OPINION: HELP KEEP OUR AREA CLEAN. PAGE 4
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May 11, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 93 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
SPORTS, PAGE 10 Former Wildcat breaks two state records.
Sassano’s teacher of the year run made city proud By MITCH SNEED Editor Benjamin Russell Science teacher Emily Sassano’s bid to be the 2017-18 Alabama Teacher of the Year came up a little short Wednesday night in Montgomery. Chasity Collier of Dawes Intermediate School in the Mobile County School System was named Teacher of the Year. The announcement came at a ceremony hosted by the Alabama State Board of Education and the Alabama State Department of Education at the RSA Plaza Terrace. The Alternate Teacher of the Year was Paul
McEwan of Hoover High School. The news ended and incredible run that brought statewide recognition to Sassano, a teacher who has won the hearts of students and parents for almost two decades at Benjamin Russell. “While she didn’t win we are still very proud of Emily,” said Alexander City Schools Superintendent Dr. Darrell Cooper. “She has represented the school, the system and all of Alexander City very well through this process.” Sassano, who is a strong advocate for student differentiated instruction, teaches AP Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology at Benjamin Russell. She
has been teaching at the school since 1997. Along with Collier, McEwan and Sassano, Charlotte D. Hartley of Montana Street Magnet School in the Dothan City School System was also one of the final four. To get to this level Sassano won at the school, system and district level and then was chosen from 16 semifinalists. Alabama’s Teacher of the Year spends the majority of the school year serving as the spokesperson for education and the teaching profession as well as presenting workshops to various groups. Additionally, Alabama’s representative is a candidate Sassano for the National Teacher of the Year Award.
Dadevile Council gets road update
Postal Carriers set to ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ Residents encouraged to leave food items at mailbox Saturday
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Saturday will be a busy day for the area’s letter carriers. In addition to picking up and delivering the mail, the 18 carriers out of the Alexander City Post Office will also be collecting food for the needy as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ 25th annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive. So on May 13, postal officials hope the community will deliver in a big way. “This is something that all of our carriers love to do,” said Alexander City Postmaster Susan Alexander. “It is extra work, but to know that the food they collect stays right here in out community, that means a lot to them.” This year there have been no bags that are distributed to residents for food to be placed in, but Alexander city that residents can use any type of bag to place food in. Non-perishable food items including cereal, pasta, pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meals (such as soups, chili and pasta), 100 percent juice, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, canned protein (tuna, chicken and turkey) and beans (canned or dry) will be collected. Food collected on the Alexander City routes will go to the Salvation Army and See FOOD • Page 3
Donald Campbell / The Outlook
A group of second-grade students at Jim Pearson Elementary School get some hands-on experience with some specimens of Alabama Gulf Coast life.
UNDERWATER VIEW Dauphin Island Sea Lab gives JPES students a Gulf snapshot By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
The students of Jim Pearson Elementary School had the chance to get up close and personal with some of the marine life that calls Alabama’s Gulf Coast home. Jenny Cook, a marine educator at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab visited the school to teach the children about these creatures
and what impact we can have on them. Her visit was part of the BayMobile program which, according to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab website, is to “spread awareness and understanding about our coastal environments, and no matter how far from the coast, we are all connected to it.” “Through this outreach program, we visit See SEA LAB • Page 3
The Dadeville City Council announced that the A-Trip/Lafayette Street paving project was nearing completion during Tuesday night’s meeting. “It should be through within the next three weeks,” Mayor Wayne Smith said. “The paving should be completed next week, and then about two weeks for cleaning up.” Though some might have felt this work was a nuisance to deal with, the council reiterated how having a nicer, smoother road was worth any inconvenience. The other major city project of getting water piping installed on Highway 49 North was reported to be tying up some loose ends so that it could continue moving forward. The following items were also discussed during the meeting: Motions to approve the See ROAD • Page 3
Tallapoosa County special needs students attend their own prom By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
For high school juniors and seniors, few things seem as big or important during the school year as prom. A time where they can enjoy getting dressed up and spending time dancing to music on a highly decorated dance floor, prom night is one of the most anticipated events on the spring calendar. Special needs students from Tallapoosa County schools got to enjoy their own prom on Tuesday at the Dadeville Rec Center. For an event as important as this, it was amazingly planned and executed by only a small group of people. “I was looking at prom photos on Facebook,” said Terresa Gaither, parent to a special needs student. Seeing these images got her thinking about wanting to have a special needs prom, giving them the chance to
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experience what a regular student does. “We met at the end of April and had several meetings about this. We selected the Hawaiian theme, and it all just came together,” said Tammy Templeton, the lead nurse for Tallapoosa County schools. “We had a lot of help.” “County commissioners Emma Jean Thweatt and George Carlton gave us the money we needed to have this event,” Tallapoosa County Special Needs Coordinator Lisa Heard said. Most of the students attending were from Dadeville, but there were some attendees from Reeltown and Horseshoe Bend as well. “We decided to have it during the school day because we felt it would be easier for everyone,” Gaither said. The scene inside the rec center was exciting. With a Hawaiian luau theme,
54708 90050
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Aubie makes an appearance at the special needs prom in Dadeville Tuesday as the community gathSee PROM • Page 5 ered to give the students their own Hawaiian-themed luau.
Lake Martin
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