THUMBS DOWN: To the newly-hired Clayton County Schools Superintendent, John Thompson, for squandering $80,000 in system funds to reprint 3,000 high school diplomas because they did not bear his name. Though diplomas were ordered in December, six months before Thompson took his position as the head of the system, high school graduates received blank sheets of paper on their big day. Hired to pull the system out of the black hole of possible loss of accreditation, Thompson needs to focus his energy on things with greater value to the 52,800 students and community he vowed to serve.
THUMBS UP: To the city of Valdosta for unveiling their Transportation Management Plan and making every effort to solicit community opinion and involvement in the process. The $201 million plan, which has taken the efforts of all city departments and a professional consulting firm more than 12 months to design, addresses concerns and offer conceptual ideas for managing the flow of vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic around and through the city. This complex list of over 90 projects will need to be tailored to the needs of our city and citizens should continue to voice their constructive opinions. Whether or not citizens agree with every aspect of the plan as presented for the first time Tuesday, having such a plan puts the city of Valdosta ahead of the curve as the cities of Atlanta and Tallahassee are in the beginning stages of developing their first traffic management plans.
THUMBS UP: To 17-year-old John Ellis who has undertaken a huge challenge in order to raise money and awareness for a disease he was diagnosed with nearly two years ago. At 16, Ellis learned that he had an infection in his liver and was later diagnosed with Hepatitis B. Shortly after the diagnosis, the journey he is now on began to develop. Ellis and his friend Jamaal Warren started Monday riding their bikes on a journey that will take them 1,100 miles from their home town of Pensacola, Fla. to Philladelphia. The 2008 Believe in the Cure Cycling Tour has already raised $6,000 for the Hepatitis B Foundation. Instead of being discouraged by his diagnosis, Ellis turned the news into an opportunity to raise awareness about the seriousness of Hepatitis B and to share a message of hope. For more information, or to donate to the cause visit www.hepb.org.
