Education Notebook: Drug dog for Bibb schools?
The Bibb County school district is considering buying a drug-sniffing dog to join the campus police force.
Campus Police Chief Russell Bentley proposed the idea to school board members Thursday night during the board’s committee meetings. He said it would cost between $16,000 and $25,000 to acquire the dog and train it and its handler, who would be a volunteer from among Bentley’s officers. He said it would cost about $3,000 annually to maintain the dog.
The school system used to have a drug dog, but it left when its handler moved away. In recent years, the school system partnered with the Macon Police Department for routine drug sweeps at each school.
Some board members asked if the dog could be trained for additional detection, such as for weapons. Bentley said he wouldn’t recommend that, because there wouldn’t be a way for the handler to distinguish if the dog detected drugs or, say, an explosive device.
YALE HONORS 2 BIBB EDUCATORS
Two educators have been chosen as recipients of the 2014 Yale Educator Award.
Recent Central High School graduate Darby Mowell nominated Chris Kirby and Dorothy Krakow for the honor. Kirby, now assistant principal of Porter Elementary School, was the International Baccalaureate coordinator and teacher at Central High, and Krakow is a counselor at the high school.
Kirby and Krakow are among 53 teachers and 30 counselors selected to receive the award. Educators are nominated by Yale’s entering students, and a committee of admissions officers designates recipients.
Winners receive engraved desk sets and congratulatory letters.
FOSSIL EXPERT COMING TO MILLEDGEVILLE
Fossils are all around us. That’s the message paleontologist Kirk Johnson, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and artist Ray Troll share in the traveling exhibit “Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway,” which will park at the Georgia College Museum beginning Sept. 25.
“Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway” features 19 framed, color prints and five large-scale murals of Troll’s whimsical, fossil-inspired artwork, all of which were created for a book of the same title, published by Troll and Johnson in 2007. The book records the “epoch tale” of the duo’s 5,000-mile road trip through the American West as they sought to explore the fossil record. The exhibit combines visuals and stories from the book with real fossil specimens from the Georgia College Museum of Natural History.
CGTC FOUNDATION RACE SET FOR SATURDAY
The fifth annual Race for Education, hosted by the Central Georgia Technical College Foundation, will be held Saturday at the college’s Warner Robins campus. The event serves as a major fundraiser to support literacy and Adult Education programs at CGTC.
The Race for Education will feature 5K, 10.2K and one-mile fun run events. Registration fees are $25 per race or $40 for the 5K/10.2K combo. The fee for the one mile fun run is $15. For those interested in supporting the event but not participating, the CGTC Foundation offers the Phantom Runner option for $20. Phantom runners will receive an official race T-shirt.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available for the event, ranging from $350 to $2,500. Participants can register in advance online at www.active.com or download the registration form at www.centralgatech.edu/foundation/events.html. Race day registration is also available.
GEORGIA COLLEGE STUDENT EARNS $10,000 SCHOLARSHIP
A Georgia College junior has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship.
Emily Baum, of Cumming, will receive the Prospective 7-12 Secondary Teacher Course Work Scholarship by the Mathematics Education Trust of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
The scholarship, supported by the Texas Instruments Damana-Waits Fund, provides funding for tuition, books and other academic expenses. Baum is majoring in secondary education mathematics.
DELTA SIGMA THETA ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIPS
The Warner Robins Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority recently announced it had given awards to a number of students.
College-bound seniors Tia Wilson, of Northside High School; Alexander Pegues, Anissa Matthews, Mikeya Woods and Brianna Okorley, of Houston County High School; Brandy Pitts, of Perry High School; and Latrice Anderson, of Bleckley County High School each received a $1,000 scholarship.
Separately, Thomas Chester was named the Jumpstart Our Youth Foundation’s Man of the Year, while Brianna Roberson was presented with that organization’s Fine Arts Award.
The 25-year-old sorority serves Bleckley, Dooley, Houston and Pulaski counties. School counselors have application information.
BIBB COMMEMORATING NATIONAL GEAR UP WEEK
The Bibb County School District GEAR UP Program, Create Your Future, will participate in National GEAR UP Week Monday-Saturday. This weeklong celebration commemorates the success of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a college access program providing students and families with the resources they need for college success.
The District GEAR UP Program and its community partners will kick off the celebration with a special event 1:30 p.m. Monday at Northeast High School, 1646 Upper River Road. At the event, community leaders will provide words of inspiration to the students.
-- From staff reports
This story was originally published September 21, 2014 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Education Notebook: Drug dog for Bibb schools? ."