Bamars777's Blog

Veterans Day 2011 tribute

Brandon — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:33:02 +0000

Local Elon school lacking funds

Brandon — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:15:26 +0000

In October, the administration of the Elon Homes and Schools for Children announced that the Elon School in Elon, N.C. was for sale.

Since it’s opening in 2007, more than 7 million dollars has gone into funding the school by the administration.

Now that the funds have decreased, the school is expected to close by the end of next year unless a buyer is found.

Fred Grosse, president of the Elon Homes and Schools for Children, is confident that a buyer will be found. Grosse blames the economy as one reason for last month’s announcement.

“The stock market plummeted the exact first year we opened our school,” Grosse said. “So the operation, the entire time this school has been opened has been in this recession.”

Elon University freshman, Holly Smith, graduated from the Elon school last year and was saddened when she first heard about the sale. Smith is disappointed that undergraduates may not have similar experiences that she had her senior year if they had to seek another school to attend.

“I went to Austria my senior year so that would be a big difference compared to other high schools I feel like,” Smith said.

And it’s not just past students who are sadden by the news. Current Spanish teacher Gloriana Carballo-Spitler enjoys every minute she has with her students. She jokingly says she can’t go back to teaching at public schools because she’s too spoiled with her students here.

“This is a very nice school, since it’s so small,” Carballo-Spitler said. “It’s just like a big family. You know everybody.”

The Elon School is the only independent college prep high school in Alamance County. About 75 percent of the student body would have to find other schools to attend if a buyer isn’t found to manage the institution next year.

Grosse has scheduled interviews this month and continues to look for either another school, investors or a group of parents to take ownership. And he is confident he’ll find a buyer before next fall.

“(The) primary goal is to not close at all,” Grosse said. “We are seeking to secure another school or nonprofit board to assume ownership and management. We think that is a reasonable expectation at this point and do not think the underclassmen will have to seek alternative schools.”

Life at Elon

Brandon — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:28:41 +0000

By Brandon Marshall

Nearly 200 students meet at Johnston Hall each Tuesday for class this semester. But this isn’t your typical looking class and these aren’t your typical looking students.

All of the students are over the age of 50. The university offers a weekly class called Life at Elon to members in and around Alamance County. These baby boomers are given the opportunity to learn about global awareness and enjoy access to Belk Library and the dining halls.

Richard McBride, retired Elon Chaplin, is the chair of the curriculum committee for the program. “The use of social media – understanding our grandchildren” and “post-civil war history in Alamance County” were classes selected for the students.

“It’s amazing how our minds continue to want to learn,” McBride said.

Thomas Enoch, 61, of Burlington, N.C.; said he’s very excited about being a student again. In 2008, Enoch was in a severe car accident and spent three months in the hospital. Two of his neck vertebrae broke and the right side of body was partially immobilized.

Riding around in a scooter, Enoch enjoys the program as a second chance in his life. He says he’s happy he didn’t suffer from any head injuries.

“I went through some soul-searching and some gathering of my thoughts to get to this point and then when I saw this opportunity it was just interesting,” Enoch said.

Enoch received a scholarship for the program and plans to attend both the fall and spring semesters.

Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Alison Morrison-Shetlar says the program is a great opportunity for intergenerational learning.

“Elon is all about engaged learning and therefore this part of the community is going to be a part of engage learning as well Morrison-Shetlar said.

Graham’s Oldest Barber

Brandon — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:32:32 +0000

The cost of a haircut when Kenneth Wood began cutting hair was just 25 cents. The same haircut will cost you $10.

Wood celebrated his 100th birthday at work last Tuesday. He has been cutting hair for 85 years and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Born in Thomasville, N.C., Wood learned how to cut hair from his father.

“Me and my daddy worked together for 11 years in Thomasville before I moved to Burlington.” Wood said.

Wood has worked at the Graham Barber Shop for nearly 60 years. He operates the shop alone, renting out a space from his landlord who owns a local movie theater next door.

“I’ve only forgotten to pay my rent once,” Wood said behind his glasses cutting a customer’s hair.

When you walk in, you’ll notice the black-and-white checkered floor, four soft-cushioned brown barber chairs to match, and a smell like pages between a library book. Wood said that not much scenery has changed inside the shop since he began working here. However, outside of the ten foot long glass window, Wood has seen many changes throughout his years living in North Carolina. He recalls the sinking of the Titanic, the Great Depression and even a time when gas was eight cents per gallon.

In 1943, Wood was drafted into the second World War where he served in a Colorado ski village. After the former barber retired, the Lieutenant Colonel needed Wood to serve as the military barber.

Wood said, “He welcomed me to the Eighteenth General and he says do you have your barber tools with you? I said yes sir.”

Wood enjoys serving people, from senators to garbage men. Wood said, it doesn’t matter who his customers are.

“Who he is, doesn’t make no difference to me. He gets the same kind of haircut that this gentleman is going to get,” Wood said emphatically.

Summer webcast at internship

Brandon — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:25:38 +0000

A second chance at anchoring

Going “green” to save money

Brandon — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:48:43 +0000

Here’s one web article I wrote during my internship. It was interesting learning something new about my hometown while writing this story.

Story 1

(Middletown, CT) – Phil Armetta a Middletown based developer is planning to build a “green” recycling center in eastern Connecticut. The 50,000 square foot center is designed to alleviate landfills of construction waste. With only three landfills left in Connecticut, one developer wants to do what the Europeans are doing, recycle their buildings. Wheelabrator’s trash to energy plant in Lisbon has been turning waste into electricity for nearly a dozen years.

Armetta says the center is needed because Connecticut’s three remaining landfills in Putnam, Manchester, and Bloomfield will soon close. Today, Armetta says he has to haul construction waste to landfills in Ohio which is an estimated thousand mile round trip.

“Without new landfills, there will be no new construction – the jobs will go to new states with more capacity to take waste” said Armetta.

The $15 million project will be pitched to town leaders next month. The new facility is expected to create 100 new jobs and bring more taxes to the town. The trash to energy plant pays $1 million in taxes a year and $125,000 in annual tipping fees.

“He has to file a site plan application with planning and zoning and we’ll go through public hearings that are associated with that,” said Tom Sparkman First Selectman of Lisbon.

No paperwork has yet been filed with the town. Armetta said he’s hoping to sit down with the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Officials are soon to work things out.

Anchoring webcast

Brandon — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:24:36 +0000

First time for everything:

G52

Brandon — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:12:14 +0000

Became involved at this year’s Create or Die event in Greensboro, North Carolina. Journalists of color came together to bring together ideas about ways to develop social networking skills, creative ideas, and learning how to utilize social media.

Inseparable twin friars die hours apart, age 92

Brandon — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:28:16 +0000

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13651149

I find this story to be incredible. The fact that both brothers didn’t reveal who was born first is a mystery in and of itself but also how they both died hours is more of a mystery. Am I wrong to think that it’s a spiritual mystery?

Inseparable twin friars die hours apart, age 92

Research Death and Media

Brandon — Fri, 13 May 2011 09:46:23 +0000

College graduates are anticipating when they will receive their diploma. But for four communication science students, their anticipation was almost delayed. Our Brandon Marshall shares why some students had to research the causes of this dilemma.