statue, if the school board asks for an increase in money for the school, then the board of super-visors has to set millage, or tax increase, to provide the request-ed funds. “The law says that the board of supervisors cannot give the school less than the previous years, so when there is an over-age of several years of what they have asked for, they are sup-posed to put that in escrow to offset next coming school year, which we have always been able

to use in other areas and put in escrow,” Havard said. Havard stated that just be-cause the board of supervi-sors did not fund the new programs does not mean the board does not care about ed-ucation. Havard said that he has a child in third grade and believes that education is very important. According to White, there ap-pears to be no penalties for the board of supervisors not giving the school district the money

except that if the school board does go to the bank to borrow money the county will have to pay more taxes for the loan and interest. “We have to take every aspect of the county, put it in a pile and see what the asset evaluation is at that time [to see where money is needed must and where cuts are possible],” Havard said. “If we gave everyone the money they requested, then the taxes would be way higher.” Havard also stated that the board of supervisors asked the school board to wait and to see what happens down the road

and if there is a shortfall, the board of supervisors and the school board will get together and discuss what needs to be done. If the school board does not get the money asked for, the board can absorb it and do nothing, ask board of supervi-sors for an additional check or go to the bank and borrow money to restore the budget to 100 percent which would cause taxes to increase stated White. If the budget is not restored, then the school district will suffer more cuts in staff and instruc-tional supplies.

October 2010 GCHSNews2

photo/Kristina WilliamsLook to the Future- Freshman Allison Tillman decorates the wall in front of the cafeteria with a poster of her favorite Mississippi college. GEAR UP helps students by providing scholarships and preparing them for college.

GEAR UP targets freshmenAs freshmen move up to the

high school, a new program moves up with them. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for the Undergradu-ate Program (GEAR UP) start-ed with the freshman class while they were in the seventh grade. This program encourages these students to set high aca-demic goals, to stay in school and get a diploma and to take the appropriate courses to help the student be successful after graduation. GEAR UP is funded through a grant from the United States Department of Education and is an effort of the Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning, the Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges and the Mississippi Department of Education. This program is also the largest college access and readiness

initiative in Mississippi. The goal of GEAR UP is to help students stay on track for college by offering long-term mentoring over six or seven years, or from seventh grade to their first in college. GEAR UP also provides scholarships once the students reach college. To prepare students for college and life after, GEAR UP provid-ed the ninth graders with a visit to Mississippi Gulf Coast Com-munity College and Northrop Grumman. On Oct. 12 the GEAR UP students had a college visit day. The program allowed the ninth graders to choose a visit to the University of Southern Missis-sippi, Jones County Junior Col-lege or William Carey College of their choosing. GEAR UP is also sponsoring a free ACT prep until the Oc-tober ACT test date after school from 3 to 5 p.m. “It [GEAR UP] gets you pre-pared for what you are going to

do in college,” freshman Juliana Rouse said. As well as partnering with local middle schools and high schools, GEAR UP also partners with colleges within Mississippi and community organizations to provide information on col-lege preparation, financial aid, tutoring and mentoring. The program encourages colleges and organizations to partner with schools. “GEAR UP has taught me to graduate from high school and go to college,” freshman Laura Havard said. Other freshmen say that the program has taught them not to drop out of high school. Ninth graders think that GEAR UP will also encourage people to graduate and pursue college ca-reers. Not only are colleges involved in this program, parents are as well. “Parents are appreciative and excited that their students are

given college access opportuni-ties and support services to en-rich their child’s experiences to be better prepared for college,” Sonia Hudson, local coordina-tor of GEAR UP, said. There has been a gain of parent sup-port for the program since this school year began. A recent survey given by GEAR UP has shown that par-ents want more information on financial aid resources for their students and also want informa-tion about the ACT and how to prepare their child. Each year, GEAR UP hosts parent and student events and meetings. Ninth Grade Tran-sition to High School Night was the first event held this year and many parents were present. This meeting introduced par-ents and students to the “high school way of life,” which ex-plained to parents what to ex-pect from their child as a high school student this year.

Faculty members help out with Gulf oil spill cleanup

While teachers and students have heard about the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill on their televisions since April, two teachers decided to help with the oil spill recovery on the Coast. Faculty m e m b e r s Mel and A s h l e y Spivey be-gan safety classes in May to help with the clean up and at the beginning of June began to work to help save the waters on the Gulf Coast. During June, they scouted for oil around a port in Orange Beach, Ala. “I was captain of a smaller boat, and Coach Spivey was my deck hand,” Mrs. Spivey said. “We observed a port, and if we saw oil, we would put boom

out which would col-lect it.” “We were p r i m a r i l y on a boat, s p o t t i n g and pulling boom,” Spivey said. The Spiveys helped with the recovery effort through June before being laid off. Spivey said, “It was easy work-ing taking orders from Mrs. Spivey. That is just how it is at home.” “We worked for about a month, and then we were let go because there was no more oil found in the waters,” said Mrs. Spivey. Although Mrs. Spivey feels she did not make a difference by helping with the clean up, Coach Spivey does. “Absolutely, I feel I made a difference. I helped save the bays, bayous and the wildlife,” Spivey said.

Emily DixonOpinion Editor

Kristina WilliamsStaff Reporter

Budget woes cont. from page 1

A. Spivey

M. Spivey

Deadline to sign up for 2010 Pow-der Puff football game is Oct. 18.

A mandatory meeting will be

held after school on Oct. 18.

2011 Reflections Yearbook pre-order in Room 2 or online at

www.yearbooksforever.com Cost $60 until Dec. 31

A.S.KAlumni Supporting Kids

A.S.K is a George County/Lucedale High Alumni organization committed to unlocking doors and creating educational opportunities for students of the George County School System.

ASK what you can do for your Alma Mater and the community.

Suzy Scott(601) 508-8197suzyscott58@yahoo.com

Sonia Hudson (601) 947-3110 Ext 4645hudson@gcsd.us

Debbie Harrell(601)947-3116, Ext 3313harrelld@gcsd.us