LCHS Red Hot News Network

As a member of the Lawrence County High School math department and one of the varsity football coaches, Coach Henry Ford has positively impacted the majority of LCHS students. His rigorous courses challenge students to work hard in everything from trigonometry to preparing for the ACT. Due to his dedication to his career, Coach Ford is this week’s Red Devil Dynamo. 

Many events in Coach Ford’s life led him to a career in education. He received an associate’s degree in pre-engineering and spent a semester in the fourth nationally ranked architecture program in the nation. “Lack of finances and boredom brought me back closer to home,” he said. “Some students that I was tutoring convinced me that I might be good at teaching.  The rest is history, or in my case math and science.” Although Coach Ford didn’t set out to be a teacher from the beginning, he has proven to be an innovative and dedicated educator.

Coach Ford’s favorite part of his past thirty years at Lawrence County has been seeing students learn and grow, both in his math classes and on the football field. “In the classroom, seeing student’s progress in knowledge throughout the year or years is my favorite part of teaching. In athletics, it’s seeing physical growth and leadership skills develop.” Students appreciate the work Coach Ford does that allows them to be successful. “Coach Ford has taught me various ways to solve problems,” says sophomore Skye Letson. “Even though I’m taking his class virtually, he is still very helpful. Having him as a teacher has made algebra way less stressful.”

If Coach Ford had to pick one word to describe a typical day in his life, it would be busy. He teaches four or more different subjects every year. As stressful as that sounds, he says teaching multiple topics is something he prefers. “It is a lot of extra preparation and grading, but the trade out is that I usually have the top students in the school,” he said. “I also get bored easily, so having different subjects helps me to stay focused.”

Students who attended Moulton Middle School were also taught math under Mrs. Andea Ford, Coach Ford’s wife of thirty years. Together they have three children, all of which attended and played sports for Lawrence County High School. “Kristin has a degree in Physical Therapy from UAB. Emerald will soon finish Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State. Nathan is a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Alabama,” he said. “Which college team do I cheer for? The three that gave my children scholarships!”

Coach Ford’s impressive career has impacted generations of Lawrence County individuals. He has this bit of advice for both his past and current students: “Don’t let someone else define who you have the opportunity to become.  Stay away from negative people, unless you are talking about Covid. Then stay away from positive people.” 

By: Baylee Willingham, staff writer

Being Lawrence County’s school improvement specialist, system test coordinator, and social media manager requires incredible amounts of balance and hard work. From serving as the liaison between our district and the state department about state testing, to posting #MotivationalMondays on the Lawrence County Schools Facebook page, Mrs. Tara Helms does it all while making it look easy. Her resoluteness in the face of this year’s challenges makes Mrs. Helms this week’s Red Devil Dynamo.

Supporting the teachers in our school system is the biggest part of being a school improvement specialist, according to Mrs. Helms. “Schools complete improvement plans with goals each year. I look at the plans and find ways I can help teachers and schools reach their goals.” This year, technology has been a major part of those plans, with a large portion of Mrs. Helms’ time going towards helping teachers navigate Clever and Schoology. 

Social media is an important aspect of Mrs. Helms’ responsibilities. “My favorite part of my job is celebrating students and teachers on social media,” she said. Motivational Mondays are one way Mrs. Helms highlights members of our school system. “I share a picture of students from a school’s social media. I add a positive quote to the picture. This is a small way we can share positivity and include our amazing students!”

In the past year, Mrs. Helms has seen quite a few changes to her job, most notably the reliance on technology. “We purchased several programs for our teachers to have access to for virtual learning this school year,” she said about the recent changes. “I learned about each program so I could answer questions for our teachers and be able to quickly help them.” Along with being available to answer teacher’s questions, Mrs. Helms planned training programs for the new software in order to help the teachers get more comfortable with virtual learning. 

Mrs. Helms’ husband, Jarrod Helms, is an alumnus of Lawrence County High School. He is currently teaching and coaching at Hatton, which happens to be where their four children go to school. Being a close-knit family, they love spending time together watching Alabama football and taking occasional trips to the beach. 

While her Facebook posts brighten the day of everyone who sees them, Mrs. Helms’ love of spreading positive energy isn’t only limited to Motivational Mondays. When asked if she had any advice for students, she said: “Never settle! You can absolutely do anything you want if you set your mind to it. You are amazing!”

By: Baylee Willingham, Staff Writer

While academic teachers are obviously important to every student’s learning and success, music educators play a vital role in a school’s environment. Music classes can help to improve grades and mental health, and they are overall a great experience for everyone involved. Dr. Sidney Hearn is constantly improving our school by dedicating his time and energy to our band, percussion, choir, and guitar students, making him this week’s Red Devil Dynamo. 

Dr. Hearn graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1997. Afterwards, he studied at Auburn University, where he finished his master’s degree in 2004 and his PhD in 2009. When asked why he became a band director, Hearn said: “I think music is an essential part of education. It gives kids an activity to be engaged in where they can grow over multiple years. Musicians are not limited to only learning instruments during school. They can continue to develop their talents for the rest of their lives. There really is no age limit. The longer you do it, the better you get at it. It’s one of the more unique aspects of school because students can do it for as long as they want to.” 

Whether band students are marching to Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” or playing speed drills as quickly as possible, Dr. Hearn takes every opportunity to make learning new skills or improving old ones enjoyable. Emma Seawright, a sophomore flautist, remembers preparing for MPA last  as first chair her freshman year. “I was really pushed to do well since I was first chair as a freshman,” she said. “The hardest part of practicing for MPA was probably the articulations in American Ramble, but we got all ones so all of the work was worth it.” 

From not being able to actually march during marching season to using PPE for band, 2020 has seen many changes in the way band classes everywhere function. Thankfully, Lawrence County band students are still allowed to meet for classes and after school rehearsals as long as precautionary measures are taken. “Trying to reduce the spread of the virus is really impacting us in the music world. Keeping spread out, especially once we transition inside, is going to be difficult,” Hearn said. “The teaching and learning that’s going on isn’t much different, it’s really just the modifications around it.” In order to make indoor concert season safer, band students are staying more than six feet apart and using musician masks and bell covers. 

As one of Dr. Hearn’s band students for the past four years, I can personally attest to his dedication to all of Lawrence County High School’s music students. He encourages us to always do our best. His dedication to music and passion for the arts inspires me and many other young musicians every day. “Do everything to the best of your ability and you’ll never be disappointed with the results.” 

By: Baylee Willingham, Staff Writer

When asked how she supports her community, Mrs. Kesha Dutton replied, “I believe the most important thing I do is support the football team, coaches, and booster club in literally any way that is needed. If you aren’t willing to step up and do things yourself, how can you expect others to do it?” She is consistently doing everything she can to help improve the players’ experiences and make football season run a bit more smoothly. Because of the support she gives the football team and her dedication to improving our great community, Mrs. Kesha Dutton is this week’s Red Devil Dynamo.

Mrs. Dutton plays many roles throughout the community. “I am a wife, mother, and hygienist. I would also include coach’s wife and team mom,” she said. “Those are in a totally different ballpark than regular wife and mom!” Monday through Thursday, she works as a dental hygienist at Decatur Comprehensive Dentistry. On Fridays, however, she switches gears to all things football. “Football for me includes taking lots of photos of all the boys and lots of cheering with a little cowbell thrown in!” The day consists of preparing for the team meal by getting water ready and picking up the meal at about 2:30 PM. Mrs. Dutton works with other volunteers to serve the meal, clean up, restock waters, and do whatever else is needed to get ready for the game. After the games on Friday, she, and some other parents, take the uniforms to the laundromat for cleaning and are working until the beginning hours of Saturday mornings. Sophomore Sam Cross, the free safety for the Red Devils and one of Mrs. Dutton’s many ‘team kids,’ says, “She always treats the players like family by taking care of us for pregame meals and making sure our uniforms are clean, no matter how badly we scuff them up during games.”

Mrs. Dutton has been married to LCHS’s Spanish teacher and head football coach, Coach Rich Dutton, for twenty-one years. They have two children. Gracie, their older daughter, is a sophomore at UNA. She cheered for Lawrence County throughout high school. Their younger son, Gage, is a senior at LCHS. He is the running back for the Red Devil varsity football team. The family also has two dogs and a cat. 

Although she is a graduate of Hatton High School, Mrs. Dutton has many wonderful homecoming memories at Lawrence County High School. “My favorite homecoming memory is my daughter being on the homecoming court her sophomore, junior, and senior years,” she remembered fondly. “Rich would do a quick change at halftime in order to escort her across the field. It is a sweet memory from each of those years!”

Please join us this week in congratulating Mrs. Dutton on her dedication to Lawrence County High School and the football program. It would be very hard to get through the season without her constant help and dedication.

By: Baylee Willingham, Staff Writer

SPORTS: 

• Football plays this Friday September 25th at @ 7:00pm @ Westminster Christian academy
• Volleyball plays away @ Madison Academy @ 4:00. Varsity plays first then jv follows after.
• Cross Country has a meet on September 26th @ Cold Springs/Brennen. Specific times are to be announced. 

Thanks!

-Kendall, Sports Writer

Sports for September:

• Varsity football players play this Friday September 18th at 7:00 PM versus Russellville.
• Volleyball has a game on Tuesday Sept. 15th at Austin High School at 4:00 PM — Varsity plays first then JV follows after.
• Volleyball has a game on Thursday Sept. 17th at 4:00 PM at Home against Russellville and Muscle Shoals. Varsity plays first, then JV follows after.
• Cross Country runs on Sept. 19th at Battle of the Bay/Loxley. Times will be announced.

-Kendall

Although he retired in May of 2019, Coach Rodney Scott is once again teaching at Lawrence County High School. He is filling in for Mrs. Holly Sparks, and students are overjoyed to have him back in class. Senior CC Gurley, one of Coach Scott’s geometry students, says, “He’s very patient with his students, and he’s especially respectful of the special needs students in his classroom.” Because of his love of teaching and dedication to his work, Coach Rodney Scott is this week’s Red Devil Dynamo.

Coach Scott could be described as a Renaissance man. His eclectic mix of interests include gardening, coaching various sports, hunting, fishing, geometry, and fantasy football. He originally wanted to be a coach, describing himself as a ‘ball guy,’ but he became a math teacher. “The thing I enjoy about math, the hook for me, is that you can know when you’re right,” he said in an interview. “You can check it yourself. You don’t need someone to tell you if you’re right or wrong.” Along with teaching geometry, Scott coached football, basketball, and baseball. He also assisted with track and field and girl’s basketball. As of this year, he is no longer coaching, but he is teaching math. 

LCHS students who attended Moulton Elementary know Coach Scott’s wife, Mrs. Beth Scott, who just retired after thirty years of teaching. Together they have two daughters, ages 23 and 20. Their oldest daughter recently graduated college and got married. Their younger daughter is still attending college. 

According to Coach Scott, the best piece of advice he has for anyone is to write down goals. “Anything you’re interested in, anything you like to do, physically write it down. There are no restrictions. Just get something on paper and stick to it. It’ll be amazing what happens.” He also has something to say to the class of 2021: “Enjoy every moment. Apply yourself to every situation. It takes practice to do that. Football practice may be hard, but you’re with your buddies. It’s a moment. You may spend all weekend studying for a test, but in the end it’s worth it. Put your heart into it.”

By: Baylee Willigham, Staff Writer

During this global pandemic, some of the most common questions are what we can do to stop the spread and how we can protect ourselves from Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Coronavirus is spread from person to person mostly through respiratory droplets. These droplets are spread when the infected individual coughs, sneezes, etc. Another common way that the virus spreads is through surface transmission.  People can contract the virus if they touch a contaminated surface such as door knobs, tables, phones, etc., without washing their hands properly after doing so. Any close contact to an infected person can be dangerous, but there are a few scientifically proven ways we can protect ourselves and others. 

One of the most proven effective ways to stop the spread is to wear a mask. This is a very controversial topic among people at this time. Some people believe this is useless, but scientists disagree with them. Masks can prevent larger expelled droplets from evaporating into smaller droplets that have the possibility to travel farther. If both the carrier and the person being exposed is wearing a mask, the estimated probability of catching the virus is around 1.5%. Without a mask on either side the contagion rate jumps to a staggering 70%. According to scientists the facial coverings that provide the most protection are N95 medical masks, surgical masks, fabric/cloth masks, and masks that have a filter.

Social distancing is also proven to be very effective when protecting ourselves from COVID-19. Scientists suggest that people in close contact for more than a few minutes stay 6 feet away from anyone who is from a different household. This is to protect ourselves from infected droplets in the air that we would breathe into our lungs. Distancing yourself with a mask on has proven to to be 95% effective when preventing COVID-19. Although this is not an ideal situation for anyone, we can help prevent the spread greatly by doing our part in this global pandemic. Let’s do our part in protecting ourselves and others by wearing our masks and social distancing!

By: Paige Hancock, RHNN Blog Editor

Red Hot News Network Red Devil Dynamo of the Week: Chief Floyd Baker

Chief Floyd Baker, an Army veteran and a JROTC instructor, inspires students every day, especially those who plan on joining the military after high school. Due to his passion for motivating young people to be better citizens, and his dedication to JROTC, Chief Baker is this week’s Red Devil Dynamo. 

A North Carolina native, Chief Baker moved to Alabama in 2005 to begin his career as a JROTC instructor. “To apply to be an ROTC instructor, you have to be retiring from the military, which I was. I applied to be a JROTC instructor at a high school. I filled all that stuff out down at Fort Bragg, and I had planned to teach in North Carolina, because that’s my home,” says Baker. His wife, however, is from Alabama. One day, as he was sitting at work, Chief Baker received a phone call. “They asked me if I would still be interested in teaching ROTC. I said yes, of course. I always wanted to. When they asked me if I wanted to go to Alabama, I said, ‘I don’t know much about Alabama, other than my wife’s from down there.’ They said, ‘That’s why we called you.’” After putting his resume together, filling out applications, and submitting them to schools across Alabama, Chief Baker got the opportunity to interview for a position as a JROTC instructor at Lawrence County High School. “In July of 2005, I got a phone call. In August of 2005, I’m here. I moved my family 750 miles away, and here I am. Out on a whim, someone calls me and asks if I want to do it, and now I’m here.”

As a Military Intelligence Officer, Chief Baker had assignments in both the United States and Europe. He spent three years in Maryland, three years in Hawaii, eleven years in Germany, and two tours at Fort Bragg, which is located in his home state, North Carolina. Before joining the army, Chief Baker finished college with two degrees, one in computer science and one in business administration. “I wanted to go and work in the computer field, but nobody would hire you unless you had experience. I went back home to the family business,” said Baker. While working at his home business, a friend convinced Chief Baker to talk to a recruiter. “He talked to me for a good bit, showed me all the things that would be offered, and I thought it looked good. I went home and told my family, ‘hey, I’m joining the army.’ I loved every minute of it.”

Today’s students will grow to become teachers, politicians, doctors, and, most importantly, responsible citizens. Chief Baker’s message to this year’s graduating class reflects hope for our country’s future in the hands of the younger generation. “It’s going to be a hard year because of how we’re structured. Keep your eye on the ball. Don’t look back and have any regrets. You’re going to be our future. You are our future citizens. Be good ones. Be respectable. Take this country to another level.”

By: Baylee Willingham, staff writer

The Coronavirus has had many significant impacts on the world. The economic changes are just one of the negative effects COVID-19 has caused. Governor Kay Ivey issued a stay at home order on April 4th, 2020 for the state of Alabama. Now, five months later, some businesses still have not returned to normal. The temporary closing has been a huge setback for many local businesses. Business owners who rely on their income to take care of their families have suffered greatly. It has affected not only their businesses, but their families also. 

This economic shock has been detrimental to small towns who depend on the financial revenue of their businesses. Business owners are being forced to take drastic preventative steps to continue operating and many are fearful about their futures. A National Small Business Association member survey found that three in four small-business owners are very concerned about the economic impact of COVID-19. Almost half have already seen reduced customer demand. And 38% aren’t confident in the financial future of their business. 

Moulton is a small town that depends on the income of local businesses. Our small town is one of many that have been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Local businesses have struggled to make ends meet during this crisis. Many have been forced to shut down for an extended amount of time. Not only has this caused their employees to be without a job for months, it was also devastating for the companies who rely on the income to provide for their families. 

A couple of businesses in Moulton were kind enough to share their struggles and experiences through this global pandemic. Chris Terry of Dixie Diamond Sports in Moulton says that his business “relies very heavily on school sports, therefore when the seasons were canceled it halted his amount of customers greatly”. He also stated that things have “started to improve for his company now that sports are starting back up.”  To add to the community testimony, Jeremy Hancock of Jeremy’s Lock and Key on the Historic Downtown Square says that his business has “suffered greatly since the stay at home order was established,” adding that “Business has been very slow in the store and personal calls”. 

According to multiple sources, business has finally seemed to pick up and they are hopeful that things will continue to improve in the future.