Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, February 1,2023
Fayette County News B3
Local Students Make Annual ‘Close Up’Trip to D.C.
A lucky group of local
students from Starr’s Mill
and McIntosh schools got
an in-depth look at how
government operates at
the annual “Close Up”
gathering in Washington,
D.C.
Close Up is a week-long
experience in Washington,
D.C. which provides stu
dents with an opportunity
to better understand their
responsibilities as a citizen
participating in the demo
cratic process, helping stu
dents understand the
importance of being ac
tively involved in local,
state, national, and inter
national issues.
Before students started
the Close Up program,
they visited the National
Gallery of Art, Library of
Congress, National Amer
ican History Museum,
Natural History Museum,
African-American History
Museum, and went to the
top of the Washington
Monument.
On the actual Close Up
program, they participated
in multiple workshops,
such as Political Values,
Domestic Issues Debate,
and Mock Congress. Stu
dents also engaged in "on
site" studies of
monuments (Jefferson,
FDR, MLK, Lincoln,
WWII, Korean, Vietnam,
Eisenhower), Arlington
National Cemetery, the
National Archives, out
door White House study,
D.C. neighborhood
studies, and several other
Smithsonian Museums.
Students also attended
a theater event after Capi
tol Hill Day.
On Capitol Hill Day,
students met with the
legislative staff from the
offices of Sen. Raphael
Warnock, Sen. Jon Ossoff,
and Rep. Drew Ferguson.
They visited the out
side of the Supreme Court
and learned about the Su
preme Court process and
history of the building.
Students also got a tour of
the Capitol, including
Statue Hall, the old Su
preme Court room, and
Rotunda. They wrapped
up their trip by visiting the
Capitol one more time,
using Senate Gallery
passes provided by Sen.
Warnock to visit the Sen
ate chamber of Congress.
Starr's Mill students
met with alumnae Brenna
Elliot who works for
House Majority Leader
Steve Scalise and provided
a "real world" connection
of how a Starr's Mill stu
dent could get involved in
government and politics.
Starr’s Mill first made
the trek in 2001 and has
sent a group of Panthers
every year since, except
2020, with more than
1,500 students attending
throughout the years.
McIntosh High sent a
delegation of 39 students
and three teacher-chap
erones. The Chiefs have
participated in the pro
gram for more than 20
years.
Flat Rock Chorus
Performs at
State Conference
The Flat Rock Middle
School Singers performed at
the 2023 Georgia Music Edu
cators Association In-Service
Conference on Thursday,
Jan. 23 in Athens.
The Flat Rock Singers
group is comprised of sev
enth- and eighth-grade
chorus students at Flat Rock
Middle School in Tyrone,
under the direction of Ladell
Fortune. The group is one of
just four middle school choirs
selected to perform at the
GMEA In-Service Confer
ence, and this was the first
time the group has received
an invitation to perform at
the state level.
The GMEA is the profes
sional music organization for
music educators in Georgia.
Each year, in preparation for
the In-Service Conference,
the finest musical ensembles
in the state are invited to
apply to be selected as a fea
tured performing ensemble.
To be considered, the ap
plying ensemble must have
an impressive comprehen
sive record of musical success
within their program. Groups
that are selected to perform
are presented to the distin
guished audience of musical
educators as some of the fi
nest performing ensembles
in Georgia.
Performing ensembles
perform a 30-minute concert
showcasing their talent by
presenting a diverse and
challenging repertoire of
music.
The Flat Rock Middle
School Singers presented a
GMEA preview concert on
Jan. 20 in Sandy Creek
High’s Patriot Auditorium.
During the concert, the
Flat Rock Singers received
two proclamations, one from
the Fayette County Board of
Commissioners and the other
from the State of Georgia.
The proclamations were pre
sented by County Commis
sioner Charles Rousseau and
Sen. Valencia Seay.
The Flat Rock Singers
presented their GMEA per
formance on Thursday, Jan.
26, at First Baptist Church in
Athens.
McIntosh students
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Starr's Mill students
Flat Rock Middle School Singers
Crabapple Lane Pre-K Has 'Doggone Good' 101st Day
It was a “doggone
fun time” at Crabap
ple Lane Elementary
as pre-Kstudents cele
brated the 101st day of
school with Dalma
tian-themed activities
last week.
Students made hats
and collars to look like
the spotted pups and
crafted their own pup
pets. They also placed
101 black dots on a
Dalmatian puppy and
put 101 stickers on a
grid to get a better
glimpse of just how
large the number 101
truly is in physical
form.
