Newspaper Page Text
Dawson County team tryouts
signal arrival of spring sports.
SPORTS, IB
^DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I JANUARY 23, 2019 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Rep. Tanner begins weekly meetings
Education, mental health among discussion topics
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
State Rep. Kevin Tanner kicked off another
legislative session with the first of his weekly
update breakfasts this past Saturday at the
Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
In what many attendees said was his biggest-
ever turnout, Tanner, R-Dawsonville, provided
a free hot breakfast and spoke to the gathered
constituents about his agenda for the current
session, which began Jan. 14.
Tanner represents District 9, which includes
most of Dawson except for a small portion in
the Big Canoe area, as well as all of Lumpkin
County and a portion of Forsyth County.
He currently serves as the chairman of the
transportation committee as well as serves on
the appropriations, education, intragovernmen-
tal coordination, natural resources and environ
ment, rules and special rules committees.
One of the priorities of each session is setting
See Tanner18A
Allie Dean Dawson County News
Rep. Kevin Tanner speaks to a full room on Jan. 19 during his
first legislative breakfast of the year.
A device in every hand
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
Students in Jennifer Smith's English class use their iPads to follow along to lessons, take notes and read texts.
Phase 3 of iPad rollout hits high school classrooms
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Four years ago,
Superintendent Damon
Gibbs and Director of
Technology Roman Gaddis
sat down to plan out a 1:1
rollout for the students of
Dawson County.
Now, after three years of
implementation, each stu
dent in Dawson County
Schools has an iPad to help
them further engage in their
learning.
In 2018, the third phase
of the rollout hit the last
group of students at
Dawson County High
School, with some students
adjusting more quickly than
others.
“I don’t want to say it
wasn’t smooth with the 11th
and 12th grade. It’s just
new,” said Nicole LeCave,
executive director of teach
ing and learning for
Dawson County Schools.
“For the most part there is a
Junior Roxie Fricton uses her iPad in the DCHS
Learning Commons Jan. 22.
positive sense of the teach- what the school system
ers are willing to learn how
to use it and new ways to
engage the students, and the
same for the students.”
With each rollout there
were growing pains as both
teachers and students
adjusted to implementing
instruction and assignments
to the iPads. DCHS is no
exception, but only four
months into the rollout, the
transition is on par with
expected.
“I think the rollout went
very well. I mean that’s a
big task to get iPads out to
800-plus kids,” said DCHS
Principal Brody Hughes.
“It’s been an adjustment,
especially for our juniors
and seniors because the
sophomores, this is their
third year having them so
they’re pretty used to them.”
Some students like junior
Kathernine Myaskovski
have found the iPads to aid
learning because the porta
ble device allows them to
access assignments any
where.
“It’s pretty useful because
there is a lot of schoolwork
you do online and you can
just really easily get it out
and do it,” Myaskovski said.
Others, like junior Sarah
Teague, can see how the
iPads have helped teachers
but have thrown a curveball
at the way students interact
in the classroom.
“I think it’s easier for
teachers because they don’t
have to print everything off,
but it’s kind of annoying
because you have to copy
the notes and type on the
iPads,” Teague said.
How students would
adjust to typing on the
bulky iPad screen was a
concern for Hughes and
LeCave.
See IPAD 16A
BOC chair:
Productivity,
efficiency key
items in 2019
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County Commission Chairman
Billy Thurmond has been on the board for
two years, but his experience with the
county extends decades.
Thurmond began his
career in 1978 on staff
with Dawson County
Parks and Recreation
before going to EMT
school, receiving his para
medic certification, over
seeing operations of the
county’s EMS division and
later being named
Emergency Services direc
tor in 2001, a position he retired from in
2015 prior to running for board chair.
Coming from that county government back
ground, he knows all too well how operations
can be slowed by policy and procedure.
See County 15A
Thurmond
Forsyth man accused
of planning terrorist
attack on White House
Nick Watson
DCN Regional Staff
A Cumming man who had allegedly rad
icalized and planned to be a “martyr” laid
out his plans to undercover
FBI agents for attacks on
the White House, other
monuments and a syna
gogue, prior to being
arrested, according to an
FBI affidavit.
Hasher Jallal Taheb, 21,
was charged with “attempt
to damage by means of an
explosive” after the Joint Terrorism Task
Force received a tip from the community.
See Attack 13A
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9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 4, Number 18
© 2018, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
8B
Dear Abby
7B
Deaths
2A
Legals
9B
Opinion
9A
Sports
1B
4A Former
candidate for
governor
pleads not
guilty
7A New 911
system, Pickens
agreement for
fire station
approved
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