Students are proud of their accomplishments

I recently had an enlightening experience as a teaching volunteer with Communities in Schools. Ms. Ashley Holshouser’s fifth-grade classroom at North Rowan Elementary School had become a visual aquatic ecosystem. As I entered her classroom to pick up my tutee, a student came up to me, extended her hand and said “How do you do, thank you for coming to our exhibit.”

The classroom was composed of nine stations, eight of them extending from floor to ceiling. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was replicated with wetlands, open ocean, coral reef, deep ocean, lake, ponds, river/streams and the seashore. Each area had fish, sea animals and vegetation that was indicative of the area. Students stood at the station they had developed and if a viewer had a question they could not answer, they looked it up on their I pad. The students were expecting other classes to come in, see their handiwork, and teach them about the ecosystem.

The manners that were being taught in this classroom were evident as I heard and saw many kind words and polite acts. It was evident that the students were proud of their accomplishment, as their self-confidence and pride was a joy to observe. It was a happy and satisfying experience for me as an educator and a delight to the students who were so proud of their accomplishment.

— Char Molrine

Salisbury

Apology not enough

The writer is referring to a story in Tuesday’s paper, “Chairman Edds apologizes for lynching joke.”

With regard to Mr. Edds’ recent statements, I do not believe that a simple apology suffices.

Greg Edds represents the GOP in Rowan County, and as such should be held to a much higher regard than the average citizen. His comments were mean-spirited and are no doubt reflective more of his character than as a simple slip of the tongue.

Regardless of any lack in malevolent intent, this sort of language has no place in Rowan County, and I am not alone in suggesting that Mr. Edds step down from his role as board chairman. His so-called apology pivoted more toward criticizing political correctness as being rampant than in truly acknowledging any regret. Sure, some people are too uptight these days. But that does not make you the victim when you liken a crowd of people in the South to a lynch mob.

— Kirk Kovach

Rockwell