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Wednesday, December 5, 2007 The Braselton News Page 5B School ‘Taste of Mill Creek’ set for December 15 at MCHS BY KRISTI REED The third annual ‘Taste of Mill Creek’ will be held December 15 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the commons area of Mill Creek High School. Last year, the event attract ed over 5,000 people from the Dacula, Hamilton Mill and Hoschton area. The event features food tasting along with a craft fair, silent auc tion, poinsettia sale and enter tainment. Proceeds benefit the Mill Creek Soccer Club and the Mill Creek Running Club. The money raised in previous years has gone towards the purchase of equipment, such as an electronic timing system, event markers and other equipment needed to host track meets. This year, Mill Creek High School’s Relay for Life team will be participating with a gift basket auction to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Assistant Principal Pat Lowrie said the team auctioned over 30 baskets last year and hopes to have more this year. Lowrie said each basket has a theme, such as gardening, relax ation or gourmet foods. Various clubs and individuals from Mill Creek High School collect dona tions for the baskets as part of the school’s Relay for Life efforts. Lowrie said the team gets help from local business owners as well. “A lot of businesses come forward,” Lowrie said. “The area around here is just so gen erous.” Jennifer Anderson is in charge of organizing the themed gift baskets for the Relay for Life auction. Anderson said the team asked school clubs, faculty and staff to submit a basket with a theme of their choice. All the baskets are compiled entirely with donated items, so there is no overhead. “Whatever we make off the bas kets is profit for Relay for Life,” Anderson said. The minimum bid on each basket is $50. According to Anderson, some are worth much more. Anderson said whether a person is buying a basket or donating items, they are directly supporting Relay for Life. The “Taste of Mill Creek” raises money for several causes and is a popular family event. The event features activities for children and adults. Attendees will have numerous shopping opportunities for a variety of items including Christmas deco rations, jewelry, clothing, spirit wear and more. Entertainment will be provided by the Mill Creek High School choral group and the Frank Osborne Middle School choral group. Lowrie said the “Taste of Mill Creek” is a great Christmas event. “I think it’s a lot of fun,” Lowrie said. “There are arts and crafts. The food is phenomenal. I’m always full and I’ve never finished my tasting card.” The taste ticket is available for $10 and allows the ticket holder to sample seven dishes of their BASKETS FOR AUCTION Julie Anderson and Tori Rodriguez hold two of the gift bas kets being auctioned at the December 15 “Taste of Mill Creek.” Proceeds from the auction benefit Relay for Life. choice from area restaurants. Over 30 local restaurants will provide samples of their specialty dishes at the event. Participating restaurants include Arby’s, Artuzzi’s, Barbaritos, Beaners, Beef O’ Brady’s, Big Apple Bagels, Blessings Cottage, Blimpie, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Buffalo’s Cafe, Bruster’s, Cabos Mexican Grill, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Dos Copas, The Fieldhouse, Feddeaux, Harvest Table, Holy Smokes BBQ, Honeybaked Ham, Jeffrey’s, Johnny’s New York Style Pizza, Fa Cazuela cater ing, Fog Cabin BBQ, Mellow Mushroom, Mi Mexico, Pizza Hut, Publix, Shane’s Rib Shack, Starbucks, Sweet Escapes and Wing World. Taste tickets are $ 10 in advance. Tickets will also be available at the door. Admission to the auc tion and shopping booths is free. For more information, visit www. millcreektrackandfield.com. Dr. Ron Saunders named Georgia superintendent of the year Barrow County Schools’ Superintendent, Ron Saunders, has been selected as the 2008 Georgia Superintendent of the Year by the Georgia School Board Association. The announcement was made dur ing a luncheon of the GSBA/GSSA annual meeting at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta. Saunders will now join the other 49 state superintendents of the year in consideration for the national superintendent of the year award. During his 10-year tenure at the helm of Barrow County Schools, Saunders has witnessed the trans formation of Barrow County from a quiet, mostly rural communi ty into a county that consistently ranks in the top five fastest grow ing counties in Georgia and in the top 25 fastest growing counties in the nation. Saunders has seen the school system grow from 11 schools and 7,400 students, to 16 schools and more than 12,000 students. His vision, however, for Barrow County Schools stayed constant: provide a world class education with hometown values, according to the school system. “Dr. Saunders has earned and maintains the respect and public trust...,” said Buddy Ouzts, former mayor of Winder. Saunders’ nomination for the award was submitted unani mously by the nine members of Barrow County Schools’ Board of Education, with Bill Bramlett as the chairman. In supporting his candidacy, the Barrow County BOE cited his leadership in three areas: teach er and student learning, teacher recruitment and retention, and part nership development. The board’s nomination concluded with an emphasis on Saunders’ leadership in achieving exemplary status for system-wide SACS accreditation with the system receiving the high est ranking possible on each of the 10 standards. In achieving the accreditation several strengths were cited: “a for ward-thinking Board of Education and a superintendent who is a visionary leader that empowers others, and instills confidence, and a culture of continuous improve ment focused on student success.” Theatrical production, concerts planned at Mill Creek, Osborne BY KRISTI REED Several theatrical productions and holiday concerts are planned in the next few weeks. Osborne Middle School will present a theatrical production of “Cinderella: the World’s Favorite Fairytale” Dec. 12 through Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. This will be the first event of its kind for Osborne Middle School. Admission is $3 for anyone over the age of five. Advance tickets can be purchased at the school next week. Tickets will also be available prior to each performance. The production will be held in the cafete ria. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.. MILL CREEK DRAMA The Mill Creek high school drama department will presents ‘A Christmas Carol’on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Mill Creek High School Theatre. Tickets are $5 each and will be available at the door. WINTER CONCERT Mill Creek High School will host a winter concert featuring the concert and symphonic orchestras on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the school theatre. The performance will include the “Hallelujah Chorus” and a performance of “International Jingle Bells” narrated by Mr. Jim Kay. The Dec. 14 concert will feature the Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance begins at 7 p.m. in the MCHS Theatre and will include a performance by Missy McKenna, this year’s concerto competition winner. IN OTHER SCHOOL NEWS Tabita Birau, Melanie Borig, Carol Choe and Lauren Grainger of Mill Creek High School have been selected to compete in the annual Georgia High School Drawing Competition. Only 50 students in the state are chosen to compete. MCHS COLLECTING BOOKS The Mill Creek High School Media Center will be accepting book donations through Dec. 14 for the Gwinnett Children’s Center. The books will be for children ages 5 through 12. Water conservation contest for elementary students set Gov. Sonny Perdue has announced the Governor’s Water Conservation Contest is open to all students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The contest is designed to encourage students to think cre atively of ways to conserve water by designing a plan that promotes water conservation. “I believe that awareness of the water conservation effort has the potential to spread throughout Georgia’s younger generations the way that the campaign for seat- belt use did years ago,” Perdue said in a statement. “Soon, our kids will be teaching their parents and grandparents new methods for conserving water.” The Governor’s Water Conservation Contest asks students in third, fourth and fifth grades to BctlgCaa] Enter To Win a S25 Gift Cert/f/cafe If Your Drawing Is Chosen! FbisgtttiA ©swasEff DQ U L DAHL !■ ■ IA C 3 i BIB* P® SI SDWB Ctiild’s Njme; Address: Slate: m Phone: One Winds' in Two Aqc Groups- Aiies G i Undo* and 7*11 PIhgc drop uh or mall vour competed cslwna sheet te AmcniGas fsei? utrtfreiMes Aatiup hv 12121^7 and heentertd Into imfri (touring ta uiin a 525,00 fliH cer&ncate. Dm ulraw mi be chosen in each or ne two eme anoups DM i:111iy :n imreri AiMri&ft miipkiyi'iKS ;j>: I'inr PnililiSS n-rrt i-n: i ■ fcrlnln ■ -;Iii:Iii:t; iVry Apply 406 Cedar Creek Road, Winder, GA 30680, 770-867-1061 3048 Maysville Road, Commerce, GA 30529, 706-335-5151 develop a water conservation plan for their community by describing their proposed project in an essay and drafting a budget for imple mentation of the project. Students can work on the essay and budget as a class, a grade or as a project by all participat ing grades. The principal of each school will choose one winner to submit to the governor for consid eration. Perdue will bring together judges to read submitted proposals and select the winning plan for implementation. The plan should include a unique way for communities to conserve water. The implementation of the plan must cost less than $2,000 total to be considered. All entries must be received by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement by Dec. 6. The contest winner will receive a $2,000 prize to be used to carry out the conservation plan in the community. Home Depot is sponsoring the Governor’s Water Conservation Contest and will par ticipate in the award ceremony. An email with full contest guide lines will be sent to principals and superintendents throughout the state. Llorens Leaded Art Glass & Mirror, Inc. jfiL Hr v • Custom Mirrors • Memorial Church Windows • Leaded GlassD• Heavy Glass Shower Doors J ’50 Off j Garden Tub Designs | with coupon . Visit Our Showroom or Call For An Appointment 706-654-5984 77 Merchants Park Drive Hoschton, GA Open Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.