The Exchange Club of Houston County has kicked off its annual strawberry sale that benefits local child abuse prevention programs. Flats are only $15 and will be ready for pick up on March 14-15th at the Galleria Mall. Please call Angela Hayes@ 952-2879 or DeEllen Wood @ 955-9577 to place an order. All the children that benefit greatly appreciate your help!

Thanks!

Jeff Smith Dodge Presents:

The Georgia National Rodeo Feb 21-23

Location:

Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry,GA

Will be tons of fun for the whole family!! Visit www.dodgerodeo.com for more information!

He” is Harold Sapp, who was Perry Primary’s principal for six years. He is now the principal at Hilltop Elementary School. Mayfield was Northside’s band teacher for a number of years. He left there to serve as assistant principal of instruction at Parkwood for two years, before moving to Perry Primary – this being his first year there.

He shouldn’t – probably isn’t worrying too much that the award, which is the Gold Award for Student Achievement from the Governor’s Office, might not be his alone – in terms of being the principal at the time. That’s because considering Perry Primary’s track record of success, there’s a very, very good chance he’ll be standing up there again – there being the school’s cafeteria where staff members and dignitaries gathered Monday for a Gold Celebration – next year … and the year following … and on and on.

You see not only was Perry Primary recognized as being in the top three percent, or 97th percentile for the greatest gains in the percentage of students who met and exceeded standards on the 2007 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, as well as had at least 30 percent of its student exceed standards, and the school itself made Adequate Yearly Progress for at least three consecutive years – those three things are what the Gold Award represent – it is also currently an eight-time recipient of the Title 1 Distinguished School Award.

“This is a great testament to this school and all the many hours of hard work and dedication,” said Sen. Ross Tolleson, who presented the award to both Sapp and Mayfield.
Added Mayfield: “What we are here to celebrate is an achievement that’s only made by a very small number of schools in a state in a year (only 263, according to a Houston County School System release).
“And,” he continued, “the people who deserve the recognition for this, and I wanted to make sure these were the people we were talking to today are the teachers in the classroom. You have done a marvelous job with the children. You have just astounded us everyday … With your dedication, with your knowledge and training, with your experience. And, it is just a joy for me to come to work everyday. And to be working with such a great group of people who care so much about young children.”

“Thank you for all you do.”

As far as Sapp’s role in all of this, it really began about eight years ago when he was assistant principal at Pearl Stephens Elementary School. He said he was fortunate to go to a Reading and Writing Workshop, and then when he interviewed at Perry Primary sometime later – the only school he interviewed at, he added – it was a perfect fit.

“I guess you could say I was the right person at the right place at the right time,” he said. “Because they had just consolidated the school. They had gone three or four different directions at one time (following).

“So it was kind of easy for me to pull them all together and say this is the way we’re going.”

Even then, he added things didn’t “really take off” until his second year. It was during that time they applied for and won a $1 million grant, a grant in which Sapp said “every” teacher had a hand in writing.

“Once we won that grant,” he said. “We had the resources. We could get the training.”

“The teachers really bought into it. They did a super job. We provided the training and expertise and they just did the rest. They went into the classrooms and made it happen.”
So much so, he added, the children he observed went from being more interested in coloring and making craftwork to being more interested in reading and writing.
And Perry Primary – Mayfield, who garnered a sound endorsement from Sapp included – went to winning awards … again … and again … and again …