The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District invites the public to a workshop for the Center Hill Lake Master Plan revision from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at the DeKalb County Community Complex in Smithville, Tenn. The open house is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 24, 2018 at the Center Hill Lake Resource Manager’s Office in Lancaster, Tenn.

The purpose of this workshop and Open House is to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposed improvements to the current 1984 Master Plan. An associated draft Environmental Assessment (EA) will also be available for review and comment and have a concurrent public comment period.

Resource Manager Kevin Salvilla said that this gives the public an opportunity to review the elements that make up the master plan and provide comments. There will be no formal presentation so the interested parties can stop by any time between 6 to 8 p.m. at the workshop or any time between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Open House..

A link to the draft copy of the Master Plan can be viewed prior to the public events by visiting https://cdm16021.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll7/id/67… and will also be available for review at the workshop and Open House.

You may also request a copy of the documents by emailing a request to CenterHillLake@usace.army.mil. Written comments and requests will be accepted at the workshop, Open House, emailed to CenterHillLake@usace.army.mil or mailed to the Center Hill Lake Resource Manager’s Office at 158 Resource Lane, Lancaster, TN 38569. All comments and requests must be received by the Resource Manager’s Office no later than Friday, June 22, 2018 to be considered.

The DeKalb County Community Complex is located at 712 South Congress Blvd, Smithville, TN 37166 and the Center Hill Lake Resource Manager’s Office is located at 158 Resource Lane, Lancaster, TN 38569.

For any questions pertaining to the public workshop or the Master Plan Revision, please call the Center Hill Lake Resource Manager’s Office at 931-858-3125.

To read more on the dam safety project, visit the Nashville District webpage at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Current-Projects/Construction/Cen…. The public can also obtain news, updates and information about Center Hill Lake on the lake’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Locations/Lakes/Center-Hill-Lake, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/centerhilllake/.

For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, visit the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.

WJLE and participating sponsors are presenting a photo gallery of the DCHS Class of 2018 in April and May. You may now view it at www.wjle.com.

Graduation is set for Friday, May 18 on the DCHS football field.

Click on the link below to view the senior formals.

Graduation Photo Gallery

Once you open the page, click each photo to view a larger image. The name of the senior you select is at the bottom of the photo. Or you may move your mouse over the photo to view the name.

There are 171 photos in the gallery divided up 30 photos to a page. Notice the box to the left in the photo gallery. After you view page 1 be sure to click the links for pages 2-6 to view the remaining photos. The names of seniors not pictured are also listed inside the box.

The WJLE photo gallery page was sponsored in April by Sheriff Patrick Ray, County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss, Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack, County Mayor Tim Stribling, St Thomas DeKalb Hospital, DTC Communications, Gill Automotive LLC, DeKalb Funeral Chapel, Register of Deeds Jeff McMillen, Road Supervisor Butch Agee, Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, and Alexandria Auto Parts.

Sponsors in May are Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell, A Degree Above Heating and Cooling, Good Health Family Clinic, and Trustee Sean Driver, in addition to Sheriff Ray, County Mayor Stribling, St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital, Gill Automotive, DeKalb Funeral Chapel, and DTC Communications,

The DeKalb County School System is being awarded $488,551 from the Tennessee Department of Education to fund five voluntary Pre-K classes to serve up to 100 students for another year.

“We are excited to receive this news”, said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps. “With the funding, the school system will continue to offer four Pre-K classes at Smithville Elementary and one class at DeKalb West School,” he said.

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced this week that 18,320 students in 916 classrooms across the state will benefit from the Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program in the 2018-19 school year. Nearly 95 percent of districts in Tennessee will receive VPK funding designed to serve 4-year-olds who are at-risk and those in high-priority communities.

In an effort to ensure the program provides children with a high-quality opportunity to develop school readiness skills and a strong foundation for learning, the application process was revised in 2017 to align with the department’s definition of excellence in Pre-K. Pursuant to the requirements outlined in the Pre-K Quality Act of 2016, VPK funding was awarded on a competitive basis in order to provide consistently high-quality VPK programs that prioritize serving students from low-income families.

“It is important that we set our students up for academic success from day one with high-quality early learning opportunities, especially for those students with the greatest need,” Commissioner McQueen said. “By supporting 95 percent of our districts with excellent Voluntary Pre-K classrooms, we will allow more students in Tennessee the opportunity to build a strong foundation from which they can jump-start their academic journeys.”

To ensure VPK funds are used to maximize and increase student outcomes, the funding is based on program quality standards, including:

•full enrollment in programs serving the highest-need students;

•use of a quality curriculum aligned to the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards for 4-year-olds;

•consistent, positive and responsive student-teacher interactions;

•instruction that reflects an integration of standards and builds deep content knowledge.

•use of student outcome data to improve instruction;

•frequent classroom observations with job-embedded support for pre-K teachers; and

•family outreach to maximize enrollment and support at-home learning.

The department believes it is important to give districts the support and training necessary to improve the quality of VPK programs. In the coming weeks, all districts that applied for VPK funding will receive district-specific, narrative feedback on each section of their application, as well as targeted supports based on areas of growth noted on the application.

The competitive application process is one of many targeted updates the department is undertaking to ensure VPK funding is utilized to support high-quality pre-K programs across the state. As the department continues to make pre-K program quality improvements, we will continue to partner with districts across the state to measure program quality and to provide strategic professional development and support.