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February 5, 2004

When she looks back on the moment when her years of singing in dark, smoke-filled, half-empty bars finally paid off, Heather Green will remember the exact moment – 7:42 p.m.

Because on a Tuesday evening in January 2004 while playing a board game with her husband, the 1994 Apex High School graduate’s life irrevocably changed forever.

Green is on the verge of hitting pay dirt in the world of country music. And starting March 6, if you have a television and access to the USA network, you’ll have the chance to watch her do it.

Green was selected out of thousands of people who auditioned nationwide to compete on the series “Nashville Star.”

On Jan. 17 at the Wild Horse Saloon in Nashville, Tenn., 33 people auditioned, including Green, hoping to secure one of the 20 spots that would guarantee them a chance to perform on the show’s television premiere in March.

Green said it took four hours for everyone to get through their auditions and since she was number 15, she had a little time to practice and have a look around.

“Hundreds of people were lined up the night before the auditions just to get in and watch,” said Green.

“I did not realize how many people had come to see me, it was awesome. My mom bought pompoms and passed them out to everyone and they had signs with my name on it.”

Finally her name was called and it was time to show them what she had.

“I had a picture of my cross-eyed cat in my back pocket for luck and I sang a cover song with the band that they provided,” she said. “Then I sang a song that I wrote called ‘The Good Old Days’ and then the judges told me what they thought.”

Three judges critiqued her performance and those were the defining moments of the evening.

“One said I was too pretty for country music, and for a minute there I got nervous and thought he was being serious but it was okay,” she said. “Then the female judge, who was with Sony Music, said I had a good voice and the third judge said I had a lot of energy but needed to tone it down a little bit. So it was all very positive.”

But unlike “American Idol” this competition doesn’t tell participants immediately if they are in or out.

“They announced one winner at the end of the night and that was a guy.

And then they told us they’d let us know by Tuesday,” she said.

Green said she was on pins and needles throughout the weekend and into the first of the week and when Tuesday came and the phone hadn’t rung yet, she began to get nervous.

“They waited until the very last minute and at 7:32 p.m., the phone rang,” she said. “My husband and I were playing a board game and I saw on Caller ID that the phone number was from California and I looked at my husband and I said ‘that’s it’.”

Green was told that she’d been selected as one of the final 20 contestants and after the shock and giggles subsided then came the tears of joy.

“When I talked to my grandma (Me-Maw) I just burst into tears and I thought to myself…’finally I am graduating from the road’,” she said.

Now, Green said, her phone has been ringing off the hook and life as she knew it has been turned upside down and she cannot wait to see what’s up ahead.

The next set of auditions take place Feb. 21 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and that night, the same three judges will select 10 of the 20 contestants to go on to the next round.

The Feb. 21 show will be aired on March 6 and at that time America will be also be given the chance to choose one of the 10 people that the judges didn’t pick to go onto the next round.

If Green makes it into the top 11 she will live with the other contestants as they compete throughout the show’s eight-week season.

But if she doesn’t she said she’s not giving up on her dreams.

“Everyone is so different here so I don’t feel competitive at all because it’s really about the judges and what they are looking for. I am just grateful to have gotten this far.”

Look for future updates in the Apex Herald as we follow Heather Green’s journey from Apex High graduate to Nashville to stardom.
 

Local chambers to host education discussions

Hilary Caryl Russell, Staff Writer

February 5, 2004

The chambers of commerce from Apex and Holly Springs are joining forces to host the first of this year’s roundtable discussions on education sponsored by Wake Education Partnership.

The event will be held Thursday, Feb. 12 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Apex Chamber, 220 North Salem Street. Registration is capped but there is a waiting list for those interested in case registered parties cancel at the last minute.

“We are going to focus on teacher recruitment and retention as well as teacher leadership opportunities,” said Cyndi Soter O’Neil, who will attend the discussion and is director of communications and research at Wake Education Partnership.

Wake Education Partnership is a community-based public school advocacy organization.

“This is an issue relevant to a lot of people and I think this particular topic is a big priority for what’s going on in our public schools,” said Sheryl Bynum, Apex Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director.

Toni Patterson, assistant superintendent of human resources with Wake County Public Schools, is the featured guest speaker.

She will discuss the Teacher Enhancement Leadership System (TELS), which is one way Wake Education Partnership is looking to recruit incoming teachers as well as provide incentive for current one’s to stay in the profession for the long haul.

The Career Pathways Design Committee has spent the past year determining what it would take to get teachers to stay in the classroom but still advance professionally. While they have come up with a proposal, it is still just in the planning stages.

“We’re looking at teacher issues in a very broad sense, so one of the issues that school systems across the country are dealing with is recruiting highly qualified teachers and that’s one of the issues we are dealing with here in North Carolina,” said O’Neil.

“One of the programs we will talk about is creating career pathways and leadership opportunities for teachers by staying in the classroom but still be able to advance professionally.”

Teachers in elementary, middle and high school settings typically hit a glass ceiling of sorts in that they can only advance so far professionally.

Wake Education Partnership is proposing that a three-tiered system be implemented into a teacher’s curriculum starting with the newer teachers.

“Essentially there would be a career progression where there would be a novice teacher, or a beginning teacher and the idea would be to create time for them to work with a mentor or advanced teacher,” she said.

The middle level or career teacher would start building on their professional development, said O’Neil, which would help them develop within their profession.

“Some of that already happens but it’s not worked into the schedule or it’s done as an extra or outside of the classroom. So the difference with this proposal is that the goal would be to create formal structures and link salary or pay incentives to those advanced roles.”

Wake Education Partnership and Wake County Chambers of Commerce sponsor six roundtable discussions a year.

Linda Crandall, chair of Holly Springs’ Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee, said she likes the idea of chambers partnering to share ideas and find better ways of doing things, especially where education is concerned.

“We support our schools in Holly Springs and in order to do that we have to be in the loop with what Wake County Public School System is doing as well as neighboring chambers so that we can be more effective,” she said.

Keeping the lines of communication open and constantly tapping the Wake County School System for updated information also ensures that the kids get the best that education has to offer.

“We can learn what other chambers are doing and more effectively address the needs in Holly Springs schools if we understand what’s going on downtown at the Wake County level.”

To put your name on a waiting list for the roundtable discussion, call 821-7609.

For information about Wake Education Partnership, go to http://www.wakeedpartnership.org
 

Police to start Explorer Post

Shawn Daley, Editor

February 5, 2004

Apex Police Sgt. Jacques Gilbert has been very busy lately.

When he’s not talking on the phone with NBA Hall of Famers or carrying out his duties as Apex High School resource officer, Gilbert is spending his time helping to form the police department’s new Law Enforcement Explorer Post 380.

Apex PD will hold its first Explorer Post meeting on Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the police station on Saunders Street. Officers are hoping to attract up to 20 members.

The Explorer Post program has been successful in many parts of the state but hasn’t been tried in Wake County until now.

“They’ve had a lot of success with it in other parts of the area, in places like Durham and Fayetteville,” said Gilbert. “This will be the only one in Wake County so we are going to include some officers from other departments. A lot of people will be watching us to see if we are successful or not.”

The Explorer Post program provides positive experiences for young men and women to help them become responsible and caring adults.

“We are trying to build up their leadership skills,” said Gilbert. “We are also trying to help them on their path to career goals. It also allows the police department to have positive contact with the youth in the community.”

The program is open to anyone between the ages 14-21 with good academic standing. Applicants must complete an application for membership and pass a criminal history check.

For more information contact Gilbert or Officer Dondi Day at 362-8661.
 

February 5, 2004

Ostrich rancher Madeleine Calder believes a promise has been broken and her livelihood might be lost.

Progress Energy says its actions are in the best interest of public safety.

And Apex resident Steve Adams can’t figure out what all the fuss is about.

Those are the three main characters in an odd real-life drama unfolding on the outskirts of town.

For the past 11 years, Calder has owned the Blue Heaven Ostrich Ranch on Olive Chapel Road. Despite being situated in the shadow of a large Shearon Harris nuclear plant emergency siren, Calder and her birds have never heard the device make so much as a peep.

That’s because the utility company, formerly named CP&L, made Calder a promise that was kept for more than a decade.

Although the siren sits atop a 30-foot pole less than 50 yards from her home, Calder says she didn’t know about the device until she bought the property. She says she even asked her real estate agent about loud noises in the area and was told nothing about the siren.

Upon finding out about the device, Calder immediately called CP&L and told them that a loud noise could kill her ostriches.

That’s when CP&L officials told her they understood her problem because the siren had killed some chickens on a nearby farm. And then came the promise.

“They told me I didn’t have to worry because they had a way to test it silently and I would never hear it,” said Calder. “If they didn’t tell me that I would have gone back to (the real estate agent) with a material breach of contract and they would have had to move me.

“It wasn’t like I had to talk them into it. It was their idea and they told me about (the chickens). Now, here we are 11 years later and they are telling me the party is over. They are going to start blasting it.”

On Oct. 24, Calder received a letter from Progress Energy informing her that silent tests weren’t an option anymore. That’s because some residents in the area suddenly wanted to know what the siren sounded like.

“It’s a public safety issue,” said Progress Energy spokesperson Heidi Deja. “Some neighbors approached us and said they wanted to know what the siren sounds like. So we are going to do it. We are going to put public safety above the needs of the ostriches.”

Progress Energy has 81 sirens located within a 10-mile radius of the Shearon Harris plant. The siren on Olive Chapel Road is the only one that hasn’t been sounded since 1993.

On February 11, the siren will emit a 30-second “growl” of 105 decibels. But in August a four-minute test at 118 decibels is planned. To put it into perspective, a fire truck siren emits about 97 decibels.

Although the birds should be able to survive the 30-second blast, Calder is convinced the lengthy test would prove fatal. She obtained a lawyer but still couldn’t find a way to halt the testing and claims it would cost her $55,000 to pursue further legal action.

Adams, who bought his land from Calder in 2001, is upset that the testing is drawing so much attention. As he sees it, the sirens are there for a reason – to warn people about danger.

“I’m amazed at the attention this is getting,” said Adams. “I can’t believe there is even a question about it. Do you realize how many people live in the subdivisions around here? All the people in those subdivisions should be concerned about the siren.

“Everyone thinks I’m the one responsible for (the test) and that is not true. Some of the other neighbors approached me about it. I’m not the instigator but I think it is a very good idea. I want to know it works and I want to know what it sounds like.”

Adams, who lives a few hundred feet from the ostriches, said after the terrorist attacks of 9-11 safety precautions have taken on a new importance. While he admits that the chances of something happening at the nuclear plant are remote, he believes some safety measures are required.

Also, when the deal was made with Calder not to test the siren, Olive Chapel Road was a much different place.

“I can’t believe they made that deal with her in the first place,” said Adams. “But the reasoning they used doesn’t apply today in a high-growth town like Apex. At one time you probably had eight people living out here in a three-mile radius. I’m surprised once they built all those subdivisions they didn’t (start testing the siren). It’s just crazy.”

Deja agrees that many things have changed since the deal was made in 1993.

“I can’t speak to the past and talk about why the deal was made,” said Deja. “But the population has grown tremendously in that area and there has been a change of attitude with people as well.”

Both Adams and Progress Energy say that Calder has been given adequate time to move the birds during the siren test. They point out that she moved the birds from Connecticut when she began her business in Apex.

But Calder claims moving the birds could be risky to their health and could keep them from laying any eggs.

“It would be unreal,” said Calder. “I need for people to understand this because they think it’s like dogs or horses where you can just load them up and that isn’t the case. They are extremely territorial, they run 50-60 miles per hour and they have a front kick of 500 pounds per square inch.

“Driving them around would be extremely upsetting to them and they won’t give me any eggs. Really, I’m a prisoner to CP&L.”

Progress Energy spokesman Rick Kimble says public safety is his company’s responsibility while protecting the ostriches is up to Calder.

“I’m not a bird specialist but I do know there are several things that can be done,” said Kimble. “She is concerned about them stampeding but just putting them in a barn would block out much of the noise. She has had 10 years to prepare for something like this. She has animals with special needs and it is her responsibility to provide for them.

“This is about public safety and people want to hear that siren. We are going to do it. To not do it doesn’t make sense.”

Calder, who has appeared on the Food Network 10 times for her ostrich recipes, has started a website in her attempt to stop the siren testing.
 

Over 250 attend ABC forum

Craig Hardee, Contributing writer

February 5, 2004

More than 250 people attended a forum at Apex Town Hall on Monday, February 4 to find out what their options are since their children have been reassigned to new schools under the latest proposal reassignment plan by the Wake County Public School System.

Hosted by the local grassroots group Assignment by Choice and the mayors of Apex and Cary, Keith Weatherly and Ernie McAllister respectively, the meeting sought to help residents understand the reassignment process and to show them the options they have about contesting their child’s reassignment.

In opening remarks, Mayor Weatherly called the meeting a “first time people’s forum about school assignment” and called it a “true beginning of dialogue.”

Cynthia Matson, president of Assignment by Choice (ABC), told the parents about the organization, its goals and accomplishments.

The organization, she said, believes that “given the proper resources, a child will succeed regardless of who is sitting next to him.”

More information about the organization and help for the reassignment process can be found on the ABC website at .

ABC secretary Jeff Wotus gave a history of the reassignment process in Wake County and emphasized the statistic that in 1993, 93% of school age children in Wake County attended Wake County public schools, while by 2003, that percentage had declined to 82.7%.

Dave Duncan, an ABC director talked about the “fuss” and the “fix” of school assignment.

Under “the fuss,” he listed such things as:

· Reassignment happens every year

· There is an absence of municipality and community input into the process

· The process tends to pit the urban area against the suburban area of the county

· Eroding choice of schools when many citizens are calling for expanded choices

· Access to and the timeliness of information is a problem

“The fix” he suggests include the following:

· Implementation of the recommendations suggested recently by the Mayor’s Task Force on Student Assignment

· More community involvement

· Long term planning, with a ten year long range plan and a five year short term plan.

· Bringing the schools and seats where the students are

· Expanded choice

The meeting also included a time for the public to speak and express concerns and ask questions. More than 20 people took the opportunity to speak, expressing their frustration and outrage over the assignment situation.

Apex’s school board representative Ron Margiotta attended the meeting, along with Carol Parker, school board member from North Raleigh. Both officials were supported by ABC’s political action committee in the recent school board elections.

Magic Johnson coming to Apex

Shawn Daley, Editor

February 5, 2004


Apex Police Sgt. Jacques Gilbert wants Apex area residents to know two things about the upcoming Drug Abuse Resistance Education fund-raiser.

First: NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson will be the main speaker at the event.

Second: This isn’t a joke.

Ever since Gilbert made the recent announcement about the list of all-stars scheduled to appear, most people have questioned the truthfulness of the statement.

After all, it is difficult to believe that Johnson, boxer Roy Jones Jr., NFL players Koren Robinson and Deuce McAllister, North Carolina legend Phil Ford and NBA rookie phenom LeBron James are all coming to Apex High School on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Although James hasn’t made a 100 percent commitment to the event, the rest of the superstars are definitely on the way.

“We’re really excited about this,” said Gilbert. “The only problem is getting people to believe me. I made the announcement at the high school and I was waiting for everyone to be all excited. Instead, people were asking if I was just saying that so they would buy a ticket. They thought I was playing a joke.

“I told them I would never do something like that. I know it’s hard to believe but they are coming here.”

It all started when Gilbert made some connections as owner of a local limousine service. He was told that Johnson was a big believer in the DARE program and that he should try getting him to appear in Apex.

For more than three months Gilbert worked to put it all together but it wasn’t until he received a phone call two weeks ago that he felt confident it would work out.

“Mr. Johnson called me at my house and told me he was coming,” said Gilbert. “He was such a gentleman on the phone. He told me how important the DARE program was and how he tries to help kids. I just have so much respect for him.

“While I was on the phone I was fine. But as soon as I hung up I thought, “Wow, that was just Magic Johnson that called me.’”

As for the other athletes, Gilbert said most of them were going to be in the Triangle that weekend to attend the CIAA basketball tournament in Raleigh.

“I can’t believe the way it is working out,” said Gilbert. “But I still won’t be at ease until I see Magic Johnson walking into the high school gym.”

Gilbert credits police chief Bob Boone, town manger Bruce Radford, Apex principal Tom Dixon and athletic director Ed Tindal for their support in putting the programs together.

“They’ve all been very supportive about this,” said Gilbert. “They are a big reason we were able to do this.”

There will be two separate events at the high school on Feb. 28. Johnson will be the guest speaker at a 1 p.m. event that will include refreshments, an auction of signed sports memorabilia, and a meet-and-greet session with Johnson. General seating tickets are $25 and VIP seating is $35.

At 5 p.m., the Sixth Annual “Cops vs. Jocks” game will pit Apex officers against Apex High School athletes. The group of big-name sports stars will be on hand to sign autographs, pose for photos and judge a slam dunk contest at halftime. Tickets for the game are $20 and $15 for students.

There will be 1,000 tickets sold for each event.

Tickets can be purchased at Winn-Dixie in Apex from 5-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays 2-4 p.m. All proceeds will go toward the DARE program.

There are also four different packages available for businesses. For more information about tickets or business packages call Gilbert at 249-3469 or 387-3024
 

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