Contributed
Dr. Jim Merrill was named superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

slideshow

The Wake County Board of Education voted June 18 to appoint Dr. Jim Merrill as superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

Merrill, a former Wake County Associate Superintendent of Finance and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources began his career in 1973 as an English teacher, spending a total of 16 years in Wake County. Merrill is currently Superintendent of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the third largest school division in Virginia.

“I am both excited and honored to be chosen as the next superintendent of the Wake County Public School System. This system has a legacy of high student achievement, a community that supports its schools, and is viewed as a leader in the state and the nation,” Merrill said. “We shall continue to herald our student successes and push each child to his or her next level of accomplishment.”

Board Chairman Keith Sutton said, “Dr. Merrill outlined an impressive program of growth for Wake County schools, and brings with him the skill set and institutional knowledge to lead the state’s largest public school district into a new era.”

Prior to his service in Virginia Beach, Dr. Merrill served six years as superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System.

Dr. Merrill has earned numerous accolades and awards, including the 2005 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year award and the 2013 Virginia Superintendent of the Year honor. He has also been elected to the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators. The UNC-Greensboro School of Education awarded him the Outstanding Achievement Award and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education honored him with its Distinguished Leadership Award.

Dr. Merrill was a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary English. He earned his master’s degree in education administration from Appalachian State University and his doctorate from UNC-Greensboro.

Dr. Merrill will become the ninth superintendent of the Wake County Public School System since the merger of the city and county school systems in 1976.

Contributed
Aspiring Eagle Scout from Troop 320 David Griffith poses for a photo with his brother, Maj. Samuel Griffith, in October 2011. Sam, an Eagle Scout, was killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 14, 2011.

slideshow

Boy Scout David Griffith is building a memorial in Holly Springs Veterans Park honoring the lives lost in the War on Terror. But for 16-year-old Griffith, a rising high school junior at Harnett Central High School, it’s more than just an Eagle Scout project.

His older brother, Sam, was a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves who died honorably Dec. 14, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, saving the lives of many of the men in his unit.

“I loved him so much,” Griffith said. “After my brother died, I wanted so badly to build something that would be around way after I’m gone so that people can remember both him and all the people who have sacrificed so much to end this war.”

Griffith said he looked up to his older brother and tries to follow in his footsteps. Both grew up in the same Boy Scout troop, Troop 320, and Sam’s 1992 Eagle Scout project involved canvasing homes in Holly Springs and installing fire detectors in those that needed one. In order to qualify, homeowners had to be disabled, elderly, a veteran or on subsistence.

“Since his project was so big, I really like living up to my brother’s image, and I wanted to do something that was just as important to everybody else,” Griffith said.

As of last week, Griffith has received all the approvals he needs to move forward with the project.

He’ll begin by building the foundation for the memorial, which is to be a 10x10 pentagon of bricks with a central marble pentagon that rises above the foundation, displaying a piece of steel from the core beam of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

The eight-inch cube of steel was donated to Griffith last November by the owner of D.H. Griffin Construction, the company tasked with removing the World Trade Center pile of rubble. Griffith met the company’s owner, David Griffin, after reading about the Town of Apex’s Septemeber 11 memorial in The Apex Herald.

“When the memorial is all set and down, kids who may not have been around when 9-11 happened can come and think about what happened,” Griffith said. “People who were around … can look back on what happened and pay their respects.”

Constructing the foundation for the memorial is, in itself, Griffith’s Eagle Scout project, but the marble pentagon portion of the memorial is Griffith’s personal project and is expected to cost $25,000-$30,000.

To pay for the memorial, Griffith is selling bricks to individuals and businesses. Each $50 brick can be personalized and will be built into the patio leading up to the marble pentagon. Griffith hopes to finish the project by this fall and hold a dedication ceremony in spring 2014.

Griffith said he appreciates the support of people in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.

“I know quite a few people in both towns and, ever since I was coming up with an idea for this project, I’ve had so much support from families and friends and people all around that my sister and family know,” he said. “I just hope and pray we can get this project completed within a good amount of time.”

To purchase a personalized brick, visit Griffith’s website at http://thatsmybrick.com/eaglescoutdg. Monetary donations can be made through Paypal to dgwaronterrormemorial@gmail.com or by mail at DG War on Terror Memorial, P.O. Box 408, Holly Springs, NC, 27540.

Contributed
Dr. Jim Merrill was named superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

slideshow

The Wake County Board of Education voted June 18 to appoint Dr. Jim Merrill as superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

Merrill, a former Wake County Associate Superintendent of Finance and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources began his career in 1973 as an English teacher, spending a total of 16 years in Wake County. Merrill is currently Superintendent of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the third largest school division in Virginia.

“I am both excited and honored to be chosen as the next superintendent of the Wake County Public School System. This system has a legacy of high student achievement, a community that supports its schools, and is viewed as a leader in the state and the nation,” Merrill said. “We shall continue to herald our student successes and push each child to his or her next level of accomplishment.”

Board Chairman Keith Sutton said, “Dr. Merrill outlined an impressive program of growth for Wake County schools, and brings with him the skill set and institutional knowledge to lead the state’s largest public school district into a new era.”

Prior to his service in Virginia Beach, Dr. Merrill served six years as superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System.

Dr. Merrill has earned numerous accolades and awards, including the 2005 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year award and the 2013 Virginia Superintendent of the Year honor. He has also been elected to the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators. The UNC-Greensboro School of Education awarded him the Outstanding Achievement Award and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education honored him with its Distinguished Leadership Award.

Dr. Merrill was a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary English. He earned his master’s degree in education administration from Appalachian State University and his doctorate from UNC-Greensboro.

Dr. Merrill will become the ninth superintendent of the Wake County Public School System since the merger of the city and county school systems in 1976.

Contributed
Aspiring Eagle Scout from Troop 320 David Griffith poses for a photo with his brother, Maj. Samuel Griffith, in October 2011. Sam, an Eagle Scout, was killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 14, 2011.

slideshow

Boy Scout David Griffith is building a memorial in Holly Springs Veterans Park honoring the lives lost in the War on Terror. But for 16-year-old Griffith, a rising high school junior at Harnett Central High School, it’s more than just an Eagle Scout project.

His older brother, Sam, was a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves who died honorably Dec. 14, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, saving the lives of many of the men in his unit.

“I loved him so much,” Griffith said. “After my brother died, I wanted so badly to build something that would be around way after I’m gone so that people can remember both him and all the people who have sacrificed so much to end this war.”

Griffith said he looked up to his older brother and tries to follow in his footsteps. Both grew up in the same Boy Scout troop, Troop 320, and Sam’s 1992 Eagle Scout project involved canvasing homes in Holly Springs and installing fire detectors in those that needed one. In order to qualify, homeowners had to be disabled, elderly, a veteran or on subsistence.

“Since his project was so big, I really like living up to my brother’s image, and I wanted to do something that was just as important to everybody else,” Griffith said.

As of last week, Griffith has received all the approvals he needs to move forward with the project.

He’ll begin by building the foundation for the memorial, which is to be a 10x10 pentagon of bricks with a central marble pentagon that rises above the foundation, displaying a piece of steel from the core beam of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

The eight-inch cube of steel was donated to Griffith last November by the owner of D.H. Griffin Construction, the company tasked with removing the World Trade Center pile of rubble. Griffith met the company’s owner, David Griffin, after reading about the Town of Apex’s Septemeber 11 memorial in The Apex Herald.

“When the memorial is all set and down, kids who may not have been around when 9-11 happened can come and think about what happened,” Griffith said. “People who were around … can look back on what happened and pay their respects.”

Constructing the foundation for the memorial is, in itself, Griffith’s Eagle Scout project, but the marble pentagon portion of the memorial is Griffith’s personal project and is expected to cost $25,000-$30,000.

To pay for the memorial, Griffith is selling bricks to individuals and businesses. Each $50 brick can be personalized and will be built into the patio leading up to the marble pentagon. Griffith hopes to finish the project by this fall and hold a dedication ceremony in spring 2014.

Griffith said he appreciates the support of people in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.

“I know quite a few people in both towns and, ever since I was coming up with an idea for this project, I’ve had so much support from families and friends and people all around that my sister and family know,” he said. “I just hope and pray we can get this project completed within a good amount of time.”

To purchase a personalized brick, visit Griffith’s website at http://thatsmybrick.com/eaglescoutdg. Monetary donations can be made through Paypal to dgwaronterrormemorial@gmail.com or by mail at DG War on Terror Memorial, P.O. Box 408, Holly Springs, NC, 27540.

Contributed
Dr. Jim Merrill was named superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

slideshow

The Wake County Board of Education voted June 18 to appoint Dr. Jim Merrill as superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

Merrill, a former Wake County Associate Superintendent of Finance and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources began his career in 1973 as an English teacher, spending a total of 16 years in Wake County. Merrill is currently Superintendent of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the third largest school division in Virginia.

“I am both excited and honored to be chosen as the next superintendent of the Wake County Public School System. This system has a legacy of high student achievement, a community that supports its schools, and is viewed as a leader in the state and the nation,” Merrill said. “We shall continue to herald our student successes and push each child to his or her next level of accomplishment.”

Board Chairman Keith Sutton said, “Dr. Merrill outlined an impressive program of growth for Wake County schools, and brings with him the skill set and institutional knowledge to lead the state’s largest public school district into a new era.”

Prior to his service in Virginia Beach, Dr. Merrill served six years as superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System.

Dr. Merrill has earned numerous accolades and awards, including the 2005 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year award and the 2013 Virginia Superintendent of the Year honor. He has also been elected to the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators. The UNC-Greensboro School of Education awarded him the Outstanding Achievement Award and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education honored him with its Distinguished Leadership Award.

Dr. Merrill was a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary English. He earned his master’s degree in education administration from Appalachian State University and his doctorate from UNC-Greensboro.

Dr. Merrill will become the ninth superintendent of the Wake County Public School System since the merger of the city and county school systems in 1976.

Contributed
Aspiring Eagle Scout from Troop 320 David Griffith poses for a photo with his brother, Maj. Samuel Griffith, in October 2011. Sam, an Eagle Scout, was killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 14, 2011.

slideshow

Boy Scout David Griffith is building a memorial in Holly Springs Veterans Park honoring the lives lost in the War on Terror. But for 16-year-old Griffith, a rising high school junior at Harnett Central High School, it’s more than just an Eagle Scout project.

His older brother, Sam, was a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves who died honorably Dec. 14, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, saving the lives of many of the men in his unit.

“I loved him so much,” Griffith said. “After my brother died, I wanted so badly to build something that would be around way after I’m gone so that people can remember both him and all the people who have sacrificed so much to end this war.”

Griffith said he looked up to his older brother and tries to follow in his footsteps. Both grew up in the same Boy Scout troop, Troop 320, and Sam’s 1992 Eagle Scout project involved canvasing homes in Holly Springs and installing fire detectors in those that needed one. In order to qualify, homeowners had to be disabled, elderly, a veteran or on subsistence.

“Since his project was so big, I really like living up to my brother’s image, and I wanted to do something that was just as important to everybody else,” Griffith said.

As of last week, Griffith has received all the approvals he needs to move forward with the project.

He’ll begin by building the foundation for the memorial, which is to be a 10x10 pentagon of bricks with a central marble pentagon that rises above the foundation, displaying a piece of steel from the core beam of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

The eight-inch cube of steel was donated to Griffith last November by the owner of D.H. Griffin Construction, the company tasked with removing the World Trade Center pile of rubble. Griffith met the company’s owner, David Griffin, after reading about the Town of Apex’s Septemeber 11 memorial in The Apex Herald.

“When the memorial is all set and down, kids who may not have been around when 9-11 happened can come and think about what happened,” Griffith said. “People who were around … can look back on what happened and pay their respects.”

Constructing the foundation for the memorial is, in itself, Griffith’s Eagle Scout project, but the marble pentagon portion of the memorial is Griffith’s personal project and is expected to cost $25,000-$30,000.

To pay for the memorial, Griffith is selling bricks to individuals and businesses. Each $50 brick can be personalized and will be built into the patio leading up to the marble pentagon. Griffith hopes to finish the project by this fall and hold a dedication ceremony in spring 2014.

Griffith said he appreciates the support of people in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.

“I know quite a few people in both towns and, ever since I was coming up with an idea for this project, I’ve had so much support from families and friends and people all around that my sister and family know,” he said. “I just hope and pray we can get this project completed within a good amount of time.”

To purchase a personalized brick, visit Griffith’s website at http://thatsmybrick.com/eaglescoutdg. Monetary donations can be made through Paypal to dgwaronterrormemorial@gmail.com or by mail at DG War on Terror Memorial, P.O. Box 408, Holly Springs, NC, 27540.

Contributed
Dr. Jim Merrill was named superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

slideshow

The Wake County Board of Education voted June 18 to appoint Dr. Jim Merrill as superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, effective Aug. 1.

Merrill, a former Wake County Associate Superintendent of Finance and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources began his career in 1973 as an English teacher, spending a total of 16 years in Wake County. Merrill is currently Superintendent of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the third largest school division in Virginia.

“I am both excited and honored to be chosen as the next superintendent of the Wake County Public School System. This system has a legacy of high student achievement, a community that supports its schools, and is viewed as a leader in the state and the nation,” Merrill said. “We shall continue to herald our student successes and push each child to his or her next level of accomplishment.”

Board Chairman Keith Sutton said, “Dr. Merrill outlined an impressive program of growth for Wake County schools, and brings with him the skill set and institutional knowledge to lead the state’s largest public school district into a new era.”

Prior to his service in Virginia Beach, Dr. Merrill served six years as superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System.

Dr. Merrill has earned numerous accolades and awards, including the 2005 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year award and the 2013 Virginia Superintendent of the Year honor. He has also been elected to the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators. The UNC-Greensboro School of Education awarded him the Outstanding Achievement Award and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education honored him with its Distinguished Leadership Award.

Dr. Merrill was a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary English. He earned his master’s degree in education administration from Appalachian State University and his doctorate from UNC-Greensboro.

Dr. Merrill will become the ninth superintendent of the Wake County Public School System since the merger of the city and county school systems in 1976.

Contributed
Aspiring Eagle Scout from Troop 320 David Griffith poses for a photo with his brother, Maj. Samuel Griffith, in October 2011. Sam, an Eagle Scout, was killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 14, 2011.

slideshow

Boy Scout David Griffith is building a memorial in Holly Springs Veterans Park honoring the lives lost in the War on Terror. But for 16-year-old Griffith, a rising high school junior at Harnett Central High School, it’s more than just an Eagle Scout project.

His older brother, Sam, was a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves who died honorably Dec. 14, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, saving the lives of many of the men in his unit.

“I loved him so much,” Griffith said. “After my brother died, I wanted so badly to build something that would be around way after I’m gone so that people can remember both him and all the people who have sacrificed so much to end this war.”

Griffith said he looked up to his older brother and tries to follow in his footsteps. Both grew up in the same Boy Scout troop, Troop 320, and Sam’s 1992 Eagle Scout project involved canvasing homes in Holly Springs and installing fire detectors in those that needed one. In order to qualify, homeowners had to be disabled, elderly, a veteran or on subsistence.

“Since his project was so big, I really like living up to my brother’s image, and I wanted to do something that was just as important to everybody else,” Griffith said.

As of last week, Griffith has received all the approvals he needs to move forward with the project.

He’ll begin by building the foundation for the memorial, which is to be a 10x10 pentagon of bricks with a central marble pentagon that rises above the foundation, displaying a piece of steel from the core beam of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

The eight-inch cube of steel was donated to Griffith last November by the owner of D.H. Griffin Construction, the company tasked with removing the World Trade Center pile of rubble. Griffith met the company’s owner, David Griffin, after reading about the Town of Apex’s Septemeber 11 memorial in The Apex Herald.

“When the memorial is all set and down, kids who may not have been around when 9-11 happened can come and think about what happened,” Griffith said. “People who were around … can look back on what happened and pay their respects.”

Constructing the foundation for the memorial is, in itself, Griffith’s Eagle Scout project, but the marble pentagon portion of the memorial is Griffith’s personal project and is expected to cost $25,000-$30,000.

To pay for the memorial, Griffith is selling bricks to individuals and businesses. Each $50 brick can be personalized and will be built into the patio leading up to the marble pentagon. Griffith hopes to finish the project by this fall and hold a dedication ceremony in spring 2014.

Griffith said he appreciates the support of people in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.

“I know quite a few people in both towns and, ever since I was coming up with an idea for this project, I’ve had so much support from families and friends and people all around that my sister and family know,” he said. “I just hope and pray we can get this project completed within a good amount of time.”

To purchase a personalized brick, visit Griffith’s website at http://thatsmybrick.com/eaglescoutdg. Monetary donations can be made through Paypal to dgwaronterrormemorial@gmail.com or by mail at DG War on Terror Memorial, P.O. Box 408, Holly Springs, NC, 27540.