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6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, May 10,2023
BTD offering graduating seniors
chance to learn valuable skills
Erica Jones Dawson County News
Graduating DCHS seniors sign their offer letters from local man
ufacturer BTD, where they will start working upon graduating.
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Six graduating seniors from
Dawson County High School will
have the chance to work a job in
manufacturing right out of high
school while at the same time learn
ing valuable skills and working
toward welding certifications,
thanks to local manufacturer BTD.
After graduation, the six students
will start full-time jobs with BTD,
and on Fridays they will attend
classes at Lanier Technical College
to work toward gaining welding
certifications.
According to DCHS CTAE
Director Amy Smith, the opportuni
ty is a great way for the new gradu
ates to start work into not just a job,
but rather a career.
“This is an opportunity that we’re
so excited about for these young
men; I’ve been to BTD many times
and I’m always amazed at what
they have going on in there and the
benefits that they have,” Smith said
to the students and their parents dur
ing a signing ceremony on Friday
May 5. “Most importantly to me
one thing that I have seen through
talking to people at BTD is that
where you start is not where you
end up; they grow their own and I
love that about BTD; they have peo
ple in there that are pretty high-
ranking that started at the very
beginning and I just think that’s a
wonderful opportunity for any
body.”
During the signing ceremony, the
graduating seniors each signed their
offer letters from BTD and then sat
down for one-on-one meetings with
representatives from the manufac
turing company.
Before signing the documents,
BTD’s Director of Operations
James Vogt recounted his own
experience with the company to
the students and their parents, tell
ing them how he started out with
BTD 30 years ago much like the
six students will be after gradua
tion and since then has been able to
work his way up to his current
position by learning and growing
with the company.
“Welcome to our program; it’s
our first official weld training pro
gram of this capacity and I’m
extremely excited,” Vogt said.
“We do grow within our own; it’s
an awesome opportunity, at the end
of this they’ll have a certificate for
welding and the sky is the limit,”
HR Manager Janet Jackson added.
The six graduating seniors who
will be working for BTD after grad
uation are Jacob Kimbral, Cameron
Mason, Eli Loggins, Daniel Padgett,
Kaden Sabol and Carson Peels.
“We’re super proud of you guys;
it’s a great opportunity and you’ll
always be Dawson County High
School Tigers,” Smith said to the
students.
Dawson school system
prepares for budget season
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
As the 2022-23 school
year comes close to its end,
Dawson County Schools
administration is still as busy
as ever as budget season is
about to kick off. Here’s
when each step of that pro
cess will happen and when
the public is invited to par
ticipate in the budget pro
cess.
In a presentation to
Dawson County Board of
Education members during
the board’s May 2 meeting,
the school system’s Finance
Director Beth Covington
gave an update on the 2022-
23 budget, as well as a peek
into the first preliminary
proposed budget for the
2023-24 school year.
The initial budget for the
2022-23 school year, which
board members voted to
approve last June, included a
beginning fund balance of
$11,002,950, revenues total
ing $50,636,530 and expen
ditures totaling $47,722,978,
giving a projected ending
fund balance of
$13,916,502.
The amended budget for
the 2022-23 school year, as
presented during the board
meeting, includes a begin
ning fund balance of
$14,687,774, revenues total
ing $52,082,631 and expen
ditures totaling $49,657,989,
giving a projected ending
fund balance of
$17,112,417.
The first preliminary pro
posed budget for the 2023-
24 school year currently
includes a beginning balance
of $17,112,417, revenues
totaling $51,864,636, expen
ditures totaling $54,783,757
and a projected ending fund
balance of $14,193,296.
Before the board can vote
to adopt or deny the pro
posed budget for the 2023-
24 school year, there are sev
eral steps that must first be
completed. In May, there
will be two presentations of
the preliminary budget and
public hearings, which
members of the community
are encouraged to attend.
The first of these public
hearings will be during the
May 9 meeting of the Board
of Education, which is set to
take place at 5 p.m. in the
board meeting room, located
at 28 Main Street in
Dawsonville.
Following the public hear
ings and a presentation of
the tentative budget, the
board is then expected to
vote to adopt the budget for
the 2023-24 school year in
June.
FROM 1A
Educators
teacher or teachers have
made the biggest impact
on their lives during their
time in elementary, mid
dle and high school.
Before signing their
documents, the students
heard an address by guest
speaker Reggie Stowers,
who spent years of his life
in the education field and
is now a part of the
Dawson County Retired
Educators Association.
Stowers described his
own pathway to deciding
to become a teacher and
encouraged the students
as they prepare to embark
on their own journey to
entering the education
field.
“Becoming a teacher is
not just choosing a career;
God has chosen you,”
Stowers told the students.
“Everyone in here is His
masterpiece; we’re all dif
ferent, we all have differ
ent goals, but what God
has created is a wonderful
thing. You hold in your
hands the key; it’s up to
us to work for what God
has for us in life.”
Stowers added that he
was very encouraged and
happy to see the students’
excitement and anticipa
tion to begin their journey
to becoming teachers.
“When I came into the
room today, I felt excite
ment just walking in,”
Stowers said. “You’re
ready to go. Be excited,
jump in and be encour
aged that these people and
many, many others are
here with you supporting
you.”
Stowers also presented
DCHS senior Noah
Burnett with a scholarship
on behalf of the Dawson
County Retired Educators
Association. Each year,
the association presents a
$500 scholarship to a stu
dent like Burnett who
plans to enter the educa
tion field.
During the ceremony,
several of the school’s
administrators and teach
ers also made remarks
and encouraged the stu
dents who will be follow
ing in their own footsteps
to become teachers.
“You guys are awe
some; you’ve all done a
very good job on all your
placements and you’re all
shining stars, so you
should be proud of your-
selves,” Education
Pathway Teacher Lori
Grant said to the students.
“We’re excited; we
know what you all are
capable of and we know
that the future is bright,”
CTAE Director Amy
Smith added.
The six students who
signed certificates of
intent to become teachers
on this year’s Future
Educators signing day
were Noah Burnett,
Hailey Rickett, Hannah
Rickett, Amy Sanders,
Avery Yarbrough and
Maddie Castleberry.
Erica Jones Dawson County News
DCHS seniors sign certificates signifying their
intent to enter the education field during the
school's annual Future Educators Signing Day on
May 2.
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NORTH GEORGIA TRAVEL AND LEISURE GUIDE
The Event will
feature great
places to Visit,
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It’s a must have for
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FROM 1A
Raffle
and women.
“Any time the community can come
together to help each other — and it’s not
even just helping us, it’s helping children
or anything else — it’s a community
effort; everybody should be helping each
other and that’s what makes community,”
Leist said.
Williams said that overall she’s pleased
with the results of the gun raffle and
hopes to be able to sell even more tickets
and raise even more money next year.
“This amount was great to be able to
give back, and hopefully next year will
be even better,” Williams said.
FROM 1A
Jump
These soldiers’ excite
ment was as palpable as
the crisp morning air, with
many lining up for equip
ment checks while specta
tors set up along the
shores of War Hill Park’s
beach the morning of May
4.
The water jump event is
a part of the soldiers’ time
at Ranger School.
Training starts during the
“Benning Phase” at
Columbus’ Fort Benning.
Qualifying soldiers then
go on to the second
“Mountain Phase” at the
Dahlonega area’s Camp
Frank D. Merrill, followed
by the third “Swamp
Phase” at Florida’s Eglin
Air Force Base.
Once the event started,
each of the UH-60 Black
Hawk helicopters took
turns launching from War
Hill Park’s boat ramp
parking lot and pivoting
away from the Dawson-
area part of the lake before
flying straight over the
lake’s waters.
Soldiers leapt out of the
helicopters from a height
of 1,500 feet. Once they
began descending, they
relied on a combination of
their parachutes, winds
and directions from below
to help guide their move
ments before landing.
Colorful flares, ranging
from chalky white and a
pollen-like yellow to a
vivid violet, were used to
direct the soldiers to move
with the wind in mind.
Upon landing in the
water, soldiers met the
boats assigned to them
and began the journey
back to land.
In the past, military
spectators, their friends
and family members have
watched the water jump,
along with a range of resi
dents from counties neigh
boring Lake Lanier.
Janeane Marshall,
who’s lived in the Hall
County area for about two
years, was glad to catch a
glimpse of the parachuting
soldiers.
“It’s really cool,”
Marshall said. “I could
only see them from my
house when I first came
out. I couldn’t see them
fall or [see] in between the
trees ... so I came over [to
the park] after the first
round.”
U.S. Army 46th Victor
combat camera operators
Sgt. 1st Class Austin
Berner and Sgt. Eric
Kestner relished the
opportunity to take a
refreshing jump in the
lake and catch photos and
videos of many other sol
diers doing the same.
Thursday marked
Kestner’s fifth water jump
and Berner’s first such
jump.
“I loved it. I mean, I’m
afraid of heights, but it’s
exhilarating,” Berner said,
noting the sky-high views
of the area, from the lake
to the mountains. “In
Ranger School, you have
to jump five times, so by
the fifth jump, it got easi
er.”
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Dawson County Humane Society
a no bill shelter
Doggie Spotlight
Meet P unkin!
Punkin is a sweet girl that loves to run around! She is super
athletic but loves to stop for belly rubs! Punkin would do
best in a single dog home. Punkin can’t wait to meet you
so schedule a meet and greet today to see if Punkin is your
perfect fit!
Punkin is three and a half years old and weighs 53 pounds.
706-265-9160
Punkin
For more information contact the 706-265-9160 | 633 Martin Rd, Dawsonville
Dawson County Humane Society Adjacent to the Rock Creek Sports Complex
Visit our RESALE SHOP & BOUTIQUE
Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. | 54 S. Lumpkin Campground Rd.
All proceeds benefits
the Humane Society
Bradley M. Maple
CPA, PC
706-216-2362
2390 Thompson Rd • Ste 100
Dawsonville
Dawsonville
Veterinary
Hospital
706-265-8381
ANH Collision
Specialists
706-216-0992
103 Industrial Park Road,
Dawsonville
