VOL. 8 NO. 17
‘ROUND TOWN
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April 28, 2014
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Girls On The Run
sets the pace for success
Get ready to move and shake It’s time for Farragut’s Movers and Shakers to plan their summer! The Town of Farragut Parks and Leisure Services Department is once again sponsoring the Farragut Movers & Shakers Club Kickoff Event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at Founders Park at Campbell Station. The kickoff begins a summer-long program of exercise, good nutrition and physical fitness. At the event, local youth in rising grades kindergarten through 8th grade will be able to sign up for the summer exercise program, which will be beginning its 9th year. Youth do not have to be Farragut residents to participate. The kickoff will also feature a preview of Zumbatomic (Zumba for kids) with instructor Gina Guider (a full class will be offered this summer at Town Hall), summer program information from Cool Sports and Knoxville Youth Athletics and healthy snacks. Farragut Movers & Shakers Club participants can walk, run, rollerblade, roller skate, ice skate, bicycle and swim laps in order to reach exercise goals and receive rewards based on the total length of time spent doing physical activities. The program begins Tuesday, May 20, and ends Monday, July 28, with a Friday, June 20, registration deadline. Beginning May 20, students can also register at www.townoffarragut.org/ formcenter. Those who register online will receive an information packet by mail; those who attend the event or come to Town Hall can pick up the packet upon registration. The information packet includes details about the program; an exercise time chart; exercise safety tips; and Let’s Move! and MyPlate information.
Bella, Jeff and Anna Castleberry’s Labradoodle, wore a Girls On The Run T-shirt to welcome runners at the finish line.
By Sherri Gardner Howell Three participants at the Girls On The Run 5k summed up the entire philosophy of the program in one sentence. When asked “who won?” Katie Tarantino, Regan Pugh and Jennifer Goddard said in unison: “We’re all No. 1!” To page A-3
Best friends Katie Tarantino, 9, Regan Pugh, 10, and Jennifer Goddard, 10, indicate their winning attitude at the Girls On The Run 5k held at West Bicycles on April 18. Photos by Nancy Anderson
Burchett punches rabbit at GOP rally By Sandra Clark Bobby Waggoner brought it home, rallying hundreds of friends and supporters at a farm in deep West Knox County. The weather was perfect, and the candidate’s sister, retired Judge Brenda Waggoner, sported crisp casual attire, obviously purchased for the event. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett was less inspired, wearing his favorite Opie Taylor horizontal striped shirt. When asked to fist-bump the Easter Bunny, Burchett walked up and pretend-slugged him.
Students who complete 60 hours of activity can attend a free outdoor party at McFee Park on Friday, Aug. 1. The party features games and lunch. In addition, a field day will be offered at Anchor Park on Monday, July 14, from 9 to 10 a.m. For $5 per youth, participants will play games and enjoy healthy snacks while earning hours in the program. Info: Lauren Cox at lauren.cox@ townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.
➤ Splash around Don’t forget, the Splash Pad at McFee Park is now open. Regular splash pad operating hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The two picnic pavilions at McFee Park may be reserved up to a year in advance by calling Ashley Lanham at 218-3375 or may be used on a first-come, first-served basis if they have not been reserved.
➤ Upcoming at
Town Hall Farragut/Knox County Schools Education Relations Committee – 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 Arts Council Meeting – 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 Economic Development Committee – 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 7
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sherri Gardner Howell ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
“Name?” we asked. “Hummmph,” said the rabbit. “You must be a county deputy who doesn’t want the sheriff to know you’re here,” said we. “You’ll never know who’s in this suit,” mumbled the rabbit. OK. Just another day in the sun at a Republican party. Brenda and Bobby Waggoner learned early that you can draw a crowd by piling on the food, the music and the games. And when you’ve got a crowd headed your way, it will draw a dozen other candidates, all looking to “draft” on your dime.
The band played the right mix of Willie Nelson (100 percent); the ponies carried timid kids around the barn; and the candidates milled around, eating Bobby’s food while explaining they’re really not necessarily for him. Bobby just greeted guests and grinned. Waggoner earned a degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s from Columbus State, both in law enforcement. He and former deputy Sam Hammett are challenging Sheriff Jimmy Jones in the May 6 Republican Primary.
Pellissippi prepares for Tennessee Promise By Betsy Pickle Now that Gov. Bill Haslam’s free higher-education plan, the Tennessee Promise, has earned legislative approval, the state’s community colleges are facing the possibility of significantly increased enrollment, which could put a burden on teachers and classrooms. Pellissippi State Community College, with 10,600 students on five campuses in the Knoxville area, is the largest local school affected by the legislation, but the mood there is preparation, not panic. President Anthony Wise says Pellissippi State should be able to accommodate any influx beginning with the registration for the 2015-16 school year. “We are starting to look at it and to think about it,” says Wise. “It’s really built on the model of Tennessee Achieves, which started here in Knox County and Blount County. I don’t know that we’ll see the huge enrollment increases that we might see in other parts of the state because in essence you can have free access to a community college in Knox or Blount County right now through Tennessee Achieves.”
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Faculty and facilities are two concerns. “We’re committed to having fulltime faculty as much as possible teach our classes on campus,” says Wise. “We want to make sure that we have the right kind of academic Anthony Wise and student support programs in place for the new population of students. “We’re a little bit off our historic enrollment high of three or four years ago, so we have some capacity to grow into that. We do have the new facility at Strawberry Plains, which hopefully can absorb some of these new students.” Other potential measures include adding classes later in the afternoon, offering Saturday classes and making science labs available on Sundays. Students who take advantage of the Tennessee Promise plan to earn a two-year associate’s degree are likely to be people who ordinarily wouldn’t have thought about higher education, either because they lacked financial re-
sources or didn’t think they could succeed in the academic environment. Wise says generally 60 percent to 65 percent of students have to take some type of remediation course at Pellissippi State. “That’s among the best at community colleges within the state,” he says. “Some places it’s significantly higher. Most students generally have one area of remediation, and more often than not it’s mathematics.” Tennessee Promise students are likely to mirror those numbers, he says. “One of the conversations we’re having is, how do we deal with the fact that perhaps in the fall of 2015, not only do we see this increase but we see an increase in students who really need additional assistance and support academically in order to be successful?” Statistics show that students coming in through Tennessee Achieves are more likely to stay in school and graduate – and do so more quickly – than the general student population, Wise says, and he thinks the same thing may happen with Tennessee Promise. “I think there are a couple of
SALES • SERVICE • MAINTENANCE
things that have made Tennessee Achieves successful and I think have the possibility of making the Tennessee Promise successful,” he says. “They have strict requirements on the obligations that the students have to meet – they have to attend meetings at their high school, they have to complete their financial aid form by a certain time, they have to register at community college by a certain time, they have to work with a mentor, and they have to give a day of service back each semester to the community.”
Tennessee Promise Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature initiative was developed in part by South Knox native Randy Boyd. It was adopted 87-8 in the state House and 30-1 in the Senate. All members of the Knox County legislative delegation voted yes, including Democrats Gloria Johnson and Joe Armstrong; and Republicans Becky Massey, Stacey Campfield, Harry Brooks, Bill Dunn, Roger Kane and Steve Hall. The bill was revenue neutral, redirecting proceeds from the state lottery.
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