The Item from Sumter, South Carolina (2024)

January 20, 2002

Publication:

The Itemi

Location:

Sumter, South Carolina

Issue Date:

Sunday, January 20, 2002

Page:

8

Extracted Article Text (OCR)

FROM PAGE 1A SUNDAY JANUARY 20 2002 PAGE 8A CSttanu FtlLK DAY YEAR ROUND FROM PAGE 1A FROM PAGE 1A flux of students can at least be delayed with multi-tracking McMillen said in Raleigh the year-round calendar has been largely a growth he said the multi-tracking schools are here because basically the schools are busting at the seams So a cost-saving wanes when the idea fails to produce results said Bussard In Texas for example the number of year-round schools rose from 22 districts and 25700 students in 1991 to 63 districts and 182000 students in 1995 By 2000 those numbers had dropped to 35 districts and 63000 students talk about summer learning loss? Studies show that occurs within the first four to five days that a student in the classroom Bussard said it also narrows the window of opportunity for other important childhood experiences like vacationing and visiting there are so many that need extra help" that it becomes difficult She also remembered the droll days that kids pass each summer at day care centers and in front of televisions Although they probably would not admit it children sometimes prefer a shorter summer vacation too Forsyth said six weeks about the time had enough of the pool and hot outside and tired of going to day he said King Day celebration at 1 pm at Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church Former state Rep Ralph Canty will be the keynote speaker Canty said he will review commitment to all quality of life and the failure to realize his dream it is as if he never shared with us the dream for ah ideal American Canty said lost the Other speakers will include representatives from Morris College Central Carolina and USC Sumter as well as the NAACP and community members On Monday night the Opera House will host the first show-in its history featuring the wood! pieces and paintings of local artist Thomas Budden Budden the director of Free Studio who was recently featured on Verve on ETV will display his work from 6 to 10 pm and afterwards for a number of weeks majority of my pieces are wood carvings with a couple of African masks and a few abstract Budden said Budden said his wooden sculptures some up to 5 feet tall are mainly made of cypress oak cedar and sycamore For a break from art-gazing vis-' itors can catch a performance by the Vibrations a black contemporary dance troupe Directed by Terence Henderson and featuring dancer Debra Chan-Friday Vibrations is of the newest and most dynamic dance troupes in the according to Booth Chil cutt the Opera House director show is something peo pie can relate Chilcutt said! very colorful and fast-moving a treat for the whole family" Tickets for the 7 pm show will be sold at the door for $5 Admis-' sion is free for children 10 years-and under contacted the local churches and the local Sutton said The Crestwood High School band will lead the procession which will start at the USC Sumter campus proceed left onMiller Road left on Broad Street to its convergence with Bultman Drive The walk will go down Bultman Drive and back onto Miller Road Walkers will be met back at the Nettles Auditorium around 11 am for free hot dogs and light refreshments While eating participants will take in a range of entertainment beginning with a performance from USC first step team Jamar Snow a sophom*ore at USC Sumter will then perform two skits he authored Both skits will be fictional accounts of real-life events in life people fought against water hoses and got beat up fighting for their people" said Snow who has worked on the production of the skits since last August thought the least that I can do is write a play to recognize Choirs from both Morris College and USC Sumter will also perform Police Chief Patty Patterson will be the first-ever grand marshal very humbled and very honored to have this said Patterson Tm grateful for the vision of the people on the committee who have given me the consideration and the opportunity to participate Patterson was named the head of the police force last year the first black and the first woman to hold the position Also on Monday the Sumter branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is hosting a Martin Luther OF THE PARENT Regardless of whether the year-round calendar helps students hinders instruction or expands a school capacity Newman and educators all over the state know that its biggest obstacle is unrelated the calendars of parents Teal Britton spokeswoman for the Horry County School District said two out of that three year-round schools failed in just a few years because of waning parental support problematic if a family has one child in a year-round elementary school and another in a traditional high Britton said She said the year-round calendar is a feasible option only if the parents are behind it Britton also said that certain success largely depends on the response tracked achievement and attendance and we found difference from the traditionakalendar Britton said really just there for the convenience of the parent" Both Newman and Baker agree opinions are the most important factor in the calendar debate When the committee from Sumter District 2 returned from its review of the schools in North Carolina the most resistance to the idea came from parents they said one of the major disadvantages was that it did not always coincide with the Baker said As with most trends in education many believe that objections to a new calendar could change with time had one grandparent on the committee and she had a hard time thinking about her grandchildren not having a summer Newman said think it would be better for the students and over time I think families would like she added take a lot of exposure to the BETTER NO Running a school however is not only about academics and the new calendar has also been an important element in North management of school facilities McMillen stands by his research but supports year-round calendars in spite of it did no better and no worse in year-round McMillen said still may be other perfectly legitimate reasons for adopting that calendar In fact the dominant reason for use by the schools in Durham has not been better test scores but the use of a school calendar' that rotates groups of children through school sessions The idea is to have a fraction of the students using the school building at any one time so that a school that comfortably holds 600 kids can serve 800 through the year can sort of jam more students into a building and save on construction McMillen said School districts have traditionally patched up growing student populations and shrinking buildings with waves of costly construction and renovation Sumter School District 2 for instance is in the final stages of construction projects at two elementary schools and a middle school -projects that totaled $135 million in expenses and added 58 classrooms Officials insist that expansion was necessary despite the fact that District student population rose by a modest 56 percent from 1990 to 2000 The costs that accompany even a small in- NO EVIDENCE What has been successful in the Raleigh-Durham area however has floundered in some parts of the country A wave of school districts adopted the year-round calendar in the first half of the 1990s only to permanently revert to the traditional calendar a few years later after becoming dissatisfied with the results Billie Bussard who studies and maintains a Web site about year-round schools says discontent is a natural reaction to what the new calendar provides zero academic improvement truth is that there is no evidence that year-round school Bussard said Bussard who covered education as a newspaper reporter in Florida for 20 years before starting her Web site backs up her beliefs by citing research done by a senior consultant for North public school system The study conducted by Brad McMillen almost two years ago found no link between the calendar and test scores in his survey of North 133 year-round schools study concludes: were no significant achievement differences between year-round and traditional calendar students in either reading or the media covers a proposal for the new calendar they cover the novelty of it Bussard said you hear about is when communities study it and reject Communities and school officials become sold on the idea creating a semi-hysteria that OBITUARIES HOLIDAY FROM PAGE 1A delating He will be assisted by the Revfeobert Hooper the Rev Sammy Gary the Rev Willie Dicks and the Rev Lula Gary The remains will be placed in the church at 1 pm Burial will be in Hillside Memorial Park The family will receive friends at 24 Middle St in Sumter Palmer Memorial Chapel Inc is in charge of the arrangements Holladay Disher died Friday Jan 18 2002 at Providence Hospital in Columbia Born Jan 1 1923 in Alcolu he was a son of the late Calhoun and Maggie Osborne Disher He was retired from Chemicals and Booth Boyle Tractor and was a member of Little White Church in Gree-leyville He was an US Army veteran of World War II Survivors other than his wife of Sumter include two sons Charlie Randolph Disher Jr and William Louis Disher of Sumter a daughter Linda Gayle Nobles of Sumter two sisters Louise Browder of Gree-leyville and Ruby McCracken of Kingstree a brother Billy Disher of Manning and five grandchildren He was preceded in death by five brothers Walter Disher Lewis Disher Thomas Julius Disher Coley Disher and Donald Disher and a sister Mellie McK-night Funeral services will be held at 1 pm Monday in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home in Manning with the Rev John Patrick officiating Burial will follow in Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Sumter i Pallbearers will be Brad Holladay Tim Holladay Jimmy Gibbons Jr Fred Hudson Sr Freddie Hudson Jr and Tommy Roark The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 pm today at Stephens Funeral Home in Manning and at other times at the residence of Randy Disher 3210 Boots Branch Road in Sumter Memorials may be made to Graham Baptist Church in Sumter Stephens Funeral Home in Manning is in charge of the arrangements LELA KELLY Lela Kelly 86 widow of Nelson Kelly died Saturday Jan 19 2002 at National Health Care Born in London Ky she was a daughter of the late Matilda Holt and Daniel Bronstetter She was a retired cashier and a member of the First Southern Methodist Church Survivors include a daughter Jacqueline Springs of Sumter and a granddaughter Katherine Kennedy also of Sumter She was preceded in death by a son Barry Allen Hildebrand and a grandson Steven Michael Springs Graveside services will be held at 3 pm Tuesday at Evergreen Cemetery with the Rev Ellison Evans officiating The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 pm Monday Memorials may be made to the First Southern Methodist Church 321 Miller Road Sumter SC 29150 Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements HENRY BRITTON Henry Lee Britton 58 husband of Ida Mae Williams Britton died Wednesday Jan 16 2002 at Tuomey Regional Medical Center Born Aug 30 1943 in Sumter he was a son of Louella China Britton and the late Henry Britton He attended Sumter public schools and graduated from Eastern High School He was a lifelong member of Beulah African Methodist Episcopal Church where he served on the trustee board the Sons of Allen and the male chorus In his community he was a member of the Pine Top Hunting Club and the Pine Top Baseball Team He retired in June 1998 as a supervisor with Campbell Soup Co (Gold Kist) after 40 years of employment Survivors besides his wife and mother include a son Bruce Lamar (Allean) Britton of Sumter two daughters Henrietta Michelle (Rev Archie Stanley) Temoney of Sumter and Lisa Rose Britton of Clayton NC two brothers George (Fannie) Britton and Harold (Mary Ellen) Britton both of Sumter three sisters Victoria (Elias) Prioleau of Fairfax Va Virginia Britton of Sumter and Catherine Weeler of Baltimore Md two grandchildren Archie Stanley (AJ) and Nicholas Jamal Teomoney both of Sumter two nephews Keith Eric Britton and Gregory Williams both of Sumter three aunts Theola Bouldin of Baltimore Thelma China of Sumter and Geraldine Gray of Norfolk Va 10 brothers-in-law 10 sisters-in-law and a number of nieces nephews other relatives and friends Viewing services will be held from 1 to 9 pm Sunday at Mortuary Funeral services will be held at 3 pm Monday at Beulah AME Church with the Rev Miller pas-'tor officiating assisted by Presiding Elder the Rev RL McCants the Revs Emmanuel Davis Henry Murray Sonny Belin Abraham Temoney and Darryl Davids Burial will be in the church cemetery The casket will be placed in the church at 2 pm Monday The family will receive friends at the home 1550 Illery Road Mortuary Inc of Sumter is in charge of airangements of his life was talking a lot about the injustice he thought was built into the American capitalist system he was not a poster boy for American said Vincent Harding author of Luther King: The Inconvenient At Hawthorn Physician Services in St Louis Mo it would cost $8000 to give 100 employees the day off said human resources director Lisa Williams The company observes six holidays and the King holiday is not among them annoying because my kids have it off for Williams said we had more benefits that would probably be one of the many like to Watkins Motor Lines a Florida-based company with about 10000 employees also observe the holiday a conservative company and so we probably have more of a comfort level in just sticking to the traditional said Billie Sue Toepfer a personnel supervisor in Cincinnati Ohio There are exceptions mostly at banks and large companies Anheuser-Busch for example has been granting employees a paid day off on the King holiday for 16 years MetLife started giving its 39000 US workers a paid holiday two years ago Clayborne Carson a history professor and director of the Mar- tin Luther King Jr Papers Project at Stanford University believes a day off is not the most important issue any holiday if you get a three-day ski weekend why does have significance with respect to honoring Martin Luther Carson said hoping that we can find ways of celebrating the holiday that have a federal holiday Beginning in the 1970s he joined hundreds and then thousands of others including Diana Ross Stevie Wonder and US Rep John Conyers shivering through an annual protest march that ended at the steps of the Capitol each Jan 15 actual birthday in 1929 In 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a law making birthday a national holiday It was first celebrated nationwide in January 1986 In the next two decades states slowly and in some cases reluctantly followed All 50 states now observe the King holiday said Robert Vickers a spokesman for The King Center in Atlanta Ga On Monday 83 percent of government organizations and 76 percent of schools will grant a paid holiday for birthday according to the survey But only about 10 percent of manufacturers stores hospitals and communications companies scheduled a paid holiday the survey found The findings are based on public and private em- responses to a mailed questionnaire a tremendous doublespeak from some in the corporate Mfume said juxtaposition is to say support and then at the same time say by the way we are not going to celebrate Dr Many companies might not observe the holiday for financial reasons or because King was a controversial figure businesses and King scholars say King toward the end MARY SINGELTON Mary Singelton 67 widow of Albertus Singel-ton died Saturday Jan 19 2002 at Tuomey Regional Medical Center Born June 12 1935 in Sumter she was a daughter of the late Anthony and Brazil Logan Farmer The family will receive friends at the home of her son and daughter-in-law Willie and Beatrice Charles 26 Shuler Drive Services will be announced by Williams Funeral Home Inc ANNIE MAE SHAW-THOMAS Annie Mae Shaw-Thomas 62 wife of Marion Thomas died Tuesday Jan 15 2002 at Tuomey Regional Medical Center Born July 2 1939 in Lee County she was a daughter of Carolina Shaw Sr and Maggie Martin Shaw At an early age she joined Mt Olive AME Church in Woodrow She was educated in the public schools of Lee County Survivors include two sons SSG Charles Thomas of Louisiana and Frank Thomas of Camden a daughter Georgianna Green of Sumter two brothers Carolina Shaw Jr and Joe David Shaw both of Dalzell a sister Hattie Mae Duncan of Rembert 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild She was preceded in death by two sons Manson Stokes and Willie James Thomas one brother Wiley Shaw Sr and one sister Pearl Stuckey Funeral services will be held at 3 pm Monday at Mt Olive AME Church on SC 441 in Woodrow with the Rev Timothy A Johnson pastor officiating He will be assisted by the Rev Roberta Wilson and Evangelist Maggie Williams The remains will be placed in the church at 2 pm Burial will be in Cooksfield Cemetery in Dalzell Pallbearers and floral bearers will be friends of the family The family will receive friends at the home of her son Frank Thomas 5704 Red Hill Road fn Camden Williams Funeral Home Inc is in charge of the arrangements TED MCMILLON Ted McMillon 88 widower of Stella McGlaughlin McMillon died Saturday Jan 19 2002 at his residence Born Sept 24 1913 in Sumter he was a son of the late Ted Sr and Maggie Cooke McMillon The family will receive friends at the home 107 Cherokee Drive in Sumter Services will be announced by Williams Funeral Home Inc NATHAN BRACEY JR BISHOPVILLE Nathan Bracey Jr 56 died Friday Jan 18 2002 at the home The family will receive friends at 221 Manville-Wi-sacky Road in Bishopville Funeral arrangements will be announced by Square Deal Funeral Home DIST 17 FROM PAGE 1A MARY FRASER Mary Billups Fraser 82 widow of Will Fraser Sr died Friday Jan 18 2002 at Tuomey Regional Medical Center Born in Sardis she was a daughter of the late Robert Piercy Billups and Maggie Langslon Billups She was a member of Hebron Presbyterian Church for 56 years and was retired as a cafeteria manager for Sumter School District 17 Survivors include four sons William Washington Frasier Jr Howard Lawrence Fraser Sr and Hugh McCutchen Fraser all of Sumter and Thomas Montgomery Fraser of Hartsville two daughters Mary Elizabeth Fraser of Jacksonville NC and Martha Ann Pat Singleton Spencer of Sumter two sisters Meneola Billups Parker of Hartsville and Fannie Mae Billups Wilson of Manning two sisters-in-law Mildred Billups of Darlington and Helen Billups of Manning 13 grandchildren 10 great-grandchildren and a special friend Sadie Elmore She was preceded in death by a sister Louise Billups and three brothers Andrew Billups Richard Billups and Matthew Billups Funeral services will be held at-11 am Monday at Hebron Presbyterian Church with the Rev Bob Chastain and the Rev Larry Fraser officiating Burial will be in the Hebron Presbyterian Church Cemetery Grandsons will serve as pallbearers and honorary pallbearers will be the Elders of Hebron Presbyterian Church The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 pm Sunday at Elmore-Hill-McCreight Funeral Home and at other times at her home Memorials may be made to Hebron Presbyterian Church or to Hebron Cemetery Fund 30 Baker St Sumter SC 29150 Elmore-Hill-McCreight Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements students with special needs" A renovated band room is scheduled for Bates along with an additional science lab have the largest number of band members of any of the middle schools in the district and a real thriving said Anthony Graham the principal at Bates' room using right now is too small pretty bunched up in The costliest project at more than $48 million will be at Sumter High School and will in- elude an auxiliary gym a new administration area an addition to the drama auditorium and updated science labs Those plans are subject to change as architects design the-projects over the next few months and bid out the work to construe- tion firms Mabry said District officials hope to have the projects finished by OLIVER LEON COOPER MANNING Oliver Leon Cooper 51 husband of Mary Ellen Henry Cooper died Friday Jan 18 2002 at WJBD VA Medical Center in Columbia Born March 30 1950 in Manning he was a son of Hattie McCants Cooper and the late John Fleet Cooper He received his education at Manning Training School and did further studies at Central Carolina Technical College He was drafted into the US Army and served in the Vietnam War from 1969-1972 before being honorably discharged He was employed by Top Flight Sales and Co Superior Corp as a welder and sawyer for 30 years Survivors other than his wife and mother include a son Xenophon Cooper of Charlotte NC five brothers Willie McCants of Alcolu Otis Cooper of Washington DC Douglas Cooper of Bronx NY Thomas Cooper of Upper Malboro Md and Robert Daes of Manning and two sisters Johnnie Mae Ben-bow of Manning and Mary Lee of Bronx NY Funeral services will be held at 11 am Monday at Melina Presbyterian Church in Sardinia with the Rev Carnell Hampton officiating The remains will be placed in the church at 10 am Burial will be in the churchyard cemetery The family will receive friends at the home 3160 Juneburn Road in Manning Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning is in charge of the arrangements JANIE GEDDIS Janie Dicks Geddis 67 wife of Moses Geddis Sr died Wednesday Jan 16 2002 at Tuomey Regional Medical Center Born Nov 25 1934 in Sumter County she was a daughter of the late Sidney and Mary Lee Regular Dicks She was a 1954 graduate of Lincoln High School She was a faithful member of St James United Methodist Church and served on the Senior Choir until her illness She was also a member of the United Methodist Women She was first employed at Coles Restaurant and retired from Campbell Soup Co Survivors include four sons Moses Geddis Jr of Greenville NC Melvin Jarvis Geddis of Sumter William Bernard Geddis of Columbia and Ronald Gene Geddis of Fayetteville NC a daughter Deborah Geddis of Fayetteville NC two sisters Lois Haynesworth and Pearl Barnes both of Detroit six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren She was preceded in death by a son Donald Geddis and three brothers Sidney Aaron and Ernest Geddis A wake service will be held from 6 to 7 pm Sunday at Palmer Memorial Chapel 304 Main St in Sumter Services will be held at 2 pm Monday at St James United Methodist Church 720 Broad St in Sumter with the Rev Dr Henry Shaw pastor of- not as safe as a permanent structure much more difficult to heat and cool and the acoustics nearly as Cason said Portables became a popular to growing student populations in the 1970s but student enrollment at District 17 has stabilized and actually decreased in the past decade In 1990 District 17 served 364 more students than the number enrolled in 2000 of this construction is for instructional programs that have outgrown Cason said instance at one time we had only 60 students in band at Bates Middle and now we have over 200 Another situation is that you need special classrooms for CHARLIE DISHER Charlie Randolph Disher 79 husband of Linda MINI.

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