Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon District Receives $600,000 In Grant Money

Gurdon and surrounding areas with students in the Gurdon School District have a wealth of endurance and leadership in three of it's outstanding education professionals.

Bonnie Ross, teacher, Rita Roe, primary school principal, and Charles Failla, assistant high school principal worked together on a federal grant proposal to bring the community $467,760 in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education and $144,899 in matching funds over the next three years.

Failla said, during the regular monthly meeting of the Gurdon School Board, "We're going to try to do as much as we can with what we have."

Necessary to receive the funds the grant writers provided the required information proving Gurdon is a rural community with a high poverty level, high percentage of students not meeting state standards in core subjects, excessive drug use and violence, high numbers of self-care' or latchkey children and an increase of limited English proficient students.

According to information provided, a copy of the grant proposal, the project in titled, "Gurdon 21st Century Community of Learning Center," will include six specific activities.

They are: (1) integrated education, health, social service, recreational or cultural programs; (2) summer and weekend school programs in conjunction with recreation program; (3) telecommunications and technology education program for individuals of all ages; (4) servicing student with disabilities; (5) parenting skills education programs; and (6) extended library hours to serve community needs.

Bare bones of the project is a vast increase of accessability to the educational and practical resources of the school and the communities assistance agencies. Information will be there for those willing to learn.

Membership in some activities may depend on the failure rate during the regular school year.

The schools will extend hours to bridge the hours of 3:00-5:00 p.m. for four days a week. This offers the working parents a needed reprieve from the worry of their children being home alone without proper supervision.

Weekend programs will be scheduled for students on a sign-up basis to provide the means for at-risk students to be involved in activities-recreation, community service, enrichment and enrichment projects.

Parent volunteers will be called on to assist some programs, they will be in good company and well supported by others more accustomed to volunteering. Groups such as Upward Bound and Talent Search students from OBU, Community Ministerial Alliance Youth Ministries, Title 1 parent center, Clark County Literacy Council, Clark County Youth Council, Community Counseling Service, Gifted and Talented coordinator, Gurdon City Council, Clark County's Sheriff's Department, Clark County Adult Education, Clark County Health Department, C.C. Human Development Center, Migrant Program Coordinator, and the Gurdon School District and Food Services will all be involved in the activities.

The partnerships also include Hours of Joy Daycare, International Paper, Clark County Red Cross, and Henderson State University's counseling interns.

There are 13 positions to fill with the most important being the project directors. During the meeting, Bobby Smithson, superintendent, suggested a director be chosen at the next meeting of the school board. Failla said, "The director is the key in getting the whole thing to work."

A project advisory board will keep an eye on the work in progress and will report to the director.

With initial planning out of the way, whomever accepts the directors position will begin to pull together resources and people. After school activities may start as early as a few weeks before school ends.

Adults will be furnished with extensive access to the high school computer lab during the summer and at night. Already, there's a great deal of public access through the Keyboarding, Word Processing, and Internet access classes.