Thursday, January 29, 2015
Midland boys defeat Nitro, Page 20 50 Cents Volume 117 Issue 4
Three to run for Mayor of Barboursville By Michael Circle michael@theputnamstandard.com Although the election for Village of Barboursville’s Mayor is five months away, three residents have thrown their hats into the ring, current Mayor Paul Turman and councilmen Chris Tatum and Paul Hockenberry. Tatum, who also serves as the Cabell County Manager, announced his intention to run during the Jan. 22 regular Cabell County Commission meeting. “When I was 18, I decided one day that I would be running for mayor,” Tatum told commissioners. “Officially, I decided about four years ago that this was definitely the term that I would run.” Tatum, 41, has served on the Village of Barboursville council for eight years. He said he made the decision to run based on conversations with Turman. “The mayor and I had actually talked about it and my understanding was that he would not be running this time,” Tatum said. “It’s one of those things I always wanted to do. I ran for elected office when I was 18 and lost by a couple dozen votes. “I always felt like I could make a difference.” However, Turman said that he spoke with his wife and family and decided to pursue his fifth four-year term. “Unless something unforeseen happens, I will be running for mayor,” Turman said. “[Tatum] does a good job as a councilperson and I wish him well but I’m still healthy and interested in continuing my work for the
Guyandotte Elementary’s fifth grade class takes turns serving on student council and leading the school. Serving on council in January are (left to right) Danielle Hughes, Lakayla Ross, Taryn Sutphin, Heaven Hensley, Casey Lusk and Clyde Watson.
Guyandotte develops leaders By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com Guyandotte Elementary’s fifth grade class is putting its leadership skills to the test this year as each student spends a rotation on the student council. While serving on the council, students plan volunteer projects, take care of the school’s American flag and serve as a liaison between staff and students.
Principal Martha Evans said she noticed how elected student councils were always made up of the most “popular” students, adding that she felt it took away leadership opportunities from the rest. “We wanted to let every individual bring their talent to the table and give them their opportunity to shine,” she said. “We’ve been so surprised by some who needed that opportunity to demonstrate the skills they had in a
non-learning, non-academic environment.” Starting with the new quarter on Jan. 6, six new students took the reigns. The council now consists of fifth graders Clyde Watson, Casey Lusk, Lakayla Ross, Heaven Hensley, Taryn Sutphin and Danielle Hughes, all of whom said they are excited to get started on some community projects. See Guyandotte, Page 3
See Barboursville, Page 3
State auditors praise Cabell Midland High School By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com
When auditors from the West Virginia Office of Education Performance Audits came to visit Cabell County high schools, school administrators expected the process to be tedious but to be able to show the strengths of their school. What they didn’t expect was for the auditors to be so impressed that they would bump up categories on their school monitoring reports. But that’s exactly what hap-
pened. When Kelly Daniels, principal of Cabell Midland, told the Cabell County Board of Education during the annual LSIC meeting that one of her categories was bumped from “accomplished” to the highest rating of “distinguished,” she had tears in her eyes. This, she said, is what her and her teachers had worked for. “We felt really good about our school monitoring report,” she said. “We felt like it was an accurate report of what we’re doing at
Cabell Midland. It was really wonderful to sit there and feel confident about what we were doing.” Cabell Midland, which was designated as a “focus” school See LSIC, Page 10 Chantz Gould, a senior at Cabell Midland High School, asks the school board to allow Midland students to get second helpings of lunch. Gould is the student representative on Midland’s Local School Improvement Council.
INSIDE THIS EDITION: Calendar of Events, pg 2 n Lady Knights defeat Lincoln, pg 11 n