Monday afternoon April 17 the Haleyville Board of Education held interviews with the four finalists for the next Superintendent of Education. All four candidates praised the Haleyville School System and each told the board why they would make a good superintendent. From a bank of prewritten questions, each candidate was asked several questions including what they would consider their own strengths and weaknesses for the job. Another question was what they would do to resolve a conflict between the board and the superintendent.

Dr. Bill Bishop stated he had held almost every job one could hold in the school system including a bus driver. Dr. Bishop expressed his love for education and his desire to be the Superintendent. In his comments, he stated grads should be prepared for a career, not just college.

Dr. Bart Reeves, of Guntersville, expressed his passion for education and stressed the importance of good communications between the board and staff and the importance of technology as aids to supplement teaching. He stated he seeks excellence in everything.

Wayne Trucks, presently principal at Chelsea High School, is working on his doctor’s degree. He discussed the system he is presently in and the programs he was a part of. He recognized Haleyville as being a great school system that did not need “fixing” because it was not broke. He addressed many specific questions and one concerning equality and how he had dealt with transgender students at Chelsea.

Dr. Holly Sutherland, presently principal at Haleyville High, stated her greatest strength was serving others.  She stressed her strong points as leadership, trust, and experience dealing with a wide diversity of economic and educational backgrounds and sexual orientations.  She stated she strives to be fair and consistent with everyone.

The Board will soon announce when they will meet again to decide who will become the new Superintendent of Education for the Haleyville School System.

MUSCLE SHOALS & PHIL CAMPBELL, Ala. — Kaylen Bishop and Ashley I Dulce Rosa Figueroa-Cifuentes were selected to the 2017 All-Alabama Academic Team for Northwest-Shoals Community College (NW-SCC) and honored last Friday (4/14) at the All-Alabama Academic Team Recognition Luncheon at Ross Bridge Hotel and Spa in Birmingham, Ala.

Bishop, a Haleyville native, currently is majoring in Secondary Education at NW-SCC and plans to transfer to the University of North Alabama.

 Figueroa-Cifuentes, a Russellville native, currently is majoring in Criminal Justice at NW-SCC and plans to attend Athens State University.

The faculty and staff of NW-SCC nominate students from each campus of the college. The criteria for voting for a student is to choose students who “excel academically; demonstrate intellectual rigor in their course of study; show academic growth and potential; and use their two-year college education to better themselves, their schools and their communities.”

All nominees are presented to the national Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for final selection. Each community college in Alabama has two representatives.

The Alabama College System’s All-Alabama Academic Team Recognition Program was established in 1995 as an enhancement to the All-USA National Academic Team Recognition Program, which is sponsored by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the American Association of Community Colleges and USA Today.

The Haleyville Business and Professional Women’s Club presented the 2017 Scholarships on April 12.  From the left are Renee Baker, President of Haleyville BPW; High School Scholarship Winners are as follows Natalie Epperson, Crystal Mederos, and Hannah Buchanan.  The State Scholarship Winner is Hannah Rader, Vice-President of Haleyville BPW Gerita Rye.

Saturday- Bubba Scott Field

Marion County – A single-vehicle crash at 12:05 a.m. Friday, April 14, has claimed the life of a Hodges man.  Jeremy Christopher Tolbert, 30, was seriously injured when the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta he was driving left the roadway and struck a guardrail. Tolbert was transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he died at 12:45 a.m. The crash occurred on Interstate 22 at the six-mile marker, five miles west of Hamilton.  Nothing further is available as Alabama State Troopers continue to investigate. – ALEA

Franklin County – A single-vehicle crash at 8:15 p.m. Friday, April 14, has claimed the life of a Russellville man.  George Earl Craig, 47, was killed when the 1995 Chevrolet Caprice he was driving left the roadway, struck a culvert and overturned. Craig, who was not using a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash occurred on Franklin County 48, eight miles east of Russellville.  Nothing further is available as Alabama State Troopers continue to investigate.     – ALEA

Public interviews for the position of Superintendent of Education will be conducted Monday afternoon, April 17 in the conference room at the Haleyville High School.

Dr. Bill Bishop                       1 p.m.

Dr. Bart Reeves                     2 p.m.

Mr. Wayne Trucks                3 p.m.

Dr. Holly Sutherland            4 p.m.

Interested persons are welcome to attend. No questions or public comments will be taken from the floor on this day. Doors will be closed once each interview begins and will open between interviews.

The Haleyville Board of Education met Tuesday and were presented with the top four finalists for Superintendent of Education to replace Dr. Alan Miller who will be departing at the end of this school year. The four finalists are:

Dr. William “Bill” Bishop, 12471 Highway 81, Russellville, AL

Dr. Jonathan Bart Reeves, 5024 Spring Creek Drive, Guntersville, AL

Dr. Holly Whitt Sutherland, 6938 Newberg Road, Haleyville, AL

K. Wayne Trucks, 3625 Kingshill Road, Mountain Brook, AL

The Board will conduct interviews with the four before making their selection for the new Superintendent.

Reid Haughton and Lauren Allen

The Haleyville High Junior/Senior Prom was another beautiful success at the Armed Forces Training Center Saturday night, April 8. Early in the evening parking was scarce as parents and grandparents came to see kids looking more beautiful and better than ever before. The senior walkout followed Havala announcement. After the parents left, it was on with the prom.

For the eight time in 35 years, Tommy Arthur has a new execution date set for May 25. Arthur has been on death row for the 1982 murder of Troy Wicker in the Shoals area with seven stays of execution.  The last stay was by the U.S. Supreme Court which halted Arthur’s execution in November on the same evening he was set to die by lethal injection. Alabama asked the court to quickly set a new execution date when the high court turned down Arthur’s latest appeal. Arthur had ties to the Haleyville area in the mobile home manufacturing business in the 70’s.