with a motion heard in a lawsuit filed against Wilkes County by Lance Teague of Moravian Falls. The lawsuit centers on the posting of wooden Ten Commandment plaques in county office buildings. Teague claims the plaques have violated his Constitutional rights. Massey said he didn't make the connection with his name and the case until just before the proceeding started last Tuesday. "I just thought, 'How ironic that my name is Moses.'" Massey ruled against Teague's motion to take down the plaques because historic displays were scheduled to replace them soon. But, Massey says his name had nothing to do with his decision. "I would be disappointed if anyone thought I was predisposed because of that," he said during a telephone interview with The Record on Friday. Teague said his American Civil Liberty Union attorneys commented about Massey's name. "Of all the judges in the land, I got one named Moses to hear the case," Teague said with a laugh. "I just thought it was an incredible turn of events." The judges' name "had" to have had some influence on the ruling on the motion, Teague said. "I know that guy had to have been sitting up there thinking about the headlines if they said, 'Moses Takes Down Ten Commandments,'" Teague said. "This guy would have been re-membered for a long time. I think it (the decision) had a lot to do with his name." Massey said his decision was based purely on laws regarding pretrial motions. "What was before me was a motion for a preliminary injunction. One of the things you have to look for is if a person suffers irreparable harm," Massey said. "You also have to con-sider if person will be successful. Massey pointed out County Attorney Tony Triplett's argument that the plaques would be coming down and replaced by the historic displays. "Courts don't hear moot issues," Massey said. "Courts have plenty to do just hearing cases that are alive. The legal issues in the case are simple." When asked to comment on Constitutional law, Massey declined because the lawsuit hasn't been settled. "It wouldn't be appropriate. There's a possibility I could be hearing this case," he said. Tuesday was the first time Massey, of Mount Airy, had presided in the Wilkes County Courthouse. He was appointed to a superior court judgeship in March. He was elected district court judge in 1994. Before that, he worked in the Surry County District Attorney's office.
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Record Correspondent 
This is the story of the world's best-loved pencil sharpener, and the Wilkes County native who helped make it so. You've seen it: the shiny silver sharpener mounted on the wall of your classroom, Sunday School room, or office (the earliest versions had a "handsome green enamel finish," according to advertising). Various circular apertures accommodated pencils of all sizes, even the stubby, chubby beginners' pencils held carefully between the eager, awkward fingers of budding young writers. Children, eager to leave their seats and stretch their muscles, would seek out the pencil sharpener as a handy way to do both. The turning of the handle would produce both a sharp pencil point and a pleasant grinding noise guaranteed to irritate your teacher. It was the Boston pencil sharpener (KS model to be precise) and it is an icon. Patented in 1904 in Waltham, Massachusetts, the Boston pencil sharpener and its company was pur-chased in 1925 by the C. Howard Hunt Pen Company of Philadelphia. Eventually becoming the Hunt Cor-poration, the parent company moved the pencil sharpener facility to Statesville, NC in 1957 -- and that's where Wilkes County's Max Joines comes in. A former industrial engineer with the City of Winston-Salem, Joines was hired by Hunt's Speedball Road plant in 1970. He remained there through 1997, holding various positions including industrial engi-neer, short-interval scheduling coordinator, production and inventory control manager, supervisor of engi-neering, and finally, plant engineer. (Joines is now operations manufacturing manager for the Bienfang Products Division of Hunt, the world's largest producer of foamboard.) It takes a lot of planning to make the world's best-loved pencil sharpener, and during his tenure Joines was responsible for hiring and making various improvements to the plant and procedures. At least 50 steps are involved in the process of actually making the product, according to Joines and Ed Johnson, Quality Control Manager. A recent tour of the Statesville plant included visits to the tool, die, automatics, grinding, and quality control departments. In the tool room, a narrow ribbon of steel was being cut to make another Hunt prod-uct, the surgical sharp blades of X-ACTO knives. It looked like a row of alligator teeth and was not some-thing you would want to back into accidentally. At another station, the familiar shapes of the pencil sharpener were being cut and readied for assembly. The Boston sharpener is American-made (give or take a few Chinese screws) and imported all around the world. Joines was on vacation in Mazatalan, Mexico this past January when he and his wife befriended their driver. "Jane is a second-grade teacher at Moravian Falls, and she wanted to see where the [driver's] children went to school. They were having a school program, like graduation. Jane was talking with the teacher, and I saw the pencil sharpener. I thought, 'Gee, I'm not too far away from home, after all,'" Joines recalled. The older, original KS models are sought-after antiques. "From time to time, people will call and send in their old KS," Johnson said. "It may be 40 or 50 years old and still works, only the handle broke. "We do our best to replace it, but it doesn't come with the wooden knob anymore," Johnson continued. "We'll get them a new crank because they took the time and effort and because they are loyal to our prod-uct." Joines recalled receiving a request to repair a dull sharpener. "It was a 1934 model, Army green," he said with a smile. "I called back and offered them a new one, and purchased the old one from them. That's part of our history." As important as the product is to its company, the employees who produce the product are even more highly valued. The jobs are highly sought after in the Statesville area, and throughout the thorough two-and-a-half hour plant tour, employees were routinely introduced who had 15, 20, 30 or more years of expe-rience with the company. "It's like family," Joines said. Johnson cited the company's family-oriented attitude, medical plan, safety record, and willingness to listen to employee suggestions. "We're on the same team," Johnson said. "It's a good atmosphere."
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WHOA/Horse Show is scheduled for June 3 at Foster's Arena toward Boone on 421 starts at 10 a.m. Class for English and Western. There will be refreshments available. For further information call the 4-H Cooperative Extension Office at 651-7331. North Wilkes High School Class of 95 would like to have a class reunion. Anyone interested in being on the committee to arrange this reunion call Robin Bumgarner Shumate at 670-3797 or Robbie Miller at 526-2925. The Wilkes County Public Library Chess Club meets every Saturday from Noon to 3:00 p.m. in the Library's lower level meeting room. Come by for conversation and a challenging game of chess! Chess boards will be provided. This event is free and open to all levels of chess players. Poetry Readings will be held on the fourth Friday of each month from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Library's lower level meeting room. If you are a poet, or just enjoy listening to original poetry, come by for a good hour of local poetry readings. For more information on any of these events, please contact the Reference Department at 838-2818. All of the events are free and open to all. Attention West Wilkes Class of 1975- Silver Anniversary Reunion will be Oct. 13-14. We need classmates addresses! Contact Tim Foster at 973-4150 or email: WestWilkes 1975@yahoo.com Wanted: Good Yard Sale Items to benefit Rainbow Center, Inc. Spring Yard Sale, June 3 sponsored by: North Wilkesboro Elks Lodge. Help us help children and families by donating items. For more information call 667-3333. Wilkesboro United Methodist Church will be having Vacation Bible School June 4-8. Classes will be held for ages 3-adults. A meal will be served at 6 p.m. and VBS will start at 6:30 p.m. To register, please call Barbara Wiebel at 667-3797 or Betty Langhoff at 973-5270. There will be Vacation Bible School, "The Fantastic Good News Ocean Odyssey" at Moravian Falls Baptist Church June 4-8 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. nightly. Registration will be Sunday, June 4, 4:30-5:15 p.m. games, 5:15-6:25 p.m. cookout and 6:30-8:30 p.m. VBS. Activities will be Bible study, recreation, crafts and snacks. Classes are available from babies to adult. Special VBS musical, "Family Night," on Sunday Night, June 11 at 7 p.m. Ice cream social to follow service. For more information about van pickup or any other information call 667-7879, church parsonage. On Tuesday, June 13, the Wilkes County Public Library will be sponsoring a program on Homebirth Midwifery and Labor Support. The program will begin at 6 p.m. in the Lower Level Meeting Room and will be presented by local Birth Tender Karen Valcourt, a native of this area. This will be a very informative program on alternative means of childbirth and the history of Midwifery. This event is free and open to all. For more information on any of these events, please contact the Reference Department at 838-2818. Wilkes County Health Department is sponsoring a book fair, June 2 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the waiting area. Proceeds will go to Relay for Life. These are new books at a discount up to 70% off retail. Please come and support Relay for Life. The Wilkes County Public Library Book Club will meet Tuesday, June 20 to discuss She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. The book is a coming-of-age odyssey filled with love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreaking comical heroine to come along in years. Liberty Grove Baptist Church will be having a Youth Summer Camp Fund Raiser Saturday, June 10 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. They will be having a hamburger and hotdog lunch at Liberty Grove Fellowship Hall. (You can eat in or take out) Vacation Bible School will be at Liberty Grove Baptist Church on Liberty Grove Church Road June 4-9 at 7 p.m.-9 p.m. For more information call 838-8704. The Kickoff will be Sunday, June 4 at 5 p.m. for VBS. Saturday, June 3 at 7 p.m., Tim Henderson will be at Liberty Grove Baptist Church giving testimony in song of God's delivering power, "Live in concert." For more information call 838-8704. A love offering will taken. Everyone is invited to join us. Blue Ridge Christian Home Educators will hold a planning meeting for the 2000-2001 school year. The meeting will be Thursday, June 1 at 7 p.m. at the Church of Christ in Wilkesboro. Newcomers are welcome. For more information call Melanie Griffin at 984-3290 or Eileen Degraff at 921-2676. Fire department style bar-be-que chicken at Arbor Grove United Methodist Church in Purlear on Saturday, June 3rd beginning at 11 a.m. Dinner will consist of 1/2 chicken, baked beans, homemade cole slaw, homemade pound cake and a roll. Cost is $5 per plate. Proceeds will go to the building fund. For call-in orders - 973-3733. North Wilkes High School Class of 1970 is planning their 30th reunion for Heritage Festival Day, Saturday, July 29 from 6:30 p.m. until. The gathering will take place at Karolen Church Bowman's home, 1000 Coffey Avenue, in Finley Park, North Wilkesboro. There will be a western theme, dress is casual (firearms will be checked at the door) with a BBQ dinner and door prizes. Come enjoy the fun and food. Cost is $10 per person. We need to update our mailing list with names, addresses and phone numbers for all the class members. Call Kathy Bailey Whitley at 336-667-4726 after 6 p.m. or leave message on machine. Also, if you know how to contact a class member who lives out of town please call. The Mitchell Community College Choir will be at the Arbor Grove United Methodist Church in Purlear, on Sunday, June 4, at 6 p.m. A dessert fellowship will follow the service. The public is cordially invited. The church is located at 1984 Arbor Grove Church Road in Purlear. Web Page: http://www.gbgm-umc.org/arborgrove. The annual Faw gathering will be on Sunday, June 11, at the Calloway Cemetery in Ashe County, weather permitting, beginning about 10 a.m. Lunch will be served at approxi-mately 12:30 p.m. In case of bad weather it will be at the Obids Baptist Church Fellowship Building, after church services. Directions: Take I-77 to Wilkesboro, Hwy. 421 past Wilkesboro and turn right onto Hwy. 16N, go to top of mountain and turn left onto Hwy. 163. Obids Baptist Church is on the right and the Calloway Cemetery is on the left just as you cross the river. If you are coming from Boone, take Hwy 421 to Hwy. 221 to Idlewild Road. At end of Idlewild Road you are at Hwy. 163, turn left to the cemetery or right to the church. The annual Laura Ann Ashley and Frank Miles Cardwell Family Reunion will be held at the home of the late Zona Cardwell Spears located at 4414 Parsonsville Road, Purlear on Sunday, June 11 at 12:30 p.m. The Ashleys are descendants of the Boone, Cartwright, Day, Greer, Morgan, Owens, Shepherd, Wilcox and Woody families. The families ancestors included some of the earliest settlers of Wilkes - John Shepherd and Bluford McGee. Zona Spears organized the first reunion in July 1952 at her home. For further information, call Barbara Spears Pipek 336-973-4135 or e-mail Pipeka@aol.com. Everyone is asked to bring a well filled basket and lawn chairs. Vacation Bible School will be held June 4-9, 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Peace Haven Baptist Church in the Mulberry-Fairplains community. The theme is "Ocean Odyssey, Diving into the Depths of God's Faithfulness." The Sunday night kick-off will begin at 6 p.m. Classes for all ages. |
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