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Archives
03-28-2001 News
PTE Grant Benefits A.H. Roberts School
PTE
Grant Benefits A.H. Roberts School
A.H. Roberts student -teacher Serena Lair, of Cookeville, explains the advantages and features of the new Multi Media equipment the school received under a special grant program.
A.H. Roberts Elementary School is one of several schools in Overton, Fentress, Putnam, and Warren counties to receive the PTE federal grant through Tennessee Technological University. The grant focuses on rural-area schools because they do not receive as much funding as big-city schools. Shannon Bee Auberson, TTU technology intern, said, "The goal is that pre-service teachers through the grant will be better prepared to enhance their classroom with technology, also to help the experienced teachers integrate new technology into the classroom." Auberson, TTU professor Dr. Carl Owens, and Dr. Dwight Hare, external evaluator of the grant from Mississippi State University, visited A.H. Roberts Wednesday, March 21 to set up the equipment and make sure everything was running smoothly. A Multi Media card is supplied by the grant for classrooms. The card includes an iMac computer, a flex-cam, and a TV monitor and VCR. The equipment will reportedly help the students learn quicker and get a better visual of their lessons, not to mention other unlimited resources it offers. The flex-cam can be used for a variety of events, such as documenting plays and other activities the students conduct, magnifying book covers, pictures, and text, and enlarging pictures and textbooks for visually impaired students. The TV can be used to view the lessons, and the VCR will allow the teacher to play and record video tapes and activities. The iMac computer will allow the students internet access that may be projected on the TV, so all students may view the screen at once. Referring to the technology equipment the school received, third grade teacher Carol Nivens said, "It's overwhelming. I hope to learn from student teachers and volunteers to improve my lesson plans in the use of technology in the classroom." Serena Lair, student-teacher at A.H. Roberts believes the equipment will be entertaining to students and enjoyed by the class. She said, "I think it will be a new approach instead of looking at the textbook and memorizing. I love it! I wish I would have had it in school. "It allows them (the students) to learn of places they can go through the internet." Other schools in Overton receiving the grant include Rickman Elementary School and Livingston Middle School. Co-directors of the grant are Dr. Margaret Phelps and Dr. Pat Jordan, both of Tennessee Tech. The grant is undergoing its second of three full years. A group of teachers at the schools participate in a free training, where they receive college credit and an understanding of how to operate the equipment. This allows them to help the student-teachers with any questions they may have regarding the functioning of the equipment. The teachers who attend the training sessions will have first "dibs" on the equipment and the student teachers beginning in the spring of 2002.
Masters Kidnapping Ends At Florida Inn Carter Masters is in custody and Ruth Masters is back home. According to information supplied by Mike Giusti, crime reporter for Daytona Beach News-Journal, Mr. Masters was taken in peacefully after a standoff with Florida authorities. Tactical units with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office brought the abduction to a peaceful end early Friday morning, March 23 when the kidnapping trail ended in room 119 of Red Carpet Inn on South Ridgewood Avenue, South Daytona. Carter Masters, 76, was taken into custody on a warrant charging him with the Sunday, March 18 kidnapping of his wife, Ruth Masters, 74. South Daytona Police spotted Mrs. Masters' white Plymouth Voyager minivan in the parking lot of the Red Carpet Inn Thursday night after the Overton County Sheriff's Department sent out a bulletin indicating Mr. Masters were staying in a hotel in the city. Florida authorities were notified that Mr. Masters was armed and dangerous and had threatened to shoot others and himself. Approximately 29 guests at the motel were evacuated to the South Daytona Police Department. Not wanting to agitate Mr. Masters or risk a confrontation, officers formed a perimeter around the motel and called for tactical assistance. Sheriff's office crisis negotiators, along with the rest of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office's Special Response Team, started deploying around the motel shortly after 10 p.m. The FBI also gave assistance. At about 12:20 a.m. Friday, a plain-clothes deputy staged an accident with the minivan in the parking lot. Mr. Masters was taken into custody without incident when he came out of the motel room to check on the damage to the minivan. Investigators recovered a rifle inside the van. Mrs. Masters was apparently unharmed. Family members picked her up in Florida and returned home with her around 1 a.m. Saturday, March 24.
Census Shows Growth For Overton County The U.S. Census Bureau has released the first local area data for Tennessee counties and cities. The data shows the Upper Cumberland Development District grew by 20.9 percent during the 10-year period since the last census. This compares to a 16.7 percent growth rate for Tennessee and a 13.2 percent increase for the nation. Within the Upper Cumberland area, the fastest growing county was Cumberland, with an increase of 34.7 percent, followed by Macon at 28.2 percent, Smith at 25.2 percent, Cannon at 22.5 percent, and Putnam and DeKalb at 21.3 percent. Fairfield Glade, an unincorporated retirement community in Cumberland County, increased by 121.1 percent from 2,209 to 4,885. Overton County increased 14.1 percent, from 17,636 to 20,118, an increase of 2,482. Livingston's population decreased 8.2 percent, dropping from 3,809 in 1990 to 3,498, a loss of 311. Jackson County increased 18.1 percent, from 9,297 to 10,984, up 1,687. Fentress County increased 13.3 percent, from 14,669 to 16,625, up 1,956. Clay County increased 10.2 percent, from 7,238 to 7,976, up 738. Pickett County increased 8.7 percent, from 4,548 to 4,945, up 397. The data also show the Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority sector in the region. The Hispanic population increased 339 percent, from 1,460 to 6,416. Other population characteristics will be released over the next 18 months or so, according to the Upper Cumberland Development District.
Overton County News
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Becky Meredith/OCN staff