August 2014 Red Pencil

The Red Pencil                

Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel

Vol.XVI, No.1 August 2014__________________________________________ntn1066@hotmail.com___

August Meeting

           When:               TUESDAY, 19 August 2014, 9AM

                                              Registration, payment of dues to begin at 8AM

           Where:             Deerfield Methodist Church

           How much:       $10, check payable to Watauga County NCRSP,

                                             for a buffet country breakfast catered by George Wellington

          What:              getting together on the first day of school, welcoming new retirees, and enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company, with a very special speaker, former NC Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti

If your caller does not contact you, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 before 8 PM on Saturday, the 16th of August, or email her at margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net.  NOTE NOTE NOTE that our meeting is on TUESDAY!  Don’t forget to put your golden apple pin on your lapel, either!

Every year we say the same thing about our first meeting, but it still matters and you can really help “the staff” by being ready when you arrive to:

1.      pay your dues.  You’ll find more about the amount later in this newsletter, but you know by now that your dues are noted on your mailing label on this issue of the RP.  Bring a check in that amount made out to NCAE.  Remember to pay particular attention to the article about dues later in this newsletter;

2.      contribute to the Scholarship Fund.  The sum of $5 is a suggestion, but we’re happy to be the recipients of your generosity in any amount;

3.      drop all the lovely, noisy, loose change you’ve been collecting into the little watering cans at your table;

4.      tote medicine bottles (AGAIN!) for the Hunger Coalition, and

5.      bring food staples (pasta, beans, rice, canned veggies) for the Hunger Coalition,  as well.

REMEMBER that we are not collecting school supplies this year.  Instead, you contributed nearly $800 in cash and supplies at our May meeting and your generous donation went to help the Back 2 School Festival held at Watauga High School on the 9^th of August.

President’s Message

 As your new Watauga Unit President, I am looking forward to the next two years. We will start off 2014-15 with breakfast on Tuesday, August 19th which is the first day for our Watauga County students, the same day ASU begins the fall semester.  Expect traffic on the roads!

  As retirees, we make up 12,000 out of 60,000 NCAE membership which includes both certified and noncertified employees. We have 97 local units and we just celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2011.  When we see the dismantling of the strides our organization has made in the last 53 years, it is difficult to be positive regarding the outlook for NC public schools.  We have to look to our mission statement to remind us of our focus.

     The mission is to be the premier statewide association for all retired education personnel, acting collectively to enhance retirement and health care benefits and to serve the community and its educational needs. 

The statement asks us to concentrate on three things:  1. protecting the State Health Plan;  2.  keeping the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System secure; and 3.  enabling volunteerism in public schools by our members.  

 We haven't forgotten the hundreds of teachers, teacher assistants, administrators and support staff who are working together in our county and across our state to make 2014-2015 another successful year with our students. As we celebrate the start of a new school year with breakfast and social time, we as NCRSP members are challenged to continue to strengthen our membership. We provide encouragement and support to each other, knowing that facing the challenges before us will require that we work together.   During this upcoming year, we will keep our eye on the mission statement and continue to support our local school community. We are truly on this road together.

                                                                                                Lee Stroupe

   Need a Lift?

If you or anyone you know needs transportation to one of our meetings, please call Beth Carrin at 264-9227 and she will make arrangements.

NCRSP Meeting Dates, 2014-2015

All meetings will take place at Deerfield Methodist Church.  With the exception of the Tuesday 9A meeting on August 19, all meetings are on Thursday and begin at noon.  Please mark your calendar now to avoid conflicts with doctors’ appointments and other events.

August 19, 9A  Deerfield Methodist Church

October 16, 12N  Deerfield Methodist Church

17 October, 10A  1-B Regional Conference,

Spruce Pine Volunteer Fire Department

(reminder: Director of new Region 1-B is our own Bill Winkler)

December 18, 12N  Deerfield Methodist Church

March 19, 12N  Deerfield Methodist Church

May 21, 12N Deerfield Methodist Church

We Appreciate our Callers

The members of Watauga County North Carolina Retired School Personnel receive a call before each of the five annual meetings reminding them of the meetings and confirming their attendance.   Our volunteers make many phone calls and leave many messages on answering machines.  If you find a message on your machine, returning that call is EXTREMELY important so that the callers can get their lists to Margaret Sigmon by Saturday before the meeting day.  We must give a total number  to George Wellington on Monday so he can do his grocery order. If you do not receive a call about the meeting, please phone Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036.

Our really important callers for the 2014-2015 year are

Jackie Adams

Sue Aldridge

Wanda Bentley

Beth Carrin

Nancy Cooke

Eula Mae Fox

Candace Hall

June Mann

Mary Hazel Mast

Susan McKay

Joyce Sherrill

Betty Wells

We thank them for taking their time to make sure we know about meetings and have other timely information.

Extremely Important Information about Paying Your Dues

No matter how long you have been a member of the Watauga Unit of NCRSP, some of this information about dues is new and important.  Please read carefully.

If you paid your dues by check last year, your dues amount is printed in the upper right corner of your mailing label.  Please bring this amount to the August meeting with your check made payable to NCAE.  ***Please note this change: all dues checks should be made to NCAE rather than to our local unit as in the past.***  If you are unable to attend the meeting, you may mail your check to Dot Barker, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone NC 28607.  If you receive your newsletter by email, you may check with Dot, dot24@bellsouth.net, about your amount.

If your label has PR (Payroll Deduction) or EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) printed on it, you have chosen to have your dues deducted from your retirement check.  Do not write a check for your dues if you see PR or EFT on your label.  You certainly will, however, want to write a check for the Scholarship Fund.  These checks can still be made out to Watauga Unit of NCRSP.  If you want to change your method of paying dues, please see Dot for the appropriate forms.

New retirees and membership prospects will not find a dues amount on your mailing label.  If you retired after July 1, 1999, your annual dues are $111.  If you retired between July 1, 1985 and July 1, 1999, your annual dues are $65.  

***If you have notified Dot that you do not plan to rejoin NCRSP and if you have been paying your dues by payroll deduction or EFT, you MUST ALSO notify the state office in Raleigh in writing.  The address is NCRSP Membership, P.O. Box 27347, Raleigh NC 27622-7347.***

Our unit has an Associate Membership plan for noncertified personnel – assistants, secretaries, cafeteria workers.  The Associate Membership is $10 for nonvoting membership in the local unit only and includes our newsletter, The Red Pencil.  Associate Membership does not include membership in the district, state, or national organizations and is available only for noncertified personnel.

If you have any questions about dues, please call Dot Barker at 264-3621 or email her atdot24@bellsouth.net.

2014-2016 Officers

Watauga Unit

North Carolina Retired School Personnel

President                                  Lee Stroupe                              lstroupe@gmail.com

Vice Pres/Pres. Elect                Mary Linda Dooley                    mdooley999@gmail.com

Sec./Treas.                              Dot Barker        264-3621          dot24@bellsouth.net

                                                Bill Winkler                               winklerbr@gmail.com

Honorary Parliamentarian          Robert G. Shipley                     bshipley@nc.rr.com

Legislative Comm. Chr.             Bill Watterson                           wataugateacher@yahoo.com

Membership Comm. Chrs.         Roland, Barbara Moy                moyrf@appstate.edu

Memorials                                Susan McKay                           mckayinboone@live.com

Community Participation chr.      Candace Hall                           mcandacehall@gmail.com

Scholarship                              La Verne Franklin                      franklin160954@bellsouth.net

Decorations                               Linda and Roger Harwood          rlharwood@bellsouth.net

Meeting Arrangements              Margaret Sigmon  264-2036      margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net

Remembrance                          La Verne Franklin                      franklin160954@bellsouth.net

Historian                                   Janice Burns                             burnsjn@bellsouth.net

Red Pencil Editor                     Nanci Tolbert Nance 963-8892 ntn@skybest.com

                                                                                                ntn1066@hotmail.com

Webmaster                               Lee Stroupe  264-1276              lstroupe@gmail.com

Contributions/Suggestions/Email Edition of The Red Pencil, anyone?  Change of email or snail mail address? 

ntn@skybest.com or snail mail to

Nanci Tolbert Nance, P.O. Box 188, Blowing Rock NC 28605

News of Our Members

We mourn the deaths of three of our members this summer and extend our sympathies to the families of Daisy Adams, Margaret Agle, and Catherine Ross.  In their memories, as is our custom, our treasurer has transferred $25 in each name to the Scholarship Fund.

To our email numbers we happily add  R.G. Shipley, who is living in Raleigh with his son, Bob.  We have Bob’s permission to get in touch with Mr. Shipley through his email address,bshipley@nc.rr.com, on his cell, 828.963-0522, and at Bob’s address, 4113 Huckleberry Dr., Raleigh NC 27612.

We are also delighted to share the good news of the continuing recovery of Lera Randall.  The latest is that she is at home in Boone!  We appreciate Richard’s updates.

NCRSP – Strength in Numbers

At the beginning of a new school year, do you know any prospective members of our unit, new retirees who would benefit from membership and add energy and another perspective to our group?  If so, please let them know that we need them and they need us.  What do they have to lose if they don’t join?  Subscriptions to  Panorama and NCAE News Bulletin, FREE accidental death and dismemberment insurance up to $7,500, lobbyists representing retirees’ needs, free hearing screenings, member discount cards for discounts at over 150,000 locations/businesses – and all for as little as $6.75 a month on payroll deduction, that’s what – and more. 

New retirees have received a letter from our unit.  At the bottom of the letter is a coupon for breakfast at our first meeting of the year.

If people ask you exactly what we do, please tell them that in addition to meeting five times a year for fellowship and information, we also donate money and supplies to the Back2School Festival; collect children’s books for Santa’s Toybox; collect food, medicine bottles and plastic bags for the Hunger Coalition; give cell phones to OASIS and to our troops overseas; and provide services to our members that include Christmas gifts for our shut-ins and transportation to meetings.

Volunteer Hours , Our Continuing Struggle 

PLEASE understand that this is no time for modesty.  Every single day, you do something for someone else.  You visit friends in nursing homes, you help to write a newsletter, you work in a community garden, you sing in your church choir, you meet with like minds on a library board or an arts board or a church board, you provide flowers for meetings, you volunteer to take a friend shopping, you’re a substitute grandma in an elementary school class, you work at the polls for elections, and you do a hundred other things.  Part of our reputation with headquarters in Raleigh is based on our volunteer hours.  Please pitch the modesty and tell us LOUD and PROUD about all the wonderful things you do.  Remember that caring for a family member doesn’t count, but almost everything else does!

Something new is here:

This year, in an effort to be more accurate in our reporting, new Community Participation chair Candace Hall and your executive board are asking that you bring a volunteer hours form to EVERY meeting.  You’ll find a form in each Red Pencil so there’s no need to make copies for yourself.

The first report will be due at our first meeting, and that will be the most difficult one for you to do since it will include all the volunteer hours you’ve accumulated this year, from January to August.  After that, the process will be a piece of cake.    You’ll complete a form to cover September and October and turn it in at the October meeting, one to cover November and December and turn it in at the December meeting, one to cover January through March and turn it in at the March meeting, and one to cover April and May and turn it in at the May meeting.  If you know that you are not coming to a meeting, you may mail the form to Candace Hall, 229 Ivy Dr., Boone NC 28607.  Again, a form will be included in each Red Pencil.  We will also try to have blank copies for you to fill in at each meeting.  If you are receiving an electronic version of the newsletter, you may highlight the form, copy it into a blank document, and print it for yourself.  Please take the time to complete this form; Raleigh really wants to know how busy we are!

            

NCRSP Community Participation Volunteer Hours 2014-2015

Name: _________________________________

Category

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

Education

XX

XX

XX

XX

Other (not familial)

XX

XX

XX

XX

        Total Hours in All Categories, January-August only ________

Margaret Eury Agle passed away June 22, 2014

Margaret Eury Agle

 

BOONE - Margaret Eury Agle passed away June 22, 2014, at the home of her son, Richard. She was 97 years old. Born October 19, 1916 in Gastonia (NC) to James Walter Eury and Lona Dee Douglas of Bessemer City (NC). She was reared in Bessemer City where she was active in the music program at Odell Methodist Church, serving as a choir member and pianist for many years. Before entering college, Margaret worked for the Gastonia Daily Gazette and the Charlotte Observer as a correspondent. Mrs. Agle attended Appalachian State Teachers College before leaving to raise her family of five. She later returned to earn a Bachelors Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in English. Later she taught for several years in the Adjunct Graduate Faculty of Reading at Appalachian State University. She finished her teaching career as an English Teacher at Watauga High School.

 

In 1938 Margaret married Robert (Bob) Agle. They had five children, all of whom survive: Mollie Kathryn Taylor of Lincolnton (NC); Robert Edward Agle, Jr. of Boone, (NC) James Heath Agle of Ft. Myers, FL; Richard Douglas Agle of Conway, SC and William Eury Agle of Charlotte (NC). Margaret is preceded in death by her husband Bob and her granddaughter, Kelly Jane Agle. Surviving are eleven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

 

Memorial services for Margaret Eury Agle will be conducted at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at Boone United Methodist Church with Rev. Jason Byassee officiating.

 

Memorials may be sent to Grandfather Home for Children, PO Box 98, Banner Elk, NC 28604. Online condolences may be shared at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Margaret's and Bob's ashes will join Kelly's atop Howards Knob (Boone, NC) in a private ceremony.

 

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory (Boone, NC) is serving the Agle family

Mrs. Daisy Adams' Obituary

    Daisy Austin Adams, aged 97, passed away on Sunday, June 8, 2014 at Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care. She was born on August 2, 1916 to Samuel Monroe and Minnie Payne Austin.
    "Mama Daisy" as she was affectionately known, was honored, respected and loved by all who knew her for her kindness and willingness to help others. One of her great passions was First Baptist Church of Boone where she served in many capacities, including serving as one of the first female deacons.
    She received both her B. A. and M. A. degrees from Appalachian State University. Her teaching career spanned thirty-two years, mostly in Watauga County. She was active in Alpha Kappa Gamma and was honored by induction into the Rhododendron Society. The Daisy Adams Scholarship was established in 2001 in the Reich College of Education to aid deserving local education majors.
    One of her favorite activities was playing golf where she had an opportunity to display her competitive spirit, the same spirit that carried her throughout her long life.
    "Mama Daisy" was active in community affairs, but her unwavering focus was on her family and their welfare.
    She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Alfred Thomas Adams. She is survived by three sons: Austin Adams of Charlotte, NC; Sam Monroe Adams and wife Jackie of Boone and Thomas Paul Adams and wife Mary of Boone, eight grandchildren; Mark Adams and wife Carolyn, Patrick and Mitchell Adams, Emily Adams and husband Josh Hinson, Cheryl Catoe and husband Rick, Art, Tommy and Sam Austin Adams, and six great grandchildren.
    In addition to her husband and her parents she was preceded in death by two sisters, Lula Henson and Ella Beshears, and three brothers, Collis, Lewis and Ned Austin.
    Funeral services for Daisy Austin Adams will be conducted Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the First Baptist Church. Officiating will be Rev. Roy Dobyns. Burial will follow at Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens. The family will receive friends Wednesday afternoon prior to the service from 1 o'clock until 3 o'clock at the church. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, Rise Up Campaign, 375 West King Street, Boone, NC 28607.
    Online condolences may be shared with the Adams family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.
    Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Adams family

The Red Pencil for the May 2014 Luncheon

The Red Pencil          

Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel

 

Vol.XV, No.5 May 2014____________________________________________ntn1066@hotmail.com___

 

 

 

May Meeting

 

           When:         Thursday, 15 May 2014   

           Where:       Deerfield Methodist Church

           How much:   $10, check payable to Watauga County NCRSP

                  What:        Annual presentation of scholarship

                              Memorial service

                              Induction of officers

                             

                             

                            

Please bring any food staples you wish, especially powdered milk, canned soups, and cereals.  Bring the aluminum tabs from soda cans, pet food cans, and soup cans to help a fund to purchase and train seeing-eye dogs.  If you can manage it, include a bag of cat or dog food for our four-legged friends at the Humane Society. AND bring a check explained later in the newsletter in the article titled “A Big Change Coming.”

 

If your caller has not contacted you by the 10th of May, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 or email her at margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net.  Please understand that an accurate accounting of our attendees is extremely important, since that is the number of people for whom George will cook.  Callers make every effort to reach all the names on their lists, but you can help by responding to your caller or by notifying Margaret.

 

In a practice we began several years ago, we will have meals for sale for $5 after our meeting if we have enough food to do so.  If you are having guests or eating alone for dinner or just love George’s wonderful food, place your order as you arrive or stay for a few moments after the meeting.

 

 

President’s Message

 

I was one proud dad when both of my daughters chose teaching as their career of choice. Like many of you, I didn't choose the profession for the money (I'm better at math than that) but because it was my passion.  I knew my girls and you and I could have found careers that would pay more, but we all know how important it is to spend our efforts doing something we truly love. Never did I imagine that our state would tolerate anything like the war on teachers that we are experiencing. I find myself ashamed to be encouraging them to find employment in Virginia.

At first, I hoped that this was just another ridiculous political phase that would run itself out in due course, but now I'm not so certain. It is becoming more evident that this was a carefully orchestrated attack motivated by something many of us did not see coming, and that something is greed.

Diane Ravitch, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education and author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System, makes very clear that the effort to privatize public schools is not part of  either a liberal or conservative agenda, stating, “...conservatives do not destroy democratic institutions. Conservatives don't try to limit local control of education. ...Privatization is a radical scheme. It is not a conservative scheme.”

I am not anti-business. I believe in free enterprise as much as the next person, but public schools are part of our democratic institution. Read the letters to the editor recently sent by David Phillips, a former Watauga teacher (and, I proudly add, my cousin). David has done a great deal of research and presented a most convincing case for the true reasons for this unprecedented attack on our schools.

No single demographic knows more about the true needs of education than the members of NCRSP. We may be retired, but we are still teachers. Our students are now the voters, our friends and neighbors who have been misled by those who would sacrifice the work of our careers for their own financial benefit. 

It's time for us to be heard - not for political reasons, but for the sake of the kids and, ultimately, for the sake of our society.

 

                                                                                                                                       Bill Winkler

 

 

 

 

RETIREMENT ALERT:

 

Every year some of our active colleagues become our retired colleagues and that’s when we’re pleased to encourage them to join us in NCRSP.  If you know of folks who are retiring this year, please give their names to Barbara or Roland Moy, 264-8811, or Dot Barker, 264-3621, for a formal invitation and then issue a personal invitation for them to come to our August breakfast with you.  Remember that their first meal with us is free.

 

The simple and best truth is that everyone in our organization is on the Membership Committee and we are the first line of recruitment.

 

  Important Bits and Pieces:

 

Our memorial service in May will honor three members of our chapter who have died this year, Agnes Shipley, Frank Randall, and Anne Van Noppen Millsaps.

 

Please remember to keep up with your volunteer hours.  At a time when our membership and our mission are being challenged by the state legislature, explaining the value of our contributions to the community is more important than ever.  Note that your report of volunteer hours is not due until December.

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: Because of Lera’s recent hospitalization, the Randall family is rescheduling the memorial service for Frank.  As soon as we have that information, we will let you know.

 

                                                                                                                              3

For your calendar:  As of right now, the 2014-2015 school year begins in Watauga County on Tuesday, August 19.  Mark your calendar now and plan to attend our annual breakfast meeting at 9A on that date.    All other meetings during the year will be on Thursday, as usual.

 

  All the schools in Watauga County will need more proctors than ever this spring for end-of-course tests.  If you can give three hours or so to a school near you in early June, please phone the school to see how you can help. 

A BIG CHANGE COMING: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

 

Beginning immediately, our NCRSP unit is going to be “Making Our Mark on Education Again.”

 

After much discussion and absolute agreement, your executive board has voted to shift one of our long-running emphases on providing assistance to the students in our county.

Starting now, we will no longer be coming to our August meeting with school supplies to distribute to schools through the county office.

 

        Instead, we will support the Back to School Festival,  held this year at Watauga High School, to provide supplies and equipment to individual students.

 

WHY? 

            We have been concerned for some time that supplies we donate to the schools through the county office have the potential to end up stashed in a supply closet somewhere.  With the Back to School Festival (explanation coming up), we can know for sure that supplies and materials are going directly into the hands of students who need them.

 

WHAT IS IT? 

            The Back to School Festival, which will be held at Watauga High School on Saturday, the 9^th of August, is a non-profit outgrowth of Quiet Givers* and serves registered and screened attendees with specifically what they need to succeed.  Students can receive school supplies, clothing, services, and sports equipment they surely would not have otherwise.  Last year, more than 525 children attended.

·        $46,000 in goods and services was provided to children

·        150 children received haircuts, and another 60 received gift certificates from stylists who wanted to participate but were unable to attend.

·        $800 in Goodwill gift cards went to families with multiple children who needed additional clothing.

·        Eleven girls joined the Girl Scouts because the Scouts waived all fees.

·        Over 350 backpacks containing school supplies were distributed.

·        Families were grateful and took only what they needed, being respectful that someone else in line was also needy.

·        Families lined up out the door for 2 hours before the festival began.

·        Families were treated with dignity and respect.

HOW CAN WE HELP? 

            This is the really important part.  Instead of bringing school supplies to our August meeting, we are asking that you do one of two things at our May meeting: write a check (to the Watauga Unit of NCRSP with “B2S” in the memo line) and/or bring a goodly supply of CRAYOLA markers (not any other brand). 

            We hope that you will write your check in roughly the same amount – or more – that you would spend on supplies if you were bringing them in August.  With the money in hand, sponsors of the Back to School Festival can purchase the supplies they need during the early August sales, and our meeting on the 19^th is much too late to be of any benefit to the Festival.

            And why Crayola markers and not another brand?  Because teachers tell us that they’re the only kind that really work, and buying anything else is honestly just wasting money – and because markers seem to be one of the things students use and need most.

 

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO? 

            The Festival survives and thrives on the participation of volunteers like us, people who care about education and about seeing students succeed. If you are willing to distribute posters or sit at an information table at the Mall or work with the registration committee or make signs, you are needed.  Please email Amber Bateman at quietgivers@gmail.com or phone her at 828.964-7233.

 

Festival organizers are expecting more than 1,000 students from all grades to be at WHS on the 9^th.

 

One of many stories:

“My husband passed away this year and I moved my children back to Boone because this is my home town.  We used all our money to get here and had no idea how we were going to afford supplies.  I don’t know what I would do without this help!”

                                                                                    A newly-widowed mother

 

Again, please write a check (Watauga Unit NCRSP with B2S on the memo line) in the amount – or more – that you usually spend on school supplies for our August meeting.  Bring that check to the May meeting.  Additionally or alternatively, bring a very large, honkingly large supply of Crayola markers to the May meeting.  Don’t worry: we’ll remind you again.  And again.  And probably again.

 

*Quiet Givers (quietgivers@gmail.com) is a local organization of community members who answer specific calls for assistance in our community.  If you would like more information about Quiet Givers and about the Back2School Festival, visit www.quietgivers.org.  You can also keep up-to-date on current information about the festival at http://www.back2schoolfestival.org/. 

 

 

 

A very clever teacher

 

Four teenagers played hooky one morning.  When they finally got to class that afternoon, they explained that they were late because their car had a flat tire. “I understand,”  the teacher said, much to the students’ relief, “but we had an oral test this morning which you boys will have to make up. Please have a seat and take out a pencil and a piece of paper.”

“Now for the first question.  Which tire was flat?”