Not all over-the-counter medications function as advertised

So, you have a bad cold, and your nose is stuffy. You just want something that will relieve that stuffiness and allow you to breathe through your nose again. You want to take a medication that will help you feel better. You have been taking over-the-counter medications for years that contain the decongestant phenylephrine, and you think it has been effective in relieving your symptoms.

Phenylephrine has been called America’s (United States) favorite over-the-counter medication for nasal stuffiness. It is an ingredient found in many medications for colds and has been used for decades. It is estimated by the FDA that in 2022, the stuffy-nosed American public paid more than $1.76 billion for cold products containing phenylephrine.

Now the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) is examining over-the-counter medications with phenylephrine to determine just how effective they may be. This examination is conducted through an advisory board to the FDA, and they have determined that phenylephrine just does not cut the mustard. It is not effective in the dosage commonly found in over-the-counter medications. If the FDA mandates this medication should be removed from the market, confusion may result. It is important to note that phenylephrine does not have adverse health effects. According to the FDA, it is simply not effective.

There are other ways to relieve nasal congestion such as using intranasal decongestants, intranasal antihistamines, intranasal steroids and intranasal saline products. Yes, we understand that some people do not care to insert things into their noses.

There are oral medications on the market that are effective and relieve congestion. These medications are behind the counter, and they contain pseudoephedrine. Behind the counter means that these medications must be asked for; the purchaser must show identification and provide a signature. Unfortunately, these medications have been placed behind the counter because they have been used to make illegal drugs such as methamphetamine.

These purchasing steps help control and monitor the amount a person buys and can help prevent abuse. Even with this restriction, in 2022 more than 50 million packages of pseudoephedrine were sold in the United States with a monetary value of more than $542 million. Pseudoephedrine is effective.

If the FDA takes steps to remove phenylephrine from the market it may break up the routine many consumers have established to treat their nasal congestion. On the other hand, phenylephrine’s removal will give Americans a chance to use methods and behind-the-counter medications that studies prove are more effective. Now, if behind-the-counter medications fail to treat your congestion, it may be time to visit your healthcare provider and obtain a prescription for a medication that will treat your symptoms.

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Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.

Whirlies crush Falcons, 56-0

Friday night (Sept. 15) football action kicked into high gear as the defending Metro 4-A champion Grimsley Whirlies hosted the Southeast Guilford Falcons at Bob Jamieson Stadium in a Metro 4-A Conference opener for both teams. Grimsley came into the contest unbeaten at 3-0, while the Falcons were 2-1. During the game, the Whirlies honored 99 former Grimsley students who perished during World War II.

On paper, the contest between the Whirlies and the Falcons looked like a mismatch. The Whirlies were averaging 44 points per game on offense while giving up just 18 points. The Falcons were scoring 30 points per game but giving up 35. Unfortunately for the Falcons, it was indeed a mismatch as Grimsley routed Southeast, 56-0.

The Whirlies scored on their first four offensive possessions and led 49-0 at the half. They rolled up 366 yards of total offense, passed for 230 yards and rushed for 136 yards. Faizon Brandon, a sophomore quarterback, spearheaded Grimsley’s assault with 15-of-18 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns. He also had two carries for 38 yards. Brandon’s prime target was Terrell Anderson, a senior receiver, who tallied four catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Taylor, another senior, had six catches for 51 yards. Mitchell Summers led the ground assault with 20 yards on five carries and two touchdowns.

The Whirlies took the opening kickoff and marched 49 yards, on four plays, capped off with Terrell Anderson scoring on a 29-yard run. A blocked punt led to Summers’ score, making it 15-0. Next, the Whirlies covered 73 yards, in six plays as QB Brandon connected with Anderson on a 36-yard scoring strike. Jackson Henry’s PAT made the score 21-0. Closing out the first quarter scoring, Grimsley marched 40 yards, in four plays, with Summers scoring on an 11-yard run lifting the margin to 28-0. Grimsley dominated on both sides of the football and a running second half clock limited them to just one score.

Grimsley improved to 4-0 overall, 1-0 Metro 4A, while the Falcons fell to 2-2, 0-1 Metro.

Up next, the Whirlies will travel northward to face the Vikings of Northwest Guilford (3-1), 1-0 in Metro 4A. The Vikings are coming off a 56-0 victory over Western Guilford. Southeast (2-2, 0-1 in Metro 4A) will face the Nighthawks of Northern Guilford (0-4, 01 in Metro 4A). Game times are 7:30 p.m.

Kamala scores a big one!

So many things of interest happened this past week that it’s hard to know where to begin. We’ve had the Hunter Biden case of lying on a gun application and not a word from the gun owners who defend any and every kind of gun ownership. They never care about how people got them or how they use them. Well, Hunter owned his gun for just 11 days and never used it for any reason.

We had formalities for the Sidney Powell/Kenneth Chesebro trial. Trump wants all the trials involving him pushed off until after the 2024 elections so he can pardon himself! Judge Scott McAfee in the Fulton County, Georgia case ran a great hearing and continued to do so when Defense Counsel really went there in trying to discredit a Black woman lawyer for the State. He claimed Atty. Daysha Young lied to the court about existing law. The judge asked him to stop the conversation. When he didn’t, the judge just shut him down by telling him in no uncertain terms his conversation was over.

Three of the Memphis police officers accused of beating Tyree Nichols to death and indicted, were in court this week for this horrible crime.

Republican Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, faced a small rebellion in Congress by some of his members, and they went home without a resolution—but not before Kevin had to stoop to using the f— word. (I wonder if DeSantis is going to ban that word?)

Well, amidst all that negative stuff, something good happened. Vice-President Kamala Harris took a trip down to Hampton University in Virginia, and North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro). She got a serious welcome from the students. It reminded us of the Barack Obama-type welcomes. Students were so excited to have her there. The lines to get in were impressive. Some students were so excited by her presence that they wasted no time in getting registered for the first time to vote. I think her presence and her message serve as encouragement for other students at other colleges to hold the same kind of events. If so, that is great news for the Democratic Party. From the news this week, it may also be time for Republican young people who are concerned about what young Democrats are concerned about and many older Republicans seem not to care, to join forces: Climate Change, Environmental Issues, and Preservation of Democracy. That, too, sounds good for the Democrats.

Vice-President Harris was at Hampton to kick off her “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour that she plans to take across the nation. If she gets the same response as she received at Hampton, that’s good news for her party. At many universities, the issues she supports are issues students support—Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and they will certainly be a part of her remarks.

She’s also been seen hosting a Hip-Hop Event recently where she called Hip-Hop “The Ultimate American Art Form” at the 50th Anniversary Event. The party was held at the Vice-President’s residence. Common was there and we saw the Vice-President celebrate the anniversary by dancing to the music.

A lot of people are beginning to understand the value of the vote of young people. After all, young people should be very concerned about voting when they see how far down some politicians have sunk on issues that certainly have a great impact on the young. It is a blessing to see the work of young Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost and of David Hogg—a gun control activist who survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida. I believe 2024 will bring a lot of young people into prominence who will not only vote but will run for office. We need them.

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Dr. E. Faye Williams is president of the Dick Gregory Society and president emerita of National Congress of Black Women, Inc. (NCBW).

Smith Active Adult Center holds Open House and Wellness Fair

In honor of National Senior Center Month, Greensboro’s Smith Active Adult Center will host a free Open House and Health and Wellness Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, September 28. The event, which will highlight the center’s year-round offerings, is open to anyone ages 50 and older.

Participants will be able to tour the center, try the equipment in the fitness room with the assistance of a personal trainer, participate in various exercise demonstrations, and talk with exhibitors who specialize in wellness products and services as well as various community resources. There will be flu and other vaccines available, collecting of old and unwanted medicine, and Cone Health’s Mobile Unit on site. There will also be refreshments, goody bags and door prizes available.

Smith Active Adult Center features a fitness room, indoor pool, full-size gymnasium, activity rooms, outdoor bocce courts, horseshoe pits, pickleball courts and a raised garden. The center also offers innovative programs and fitness classes such as low-impact aerobics, chair yoga, boot camp, yoga on the mat, and water aerobics.

“Everyone wants to find their place, their people and their purpose,” said Jennie Matkins, Greensboro Parks and Recreation active adults program coordinator. “At Smith Active Adult Center, we encourage adults to discover creativity, friendships, health and purpose through fitness classes, social activities or through any of the other programs and services we offer.”

Smith Active Adult Center is located at 2401 Fairview Street; Greensboro. For more information, call (336) 373-7564 or visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/ActiveAdults.

VP Harris to A&T audience: ‘Your vote is your voice’

Amidst a wave of excitement, Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at the campus of North Carolina A&T State University last Friday (Sept. 15). The Corbett Sports Center was a vibrant sea of blue and gold, teeming with students, faculty, administrators and enlivened by spectacular performances by the North Carolina A&T Blue & Gold Marching Machine, the North Carolina A&T Golden Delight, and Liquid Gold Majorette Teams, all set to the backdrop of an upbeat DJ keeping the crowd entertained.

Harris’s trip to Greensboro was her second stop on her nationwide “Fight for Our Freedoms” College Tour with a stop at North Carolina A&T State University where she participated in a moderated conversation with EPA Administrator Michael Regan and actor and media personality, Terrence J – both alumni of the university.
The energy remained high as various leaders: U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous, and U.S. Rep. Alma Adams came to the stage, one by one, to greet the audience.

“If you can’t change policy, you have to change policymakers. The way you do that in this country is with the vote,” said U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, who is also an alumna of the university.

Vice President Harris’s “Fight for Our Freedoms” College Tour officially kicked off September 14 at Hampton University in Virginia. It is a month-long national swing to mobilize thousands of young people to vote. The vice president is set to visit around a dozen more campuses including Hispanic-serving institutions, community colleges, apprenticeship programs, state schools and additional HBCUs. Other stops mentioned on her tour are Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa., Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. on September 26, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 4.

During the event, the Vice President focused on key issues that disproportionately impact young people across America – from reproductive freedom and gun safety to climate action, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality, mental health and book bans.

“You elected the first HBCU grad to vice president. Each of you will make a difference by seeing and knowing that your vote is your voice,” said Harris.
The talk started with voter turnout and how 2020 and 2022 saw some of the highest young voter turnout numbers.

Terrence J. said, “When you talk about voting and access, I voted for the first time right here in this room. I remember how proud I felt casting that ballot.”
Harris briefly mentioned new voter laws that restrict college students’ access to vote, as well as restrictions on allowing food and water to be given to people standing in line to vote.

“I do believe there is a national agenda which is about a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms,” said Harris. “But when you vote, you have the ability to determine the future of our country in a way that might challenge a lot of people’s notions about what is possible and who can possibly do it. And so, when we look at these attacks on voting, let’s understand that there is an effort to make it more difficult for you to vote so that you don’t vote.”

She also highlighted how the Biden-Harris Administration has been able to put more than $7 billion into HBCUs, outlined the work ahead to protect fundamental freedoms, and urged attendees to register to vote.

“When you vote, it scares some folks,” Harris said. “There are those who suggest your votes aren’t going to count. They want to suppress our vote and make us feel small.”

Gun safety has been a high priority of the Biden-Harris Administration. Harris noted that not only do students now have to learn about fire drills and natural disaster drills, but they are also learning how to be safe from an active shooter in their schools.

“Gun violence is now the number one cause of death in America for young people,” Harris said, citing a statistic that one in five Americans has a family member who has died from gun violence. “We need an assault weapons ban. We need red flag laws and universal background checks.”

Reagan pointed out the administration’s dedication to addressing climate change, which has helped dedicate $3 billion to addressing environmental justice.

In addressing climate change, Harris noted that communities of color are hit the hardest in terms of poor air and water quality. Harris also applauded Reagan’s efforts toward environmental justice.

“First let me acknowledge your leadership as the administrator of the EPA, because you have been extraordinary, and bold.”

She went on to say, “It should be the right of every child and every person to drink clean water and breathe clean air,” she said adding that, “these extreme climate occurrences, they effect everybody, but they don’t impact everyone equally.”

Harris explained further, linking environmental justice disparities to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. She discussed the removal of teaching Black history from schools in Florida, a recent move made by Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Black history is American history, and America’s full history must be taught. Elected extremist so-called leaders are suggesting enslaved people benefited from slavery,” Harris said. “That is not a debatable point, and we’re not falling for the okey-doke’. They’re attempting to distract us from what they are not doing. Do not try to gaslight us – as you insult us,” said Harris.

At the end of the discussion, Harris took preapproved questions from Honors College students Brandon Daye, Kylie Rice and Charles-Anthony Woodfork, who posed questions about what they can do as young citizens to combat environmental racism, restore women’s reproductive rights and end the nation’s gun violence epidemic.
Harris’ main response to each question was to vote.

“We are counting on you. We need your ambition and aspirations for yourself and your country,” said Harris. “You must have the freedom to live your best life. To have access to the ballot, to make decisions about your own body, to love who you want to love, to have freedom from violence. All that, I want for you.”
After the discussion, Harris took a few selfies with students before heading out to a fanfare of applause.

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While Robinson attacks Stein, Morgan attacks Robinson

No candidate has officially filed to run for governor yet in the 2024 elections (the last day for that is December 15th). But already, attacks are flying from both sides as the gubernatorial campaigns heat up, and the candidates jockey for dominant positions.

Bombastic Republican culture warrior Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who finds himself in a primary race with at least four other candidates, has indeed presumed himself the GOP frontrunner, ignoring his Republican opposition, and he has begun attacking the Democratic frontrunner, state Atty. General Josh Stein.

Earlier in the year, shortly after Stein announced his candidacy, his campaign fell victim to a “sophisticated” $50,000 scam.

The Robinson campaign immediately pounced on the misstep.

“Josh Stein is supposed to be protecting taxpayers from scams – not getting duped by them himself. Yet within a week of announcing his run for governor, Stein’s campaign willingly sent $50,000 to a scammer. How can the voters trust Stein with a state budget of tens of billions of dollars as governor if his campaign can’t even sniff out a $50,000 scam? North Carolina voters deserve better than Josh Stein’s incompetence, the Robinson campaign said.

Shortly after news broke regarding the spread of a new COVID-19 variant, the Robinson campaign pointed the finger at Stein, even though he has nothing to do with COVID-19 health policy.

“Democratic politicians and bureaucrats are bringing back mask mandates,” Robinson’s campaign wrote on his Facebook page. “I call on Attorney General Josh Stein to tell the voters of North Carolina where he stands on reintroducing these kinds of destructive policies of government overreach.”

By most polls, Robinson is leading Stein in the polls, so naturally his campaign feels the state attorney general is not only the dominant Democrat in the race, but also vulnerable to attack.

On June 13th, the Stein campaign posted, “Donald Trump just backed my most extreme opponent. Why? Because he’s a MAGA extremist who wants a total ban on abortion, believes women aren’t called to lead, and thinks LGBTQ+ folks are “filth.” North Carolina deserves better.”

Then under the same post, Stein’s campaign displayed an Associated Press story published by ABC News titled, “Trump pledges to endorse Mark Robinson for North Carolina governor.”

Days later on June 27th, the Mark Robinson campaign posted “Josh Stein, Do Your Job,” where the first line read, “Attorney General Stein’s refusal to do his job is perfectly in line with who he is ‑ a liberal elitist who thinks he knows better than the people.”

As documented, the Stein and Robinson campaigns have been going at each other for months.

Then on Sept. 12th, retired N.C. Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan entered the race, giving Stein, who seemed to be the anointed choice of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the NCDP power structure, a primary opponent.

Upon entering, Morgan seemed to backhand Stein’s popular party appeal.

“As a devoted North Carolinian and a concerned Democrat, I am disappointed by the growing trend — even in my own political party — of a few folks in power trying to select the people’s leaders and determining our destinies,” Morgan said. “I am committed to challenging the status quo that allows a few at the top to choose the winners and losers among us. My vision is to provide all North Carolinians with fair opportunities in which they may thrive and succeed. I am running on a platform that calls for a change to the system that allows the working people, children, and families of North Carolina NOT to be ignored and taken for granted.”

Then, three days later, in the immediate aftermath of a second well-publicized gun incident on the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill, the Robinson campaign announced that “In his quest to secure votes and raise money ahead of being on the ballot for North Carolina’s next governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is hosting an event that’s turning heads.”

WNCN-17 further reported, “On Sunday (Sept. 17), Robinson’s fundraiser will include a VIP cocktail hour, dinner, donor photo-ops with him, and even a raffle. That raffle will put three guns up for grabs, including an AR-15 rifle and two Glock handguns.”

Morgan’s nubile campaign wasted no time jumping on the Robinson campaign’s seeming insensitivity.

“N.C. Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Morgan condemns opponent Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s irresponsible move to host a gun raffle at Robinson’s upcoming fundraising event,” Morgan’s campaign said in a campaign statement.

“This tone-deaf, political stunt goes against our North Carolina values when it comes to gun violence. Unlike many diseases and other public health problems, every firearm injury and death is preventable,” said Morgan.”

He continued, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among N.C. children and youth, the 2018 firearm homicide rate was the highest among Black children ages 0-19 years, and was nearly 10 times the rate among White children.”

“Robinson is not qualified to be the Governor of N.C.,” said Morgan.

Thomasville downs Smith, 33-0

On Friday, September 8, the Thomasville Bulldogs football team won on the road in a non-conference game against Ben L. Smith Golden Eagles by a score of 33-0.

Thomasville improved to 3-1 while Smith dropped to 1-2. The Bulldogs dominated from the opening kickoff with a kick return of 73 yards by Keyshawn Carpenter (junior). The PAT failed. On the Bulldogs’ next possession, a short Smith punt led to a seven-play touchdown run by Dameyon Gathings (senior). The Bulldogs led 12-0 with 6:15 remaining in the first quarter. A scoring run by Rickey Carson (junior) pushed the margin to 19-0. A pick-six by Melvontae Scott (senior) increased the lead to 26-0. Another Carson touchdown in the third quarter closed out the Bulldogs’ scoring at 33-0.

Smith recovered a fumble inside Thomasville’s red zone but were held scoreless. The Golden Eagles could not ignite their offense. The Eagles’ first down of the game came late in the second quarter.

This Friday, the Thomasville Bulldogs (3-1) will hit the road and head west to face the Hornets of Salisbury (4-0) in a non-conference match-up. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Smith (1-2) will travel to Winston-Salem to face the Camels of Atkins High School (0-3). Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

2023 North Carolina Folk Festival

Greensboro’s international celebration — North Carolina Folk Festival — dominated three days downtown with scores of music, dance, song, food trucks galore, diverse artisans, all embracing a colorful and joyful blend of disparate cultures and traditions.

Music resonated from four main stages, throughout the downtown streets and at Center City Park. The Folk Fest attracted thousands of people who ventured downtown undaunted by sporadic rain, with the greater lightning from hundreds of performers who enthralled audiences into the night on Friday and Saturday.

Since 2015, the current Folk Festival succeeded predecessor, the National Folk Festival which played in Greensboro for three years.

A job for all

A job for all. Everyone ready and able to work will get a job – a good job that pays enough to bring a family above the poverty line –guaranteed by the federal government. At a time when our political leaders seem more intent on driving us apart rather than bringing us together, a federally guaranteed jobs program is an idea bold enough to break through the muck. Moreover, when Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, essentially announced that he would continue to fight inflation by raising interest rates until millions lose their jobs, it is long past time to stop sacrificing workers and their families for prices that they do not control.

A federal jobs guarantee is not a new idea. Coming out of World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt argued that Americans had come to understand that political and social rights had to be accompanied by economic rights. He pledged an Economic Bill of Rights that included the right to a job for everyone willing and able to work. Sadly, he died before he could make that promise real.

A. Philip Randolph, a visionary leader of both the labor and the civil rights movement, took up Roosevelt’s promise, arguing that “if full employment can be maintained in a war for destruction, it can also be maintained in peace for construction.” The mobilization for World War II had created a booming economy with full employment. Now the question is what would be done in peacetime? Both FDR and Randolph argued that a Federal Jobs Guarantee would provide the foundation for a thriving democracy and a just society. Randolph joined with other labor leaders to push Congress to pass a Full Employment Bill. Their efforts were stymied by the business lobby, conservatives in both parties, and by Southern Democrats fearful that full employment might empower Blacks to challenge segregation and the South’s system of legal apartheid.

A Federal Jobs Guarantee would offer every person a job with a living wage. Instead of paying unemployment to laid-off workers, the government would provide wages to put people to work.

There is no shortage of necessary work to be done. Our infrastructure remains decrepit and dangerous, and even Biden’s infrastructure bill only provides a down payment on what needs to be done. Catastrophic climate change and extreme weather require a massive effort to strengthen our defenses against catastrophe, to clean up after calamities that are growing worse and more frequent, and to make the transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency. Biden’s Infrastructure Reduction Act again makes a down payment, but much more needs to be done.

Similarly, it makes sense to invest on the front side of life rather than pay more on the backside, to invest in childcare and Head Start, the universal pre-K on the front side rather than welfare, jail care and despair on the back side. Every family with children could save literally thousands of dollars a year if the government joined other industrialized countries in providing comprehensive assistance for families with children.

A Federal Jobs Guarantee would help mitigate the wild gyrations of our economy that wreak so much damage to families. During downturns, the Federal Guarantee would expand and ensure that everyone has a job rather than going on welfare or unemployment. During booms, the program would contract as the private sector expanded and that would help keep inflation from getting out of control.

A federal jobs guarantee would put a floor under wages across the economy, much the way a minimum wage does now, except far more effectively. That would empower workers to demand more from their employers and give employers incentives to become more efficient.

Most importantly, a federal jobs guarantee would keep working families from being brutalized when prices begin to rise. Instead of raising interest rates to throw workers out of work, federal officials would focus on monopoly pricing, on price gouging, on supply chain disruptions, on the financial barracudas that jack up prices and pocket predatory profits before driving good companies into bankruptcy.

The program would be easily affordable. Every worker employed would, of course, pay taxes – and not collect unemployment or welfare. With unemployment now near record lows, this is a good time to transition to a job guarantee.

Polls show, not surprisingly, that this idea is popular, particularly among working-class people across both parties. Contrary to the jibes of the right, Americans want to work in jobs with a living wage.

Donald Trump seems intent on running on revenge and retribution for what he sees as indignities and injustices of the past. Joe Biden seems intent on running on his record of accomplishments which are better than he’s given credit for – but this too looks backward not forward. Most Americans want to know what can be done to secure their futures, not re-litigate the past. Those who seek to lead this country should rouse us with their vision and their program for the future. If they do, a federal jobs guarantee is an idea whose time has come.

The New Guilford County Schools’ Principals

As nearly 70,000 students settle into the new academic year at Guilford County Schools, so are 18 new principals across all grade levels from Kindergarten to high school.

Some of the new principals moved laterally from other local and out-of-district schools, while most are new to the top position, promoted from
The new principals are:

ELEMENTARY:

Shanta Buchanan, Archer Elementary; Elizabeth Callicutt, Allen Jay Elementary; Monique Curry, Parkview Elementary; Yvonne Eason, Sedalia Elementary; Kimberly Leighty, Irving Park Elementary; Shannon Vaka, McLeansville Elementary; Trina McCoy, Oak Hill Elementary; Johnathan Moore, Southern Elementary; Sophia Roberts, Reedy Fork Elementary; Shervawn Sockwell, Gibsonville Elementary; Nicole Weeks, Northern Elementary.
 

MIDDLE:

Eric Puryear, Northeast Middle.
 

HIGH:

Darrell Baker, Andrews High; Keith Barnett, Western High; Louis Galiotti, Northern High; Marcus Gause, Dudley High; Whitney Sluder, Weaver Academy.
 

SPECIALTY

Sonia Marquez, Doris Henderson Newcomers School.

 

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