Bell City school strives for excellence

To the editor:

There has been considerable media coverage concerning the feud between the Bell City and Scott County Central school districts. While I -- as well as the media -- am not privy to all the facts, I believe that (1) Bell City was upset that Coach Heeb left the district and took allegations to Missouri State High School Activities Association, (2) Scott County Central was angry about MSHSAA's ruling and retaliated against Bell City, and (3) both schools lost credibility. Many schools would do well to worry less about athletics and more about curriculum, classroom resources and salaries to retain high-quality teachers.

I must point out that Bell City has had years of academic success. The newspaper, however, almost never covers Bell City academic achievements or other positive news, saying we are out of the coverage area. Imagine my shock to see that Bell City was the feature of many headline stories when the school became embroiled in controversy.

While mistakes were made on the part of both school districts, I hope readers understand that Bell City is a good school that offers a quality education through dedicated teachers and hard-working students with the support of fine citizens. I know the school will continue to strive for academic excellence and will rebound from its current problems.

I hope to see continued coverage of Bell City in this newspaper when the current controversy is over. Highlighting Bell City's continued triumphs on and off the court would be refreshing.

MICHAEL PAINTON, Painton, Mo.