Welcome to Newton County Schools', "Month in Review." Our goal is to keep you informed of the many great things taking place in our school system. Enjoy our December 2021 review!

Snapping Shoals EMC recently awarded $15,500 in grants to Newton County School System teachers through the co-op’s Bright Ideas program. The grants, which are allocated from unclaimed capital credit funds, are designed to help teachers who wish to extend educational opportunities and activities for students by developing student interests and abilities.

According to Leigh-Anne Burgess, Snapping Shoals EMC Communications & Marketing Coordinator, the grants are provided through unclaimed capital credits.

“A big advantage of being a part of an electric cooperative like Snapping Shoals EMC is that we operate on a not-for-profit basis. This enables us to return our margins, which are revenues collected in excess of expenses, to the co-op’s members,” Burgess explained. “Margins, also know as capital credits, are usually retained by the cooperative for a while to be used as a source of funding for the construction of new lines and other utility expenses. The unclaimed capital credit funds are used to support SSEMC’s educational programs, such as Bright Ideas and scholarships, as well as other community projects.”

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Newton County School System (NCSS) staff are surveying the damages at Veterans Memorial Middle School (VMMS) after a storm hit the school late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. No one was inside the building at the time of the incident.

VMMS principal, Dr. Takila Curry and NCSS Chief Operations Officer Dr. Michael Barr along with other NCSS Operations staff, arrived at the school shortly after the storm hit today. According to Dr. Barr, there appears to be no structural damage; however, cleanup will be required before students report on Tuesday.

“We are very fortunate this occurred when school was closed and no one was on campus,” said Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “The damage can be repaired. We’re just thankful that no one was there, and that we have no injuries to report. We will work to get the debris cleared and ensure the school is safe for students to return on Tuesday.”

UPDATE: Workers cleared and cleaned up debris from the storm and had the school ready for students to return on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.