The Greenwood Commonwealth from Greenwood, Mississippi • Page A006

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) At least five people have been killed and dozens more injured as a storm system that spawned several possible tor- nadoes moved across the Southeast. Suspected tornadoes were reported Wednesday in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaba- ma and South Carolina. Dozens of homes and build- ings were damaged and thou- sands of people were without power as trees and power lines were downed. In South Carolina, three people were killed and five injured when a likely tornado swept through a rural com- munity near Rock Hill, about 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C.

In north Georgia, a man was killed when a tree fell on his sport utility vehicle. Authorities also reported a weather-related death in cen- tral North Carolina, but Davidson County Emergency Services Director Jeff Smith did not have any other details on the victim early Thursday. In eastern Alabama, a sus- pected twister splintered trees and demolished mobile homes at a pair of housing parks near the Auburn University cam- pus. Less than seven months ago, a massive tornado roared past the campus of archrival University of Alabama in the western part of the state. It was the worst bout of weather for the state since about 250 people were killed in the April tornado outbreak.

Both campuses were spared major damage this time. In Rock Hill, Simone Moore told The Herald newspaper she was sitting on her back porch when she saw the tor- nado touch down and then quickly move back up. She said after the storm passed, she noticed a nearby trailer had vanished. Moore said. the cows in the As weather service experts fanned out to assess damage, Auburn graduate student Staci DeGeer have any doubts about what sent a pair of trees crashing through her mobile home at Ridgewood Village.

tornado damage. from Kansas; I know tornado said DeGeer, who home at the time. kind of hit or miss. There will be two or three (trailers) that are bad and then a few that are Trees fell on homes in south- eastern Mississippi, where Jones County emergency director Don McKinnon said some people were briefly trapped. Mobile homes were tossed off their foundations.

In all, 15 people were hurt in the area. As the weather moved east, tornado warnings and watch- es were issued in Georgia and South Carolina. At least 10 people were injured when a possible torna- do ripped through an area south of Lexington in North Carolina, destroying one building, damaging several others and leaving thousands without electricity. Forecasters said a cold front stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northeast was to blame. Temperatures dropped in some areas from the low 70s to the 50s as the front passed, and winds gust- ed to near 30 mph.

Damage was reported in several parts of Alabama. In Sumter County, in the west- central part of the state, an elderly woman was in her home as a tree crashed into it. She was taken to the hospital. HE REENWOOD Commonwealth Thursday, November 17, 2011 Page 6 5 dead, dozens injured in Southeast storms University of Mississippi Jarvis Harris, a senior at North Panola High School in Sardis, the past four years have brought a wonderful transfor- mation at his high school. used to us being a terri- ble Harris said.

us now to be a successful school is almost indescrib- Lead teacher Patrick Las- siter understands comment. Just four years ago, Lassiter was a first-year teacher in the Mississippi Teacher Corps program at the University of Mississippi. The University of Notre Dame grad from Valdosta, remembers teaching history to freshmen as being a major challenge. Observing their growth and achievement has been rewarding for him. fills my heart to see how well done, the strides Lassiter said.

those gains recog- nized across the state is very In 2007, the school was scraping the bottom of the barrel in academic achieve- ment, as measured by Missis- sippi Department of Educa- tion rankings. Poor student performances on state math, English, science and history exams contributed to its then- status and the school being put under MDE conser- vatorship in 2008. Through teamwork, strate- gic planning and a concentrat- ed effort to improve, NPHS has achieved school status in this rankings. MDE officials annu- ally evaluate K-12 school sys- tems throughout the state. Criteria include accreditation status, graduation and com- pletion data, state exam and ACT scores, expulsions and out-of-school suspensions.

Labels from lowest to superior are: Failing, Academic Watch, Low Performing, Successful, High Performing and Star. Since 2008, six courses at NPHS and junior high school have been taught by Teacher Corps teachers. Subject areas taught by Corps teachers include Algebra I and II, Eng- lish II and III, Biology and U.S. History. I started here, I remember thinking to myself, hard could teaching said Golda Sharpe of Clarks- dale, a UM alumna in her third year as an Algebra I teacher.

first year was more challenging than I ever imagined it could be. My sec- ond year was much better. My expectations for my students grow each year. realized that North Panola can be a great school. We have great students who just need to realize their own potential.

To have been a part of the success to this point is something never forget. developed profes- sionally and grown as a per- For second-year Biology I teacher Paul McAlister, the experience was similar to was definitely a challenge that first year with- out the actual experience of said the Geneseo State University grad from New York. worked as hard as I could and was fairly happy with my scores last year. This year, my goal is for their scores to be even Having mastered the dynamics of classroom man- agement and content, English III teacher Brent Bonds of Iuka seeks to make students comfortable with taking tests and confident that they know the material. is no ceil- ing to what I think our stu- dents and our school can said the UM alum.

N.Panola High making big strides AP Staci DeGeer stands in the remains of her home in Auburn, Wednesday. Several trees were tossed into her kitchen, living room and bedroom during a windstorm. A path of storms swept across the state leaving behind fallen trees and some heavy wind damage. AP Southwest Jones volunteer firefighters finish a walk-through in the heavily damaged Hoss Power Equipment building in the Shady Grove area of Jones County Wednesday morning after an apparent tornado touched down. At least 15 people have been injured in a storm system that swept through parts of Jones County on Wednesday, causing damage to dozens of homes and buildings in an area north of Laurel.

AP Raymond Pierce, 72, surveys damage to his property after strong winds from a suspected tornado passed through the Lafayette Woods subdivision Wednesday in Houma, La. No one was injured. Suspected tornadoes reported in four states.