35 years ago: April 5, 1979
BHS runs away from Bolton and Auburndale teams
The Bartlett High School track teams got their season underway last Thursday with impressive total point victories over Bolton and Auburndale. The boys’ track unit tallied a total of 94 points, easily outscoring Bolton with 26 points and Auburndale with 14.
The Bartlett girls won their meet equally as decisively with 85 and one half points compared to Bolton with 42 points and Auburndale with 8 and one half. Two Bartlett school records in boys’ track and one girls’ record was broken in the competition last Thursday.
20 years ago:April 7, 1994
Parents protest closing of local learning center
Many audience members at a recent Shelby County School Board meeting protested the proposed closing of Bartlett Learning Center located at Bartlett High School. The center, which houses classrooms of special education students, may be closed in the fall.
The Bartlett Learning Center is the only separate school designed for special education students in Shelby County , said Principal Richard Mathis. If the center is closed in the fall, then the school will no longer have a special identity but will provide special education services to the 90 or 100 students who would not move to other neighborhood schools, remaining at Bartlett High School, he said. The school currently has 162 students.
10 years ago: April 1, 2004
VanTilburg bond set at $2 million
Charles VanTilburg III appeared in court on Monday, March 29, where Criminal Court Judge Joseph Dailey set his bond amount at $2 million. VanTilburg was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of fellow Bartlett fireman Toby Gibson in 2000 and was granted an appeal by the Criminal Court of Appeals of Tennessee on Jan. 13.
The court found that there was error in the trial court’s defining of “knowingly” to the jury and ordered the judgment reversed and demanded a new trial.
VanTilburg confessed to the shooting death of Gibson several days after he was killed, making an agreement with the state that he would tell them exactly what happened on the night of June 22, 2000, and give up the murder weapon, a Glock semiautomatic handgun, in return for a charge of second-degree murder and a recommended sentence of 15 years.
He was sentenced to 20 years.
1 year ago: April 4, 2013
‘Suessical’ opens as Bartlett’s first musical in years
After 16 years, the curtain is finally going up on a musical production at Bartlett High School.
“It’s been a very long time,” said Kevin Rogers, PR at the school for two years. “Let’s just say we’re under new management. I’ve always liked musicals. We just had to get the resources to do them.”
The musical brings to life Dr. Seuss characters Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, the Cat in the Hat, Mayzie La Bird, Sour Kangaroo and the Whoville mayor’s family.
