Colony offering support for students

Published 5:15 am Thursday, April 30, 2020

COLONY — The Colony Town Council is moving forward with summer plans for area students that will include providing meals and tutoring from council members Ethel Alexander and Melvin Hammond.

At a workshop meeting Tuesday night, the town council discussed how they can help area kids.

The town had planned on a summer feeding and activity program, but with concerns about social distancing, may not be able to do the activities as planned.

“I’m available for any tutoring if any kids need some help through the summer,” said Alexander. “I know they’re not in school; no one has contacted me or talked to me about their children. But some of the parents are probably struggling.” 

“If they need math help, I can help some,” said Hammond. “I’m fairly good at math [and] computers.”

Alexander said she could help them with some reading activities and other activities that will engage the students. “I’m sure their anxiety levels are kind of high, too,” she said. “The first two weeks were fun, but after the third or fourth week, I’m sure they’re kind of like, ‘what’s going on, for real?’”

Mayor Donnis Leeth warned that the community needs to continue to take precautions against the spread of the virus. He said there haven’t been any cases in Colony.

But if there are any, he said, the town would do what they could to help anyone with the disease.

“That’s what we’re here for, to help people,” said Leeth. 

Alexander suggested they push to stock up the food bank. “We don’t know what is really going to be out there, and while we have the space, let’s see how we can stock the store house,” she said.

Leeth also brought up the issue of on-going projects in the town, where the people hired to do the work have not shown up to complete them. He said the town is going “get a grip on” people who do work for the town.

“That’s a thing we’ve got to be on top of,” he said. “If we give someone a job, we’ve got to stay on top of it.”

Hammond said he is working on a contract for outside workers.

“Anyone who wants to come here and do something for us, they’ve got to talk to all of us,” Leeth said, indicating the town council and clerk. “Everybody is going to have a voice in this thing.”

News Editor Amy Henderson can be reached at 256-734-2131.