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Volume 117 • Issue 13
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Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Grand Re-Opening JCMS Robotics kids are champs at of Main Street 2023 RoboGASTON competition set for April 1
March 4 event at Forestview was a After more than a year vember when a hurricane of construction downtown, warning forced its cancel- great place to show Cherryville’s Main Street lation. off their STEM skills is set for a grand re-opening and ribbon cutting on Saturday, April 1, 2023, from 3 to 8 p.m., in the Mini Park. The event will feature music from Ocean Boulevard and include several food trucks on site. Beer and wine will also be available. Festivities will include an antique car show and a golf cart parade. According to Cherryville’s downtown director, David Day, the grand opening will be “…the culmination of many years of work by city leaders.” Day continued, “We owe this great day in part to the vision, hard work, and meticulous planning by many city leaders. But mostly, we owe this day to our citizens. They voted for the projects and then were patient with all the disruptions.” Day said the re-opening was rescheduled from No-
Mayor H.L. Beam, III, echoed Day’s enthusiasm. “This is a great day for Cherryville,” said Beam. “Our citizens stepped up to the plate and made a bold investment in the future.” City Manager Brian Dalton pointed to the many improvements. “Besides our beautiful new streetscape, we completely revitalized the core of our sewer and water systems,” said Dalton. “Our citizens have a lot to be proud of.” Dalton also pointed to the work of the contractors on the long project. CaJenn Construction and Rehabilitation Services, Inc., of Hoboken, GA, was the contractor for the sewer project. Sealand Contractors, which has local offices in Charlotte, completed the water and streetscape projects.
by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
A group of talented students at John Chavis Middle School became the 2023 champions at this year’s RoboGASTON competition held on Saturday, March 4, at Forestview High School. Class instructor Eric Miller said generally of the competition, “There is a coach at every school. Some have two or more. It is voluntary; we do not receive any money for coaching. We can select as many students as you wish but only 10 can go to the competition so I only chose 10. There is a selection process. I have the students that want to be on the team fill out an application and they have to get a teacher to fill out a Recommendation Form. This is usually the hardest part of my job, trying to pick the 10 that I think will work hard and be a good team member. I usually start the selection process around the middle of September as this
The JCMS Robotics class and their teacher, who were the champions at the 2023 RoboGASTON robotics competition last week pose for a photo with school board members and the superintendent of Gaston County Schools. They are (left to right): Adelae Cheek, John Chavis Middle School Principal Matt Rikard, Amber Brittain, Angel Martinez, Gaston County School Board members Dot Cherry and Jeff Ramsey, Mallie Emerson, Micaela Burgueno, Gaston County Schools Superintendent Dr. W. Jeffrey Booker, Alexis Dobson, Riley Szymborski, and JCMS class instructor, Eric Miller. (photo by Brian Mayhew) gives the teachers and myself a chance to get to know the students and their work ethic.” Miller said he and the kids practiced after school once a week, usually on Wednesdays until 5 p.m. As for the actual competition, Miller noted it “…consists of three parts; the Robot Performance
partment for Exceptional Children, said in an email regarding GCS’ robotics program’s inception and such, “Gaston County Schools began its robotics journey in 2011-2012 as a 21st Century learning opportunity with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) focus. See ROBOTICS, Page 4
challenge, the Innovation Project, and a Teamwork Challenge.” He continued, “There is an individual winner for each and then the combined scores of all three is how they determine the overall winner and the runner up.” Diane Price, Director of Academically Intellectually Gifted Program, De-
Antonio Griggs officially named new head CHS basketball coach Former assistant coach becomes first Black head basketball coach in school’s storied St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Pastor Brad Alexander in his office at the church. (photo by MEP/The Eagle/CF Media) roundball history
Cherryville’s St. Mark’s Lutheran Church has a new lay minister Pastor Brad Alexander shepherds the flock, helping them grow in the Lord by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
New St. Mark’s Lutheran Church lay minister, Pastor Brad T. Alexander, is the lay minister at Cherryville’s St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Pastor Alexander said he received his endorsement in March of 2020, but was endorsed in June of 2019, after he went through the
Lutheran Church’s certified lay preacher’s program. While that was an exciting time, Pastor Alexander sighed, then added, “And shortly after that the church closed due to COVID!” Actually, churches basically everywhere closed due to the pandemic and have only just now, in many rural places, come back to what seems like pre-COVID-services and gatherings. So, what exactly is a “lay minister,” one might ask. Pastor Alexander is no stranger to such questions, and he noted that, according to a well-known (and wellused) web site, lay ministers are noted as follows: “Lay ministry is a term used for ministers of faiths in Christian denominations who are not ordained in their faith See MINISTER, Page 6
Ora
by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Cherryville native son and former Ironmen basketball standout Antonio Griggs was officially named the school’s newest head basketball coach last Thursday, March 23, at a ceremony inside Nixon Gym. Along with his coaching family, Coach Griggs’ also See GRIGGS, Page 10
Gov. Cooper allows anti-rioting and hotel safety bills to become law by THERESA OPEKA Carolina Journal
Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has allowed two bills, H.B. 40, Anti-Rioting, and S.B. 53, Hotel Safety, to become law without his signature. The Prevent Rioting and Civil Disorder bill would make rioting a felony if it resulted in over $2,500 worth
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of property damage, involved dangerous weapons or substances, or resulted in someone’s death. It would also make assaulting a police officer or emergency personnel a felony. The previous version of the bill was met with strong opposition from Democrats and social justice advocates, who called it racist and in-
illegal and my continuing concerns about the erosion of the First Amendment and the disparate impacts on communities of color will prevent me from signing this legislation.” All Republicans voted in favor of the bill. In contrast, 16 out of 17 Democratic senators voted against the bill – the sole Democratic senator
tended to muzzle the exercise of First Amendment rights. Cooper’s statement in a press release last week shows that he begrudgingly let it become law. “I acknowledge that changes were made to modify this legislation’s effect after my veto of a similar bill last year,” he said. “Property damage and violence are already
See ANTI-RIOTING, Page 6 Like Us On
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New Ironmen men’s head basketball coach Antonio Griggs (center) with CHS Athletic Director and retired head Ironmen basketball coach Scott Harrill (left) and CHS Principal Shawn Hubers. Coach Griggs also teaches history at CHS in addition to being the new men’s head basketball coach. (photo by MEP/The Eagle/CF Media)
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