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Students need motivation to excel
To the Editor:
Last week’s issue of the Sylva Herald reported that the SAT scores in Jackson County have dropped for the second year in a row. It is hard not to see this as a downward trend. Are there some correlations that should be looked at? With the majority of students being on college tracks, why are academic subjects being cut, especially with the enrollment growing? Students are increasingly told that classes are full, will not fit into their schedule or are no longer available. In many areas, such as language arts, only the core courses are available and even these are being reduced. No wonder our students struggle with writing tests. If we want them to excel, we should provide them with an interesting variety of electives that focus on academics.
Another thing that should be looked at is expectations. No one looks for more work after completing a task. With the graduation requirements and class expectations low, students have little motivation to challenge themselves. Jackson County students are more capable than is often assumed. Let’s channel those abilities into productive areas. Helping all levels of students receive a diploma is a worthwhile goal, but there are other ways to do it besides lowering the quality of education for everyone. Let’s not have it said that Jackson County Public Schools left no child behind because none of them went anywhere.
Cynthia Gallinger
Sylva
Airport myths and facts
To the Editor
I agree with letter-writer Marie Leatherwood (Aug. 11 and Sept. 1) that the Jackson County Airport should not be run by three individuals. By law it should be run by a board of five. This situation exists because the Jackson County Commissioners have not followed the legislation/law creating the Jackson County Airport Authority. In fact the Jackson County Commissioners who were in office during 1996-97 requested the state legislature to create the legislation so that they could give up responsibility for the administration/management of the airport because of its time-consuming nature.
The legislation states in Section 2:
“The Airport Authority shall consist of five members, who shall be residents of Jackson County, and who shall be appointed to staggered terms of six years by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. When vacancies occur in the membership of the Airport Authority, for any reason, the remaining members of the Airport Authority shall submit a list of two or more candidates to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners who shall select one from that list to fill the unexpired term of the vacant office.”
JCAA fulfilled their requirement under the law, but the commissioners cited the lawsuit – that they caused to be created – as being the reason why they choose again not follow the law and appoint from the two names submitted. After that appointment, JCAA would have submitted two more names from the Commission itself so that the Commission again could be part of the JCAA.
Section 4. (a) The Airport Authority shall constitute a body, both corporate and politic, and shall have the following powers and authority:
(1) To purchase, acquire, establish, construct, own, control, lease, equip, improve, maintain, operate, and regulate airports and landing fields for the use of airplanes and other aircraft within the limits of the county and for this purpose to purchase, improve, own, hold, lease, or operate real or personal property. The Airport Authority may exercise these powers alone or in conjunction with the County of Jackson.
The JCAA has not tried to exclude the Commission from their meetings or process in the administration of the airport. It was Commissioner Eddie Madden’s resignation that took away the Commission’s firsthand voice and input on the JCAA.
Letter-writers Marie Leatherwood (Sept. 1) and Mark Jamison (Aug. 18) say that all pilots are elite and a private kingdom exists at the airport. The Jackson County Airport is a public use airport. Last year, according to Airport Impact Statement statistics for the area done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Jackson County Airport had more than 1,800 visitor aircraft. I fly for the Coast Guard Auxiliary and have given more than 500 hours of non-reimbursed time in support of various Coast Guard missions. There are many pilots like me who give of their time. There used to be a Civil Air Patrol chapter at the Airport available to perform search and rescue and mentor our younger generation.
There are Angel Flights to fly patients for free for treatments that they can’t receive locally. At their request, Experimental Aircraft Association members from Asheville and Macon Counties are flying in on Saturday, Sept. 24. While here, several of their members are offering “Young Eagle” flights to teach children and teenagers about possible careers in aviation and the aerodynamics of flight. After orientation, they will give free flights with parental consent.
With regard to the JCAA paying interest when they didn’t use the loan, JCAA entered into an agreement with the N.C. Division of Transportation when the runway was resurfaced in 2001. Under those terms, the NCDOT required the JCAA to replace the terminal building. JCAA borrowed money with commissioners’ approval to do so. They planned to construct the terminal building alone, but after developing a master plan with DOT, took DOT advice to build nested T-hangars with two of the hangar walls being utilized for the terminal building. Madden, who at the time was the Commission’s representative on the JCAA, voted to go along with this new plan. As a result, the initial loan for a stand-alone terminal was paid back.
Whether the airport is there or not, the slide potential will still exist. Do you think other owners will accept any responsibility for it?
Before it’s too late, tell your district commissioner that you don’t want Jackson County tax dollars going to Macon County. Encourage them not to create the Macon-Jackson Regional. Airport Authority, but to develop the Jackson County airport so that it is self-sufficient.
William Austin
Sylva
Simmons deserves better treatment from school officials
To the editor:
I have no personal knowledge as to exactly why Si Simmons elected to step down from his position as athletic director at Smoky Mountain High School. Recognizing his decision was not his own and also that no man is indispensable, nonetheless, his loss is our loss. To his credit, Si is accepting this difficult transition in the same manner he performs his job: with grace and dignity.
I’ve worked for Si Simmons going on five years as an activity bus driver. His influence has motivated me to be a better driver and inspired me to work toward improving the educational environment. I’m sure his numerous and well-known qualities impact favorably upon everyone he comes in contact with.
I have a son and granddaughter in college. I have grandchildren in high school and elementary school and one great-grandchild beginning school this year (with eight more to follow). If any one of them happens to be an educator with the character and caring personality of Si Simmons, I will consider them most surely blessed.
I have spent approximately 55 of the last 60 years tied directly or indirectly to education. I therefore consider myself to qualified to speak to the issues of what constitutes success or failure in education.
Articles in The Sylva Herald Sept. 8 suggest an association between Simmons’ removal and the lack of success in some sports. Well, I doubt seriously that’s the genuine reason, but granted, there are those who mistakenly believe that winning is the primary measure of success in athletics. I submit that those who give credence to that belief will recognize neither the problems nor the solutions. Most certainly, Si Simmons is not the problem.
In four years plus driving numerous Smoky Mountain teams I have made some observations. For one, pound for pound, our students are generally as skilled and as able as our opponents.
What they lack (and what impacts both academics and athletics) is discipline. If students do not know how to properly ride a school bus (and a large number of our students do not), how in the wide world of sports would anyone expect them to master a complicated, competitive sport?
There was a time in this country when children went to school prepared by their parents to learn and discipline was not a problem That was before we created a lucrative “helping” industry to take place of parents.
Parents once established high expectations, set strong standards and, most importantly, enforced them. Parents insisted their children listen and comply, help with chores, exhibit good manners and do their best in school. Together with their extended families, schools, churches, civic organizations, neighbors and many others, a toddler magically became an adult. Yes, Hillary, it does take a village to raise a child, as it always did. Our villages aren’t functioning as well as they once did.
One man (especially one who does his job in an exemplary fashion) cannot be blamed for the failure of society. Is it too much to ask of a school board and school officials that a man correctly described in this newspaper as a “loyal and caring employee” be treated fairly and honestly? Apparently, in Jackson County at least, it is.
David Snell
Dillsboro
‘Catman’ needs help to operate shelter
To the editor:
The collective efforts of many have made, Catman2 one of the finest shelters in Western North Carolina. But I need help. In the past, I have written letters to the editor on my own behalf, and I have benefitted from a few new volunteers. However, we need more. I turned 70 last April and find it harder each day to keep up with the work required to house and care for 50 to 60 cats. Donations do not allow enough funds to hire help, so I must rely on volunteers. The operation of the shelter is a full-time job. The cats must be fed and the shelter cleaned seven days a week. I have not been able to have a vacation in the past eight years. The only time my wife and I get away is when one of the volunteers works a morning for us so we can have a short overnight trip.
I feel the shelter is an asset to Jackson County and the surrounding area. Each year I take 50 cats from the Jackson County Animal Shelter, and I find them homes. This saves Jackson County the cost to house these animals or to euthanize them. I take another 50 or more from people who do not wish to take them to the Jackson County Animal Shelter because they might be euthanized. This again saves that shelter effort and money. Over the past eight years I have been operating a shelter, first in Cashiers and now in Cullowhee, I have rescued and found homes for more than 2,000 cats. This year alone I have already placed more than 100. All of these cats were seen by a vet, tested for feline leukemia, given vaccinations and spayed or neutered prior to adoption. My efforts ensure that these cats will not reproduce and add to the problem of feline overpopulation.
My efforts are not limited to helping cats. For almost every cat there is a person who is helped. Someone must move and cannot take their cat. Someone dies and there is no one to care for the cat. Someone finds a stray and doesn’t wish to take it to a place it might be euthanized. Catman2 has given hundreds of people the peace of mind knowing if I take their cat I will do my best to find it a new home. Catman2 is a “people” service too.
The help I need is not difficult. Each morning 50 or 60 cats must be fed and the shelter must be cleaned. My wife and I can do the job alone in about three hours. With the help of a trained volunteer we are done in about two hours. If there were two trained volunteers I might get a day off. There is no hard labor in these morning duties: we feed, we scoop litter boxes and we clean floors. We spend some time interacting with the cats. There are other needs at other times of the day, such as transporting food (sometimes as much as 2,000 cans) from the store to the shelter. It is the same for cat litter and other items. There are times when the whole shelter needs cleaning including pressure-washing the porches. We also could use people who might come at almost any time of the day and play with the cats and help socialize them and make them more adoptable.
Being 70 years old I don’t know how much longer I can continue without more assistance. I hope the shelter can remain open, at its current level, for many years to come and remain an asset after I am gone. But I will need help to do it. I do not want to have to close the operation.
If you are interested in helping, please call me at 293-0892. We are located in Cullowhee, about three miles from Western Carolina University.
Harold Sims
Cullowhee
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