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16 Pages, 2 Sections A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, May 3, 2023 ‘The best thing Barrow does 5 Yes, I Can! Celebration held Barrow County School System’s 13th annual Yes, I Can! Celebration was held at Chateau Elan in a “Night Under the Stars” themed evening dedicated to celebrating exceptional students. The Apalachee High School Jazz Band Ensemble welcomed guests with music and the Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy Chamber Ensemble per formed two inspirational songs. The keynote speaker was Dr. Allison Nealy, a clin ical professor at the University of Georgia’s Depart ment of Communication Studies and Special Edu cation and the department head of Language and Literacy Education. Chosen from over 2,500 students in Barrow Coun ty, teachers nominated and selected each of the fol lowing school winners based on their outstanding accomplishments. The “Yes I Can” award is modeled after the state and national award given by the Council for Excep tional Children. Any Barrow County student in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is eligible. BCSS extended special gratitude to all of those who supported this year’s event, including Dr. Ken and Susan Greene, Harry and Janet Butcher, Ryan and Kim Butcher, Stephen and Jessica Smith, Chateau Elan and Bethlehem Church. The following are this year’s award recipients: • Tariyah James - Auburn Elementary • Josiah Brown - Bethlehem Elementary • Noah Barlan - Bramlett Elementary • Drake Miller - County Line Elementary • Matthew Bentley - Holsenbeck Elementary • Sara Maldonado-Espinoza - Kennedy Elementary • Judson Smith - Statham Elementary • District Elementary School Winner: Ja’Khyla Griffis - Winder Elementary • Jerry White Jr. -Yargo Elementary • Aiden Norris - Arts & Innovation Magnet • Shaylin Rust - Bear Creek Middle • Laureen Francillon - Haymon-Morris Middle • District Middle/High School Winner: Timothy Sellers - Russell Middle • Kerigan Murdock - Westside Middle • Porsche McKenzie - Apalachee High • Anthony Hatton - Barrow Arts & Sciences Acad emy • Nicholas Rayner - Winder-Barrow High Credit: BCSS Pictured: Kennedy Elementary principal Ryan Butch er and award winner Sara Maldonado-Espinoza at the Yes, I Can! Celebration. Credit: SES Statham Elementary’s Yes, I Can! award winner Judson Smith. District middle/high school Yes, I Can!’ award winner Timothy Sellers (pictured center left) and district elementary school winner Ja’Khyla Griffis (pictured center right). Winder mayor casts tie-breaking vote in favor of subdivision on Lays Drive Credit: Planners and Engineers Collaborative One of the five home elevations presented to council in the approved proposal, By Morgan Ervin morgan@barrownewsj ournal. com A Planned Unit Devel opment (PUD) consisting of 185 single-family de tached lots on Lays Drive (Hwy. 82), St. Germaine Place and East Broad Street was approved with Mayor Maynard’s tie-breaking vote in favor of the application during the Winder City Coun cil’s voting session Tues day. Councilmembers Jimmy Terrell, Stephanie Brit and Travis Singley voted against the appli cation, which was first presented to the council in April 2022 and has since undergone seven revisions. The roughly 75-acre property, owned by Mar garet Hamway, is bro ken up into five parcels, three of which are cur rently zoned in the City of Winder’s low-density, single-family residential district and the remaining two parcels are located in Barrow County’s agricul tural zoning district. The applicant, Integrity Development Group, will annex the two parcels, totaling roughly 15 acres, currently zoned in Bar- row County into the City of Winder’s PUD district. See Winder, page 2A MAILING LABEL .: BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF WINDER-BARROW COUNTY RAISES OVER $50,000 AT ANNUAL ‘STEAK AND STEAK DINNER FUNDRAISER JMcLane Productions The Boys and Girls Club of Winder-Barrow County’s 2023 Steak & Steak fundraiser was a success as more than $50,000 was raised at the club’s 19th annual event. This year’s event featured WNBA player and Winder-Barrow High School alumnus Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Submitted photo Pictured (from left): Josephine Buckland, Rep. Collins, Rebecca Nicholson Winder cadets headed to prestigious U.S. service academies Two young ladies from Winder were celebrated on Monday, April 24, during a signing ceremony at Geor gia Military College (GMC), where Representative Mike Collins (GA-10) congratulated them for earning appointments to service academies. Cadet Rebecca Nicholson accepted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York. Rebecca is a resident of Winder and a 2022 graduate of Winder-Barrow High School, where she participated in the U.S. Army Junior ROTC program. Cadet Josephine Buckland also accepted an offer of appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Josephine is a resident of Winder and a 2022 graduate of Dacula Classical Academy. Both Buckland and Nicholson completed a challeng ing academic curriculum and participated in the GMC Corp of Cadets where they focused on preparing for the service academies. “I had the honor of meeting with Josephine Buck- land and Rebecca Nicholson to congratulate them on their appointment to the U.S. Service Academies. Both cadets are remarkable young women, and we are grate ful for their sense of duty and willingness to serve our country. I could not be prouder of young Georgians committed to preparing themselves to serve as future officers and leaders in the military,” said Rep. Collins. The young women will enter their respective acad emies in June 2023 and upon graduation will become commissioned officers in the United States Armed Forces. Upcoming concerts and performances at Innovation Amphitheater include the final show of the Cultural Connections series, followed by a list of concerts for the community to enjoy all summer long. Summer events at Innovation Amphitheater CULTURAL CONNECTIONS Held at the Innovation Amphitheater in partnership with the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Cultural Connec tions series brings professional artists to Barrow County and provides affordable and entertaining evenings of mu sic, dance, poetry and more. In addition, Barrow’s own student artists present audience members with a special opening performance. HANSEL AND GRETEL: THE ATLANTA OPERA STUDIO TOUR Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30 — 9 p.m. Admission: $10 The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour will be returning to Bar- row after last year’s debut performance at the Innovation Amphitheater wowed the audience. This year’s tour visit features two performances of Engelbert Humperdinck’s take on the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel.” A daytime show will provide an exciting field-trip opportunity for as many as 1,200 elementary students to experience live op era for the first time, and an evening performance will be open to the community at large. The audience members of the evening show will also enjoy opening performances featuring highlights from several of the school system’s musical theater programs. SUMMER CONCERTS Innovation Amphitheater will also host a series of con- See Concerts, page 2A o