The Conservative from Carrollton, Mississippi • 13

Section The Conservative April 15, 1999 BuUdoes and Wildcats become school co Jaguars with Dili Vaiden Civic Club The Vaiden Civic Club enjoyed a most successful campaign in 1998 with the Vaiden Children's Park one of its many accomplishments. Page2B Vaiden Discovery Club Nursing home residents were treated to some great surprises during 1998 due to the generosity and hard work of the Discovery Club. Page 3B UDC remembers veterans of war Our fighting men and women will forever be remembered thanks to the work done by organizations such as the UDC. Page3B Vaiden 4-H Area young people are reaping the benefit hard work performed b'y 4-H volunteers. Page4B Foothills 4-Hers making a difference Awards were plenty for the Foothills 4-Hers in 1998 with kids of all ages performing well in contest.

Page5B Future Homemakers beautify Vaiden Along with assistance from other area clubs and organizations, the Future Homemakers Club has worked to improve Vaiden's appearance. Page5B Pictures of improvement Take a look at just some of the mammoth construction taking place at the new Carroll County High School. Page6B ADVERTISERS Angelica Charles Ellis Check Advance Krueger Page 2 Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 Ole Miss Page 5 Penny Sanford Page 2 Peoples Bank Page 6 Sugar Mullins Page 4 Super Valu Page 4 Union Planters Page 3 Winona Manor Page 6 By THERESA VIGOUR The Conservative "The advantages far outweigh the nostalgia," said Shirley Frizell, principal of Vaiden High School, speaking of the consolidation of the two high schools in Carroll County. Students in seventh through twelfth grades at Vaiden High School will go to J.Z. George High School in North Carrollton when school begins in the fall.

Vaiden High School will cease to exist, and the campus life at J.Z. George will be brand new. Even the buildings and grounds will be barely recognizable. Major additions and renovations $3.5 million worth began in January of this year. Seven classrooms and five labs are being added.

Some additions like new bleachers and a band program and another parking lot are in the planning stages. "The people who are supposed to benefit the most are our students. Their welfare comes first. That's the bottom line," said Mrs. Frizell.

"One of the best things that will come out of this is our students will be able to take advantage of the Tech Prep program," said Mrs. Frizell. The Tech Prep program begins in seventh grade and offers career counseling and guidance so that students become familiar with the careers in technology that they will find when they graduate from high school, trade school, junior college and colleges and universities. The jobs out there now didn't exist 10 years ago, a seventh grade Tech Prep teacher said. Tech Prep teaches students the academics and hands on skills to operate computers preparing them for jobs after high school or to continue their studies.

Will fur fly when the students from schools nicknamed the Bulldogs and the Wildcats are under one roof? Most say no. The two schools have been working together in many ways and especially lately as consolidation is just months away. "We have staff development together just as Marshall and Hathorn elementary schools do. The high schools have a county-wide curriculum," said Mrs. Frizell.

The superintendent of Carroll County Schools, Billy Joe Ferguson, was principal at Vaiden High School so he knows the students and parents, said Mrs. Frizell. Transition is made easier because some people who work for the system have worked at both schools. The principal of J.Z. George, Mrs.

Shirley Lester, taught at Vaiden High School and at Hathorn Elementary School. The librarian, Debbie Gant (wife of the Vaiden coach), worked at Vaiden, now she works at J.Z. George. The counselor works at both schools, Mrs. Frizell said.

"The biggest part of our kids are kinfolk," said Coach Farris Jenkins of the Carroll County students. "A great number of our kids at J.Z.George High School come from Black Hawk and a majority of their kids Vaiden High School come from Black Hawk." The Bulldogs and the Wildcats will become Jaguars come September. As to the name of the consolidated school, that decision will be made by the members of the Carroll County School Board. Should the name remain J.Z. George High School, it would continue to honor the U.S.

senator from Carroll County. Perhaps the person most excited about consolidation is Coach Jenkins who gets to make up sports' teams from a student body of 447 high schoolers rather than a student body of 307. The increase in the number of students moves J.Z. George from a 1A team to a 2A team. "Vaiden's always had good athletes.

Good athletes can play anything," he said with a twinkle in his eye no doubt stemming from a look toward4hd'JaguarsWuture on the fields and courts. "Vaiden's always had good basketball. With the Vaiden basketball team and their boys' and girls' track teams, we should be as good as anybody of our size in the country," said Coach Jenkins. "We go over to Vaiden High School one day a week, maybe two for training. We bring most of 'em over to do spring practice here," said Coach Jenkins.

"The coaches have already signed up boys for football and measured them for uniforms," said the Vaiden High School principal. Football will be new for the former Vaiden High School students. The school has not had a football team since about 1972. But their basketball team this year advanced to the state tournament under the direction of Coach James Gant who coaches all sports at Vaiden. Nostalgia may be something for Coach Gant to contend with as he mum not only went to Vaiden to school, but he works there too.

"It's the only place I've been to school, and it's the only place I've ever worked," said the Vaiden coach. Coach Gant says consolidation is for the best, but anticipates problems adjusting. After the problems are worked out, he says the students can begin taking advantage of a larger variety of classes. Not all teachers from both schools will be employed in the fall. Some will retire, some will work in other schools.

Willette Thomas, a tenth grader at Vaiden High School, has mixed emotions about the whole thing. She's excited about being able to take French. Only Spanish has been offered at Vaiden High "The people most are That's the Carroll County School's Superintendent Billie Joe Ferguson and School Board President Danny Brower examine the progress of the construction at J.Z. George High School in preparation for next year's consolidation with Vaiden. (Tim James) School.

She looks forward to more computer classes like business communications. Football is new, she says, so cheerleading is new. who are supposed to benefit the our students. Their welfare comes first. bottom line." Shirley Frizell, Vaiden Principal they'll get along with the other students," said Jennifer Hemphill, a senior at J.Z.

George. "But I'm a cheerleader, and I went to the other school and mmmmm helped the other cheerleaders there. I got along. I think the students will get along just fine." "In the long run, it will be better than what people think, mmmmmmmm but Some people don't want Vaiden to come," said Lori Lee, a senior at J.Z. George.

Lori says the loud noises of the construction at her school are at times disrupting, but she says, "We're still getting our work done. We haven't gotten behind." Jennifer says the renovation should have started over the summer. "We're going to have to move out of our computer room, and we don't know how that's going to go." Up until now, she says the renovation has not disrupted her studies or classes. Merging two schools does not happen without vision. Carroll County Superintendent of Schools Billy Joe Ferguson has been in the profession for 30 years.

He's taught science at Vaiden High School, he's coached, he's served as principal. When he became superintendent in 1996, he even rode the school bus to see where the children lived. "All he's ever done is improve the lives of Carroll County students," said a retired school employee. About the time Ferguson was elected superintendent, the state department of education was talking about closing small schools and Vaiden High School is one of the smallest in the state. Enrollment at Vaiden was not increasing; it was at J.Z.

George. The expenses of operating two schools increased as the need to upgrade computer labs loomed. Ferguson, assisted by the school board, made the decisions, applied for the grants for building construction and computers and upgrading labs, and vision is becoming reality. Go Jaguars. See Pictures Page 6B She'll be a cheerleader next year at the new school.

She already knows some students from J.Z. George from the community choir. And she met some students when her parents taught at J.Z. George (now they teach at Vaiden High School). LaToya Robinson, an eleventh grader at Vaiden High School, at first didn't like the idea of merging the two schools but now when she thinks about more classes being offered, she is excited.

She looks forward graduating with a bigger class and having a bigger prom. "A lot of people don't think Yo) Tl VY7(Q jvJ jw h).