Community Blogs
Read blogs posts annistonstar.com Community Bloggers.
Behind The Star by Bob Davis
The Bitter End by Ben Cunningham
Chris on Tech by Chris Williams
The Church Lady by Jan Case
Clip2Save by Theresa Shadrix
Community Connections by Anna-Marie Moorer
Faith and Family by John Bagwell
Garden Goings On by Paula Barnett-Ellis and Sherry Blanton
Kaleidoscopic by Brian Robinson
Mileage by Mercy Pilkington
Munford Mixer by Jami Van Brocklin
Musings by Debra Parker Thomas
Prevention Works! by Julie Hope
Savory Servings by RaDonna Ridner-Thurman
Tri Talk by Brooke Nelson
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Blogs
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Recent Blog Posts
THE WINTER GARDEN by SherryBlantonJan 03, 2013 | 
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Someone said to me the other day that he guessed it was hard to make the garden inviting this time of the year. The winter garden does not have to be boring; it can be just as beautiful as the summer garden. Camellias, daffodils, mahonias, pansies, berries, bark, and even the form of bare branch... | 17 |
The Secret of Happiness by JohnBagwell
Dec 30, 2012 |
I once heard someone say, "I'd rather be happy than right." While I can't remember who said it or in what context, it stuck with me. I've seen too many arguments between people who were both equally convinced they were right and the other person was completely wrong. Even if one of them happ... | 40 |
There present also be a few changes in doings which should cogitate you few clues that your sawbuck is wretchedness from worms by nono125
Dec 26, 2012 |
Your horse testament orientate a beggary of flavour and instrument communicate to act groggy and laggard. You powerfulness also see it uptake a lot statesman than accustomed, because the worms communicate be successful departed all of the substance nutrients and it is disagreeable to equilibriz... | 9 |
These tables are mostly purchased by casinos and leisure clubs where superior billiards players arise regularly to delay in take with the courageous by nono125
Dec 25, 2012 |
This strategy can be enjoyed good and played good only when the tables are fashioned asymptomatic. This is one of the reasons why Bespoken billiards tables tops over the opposite tables usable. Though the mid range tables are premeditated easily too, they are not as perfect as the usance tables... | 10 |
Seragam Kerja Kantor Murah di Surewi by khoyung
Dec 25, 2012 |
Pada kesempatan ini saya akan memberikan sedikit informasi tentang Seragam Kerja Kantor Murah di Surewi dimana kamu bisa membuat seragam kerja kantoran yang sangat menarik dan keren-keren yaitu di Surewi Wardrobe di sini kamu bisa memesan seragam kerja jenis apa saja yang kamu inginkan m... | 9 |
Software ERP Indonesia by khoyung
Dec 24, 2012 |
PT.Global Bussnines Solution adalah Perusahaan berbasis teknologi yang didirikan pada tahun 1998 melakukan pengembangan Altius. apa itu Altius? Altius merupakan salah satu Software ERP Indonesia yang memiliki banyak Keunggulan pada Fitur-fiturnya. Sehingga Altius ini menjadi solusi ERP yang ... | 10 |
The Little Things by JohnBagwell
Dec 22, 2012 |
"Little things." These words have been used in such phrases as: "It's the little things that matter"; "Little things mean a lot." We've also heard that "It's the small details that matter"; and "There are no small/little jobs." While we understand the meaning behind these words beca... | 62 |
A TON of Bricks by JohnBagwell
Dec 16, 2012 |
I woke up Friday, still feeling worn out from a very long road trip that saw me crossing into six states outside of Alabama. I started my day like everyone else I suppose, but it was hectic and busy. A news alert crossed my phone. Something about a shooting. I swiped it away and continued w... | 23 |
CARE FOR HOLIDAY PLANTS by SherryBlanton
Dec 16, 2012 |
Holiday buying is in high gear as shoppers crowd the stores and malls. Many are carrying out wonderful plants–Christmas cactus, poinsettias, and amaryllis. Lucky recipients or the shoppers themselves will decorate with beautiful living plants. To keep these plants looking their prettiest over th... | 20 |
by boderah
Dec 14, 2012 |
12-12-12 there was a rally to support Reed Fulmer & the Stevens Johnson Syndrome. I learned this because it was on JSU's Channel 24. For some reason, it was not in the Star. Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) is thought to arise from a disorder of the immune system. The immune reaction can be trigg... | 14 | Follow Us
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Today's Events
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Tuesday, 18, 2013
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Pond Spring- The Gener... 3:50 PM
Oxford Farmers market 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Join us for the kick-off of Oxford's first...
Oxford Farmers market 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM Join us for the kick-off of Oxford's first...
Anniston Middle School
Editorial: The shattered world of Anniston Middle School
Jun 18, 2013 | 291 views | 
| 8 | | Anniston Middle School
Last month, after decades of debate, the Anniston Board of Education voted to close the school on Alabama 21 and move its students to other campuses as part of a system-wide reorganization and cost-cutting measure.
Last week, Superintendent Joan Frazier announced her retirement for June 2014, meaning someone else -- possibly from outside the system hierarchy -- will shepherd the system through the middle school’s closure.
And Tuesday, the state Board of Education included Anniston Middle on its list of “failing” schools that, as part of the Alabama Accountability Act, will allow parents zoned for AMS to receive tax credits if they transfer elsewhere.
For the Anniston Board of Education, the state board’s list of 78 “failing” schools represents two different headlines -- both significant. No other Anniston schools made the list. (For that matter, Anniston Middle was the only school in Calhoun County to be deemed “failing” by the state board.)
Anniston High School, whose dropout and graduation rates have long been serious civic concerns, and the system’s five elementary schools are free of both the stigma and the practicality of being considered “failing” institutions. We are glad that’s the case.
But the other headline didn’t bring a sigh of relief to a city desperate to use public education in its efforts to reinvent the city’s outlook on vital matters such as job creation, economic growth and crime reduction. A city without vibrant and well-supported public schools is a city that struggles to educate its children and sustain its future. A city without successful public schools is a city that faces stagnation and decline, not prosperity.
That is Anniston’s struggle today.
Our advice is to consider Anniston Middle School’s label as a “failing” school as part old news and part opportunity. Don’t overreact.
Instead, see Anniston Middle as what it is -- a school already destined for closure. That’s not a rationalization; it’s a fact. What’s important now is the system’s still-developing reorganization that, once completed, is expected to lessen the system’s fiscal concerns.
More important, still, is this community’s understanding that the education of the children within Anniston’s public schools must be a grade-A priority. It is not the priority solely of the city’s educators or its black community, whose children are overwhelmingly the majority of the city’s schools. It must be a priority for all who want Anniston to prosper.
Make no mistake: We are disappointed that the state considers Anniston Middle School a “failing” school. But we cannot lose focus on the larger, vital picture -- the reinvention of Anniston’s school system and the improvement of its public education. The ailments are well known. Repairing them with hard work and rational decisions is the key.
Fifteen-year-old Christel Trainer paints on the Dr. Francis museum. Photo: Anita Kilgore/The Jacksonville News
