(As these are in todays Coalfield and there are some really nice pictures, I would recommend anybody who can, get the paper and see what they have)

General summation is as follows:

There are strong feelings in Wise County both for and against consolidation of public high schools. Our stories about Letcher County Central neither endorse nor oppose consolidation.

These stories explain why and how Letcher County consolidated its high schools. Thursday's edition will explore the academic and social results of that process.



For 34 years Ozz Jackson proudly wore the orange and black school colors of Whitesburg High School.

In his three-plus decades at Whitesburg, Jackson served in a variety of roles in the school's athletic programs including athletic director, boys' basketball coach, track coach and assistant football coach.

Then in 2005, something that he feared for several years happened.

The Letcher County school board closed Whitesburg High along with the two other high schools in the county "? Fleming-Neon and Letcher "? and consolidated them into Letcher County Central High School.

"It was pretty tough,"? Jackson said about his feelings at the time of having his school closed.

Now, with the second year of Letcher County Central quickly approaching its end, Jackson feels just as strongly about his new school and wearing the royal blue and silver of the Letcher County Central Cougars.

"It's the best thing that's ever happened to us,"? Jackson said of the county's three high schools being consolidated into one. "We have more JV teams than we've ever had and we have freshmen teams in our major team sports. Plus, we've added boys' soccer, girls' soccer and wrestling. That's something that we didn't have at the other schools."?

Jackson bristled at the notion that a consolidated school means less student-athlete participation.

"That's simply not true,"? he said. "Instead of throwing the freshmen to the dogs and forcing them to have to play varsity, they can play on the freshman and junior varsity teams and play against kids who are at similar skill levels. Then, as they progress, they can move up to the varsity team and be better athletes because of it."?

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Because there are new teams at the school, participation in athletic programs has increased since Letcher County Central opened, Jackson said. With an enrollment of approximately 945 students in grades 9-12, Jackson said over 500 "? more than the combined enrollments of Fleming-Neon and Letcher when they closed "? participant in the athletic programs.

He estimated that 40 to 45 kids played on the school's junior varsity football team, while over 30 played on the freshman football squad.

Jackson said the school has varsity programs in football, boys' and girls' basketball, wrestling, volleyball, track, cross country, tennis, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, baseball and softball. In addition, the school has full JV teams in football, volleyball, wrestling, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' soccer, baseball and softball and full ninth-grade teams in football, volleyball and boys' and girls' basketball.

"The kids have been great about participating and supporting the programs,"? Jackson said. "Some of the parents were probably more hesitant, but we've had great attendance at every event we've had."?

There is a feeling of ownership by the community of the sports programs and that's the way Jackson likes it.

"We put ballots out and let the community vote on the colors and the mascot,"? he said. "That way the whole community made the decision, not just three or four people in a room somewhere."?

TROPHIES AND FACILITIES

One reason for the excitement around Letcher County Central sports programs has been their success in just two years of existence.

The trophy case already has a regional championship, along with a regional volleyball championship and the school's cross country and track programs have advanced to the state championships.

Another reason for the excitement is the new school's facilities.

An artificial surface football field with a jumbo-tron scoreboard is one of the first sights when a visitor drives onto the school's campus. Officials estimated the stadium cost about $2 million, which includes a field house with all the latest weight-lifting equipment. Money covering the price tag for the stadium included $700,000 to $800,000 that came from private donors and corporations.

During the games, sponsors can buy space on the scoreboard, which helps raise funds for the athletic program.

A rotating lists of sponsors is also displayed at the scoreboard table in the new gym that features a seating capacity of 3,200

The two-story, multi-use gym has bleachers on both the top and bottom and all of the bleachers retract to provide room for three physical education gym floors on the bottom level and room for dance and other classes on the top level.

The football stadium and gym are the main showcases for the athletic department. Other facilities are in the plans, but have not yet been built at the school.

Officials hope to start construction on a new baseball field in the fall and have it ready by next spring. Other fields in the planning stage include a softball field, a soccer field, a track and putting green and driving range for the golf team.

Currently, the teams who do not have fields at the school use municipal and school fields at nearby Whitesburg.