Thursday, August 7, 2014
50 Cents Volume 116 Issue 31
Schools still feel impact of Oliver By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com
Architects incorporated some of the old bricks into the design of the new Culloden Elementary School. The new addition will open in December 2015.
County unveils Culloden design By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com
Culloden Elementary School teachers are gearing up for an interesting year, including moving several classrooms into modulars located behind the building. The two modulars, each holding two classrooms, allow construction crews to continue working on the front of the building, where the 1933 face is being
updated to a more modern look. “It will be fully functional the first day of school,” said Assistant Superintendent Mike O’Dell, supervisor of the operations department. “But just like everything you do, to fix up you have to tear up. The front is going to be really ugly for a while.” Superintendent Bill Smith said while having children in the building during construction isn’t preferable, it’s a necessity to get
the project finished. “We are now at the point that we’ve been very efficient in the district so we don’t have a lot of extra space,” he said. “So now when we build, it will usually be sometime when students are there.” O’Dell said the goal for the entire project is 18 months, which would put its completion date in fall of next year. He said See Culloden, Page 3
It has been four years since Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution first aired in the United States, but Rhonda McCoy, Cabell County Schools’ Food Service Coordinator, still receives hate mail on a regular basis. “There were emails from the whole nation,” she said. “There were emails coming from every place just blasting us. I’m still getting emails.” McCoy said the angry emails are unfounded as she was misrepresented on Oliver’s reality show. The reality show, which aired from March to April, 2010, followed Oliver’s attempts to make Cabell County School meals healthier. Mike O’Dell, Assistant Superintendent in charge of operations, said the show ignored facts about the nutritional content of school lunches, choosing to make grand gestures for the sake of television drama instead. “I think West Virginia and Huntington were portrayed horrible,” he said. “We had a really good food service department prior to Jamie Oliver coming. It was just
an overall misrepresentation of what we do in the school system.” McCoy, who was frequently featured on the show, signed a confidentiality agreement and was unable to discuss the particulars that happened behind the scenes. O’Dell opted not to sign the agreement, however. McCoy said the county had exceeded the state’s nutritional requirements for years prior to Oliver’s show. Cabell schools incorporated programs such as Farm to Food, a fact that was ignored in the show. “West Virginia exceeded the FDA requirements,” O’Dell said. “There were a lot of inaccuracies in the show we were not allowed to correct. It hurt us. It hurt our image and it hurt us financially.” One of the more memorable moments of the show was a segment in which Oliver ground up the See Oliver , Page 4
Three new businesses move into the city of Milton By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com Milton is proving to be an attractive location for new businesses, something Mayor Tom Canterbury said is not going to stop anytime soon. “We’re doing well,” he said. “We’re just an all around good city.” Three new businesses, CVS Pharmacy, Snap Fitness and Taco Bell, will all soon have homes in Milton. This follows on the heels of the recently opened Barnyard Barbeque. Huntingtonized Federal Credit Union also has
its new branch ready to open. “I’m really pleased with the town with how much it has grown,” Canterbury said. “It has grown tremendously – it really has. Come on down, drive through and take a look around at it. I think you’ll be impressed.” According to Serenity Day Spa Owner Kristy Ferguson, Milton’s government is a huge resource for local business owners. Ferguson opened the spa in Milton about a year and a half ago. “Anything I need, I just go and ask and they help find it for me,” she
said. “It’s been absolutely incredible.” Ferguson said in the short time they’ve been open, she has seen both an outpour of support as well as a tremendous growth. “We’re just going like crazy,” she said. “I love the city – they’re so supportive of me. I take a lot of pride in being part of the community.” Barnyard Barbeque Regional Manager Kellie Matusic said she has seen a similar experience, although she has only been open about three weeks.
CVS Pharmacy, Taco Bell and Snap Fitness will soon See Milton, Page 5 have homes in Milton.