The Boone Show
The Boone Show
Focus on ASD2: Mary Boarts, Jason Johns, and Ben Woody
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We're joined by District 2's finest, Superintendent Jason Johns, BHP's Principal Mary Boarts, and the inimitable Ben Woody. They share all the latest, including how D2 schools are leapfrogging over those pre-COVID benchmarks, setting a shining example as a model PLC district.
But wait, there's more than just academic acumen in this episode! We've got stories. Jason is evidently a hitchhiker's Uber and also tells of his quest to rediscover a lost phone, including the fascinating folks he met along the way. Ben's eating habits become a focus as well.
After a chat with Zach on a slow sports week, we discuss and have some fun with student- proposed rule changes and new electives for the high school, and wrap things up with our usual guest entertainment and food recommendations!
Hello everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Boone Show on MyPulse Radio. I'm John Boone. The boss lady is here. Holly Harrell hello.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be a good night tonight.
Speaker 1:It is.
Speaker 2:Bunch of guests coming in.
Speaker 1:Yes, we do. In fact, they're already here. We've got District 2 representing in the house tonight with the superintendent Jason Johns. Hello, hello.
Speaker 3:Hello, john, great to be here, as always.
Speaker 1:All right, we've got BHP principal Mary Bortz, hello, and we've got the esteemed manufacturing and ag teacher, ben Woody, here with us. Hello, hello everybody. Just a little bit of housekeeping. Holly, I'm speaking a little better this week.
Speaker 2:I know I can hear you. You sound so much better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, last week or two weeks ago. This allergy thing has lasted almost like a month.
Speaker 2:I know it's been bad.
Speaker 1:It's been the worst I've had in like 25 years.
Speaker 2:It's going around for everybody.
Speaker 1:But lately it had been my voice. You know it's been various things, right, it's been a good variety. I mean, it was the head, it was the ear. I had to take steroids for the ear to get back to normal, had to take antibiotics for everything else, and then all of a sudden, it was the voice and that started this week and I'm like, geez, we've got to do a show. What do you have to do? So I'm reading up on how do you clear your voice to be able to do the show. And what do they say? They say stop the decongestants and the nasal spray, which then is going to, which, of course, is what I've been using to to decongest my head.
Speaker 2:But it's worked.
Speaker 1:Yes, because your voice sounds so much better than it did two weeks ago and from this morning even, I've been drinking tons of water, which they say to do too and because I was afraid I would have no voice for the show. It's like five octaves higher than it normally is. You know when that happens it hey, it would have really sounded weird when I went back to listen to it. But at least we're some semblance of normal for this show and I'm glad that worked out. But I'm going to need you to talk a lot.
Speaker 2:Gotcha, gotcha, which is usually not a problem for you. That's correct.
Speaker 1:But you've got the administrative types here are way smarter than me, so you got to do a lot of type typing talking, not typing. I've already done the typing on the sheet and we've got plenty to talk about uh, tonight. Uh, some light-hearted stuff on the way too, and of course, zach will check in with sports.
Speaker 2:He told me earlier today he had nothing to talk about oh no, so whenever he says that, look out well, that well, that might be good, because you know, I haven't picked up this phone, I haven't done the phone in two weeks. Oh, that's right, I never did go back over it, you're just supposed to hit that online. Well, I'm going to do my best.
Speaker 1:I'm sure it'll work. We'll have no problem with that, but we've got a lot to get updated on. We usually have the principals and superintendents in once a year, sometimes twice a year, beginning and the end, just to talk about what the hopes are and then come on at the end of the year and see what happened and what the plans are for next year. And that's where we are right now. So let's kick it off with the superintendent, mr Jason Johns, and tell us how District 2 is doing.
Speaker 3:It's been a great year, john. I appreciate you asking A couple of things that I wanted to share with you. First of all, we have plans. We're in the beginning of conversations to explore building a unified middle school. We've experienced a little bit of growth for our small community. I think we've grown by about 150 students over the last three years and our two middle schools. They are the schools with the most old footage it dates back to 1954. And so we've met with those faculties and we'll hold community meetings this spring and throughout the summer to share our plans with that. So that's always exciting. Looking forward to that.
Speaker 3:We were recently recognized as a model PLC district, and so PLC stands for professional learning community. It's the only one, in one of only five in America that have all the schools as model PLC schools. And what a professional learning community is? It's really focused on organizational health, and so it is creating a culture where your teachers share best practice. They look at student data. Make all the instructional and curriculum decisions based at student data. Make all the instructional and curriculum decisions based on student data what students need to improve in, what are some areas that they're already excelling at and how you can kind of enrich that and that kind of runs your whole school. What we like about it is it really puts the teachers in some critical decision-making positions in your building. They're the ones that are making some of the most important decisions, including instruction and curriculum, which is appropriate, so it was a big deal for us to get recognized as that. We did that last board meeting, and so it's a huge testament to the leadership of our principals and our awesome teachers.
Speaker 2:And you, Jason, you've got to have the support from the district office, In spite of me they do a good job, Holly Harrell, in spite of me. But you know, you've got to have that leadership from the top down and you've got to have the focus, and if the focus is not there, then they can't be successful as well.
Speaker 3:So our folks are just, they all have just such student hearts. One of the things we celebrated in the last board meeting is that across the board, every grade level and in every area that we measure for accountability, our students achieve higher this year than they did before COVID, which is a which is a wonderful thing, and it's that that's a real blessing that we've. Our students are just so awesome. So those are the two kind of serious things, john.
Speaker 1:Those are the two kind of serious things. John, Before we get to the other two that are on the list, what can you tell us? You talked about what was the last year with the younger students, something you were doing with the younger students over the summer.
Speaker 2:Is it the books? What was?
Speaker 3:that last year.
Speaker 1:It was a plan for younger kids.
Speaker 3:OK, so we just started the 3K 4K tuition program.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's what it was and we had talked about that last year, so how's that going?
Speaker 3:It has been excellent. We have filled up. I think there were two seats that we just had families move, so it is a three-year-old and four-year-old tuition-based program. In our small community there's very little child care before school before they actually become school age, child care before school before they actually become school age, and so it's a need that our community had, and so at Marshall Primary, which is in Belton, and then at Honeyapath Elementary School, which is in Honeyapath, we have seats for 20 students. There's a certified teacher in there and then there's an aide, and so it is all day child care with a certified teacher. They create their own curriculum and it is $400 a month, which is second to regular public school. It is the cheapest childcare on the planet.
Speaker 3:We looked at a couple of Columbia districts do this. One district up in York, south Carolina, does this and goodness gracious I think Beaufort County also does it. But it's been wonderful for us it has been. The feedback we've got from parents is awesome and so it's kind of, you know, bringing those students in as early as we can to prepare them for a successful 5k and first grade experience.
Speaker 1:All right. Another question I have is where are you going to build the elementary school? It's a middle school, middle school, sorry.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's in the school, so it would be positioned directly behind Belton Honeypath High School. Ok, right there. So there's actually the district owns that land as well. There's as much land that is not built on as the school's actually sitting on, so OK, yes, sir, all right.
Speaker 1:So a lot of growth going on, a lot of good things going on and some random things going on as well. So you have this little hitchhiker thing. Is this a new campaign for you?
Speaker 3:It's not, I don't know where it started John, but ever since I've been driving, I pick up hitchhikers.
Speaker 5:I bet you. I have picked up over 150.
Speaker 2:Like in your personal car.
Speaker 3:Where else would I pick them up? Are your children in there? In this one, yes, in this one, yes, and so, uh, so this is a um, so this, actually, both of these things happened over the summer, this one and the next one that I'll talk about, uh, but I was, um, uh, coming back, I think, from uh home depot or lowes or something, and and I was about to turn into the driveway and there was this guy walking down my road and he's wearing jeans and a cutoff t-shirt and he's barefoot, and it's like the middle of July, and on his shoulder he's got a huge box of Kentucky fried chicken and he's carrying it like you carry a boom box, just walking on down the road. And so, uh, my daughter's in the back of the truck and not the bed, but the backseat of the truck, um, and she's asleep, cause we're working outside all day and whenever she rides in the car for a long time, she always falls asleep. And so I pull over and I say, hey man, you want to ride.
Speaker 3:And he says sure, and then so he kind of he, he puts his chicken in the bed of the truck and he starts climbing over and I said no, no, no, you can sit, sit up here. And um, and so he walks around, he leaves the chicken in the back of the truck and he sits beside me and then I say tell him where you're going. And he said just keep on going straight. And then so we head on down the road. Now he's barefoot, he's got a big box of chicken and so I figured the house is fairly close where we're going.
Speaker 3:And so the first thing he does is he turns around and he sees my little, and then she was seven year old, sleeping in the back and he said well, it looks like somebody's tired from school. And I said man, it's Saturday and it's July, it's, there's no school. Anyways, we drive for seven and a half miles and I could not get back there if I tried now. And then I drop him off and he kind of runs through the. It looks like it's a little almost like a homemade RV park kind of thing. And the second he jumps out with his chicken. You start to hear people yell and holler at him, and they're just so excited to see him.
Speaker 1:The chicken man. I guess he brought dinner. Anyways he brought it early.
Speaker 3:He was going to walk that chicken seven and a half miles back to his buddies Without shoes On asphalt and concrete yes.
Speaker 4:That's probably where he went.
Speaker 3:It could have been, it could have been. You go down to the end of West Road. You keep on going across like you're going toward where the Wilson died.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, he was going out towards 252 and 413. We went forever. I thought he was at it. That might have been an Ivor resident. We won't claim that.
Speaker 3:But anyways.
Speaker 2:So you have a habit of picking up hitchhikers.
Speaker 3:I picked up one last week you don't think that's dangerous.
Speaker 3:No, well, the one last week. If I could go back, I probably would not pick up the one last week. This one was actually going into Belton, and so I picked him up and I've seen him walk before. He actually works at Kentucky Fried Chicken also and so I had to go by my house, and so I came out, and so I had to go by my house, went by my house and as I'm, and so I came out, and then I'm stopped at the little, the little stop sign that goes onto the main highway, and we're stopped there and our windows are down. He's talking and this car pulls behind me, and this is probably six or seven houses from my house, and so the car pulls behind me and then this guy puts his hands on the side of the door, he's sitting, sticks his head out and then says who's that? And I'm thinking dude, this is my neighborhood man, don't be talking to these people, sit back, get your head back in the car. And then so I, so, so, so. So this is.
Speaker 3:So he asked if we can stop at a gas station because he wants to get some smokes. I'm totally against smoking, but just, you know, being nice and trying to accommodate him and so we stop. And then he opens the door like he's going to go inside the store and he said you got 75 cents. And I said, buddy, I'm not going to give you money for cigarettes, I'm just not. He said, ok, that's fine.
Speaker 3:And then he walks up to this little white minivan in front of the store and he knocks on the glass. And then he asked the people in there if they've got any money, I guess, and they say no. But then this boy walks around, gets out of the van, comes around to him and he actually gives the boy money and then the boy goes inside so he did have money. And then he waits the guy didn't come out and he waits, he talks to the person in the van and waits a little bit more and then he comes back to the truck and he said the guy took my money and they won't let me in the store.
Speaker 2:So then I dropped off a cake for a chicken. So do you just pick up hitchhikers in like Belton-Honeybath area or like, ah, I'm going down Greenville and I'm just picking up a hitchhiker? I have Things I learned about you.
Speaker 5:You never know, it could be an angel in disguise.
Speaker 3:Holly Harrell, I can't believe you waited at the gas station.
Speaker 5:You know who else used to do that.
Speaker 3:Who used to do that.
Speaker 5:Jeffrey.
Speaker 4:Dahmer. Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3:Hey, I actually had this one. I actually had this one. So I picked up this guy and then he got in the car and then he kind of looks at me and smiles and he said aren't you afraid that I'm a psychopath or something? And I said that's impossible or something. And I said that's impossible.
Speaker 1:What's the chances of there being two in the same car? All right, yeah, that was. That's just just one of the crazy stories. So before we go to break, hit the other one, with you meeting some strangers in Washington DC.
Speaker 3:So during the summertime I took my two daughters. One's a junior, the most beautiful junior on the entire planet, lena, and then I've got an eight-year-old, who's just so wonderful, her name is Farrah, and I had to go to a conference in Washington DC, and so whenever I go to a conference I don't like going to very many, but I always take some of my children anyways. And so the first night we were there there was a park beside the hotel, so we went and took my little girl down to play at the park. And then my daughter left her phone on this railing and then forgot it. And then so we got back to the hotel, she realized her lost her phone. We're about to leave the hotel, go back down to the park, and somebody calls my phone and says hey, I found this phone. No, no, they didn't. I saw there was a message that was left, so I checked the message and the message says hey, I'm so-and-so, I just found this phone. I'm going to hide it somewhere in the park so you can come back and get it. And they hung up. Who does that Like? Why just not say I'm going to put it up in the trash, can? Or I'm going to put it. I mean so anyways. Um, we never found the phone. John, we looked like three or four times, we never found the phone.
Speaker 3:Um, um, the day we were leaving I was um, uh, we, we went to get coffee before we left and you walk into this coffee shop, it's real small right. When you walk in, there's a huge glass window that looks out onto the road and there's some little chairs there. So I've got my little notebook that took notes on, and my daughter's got her purse no phone but a purse and I've got my phone and we kind of set it on that little chair and then we walk up to the the counter and order our coffee. And then I turn around and it's all gone, all of it's gone. And then we'd actually, and then I looked at the little other coffee guy and I said did you see any? Did you, did you, did you see our stuff here? And he said no, I, I, I, I wasn't paying attention.
Speaker 3:Um, and so this lady who was in line, she was watching the whole thing and uh, no, first I called um, I called my wife and asked her if she could track my phone, and she was not able to. And then I called. I asked the lady who was beside us waiting in line for her coffee. I said, listen, this is going to sound weird, but we're not from here and we have to leave today. And somebody just told my phone is there any way that you would use your phone to help me track my phone so you enter in your Apple ID and you can find that? And so that that took 10 minutes at most and the phone was already two and a half miles away.
Speaker 3:It was in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven, so apparently somebody was kind of waiting at that window and you can kind of see people drop stuff off, and they got on a bus. So I asked the lady you know, can you tell me how to get to the 7-Eleven? She was from there, and so she kind of drew me directions and I kind of wrote down and then so we got in the truck and then me and my two daughters went to the 7-Eleven. And progressively as you got to the 7-Eleven, the neighborhoods became less affluent, and so by the time we got to the 7-Eleven it was you could say sketchy.
Speaker 3:It was. It was sketchy. And so I saw the 7-Eleven and there was this lady holding a yard sale. There's a chain-link fence that kind of runs beside the 7-Eleven and this lady had stuff for sale like it was a huge yard sale, and even stuff like on the asphalt right in front of it and even stuff like on the asphalt right in front of it. And then there's a side street and then on this sidewalk, to the left of the building was probably about 25 or 30 homeless people. I mean, it was just a huge group of individuals.
Speaker 3:And I thought, well, either the lady may have seen it or maybe one of those folks across the road picked it up. And then so I got Lena to. I said listen, don't, I don't want you to park here, just take your sister, drive my truck around the block, keep on driving and let me see if I can find my phone. And then so I walk across the street, walk up to that large group of people and I just kind of walk through the middle of them and I stop in the very middle. I kind of look around, try to make eye contact, get folks attention. They're looking at me like I got three heads growing out of my neck. And then I say listen, this is going to sound weird y'all, but I'm from South Carolina, I'm not from here, and somebody stole my phone back in downtown. Does anybody know anybody who may have picked up a phone? I tracked it here to the 7-Eleven and they look at me like I'm from Mars. And then there's one lady in the group and she says well, you can ask those cops. I bet they know who took your phone. And just then two policemen walk out of the 7-Eleven. So I walk over to the policeman and I explain my situation and they look at me like I'm crazy too, and they say your phone on. And I said, yes, sir, and so they called the phone, but it just goes to voicemail. So I think all is lost. I'll never see my phone again.
Speaker 3:So when I get home that night we drive from Washington DC all the way back to South Carolina. When I get home that night my son says Dad, somebody just called and said they found your phone. And he said and so I gave him our address and then I tracked it and it's really at a post office and my phone came in the mail two days later. I know, I know, never met the guy. How nice is that? Serious yes. So except for the, you know, I know, never met the guy. How nice is that.
Speaker 5:Serious Wow yes.
Speaker 1:So, except for the, you know, so he probably kept your daughter's phone.
Speaker 3:He did not strike me as the kind who would be wandering through a child's playground. He seemed like a yeah, so anyways, that was great.
Speaker 1:Well, win-win there. All right, we're going to take a quick break and Mary Bortz will top those stories coming up in her segment. Next You're listening to the Boon Show on MyPulse Radio.
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Speaker 1:All right, welcome back to the Boone Show on MyPulse Radio. Shift gears a little bit here, although Jason, you can still, obviously, and Ben, you can join the conversation at any time. But our featured guest on this segment is the principal of Belton Honeypath High School, and that would be Mary Borch. Welcome back to the program, thank you for having me. All right. So what's going on at BHP? How's this year gone? Give me some highs, lows, challenges, whatever. What's going on?
Speaker 7:We've had a pretty solid year so far. I can't really complain At this point. We're just winding down, we're trying to close out this. Last couple of weeks We've got different awards, different events, different banquet just about every day of the week. Sports are we're getting into starting playoffs. But I think we've had a pretty great week or year I'm sorry, pretty great year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, obviously, the football team came back this year with a good season.
Speaker 7:Yes, yes, we had an amazing season. Sad the way it ended, but it was still a great season.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately only one team can win. But yeah, it was great to see everybody excited about BHP football. Not too many down years, but last year was kind of a down year and to see them come back like that was really great. So what's going on facility-wise over there?
Speaker 7:We don't have any major big facility changes in the works. Luckily, we're fortunate enough that everything's kind of in a good state, so we're just in upkeep mode at this point. So no big facility changes. We're getting a new sign out front.
Speaker 5:All right, I saw that.
Speaker 7:Yeah, that's about the extent of our facility changes. I mean, we're getting a new roof, but that's not something.
Speaker 3:It's needed, but it's not exciting, it's not fun.
Speaker 7:It'll be exciting when we don't have to put trash cans under leaky areas of the building. That will be a plus, so that will be exciting.
Speaker 1:I bet that's fun sometimes. Just go around, try to find the leaks and find the cans. Lots of fun, yeah sounds like it. What is this educational signing day? I see here.
Speaker 7:Yeah. So you know, we do all these signings for our students that are going to play sports in college, and so we've kind of tried to start a trend of signing for other things as well.
Speaker 7:So this today, actually this- morning we had six students that did a signing day to go to school to become teachers and we had we had about 30 folks there representatives from the colleges, the kids, their friends, their families, district and building administration came to just support these six girls as they officially signed to commit to go to college to become teachers. Obviously that's a big deal to us because we're all in the world of education. So we want to promote that as much as possible, and it was really very exciting.
Speaker 1:That's cool, Holly. Bring up another question before I get to something else.
Speaker 2:Well, it's not just us. Everybody's looking for teachers because that's important in the long run, but to make it seem like it's important, just as important as athletics. That's huge, mary, and not just teachers. Maybe this will, down the road, feed other things as well Architects, those that are going to go on to a four-year college, or those that don't even go on to college. All of those things come in place when you do signing. So I give you kudos for bringing those teachers out, because we all need that.
Speaker 3:I think there's a special loyalty also, and Mary does such a good job with this Kind of growing your own educators in your school being. You know this much better than I do. I bet there's a huge percentage of teachers at BHP who are graduates of BHP and that just creates a feeling of ownership and loyalty that you just can't. You just can't get anywhere else and home, so we're very blessed with that.
Speaker 1:Good. I see BHP doing a lot of community service things. I've seen a lot of pictures on Facebook and such Name some of those things that they've been up to, that you're proud of, that students are doing.
Speaker 7:So we started. Two of my teachers are very involved with the Anderson County Rotary Club and so we started our own high school version of that which is called Interact Club. And I believe we are the first Interact Club in the county and it, like I said, it's an extension of the Rotary Club and they are community service based, so they believe in helping others before helping themselves. And that just started this year and those kids are just trying to find it's really a student led, even though I have two teachers helping, kind of guide them. But they are trying to find ways to go out into the community and and help and so they went and packed um like personal hygiene products and stuff project lot last week. Um, they adopted a highway and they're going out several times of the year and cleaning um. They're just trying to do things to give back to our community.
Speaker 1:That's great. It's always good to see kids doing that.
Speaker 2:Create that whole student and not just a high school graduate. Right, right.
Speaker 1:And we try to do that here too. Community service is so important to building their character and just giving them perspective outside of where they are. Do you have any good stories to tell?
Speaker 7:I can't talk Mr Johnson's stories. I don't know, you didn't send me any.
Speaker 1:I asked for stories, and only he sent me a couple.
Speaker 7:I haven't picked up any hitchhikers or anything like that, no, nothing like that.
Speaker 10:I lead a pretty boring life.
Speaker 3:The life of a principal is not a boring life. She had you at prom this past weekend.
Speaker 7:Yes, we did have prom on Saturday and yay for us it was a very fun time, just kids having a good time. All the girls look beautiful, the boys looked handsome, also very uneventful, which is a good thing for us, but it was a great, great, great night. Very successful. Thanks to Lindsay Wade and Daniel Bowker, who are two of our teachers that volunteer their own time to make that happen. It's very successful. Thanks to Lindsay Wade and Daniel Bowker, who are two of our teachers that volunteer their own time, to make that happen. It's very appreciative of them.
Speaker 1:What was the theme? Under the stars or under moonlight? Under something? Yes, there were lots of stars. No, there were stars and things something along those lines.
Speaker 7:I don't remember entirely.
Speaker 1:But you're just happy it went over well. Yes, we always hear those prom stories from students, and it's nice when we don't hear them, because that usually means things went well. Ben, might as well bring you in here. What about your year?
Speaker 4:I'm one of the ag teachers. I teach more to agriculture mechanics aspects at the high school and I've got two others that work with me Dion Latimer and Eric Wilson and I couldn't ask for two better people to work with. They're actually currently attending our spring ag teacher meeting, so by being here I kind of got out of that.
Speaker 1:Glad we could help you there.
Speaker 4:That's right, you helped me, but I printed this out because miss bort she asked for it yesterday oh she asked for a list of our awards, achievements or whatever and this is all students this is all our different teams, all right. So we had a piedmont technical college souls. The piedmont tech put on a soils evaluation contest. Uh, mr latimer's team won that. They had the soil evaluation state, cde, which is all ag schools. They can sign up and compete in it. They were state runner-up. Mr Wilson hada wildlife CDE team. They were state champions.
Speaker 4:That's two in a row and which is hard to do because on these career development event teams, if you win the state, you have to train four new students and you're going against everybody from the previous years oh yes, so hang on, let me pause you real quick, because I didn't, I had been.
Speaker 7:I've been opened up to the world of ag thanks to mr woody and our two other teachers. So, cde, these are contests every high school can enter if they want, just for those that aren't aware. And then you compete against other high schools in the state, and so he's reading you the ones that we competed against other high schools in the state and and we won state or runner-up.
Speaker 4:Yes, and the CDE stands for Career Development Event. So if they have an interest in this career after school, they stay after and study, or even come before school and study, or even come on the weekends and study, and they study only specific topics.
Speaker 7:And if we win state, then we can go to nationals. Then you can compete in nationals we bring several teams to nationals every year and compete Just like our SkillsUSA.
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 7:We compete against other teams across the nation.
Speaker 4:So we got wildlife. Then Mr Wilson had veterinary science CDE. He was state runner up in that one. Mr Latimer had agronomy CDE state runner up in that one. Nursery landscape CDE state runner up in that one. We had a student that did prepared public speaking. She placed second in the region and the top four go to state and that'll be at the state convention in June. We had livestock evaluation Mr Latimer state runner up in that one. We had the 4-H livestock evaluation CDE. They were state champions in that one. We had the tool identification CDE. They were state champions in that one. We had the poultry CDE. They were state runners up in that one. We had agriculture mechanics. We were the state champions in that one and we had a national agriculture mechanics CDE team. The team placed silver in that one and there were six different sections in that and we actually had a young lady named Lauren Phillips who was the highest scoring individual in one section at the national contest.
Speaker 4:It's been about 20-something years, they say, since a female placed highest in the region. So I'm like training the Rosie Riveters of the world is what I feel like that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Did you leave anything for anybody else, or did you just say there's not much left?
Speaker 4:there. These are all students and most of them are teams except for one and, like I said, if you win one and you come back you have to get four brand new ones and train them, and the kids will tell you they spend a lot of time practicing for it. But then it also prepares them for skills, like we've got some students they're going to go to lander major in vet science. You've got a lot of them that entered a mechanical aspect trade. Uh, some of them are going to clemson in the fall. So but it all prepares them and gets them prepared for a career and gives them experience with it.
Speaker 4:Cause that's that's the ultimate goal is to get people working, paid and dependent.
Speaker 1:That's absolutely good. You sound like one of our teachers, yeah, and you know that is an awesome program.
Speaker 2:Those awards and those achievements that they've made also instills that confidence in them to continue to pursue those endeavors and go further and further. So again, you're making that whole student. You're just not making a high school graduate, you're making that whole student. You're making sure all of those boxes are checked. So there'll be what we call community improvement, independent workers, and that's what we want. Kudos.
Speaker 4:Thank you, and we're fortunate, like this past year, mr Johns went to a national convention with us. If you don't know anything about a FFA national convention, it's the largest gathering of young people in the world. Every year there's roughly like 65,000, 70,000 students that will attend Indianapolis and Mr Johns went with us last year and got to see, and then Ms Bortz went with us the year before that. So we're grateful that we have the support and they get to come see it and experience with the kids. And I mean it's a sea of blue jackets, is what they say. It is Because everybody's wearing the same thing. That's awesome, it is.
Speaker 1:That is awesome and that's awesome it is. That is awesome. And Mary, thanks for inviting Ben. We told him anybody can bring a guest to kind of honor them a little bit and, obviously, congratulations, Great job. It's a lot of fun when you get to see your students do that it is.
Speaker 4:I mean, teachers have up and down days, but when you see your students excel, it's the best feeling in the world. Yeah, I told my. I said told some of them I was going to be on here. They said that's good, woody, you got a good face for radio.
Speaker 1:I've gotten that my whole life, man, I've gotten that my whole life. But all right, we're going to take a quick time out here and we'll probably have Zach on the other side. He's supposed to be calling right about now. No-transcript. I asked my class to come up with some ideas to push for the high schools, so we'll see how they react to that. It's coming up on the Boone Show on MyPulse Radio.
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Speaker 9:It's Colt from Colt Classics and I want to make sure you check out my show, right?
Speaker 8:here only on mypulseradiocom.
Speaker 1:Colt will be back on tonight right after this show with his once again a replay of his disco hour. So that's coming up immediately following our show here on my balls radio. Let's go to the phone line. Zach, are you there?
Speaker 6:I'm here. How are y'all?
Speaker 1:all right, holly is excited. She's pumping her fist. She got you on right this time. How are you?
Speaker 6:I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 1:we're uh, we're making it around here, getting over the old allergies and all that. What's going on in your neck of the woods?
Speaker 6:I think you said the allergies my way.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, really yeah, Sorry about that.
Speaker 6:You know, I had my seven-month-old had ear infection and then she had bronchitis and then she had RSV and then she had the stomach bug there you go four rounds going on the last two weeks at my house but you've been staying healthy yeah, trying to yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:so what's going on in the uh, in the world of sports to talk of? I know, um, right now, uh, normally across the South is not a huge sports time because you've got mainly those northern sports the NBA, the NHL, all that with their playoffs, although you do have baseball getting going. So what do you want to talk about?
Speaker 6:I guess. Well, any time LeBron James loses is always a fun time to talk.
Speaker 1:Especially when he gets mad afterwards.
Speaker 6:Right, yeah, I guess just the continued tear that Clemson baseball is on. Yeah, they dropped two or three from NC State last weekend, but they took two or three this weekend from Pitt. They got a top 20 matchup against Georgia tonight and there Georgia has in their lineup I forgot the guy's name, but he's batting like 435 with 26 home runs.
Speaker 6:He leads the nation in home runs. So it'll be a tough test for them tonight. And then, if you're a hockey fan, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. They are up two,0 in their series. They're playing Orlando. They'll go back there for games 3, 4, and 5 and then come back here for 6 and 7 if necessary. There's a bunch of golf tournaments going on. It's funny. I played one time on Black Friday and now I'm hooked, supposed to go to the driving range with a guy from work Friday after work. Uh, so, uh, you know not really much to talk about, you know. I will say you know, I know we talk about it every week. It's a good time to be a professional wrestling fan. I mean it is. It's just the way the storylines are going just the way that you that you know.
Speaker 6:Just hey, it's a male soap opera, but this male right here loves it. So does my four-year-old.
Speaker 1:And in a couple of weeks they'll be in Greenville. Right, yep, and you know me, I'll be there I know you will, and that's on Monday night, so I'm sure you'll be reporting on Tuesday night.
Speaker 6:Oh yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Did I tell you? Did I tell you that I went to one of the little tiny little house, small rasslings, uh, that you know this got people that do that on the side, and I took my four-year-old and she was crying because all the bad guys won.
Speaker 1:No, no, where was that at?
Speaker 6:it was was at now. Seriously, I'm serious when I say it was at a church. Of course it's off of 253, tampa's First Baptist Church in Greenville. Carson was sitting there. Daddy, is this the good guy? Is this the bad guy? She says that when she's watching Raw and Smackdown with me. She loves Jey Uso, she loves Roman Reigns and now she likes Cody Rhodes. Well, anyway, these guys would come out and they already know who's going to win and who's going to lose beforehand. I'm telling you, mr Boone, when the bad guys won I think every one of them won it was lasturday night, saturday night, a week ago, and when they all won and you would have thought she, she got in trouble because, I mean, she just started crying at the blue. My dad asked her what was wrong and she said I didn't want him to win and then the next one, and it was just over and over and over again.
Speaker 6:And then, uh, so we got in at the intermission, they all come out, you can go meet them and stuff. And I told him, I said, man, you upset my, I told one of the superstars, you upset her when you, when you won. He was like, well, that's what you know, you don't talk to me, you talk to them. They're the ones that told me to lose. You know, but talk to them, they're the ones that told me to lose. You know so. But but, uh, but I just thought maybe you'd get a kick out of that, because it was the. I sent tiffany a video and she got a kick out of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's kind of scary too that you're she's so young and you're raising her like that I can't sit down on the couch without her wanting to wrap and then my wife, my wife all over me now, honey, you know, she's four years old.
Speaker 6:I said I know, but I'm a trained professional I know what I'm doing.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, does she have um entry music yet?
Speaker 6:no, we're still working on that yeah, okay, I do not have. I will say, though, before I let you run um, we didn't get a chance to tell you this last week. Have you heard of the flower man in weddings now?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 6:Instead of a flower girl, people's having flower men.
Speaker 8:And what?
Speaker 6:they're doing is flower men are the entertainment. In other words, if me and Tiffany was getting married Saturday, I would have one. And what it is. They come out to crazy music. They're the entertainment of the day, and so, with all that said, I was a flower man in a wedding Saturday. Oh really so, and I come out to Roman Reigns.
Speaker 1:Of course you do.
Speaker 6:So you know it was. It was. It was OK, I grew I'd done it for the groom. It was one of my best friends from elementary school. He turned around but he was just so that day you're nervous, you're about to throw up. He turned around maybe five seconds and turned right back around because it was a surprise for him. But yeah, I come out and roman raises music because we grew up watching wrestling.
Speaker 6:I mean, that's who got me into wrestling one hour man, and so you know so. But uh, but it was kind of a neat experience, um, but yeah, my four-year-old being into it. You know it's kind of neat because I was into it at seven, eight years old. So hopefully one day she'll get to go with me if I could talk her mama into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll be praying for Tiffany.
Speaker 6:Praying for her. I'm the one that needs it.
Speaker 1:All right, man. Well, we'll catch up with you next week. Get our usual update. You have a good week and get everybody healthy in that household. Yes, sir, you too. Talk to y'all later. All right, bye-bye, that's Zach. Any of you guys into pro wrestling? No, no, mary, I had you pegged as someone that was really into that.
Speaker 7:Seems like it Since.
Speaker 4:Stone Cold left, she doesn't watch it anymore.
Speaker 7:She can't move on.
Speaker 1:It's tough.
Speaker 3:I did see a flyer in Anderson somewhere, but it was like a tough man contest Like anybody off the street can come and you can fight each other. That's scary, it is. And it even said on the bottom, no professionals allowed.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, so he's stopping by taking all his hitchhikers over here.
Speaker 2:You got your beat.
Speaker 10:You can earn some money. Just say meet me here. I guess I guess.
Speaker 1:Oh man, and like every month or so, they have wrestling at the Williamston Auditorium.
Speaker 2:They do a lot, but those are. I think those are paid, aren't they? I?
Speaker 1:don't know I those are paid, aren't they? I don't know, I always see the sign for it, but I've never heard of it.
Speaker 4:Yeah that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:They are professional.
Speaker 4:I won't say who, but there was an ag teacher who went before his superintendent and everybody and tried to pitch the idea of midget wrestling at Erskine for a fundraiser and it got shot down.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I don't know why.
Speaker 4:Rightfully so he knows who he is. That, but he knows who he is.
Speaker 1:That's. That's actually a big thing too, for for the little people there's actually shows on TV.
Speaker 4:He was going to get the people in the show on TV. Come down here.
Speaker 1:It's got to make money somehow, right? All right, let's move on to these proposals that the students have made. I gave you the long sheet and obviously we don't have time to go over all of them, but I am wondering which ones that perhaps you were struck by, and we'll go with all of you here, with Jason and schedule and you know maybe more interesting things to take and if you have any questions about because I just kind of listed them there if you have any questions so I can clarify for you, please ask. But, jason, what do you think? What struck you as maybe one new elective you'd be interested in having at the high school level?
Speaker 3:Well, I think doing your taxes and just understanding that would be very beneficial for the students. I don't know exactly how you could, you know, legally offer MMA. I just struggle with visualizing.
Speaker 7:Teenagers fighting.
Speaker 3:I can't even. I've got nothing Like in an octagon.
Speaker 1:Yes, Give them some release, then you don't have to worry about all that stuff that's going on at school.
Speaker 3:You know that's unsanctioned yeah, I would need more explanation. Settled in the ring, I would need more explanation on the pirate class I want to know about that's what I was gonna ask about as well.
Speaker 1:What does that? One student said that they would they kind of split it up between the thievery and teaching how to rob people of things and just generally act like a pirate, like you're from the Caribbean or something.
Speaker 3:I would not support that elective.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know about that. He's a real dramatic. He's in drama, so he likes playing roles, so maybe you know.
Speaker 4:I think the news one More importantly, how to interpret news, Because I'm not sure we have real journalism anymore. But we have people pushing points and if you actually showed somebody how to look at a story, research it for yourself and determine the point that the narrator is trying to get across and allow them to think for themselves and become independent.
Speaker 7:Yeah, y'all have a journalism class over there, we offered journalism this year, yes, last semester.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause that is really. You know, it is important nowadays with all the different platforms and ways to get news out, but also, what is news anymore? It's not just somebody's opinion on something.
Speaker 2:How do you present news? It looks different now than what it did 10 years ago.
Speaker 7:Absolutely. It looks totally different Like a quick, short tweet is news.
Speaker 2:Right, right, or you get your news from TikTok yeah.
Speaker 1:Where is it actually coming from? Reels or something that's right?
Speaker 4:Or people have a point of why they're telling you this news.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's narrative, or how they're telling it to you, yes, or what they're leaving out yes.
Speaker 1:There's a goal to why they're telling you certain things and not others, and you're right that nowadays most of the kids are on TikTok, at least until they ban it, which is a possibility. We talked about that in class as a matter of fact, but that's just the only place they're getting news. They take everything as fact and you know. There has to be a way to you know. Tell kids that you know as you form your belief systems. Don't do it based on TikTok. Mary, what do you got?
Speaker 7:I am really here for the Ninja Warrior class. Yeah, I think that would be amazing to watch.
Speaker 1:See, that, I think is good because, in clarification of that, the student that proposed that wants to be on the TV show, yeah, and wants this to be like part of PE, where they can learn the course and then go compete.
Speaker 7:Let's build a course. I'm here for it.
Speaker 1:Maybe you could use it as some kind of punishment too, if you had to.
Speaker 4:Mr Johns was about to be in an urban, one of those up there in Washington.
Speaker 1:He became the wrong person.
Speaker 4:Mad at him getting out of there.
Speaker 1:That ninja warrior was going to come out there, but luckily things worked out there. Holly, what do you think?
Speaker 2:You know we were talking about this beforehand and I don't know why BHP can't have a nap, a sleep class. I mean, come on. Yeah 15, 20 minutes. No credit, let's just do it.
Speaker 1:They say, one of the major problems high schoolers have is they don't get enough sleep and therefore they're not ready for class. And all that and never really awake. So why don't we teach them how to sleep?
Speaker 2:Let them have a little power nap during the day. That might come conflict with the new rules and where it says oh get to that leaving early and moving ahead well, that's the funny thing.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, and we'll get to that, because that's funny. It's like, yeah, we need to start later. Oh, we need to leave earlier.
Speaker 2:It's like, okay, well, whatever and put an app in there and put an app in there.
Speaker 7:But that whole nap and yoga thing that you brought up, mr johns, that could be good for teachers too it was good I did have a teacher earlier in the year doing yoga during our flex time and kids could sign up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good. I mean, sometimes you do have to have things that are going to de-stress them a little bit. I mean we found that a lot this year that we we have a really busy program. We do a lot of different things between both sides of media broadcasting, with the, the audio and radio, and then the film side. They're working a lot of different projects at once and normally you know, the kids that are in the program are the ones that are already really busy at the high school. They're already doing sports, they're into like FFA, they're into some fine arts, they're into everything.
Speaker 1:And then when you pile that stuff on top, we don't realize sometimes that although there are some students that aren't doing a whole lot, some of your best students are really getting stressed out and burn out. How do we deal with that? And that's one of the things that we've been juggling nowadays. I mean, what can we do to kind of calm them down a little bit, get them back to their equilibrium where they can handle everything without getting all stressed? And especially this time of year we talk about the seniors checking out, but at the same time they're really stressed about the next step in their life. When I bring up how many days it is to graduation, they're like Mr Boone, don't tell me that, don't tell me that I uh, when I bring up how many days it is to graduation, they're like mr moon, don't tell me that, don't tell me that, I don't want to know because it represents another big step. So you know, seriously, what do we do to uh, help our students relax a little bit maybe that's the question.
Speaker 7:So one of the things I really like is how we've utilized our flex time this year so that 45 minutes we have in the middle of the day four times a week. Last year it was strictly academic and we kind of saw that there is a large group of our kids that maybe don't need the extra tutoring every day or don't have to retake a test or make up that work. And how can we utilize that time to maybe give them some freedom to do things they enjoy, or should just relax, or because they need a study hall, because they play a sport and they take every AP class we offer and they don't have time to do homework.
Speaker 7:So not right now, so much because we're in crunch time end of the year, but earlier in the year, more mid-year, our teachers would offer some of the more fun relaxing things, like we would have coloring time, which if you would have asked me a year ago I would have said no way, but you would walk in there and it was just Zen for those kids and for some of those kids that was just a 45 minute break from the chaos of high school.
Speaker 7:We had them listen. One person would be listening to Taylor Swift on a weekly basis Taylor Swift listening party. I think someone did do nap time and they'd play like Zen music one day a week and once again, the kids that were failing. They didn't the way our system works. They don't have the opportunities to do things like that. But it's for the kid that our system it's a website knows it has like a priority system. So so if it isn't a kid that needs that extra help or that time they have the ability to sign up for these things that may de-stress them. We had a guitar club, we had an astronomy club, just things to take them away their brains away from just the stress of school.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, that's great I mean especially for, you know, those that that need the extra time, the subject they've got that. That's why flex time is it works, and then those that don't. Because they are achieving or overachieving, they have time to relax a little bit and not worry about the constant pushing on the gas pedal all the time. So, yeah, that's pretty cool. Now related, we had them ask about some rules revisions and I'd like to hear what your ideas of you know. One more thing before we move on.
Speaker 1:You'll see, even under that list of new electives, they said radio. And of course we have radio here and you know, radio is not a big job thing anymore per se, but it's a vehicle and it's a vehicle of communication. And what the kid was saying right there, which is obviously in my class, she answered the question. But she was saying to have something at the high school where you can just get on and talk with people and talk about issues and do stuff like that is another form of stress relief. They can do it appropriately and they have that opportunity here, but just have an opportunity to sit down and talk, get their views out, see what other people think and have more conversation. We don't have to go any further than just look at the news headlines to see that people don't talk much anymore. They're just all stuck in their beliefs, and there's no compromise anywhere that if we can teach a new generation to do that, that'd be pretty cool too. So let's move on to the new rules. What's stuck out to you, mr Johns?
Speaker 3:the new rules. What's stuck out to you, Mr Johns? Probably the one that caught my attention the most, just because I like it is everybody goes to a school sports game or extracurricular event. I think it's just. I know Mary does this with her parents so well, the more just encouraging her kids that the more you're engaged with things at your school that is outside the classroom, the better school experience you're going to have. When I went with Ben and his FFA teams to Indianapolis, I remember waking up it was kind of early, it was probably 7, 15, 7.30, walking down to the lobby and he had a group of his kids, probably half a dozen, that were just huddled over this table or this bar area actually just studying, I mean, as if it was a final exam that their lives depended on because they liked it because, they wanted to do well, and so anytime you can add play into your day, that's a very powerful motivator.
Speaker 1:And this go ahead.
Speaker 3:I mean and you know, loves a four-letter word, t-i-m-e. And so you know, if you spend the time at your kids' events, that's because you care about them and they know that.
Speaker 1:And this particular student was also the one that entered under the elective sports journalism. He wants more people to come out and watch him and his teammates play, and that's really important to him, whether it be family members or his classmates and such. Just to come out, he said, even if we make it so they just come to one event a semester, just come out and see it. You might like it and it would mean a lot to the people that are actually competing. So, all right. By the way, you can look under the rules and the changes. They're basically the same, because we don't have time to go three different things anyway. So, ben, what strikes you?
Speaker 4:I mean some of them, the pajamas, all the time you know. I mean of course a student would say that, but as an employer let's put it this way I tell my kids this. Sometimes I say, if I go to Ingalls and there's two lines and they're both the same and one person is wearing pajamas and dragging their feet, you ain't going on that line.
Speaker 4:I'm not getting in that line. I'm avoiding that. You know I'm going in the next one, even if it's a little longer. So that one I'm not so sure about that one. The one down there about outdoor classes, I will say this that we're fortunate in our program where we get to take students outside and education does happen outside, and I understand that a lot of our students they will wind up working outside. I worked in the forest industry for about 10 or 12 years before I became a teacher and, um, outdoor classes are good, but uh, how do I put it? When I did, I used to do tree work. People don't realize that it's nice and sunny, it's great. It's raining and snowy and cold, it's not great. So I mean, that's both good and bad, but everybody loves to go outside, or you should so I think that's definitely a good one, but I mean, uh, I don't understand some of them of the rules.
Speaker 1:But I mean we do have parking spaces, so we're check well, I think that was more of people stealing parking spaces or where the parking spaces are and stuff like that these are students that are not just from our high school.
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah, these are from all the high schools, so some may not apply.
Speaker 1:I tried to pick ones that would apply to everybody, but I'm not quite sure myself, mary, what you got.
Speaker 7:I mean in this, like you said, these kids were from every high school. So the leaving for lunch, I don't know where our Belt and Honey kids think they're going to go, I only got my four restaurants, kfc right, and there's 1,100 of them. So the lines would be long and there's no way they'd be back in time.
Speaker 1:Right, right and.
Speaker 7:I know, like Powdersville area there's plenty for them, but yeah, there's just nowhere for them to go in our two small towns.
Speaker 1:Well, tied into that, though, is better lunch food.
Speaker 7:I think our food is. We really changed the game this year and I've heard nothing but compliments. Even my eight-year-old comes home and just like I ask her about her day and all she wants to tell me is how great lunch was that's good they have really, mr johns has really pushed our cafeteria staff to kind of change the game this year and offer more fresh, different food.
Speaker 7:um, and so it's caused some learning curves on our cafeteria staff because they're preparing more fresh food and less like pre-made frozen stuff and it's caused us a little bit of adjustments because lines are longer, because they're offering more options. But overall, I mean, our kids are eating and we're fortunate enough that they applied for a grant. Is it a grant?
Speaker 3:For four years.
Speaker 7:Yeah, for four years for our kids to eat free. So our kids as a parent, we're Hallelujah. For my two children I'm not having to pay for lunch, but also as a leader in my building, I'm getting to see that these kids get to eat, no matter what.
Speaker 7:Some of the kids whose parents would not have been able to afford it otherwise. And there's no label of I'm on the free lunch list because everybody's on the free lunch list. So that's been really nice for those kids because for some of them breakfast and lunch are the only meals they get.
Speaker 1:So it's important to provide that kids, because for some of them, breakfast and lunch are the only meals they get, so it's important they provide that. You're right. Of course, lunch lines was one of the complaints that it was taking too long and they didn't have enough time to eat lunch. But you can only do so much there and I don't think the food was a complaint per se. With bhp I'm trying to remember who did what, but I don't think it was so much bhp students. Um, all right, holly, what's what's yours?
Speaker 2:well, I like the outdoor classes as well. I think it's important sometimes to de-stress, um, even if it's just to take a walk, because you did a really hard test and you just need to give yourself a break. So I'm all for, um, a change of scenery or outdoor, even if it's just for a small, limited period of time yeah, just get out of the the cement walls and enjoy the outdoors and hopefully not get all the allergies.
Speaker 1:So, like I told my mom now, since I got these allergies from ohio, that I'm never visiting her in the spring again, that's my, that's where I'm from, oh really yeah, um, because that's where I think I got all this, because it was different things blooming than what I'm used to and are at different times, and so now I told her it'll be Christmas time, maybe Thanksgiving, when everything is dead. I'll be up there, all right. Finally, today, what we always do is we get guest recommendations and we'll go around real quickly to get either an entertainment recommendation a book or something you're streaming binging on TV, a movie, whatever, some kind of entertainment recommendation a book or something you're streaming, binging on TV, a movie, whatever, some kind of entertainment recommendation and then a food recommendation, a recipe that you've tried and you really like, a restaurant, a dish at that restaurant, whatever and then we'll wrap things up. So let's go in the opposite direction there. We'll start with Mary over there, since Holly's given plenty of recommendations over the year. Entertainment what are you watching, reading?
Speaker 7:So I have been watching I don't know the full title of it. My husband and I have been watching the show called unlocked on Netflix. I just finished it. Yeah, and I just finished it as well and the premise is this of men that are in jail and they're hardened criminals. Some of them are in there for life, Some of them are in there for 20 years, but it is a group of it's one section of the jail and the warden basically comes in and lifts all rules.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's a social experiment. Yes, I've heard of that.
Speaker 7:And in and lifts all rules. Oh, it's a social experiment. Yes, I've heard of that. Figure it out on their own and it's kind of the story of it's real.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh yeah, it's a documentary it's.
Speaker 7:They've got camera crew inside and it's kind of them navigating. Ok, how are we going to do mail time with no rules? How are we going to do, commissary, without like, without the guards making and so it kind step up, and then the younger inmates are resentful and then there's there's still some fights and things get taken away and added back and they kind of have to navigate and the fear is that the warden will take it away from them and lock them back up because they they have to. Typically, they're in their cells 23 hours of the day and they open the doors 24 hours. They're. They're open and to do what they want, not to like, leave the jail, but right within that area.
Speaker 7:It's it, and these are hardened criminals and they get to call home as much as they want. So they they realize that, oh, I'll get to talk to my family as many times as I want, If I, if we don't fight or we don't argue.
Speaker 2:So, and it's them just trying to navigate like cultural differences and social differences and the sheriff and the warden work together to figure out that, in order to make these criminals not re-offense, not come back in, that that family support of the outside is so important and realizing that you've got to do better, you've got to make better choices in order for you to get out and succeed. And so very interesting, because I just finished it and it was amazing, it really was good.
Speaker 1:Well, that's an interesting approach, right? They say one of the things about prisons a lot of times. They just let the guys sit there and rot and they still know how to act when they get out.
Speaker 2:So and when you get out you gotta figure it out right to live in society.
Speaker 7:I think it was really empowering for a lot of them, because they had for so many years that the ones that have been there for a long time felt like their all power had been stripped, and so I hope they have a season two. I'd watch it, me too Unlocked, unlocked.
Speaker 1:Do you have any food recommendations?
Speaker 7:We took our Administrative Professionals. Day is tomorrow, so we went a day early today. We took them to Earl Street in downtown Anderson and it was wonderful. I had the mahi-mahi shrimp and grits and it was wonderful, I had the Mahi Mahi shrimp and grits and it was wonderful. Banana pudding, wonderful. Definitely go there Get their banana pudding. It was the best ever.
Speaker 1:All right, all right. My wife is always looking for shrimp and grits places. Oh, it was good, check that out. Yeah, all right, ben, what you got entertainment-wise.
Speaker 4:Well, I don't have the internet, I don't have cable TV, I got the digital TV and that's it. So I'm going to tell you about Bonanza and what's going on.
Speaker 2:You really don't have internet at your house.
Speaker 4:Wow, it comes up to the school. Do you have children?
Speaker 7:No, Okay, he's living the simple life, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, then give me a good food recommendation, because I know you eat. You don't want to know what this?
Speaker 7:movie is I'm simple, every day is the same thing In the morning.
Speaker 4:It's this little protein shake two hard-boiled eggs and that's it All right. Lunchtime rolls around. You get the rice, you put it in the microwave. You get it out, you open the sardines, you put the sardines in the rice. Oh my. No way you mush them up. I tell the kids I can go to Vietnamese prison and I'll be like all right, what's on the menu? Cuz.
Speaker 7:Let's eat. So my custodian during lunch shift is the nicest man in the entire world, will not bat an eye to do anything. He is above and beyond the greatest man ever works his tail off. I've never heard the man complain, except for when Ben started eating sardines at school because he would throw the can with the juice in it in the trash. Oh, no it is the only time I've ever heard poor Mr Pruitt complain is having to take that trash out.
Speaker 2:You eat sardines every day at lunch.
Speaker 4:Every day.
Speaker 2:For how long?
Speaker 4:I don't know. It's five, six seven years, but they're good for you. You can't get the ones with the mustard, you've got to get the ones in water. And then the rice is good for you. You get your carbs, you get your omegas, you get your BCAAs. You get all that from the sardines, and then you could eat them one at a time or just put them together, because they're going to wind up there.
Speaker 4:And then you get some Greek yogurt and you eat some greek yogurt with it because that's good for you. With it, you mix your rice, your greek yogurt with it.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm not opposed to that if I'm just saying so when it comes to like cuisine choice or the tvs or the movies.
Speaker 1:So do you eat sardines and dinner? Yeah, should we ask for dinner.
Speaker 4:I mean pretty much the same thing all the time.
Speaker 7:You eat, like when we have staff meals. You eat that stuff. Yeah, I mean I'll eat that, yeah, yeah, you know.
Speaker 4:But you got to think like when I told you I did tree work for years. Whatever you're doing at the time when you take lunch I climb. For years you might be in the tree. I mean you're not going to stop and sit down and bake you a cake or whatever.
Speaker 2:Sometimes they tie it on a rope and you pull it up and eat it A sandwich, a turkey sandwich.
Speaker 4:But see everything I've got. I don't have to get up and do anything, I just put it in a bag and I take it there and I open the sardines and I open it right, Jesus.
Speaker 7:It works.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you this.
Speaker 4:I went and something right, yeah, it's gotta work.
Speaker 2:But then yeah, so the movies, the tv.
Speaker 4:Sardines and rice, yep, but that's yeah, all right. But now if you want to know like people kids always say what are you doing? What are you doing? Well, I bought a mini chinese excavator, so I've been trying to understand chinese hydraulic controls in the evening time so last night I was working on that till late, you know so what are you gonna?
Speaker 4:that's what you're binging, what you're gonna do with it um, it's a mini skid steer okay uh, I'm gonna use it and then my parents gonna use it some, so but the problem is they're they're chinese, or copyright and all these things, and they're coming over here fairly heavily and you can buy them at good price. But you've got to go in and know how to fix them really before you use them, or they're going to break a lot.
Speaker 2:Is it one of those Sanyo?
Speaker 4:No, this is a Dig it. Yeah, dig it, it's a Bobcat MT-85. Copyrighted is what it is.
Speaker 8:You can find things to do without the cable and internet.
Speaker 1:Life goes on. How do you think?
Speaker 4:civilization got here.
Speaker 1:Sardines and rice. They did that too all right, jason, what you got entertainment wise, food wise I don't have any current energy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I will not be able to follow that, but this is for our younger audience. So back in like the mid or late 80s there was this tv show called the Greatest American Hero.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yes, I highly recommend any of these youngsters listening to. I think there's like four or five seasons.
Speaker 2:Can you see that now on TV? It's got to be somewhere.
Speaker 3:So like 10 years ago, my brother bought me a DVD of all four or five seasons.
Speaker 7:It must be streaming somewhere. It's got to be streaming.
Speaker 3:Anyways. But yeah, when you first look at it you're like oh, my Lord, who watched this?
Speaker 2:But once you get into it, yeah, yes, it's funny, it's a good feel good, Yep.
Speaker 3:And then I guess my food choice would be this is not as interesting as Ben's sardines and rice, but I love spaghetti, I love it. I have probably eaten it four or five times a week for 10 years. I love it. I make a huge batch on Sunday and I'll eat it all during the week. My kids love it not as much as I do. Halfway through the 10 years I thought I'd get tired of it. No, no, I like it more now than I did 10 years ago. I make it good too.
Speaker 1:I was making it good. What kind of sauce and stuff.
Speaker 3:So usually I'll do the half ground turkey and then half ground beef and I'll do probably three or four diced tomatoes. I start to put jalapenos in there. I like that. On that, I put basil, I put basil, I put oregano, I put a lot of pepper, so you make your own sauce. I'll cut up probably two onions, two or three bell peppers and I'll cook it for a while. I love it, man. It's so healthy. It's got your vegetables, it's got your protein.
Speaker 4:Throw a little sardines in there.
Speaker 5:Ah A little Greek yogurt for dessert.
Speaker 1:Too much salt, I hear you we are out of time, but what a great time it's been with you guys from District 2. Always great to have you over here and we're always here for you guys whatever you need, and just appreciate you coming in and giving us an update Jason Johns, mary Bortz and the one and only Ben Woody.