The cold and flu season is fast approaching. So, not only do we have to be concerned about COVID19, but according to an article in the September 1, 2021, issue of Live Science, experts and studies “suggested that the 2021-2022 flu season could see a 20% increase in flu cases compared with a typical season”. This means that we need to take our shots. (Notice that there is an “s” on the end of shot. There is the flu shot; the original COVID-19 shot(s); and the COVID-19 booster shot. Please take them all.) 

Here are some potential benefits from taking the shots:

1. Vaccinations save lives – Vaccinations are an effective way of preventing diseases. According to Simply Health, “In a single year, vaccines prevent 33,000 deaths in the US alone and a whopping three million deaths across the globe.”
2. Vaccines protect those you care about – When you get vaccinated, you help prevent the spread of the virus in your home, church, and community. My Junior High School science teacher would always tell us, “If you wanted to beat up someone, but was not fast enough to catch them if they tried to run away; stop chasing them and sneeze on them. The germs would travel faster than you could and would inflict more damage.” Don’t inflict unnecessary damage on those you care about.
3. Vaccines are cost effective – You probably have heard the expression, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. I watch a lot of CNN, they often interview people who have survived COVID-19. Most say they wish they had taken the vaccine. From a financial standpoint, a time standpoint, and a health standpoint it makes sense to take the shot. (Not to make light of a serious situation, but just think how much more money you could contribute to the Century Club and the Aggie Challenge by not having those big hospital and doctor bills.)
4. Vaccines are safe – We have all heard the stories about medical experiments done on Black people without their knowledge or consent. Those atrocities range from the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment to the forced sterilization of Black and Native American women. These were inhumane acts perpetrated upon other human beings simply because of the color of their skin. I would like to believe, and I pray that we are beyond that era in our society. Today’s vaccines undergo stringent tests before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and they are the same for everyone, regardless of color.
5. Adverse reactions are extremely rare to the COVID-19 vaccines - The Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has said that “you are a hundred times more likely to get struck by lightning than to get a serious allergic reaction to a vaccine.” The FDA requires healthcare providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was
the cause. So far, of the more than 300 million shots given, 8,390 deaths of vaccinated persons have been reported. More than 711,000 deaths of unvaccinated persons have been reported.
6. You get to attend all 2022 Reunion Weekend events and participate in all activities without causing Ben Stewart to worry about you spreading the virus – What little hair I have left is gray enough. Please, be considerate of me. Get your shots! Thank you!

By now, most of you have heard that at our Business Session during Reunion Weekend, I announced that the 2022-2023 term would be my last year as President of the WCTS-NWHS Alumni and Friends Association, Inc. It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this outstanding organization and work with fine people such as you. I shall always feel blessed for having been given such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One of my final objectives is to leave our “Dear Alma Mater” debt free.

Since 2008, we have been repaying a bank loan that was obtained to replace the roof on the high school building and make other renovations. Thanks to you and other generous Aggies who have supported us financially, by August of this year, we had been able to reduce our indebtedness to $56,000. Reunion Weekend 2022 was very successful financially, thanks to Y-O-U, and that enabled us to reduce the $56,000 obligation to $26,000. (God is good!)

We then begin our Debt Elimination Campaign. We mailed out letters and sent emails asking for pledges. Once again Aggie Nation responded as Aggie Nation has always responded when asked to support our school – Aggie Nation was generous with its giving. As a result of your generosity we have now whittled the debt down to $4,100 as of December 31, 2022. Way to go Aggie Nation!

We are all as pleased as Punch (puppet character from the “Punch and Judy Show”) with the results so far. However, we need to keep on chopping away at the debt. Our goal is to be debt free by Reunion Weekend 2023. Therefore, if you have not made a pledge already, we are asking you to do so. A commitment of $1,000 or your best possible gift would be greatly appreciated. You can make a lump sum payment, or you can spread your payments over the next seven (7)
months. Send all funds to:                                                                         WCTS-NWHS Alumni and Friends Association, Inc.                                           Attn: EstherMayfield                                                                                     PO Box 122                                                                                               Wise, NC 27594

Paying off our loan is a goal within our reach. Working together as a team to accomplish this or any worthwhile objectives is ingrained in our Aggie DNA. We can do this!

 Keeping the Legacy Intact

Greetings Aggie Nation,

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan once said, “If things do not change, there will be nothing left to change.” This point can be illustrated by looking at the Fortune 500 Top 10 Companies by revenue in 1983, when the first organized school reunion for Warren County Training School-North Warren High School (WCTS-NWHS) took place, and comparing it with the Fortune 500 Top 10 Companies by revenue in 2021.

1983 Top 10 Companies                                 2021 Top 10 Companies
1 Exxon Mobil                                                 1 WalMart
2 General Motors                                            2 Amazon
3 Mobil                                                            3 Apple
4 Texaco                                                         4 CVS Health
5 Ford Motor                                                   5 UnitedHealth Group
6 IBM                                                              6 Berkshire Hathaway
7 Chevron Texaco                                          7 McKesson
8 DuPont                                                        8 Amerisource Bergen
9 Gulf Oil                                                        9 Alphabet
10 Amoco                                                      10 Exxon Mobil

Some of these businesses have been bought out by other businesses and no longer exist as a standalone entity, while others remain operational but no longer a top performer. Past success is no guarantee of future sustainability.

2022 marks the 100th Anniversary of the WCTS-NWHS. This is a noteworthy achievement that is being celebrated by Aggies throughout the land. The theme for the occasion is “Celebrating 100 Years of Community Involvement”. That theme is captured superlatively via the handmade quilt the local members of the Alumni Association constructed under the leadership of Martina Goode Williams. That theme resounds throughout the pages of the Souvenir Journal that was produced under the leadership of Carrie Hendrick Hill. That theme is superbly captured in the pictures comprising a set of three collages assembled under the leadership of Henry L. Durham, Jr. The deeds and legacy of the WCTS-NWHS resonates deeply within the hearts, minds, and souls of those with a connection to the school.

Judges 2:10 (NIV) reads, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what He had done for Israel.” As our generation exits the stage, another generation has grown up who knew neither the WCTS-NWHS nor what it has meant to the community. If the legacy of the school is to be preserved there must be a change to the way things are being done.

Change is never easy and can be threatening. Most people feel comfortable with a routine where there are no surprises, and the outcomes are predictable. However comfortable such a routine can be, there is always the danger of stagnation. The WCTS-NWHS Alumni and Friends Association, Inc. cannot afford to be come stagnant. There is too much at stake.

In sports, when the owner of the team fires the coach or manager, the owner gives as justification, “We needed to go in a different direction.” In the Alumni Association, I say, “We needed a new vision.” A new vision starts with the leader. I have been privileged to be the leader for ten years. It is now time for a new vision.

WCTS-NWHS Alumni and Friends Association, Inc.

PO Box 122

Telephone number: 252-456-2031

Email: wctsnwhsalumni@embarqmail.com