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Volume 83 • Issue 47
News from a neighbor!
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• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Stanley Middle teacher named Gaston Outstanding Educator 2017 By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
“This is wonderful!” “I thought it would never happen!” “I love Stanley Middle School!” Those are just a few of the exhortations that Stanley Middle School teacher John Stone expressed after being named Gaston County Schools 2017 Outstanding Educator and being presented with the keys for a new car from KIA of Gastonia. Stone teaches language arts, serves as the AIG (academically and intellectually gifted) chairperson, and coaches the robotics team at Stanley Middle. The Outstanding Educator event took place last Thursday at Stuart Cramer High. Hundreds of Gaston County Schools employees, family, and friends filled the auditorium there to cheer on their favorite from the 55 nominees- one from each school in the county. Nominees ran the gamut and included teachers, custodians, office staff, cafeteria staff, and more. Gaston Schools superintendent Jeff Booker welcomed the throng and declared the event the fourth most exciting day of the school year trailing only the start of school, the See EDUCATORS page 3
Stanley Middle School teacher and Gaston County Outstanding Educator 2017 John Stone is seen with his new KIA, Gaston Schools communications chief Todd Hagans, and KIA of Gastonia’s Ken Meyers and Reuben Jones. Photo by Alan Hodge
Mt. Holly Community Garden set to rock the holidays
By Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews@gmnail.com
The combination of cabbages, kale, onions and other cool season crops combined with Christmas decorations might sound unusual, but the Mt. Holly Community Garden will pull this mix off again this year with its 3rd annual Enchantment at the Garden event. The festivities will have each of the garden's 54 beds festooned with holiday decorations skillfully and artfully incorporated into the vegetables and herbs flourishing there. The action will take place Dec. 8 from 5pm-9pm. The garden is located in downtown Mt. Holly next to First United Methodist Church. “The event has been called the 'McAdenville of Gardens' because of all the wonderful decora-
November 22, 1963- 54 years ago- was the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. For folks who were alive then, it was a time they will never forget. Here are some recollections from local people who lived through one of the most tragic events in American history. Several Mt. Holly Sole Patrol senior citizens group members had vivid memories of Kennedy's killing. Robert Buff was 20-years-old in 1963. “I was working at PPG in Shelby and a coworker told me Kennedy had been shot,” Buff said. “I thought he was joking but he said no he was serious. A year later I was in the Air Force and on a train going through Dallas and me and a buddy got off at the station and walked eight or ten blocks to the plaza to see where Kennedy was shot.” David Hostetler was 30-years-old at the time. “I was working in the research lab at Reichold Chemicals,” Hostetler said. “The owners were Catholics and said that when they
See GARDEN page 2
See KENNEDY page 4
By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Mt. Holly Community Garden VP Erin Denison was seen harvesting some goodies from her plot last week. Photo by Alan Hodge
Local folks recall the assassination of President Kennedy
Santa’s Choice Santa says, “Save time, save gas and save money with seasonal savings on great gifts and holiday merchandise from your friendly local merchants!”
Christmas Gift Guide
See Page 20