Superintendents from across the Black Belt region gathered at Wallace Community College Selma on Monday to welcome Ella Bell, State Board of Education District Five member, and U.S. Secretary of Education Regional Representative Dr. Anne Hancock.

Bell and Hancock are spending this week traveling across the district to meet with various school administrators and discuss President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.

Bell and Hancock, along with the other school representatives, were greeted by WCCS President Dr. James Mitchell and Mayor James Perkins, Jr.

They were then treated to a Mardi Gras-themed dinner catered by Essie’s Restaurant.

Bell said she and Hancock will spend today visiting Keith High School and Cedar Park Elementary before traveling on to Demopolis and Monroeville.

On Thursday, the two will

attend a State Board of Education meeting in Montgomery before Hancock returns to Washington, D.C.

Hancock said she thought it was sinful to have school children who are not able to keep up with their peers.

When invited to Alabama by Bell, Hancock said, she jumped at the chance to come because she had a feeling things in this district could be changed.

Along with discussing how to meet No Child Left Behind Act criteria, Bell and Hancock will also spend their time looking into strategies for drop-out prevention.

Mitchell ended the dinner by presenting Hancock with a small token of his appreciation and thanked Bell for her efforts in &uot;trying to make things better.&uot;

The two women planned to begin their tour of the Black Belt at 8:45 a.m. with their visit to Keith High School.