The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current, June 16, 2021, Image 14

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The Advance., June 16, 2021, Image 14

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Newspaper Page TextShe Aiiuancg The ADVANCE, June 16, 2021/Page 14A J.D. DICKERSON PRIMARY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM — (L to R): Bottom Row: Sonja Hamilton, Lea Zeigler Anderson, Kara Martin, Middle Row: Beth Wiggins, Delana Hum phrey, Belinda Warnock, Back Row: Brandon Boston, Yolette Holloway, Lynne Jay, Charleen Norfleet, Sissy Anderson, and Sarah Beck, Dickerson Leadership Team Holds Retreat The J.D. Dickerson Primary School leadership team held their summer retreat on June 3, under the direction of new Prin cipal Brandon Boston. The Retreat allowed team members a chance to "ex press their grade level con cerns, needs, and desires." According to Boston, "It was great to get the leadership team together in order to plan for the upcoming school year. We worked together and came up with some priority goals for the 2021-2022 school year that we want to accomplish." Beth Wiggins, who serves JDD as an Instruc tional Coach, said that the team "worked together diligently to create one motto for JDDP, working as ONE TEAM." Wig gins added, "This Retreat allowed all members to gather together, in efforts to create a sense of team commitment, to plan for the upcoming school year. The team brainstormed, planned, and discussed the top 5 ways to create a perfect primary school. At JDDP, we will strive to im plement these top 5 goals, while making JDDP the best school in the system!" Sarah Beck, who will be JDD's new Media Spe cialist beginning this year, says that she is looking for ward to the fall and work ing with the JDD team and seeing the Retreat results put into action. "I am blessed to be a part of this team of educators and am very excited to work with them beginning in the fall. We spent the day at our summer retreat brainstorming characteris tics of the perfect Primary school, and I was pleas antly surprised that the teachers in the room were willing to self-reflect on ways that we could work together to improve Dick erson for future Indians." Boston, who came to JDD from J.R. Trippe, where he served as Assis tant Principal, concluded by saying, "It was great get ting the team off campus for our leadership retreat. We want to thank Chris Hopkins for allowing us to use his pond house and grilling for us! We are looking forward to an awe some 2021-2022 school year!" Georgia Boys & Girls Clubs get $15M in COVID-19 relief funds By Dave Williams Bureau Chief Capitol Beat News Service The Boys & Girls Clubs of Georgia will re ceive $15 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for camp and after-school pro grams, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday. The money comes from a pot of $3 billion set aside in a stimulus bill Congress passed last year for the Governor’s Emer gency Education Relief Fund (GEER). In Georgia, the funds will be distributed among 34 Boys & Girls Clubs serv ing 9,000 young people at 141 sites in 62 counties. “Throughout the CO- VID-19 pandemic, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Georgia have done a re markable job serving the needs of youth across the Peach State,” Kemp said. “With this GEER funding, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Georgia will be able to further enhance student academic achieve ment by addressing educa tional gaps caused by the pandemic.” The funds will be dis tributed through Septem ber of next year, supporting summer and winter camp programs and an after school program for youths between the ages of 5 and 18. The program’s goals in clude ensuring that 65% of students below grade level will return to grade level by the end of the program, with the other 35% show ing progress toward grade- level achievement. The average cost of the programs is $1,550 per child. Hyers Receives Courtney Wilkes Memorial Agriculture & Veterinary Scholarship Ethan Hyers was awarded the “2021” Court ney Wilkes Scholarship by The Vidalia® Onion Busi ness Council. “My ulti mate goal is to become the Secretary of Agriculture,” Ethan Hyers wrote in his application for the Court ney Wilkes Agriculture & Veterinary Scholarship. Now, with help from the friends and family as well as the Vidalia® Onion Busi ness Council, he is a little closer to that dream. Ethan Hyers is an honor graduate from Ba con County High School in Alma, Georgia. He was a State FFA officer and served as a delegate for Georgia at the National FFA Convention. Ethan has a history of “Livestock Judging” and plans to con tinue this activity as he at tends Conners State Col lege in Warner, Oklahoma, and then transfers to Texas Tech. Ethan said, “When I’m old and can’t go any more, I want to know that I made a difference in the world by helping feed the world and helping agricul turists across the world.” As a scholarship recipient from the Vidalia® Onion Business Council, Ethan will be asked to serve as an ambassador for the Vidalia Onion Industry. The schol arship is in its 10th year, and is available to graduat ing seniors in the Vidalia® onion region who plan to pursue a career in agricul ture or veterinary industry. In June 2011, 15-year- old Courtney Wilkes of Ethan Hyers Toombs County was bru tally murdered while she was on vacation with her family in Florida. As an outcome of this extremely bad situation, the Vidalia® Onion Business Council has established the Court ney Wilkes Memorial Ag riculture and Veterinary Scholarship to be granted annually to a select, quali fying senior graduating from any recognized high school within the Vida lia onion growing region. The scholarship award of $1,000 was first awarded in 2012 and has been given each year since. It is the desire of the Vidalia onion industry that the scholar ship should serve as a posi tive tribute to this bright, friendly young woman. Courtney was a rising junior at Toombs County High School and number one in her class academi cally. She was an officer of FFA, star soccer player, and Courtney Wilkes devout Christian. She was an outdoor enthusiast de scribed by all who knew her as infectiously cheerful and who offered to everyone around her a bright smile and silly jokes. She loved animals and aspired to be a veterinarian. Among other prerequisites, applicants must be enrolled in an agri culture or veterinary track. This scholarship will be awarded to a student possessing characteristics and interests like those of Courtney Wilkes. With her enthusiasm for life and quirky sense of humor, she touched the hearts and lives of so many people in the Vidalia community. To them, she will always be much more than a name attached to a scholarship check. The Vidalia® Onion Business Council is a non profit organization with the purpose of protecting the growing, harvesting and marketing of the Vida lia onion. For more infor mation about the VOBC or the Courtney Wilkes Ag & Vet Scholarship, call Bob Stafford at 912-537-1881. Greater Vidalia Employment Fair Slated for June 23 at STC Governor Brian P. Kemp and Georgia De partment of Labor Com missioner Mark Butler recently announced Geor gia’s plan for reemploy ment and economic recov ery. To address workforce shortages and boost a full economic recovery, state labor officials plan to end Georgia’s participation in federal pandemic unem ployment programs, effec tive Saturday, June 26. Georgia will no longer participate in the following federal programs: • Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compen sation (FPUC) • Pandemic Unem ployment Assistance (PUA) • Pandemic Emergen cy Unemployment Com pensation (PEUC) • Mixed Earner Unem ployment Compensation (MEUC) Once Georgia opts out of the federal pro grams, the Department of Labor (GDOL) will continue offering regular state unemployment in surance benefits to eligible Georgians. The maximum weekly benefit in the state is $365. The Greater Vidalia® Employment Fair 2021, From Pandemic to Pros perity - Bridging Talent with Opportunity, will bring together prospective employers and employees in an event designed to help boost reemployment and economic recovery in the community. The fair is scheduled for June 23, 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., at South eastern Technical College and is being sponsored by STC, the Greater Vidalia Chamber and the Toombs County Development Au thority. For more information or to register contact Lance Helms, 912-538-3207, lhelms (a) southeasterntech. edu, or call the Greater Vidalia Chamber of Com merce at 912-537-4466. ODDS Oends Vacation Bible School- First African Mis sionary Baptist Church, 206 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave., Vidalia, will have Va cation Bible School June 21 - 25, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. There will be classes for adults and chil dren. Everyone is invited to attend. Anyone who has not been vaccinated is asked to wear a mask. Copies now available From the PORCH A collection of personal essays from author Amber Nagle’s weekly column published in The Advance Reach thousands of potential buyers! Call 537-3131 and advertise your home for sale in the REAL ESTATE PAGES “Nagle writes with Southern flavor and charm, capturing the rhythms of her life with grace and artistry. ” - Audrey Andersen Get your copy at 103rd Birthday Jeroldine Parker celebrated her 103rd birthday on May 29, 2021. Her family says they are blessed and Thanking God for His grace and mercy for this milestone. Happy Birthday from Barbara, Aldean & Otis, Jaya, Craig, Portia, yPage and Anthony.