March 29, 2005
 
THUMBS XIX: All Hail the Marvelous Mountaineers; Full Accreditation for New River Community & Technical College; Monroe High Scores High in Reading Test
 
by David M. Kinchen
Editor, Bluefield News Network
 
Hinton (BNN) — This is the nineteenth installment of an occasional series expressing approval or disapproval of recent news events, commentaries, etc. Thumbs Up for approval; Thumbs Down for disapproval. I welcome contributions, which will be credited in the item. The contributions can come from within the HNN family or from our readers – I welcome them all. Contact me at davidkinchen@hotmail.com or send the contributions/suggestions to stories@huntingtonnews.net.

Coach John Beilein prepares to sit in his seat before bussing from Morgantown to the Pittsburgh airport

THUMBS UP – To Coach John Beilein, Kevin Pittsnogle, Mike Gancey, Tyrone Sally, Pat Beilein and all the rest of the very talented West Virginia University Mountaineers for showing the whole world the marvelous athleticism and sportsmanship of the first WVU basketball squad to make it to the Elite Eight since 1959. They played outstanding basketball in what I would call the European style: A beautiful team effort without grandstanding show boaters. The 93-85 OT loss to Louisville Saturday night, March 26, 2005 was heartbreaking, but it shouldn't diminish the pride of everyone in West Virginia, including West Virginians by choice like me.

Mike Gancey	Tyrone Sally	Kevin Pittsnogle

THUMBS UP — To New River Community and Technical College, based in Beckley, for attaining full accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The institution, which serves 1,800 students in nine counties in southern West Virginia with additional campuses in Lewisburg, Summersville and Bluefield, gained this distinction, effective Feb. 8, 2005, in just 18 months, according to interim president Dr. Felicia Wooten Blanks.
 
Community colleges, which provide less than bachelor's degree education for many and a stepping stone to the degree for others, are a vital link in the education process and deserve respect. They're not "junior" colleges anymore! Many jobs don't require a four-year degree, and community/tech colleges offer training for these occupations. Full accreditation obviously makes it much easier to transfer to a four-year-degree-granting institution. Next year, the Beckley campus will move from the Harper Industrial Park to the Beckley Higher Education Center under construction along I-64 near the airport. A campus in Hinton would be the next logical step for NRCTC; the Hinton Technology Center and the city's thriving technology employment base makes this a logical move. How about it, Dr. Blanks? We have plenty of available buildings.
 
THUMBS UP — To James Monroe High School, whose students recently posted the highest reading scores in the school's history. Principal Christy Parker said a whopping 82 percent of her students were now participating in accelerated reading programs. I've visited this high school a number of times and can attest to the spirit of the Mavericks and the outgoing nature of the students I've met.