- Week of January 15, 2007

King Holiday

Richland One students and staff will join other Americans in observing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, January 15. District schools and administrative offices will be closed. Regular school and work schedules will resume on Tuesday, January 16.

Also on Monday, Richland One Superintendent Allen Coles will be among the speakers for the City of Columbia’s annual King Day celebration. The program will begin at 4 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Park and Community Center in Five Points. The Keenan Singers of W.J. Keenan High and the Columbia High Band will perform during the program.

Budding mechanics

More than 30 students in the auto collision and body repair program at Richland One’s Heyward Career and Technology Center will put their skills to the test during a special competition this week.

The students, who come from the district’s seven high schools, will be given a written exam and they will have to demonstrate their skills in the areas of metal working, dent repair, priming, painting and refinishing. Judges will include school business partners, body shop owners, advisory committee members and college representatives. The students will vie for the opportunity to represent Heyward at the state level.

This competition isn’t for males only. The field of 32 competitors will include five female students. The competitions will be held from 8:30-10:50 a.m. and from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17 and Thursday, January 18. Finals will be held from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Friday, January 19. The competition will wrap up with an awards ceremony at 1:30.

School cooking club

Crayton Middle School PE teacher Chris Lyons has found a unique way to teach students about the importance of good health. Lyons has started a cooking club through which he shows boys and girls how to buy groceries, make healthy choices, etc. The club’s activities are tied in with the various components of the school’s Middle Years International Baccalaureate Program, which include community service.

The cooking club meets every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. The students whip up a recipe and then sample their cuisine at the end. A few times during the year, club members prepare food to donate to the needy.

Internet safety

The Raider Parent Think Tank at W.J. Keenan High School wants to give parents the information they need to help keep their children safe on the Internet. Law enforcement officers and other experts will discuss Internet safety during a workshop at 3 p.m. Sunday, January 21 at the Keenan Theatre on Pine Belt Road.

Media with inquiries about Tip Sheet items are asked to call Edith Caudle in the Office of Communications at 231-7504.