By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Block scheduling, at least for one year, is a thing of the past for the Forrest City School District.
FCSD Superintendent Lee Vent said the decision to go back to a seven-period class schedule was made to give the district the opportunity to more diligently study the block period idea.
"What we're hoping to do with this move back to seven-period courses is give our staff an opportunity to do a more diligent study of block scheduling so that we can eliminate some of the problems that we've faced as well as give us the opportunity to come up with our own plan for block scheduling instead of using a canned approach from another district," Vent said.
The 2002/2003 school year would have been the third year of block scheduling at Forrest City High School, and according to Vent, the program is expected to be back in the district after it has been retooled.
"The next year will be a time when we can develop a block program that will best work for students and staff in the Forrest City School District. For the staff, it will really be like a buffer year which will allow us to look at many different programs and then come up with the one most suitable for us. Students won't see much change in going back to the seven-period format because it's the traditional way here of doing things," Vent said.
The decision to go back to the seven-period format was an administrative decision which did not require school board approval. In March, board members heard from several students who were in favor of keeping the block scheduling.
"A change back to seven classes will not be bad, but it would have some consequences. This is about quality education and not quantity," said student Jessica Lewis. Lewis studied under an eight-period setup at the junior high level.
Another student, Sara Bennett who had also studied under both schedules but prefers the block scheduling, said, "I feel block scheduling is most beneficial to our education. It allows students to focus more on our courses and it better prepares us for college. It also reduces the availability for violence."
Three homes were damaged in an overnight fire in the Forrest Hills subdivision.
The home of Tosha Hamilton, 28, 833 Sherwood Dr., was reported to be a total loss, and houses on each side of the Hamilton home were damaged in the blaze that was reported about 3 a.m.
According to a report at the Forrest City Police Department, officers on patrol found the residence engulfed in flames and called the fire department to the scene.
Officers then began waking residents at 827 and 839 Sherwood Dr. to get them out of their homes because the flames from Hamilton's house were melting the siding and shingles of the homes on each side of her residence.
Police reported no one was at the Hamilton home at the time of the fire because the owner was staying with relatives in Palestine while her husband is hospitalized in Memphis.
Damage estimates were unavailable for the Donald W. Thomas residence at 827 Sherwood Dr., and the Vincent Bobo residence at 839 Sherwood Dr.
FCFD officials are continuing the investigation today in an effort to determine the cause of the blaze.
Police officers in the area reported seeing a vehicle leaving Sherwood Drive before the blaze was noticed, according to the report.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The wettest July in many decades in St. Francis County has put a damper on some summer activities, but has been a blessing for area farmers.
Mitch Crow, an agent with the St. Francis County Extension Service, said the rains, which he termed as "spotty" for the most part, have been good for crops.
"It's kind of been variable for farmers in the area because not everyone is getting the rain. I've seen some places that are still relatively dry around Shell Lake and near Palestine. A lot of the rain has been in the Forrest City area, and the farmers who are getting the rain are pretty much happy about it," Crow said.
For one area farmer, any rain in the months of July and August is seen as a blessing. According to Bobby May, who farms cotton, soybeans, rice and milo on land south of Hughes, the wet weather has been great.
"First off, you never turn rain down in July. This is highly unusual, but by the same token, it's good. I don't know when the last time we had this much in July was. All in all, the rain has been good for all of our crops, and I just hope that we get more," May said.
According to Crow, some area soybeans may not be handling the rains that well.
"With our cotton and rice this is only helping. I've even seen some cotton south of Forrest City that was still being watered. The only crops that might not be fairing so well are some of the soybean farms. There are some that are getting saturated, and the beans need to dry out. That's because in a lot of areas, the beans are planted in soil that may be heavier in clay where a lot of the cotton and rice is planted on fairly rolling soil and the water runs off of it well," he said.
According to May, advances in seed production may be helping area farms sustain the rain better.
"With the Round-Up ready crops that we've got now, we don't get as many of the problems with a lot of overgrowth in our fields, and that's what we used to have to deal with when it came down to rain. Unless the water gets up over the beans, we won't have any problems with the extra water," May said.
According to Crow, up to four inches of rain has been recorded so far for the month of July in some areas.
East Arkansas Community College will hold New Student Orientation on Thursday, July 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Students are encouraged to attend if:
*Fall 2002 is the student's first semester at EACC
*Summer I or II 2002 was the student's first term attending EACC and he or she plans to return for fall semester 2002.
*The student was prepared to attend EACC in the Fall 2001 or Spring 2002 semesters, but was unable to do so.
EACC Student Services staff and other administrators will be sharing relevant information about the college and the resources available to students. In addition to gaining information that will be useful for attendance at EACC, students will have an opportunity to revise their course schedules, take a campus tour, talk with financial aid representatives, visit the EACC Bookstore or business office regarding payment arrangements, etc., according to a press release.
Each session will include a light meal. Students are encouraged to attend one of the sessions, according to the release.
To make a reservation for one of the sessions, call 870-633-4480 ext. 300.
The 19th annual Mightymite Triathlon will be held Saturday, beginning at Village Creek State Park.
The event will begin at 8 a.m., with the swimming portion of the race at Lake Dunn. Swimmers will come out of the water at the launching ramp and change to bicycles.
The road leading into and out of the park will be closed to vehicle traffic from 8 a.m. until the last bicycle leaves the park, which will be at about 9:30 a.m. Parking will be available at the large field across the road from the tennis courts.
After leaving the park, cyclists will continue to East Arkansas Community College, where they will change over to the last portion of the contest, a run from EACC to the campus of Forrest City High School.
More information on the Mightymite can be found on Pages 12 and 13 of today's Times-Herald.
Improvements are planned for Highway 284 from Forrest City to Newcastle, according to a press release from the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.
According to the ASHTD report, M & T Paving and Construction of Forrest City was the low bidder on the project with a bid of $692,754.99. The project will resurface about six miles of Hwy. 284.
"These improvements will mean safer travel for motorists in this area of St. Francis County," said Commissioner Buddy Benafield of Hickory Plains.
Benafield said weather permitting, construction could begin on the project in six to eight weeks. Work should be completed by the end of the year, according to Benafield.