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The ADVANCE, November 1, 2023/Page 14A
Stye Aiiuancg
Photo by Evan Riekhof
A MEMORABLE OCCASION - Families of the awardees were in attendance at the
event to honor their loved ones. L to R: Cheyenne Dow, Scott Dow, Sherry Dow.
Photo by Evan Riekhof
HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED - Staff members of the Dot Foods Distribution Center
of Vidalia presented each veteran with a homemade Quilt of Valor. L to R: David Cas
tro, Paul Turnquest, Vern Harris.
Dot
Photo by Evan Riekhof
ACKNOWLEDGING THE SACRIFICE - Prior to presenting
the men with the quilts, speakers shared the importance
of appreciating the sacrifices which veterans have
made for their country. The awardees, such as Woodie
Sutton (shown here), sat in seats of honor throughout this
portion of the ceremony.
continued from page 1A
guild that creates Quilts of
Valor to give to veterans.
The company decided they
wanted to begin the effort
to gift all of their veteran
employees in that office
and other workspaces with
these quilts.
Dot Foods remote em
ployee Tammie Pate, who
works with distribution
centers in Georgia and Ten
nessee, also participated in
a Quilts of Valor quilting
guild in the Atlanta area,
and decided to spread the
veterans’ ceremonies to the
distribution centers. She
teamed up with local Dot
Foods Distribution Center
Human Resource Man
ager Wendy Nolen to begin
planning the ceremony.
“We had originally
thought about doing it an
other time, but I honestly
think the timing of it all
really felt perfect,” Nolen
shared. “We planned this
event within two months.”
The event, which was
held in the local center’s
parking lot, featured a per
formance from the Vidalia
High School SoundTribe
and a formal presentation
of Quilts of Valor to the
veterans: David Castro
- Active Member of the
Army Reserve; Paul Turn-
quest - Army; Vern Harris
- Marines; Steve Calhoun
- Army; Curtis Rowe -
Navy; Scott Dow - Army;
Woodie Sutton - Army.
“It was a really great
way to honor these men for
their service to our country,
and I was so glad we were
able to do it,” Nolen em
phasized. “We hope to con
tinue to honor Dot Foods
employees who served in
the military throughout
the future.”
These veterans con
tinue to share a brotherly
bond similar to the one
they held in the military
through their involvement
in the employee cohort for
veterans. “We have groups
of employees that have
things in common and that
will meet in these cohorts
to relate to each other,” No
len remarked. “These guys
are all a member of our vet
erans group.”
About Quilts of Valor
Quilts of Valor is an or
ganization begun by Cath
erine Roberts, who created
the program to award qual
ity handmade quilts to vet
erans as a “thank you” for
their service and sacrifice.
Roberts believes the quilts
are a way of helping the
veterans heal emotionally
and to recognize that their
time in the armed forces is
appreciated.
Overstreet
continued from page 1A
their future endeavors.”
Overstreet has served
as Vidalia’s City Manager
since 2016, when he suc
ceeded retired City Man
ager Bill Torrance. He will
be paid a severance pack
age through the end of
this year based on a con
tractual agreement with
the City.
“Much thought and
consideration went into
our final decision to part
ways with Mr. Overstreet,
but it is our job as the City
Council to do what is best
for the city,” Councilman
Cecil Thompson empha
sized. “I look forward to
continuing to work for our
city’s best interest.”
In the absence of a
City Manager, former City
Clerk and Finance Direc
tor Bill Bedingfield will
take over an interim role
as City Manager, which
was unanimously agreed
on by the City Council.
According to the City
Council the search for a
new City Manager begins
immediately.
Cody Snr\j-fn
Grade
Georgia going proactive
in college admissions
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Since not every Geor
gia high school senior will
reach out to one of the
state’s universities, colleges
or technical colleges, the
schools are about to come
to them.
Gov. Brian Kemp
unveiled GEORGIA
MATCH recently, the larg
est direct-to-college admis
sion initiative in the nation.
Starting next week,
more than 120,000 high
school seniors in Georgia
will receive a personalized
letter from the governor
listing the public universi
ties, colleges and technical
colleges they are academi
cally eligible to attend. The
letters will explain how
students can claim a spot
being held for them at the
institution of their choice.
“This program will en
gage all learners and house
holds, including those who
don’t typically consider
higher education an op
tion,” Kemp said at the
start of the inaugural Gov
ernor’s Workforce Summit
near the state Capitol. “All
they have to do is claim
their spot.”
Georgia’s workforce
development needs drove
the planning for GEOR
GIA MATCH, an effort
the Governor’s Office put
together in collaboration
with the Georgia Student
Finance Commission, the
University System of Geor
gia, the Technical College
System of Georgia, the
Governor’s Office of Stu
dent Achievement, and the
state Department of Edu
cation.
With 38,406 new jobs
created in Georgia in just
the last fiscal year and just
for projects in which the
state played a direct role,
GEORGIA MATCH is
aimed at helping to keep up
with the growing demand
for workers. Only one out-
of-work Georgian is seek
ing a job for every three job
postings listed, according
to the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce.
“Our workforce needs
are the biggest challenge
to our state’s status as the
No.-l state to do business,”
Kemp said.
All of Georgia’s high
school seniors will receive
a personalized letter de
claring them eligible for
admission to the state’s 22
technical colleges, which
do not require minimum
high school grade-point av
erages. Letters to students
with higher GPAs will also
list up to 23 public colleges
and universities those stu
dents are eligible to attend.
Three university sys
tem institutions - the Uni
versity of Georgia, Georgia
Tech, and Georgia College
& State University - are
not participating in the
program because they have
different, more stringent
admission requirements.
All GEORGIA
MATCH participating
institutions will waive ap
plication fees next month
for students who apply
through the program’s por
tal. Kemp has declared No
vember Apply to College
Month in Georgia.
The program is ex
pected to cost $1.3 million
during its first year, fund
ing that is included in the
Georgia Student Finance
Commission’s fiscal 2024
budget.
“Our aim is to make
GEORGIA MATCH as
well known as the HOPE
Scholarship and HOPE
Grant in the years to come,”
Kemp said.
Interested high school
seniors and their families
can log onto GAfutures.
org for more information
on GEORGIA MATCH.
Georgia's 2023 high-school
graduation rate ticks up again
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia’s high-school
graduation rate rose again
this year to another all-
time high since the state
began using an adjusted
calculation the federal
government first imposed
more than a decade ago.
The Georgia Class of
2023 recorded a gradua
tion rate of 84.4%, up from
84.1% last year.
This year, 107 school
districts posted graduation
rates at or above 90%, while
43 districts recorded rates
at or above 95%. Georgia’s
statewide graduation rate
has increased 14.7% since
2012.
“I’m incredibly proud
of Georgia’s high-school
seniors - and the teach
ers, leaders, and families
who have supported them
to produce these results,”
State School Superinten
dent Richard Woods said
Tuesday.
“It’s important to re
member that the positive
news we’ve received lately
- from this historic-high
graduation rate to Georgia
students beating the na
tional average of the SAT -
is more than just numbers.
Every data point represents
an actual student and new
opportunities that have
opened up for their future.”
Georgia uses a feder
ally required method to
calculate its graduation
rate: The number of stu
dents who graduate from
high school in four years is
divided by the number of
students who entered ninth
grade. That ninth-grade en
rollment number is adjust
ed to reflect the number of
students who transfer in
or out of a school over the
next three years.
The Peach State’s high
school graduation rate
has risen steadily during
the last decade except for
2021, when the corona-
virus pandemic forced
schools to resort to online
instruction rather than in-
person learning. The grad
uation rate dropped slight
ly between 2020 and 2021,
from 83.8% to 83.7%.
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