Marshall County Post

6A —Marshall County Post, Thursday, April 25, 2024 200 people fi lled the large meeting room. Gail Cook, Marshall County Ju- nior’s House Board Presi- dent, welcomed everyone and introduced CASA Vol- unteer Christopher Hen- don. Hendon, a 25-year FBI Special Agent, became a CASA Volunteer a little more than a year ago. Hen- don said he became a vol- unteer because “if not me, then who?” He went on to say, “I was teaching a hos- tage negotiation class to 30 o ffi cers last week and I said, ‘you’ve heard the say- ing you’ve got two ears and one mouth for a rea- son.’ but it’s so easy for us to do the exact opposite. It’s all about listening and trying to establish trust with that child because they’re not going to be honest with you if they don’t trust you.” Junior’s House Found- er Joyce McConnell was the main speaker for the event. She is currently the Lincoln County Sher- i ff but she was there to tell about the story of Junior. McConnell encountered Junior 20 years ago. It was a call unlike any other she said. One man on the scene could not process the scene because he had a boy about Junior’s age. McConnell jumped into action and was awake for more than 24 hours. The trauma was long- lasting but eventually, she came up with a way to deal with it. She knew that police stations, hospitals, and in-home visits were intimidating for children who su ff ered abuse. Ju- nior’s House, Inc. was the solution. About CASA CourtAppointedSpecial Advocates (CASA) Volun- teers with Junior’s House are trained citizens who are appointed by a judge to ad- vocate for the best interests of an abused or neglected child in court. One might say that CASA volunteers are nothing short of every- day heroes. ACASAVolunteer com- pletes a minimum of 30 hours of initial training, carries only one case at a time, and spends an aver- age of 10-15 hours a month on their case. Each CASA Volunteer initially works in a pair and does not make family visits aloneuntil they are comfortable. As part of the training, volunteers also observe a court proceed- ing or a foster care review board meeting. Each CASA Volunteer completes a minimumof 12 hours of in- service training each year following the fi rst year of service. About Junior’s House, Inc. Detective Joyce Mc- Connell was called out to a horri fi c scene in July 1996. When she arrived, she found the lifeless body of six-year-old Junior, discarded on the hood of a car covered in blood, urine, feces, and fl ies. He had died in his sleep after a beatingbyhis father. Junior walked in front of his father too many times while he was playing a video game. He never had the chance to growupandexperience life. McConnell envisioned hav- ing a place where children could go and have all the things Junior never had – a safe place where they could disclose their abuse, a place to start healing. Junior’s House and CASA: The mission of Ju- nior’s House is to provide services for child abuse vic- tims and their families in a centralized, child-friendly location and provide child abuse awareness and pre- vention programs. Ju- nior’s House also trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children to help ensure a swift and sensitive jour- ney through the court sys- tem. CASA believes that every child needs and de- serves a safe, permanent, loving home. Becoming a CASA Volunteer allows you to positively a ff ect the trajec- tory of the lives of the chil- dren that Junior’s House serves. Being a volun- teer can have lifelong posi- tivee ff ectsonthechildren in your community. According toKids Count 2020, there were 67,158 re- ported cases of child abuse and neglect in Tennessee. An average of four children die every day because of child abuse or neglect. One in 10 children will be sexu- ally abused before they turn 18. To learn more, email casasupervisor@ juniorshousecac.org or call 931-438-3233 or go to www.juniorshousecac. org. To report suspected child abuse call 1-877-237- 0004. Monetary donations can be made at their web- site or youmaymail themto 704 W. Maple St. Fayette- ville, TN37334. Top Ten athletes, leaders, and young men and women who are going to excel after high school and be the leaders of tomorrow in their community. We cannot wait to see all of the great things this fi ne group will do next! “ “Class of 2024: Con- gratulations to the Class of 2024! We are proud of the hard work and ac- complishments of this class. It is always won- derful to see students not only achieve this mile- stone but also take the knowledge, skills, and hard work over the last 13 years and apply those to their future. I am very fortunate to have gotten to be your principal for your fi nal three years. Best of luck in all that you do!” To graduate with State Honors the student must meet ACT bench- marks; make an 18 in English; a 22 in math and reading; a 23 in science. To graduate with State Distinction, the student must have a B average and meet one of the following crite- ria: Summa Cum Laude, GPA-Weighted GPA 4.25 and more. Magna Cum Laude, GPA – Weighted GPA 4.000-4.2499. Cum Laude, GPA –Weighted GPA 3.75 – 3.9999. Teneal Alexander is the daughter of Tosha LaShea Ewing and Tory LeAllen Alexander. She plans to attend Vander- bilt University in the fall and major in biochem- istry. Teneal received the Girls State Supreme Court Justice award, is a State/Act Honor gradu- ate, Top 10%, and will graduate summa cum laude. Kamaria Johnson is the MCHS Class of 2024 Valedictorian. She is the daughter of Sheena O’Neal and Marvin John- son. She will graduate summa cum laude with State/ACT Honors, Top 10%; National Spanish exam bronze medalist; National Award for PSAT (The Preliminary Scho- lastic Aptitude Test); Rotary Student of the Month; WJJM Student of the Week; voted most intellectual in her senior class. Kamaria plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanoo- ga to receive a Bachelor of Science in nursing de- gree. Kamea Johnson is the MCHS Class of 2024 Sa- lutatorian. Her parents are Sheena O’Neal and Marvin Johnson. Kamea plans to attend the Uni- versity of Tennessee at Chattanooga and major in pre-physical therapy. She will graduate summa cum laude, Top 10%, re- ceived the Upperclass- man Award for biology, criminal justice 2, and pre-calculus; received a bronze metal for the National Spanish exam; Rotary Student of the Month and WJJM Stu- dent of the Week. Araya Green is the daughter of Trey Green and Andra Jones. She will graduate with State/ ACT Honors and State Distinction, top 10% and summa cum laude. She was Rotary Student of the Month, Josten’s National Student of the Month, and Ms. MCHS. Araya received the Up- perclassmen Award for Spanish II, choir and AP Language. She holds a black, blue, and red Re- naissance card and is a member of the Middle Tennessee State Choir. Araya plans to attend Middle Tennessee State University and major in communications. David Eastep is the son of Scott and Marlena Eastep. He will graduate with State/ACT Honors, Top 10%, and summa cum laude. His plans are to attend Columbia State Community College in the fall. Wyatt Joyce is the son of Nikki and Phil- lip Joyce. He plans to attend the US Air Force Academy to play Division 1 football and major in mechanical engineering to pursue a career as a machinist and engineer. Wyatt will graduate with State/ACT Honors, State Distinction, Top 10%, and summa cum laude. He received awards for All-State and All-Region Football. Skylee Sonnier plans to major in pre-med biol- ogy, followed by medical school to obtain her doc- torate. Her sister, Ashlee Endsley and brother-in- law, Timothy Endsley, are her guardians. Sky- lee will graduate with State Honors, State Dis- tinction, Top 10%, and summa cum laude. She received the DAR Good Citizenship Award, Scho- lastic 2D Art and Writ- ing Gold Key, the title of Rylatarian, Honorable Mention for the Nation- al Spanish Honors exam and the VFWVeteran es- say, and was Girls State alternate. She ranked fi rst in the state and fourth in the region in HOSA Skills USA medi- cal terminology and cho- sen MCHS Best Person- ality. Diya Patel is the son of Raj Patel and Sangita Patel. Diya plans to ma- jor in technology/busi- ness. He will graduate with State Distinction, Top 10% and summa cum laude. Kendric Hernandez plans to attend the Uni- versity of Tennessee at Knoxville and major in psychology. His parents are Wendy and Jose Hernandez. Kendric re- ceived National Hispanic Recognition and Na- tional Rural and Small Town Recognition, will graduate with State Dis- tinction, is a State/ACT Honor Grad, Top 10%, and will graduate summa cum laude. Henry Pearson is the son of Scott and Jennifer Pearson. He will graduate with State Distinction, State/ACT Honor Grad, Top 10%, and summa cum laude. Henry placed third in the University of Tennessee Southern calculus competition. He was chosen best actor in a featured role in 2022 and best actor in a major supporting role in 2023 at Stagedoor Manor, a performing arts train- ing center in New York. Henry plans to attend Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, with a focus on theater. 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As a result of these ongoing challenges, ex- perienced paramedics and EMTs are consider- ing leaving our service for opportunities elsewhere. It is hard to make the decision to stay , at a ser- vice and work 800 hours more a year to make the same money when we can go 15 miles away and do the same job and have more time to physically and mentally recover be- tween shifts. This exo- dus not only exacerbates our sta ffi ng shortages but also puts our community at risk of not having ade- quate emergency medical response when needed most. Nobody cares or even thinks about an am- bulance service until they or their family member needs them, I just hope when that need occurs, we are available to an- swer the call. I implore the City Council to use its in fl u- ence and voice to advo- cate for the needs of Mar- shall County EMS with the County government. Our community’s safety and well-being depend on having a reliable and adequately sta ff ed EMS service. By addressing the concerns raised re- garding scheduling and sta ffi ng, we can ensure that our EMS personnel are able to continue pro- viding the highest level of care to our citizens. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I urge you to take action swiftly before the situation escalates fur- ther. The citizens you work for, are relying on you. Sincerely, A Very Concerned Citizen U pon further questioning, Brad- ford con fi rmed that the person who wrote the email wished to remain anonymous. Bradford forwarded “Faith Walker” The Marshall County Post Sta ff Writer’s email address. The same “Faith Walker” gmail account that was used to send the email above to Lew- isburg city o ffi cials sent the email below to The Marshall County Post on Saturday, April 13: Good afternoon and Happy Saturday. Ms. Harris, I am a concerned citizen that sent a letter to the Lewisburg City Council about the state of Marshall County. It is my understanding that some people have also questioned if I am an actual employee of Marshall County EMS. I am here to tell you I am a Nationally Registered Paramedic of roughly 16 years and I am IN FACT a current employee of Marshall County EMS. I am keeping my identity anonymous for now due to the potential of retali- ation from the Marshall County mayor and coun- cil members. Out of ev- eryone currently working at Marshall EMS, I have the least to lose, but for the time being... I will stay anonymous. If you would like to know any information, I will be happy to provide. Currently, we are 2 crews short every shift. 1 shift is running primar- ily BLS trucks, which is 2 EMT’s, and there is a sprint medic that some- times responds to calls. Cornersville has a sta ff ed ambulance once every 10-15 days. Mayor John Luna would be a good 1 to talk to also, since he has addressed this to the county commission and they did not seem to care. ALSO, within the last few days, I have learned that the county has decided to stop funding the vol- unteer fi re departments, which will really extend time of care if they have to start closing their doors. If you would like to know anything else, please feel free to reach me here. Sincerely, Faith Walker EMS Continued from Page 1