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Wetumpka High School’s Stubbs steps down.

Sports, Page 8. Wetumpka, AL 36092

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • MAY 28-29, 2016

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

VOL. 11, NO. 21

County EMA prepares citizens for emergencies By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor

Submitted / The Herald

Students participate in a “safe room ready race” competition put on by the Elmore County Emergency Management Agency.

The Elmore County Emergency Management Agency is getting citizens ready to handle local emergency situations with their class titled “Are you ready Elmore County?” The course, which will be hosted on June 23 at the Emergency Operations Center Training Room located at 8917 US Highway 231, seeks to teach citizens how to prepare for all types of hazards including natural and man-made disasters.

EMA Program Coordinator Kim Trost said that Elmore County’s program is a Federal Emergency Management Agency ready program that covers all kinds of categorical hazards. “What the course focuses on is getting people prepared to handle all sorts of hazards,” she said noting that the course would not only discuss how to respond to natural disasters, but also manmade ones. “When people are asked about emergency situations they usually talk about the weather. While

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

See FOSTER • Page 2

See EMERGENCY • Page 3

Toddler catches winning bream in local contest

Camp Hope celebrates National Foster Care Awareness month

Camp Hope of Wetumpka recently held what its director Beverly Owings called a “summer fun day” to honor local children in foster care and their adoptive families in coordination with the month of May as National Foster Care Awareness Month. There were about 13 foster families and about 60 children at the event with games, music and food. Owings explained, the main focus of Camp Hope for adopted children and families. “We provide the weekend camp for the children that are in foster care that are placed separate from their siblings,” said Owings. “They come together for the weekend at Camp Hope and spend the weekend with their siblings just in a family like atmosphere.” She said it is relatively common that siblings were separated in the adoption process. “[It] happens more often then what we would like,” Owings said.

we definitely have our share of weather issues, the course isn’t just about that type of event,” she said. “We talk about things from an allhazards perspective.” Trost said the program also includes training in technical hazards, the failure of systems, such as infrastructure, and issues like a terrorist attack. Trost said that Elmore County has done quite a bit of research into area threats to better prepare citizens. “We are required on an annual

William Carroll / The Herald

Stacy VanDortrecht, of S&B Apiaries, stands with her “swarm,” and the multiple hives she, along with her husband Ben VanDortrecht, have at their Elmore residence.

SWARM SEASON Local couple saves county’s bees, sells honey By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

An Elmore couple work to save the county’s bees by offering an alternative to extermination through their apiary business and a service it performs in removing hives and swarms from properties. The removed bees are in turn relocated and used to produce honey products for their business. The husband and wife team have

worked “retrieval” operations in Wetumpka, Millbrook, Santuck, Prattville and Montgomery with their business, said Stacy VanDortrecht of S&B Apiaries. VanDortrecht recently prepared a statement on how the warmer spring months moving into summer are, what she called, “Swarm season.” She encouraged residents not to destroy a bee swarm, but instead to contact a local beekeeper, or the Central See BEES • Page 3

A father and son fishing team from Wetumpka won a local fishing contest after the 4-year-old caught a 15-ounce bream at a private pond in Macon County. Scott Haynes said his son, Hampton, did all of the work reeling in the winning bream, aided only, as Hampton said, by his “Paw Paw,” who was the “cricket man.” “He put up a pretty good fight,” said Haynes, a lifelong Wetumpka resident. Hampton is still too young for school, Haynes said, but he was able to answer a question about the catch. When asked whether it was easy, Hampton replied, “Hard to reel him in.” A local outdoors-based youth group, Venture Crew 380, held the contest. See FISHING • Page 8

Corey Arwood / The Herald

Scott Haynes said his 4-year-old son, Hampton, caught the winning fish at the recent Venture Crew 380 bream tournament, which is the first fishing contest the group has held.

Superintendent honors four area seniors By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor

William Carroll / The Herald

Elmore County School Superintendent Dr. Andre Harrison speaks during the award luncheon for the four Elmore County students who won the Superintendent’s Award for 2016.

Elmore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Andre Harrison gave four students a special treat, inviting them and their families to participate in a luncheon honoring the youth for winning the Superintendent’s Award for 2016. The award, which was initially established and awarded to seniors last year, was established to recognize one senior from each of the district’s high schools. Winning students are selected by a committee composed of the school’s principal, assistant principal, guidance counselor, one teacher and one community representative. The suggested criteria include the following: • The student must be accepted to a two- or four-year college or technical school and/or earned a career and technical

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education credential. • The student must have a grade point average of C or better, • Have exhibited an extraordinary commitment to church, community, character, teamwork and leadership, • Have persevered to overcome obstacles to complete high school. The award is meant to be a surprise, and Harrison shocked the winning students with the announcement of the awards during the respective schools’ graduation ceremonies. During the luncheon, Harrison said that one student in particular, recent Holtville High School graduate Casey Hinson, was especially surprised at his award. “I always love to see the look on a students’ face when they win the award,” Harrison said. “But if you could have seen the look on Casey’s (Hinson) face when See SUPERINTENDENT • Page 7

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