MONROE – Union County commissioners narrowly approved hiring an auditing firm to review the Union County school system’s request for $16.3 million more in funding.

The move effectively takes the discussion away from commissioners until the completed report is returned to the board. It is unclear how much the study will cost.

It’s the latest move in a saga that has left school board members, teachers, school administrators, parents and county commissioners frustrated, as all sides seem unwilling to budge from their positions and angry at how heated the talks have become. All the while, more than 350 teacher assistant jobs hang in the balance. Without at least $6.7 million from the county board, all of the teacher assistants will be let go.

Scores of Union County schools’ staunchest supporters attended Monday’s county board meeting to again voice their support for the system. And again, county board members listened, but still seemed to vote along the same lines they have been since the debate began.

The point of the auditor, County Manager Cindy Coto has said, is it allows the board to understand the school system’s finances and to make a better assessment of how the funds would be spent. It also will allow the county board to approve funding on a line-by-line basis, essentially picking and choosing what they would like to fund and what they would like to dismiss – something some school board members have pointed out is their purview.

Commissioners Kim Rogers and Tracy Kuehler voted against hiring the auditing firm while Jonathan Thomas, Todd Johnson and Chairman Jerry Simpson voted in favor of the measure.

One parent said after the meeting she found the study “ironic” because county commissioners chided school leaders last month for considering a $200,000 efficiency study. Those discussions took place during a school board meeting where members were told about a $9.6 million state and federal funding cut.

Beth Green, a mother of two Hemby Bridge Elementary students, said she was troubled by Monday’s vote, saying she felt the auditor was a way to cool school support.

“I believe the board of education has been more receptive to the parent and teacher outcry,” she said in an email. “As have some at the state level. I feel that the county commission is pushing the issue out further and further in hopes that the public will give up or get busy with summer plans.”

Green said, however, she’s still hopeful the board of education and county commission can work together for the benefit of area students.

Several parents shared Green’s sentiment, but some have held out hope the audit was more of a temporary roadblock to get more funding to the county’s 53 schools.

“I hate to see money that could go to teachers’ salaries spent on an audit,” said parent Valerie Secker. “However, if this helps convince the commissioners to fund the teachers and assistants, then it will be money well spent.”

Secker, the president of the Sandy Ridge Elementary PTA, said in an email she’s hopeful the county could assist the school system, mostly because the school system deserves it.

“Considering that Union County Public Schools is one of the highest performing school districts in North Carolina (and continues to draw families to this area), yet has one of the lowest per student spending rates, I find it hard to believe that an auditor is necessary,” she said. “It’s not as if the spending rates are high, as compared to other school districts, or that performance is down. After all, we have some of the top schools in the whole state!”

County commissioners have said they admire how well Union County students perform in state testing. Union County also has one of the highest graduation rates in the state.

But several commissioners have said the county can’t afford to fully fund the $16.3 million request.

How much money, if any, the county can give will likely be the topic of heated debates but unknown until the auditor’s report is returned.

MONROE — Out of the more than 6 million voters registered in North Carolina, only 34.37 percent, 2.2 million, cast a ballot in this year’s primary.

Amendment One, which defines marriage between a man and a woman as “the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state,” passed with 1,303,952 votes for, and 831,788 against.

Pat McCrory and Walter Dalton will go head to head for the governor’s mansion in November, Mitt Romney received 634,718 votes for president and there will be a runoff election July 17 for several state and federal offices.

On the Republican ticket, Dan Forest, Tom Gurly and Dale Folwell will again try and gain the majority for a chance at lieutenant governor and Richard Morgan and Mike Causey will square off for the title of insurance commissioner. Ed Goodwin and Kenn Gardner will face off for secretary of state, Richard Alexander and John Tedesco will compete for superintendent of public instruction and Marlow Foster, Ty Richardson and John C. Brooks will compete for commissioner of labor.

For N.C. House District 55, Mark Brody and Richard Johnson will go head to head, while Robert Pettinger and Jim Pendergraph will battle it out for a shot to lead District 9 in the U.S. House of Representatives and Richard Hudson and Scott Keadle will compete for District 8 of the U.S. House.

The Democratic ticket was a bit clearer, with no runoffs as 759,032 voted for Barack Obama for president, 45,508 for Larry Kissell for U.S. House of Representatives District 8, 425,051 for Walter Dalton for governor, 483,567 for Linda Coleman for lieutenant governer, 420,595 for Walter Smith for commissioner of agriculture, 3,403 for Dale Nelson for N.C. House District 55 and 624,817 for Janet Cowell for N.C. Treasurer.

Here’s how Union County’s results compared with the state:

Democratic Ballot:
President: Barack Obama, 7,707
U.S. House of Representatives, District 8: Lary Kissell, 4,076
Governor: Walter Dalton, 5,143
Lt. Gov.: Eric Mansfield, 3,496
Commissioner of Agriculture: Walter Smith, 3,928
N.C. House District 55: Tony Benton, 1,128

Republican Ballot:
President: Mitt Romney, 16,730
U.S. House, District 8: Richard Hudson, 4,369
U.S. House, District 9: Robert Pettinger, 5,307
Governor: Pat McCrory, 22,961
Lt. Gov.: Dan Forest, 9,235
State auditor: Fern Shubert, 10,259
Commissioner of Agriculture: Steve Troxler, 10,729
Commissioner of Insurance: Richard Morgan, 6,431
Secretary of State: Ed Goodwin, 9,401
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Richard Alexander 6,181
State treasurer: Steve Royal, 10,053
N.C. House District 55: Mark Brody, 3,508
N.C. House District 69: Dean Arp, 5,309

Amendment one:
For: 29,319
Against: 10,583

by Eren Tataragasi

MONROE – With the future of the Monroe Bypass now unclear, officials with the Southern Environmental Law Center said now is a good time for county leaders to examine whether the project still makes sense.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., ruled Thursday, May 3, that the N.C. Department of Transportation violated federal policy, “Because the agencies failed to disclose critical assumptions underlying their decision to build the road and instead provided the public with incorrect information, they did indeed violate NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act). … The agencies failed to take the required ‘hard look’ at environmental consequences.”

This week, David Farren with the SELC said he and his team will be watching the NCDOT and other agencies very closely as they work through this ruling.

“Under the National Environmental Protection Act, the law the court relied on striking down the bypass study, they need to take an open and honest look at both impacts and alternatives and it’s clear that didn’t happen,” Farren said. “So from our perspective, it’s not just a question of checking off boxes and jumping through hoops to get back to where they were. The law requires they take an open look at alternatives and impacts and anything that suggests it’s just a delay and already made up their minds to move forward is not consistent with the federal law.”

Farren’s team represented Clean Air Carolina, North Carolina Wildlife Federation and Yadkin Riverkeeper, as they accused the state and Federal Highway Administration of not doing its due diligence in conducting environmental impact studies for the bypass.

In addition to not doing the work required by law, the SELC said the transportation agencies falsely denied to the public and other permitting agencies that they had essentially compared “building the road” with “building the road.”

This is what many have referred to as the “build” or “no build” scenario.

It means that when weighing the impacts, the transportation agencies conducted the study as if the road — along with the traffic and development that would accompany the new 20-mile road with nine interchanges — was already there and that U.S. 74 couldn’t handle the load, even with some sort of fix for the congested highway.

“So by assuming the project alternative analysis, they doubled the project and tried to squeeze it on 74 and you can’t do that,” he said.

Farren said the reason these alternative analyses are important is because that’s what led federal and state agencies to permit the project, which agencies had a hard time with initially because of environmental concerns.

“If they do this study right, it’s not only an open question if they should move forward, but very much open if they can get permits for the project,” Farren said. “We will be very engaged.”

Reid Simons with the NCDOT said he had no information yet on the next steps for the department.

“We are investigating all of our options and what this opinion means for the environmental process, financial implications, and legal and judicial steps we need to take to address the court’s concerns and then move the project to construction,” Simons said. “The NCDOT/Turnpike Authority and local communities are committed to the project and are doing everything possible to address the court’s concerns in a timely manner. Our design/build team United Infrastructure, Boggs Paving, Anderson Construction and RK&K also are standing in support and will work with us on a solution to move this project forward.”

He added the department should know more details within two weeks.
While the DOT sorts things out on their end, Farren said now is the time for Union County to reassess its priorities.

“I think this is an opportunity for the county to look and see if this still makes sense,” Farren said. “This was conceived decades ago, during a different financial time, during a different department of transportation, economic climate nationally and a lot of things have changed even in the last few years, so putting environmental issues aside, the question is, does this project make sense?”

Farren said only 40 percent of the cost of the bypass will be covered by the toll, the rest will be paid for by taxpayers.

“All the water and sewer extensions, schools and traffic from the development of those nine interchanges, will put a tremendous burden on Union County in terms of providing those services and if you’re looking at residential bedroom communities, especially middle income, the cost of providing those services will likely far exceed tax revenue,” Farren said. “Taxes will go up and even with taxes significantly higher, this will be a losing proposition for the county. Demographics are changing.”

Farren said growth of residential communities, even ones like Union County which is one of the fastest growing counties in the country, is slowing and leveling off, and there’s doubt about whether it will ever come back.

“So it’s unfortunate the county has been led astray for all these years and this is a very important opportunity to decide whether this makes sense, investing in another corridor,” Farren said.

He said it would make more sense for the county to look at ways to create a road network that wouldn’t dump all of the traffic on U.S. 74, as well as looking at other ways to “invest transportation dollars to enhance the community.”

Stallings’ mayor, Lynda Paxton, agrees.

“This was a project more than 26 years in the making and the largest transportation project in North Carolina history and I’m disgusted at learning people’s dishonesty and deception has derailed something that much time and money has gone into,” Paxton said.

She said planners should look at things like light rail and adding lane capacity, and perhaps high-occupancy toll lanes to existing roads. She also said the town already has funding approved for the widening of Old Monroe Road in Indian Trail and Stallings which will help alleviate some of the congestion on U.S. 74.

“I think we could do a combination of some of those things, and spend less money and get something done quicker,” Paxton said. “Because even if we go back and do an environmental study, there will be lawsuits again and I don’t know that’s the best option, to create a new road that will cost millions of dollars to build.”

by Josh Whitener

Emily Beauchemin spent three months working in a Cape Town, South Africa hospital and hopes to go back to assist with programs for children. Photo courtesy of Emily Beauchemin

But the 23-year-old Weddington resident had no idea her passion for helping hospitalized children would take her to Cape Town, South Africa.

Beauchemin recently spent three months working as a child life specialist at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, where she provided psychological and emotional pain management to children dealing with medical difficulties. Red Cross War Memorial, a 200-bed facility, is the only free standing, specialized-care children’s hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.

After seeing such a need for her position in the hospital, Beauchemin is working to raise money to fund two child life specialist positions at Red Cross War Memorial for three years – and she hopes to return to Cape Town to fill one of those positions.

In 2011, after graduating from Appalachian State University and completing an internship, Beauchemin began to wonder how she would be able to use her degree. Because child life specialist jobs are hard to find, Beauchemin kept her options open. When she found out about an opportunity to volunteer as a child life specialist at Red Cross War Memorial through a program called Connect-123, Beauchemin knew she had found her calling.

“Even when I was finishing my internship, I wasn’t applying for jobs right away because I knew my goal was to go to Cape Town,” she said.

The trip wasn’t cheap. Beauchemin had to fork out $1,500 just to go through the program and had to pay for airfare, housing and other necessities, such as food, out of pocket. The whole endeavor cost her about $9,000.

By raising money through donations, working and living with her parents, she saved up enough to fund the rest of the trip. On Feb. 1, Beauchemin departed for Cape Town, where she remained until the end of April.

The experience was life changing. She spent her first two months working primarily in the burns unit, a 20-bed ward for children with severe burns. Beauchemin realized many of the burns – most were related to hot water – could be prevented with some basic education.

“It blew my mind to see the extent of these burns, but then I went to the township, and seeing the conditions, it makes sense,” Beauchemin said. “They lived in such tight quarters, and it was easy for a child to just reach up and grab hot water off the stove.”

Beauchemin provided procedural support for the children, as well as support to family members – mostly mothers who spend days in the hospital with their child. Because the hospital’s clinical staff doesn’t always know how to get children to effectively cooperate, Beauchemin also hosted several seminars with medical and nursing students, instructing them on how to treat the children and respond to them in a caring manner.

Having had an awakening in Cape Town, Beauchemin hopes to use the rest of 2012 to raise enough money to fund two child life positions for at least the first two years, which will cost $130,000. The cost for three years is $225,000. Beauchemin has prepared a grant proposal to send out to various corporations that share her ideology, and she will reach out to make the entire community aware of Red Cross War Memorial’s need to secure their support.

“Being over there made me realize that anyone can make a difference,” she said. “It sounds like a lot of money, but I think it’s definitely an achievable goal, and now’s the ideal time.”

For more information on how to help, contact Emily Beauchemin at 704-877-9638 or emily.beauchemin1@gmail.com.

by Mike Parks

INDIAN TRAIL – Town leaders got their first look as a group Tuesday, May 8, at a 2012-13 fiscal budget that’s less than last year’s budget, but asks for a new annual $30 solid waste fee on top of plans to try and get $8.5 million in bond money for two new parks.

The Indian Trail town council took part in preliminary budget discussions at their meeting Tuesday. As of now, the actual budget will decrease by $34,370 from last year to $11,150,832, keeping the town’s tax rate at 14.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

That’s despite the fact the town’s budget for the Union County Sheriff’s Office increased nearly 7 percent to pay for three new deputy positions; in addition to the town’s plan to pay $330,000 for community parks development and the construction of four sidewalks and $7,000 to convert an administrative building into an Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center.

It’s a “budget that seems to be bursting at the seams,” said council member Christopher King, congratulating town staff on presenting a budget that didn’t call for a tax increase for town necessities.

“(I’m) not sure how you can pull it off,” he added.

How long the town will be able to keep that going is up in the air.

Town Manager Joe Fivas cautioned Indian Trail leaders Tuesday night that they were riding a fine line with the budget and tax rate, owing to the fact the town could at any point lose some of the money it receives from the state in terms of intergovernmental funds – like the $1,468,318 it gets from the Utility Franchise, $1,066,671 from the sales and use tax distribution or $601,581 from the Powell Bill. If that were to happen, Indian Trail would “probably be forced to proactively respond to this dependency,” Fivas wrote in the budget packet town leaders got. That means a tax hike.

Indian Trail is “not being self-sufficient with our tax(es),” Fivas said, adding that town staff has maximized about as much as they can in terms of services for the money they have to work with.

The town tax itself – 14.5 cents – covers 52.9 percent of the town’s budget.

But while property taxes aren’t going up, Fivas does recommend the creation of the annual $30 solid waste fee to pay for services many town residents get. Indian Trail used to have a $60 annual waste fee, but did away with it. Now, Fivas said, Indian Trail should follow the same course towns like Waxhaw and Monroe use in establishing the fee to cover the costs of services.

The town is holding a public hearing on the budget May 22 at 6:30 p.m., followed by another board workshop on the issue. People can view the budget at the Union West Regional Library, 123 Unionville-Indian Trail Road, or on the town’s website, www.indiantrail.org.

The town then could adopt the budget on June 12.

Even if residents aren’t paying more for the town’s budget this year, they may soon be paying more for parks.

The board voted Tuesday night to ask voters for $8.5 million in bond money to be spent on the creation of two new parks in Indian Trail. Some on the board argue parks and recreation are vital for the quality of life in town and to lure in businesses that may otherwise look somewhere else with better amenities.

The bond would pay for a park on 51 acres of land at 304 Matthews-Indian Trail Road, and for an additional park somewhere else in town. The question voters likely will see in November reads:
“SHALL the order authorizing $8,500,000 of bonds secured by the pledge of the full faith and credit of the Town of Indian Trail, North Carolina to pay the costs of providing for the acquisition, construction, renovation, improvement and equipping of parks and recreation facilities for a park located at 304 Matthews-Indian Trail Road and another community park to be designated by the Town, including the acquisition of land, rights-of-way and easements related thereto, if necessary, and a tax to be levied for the payment thereof be approved?”

The board voted nearly unanimously to approve the question for November’s ballot, with only council member David Waddell objecting.

“I think $8.5 million is excessive debt (to take on) for amenities,” Waddell told fellow board members Tuesday. He said it would be justifiable to go into debt for “critical infrastructure,” but he feels in this case board members are “making a mistake.”

Voters narrowly turned down a bond last year of $4.5 million for a park.

STALLINGS – During a special meeting Monday, May 7, town council got some not-so-great great news from their state legislative leaders.

First on the council’s wish list was getting support for a hotel tax. Matthews has a 5-percent hotel tax and Monroe has an 8-percent tax. This occupancy tax is only applied to the users, typically not residents.

“Those two towns generate just over $300,000 a year in annual revenue from occupancy tax, but our estimate is just about $95,000 because we only have two hotels,” said Mayor Lynda Paxton.

But neither Rep. Craig Horne or Sen. Tommy Tucker were very supportive of the plea.

“They indicated to us they signed a pledge that they would not support any tax increases and even though this hotel tax is really more of a user fee, they weren’t real keen on the idea of supporting us on that,” Paxton said.

Legislators did suggest, though, that the council bring up the issue after the election, in the long session which begins in January.

And when the issue of annexation came up, Horne and Tucker indicated they would support a voluntary annexation by Stallings of the Community Park neighborhood which is mostly in Stallings, but has five properties in Matthews.

The residents have already petitioned the town for annexation and Matthews has agreed to de-annex in order for Stallings to annex, but a bill still has to go through the legislature.

What Horne and Tucker said they will not support is the annexation of Madison Ridge, which is partly in Stallings, partly in unincorporated Union County and partly in Matthews.

“Some of these residents have approached us because they’d like the services the town offers and our lower tax rate, but with it having three jurisdictions it’s more complex because the section in the middle, in the unincorporated area, is getting the benefit of services already without paying an additional tax to any town, so they’d probably not come in voluntarily,” Paxton said.

And that’s why neither Horne or Tucker would support it.

“In light of the recent court decision overturning the annexation bill passed and signed into law last session, we both expect this coming short session to pass a total moratorium on involuntary annexation in North Carolina in order to allow the General Assembly to construct a fundamental and comprehensive overhaul in our annexation laws,” Horne said. “North Carolina is one of the few states in the U.S. that allows both involuntary annexation and Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). The new majority does not look favorably on either process.”

And while these are issues the town will have to work through with the state, more pressing issues were at hand when looking at next year’s budget.

In a split 3-2 vote Monday, council voted to approve a 3-percent cost of living raise for all town employees.

“That was despite the fact we’ve given increases in three of the last four years,” Paxton said.

Town employees have received about an 8 percent salary increase, total, over the last four years, and some council members argued that while there are teachers losing jobs and state employees not having a raise in the last four years, it didn’t seem right to have a cost of living increase this year.

Councilman Wyatt Dunn proposed a 1-percent increase, but the vote was 3-2 against. Councilman Harry Stokes was not present. Had he been present and voted in favor, Paxton would’ve cut the tie and voted against it.

“I was not in favor of giving an increase this year because we’ve given a lot,” she said.

Council also voted to buy two Dodge Chargers for the police department at about $23,000 each, and will spend about $5,000 more up-fitting the cars with decals and equipment.

The other area of discussion was the parks and recreation budget, of which council cut $58,000.

Those cuts were $40,000 for a Christmas tree and lights in Stallings Park, $8,000 reduction in the Stallings Fall Festival Budget, and $10,000 from other town events.

During Monday’s meeting, councilman Paul Frost encouraged staff to continue to look for ways to reduce the budget.

“I am convinced the town manager can find ways to reduce expenses in Stallings,” Frost said Tuesday.

Frost said when he asked manager Brian Matthews to look at ways to provide the same services for less money, Matthews didn’t have any answers.

“He only offered explanations for why he wants to spend more of our money than he did last year,” Frost said.

One suggestion to cut the budget came from Councilman Reed Esarove who proposed cutting Granicus, the recording system the town uses to record town meetings.

But Frost said this would only reduce transparency in town.

“I would be opposed to eliminating Granicus as it is the only means of our citizens and the media to hear the proceedings of council meetings,” Frost said. “I hope other council members see the value that increased transparency brings through Granicus.”

The town’s next budget meeting is May 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. at town hall.

by Josh Whitener

MONROE – Students at Monroe High School are taking a stand to prevent teen suicide. The movement, dubbed “Lean On Me,” which launched two weeks ago, focuses on the issues teens face that can spark suicide, such as bullying and depression.

The idea started with students in teacher Amy Fenton’s Honors Psychology/Sociology class. The course included a unit on suicide. At first many students took the issue lightly, until senior Cody Copeland set them straight.

“I went off on them,” Copeland said.

Copeland, 18, has experienced the effects of suicide firsthand and knows family, friends and neighbors who have either committed or attempted suicide. His perspective helped the students realize the seriousness and finality of suicide.

The class was surprised to learn just how many classmates had been affected by suicide or related issues, such as bullying, depression and loneliness.

“All the students have been very ‘wow’ with the information, solemn and taking it the way we wanted them to take it,” Fenton said.

After brainstorming, the students set up a campaign to run throughout the remainder of the school year as well as in the years to come. They put together a presentation, and Bianca Rodriguez, one of Fenton’s students, formally addressed the school’s Parent/Teacher/Student Organization (PTSO).

Rodriguez, a 19-year-old senior, experienced suicide firsthand several years ago when a good friend moved across the country and killed herself as a result of loneliness and not fitting in.

“If we can help just one person out, then the whole thing is worth it,” Rodriguez said.

The PTSO quickly agreed to be the ongoing sponsor for “Lean On Me,” beginning by funding bracelets the students wore and passed out to jumpstart the movement. The bracelets include the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

The students also designed boxes that will be placed in five different areas around the school. Students will be able take a card, write down issues they may be facing – bullying, depression, thoughts of suicide or even a nagging teacher – and drop the card in the box. Several trusted teachers will collect the cards and make sure they get to the school’s counselor.

“We’re hoping it will be more than suicide,” Fenton said. “People don’t always realize what’s going on, the teachers don’t. Write it, so we know. If there’s an area where people are bothering or bullying every time you walk by, let us know so we can put someone there (to monitor the area).”

Perhaps the most hard-hitting part of the “Lean On Me” movement is a wall displaying photographs and true stories of real teens who have committed suicide. Beneath the photos are gravestones, with shocking facts and statistics written on them.

For Rodriguez, the statistics are a vital part of understanding the magnitude of teen suicide.

“It’s like even before, you know it’s happening, but you don’t know to what degree it’s happening until you actually have the numbers in front of you,” she said.

For Copeland, it’s seeing the faces.

“You’ll see the commercials all the time of people, you know, but those are actors,” he said. “I think somebody should start a campaign of real people (who have committed suicide).”

Fenton’s class hopes to put together a couple of video segments on teen suicide to show during the morning announcements before the school year ends. Because all but two of her class members are seniors, Fenton hopes the videos can encourage the younger students to get involved.

“It’s about making it an issue you can talk about,” she said. “I think that helps, that the younger classmen are like, ‘OK, this isn’t a joke.’”

by Josh Whitener

INDIAN TRAIL – A collaborative effort between students, parents and teachers of Sardis Elementary and Porter Ridge Middle is aiming to make life a little easier for individuals battling cancer.

For the first time ever, the schools will host “Got 8?” Saturday, June 2, at Porter Ridge Middle from 10 a.m. to noon. “Got 8?” is a movement that recruits girls and women of the community with eight inches of hair to spare. Participants have their ponytails cut, donating the hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a charity that uses donated locks to create wigs for cancer patients.

Sardis Elementary assistant principal Kelley Zorn spent 10 years working with CAMP Care, a summer camp for children and youth battling cancer. Her grandmother battled cancer twice. But cancer really hit home for Zorn when her mother-in-law was diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the fall.

“I saw her go through treatments and lose her hair, and I saw what not having hair does to your self-confidence,” Zorn said.

Zorn wanted to do something to give hair to patients like her mother-in-law, and to get her students involved in the project. She met with a group of Sardis Elementary teachers to discuss her ideas and goals for the endeavor.

“After day one, we knew we wanted to do it,” Zorn said.

The group received an event kit from Pantene Beautiful Lengths, full of information to guide them through organizing and executing the project. They subsequently reached out to several of the cluster schools. Some schools could not participate because of prior commitments and end-of-year busyness, but Porter Ridge Middle jumped on board.

So far, Zorn has 58 people committed to having their hair cut at the event. Participants will have their hair braided into a ponytail, and at least eight inches – they can donate more if they choose – will be cut. Afterward, they will have their newly cropped hair fine-tuned by a stylist.

“It’s great because girls doing this don’t have to pay to get their hair cut afterward,” Zorn said.

Four stylists have volunteered their time to be on site, ready to trim and perfect the girls’ and women’s hair after the ponytails have been cut. Zorn is grateful for their dedication and generosity, but needs more volunteers.

“Right now we have four committed stylists, and that’s not enough,” Zorn said. “My hope is to have (at least) 10 there, but the perfect number would be 15.”

Becky McAuley, of Totally Unique Salon in Charlotte, is one of the stylists donating her time to “Got 8?” Having known friends, family members and customers who have fought cancer in the past, McAuley is thrilled to use her talent and training to give hope to those facing such a difficult battle.

And although Saturday is usually the busiest day of the week for a stylist, McAuley isn’t worried about taking the day off.

“With enough notice, it’s not a problem for me to mark it off and donate (my time) elsewhere,” she said. “It’s not always about making money. To donate a little bit of my time is nothing compared to the reward that you get.”

One of Zorn’s future goals is to have more schools in Union County embrace “Got 8?” and make it bigger and better in the coming years.

“It would be great to see other clusters embrace it and say, ‘We could do this!’” she said.

She also hopes to eventually expand the event and transform it into a family fun day, incorporating music, refreshments and fun activities.

“I know I’m setting my sights a little high, but I would love, in a couple years, for it to be a ‘fun day,’ and for everyone to be a part of it,” Zorn said.

For this year, Zorn just hopes the community can embrace how a simple donation can have such a huge impact on cancer patients.
“Whether you are 6 years old or 65 years old, you can change lives by just growing your hair out,” she said. “We’re literally changing lives eight inches at a time.”

WANT TO HELP?

Got 8 needs trained, talented stylists to make the event a success. Stylists interested in donating their time and effort for a good cause can contact Kelley Zorn at kelley.zorn@ucps.k12.nc.us. Got Hair? Those wishing to donate can also contact Kelley and then show up between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, June 2, at Porter Ridge Middle School, 2827 Ridge Road, Indian Trail.

MINT HILL – Queens Grant Community Charter School held its annual art show Thursday night to showcase the works of its students.
The school, at 6400 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, pulls students from all over the region. On display Thursday, May 10, were student works that include paintings, drawings, sculptures, wire art, clay designs and more.

Two students named Few Good Men scholars

Elijah Miller, of Sun Valley High School, and Ashley Simpson, of Weddington High School, both have received $500 Few Good Men Scholarships.

Elijah, a member of the DECA, FBLA and International clubs, and president of the French Club, will graduate with a 3.3 GPA. He volunteers at the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity along with raising money for the Firefighter’s Burned Children Fund.

Elijah hopes to attend Virginia State University for marketing.
Ashley was president of Weddington High’s DECA group and won first place in automotive marketing at the DECA state competition. She collected 2,500 books for a Union County school, was an active volunteer at Weddington Park Assisted Living and will graduate with a 4.7 GPA in mostly honors and AP classes.

Ashley will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for communication and business.

Marvin Ridge High honors moms with MOMprov

WAXHAW – Marvin Ridge High School’s improve troupe CHECK! honors mothers on Thursday with a special show.

The students will perform a 90-minute improve show focused on moms, who also happen to get in free for the show. Tickets cost $5 for all others at the door.

The show is Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m. at the school, 2825 Crane Road.

Kids getting ready for Spring Fling Thing

WESLEY CHAPEL – Students at Wesley Chapel Elementary School are gearing up for the third annual Spring Fling Thing.

The event, May 18 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the school, will include unlimited carnival rides, inflatables, a silent auction, raffles, music, food and more. People can see items up for auction at www.32auctions.com/wesleychapel.

Tickets are $10 if bought in advance at the school, 110 Potter Road, or $15 at the event.

Metrolina Christian’s baseball team is fueled by all-conference players (from left) Andrew Adamczyk, Drew Matthews, Ross Rushing and Justin Kenley. Aaron Garcia/UCW photo

The baseball players at Metrolina Christian Academy have taken to naming those special little circumstances that come along with playing home games at Fred Kirby Park. The field, situated across from the school’s new athletic facility on Lake Park Drive, isn’t like other high school baseball fields. Other stadiums typically have at least a coach looking after it at all times: watering the infield, cutting the grass, pulling the weeds.

But Fred Kirby Park is a county park serving as the Warriors’ home as their new digs are being constructed. There’s no watchful eye to make sure the dirt stays even and rock-free. Tufts of grass pock the outfield and redirect ground balls like pin-ball bumpers before they ever get a chance to reach the fence, which is roughly just 300 feet from home plate, all the way around the field.

But the Metrolina players love it, nonetheless, much the way a dog lover is willing to overlook a little bit of mange.

“We take it as an advantage,” said junior center fielder Drew Matthews. “We call it ‘Lake Park magic’ here. If a bad hop comes around, it’s just Lake Park magic. If someone hits a home run by four or five feet, it’s Lake Park magic.”

But to those outside the program, the same term could have a much different meaning, referring instead to the breakout season the Warriors are enjoying.

After finishing the 2011 season with an 11-11 record, the Warriors enter this week’s N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A playoffs as one of the county’s biggest surprises. They wrapped up the Metrolina Athletic Conference’s regular-season title with an 11-1 league record and are 14-5 overall. As the Warriors prepared for the state playoff brackets to be released this week, coach ­Darren Adams hoped his team had done enough to earn at least a No. 8 seed, which would result in at least one home game.

“It feels awesome because I’ve played here since sixth grade,” said junior catcher Justin Kenley. “Just to know this is what we’ve been working toward the whole time and now, to finally be able to say we’ve accomplished that or we’re on the way to accomplishing that, feels pretty good.”

With only one senior gone from last year’s roster, which featured a bevy of underclassmen, the Warriors entered the season with some much-needed experience. After five games, however, the Warriors were 1-4 with a team batting average of just .190. Sure, they beat Central Academy of Technology & Arts, but the win was sandwiched by a 13-3 loss to Davidson Day and another to league rival Covenant Day, 7-4. The Warriors were then outscored 26-3 in their next two losses to Greensboro’s Caldwell Academy and Fayetteville Village Christian.

“Nobody was swinging the bat well,” Adams said. “Usually you have spurts where maybe two or three guys slump, but the whole team was just not hitting. It was frustrating, but I don’t believe our guys gave up, because we knew we were capable of so much more.”

It didn’t take long for the team to back up Adams’ assertion. Starting with a 7-3 win over MAC foe Huntersville SouthLake Christian, the Warriors’ offense exploded, pushing them to 13 consecutive wins. In that span, they topped double digits in runs scored seven times.

The spark, said Adams, came in the form of left-handed infielder/pitcher Ross Rushing, a Piedmont transfer who also starred on the Warriors’ football and basketball teams.

“I can’t say enough about how much Ross Rushing has meant to our team this year,” Adams said. “He’s been huge for us.”

After not playing last season to focus on football, Rushing joined the team late after the Warriors’ basketball season ended in the playoffs, giving him just two practices and one bullpen session to prepare for the season. It showed, as he began the season just 2-for-11 at the plate.

“OK, he’ll probably help us more on the mound than at the plate,” Adams recalled thinking at the time.

In his next 20 at-bats, however, Rushing shook off the rust and hit safely 14 times. Then, said Adams, the offensive flood gates opened.

“Once he started playing well,” Adams said, “it helped the other guys’ confidence level and the way they played the game. Hitting is contagious. As soon as one guy started hitting (the ball), the rest of the guys started hitting as well.”

Rushing’s .582 batting average borders on the absurd, as do his 41 RBIs. The senior also has added two grand slams (four homers total) and six stolen bases.

Added Drew Matthews: “He’s our sparkplug, he’s our big man. If we need somebody to get a hit in a key situation, he’ll come through.”

The other players have followed suit. Andrew Adamczyk is batting .415 with 15 RBIs and six stolen bases. Matthews (.380) is next, followed by Taylor Timmerman (.375), Kenley (.356) and Cody Poplin (.327). As a team, the Warriors are batting a robust .329 with seven home runs and 149 RBIs.

Rushing said it wasn’t just the hitting that became contagious; it was the wins as well.

“It really all came together,” said Rushing, who also sports a 7-1 record on the mound with a 1.72 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings pitched. “I was like, ‘OK, we’re first in the conference, there’s x-amount of games left, and we have a chance to win the conference.’ (We realized) we can pull this off. It’s nothing crazy, it’s nothing outside our borders.”

But there are still improvements to be made, and Adams’ team needs to look no further than its loss in the second round of the MAC tournament last week. After earning a bye as the league’s top seed, the Warriors fell to SouthLake Christian in the opening game.

“They beat us pretty good,” said Adams. “That caused us to wake up (and realize) that, ‘Hey, we’re not so good that we can just come out here and expect to win and not have to earn it.’ I definitely expect it to wake our guys up.”

Adamczyk agreed.

“We need to play like we know we can: just relax, have fun and go back to the basics.”

If they do, they might just prove there’s no such thing as Lake Park magic.