the NEWS Sept. 13, 2014 Volume 6, Issue 24
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rockdalenews.com
CHANGING BEHAVIOR: New system for children showing results, PAGE 3
Serving Rockdale County and Conyers Rockdale County Public Schools announced its top three finalists for Teacher of the Year with surprise visits Tuesday to the classrooms of CJ Hicks Elementary’s Breana Vinings Brown, Rockdale Magnet School’s Cherie Ullo and Davis Middle’s Kim Kammerer. The finalists are in the running for Rockdale County Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at the Oct. 2 ceremony. Judges will observe each finalist teaching students in his/her classroom and interview the teachers. The Rockdale County Teacher of the Year will go on to represent Rockdale County Public Schools at the state competition.
TEACHER OF THE YEAR Puttin’
in
work Ayanna Mitchell recalls her journey from torn ACL to LSU committ
FINALISTS
Page 12
Remembering 9/11 Page 10
St. Pius X celebrates 40 years
Page 7
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Kim Kammerer
Cherie Ullo
Breana Vinings Brown
When Kim Kammerer and her husband were called to the front office over the intercom system at General Ray Davis Middle School Tuesday morning, she didn’t know what to expect. “It was a little nerve racking because they called us both up over the big intercom, so it made me think that something
In some ways, Teacher of the Year finalist and Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology English teacher Cherie Ullo is simply paying it forward in a big way. As a student growing up in Patterson, located in southeast Georgia,Ullo had inspirational teachers like Gene Baker, now the Chief of Staff in RCPS’s
Teaching at CJ Hicks Elementary is a homecoming for Breana Vining-Brown. The third grade teacher is giving back to the place that nurtured her as a child when she attended from second to fifth grade. “CJ Hicks has always been my home. This is where I started,” she said.
See FINALISTS, Page 9
Deputies fired and demoted for involvement in cheating scandal By Martin Rand, III
mrand@rockdalenews.com
The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office completed discipline hearings for seven deputies that were placed on paid administrative leave last week amid allegations of cheating on an online test. One supervisor resigned while under investigation before a discipline hearing could be scheduled. Investigator Lendon McCoy, Investigator Jennifer Perry, Investigator Tracy Radford, Investigator Grote Levett and Investigator Travus Blevins received a disciplinary demotion to the rank of Certified Sheriff’s Deputy I and were transferred from the Criminal Investigations Bureau to the Field Services Bureau. All five of these deputies also received a 10-day suspension without pay and are required to attend remedial training in a classroom setting for Ethics and Professionalism and for Legislative and Case Law Update. They will eventually be able to get back to the level of investigator, but it’s not guaranteed, says RCSO spokesperson Sergeant Andrew Arnold. “They would have to go through the same promotional process as they did before,” he said. Investigator Eddie Wilson was terminated due to his involvement in unethical activity and an additional founded allegation that he was non-truthful during the internal affairs investigation.
See CHEATING, Page 14