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THE CHRONICLE
of Mt. Juliet
The Largest Circulation in Wilson County 
Celebrating our 28th year as the leading newspaper in Mt. Juliet and West Wilson County
 www.thechronicleofmtjuliet.com
 Volume 29 August 5, 2009 Number 30
Page 3
 You Heard it First
Director of schools namestop challengesfor new schoolyear
MJHS near capacity after
MJHS near capacity after
fi
rst year in new building
fi
rst year in new building
On the first day of school this week, enrollment at Mt. Juliet High School was nearly 1,900 students.Officials won’t know the “hard numbers” until the end of this week, but maximum core capacity is 2,200.And that’s not even considered the main challenge for this school year. See story on Page 3.~
Photo by Tomi L. Wiley
FormerWilsonCounty officialeyeing spot inmayoral race
Page 8
Candidate forTN governortours MJ, listsareas in needof reform
Page 5Page 2
MJ Fulbrightscholar, familytravel toUganda
 
Page 2, The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet, August 5, 2009
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For one Mt. Juliet woman, winning a Fulbrightscholarship was just thebeginning of an adventure which continues August 10 when she, her husband, andher 80 year-old father leavefor Uganda to live for nearlya year.Ruby Dunlap and herhusband Bob have lived inMt. Juliet for 23 years. She isan associate professor in theGordon E. Inman College of Health Science and Nursingat Belmont University, where she has been for 13 years. She was awarded theFulbright Scholar grant tolecture at Uganda ChristianUniversity in Uganda, Africa,during the 2009 – 2010academic year. She will beone of approximately 1,100US faculty and professionals who will travel abroadthrough the Fulbright USScholar Program.For Dunlap, thescholarship and trip were“serendipitous.”“All this happened ina perfect window of time,”Dunlap said. “I knew it wasthis year or never.”Dunlap said she was “ready for a Sabbatical”from Belmont, which wasone of the motivations forapplying for the Fulbrightscholarship. The FulbrightProgram, America’s
fl
agship internationaleducational exchangeprogram, is sponsored bythe US Department of State,Bureau of Educational andCultural Affairs. Since itsestablishment in 1946,the Fulbright Program hasprovided approximately294,000 people – 108,160Americans who have studied,taught or researched abroadand 178,340 students,scholars and teachers fromother countries who haveengaged in similar activitiesin the United States – with theopportunity to observe eachothers’ political, economic,educational and culturalinstitutions, to exchangeideas and to embark on joint ventures of importanceto the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants. TheProgram operates in over155 countries worldwide.Dunlap said shechose the Uganda ChristianUniversity, an Anglicanschool, because “it’s likeBelmont” in its studentpopulation, it is faith-based,has a nursing program and“they teach in English.”“Uganda is verystable politically,” she said,adding that she has spenttime in neighboring Kenya, Tanzania, and Somalia.Dunlap, as amatter of fact, was raisedin Somalia by her father,Carl Wesselhoeft, who wasa missionary there, andthe proximity of Somalia toUganda also played a part in
By Tomi L. Wiley
 Managing Editor 
Local Fulbright scholar, family travel to Uganda
Fulbright Scholar Ruby Dunlap, right, and her husband Bob withBernie Beard the cat. ~
 Photo courtesy of Ralph and Heather Beard 
See UGANDA, Page 4
 
The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet, August 5, 2009, Page 3
By Tomi L. Wiley
 Managing Editor 
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Wilson Countyschools of 
fi
cially startedback on Monday, and rapidgrowth in the western sectionof the county is alreadycausing some growing pains – with Mt. Juliet High, after just the
fi
rst day of school,already nearing capacity inits second year inthe new school.WilsonCounty Directorof Schools MikeDavis said Mondayevening that most of the county’s studentgrowth is in Mt. Juliet, speci
fi
callyRutland Elementaryand MJHS. Hesaid that while the“hard numbers” of enrollment won’t beavailable until theend of this week,early numbers forMJHS are nearly1,900 students ina high school witha core capacity of 2,200. He addedthat there arealready around 10“
fl
oating teachers,” which are teachers with no assignedclassroom whomove from room to room perperiod to teach.“And therein lies theproblem – they have to
fi
ndclassrooms that are empty,”Davis remarked late Mondayafternoon. “They may have togo from one end of one wingto the end of another one to
fi
nd an available classroom.It creates issues.”Davis said he’dspoken with MJHS PrincipalMel Brown, who he said ismaking the situation “aspalpable as possible.” Davissaid he visited several Mt. Juliet schools on Monday,including West Elementary, which is up 30 studentsover last year, and Mt. JulietMiddle School.Davis said thatMJMS, which is now locatedin the old MJHS located onN. Mt. Juliet Road and isutilizing that school’s annexbuilding for classes, was onMonday already out of chairsand desks and topping 1,400students enrolled.“Mt. Juliet isde
fi
nitely seeing the majorityof growth in the county,”he said. “We’re alreadyprobably going to needanother teacher at ElziePatton (Elementary).”Elzie Patton wasestablished in 2008 in orderto alleviate growing studentenrollment in Mt. Juliet’sother elementary schools.He added that West WilsonMiddle School in Mt. Juliethad 969 students enrolled just as of Monday, which is“up quite a bit,” around 100students, from last year.Davis noted thatapartments located inProvidence began leasingthis week, “so there willprobably be even morestudents” trickling intothe system in the coming weeks.“The economy mayhave slowed but student(enrollment) growthcontinues,” Davis said,estimating another 1,000students crowdinginto schools inthe coming years.“Five years fromnow somethingsigni
fi
cant willhave to happen inthe west end of thecounty.”Davis notedthat Lebanon HighSchool, which hashad its share of reported problemsrecently, is upsome 80 studentscompared to last year, topping outat over 1,600students. He saidthat while Lebanonis in need of a newhigh school hedoes not “see a whole lot of impactof that on the westend.”“If we can geta new high schoolthere of the appropriate size we should be able to takecare of their needs for thenext 10 years or so,” thedirector said. “The issuenow is getting the wheel taxpassed to pay for it.”For now, though,Davis said MJHS “will have
fl
oating teachers for now”and may have to look toexpanding the school in thefuture. He said he wishedMJHS had “one more
fl
oor”to accommodate a 10-yeargrowth as well.
MJ growth not ‘main challenge’ of school year
See MJHS, Page 11
of 00

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