Cattleman’s perspective. See page A4.
Community calendar. See page A3.
Share your memories. See page A7.
50¢ | Vol. 144, No. 4
Hometown Newspaper of Elizabeth Segars — Est. 1879 | Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Belgreen High School improves district report card score
Elect
Jason
Miller PROBATE JUDGE
Pd.Pol.Adv.by Jason Miller, 605 Elm Circle, Russellville, AL 35653
By Staff Reports
Russellville Elementary recognized among U.S. News & World Report best elementary schools By Staff Reports
CONTRIBUTED The GFWC Book Lovers Study Club is planning this year’s Cancer Walk to Wellness, in memory of Maudie and Roger Bedford, for March 16 at Russellville High School. More details will be announced next month.
Plans underway to raise funds for cancer research in memory of Maudie and Roger Bedford
By Susie Hovater Malone For the FCT
Plans are underway to raise money for cancer research in memory of Maudie and Roger Bedford. The GFWC Booklovers Study Club discussed the event, a cancer “walk to wellness,” which will take place March 16 at Russellville High School. The club’s health and wellness committee, consisting of Michelle Sibley, Ginger Saylor and Nancy Foster, reported on the plans for the Cancer Walk to Wellness. T- shirt sponsorships are $150, and participant donations are $20. Proceeds will benefit various forms of cancer research. More information will be provided at the February meeting. The fundraising committee, consisting of Joshlyn Bowen, Cindy Bailey and Sheila Upchurch, are working on the club’s fundraiser and will give their report in February. Ak Akins k Funera ral a Home Our family has been serving Franklin County since 1949.
Offering compassionate service and advice during the most difficult of times. Staff is always available, 24/7 13455 Hwy. 43 – Russellville, Alabama
256-332-1131
R u s s e l l v i l l e Elementary School has been named a U.S. News best elementary school by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings include more than 79,000 public elementary schools across the country. Schools are ranked at the state and district level, with best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories. RES was also ranked number 204 in Alabama out of 1,142 schools. “This recognition does not come as a surprise to me, but it is confirmation that what we are doing is remarkable,” explained RES principal Tiffany Warhurst. “This is such a testament to the hard work and dedication that our teachers and students put forth each and every day. We will continue to remain committed to providing a nurturing environment that fosters academic excellence while also focusing on character development. I am extremely proud of our faculty, staff and students.” The methodology focuses on state assess-
ments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading and language arts, while accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score. The 2024 Best Elementary Schools rankings are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For district-level rankings, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary rankings to qualify for
district-level recognition. “The 2024 Best Elementary Schools rankings offer a way for parents to get a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it is doing compared with other schools in their community,” explained LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News. “In addition, U.S. News provides easily accessible data on student-teacher ratios, district spending and the number of counselors a school makes available to its students.” Parents, educators and students can see how RES compares to other institutions and how the
rankings are calculated on USNews.com. “This is such an amazing accomplishment for our school system and our community,” said RCS superintendent Dr. Heath Grimes. “I am so proud of the teachers and leaders at RES. They have to be the hardest working teachers in the country. We already know they are hardworking and really amazing and effective. I know this because I see it, and I know this because we are very grounded in the data in RCS.” “We know this because of the third grade pass rate and our students’ proficiency scores compared to the state, even with a challenging language barrier for approximately fifty percent of RES students,” Grimes continued. “This recognition, however, is important because it is from a reputable source, and it lets the community know what I already know. It gives the teachers the affirmation that they deserve. And it feels really good for our administrators and teachers to see that they are making a difference and rank so well in our state and country.”
Belgreen High School scored 86 (B) for its Franklin County Schools 2023 district report card score, an increase of six points over the previous year. “We are super excited about our score this year,” BHS principal, Megean Berryman said. “Our teachers and our student body are working extremely hard, and it shows! Our score is the highest it has ever been, and it was the highest in the county.” Berryman reported 100 percent academic growth for the school. “That is something for all of us to be proud of,” she added. “I would like to thank Superintendent Greg Hamilton for all of his support and encouragement, because without that, this wouldn’t be possible!”
RHS earns College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award By Staff Reports
RussellvilleHighSchool has earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation (more than fifty percent) in AP Computer Science Principles. Schools honored with the award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses. “Computer science is the source code of our
See RHS AWARD, Page A2
RCS recognized as finalist for national award By Staff Reports
school’s custodians who had been checking on the school every morning, contacted him. “We think the sprinkler system above the concession stand busted and flooded the concession stand first,” Moss explained. “It then seeped under the door and progressively flooded the
Russellville City Schools has once again been recognized nationally for the work being done in its school system to make sure each student is receiving a quality education, regardless of background, economic status or language barriers. In December 2023, RCS Superintendent Dr. Heath Grimes attended the District Administration Leadership Institute Superintendent Summit in Naples, Fla., where RCS was recognized as
See PCHS DAMAGE, Page A2
See RCS FINALIST, Page A2
CONTRIBUTED LEFT: ServePro will handle the cleanup. RIGHT: Following the school’s sprinkler system bursting, the school’s downstairs floods.
Phil Campbell High School sustains water damage By María Camp maria.camp@ franklincountytimes.com In the midst of several days of an ice-covered Franklin County, Phil Campbell High School has been affected by water damage. The Phil Campbell Police Department reported in a Facebook post Thursday the school
sprinkler system had “busted and flooded the entire downstairs portion of the school.” Alarms could not immediately be turned off because of damage to the system. ServePro will handle the cleanup. “By the time I got there, it was 45 minutes or an hour after,” explained PC police department’s Officer Brian Vickery.
“At that point, there was no real emergency as far as a police matter was concerned. We had some vehicles that were off the road, and I had been out working on that at the time.” PCHS principal Bart Moss said he was notified there was a “flooding situation” around 11 a.m. on Jan. 18 when Eddie Marbutt, one of the