Editorial: Round of applause

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Tifton Gazette offers a round of applause for individuals and organizations doing good things in our community.

New school principals

The Tift County School System is welcoming three new school principals for the school year.

Patsy Shivers, new principal at Len Lastinger Elementary School; Jennifer Howell, new principal at Matt Wilson Elementary School; and Willie Dean, principal at J.T. Reddick Elementary School, have spent the last month preparing for their new roles in the new school year.

In an interview with the Gazette, Howell said that previous principals she worked under as a teacher and as an assistant principal inspired her to build strong relationships with teachers and kids and to let her staff know that she is there to support them.

Shivers is in a unique position in that she will be assuming the role of principal at the same school at which she was the assistant principal.

Dean, who said he was first inspired to become a principal while attending J.T. Reddick as a child, said he was excited to be joining the J.T. Reddick family.

Tifton-Tift County Public Library Summer Reading Program

The Summer Reading Program at the Tifton-Tift County Public Library came to an end on July 18.

Every summer, the success of the reading program is the result of months of planning by library staff.

Summer reading programs across the country help students prepare for the next school year.

Kids who don’t read over the summer lose literacy skills over those months.

It’s part of the “summer slump” or “summer slide,” the tendency of kids to lose part of what they’ve learned over the school year if they’re not doing anything to reinforce it.

When school starts back up, they have to play catch-up, trying to get back to where they were at the end of last year while struggling to to keep up with what’s going on with the new year.

While the “summer slide” can happen across the curriculum—affecting everything from science to math to writing—losing reading skills can affect performance in all classes; it’s the fundamental skill that much of learning is built on.

For more information about future programs and events at the Tifton-Tift County Public Library call 229-386-7148.

Reinke Irrigation

Reinke Irrigation held a ribbon cutting at their Tifton parts distribution center on July 23.

The facility, located at 2703 Carpenter Road, is placed to supply dealers throughout the entire southeast, according to Southeast Territory Manager Mike Mills, who was at the ribbon cutting.

“We’re very excited to be here,” said Russ Reinke, first vice president of Reinke Irrigation. “It’s a great location, everybody’s been more than helpful to make this happen. It’s a way for us to better serve our dealers and customers down in this area.”

Badges for Life blood drive

The first Badges for Life blood drive for Tift County was a success, exceeding its goal for donations.

According to Badges for Life Chairperson Christy Blanchett, the blood drive’s initial goal was 50 donations. They ended up getting 72 donations by the end of the day.

The event was held to honor two local retired first responders, former Tifton Fire Department firefighter Henry Taylor and Tim McRae, who retired from the Tift County Sheriff’s Office.

Plans are already in the works for the 2020 blood drive.