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Editorials - 01/25/01

Burrell will be missed
After 32 years of making the education of Jackson County's young people his top priority, Superintendent Frank Burrell is about to embark on retirement.

As the school system's top administrator, Burrell has quietly gone about his business. During his tenure classroom additions were completed at Fairview and Smoky Mountain elementary schools, and another is under construction at Blue Ridge.

Several projects, including a new field house were completed at Smoky Mountain High; a $5.1 million modernization of that campus is under way.

Burrell has been a team-builder. He seeks consensus and never hesitates to share the credit for a job well done. His years as a teacher, elementary school principal, high school principal and associate superintendent prepared him well for the demands of superintendent and gave him a thorough grasp of the daily challenges facing this county's teachers and administrators.

We have appreciated the superintendent's affability and accessibility. His candor made our job easier, and his willingness to communicate made our stories better and more complete.

We wish him well as he bids farewell to an outstanding career.

School system ready to embark on new era

If new Jackson County Schools Superintendent Mack McCary brings nothing else with him from Pasquotank County, he will definitely arrive with a fresh perspective - McCary will be the only superintendent in more than a century who is not either a native or resident of Jackson County.

From all indications, McCary will be armed with much more than that. A curriculum specialist who's well-grounded in technology, the new superintendent should be well-prepared to lead our local schools forward to meet the challenges of the new millennium.

McCary's November visit displayed his willingness to develop rapport with students and teachers and his ease with people. Those skills will serve him well as he begins dialogue within the school system and community to determine the strengths and expectations of our teachers and students, as well as the problems that must be addressed.

All signs point toward success for McCary and Jackson County's school system.

We welcome him and wish him success as he begins the work that is so vital to our children's futures.

Editorial policy

The opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views.

Back to Archive: 01/25/01.