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Homeschoolers Prepare for Excellence

September 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Numerous studies have documented the successful performance on standardized testing, as well as college performance, by students who were taught at home by their parents.  A most interesting finding revealed in the latest study by Dr. Brian Ray, is that student performance was unaffected by the level of education that their parents had achieved.  Across the board in subject areas, home educated students on average scored at or above the 85th percentile on a variety of standardized tests.

Parents who have chosen to educate their children at home seek to support one another and share educational opportunities and insights.  Some parents have formed educational cooperatives to address specific needs that may be more difficult to teach one on one.  These cooperatives take many different forms, and serve many different purposes.  The resources available to homeschooling families today are vast, and are available through a multitude of vendors.

The decisions facing families who consider homeschooling their children can be daunting because of the many options available.  Publishers of curricula in every subject area are competing to make their product appear to be the best.  The reality is that there is no single resource that is best for all students.  It is this reason that many feel that homeschoolers are able to perform so much better than traditionally educated students; their parents hand pick the materials that best fit their learning style and their needs.

Through conferences together and networking with one another, homeschooling parents educate themselves to understand the many options, and which one may best fit their family.  One such conference is being held October 1, 2011 at Cook Baptist Church in Ruston from 9am to 2pm.  It is open to anyone interested in learning more about homeschooling or the homeschool community.  Speakers include Dr. and Mrs. Roger Smith, Dr. and Mrs. David McGehee, Lavon and Jessica Welch, Terra Taylor, Cheryl Floyd, and Charlotte Hansen.  Most of these speakers have more than 20 years homeschooling experience. Cost $10 per person.  For more information contact one of the following homeschool group leaders:  Charlotte Hansen (Shreveport) 688-4589, Robin Davis (Ruston) 768-4145 or Pam Charrier (Monroe) 376-1788.

 
More information on the study by Dr. Brian Ray is available at

http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/2009_Ray_StudyFINAL.pdf

and  http://www.academicleadership.org/article/Academic_Achievement_and_Demographic_Traits_of_Homeschool_Students_A_Nationwide_Study.

Filed Under: Events, North Louisiana, Ruston, z-Featured Middle 1 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Jonesboro Mayor: “I’ll Show You The Money”

September 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Honorable Mayor Leslie Thompson updated the public and Council during a special called meeting of the Jonesboro Board of Alderman held Friday, September 23rd regarding his administrative staff’s progress in replacing missing supportive documentation related to some $385,000 that he was falsely accused of misappropriating.

Such records which are maintained by the Municipal Clerk were discovered missing by the Louisiana Legislative Auditors Office in Baton Rouge after a 4 month investigation late last year (2010). Upon being re-elected at that time, Mayor Thompson replaced Vicki Stephens as the Jonesboro City Clerk with Melba Holland.

To dispel rumors about misappropriation, a document entitled “Show Me The Money” was circulated in Jonesboro by the Mayor’s Office this past August.  Find the document by clicking here. This public record provides a list of some 170+ vendors who were paid for various services or products by the Town of Jonesboro while Vicki Stephens was the Clerk, and indicates where the monies actually went.

The Mayor also felt it necessary to preserve the Town’s good name and to restore the integrity of the City Hall’s records by contacting each person or company on the “Show Me The Money” list and asking them to provide a copy of their invoices and/or supporting documentation indicating what service, product or purpose they were paid by the Town of Jonesboro during that time.

Mayor Thompson reported at the special called meeting that 98% of the missing invoices have been recreated or replaced, and that he anticipates a complete wrap of the matter within the next week. The video of said Council Meeting can be viewed below.

© 2011 –The Fount Online News

All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Jonesboro, North Louisiana, z-Featured Top Right Tagged With: , , , ,

Jonesboro Fair Set For Oct. 12-15, 2011

September 24, 2011 By

Despite rumors to the contrary, the annual fair in Jonesboro at the Jonesboro Fairgrounds is still on!  Earlier this week, The Honorable Mayor Leslie Thompson spoke with the owner of Bluff City Shows Mr. Delmar Giles who said the contract Wayne Nash of the Jackson Parish Fair Association signed with him back in February 2011 had been cancelled.  Thompson said that the children and community at large were too important for the fair to be cancelled, and set things in motion for the annual fair to carry on.

In a Special Called Meeting held Friday, September 23rd to specifically address this issue, Jonesboro Council Members LaStevic Cottonham, Charla Melton, Samuel Lamkin and Devin Flowers unanimously authorized Mayor Leslie Thompson to enter into an agreement on behalf of the Town of Jonesboro with Bluff City Shows of Fisk, MO for the fair to take place Wednesday October 12 thru Saturday, October 15, 2011.  Council Member Renee Stringer was absent.

The brief council meeting can be viewed below.


A circus is also set to take place at the Jonesboro Fairgrounds on Friday, October 7th.

© 2011 –The Fount Online News

All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Events, Jonesboro Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jonesboro’s First Freedom Fly-In

September 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Town Of Jonesboro Features First Freedom Fly In

 

 

Light wind gusts made many people feel very comfortable throughout this special day in Jonesboro, Louisiana.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and several local sponsors including the Town of Jonesboro held the first Freedom Fly-In ever at the Jonesboro Air Terminal.

 

Many in this Town and surrounding areas were completely unaware that Jonesboro even had an airport, let alone one that is up and coming.

 

Jonesboro Mayor Leslie Thompson, now in his 2nd term in office has been working closely with Tanya Shullingkamp from the DOTD as well as some local pilots since taking office in 2007 to boost Jonesboro’s economy in a much needed way. Among many, Mayor Thompson credits the assistance of Ms. Earline Knox who aided with securing and managing the grant funding over the past few years to help make today’s event a success.

 

 

 

 

Several antique vehicles were featured, and an air show climaxed the day’s activities.

 

Travis Shirley On The Verge Of Touching Down

 

 

One of the competitions involved Spot Landing where pilots put their landing skills to the test by seeing who can land their plane closest to the white line without crossing it first and without bouncing.

 

The Fount was blessed to have walked out to the air strip just in time to witness and film the winning landing seen in the following video:

 

 

22 year old Travis Shirley of Winnsboro, Louisiana let his much more experienced peers know that even though he’s only been a certified pilot for 1 year, youth still has its advantages!   Travis, who was all smiles out landed his competition in a 1966 Beechcraft to claim a winner-take-all prize that he says was just enough to cover his expenses.

22 year old Travis Shirley and his father Terry Shirley

 

 

All in all, everybody appeared to have a good time.  It’s reported some 100 planes arrived here at the Jonesboro Air Terminal to help celebrate this occasion, just 1 day before the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.

 

Old Glory Flies At Half Mast In Memory Of 9/11

 

It’s also reported a few people arrived early the night before to sleep under the wings of their airplanes, and when all was said and done, even though temperatures warmed up a bit many people didn’t want to leave.

 

 

The atmosphere was positive, upbeat and Thomas Holland’s “The Hickory Hut BBQ” located in Hodge near the paper mill was on site serving good food at a small price.

 

One older local woman commented how clean and well maintained the grounds were and said she had never seen it look so nice.  Another older person said he recalled a time where the grass was so high he couldn’t see the runway on the other side, and that he was so happy to know an air fuel station was soon on the way.  “It’s gonna be great for Jonesboro and all the areas around here.  People don’t realize it but with the way things are all over this country this place is really blessed.”

Jonesboro is blessed indeed.

© 2011  –The Fount Online News

All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Events, Jonesboro, North Louisiana, z-Featured Front Top 1 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Freedom Fly-In At Jonesboro Airport

September 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Freedom Fly-In
Jonesboro Airport (F88) CTA
Saturday September 10, 2011
Starts At: 9AM

BBQ – Hot Dogs – Cold Drinks

Spot Landing Competition
Flight Simulator
Antique Car Show

Louisiana DOTD
For Additional Information Contact
Gary Morris 318.259.5709

See the flyer by clicking HERE.

Filed Under: Events, Jonesboro Tagged With: , ,

Jonesboro Volunteer Fireman Dies In Jackson Parish Crash

September 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

TROOP F – NEWS RELEASE

September 3, 2011

Volunteer Fireman Dies in Jackson Parish Crash

 

A Jackson Parish volunteer fireman has died in a one vehicle crash while responding to a call for medical assistance.

Troop F Troopers investigated the crash at about 3:52 pm today.  The investigation revealed that a 1998 Dodge utility truck from the Ward Four Fire Protection District was traveling south on Siloam Church Rd, just south of LA 147, when the driver failed to negotiate a left to right curve in the roadway.  The truck ran off the left side of the roadway where it struck a ditch embankment and several trees.

The driver, a volunteer fireman identified as 22-year-old Christopher Peterson from Jonesboro, was transported to the Jackson Parish hospital, but died a short time later.  Seat belt use is unknown at this time and impairment is not suspected to be a factor.

Investigating troopers indicated that the highway was wet at the time of the crash and the truck was apparently traveling too fast for the road conditions.  It is important to remember that all drivers should carefully monitor road conditions, particularly in times of inclement weather.  When driving in wet weather, drivers must sometimes slow down well below the posted speed limits to safely traverse the highways.

In 2011, Louisiana State Police Troop F Troopers have investigated thirty-five (35) fatal crashes resulting in forty (40) deaths.

Contact Information:
TFC Mark Dennis
Public Information Officer
Louisiana State Police – Troop F
Office:  (318) 345-2810
Mark.Dennis@dps.la.gov
www.LSP.org

Filed Under: Jonesboro, North Louisiana, z-Featured Top Right Tagged With: , ,