The DeKalb County Board of Education formally adopted the school calendar for the 2012-2013 year Thursday night.
Registration for all students will be Thursday, August 2. That will be an abbreviated school day from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.
Friday, August 3 will be an administrative day for teachers only
The first full day of school for all students will be Monday, August 6
Professional development is scheduled for two days in June/July (on your own)
A system wide professional development day will be Monday, July 30 at DCHS from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
All teachers will report to their individual schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 31 and August 1 from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Students will not attend on Monday, Labor Day, September 3.
Schools will be closed for the fall break October 15-26
Students will be off for the Thanksgiving holiday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 21, 22, & 23 and for the winter break December 20 through January 1. Wednesday, December 19 will be the last day students attend before winter break and that will be an abbreviated school day. Students will return after the holidays on Thursday, January 3.
Schools will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 21 and for President’s Day, Monday, February 18.
Schools will be closed for spring break March 25-29
Students will not attend on Thursday, May 23. That will be an administrative day and all teachers must attend. The last day of school will be Friday, May 24. That will be an abbreviated school day and report cards will be sent home.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, October 9 and Tuesday, March 12 at DeKalb County High School from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will also be held from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, October 11 and Thursday, March 14 at DeKalb Middle School, Northside Elementary, Smithville Elementary, and DeKalb West School.
DCHS report cards will be sent home on Monday, October 8 and at all other schools on Tuesday, October 9. Report cards to be sent home from all schools on Tuesday, January 8. DCHS report cards to be sent home Monday, March 11 and at all other schools Tuesday, March 12.
AYP-EOC/Gateway Testing at DCHS will be Tuesday through Thursday, December 4-6 and May 7-9 and a make-up AYP-EOC/Gateway Test will be Friday, December 7 and May 10.
ACT Test for the 11th grade will be Tuesday, March 19
Writing Assessment for the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades will be Tuesday, February 5. Writing Assessment make-up will be Wednesday, February 6.
TCAP testing of elementary students will be April 22 through May 3
(Stockpile Days) Professional Development/Instructional Days will be held for all teachers and all paraprofessionals from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 12 and Wednesday, January 2. Students will not attend on those days.
In other business, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby gave his monthly report on personnel.
The following were employed:
Rhonda Pilgram as a full time cafeteria worker
Brenda Bandy as a Special Education Assistant at Smithville Elementary School
Carol Swope as a Special Education Assistant at DCHS
Michael Kingsbury, school bus driver has resigned
Audrey Russell, Speech Language teacher, has been granted a leave of absence as requested.
The school board also adopted a resolution of appreciation honoring food service personnel.
The resolution states that “Whereas, food service employees are responsible for providing healthy and delicious meals for the students and staff each day; and
Whereas, food service employees dedicate themselves to arriving early to the school to prepare breakfast and lunch; and
Whereas, food service employees provide smiles and encouragement to the students and staff of their school, and
Whereas, the Board of Education and the Superintendent of DeKalb County Schools, view the work of the food service staff extremely important to the success of the school;
Now Therefore, Be It Resolved that this Board acknowledges and expresses its appreciation to each food service staff member in our school district; and
Be It Further Resolved that January 19, 2012 is hereby established as Food Service Staff Appreciation Day in all DeKalb County schools.
Be It Further Resolved that the Board encourages each principal, each school and each community to participate in the celebration of these important school employees.”

Incumbent fifth district school board member W.J. (Dub) Evins, III has picked up a petition to seek re-election in the August DeKalb County General Election.
Evins apparently will have an opponent.
Kevin D. Hale of Dearman Street also plans to seek election to the school board seat in the fifth district
Petitions for the fifth and sixth district school board races can now be picked up at the DeKalb County Election Commission office.
School board members, who run as non-partisan candidates, are elected in even-numbered years in August with the membership being staggered. In August 2012, members in Districts 5 and 6 are to be elected. The qualifying deadline for this election is NOON, April 5.

Smithville volunteer firefighters have long wanted an aerial (ladder) truck and for the last few days they’ve had one. While its only a demo model and doesn’t belong to the city, Fire Chief Charlie Parker told WJLE that it’s the kind of truck Smithville really needs.
City firefighters gave the truck a test run on Saturday, setting up at various places in town where such a vehicle could best be used and extending the 75 foot ladder to reach taller buildings and hard to get to structures and roof tops. Firefighters took the truck out again Tuesday night to Northside Elementary School
Chief Parker said the demo truck will be leaving town this week but he is hopeful that a grant, for which the city has applied, will be awarded soon so that the city could get financial assistance to purchase an aerial truck for the fire department to serve the citizens of Smithville. “It’s a demo truck that’s actually passing through from EVS Mid South Company. Its passing through Tennessee so we managed to get it for a few days here in Smithville. We’ve been trying it out at different places around the city to see how it will best fit our needs. We’ve been trying to purchase a ladder truck for a while. We’ve got a Firefighters Assistance Grant that we’ve applied for. We did a study last spring. We’ve looked at two or three different sizes of trucks but we’ve determined that a 75 foot aerial device best suits our needs. Its not going to fit on 100% of the calls but we feel that with the population in the city and the number of firefighters we have to utilize, we believe it will be a best fit for us on residential and commercial fires. We have a lot more residential fires than commercial but this size truck will fit with one story and two story houses. A 75 foot ladder will give us a pretty good reach. It also has a 1,750 gallon per minute pump on it so we’ve got a pretty good amount of water supply for a fire. This particular truck has a 1,500 hundred gallon a minute nozzle on it which can be remotely operated from the base of the truck so you don’t have to put a firefighter in danger. It provides a pretty good amount of water in an elevated stream so we can get it up to a two story house or the roof area when you really need water up high. The demo price on this truck is around $680,000 on a brand new truck. The grant process is underway. They’ve been awarding grants since December. They award them periodically until the grant money runs out. We have applied for a grant to buy a truck and for some additional equipment. We’re hoping to hear something any time,” said Chief Parker.
“I do want to say thanks to Wink Brown and EVS Mid South for allowing us to use the demo truck for a day or two. I know they’re trying to sell trucks but its been a big asset to our department to let our city council see the truck up close and the capabilities and safety benefits of this truck so we just want to express our appreciation to them for allowing us to bring it to town for a few days,” said Chief Parker.
Last June, the aldermen voted to hire a grant writer to seek a federal matching grant for the purchase of a ladder truck. If approved, the city would have to match five percent of the cost.

An employee of Goggin Warehouse has been charged with stealing catalytic converters from the company and selling them at a local recycling center.
34 year old Daniel R. Page will be in court on January 19 on a charge of theft over $1,000. His bond is $5,000.
Chief Randy Caplinger told WJLE Friday that the Smithville Police Department was contacted on December 28 about the theft at the warehouse on Hobson Street. After an investigation, police charged Page, an employee of the warehouse, with stealing eight catalytic converters and selling them at a recycling business. Each of the converters is valued at $200.
21 year old Jennifer Koon is charged with two counts of simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine and oxycodone) and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bond is $3,000 and she will be in court on January 12.
Chief Caplinger said that police stopped an SUV for speeding on East Broad Street on December 30. Four persons were inside the vehicle including Koon, who was a passenger. After they began acting suspiciously, police summoned the K-9 officer to the scene and he deployed the drug dog. The canine indicated on the driver side door of the SUV. The officers conducted a search of the vehicle. A black jacket was found in the rear seat. Inside the jacket was a small tin can containing two red plastic baggies with a white powdery substance believed to be methamphetamine, a glass pill vial with an oval blue pill, six cut straws, and a razor blade. Police determined that the items belonged to Koon.
22 year old Porsche Cantrell is cited for shoplifting Chief Caplinger reports that police were called to Walmart on December 21 on a shoplifting complaint. Cantrell was found to have a few items from the store on her person that had not been purchased. She was observed by a store employee entering a bathroom. After she came out, an employee entered the restroom and found empty packages. Cantrell was confronted and police were notified. She will be in court on February 9.
23 year old Steven Shane Clanahan is cited for simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance. According to Chief Caplinger, police were called to do a welfare check on a vehicle in the roadway on Duncan Street. The automobile had no working lights. The officer arrived and made contact with the driver, Clanahan. A strong odor of marijuana could be smelled from inside the vehicle. Clanahan consented to a search and the officer found on Clanahan two hand rolled cigarettes containing a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. Five smoked joints (roaches) were also found in the automobile. Clanahan will be in court on January 12.
32 year old Ken Bly is cited for shoplifting from Walmart on New Year’s Day. Chief Caplinger said that an employee saw Bly leave the building with several items that had not been purchased. Before he could be confronted, Bly came back in the store and turned in a wrench set he had allegedly taken. However, police found motion lights in Bly’s vehicle which were also allegedly taken from the store and had not been paid for. Bly will be in court on the charge February 2.
30 year old Jessica Bilbrey is cited for shoplifting from the Dollar General Store on January 2. She was allegedly caught trying to leave the store with several items in her purse that she had not paid for.
28 year old Ryan Walden is cited for shoplifting, accused of taking two packs of arrow tips from Walmart on December 21. Chief Caplinger said that a store employee observed the theft and Walden was allegedly found with these items on his person
24 year old Jamaal League is charged with public intoxication and burglary of an automobile. His bond is $6,000 and he will be in court on January 19. Chief Caplinger said that on January 3 police were called to Suncrest Home Health where someone was apparently trying to break into the building. The employees inside had locked the door to keep the man from entering. The man, League, had allegedly made entry into a vehicle in the parking lot and took the car keys, which were inside. When police arrived, League was standing outside the vehicle and he tossed the car keys on the ground. He had an odor of alcohol on his person. League was taken into custody.
21 year old Alexis Petty is charged with domestic assault. She will be in court on January 12. Chief Caplinger reports that police were called to a residence on West Bryant Street on December 21 to investigate a fight between two females. The women had already been separated by the time the officer arrived. The women said that a verbal argument between the two turned physical. Petty was determined to be the primary aggressor and she was charged in the case.
32 year old Jack Mullican is cited for shoplifting on January 5.. Chief Caplinger said Mullican was observed taking a playstation II memory card and other things from Walmart. The items were allegedly found on him.
47 year old Timothy Johnson and 39 year old Janet Mayo are charged with simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Chief Caplinger said that police stopped a vehicle for a front headlight out on East Broad Street on December 26. Both Johnson and Mayo were in the automobile. The officer found two bags containing a white powdery substance believed to be methamphetamine and two hollowed out ink pens. Police also found a bottle of hydrocodone, needles, spoon, and rubber bands.
28 year old Jason Knowles is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court on January 12. According to Chief Caplinger, police were called to Snow Street on January 5 to check out a complaint of a physical domestic assault. The officer was advised by central dispatch that the man involved was gathering items and preparing to leave the scene in a Honda car. The officer arrived and kept Knowles from leaving. The victim told police that she and Knowles got in a verbal argument which became physical as he allegedly tried to take the phone from her. Police reported that the woman’s mouth was bleeding and two of her teeth were dislodged.
18 year old Michael Braswell is charged with simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Chief Caplinger said Braswell was stopped for speeding on College Street on December 31. The officer detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Braswell allegedly admitted to having marijuana and a pipe and he turned them over to the officer.
42 year old Jeffery Lee Bates is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on January 26. Chief Caplinger said that Bates was arrested outside his home on Bright Hill Road after creating a disturbance. He had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. According to Chief Caplinger, Bates had earlier parked his girlfriend’s vehicle at a business on West Broad Street near Walmart and then walked across the street to Walmart, where he called central dispatch to report that his girlfriend’s vehicle had been stolen. Police arrived and spoke with Bates in the parking lot of Walmart, telling him that the owner of the vehicle would have to make the report. Bates got a ride home and later called again to report that the automobile was stolen. Police came to Bates residence on Bright Hill Road and arrested him. The vehicle was found still parked where Bates had left it at a business on West Broad Street.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce recently presented a Community Improvement Award to the Gassaway Family for renovations to their home at 203 North Mountain Street, Smithville.
The house was originally built by H.A. Fowler and wife between 1911 and 1912. It was later owned by E. J. Evans and wife in 1912, by Estell Dearman in 1915 and then by James Carlyn Moore in 1919 who then sold it to J.A. Conger in 1927. The home has been the residence of five generations of the Conger family members, starting with James Alvin and Emma Parker Conger, then to Alvin Parker and Otha Dell Conger and their four children, one of whom is Hilton Conger. The residence is now the home of Julianna Conger Gassaway and her four children. It was recently painstakingly restored by Harold Bain of HBC Contractor, LLC.
In the picture: Left to right – bottom row – Jack, Katherine, Ealy, and Parker Gassaway – second row – Julianna Conger Gassaway – top row – Carol Conger Buchanan, Jane Conger DePriest, John Conger, and Hilton Conger.

The Smithville water treatment plant will begin fluoridating the city’s water supply again starting Tuesday, January 10, according to Secretary-Treasurer Hunter Hendrixson.
Though neither a state or federal requirement, the new liquid fluoride system was installed as part of the rehabilitation of the water plant, according to the wishes of city officials and members of the general public
The city stopped fluoridating the water more than three years ago after the old powdered fluoride feeder system broke down..
At the April 6th, 2009 meeting, Smithville physician Dr. Steven Cooper and dentist Dr. Mitchell Tatum addressed the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen asking that the fluoridation be re-activated for the benefit of the citizens.
Concerned citizen Gary Durham, who first raised the issue several weeks prior to the April 6th meeting, expressed his concern that the city never fixed the problem when it occurred and that city leaders never notified the public when the fluoride treatment had been discontinued
At the April 20, 2009 meeting, the aldermen voted 5-0 to re-activate fluoridation of the city’s water supply
At that meeting, Alderman Steve White made a motion that the treatment be started again, and to let the public know when, but that the city first consult with officials of Wauford Engineering Company about whether the new fluoride machines should be installed at that time or included as part of the design of the rehabilitation of the Water Treatment Plant. Tonya Sullivan, who was also Alderman at that time, requested that any needed safety equipment to support the fluoride treatment procedure also be purchased before the process is begun.
Instead of repairing the old system, city officials later decided to include a new liquid fluoride feeder system in the bid specs for the rehab of the water treatment plant. The construction bid for the overall rehab project was awarded to W&O Construction of Livingston in February 2010 and the work began in August, 2010. The rehab project is now almost completed.

Sheriff Patrick Ray has released the “Activity Report” from his department for the calendar year
January 1, 2011-December 31, 2011.
The report shows a total of 7886 incident calls for the year. According to Sheriff Ray “These are dispatched calls, not self-initiated calls (incidents that officers respond to on routine patrols). Self-initiated calls are not included in these counts:
The report breaks down as follows:
Calls Reported
Wrecks- 758
4 wheeler calls- 61
911 calls- 205
Abandoned Vehicles- 18
Animal calls- 320
Assaults- 37
Armed Suspects- 14
Fires and Fire Alarms- 153
Break-ins- 594
Burglar Alarms- 476
Child Custody Exchanges- 24
Children in roadway- 12
Civil Matters- 48
Debris in roadway- 61
Disturbing the peace- 147
Deaths- 33
Domestic violence- 512
Drownings- 6
Drug trafficking- 66
Funeral Escorts- 266
Extra Patrols- 54
Fights- 111
Gas drive-offs- 8
Harassments- 40
Indecent exposure- 3
Investigations- 427
Vehicle lockouts- 982
Medical Assists- 213
Possible D.U.I.- 171
Public Intoxication calls- 15
Rape- 7
Reckless Drivers- 316
Recover Property- 51
Robbery- 18
Seizures- 17
Shots fired- 71
Shop lifter- 4
Stranded motorists- 118
Someone threatened- 100
Stabbing- 5
Attempt/ and Suicide calls- 33
Suspicious persons/vehicles- 552
Traffic Hazards- 93
Trespassing- 15
Unruly juveniles- 43
Unwanted guests- 192
Vandalism- 85
Wanted Persons- 80
Welfare checks- 251
Total 7886 incident calls