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Page 4 - Wednesday, August 16, 2023
The Jenkins County Times
j enkinsc ountytimes .com
August Spotlight is Ms. Diane Wade. We did a Q&A with
Ms. Diane and her answers were too funny not to share! I
hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
• You’re from Millen and moved away. What brought
you back?
We wanted to come home! Our parents and families were
here, and we just wanted to be back with them. We wanted
to escape the hustle and bustle of Atlanta.
• How did you and Mr. Julian meet?
We went to school together. My crush began when I was
in the 8th grade, and he was a curly red haired football
player. He is 4 years older than me. In 11th grade I took
him to my Jr\Sr prom. He was in college at Georgia
Southern University, so I had to drop many hints to his
friends for him to ask.
• Tell us about Mr. Julian.
Julian spent 3 years in the military. He graduated from Georgia Southern with a degree in Art. He taught
art for 4 years before he went to work at Shepard Construction Sign Shop. He made signs for 30 years before
his retirement.
• How long was your teaching career? What ages and subjects did you teach?
30 years. First 2 years I taught business ed. Students learned typing skills, shorthand, personal finance, and
bookkeeping skills. I obtained my master’s degree and became a high school counselor for the last 28 years
of my career.
(478)982-2390
537 East Winthrope Ave.
Millen, Georgia 30442
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John Paul Hearn, Superintendant
Jenkins County School System
In 1969, True Grit starring John Wayne, was released. It was based on a book written the year
before. In the movie, 14-year-old Mattie Ross’s father was murdered, and she sought to track
down her father’s killer. To do this, she enlisted the help of Rooster Cogbum, played by John
Wayne. If you have seen the movie, you know that Cogburn wasn’t necessarily the first person
you may look to for help. But Mattie “listened between the lines” when others described Cogbum
to her. When she met Cogbum for the first time, she said, “They tell me you’re a man with tme
grit.”
Over the last 14 years, I have coached girls' track and softball. Starting in 2019,1 only coached
softball. During that time, I have coached many young ladies. All of them were competitors.
However, some of them had something inside of them that was different. Some of them were
willing to lay it all on the line to be the best they could be. Whether it was someone running 400
meter sprints and getting their heart rate north of 200 bpm training for the 2-mile mn at the state
track meet or playing shortstop with a broken finger because she knew her team needed her, these
girls had GRIT.
If you have been around sports much, I am sure you have heard a coach tell their athletes to
play “gritty”. You may be wondering exactly what grit is. Webster’s dictionary defines grit as
firmness of mind or spirit, unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. Grit is a personal
attribute that someone has in them that does not allow them to give up or give in. No matter what
happens.
Grit, an attribute that we all can possess, is extremely important. In fact, it can enable us to rise
above someone who is more talented than we are. Angela Duckworth says that as a young child,
she struggled immensely in school. Her father was hard on her and her siblings and said many
times that their intellectual handicap would limit what they could accomplish in life. Looking
back, she says she wished she had told her dad, “I won’t just have a job; I’ll have a calling. I’ll
challenge myself every day. When I get knocked down, I’ll get back up. I may not be the smartest
person in the room, But I’ll strive to be the grittiest.”
Duckworth ended up in Manhattan at a top global management consulting fimi making a large
salary. She decided to leave that job to become a school teacher, and that work with children
prodded her to go back to school and become a psychologist. Her personal experience growing
up and her work with students piqued her interest in studying grit. Her research on grit turned into
the book GRIT published in 2016.
Through her research, she developed a GRIT questionnaire. She fine-tuned her methods to
the point that she was able to assign a GRIT rating to those who took the questionnaire. She was
even able to get pemiission to work with cadets at West Point. Commanding officers at West
Point wanted to know why some cadets dropped out of the rigorous training. Many of those who
dropped out had all the talent and skills required to be successful. However, Duckworth knew
what was missing. GRIT. She was given pemiission to administer her GRIT test to cadets and
predicted with 100% accuracy who would drop out. All because they lacked GRIT.
Our theme this year is Good to GREAT. To accomplish that, we must have Grit. We see
someone like Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps, and we think that they were gifted with an
enormous amount of talent. If we attribute their success solely to talent, it somehow lets us off
the hook. However, we must realize the amount of time they spent training that we didn’t see. For
one to be Great, one has to be heavily invested. That starts with GRIT.
By Joe Brady, Editor
for
The Times
So, one thing I learned
while I was sweltering at
the courthouse Tuesday
afternoon, is that lots
of people don’t read a
newspaper. Now, I get a lot
of people who say, “Joe, I
don’t read the newspaper.
I’m just not interested in
it.” Well, bless your heart.
So what goes on your in
community isn’t important
to you.
I also get folks, and you
wouldn’t believe the sheer
number, who say, “I get my
news from social media.”
Well, definitely bless
your heart. You just stay
confused all the time, cause
everything on the internet
and FB is tme!
Or, I’ll get, “why is
there bad news on the
front?” Because when it’s
good, a feel good paper, I
call it, nobody picks up
the paper. Was there no
news that week? That
might have been the paper
that announced a county
meeting. But no mugshots
on the front, so you didn’t
buy one.
So, as countless people
told the crowded room
Diane Wade recognized by Woman’s
Council
By Jessica Suggs, Special Contributor
for
The Times
Tuesday, that they don’t
know what’s going on in
the county, it’s because
you didn’t look. The
information is out there.
I know for a fact Jenkins
County has a paper that other
counties envy! But what
takes the cake, besides the
one where a teacher from a
school in the neighboring
county complained and quit
taking the paper because a
student’s mother was on
the front page for dropping
off her little one at school,
high as a Georgia pine, and
wrecked her car before she
left the parking lot. The
teacher, “Mr. Brady, how
could you embarrass that
child like that?” I wasn’t
the embarrassment! Bless
her heart.
No, this parole officer
sends me an email, I
changed the name to protect
the guilty, “Mr. Brady, I
heard, John Doe has died. I
need a copy of the obituary
and I don’t want to spend
$1.25, can you send me a
copy?” Y’all I kid you not.
So I sent her back an email.
“Ma’am, come on, the paper
is worth $1.25 at least, we
work mighty hard on it, try
it, you might just like it, and
you won’t have to hear that
somebody has died, you’ll
read it for yourself.”
So, long story short,
local papers make mistakes,
heaven forbid, but not as
many as FB or youtube,
tiktok, myspace, or
whatever folks are reading
these days. Shoot, we even
have a weekly podcast, if
you’re into that. And if
you can’t read, or can’t
see it, the paper will even
read itself to you from the
website. Don’t want to pay
$1.25, we have a day pass
for $1.99 you might prefer.
So why the paper?
Besides the indictments
and booking logs, you can
read about Diane Wade
being chosen as Lady of the
month. What the seniors
are doing at the center,
following the teachings
of Jesus with Joshua, or
keeping up with our War
Eagles! Or even, the next
local government meetings.
Yeah, the newspaper is
a pretty awesome thing!
That’s all for now, take care.
Lett*
To Tim*
Letters to the editor of The Jenkins Count) ’ Times are welcomed
and encouraged. These are pages ofopinion, yours and ours. Letters
to the editor voice the opinions of the newspaper’s readers. The Jen
kins County Times reserves the right to edit any and all portions of
a letter. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters must include
the signature, address and phone number of the writer to allow our
staff to authenticate its origin. Letters should be limited to 400 words
and should be typewritten and double-spaced or neatly printed
by hand. Deadline for letters to the editor is noon on Wednesday.
Email Letters to the Editor to: thejenkinscountytimes@gmail.com
• What’s a day in the life of Diane like?
6:00 am rise and shine! First, I feed the cats. I have a front porch family of cats and a back porch family
of cats. I feed them twice a day. 6:30 am three days
per week is gym time. Julian and I spend a couple
of hours there. Two days a week I have Pulmonary
Rehab. After that I work in my yard and then read. I
love working in the yard and reading my books! It
keeps me looking beautiful-along with lots of wrinkle
cream!
• We know you love cats. Would you consider
yourself a crazy cat lady?
Absolutely! I even have a red night gown with
Crazy Cat Lady on it!
Ms. Diane is very active in her community. She has
been a member of Millen Woman’s Club and Garden
Club since 2001, a member of Retired Educators and
Ogeechee River Keepers since 2003. She is an active
member of Millen Baptist Church where Mr. Julian
puts his good looks to use singing in the choir.
.Jenkins County Times Proudly covering Jenkins County
’s news, sports, and community events
Sam Eades Publisher
Joe Brady Editor
Sam Eades Advertising Sales
Debbie Hearn Admin/Layout and Design Executive
Sarah Saxon Admin/Legals/Reporter/AP Correspondent
Brad Asbury Sports Editor
Jake Gay Reporter
Tyler Busch Podcast Director/Reporter
THE JENKINS COUNTY TIMES
issue 24 August 2023 is published weekly by on Wednesday
for $35 per year by THE JENKINS COUNTY TIMES,
425 Hwy 25 S • Millen, Ga. 30442. Periodical
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offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
THE JENKINS COUNTY TIMES, Millen GA 30442
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