Friday, December 8, 2006 - Sounds of Christmas come to Rotary December 8th

The Sounds of Christmas Come to Rotary

    Today, Rotarians welcome the Chorus Kids and the Voices of Union City Elementary School for their annual pre-Christmas visit and concert. These youngsters have been extremely busy in recent days, performing for the Community Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony and Chimes for Charity!  The Chorus Kids are made up second and third graders under the direction of Linda Harelson. They includeTripp Conley, Cooper Hurt, Austin Meadows, Abby Bruff, Jordan Fowler, Aundrea Meadows, Anna Oliver, Octavious VanDyke, Kaleb Dowell, Hunter Edwarrds, Olivaa James, Ana Laura Nieves, Hunter Brown, Sarah Schlager, Kate Terrell, Daniel Wohlfarth, Matthew Atwill, Lily Burcham, Jacob Villa, Ariana Warner, Audrey Adams, Matthew Herrell and Journee Smith. The Chorus Kids will perform such Holiday favorites as Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Must Be Santa, Winder Wonderland and Jingle Jive.
     The Voices of UCES are fourth and fifth graders under the direction of Nolin Cloyd. They will perform such favorites as O How Lovely is the Evening, Let it Snow, Everybody’s Going on a Sleigh Ride, A Song of Peace, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
     Members of The Voices of UCES include Marcus Deberry, Madalyn Hutspeth, Savannah Webb, Will Thralls, Ellis Critchlow, Mallory Speed, Malik Stockdale, Leandra Moore, Tyler Yanders, Karl Ulrich, Diana Sanchez, Madison McGowan, Darrell Huff, Chauncey Moses, Aly Parker, Raven Fair, Mary Ali Oliver, Thomas Beard, Kristian Davis, Jackson Bruff, Braedon Turner, Emily Houston, Davis Odle, Madison Johnson, Maddy Dotson, Jalen Ware, Essence Ware, Macy Earley, Ashley Faught, Garrow Miles, Jacob Last, John Alex Warner, Laura Reed Smith, Lanzer Haris, Ginny Taylor, Stone Beavers, Brianna Jones, Precious Ware, Avery Barnes, Sydne Kate Worley, Hailey Clendenin, Marley Speed, Julian Vial, Xavier Mackins, Kaleigh Bynum, Alexis Ryan, Briana Ziebart, Trad Long, Jackie Hudson, Chase Treece, Easton Davis, Brandi Eaton, Franecia Bishop, Elizabeth Gibson, Brianna Hammond, Rachel Fowler, and Brittany Parker. Thanks students for making our Christmas season a very happy one!

Tour at new OCCHS

     Next week, Rotarians will meet at the new Obion County Central High School in Troy for lunch and a tour of the new facility. Next week’s meeting was arranged by fellow Rotarian and Obion County School Board member Roger Williams.

     Remember that we will not meet Dec 22 or 29…so after next week’s visit to Troy, we’re off till January 5th, back here at the Hampton Centre.

Senator Herron Reports

     Last week, State Senator Roy Herron presenting a very interesting and sobering report on the region’s economic status and the future of jobs and the likelihood of our young people returning to our community after they finish with college to begin their professional careers.
     “I was going to talk about my new book, How Can A Christian Be in Politics?” Herron mused, “but I decided to change gears and talk about jobs, kids and the future.”
     Herron, who has two teenage sons and another who’s about to turn 13, said he, too, is starting to wonder whether his kids will have a future on the family farm near Dresden.
     “Our jobs are leaving and plants are closing.” Herron said. “Believe it or now, the largest employer in Dresden today is the E. W. James supermarket. It wasn’t too many years ago that we had factories producing boots, shirts, auto parts and magazines.”
     Senator Herron quoted figures concerning where the majority of sales tax collections end up, percentages of students who quality for free and reduced lunch programs, divorce and single-parent statistics and percentage of cases where newborns are born out of wedlock.  He noted that the number of male students in college continues to decline and spoke about the cocaine and meth addictions impact on our region’s crime statistics.
     ‘Sadly, our leading exports this day is age are our jobs and our young people,” Herron said.
     Herron ended his talk on a positive note, citing the likely impact the new Cates Landing Riverport will have on our economy along with I-69, the regionalization of Everett Stewart Airport, and other road improvement projects in the area, along with broadband connections, Pre-Kindergarten programs and additional Hope Scholarships.
     “We’ve got a Governor who knows were Northwest Tennessee is,” Herron said. “Congressman Tanner and Representative Pinion are in leadership positions in Washington and Nashville to help our region. When I look around this room, I get hopeful again. It’s amazing what this club has done with its Scholarship Program and other programs including the Reading Railroad and Promethean Projects.”
    

Coming Attractions

12/15    Tour of new OCCHS in Troy
12/22    No Meeting—Christmas
12/29    No Meeting—New Years’s
1/5        David Bayer—Chaplain at Graceland
1/12      Dr. Joey Mehlhorn—UTM Associate Professor of AgriBusiness will speak
             about Biofuels Conference coming to UTM Jan 30.

Happy Birthdays

12/11    Mike Dickerson
12/13    Bill Koupa

Happy Anniversaries

12/8      David and Teresa Johnson
12/12    Sam and Chris Sinclair

Return to Weekly Bulletin News Index page.