Many improvements at Knox Middle
Talk about an extreme makeover! As the legal guardian of a Knox Middle School student, I would like to commend the administration, faculty, and staff for the improvement made at Knox.
I heard that more improvements are coming. They were a long time coming. As I walked around the school last week, I noticed how orderly the students moved around the campus, and it seems as if the level of expectation has been lifted. As I walked down the halls, I could hear the teachers teaching, and as I looked through classroom windows, the students were engaged. My child’s teachers have been in contact with me about my child’s progress. They have called at both good and bad times. It also seems as if the students and teachers are being held more accountable.
I want to encourage the present administration, faculty, and staff. They have a tough job, but they are equipped for the challenge. I will support them as much as I can. I believe academics, athletics, and behavior will be improved tremendously at Knox. The PTA and the Boosters are really doing their thing.
ó Melissa Wright
Salisbury
Support Obama
In response to Donald Schumacher’s Sept. 18 letter to the editor, I would like to say:
If you want to be in the poor house for the rest of your life and eventually pay $10 a gallon for gas, go ahead, vote for McCain. Our economy is in the worse shape since the Great Depression. Our grandchildren will never pay for the war in Iraq. They used weapons of mass destruction to sell the war to the American people. By the way, where is Osama Bin Laden? He took responsibility for 9/11.
People, wake up and smell the coffee. Vote for Barack Obama.
ó Cynthia Hanes
Kannapolis
Unfair tactic
In response to the Sept. 20 article “Officials boot vendor for low prices at fair”:
So many changes have been made this year at the county fair, they should change the name from Rowan County Fair to Rowan County “Unfair.”
Johnny Love, you won’t be getting any of my money this year. You should be ashamed of what you did to Rhonda Stirewalt.You should at least return her set-up fee or donate it to the church you ripped off. I’m the Eagles Club president at Erwin Middle School, and we sell Rhonda’s cotton candy to students for $2. We are having a fundraising event, so any of your readers who like Rhonda’s cotton candy can contact the Erwin Eagles Club for your fair-priced, delicious cotton candy.
Also, I would like to add that in the past, the baking contest had to have their entries placed at the fair on Monday to be judged on Tuesday. This year, the items had to be there on Saturday to be judged. How was all that four-day-old stale bread and cake, judges?
ó Mike Sides
Rockwell
Too much greed
Two years ago, I was a student of Rhonda Stirewalt, and I know that she is nothing but a good-hearted person. I honestly believe that the fair officials were behaving improperly. The vendor officials kept coming up to Rhonda’s booth hassling her about her prices and being unfair to her. It is not hard to talk to someone without behaving in a bad way. If they had a problem with Rhonda’s prices, then they should have been more specific in the contract that they made sure she signed.
I don’t even go to the Rowan County Fair because you have to pay to get in and you have to pay outrageous prices for food and rides. Rhonda Stirewalt is the nicest person I have ever met, and she is just being nice by not taking away everyone’s money just to help benefit herself. These vendor officials are taking that away from her. Just because they are money hungry shouldn’t mean that she should have to change her morals as a human to fit their requirements.
I don’t think that Rhonda Stirewalt’s prices were too low; if all vendors were that low, I would go to the fair more often. Johnny Love says in the article that he wants to make everyone happy, but if that were true, he wouldn’t have acted the way he did toward Rhonda. She isn’t the bad guy here. Rhonda Stirewalt is standing up for what she believes is right. I don’t understand what’s so wrong with her trying to be nice.
I know that no one is going to take me seriously about this because I am only 15, but I strongly believe that Rhonda Stirewalt has done nothing wrong here, and she shouldn’t be punished for it.
ó Hayley Kirschner
Salisbury
Where’s the threat?
If you are middle aged, as we are, you may remember when priorities, principles and values were meaningful words. For the most part, they have been replaced by greed, intimidation and and more greed.
Were the vendors of the larger concession stands at the Rowan County Fair really intimidated by the small concession stand set up by Rhonda Stirewalt to raise money for the youth of Immanuel Lutheran Church? Were the prices of the three items ó cotton candy, tea and lemonade, which were priced to be affordable to families ó really such a threat to the larger concession stand vendors, which had many more food items on their menu?
We feel it was Ms. Stirewalt who was the subject of intimidation, and the very fact that she stood up for her priorities. principles and values, even though it meant eviction, definitely shows who is the bigger and better person. We are proud of you, Rhonda!
ó Brenda Coleman and James Trexler
Rockwell