SADD Club Seeks School Board Support for Anti Smoking Awareness Effort

November 15, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Although the Board of Education has policy restrictions passed down from the state on smoking and vaping at school campuses enforcement is often a challenge especially during after school events.

To better educate the public and to discourage smoking, members of the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD Club) at DeKalb Middle School in conjunction with representatives of the DeKalb County Health Department and DeKalb Prevention Coalition are asking that they be allowed to post anti-smoking signs at all schools.

Megan Kinslow of the health department and SADD sponsor, addressed the Board of Education during Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting.

She began by reading a letter to the board on behalf of the SADD Club.

“As a DeKalb County Health educator I have had the opportunity to partner with the DeKalb Middle School’s SADD Club on tobacco related topics. We would like to ask for your consideration to help increase awareness of the current tobacco campus policy by increasing signage at all schools and other school properties. We hope to decrease the amount of tobacco litter on school grounds. This includes after school events such as sports and extracurricular club activities and anything where adults would be present on our campuses,” said Kinslow

“As a baseline for your discussion the SADD Club students recently picked up cigarette butts for one hour after school at the middle school and high school and collected 87 cigarettes in just that one hour. To evaluate the added signage and decreases in the amount of tobacco litter, we will replicate that activity at the end of the 2019-20 academic year and compare results,” she said.

“Your policy says signs will be posted throughout the district’s facilities to notify students, employees, and visitors but when we recently went out to all the schools helping to administer flu vaccines the only school we saw that had a sign posted was at DeKalb West School,” Kinslow continued.

“My idea is to let our SADD Club members create signs which the health department would purchase and make them specific for each school with the school mascots in the hope that there would be fewer cigarette butts to pick up next time”.

“It takes seven years for one of these butts to disintegrate and they are all over your school ground properties.  We want to make sure our kids and others are not walking through smoke clouds, whether it be football games, baseball games, etc.”

“We also ask that you make sure your School Resource Officers are watching more closely and writing citations for violations.  We checked and learned that the problem is mostly at the high school.  Four citations have been written this year and about 20 to 25 were issued last year”.

Chairman Danny Parkerson and Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the principals would have to be consulted before the board grants the SADD Club request.

In his monthly report on personnel, Director Cripps said those employed since last month are Samantha Antoniak, teacher at DeKalb Middle School to replace Justin Nokes and Natasha Tindle, school psychologist to replace Jennifer Shores.

Cody Randolph was granted a leave as requested and Jennifer Shores resigned.

November 15, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The DCHS Tigers will be on a mission tonight to do what no other team before them has ever done in school history. Advance to the third round of the TSSAA football playoffs.

(Click link below to hear WJLE’s  Tiger Talk Program)

Tiger Talk November 15

After knocking off the Tullahoma Wildcats last week in the 1^st round of the playoffs in Smithville, the Tigers will hit the road tonight to Lewisburg to face the Marshall County Tigers.

DeKalb County enters the game at 7-4 while Marshall County is 9-2.

The Tigers concluded the regular season at 6-4 and runners-up in Region 3-4A at 3-1 while Marshall County finished 8-2 and entered the playoffs as the best team from Region 4-4A at 5-0.

“They are an athletic football team. I think the strength of their team is probably their defensive line. They have some quality guys there. I wouldn’t equate it to the same type of defensive line they had a couple of years ago but they have some guys who can get after it. They are athletic in the secondary and have athletic skill positions. They kind of have a power back, not much of a scat back or something like that so we want to make sure we don’t give him a clean look at any hole and make sure he has his feet stuttering. Our defense will really have to swarm to the football. They have a young quarterback but he seems to manage the game well and puts the football where it is supposed to be put. They have a solid football team but I feel we are also a solid football team so I think it will be a good night of football,” said Tiger Coach Steve Trapp.

This season DeKalb County has beaten Stone Memorial 33-0, Grundy County 49-12, Cannon County 41-10, Smith County 28-24, Macon County 26-13,  Cumberland County 41-6, and Tullahoma 45-34 and lost to Warren County 35-21, Upperman 35-0, Watertown 42-20, and Livingston Academy 31-0.

Marshall County has beaten Columbia Academy 41-7, Lincoln County 31-14, Tullahoma 30-6, Maplewood 35-20, Springfield 42-12, Lawrence County 48-3, Spring Hill 45- 13, Nolensville 30-14, and Stone Memorial 39-8

Kick-off will be tonight (Friday) at 7 p.m.

WJLE’s pre-game shows begin with “Coach to Coach” at 5 p.m. featuring former coaches Doug Matthews, Dave McGinnis, and broadcaster Larry Stone.

“Tiger Talk” begins at 6:30 p.m. featuring DCHS Coach Steve Trapp and Tiger Football Players David Bradford, Axel Aldino, and Desmond Nokes. John Pryor, the Voice of the Tigers, is the host of the program.

WJLE’s “LIVE” play by play coverage starts at 7 p.m. with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor and Luke Willoughby.

LISTEN LIVE ON WJLE AM 1480/ FM 101.7 and LIVE STREAMING at www.wjle.com.

November 14, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County High School is working to recognize students making strides on the ACT test.  As part of the TN Department of Education’s Tennessee Succeeds initiative, the state is working to increase the state average for student ACT scores to 21 by the year 2020.  The current ACT average at DCHS is 18.7.

A free ACT exam is offered to all juniors each spring and to all seniors in the fall during the school day. This year’s seniors just participated in the ACT retake on October 1 and current juniors will take the ACT at school on March 17.

Students must take the ACT or SAT test in order to be eligible for graduation. The ACT serves as a gateway to college and career readiness in Tennessee, determining students’ eligibility for the HOPE scholarship, requirements for postsecondary remedial or developmental coursework, and sometimes entry-level salary.

At DCHS, a 21+ Club has been created for students who have met this ACT readiness benchmark. This club currently contains 73 students. DCHS also has a 29+ club which includes 9 students who have scored a 29 or higher on their ACT. These students are recognized through displays at the school, press releases, recognition at athletic events, t-shirts, field trips, and luncheons.

If there are any local residents or businesses who would like to help sponsor these rewards, please contact Assistant Principal Jenny Norris. DCHS administrators and teachers are very proud of these students and wish to recognize their hard work.

21+ Club

Row 1: Meghan Brandt, Harper Wallace, Kenzie France, Madison Paladino, Mya Ruch, Caitlin Milligan, Alexis Gammons, Myla Dilligard

Row 2: Carly Vance, Hannah Willingham, Emme Colwell, Mary Maple, Elisabeth Saylors, Dylan Johnson

Row 3: Eli Cantrell, Daniel Puckett, Justin Washer, Katherine Malone, Rachel Rhody, Payton Bowman, Hannah McBride, Cody Antoniak

Row 4: Jadyn Dawson, Ben Snipes, Peyton Harris, Raiden Martin, Malia Stanley, Anna Chew, Kiersten Griffith, Holly Evans, TJ Mitchell

Row 5: Kayley Padilla, Mattalynn Mofield, Sophia Hoffman, Makenzie Ray, Justise Dawson

Row 6: Luke Jenkins, Garrett Hayes, Joseph Johnson, Ricky Pack, Hunter Robinson, Logan Speaks, Blake Barnes, Canaan Bain

Row 7: Noah Patterson, Jasper Kleparek, Jack Famulski, Bill Miller, Jake Ramsey, Ethan Cantrell, Isaac Knowles

Row 8: Brett Sexton, Dallas Cook, Isaac Cross, Alan Munoz, Noah Roberts, Gavin Williams

Not pictured: Connor Adcock, Briona Agee, Gabriel Angeles, Chloe Braswell, Molly Carrier, Tara Floyd, Lizzy Guinn, Victor Luna, Micaela Martin, Tanner Myers, Preston Ray, Daniel Rodefer, Allison Sanders, Alley Sykes, Megan Walker

29+ Club 

Front row: Harper Wallace, Anna Chew, Holly Evans, Meghan Brandt, Hannah McBride

Back row:  Carly Vance, Ricky Pack, Daniel Puckett, Kiersten Griffith

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