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THURSDAY • APRIL 28, 2016
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 27, No. 17
Harrison honored as outstanding administrator STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Submitted / The Observer
Dr. Andre’ Harrison accepts the Auburn University College of Education Outstanding Administrator Award from College of Education Dean Betty Lou Whitford, right, and Dr. Sherri Downer, left.
Dr. Andre’ Harrison serves as the Superintendent of Education for the Elmore County Board of Education, in Wetumpka. At a ceremony in April, he won the Auburn University College of Education Outstanding Administrator Award. During his 23-year tenure as an educator in Elmore County, he has served as a teacher, library media specialist, interim principal, acting principal, transition principal, attendance, textbook, and library
media education coordinator, and Director of Curriculum, Instruction, interim assistant superintendent for instructional services and human resources, assistant superintendent of education, deputy superintendent/chief of staff, and acting superintendent of education. In addition to his work with Elmore County, he has been an adjunct instructor for Alabama State University in the areas of English and K-12 education since 1995. He has also served as an adjunct instructor for Auburn University. He was among the first group
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
See COMMISSION • Page 3
Today’s
Weather
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FRIDAY: HIGH 86 LOW 65
See AWARD • Page 3
Motorist dies in motorcycle accident
Commission hosts government day session alongside regular meeting The County Commission met before roughly 300 or more high school seniors from across Elmore County in a special County Government Day meeting to illustrate a commission meeting, and show how some of the county’s decisions were made. The meeting was conducted normally with a work session and business meeting. Occasionally a council member would explain the proceedings to the students. A special item in the work session was a proclamation read by Elmore County Juvenile Court Judge Patrick Pinkston in coordination with the County Extension Office and Department of Human Resources for Child Abuse Prevention Month. Pinkston read the proclamation, which he said was a joining of forces between his office as juvenile judge and the commission on the issue of child abuse. A section of the proclamation as read by Pinkston stated, “We hereby proclaim April as Child Abuse Prevention Month and call on all
of certified AdvancED Lead Evaluators in the United States to evaluate school districts using the AdvancED District Accreditation Protocol. He has had the opportunity to serve on and lead external review teams at the district and school levels. He received a bachelor’s degree in English/language arts, a master’s in English, a Class A certification in library media education, and a Class A certification in education administration from Alabama State University. From Auburn
Corey Arwood / The Observer
Above, a group of high school seniors watch as the Wetumpka Fire Department dismantles a sedan in a mock rescue procedure. Below, Elmore County High School students wait in line for barbeque at the end of Government Day where they had the chance to participate in different parts of Elmore County government.
GOVERNMENT DAY
High school seniors visit courthouse to experience local government By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
High school seniors from Elmore County schools convened in Wetumpka at the County Commission building to learn about the various facets of county government, its services and the departments that provide them on County Government Day. Roughly 300 students started the day’s fourhour introduction into county governance by gathering for the groundbreaking ceremony of See GOVERNMENT • Page 3
Both police and Wetumpka Fire Department officials confirmed that a motorcycle wreck over the weekend killed the rider after he struck oncoming traffic, however there is a different reason how and why the accident occurred according to the motorcycle club he was riding with at the time. One police account states that a white male crossed the yellow line to pass a vehicle and hit another head on. A first responder to the accident with the Wetumpka Fire Department said for some reason the operator of the motorcycle lost control and laid the motorcycle down, then moved into oncoming traffic. A member of The Predators, a Montgomery based motorcycle club, Keith Warren gave a different account to media, in See MOTORCYCLE • Page 3
Nearly three tons of garbage hauled in community cleanup By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
The leader of the annual effort to clean up and maintain Lake Jordan said nearly three tons worth of trash were removed from the lake by upwards of 300 volunteers in a lake cleanup day last Saturday. Barbara Dryer, with the Lake Jordan Home Owners and Boat Owners Association, said it was close to as many volunteers as the group had seen at one time She said they picked up “a tremendous amount of trash,” in their efforts alongside Alabama Power. However the number was lower than the previous year, which Dreyer said led her to question the total, given the sheer quantity of garbage Corey Arwood / The Observer taken from the lake Saturday and the amount of volunteers removing it. Volunteers at the Lake Jordan cleanup effort brought boatloads of trash to shore She has overseen the yearly effort and went out again for another, while volunteers threw the haul into a garbage truck
since 1999 and said the increase could be attributed to the frequent heavy rainfall of the previous year leaving the lake at flood stage levels on multiple occasions. The second reason for the increased haul was the number of volunteers, which Dreyer attributed largely due to the weather on the weekend of the event. “The more people (volunteers) you have, the more trash you’ll get,” she said And despite the amount of people scouring the lake in boats and on shore sorting through the collected trash, she said there were no problems reported. “It was a wonderful turnout everything went like clock work we didn’t have any incidences,” Dreyer said. “Snakes were seen but not felt.” See CLEANUP • Page 3
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