FAYETTE FOOTPRINTS
A7 Fayette County News
State School Superintendent Richard Woods presents Christy Todd, a music technology
teacher at Rising Starr Middle, with a certificate naming her one of 10 finalists for Georgia
Teacher of the Year. Courtesy of Fayette County Schools
Christy Todd of Rising Starr Middle
Finalist for Georgia Teacher of Year
The Georgia Department
of Education has announced
that Fayette County’s 2022
Teacher of the Year, Christy
Todd of Rising Starr Middle,
is one of 10 finalists in the
running for Georgia Teacher
of the Year.
Todd, a music technol
ogy teacher at Rising Starr
Middle, is the sixth Fayette
County Teacher of the Year
selected as a state finalist.
She received the news in a
surprise ceremony on March
3 from State School Superin
tendent Richard Woods.
The school system’s first-
ever finalist was Dawn Bur
nette of McIntosh High
(2005 county winner), fol
lowed by Shelly McLemore
of Flat Rock Middle (2006
winner), Alexandra Vlacha-
kis of Sandy Creek High
(2014 winner), Suzette
Weinhardt of Sandy Creek
High (2016 winner), and
Shaylen Dixon of Peachtree
City Elementary (2017
winner).
If Todd wins, she will
make history as the first Fay
ette County teacher selected
as Georgia’s Teacher of the
Year.
The 10 finalists were
chosen from a pool of appli
cants, all of whom had been
previously selected as their
school district’s teacher of
the year.
The applications were
read by a panel of judges that
included teachers, past
Georgia Teacher of the Year
winners and finalists, ad
ministrators, community
leaders, and others. The fi
nalists were chosen based on
the strength of their essay re
sponses.
The rest of the 10 final
ists are named throughout
the month of March. The
winner will be announced
June 10, 2023.
The 2024 Georgia
Teacher of the Year will
travel around the state and
nation, serving as an ambas
sador for the teaching pro
fession. The winner will also
be entered in the National
Teacher of the Year competi
tion.
Educator Career Fair slated March 23
Anyone considering
joining the team at Fayette
County Public Schools
should attend the virtual
educator career fair sched
uled Thursday, March 23.
The educator career fair
is open to active applicants
who hold teaching certifi
cation, will hold teaching
certification prior to August,
or hold a minimum of a
bachelor's degree with a de
sire to earn teaching certifi
cation.
This event is for pro
spective new employees
only and is not intended for
current Fayette County edu
cators who are interested in
transferring to a different
location.
Participants will have
the opportunity to meet
with representatives of all
Fayette County schools in a
virtual setting. Schools typi
cally do not conduct in-
depth interviews during the
career fair.
Elementary schools will
meet virtually from 3:15-
5:15 p.m. Middle and high
schools will meet from 4-6
p.m.
Pre-registration is re
quired and must be com
pleted by Thursday, March
16, 2023.
A Google account is re
quired to complete the pre
registration form.
To register, visit:
https: //forms.gle/trMEdZo
9sDH3Tzfq7.
Fayette Humane Society to
Host Charity Golf Tournament
FAYETTE - From
puppies to kittens, the Fay
ette Humane Society does
its part to raise awareness
for those in need of a loving
home. On Friday, April 14,
the organization is hosting
its “Fore the Paws” charity
golf tournament at Brae-
linn Golf Club, starting at
10 a.m.
There are seven differ
ent sponsorship levels for
golfers’ and sponsors’ do
nations, with the platinum
sponsorship being highest
at $5,000, the gold spon
sorship listed at $2,000,
the silver sponsorship at
$1,000, the team sponsor
ship at $500, the hole
sponsorship at $300, the
individual golfer entry at
$125, and the pet sponsor
ship at $225.
Registration infor
mation can be found on the
FHS website, www.fay-
ettehumane.org, under the
“Events” tab at the top of
the web page.
FHS was incorporated
in 1973 and is the oldest
nonprofit humane organi
zation in Fayette County. It
is staffed entirely by vol
unteers and is supported
by individual and corporate
donations. The animals
that the organization res
cues live in temporary
foster homes until they are
adopted, as the organiza
tion does not have a shelter
of its own.
FHS is dedicated to
“ending the needless suf
fering of unwanted pets
through our aggressive
spay and neuter program,”
the website reads.
Piedmont Fayette to Offer
Nurse Camp June 5-7
Deadline to Register is May 1
FAYETTEVILLE
Current high school stu
dents who are interested
in learning about the nurs
ing field and opportunities
for nursing school can
apply to the Piedmont
Fayette Hospital Summer
Nurse Camp, slated June
5-7-
This “fun, free, and in
teractive camp” will allow
high school students to
participate in a wide vari
ety of activities, including
a tour of the hospital cam
pus, shadowing a nurse,
exploring opportunities
for employment post
graduation, meeting col
lege faculty and exploring
college options, and learn
ing some new skills, ac
cording to officials.
“The students partici
pating in the camp will
learn how to check blood
pressure manually, infec
tion prevention and
proper hand hygiene, and
basic wound care and first
aid treatment,” said Halea
Caudill, residency coordi
nator at Piedmont Fayette.
The camp is open to
rising juniors and seniors.
It will run from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m., June 5-7 at Pied
mont Fayette.
Students who are inter
ested in attending the
camp should email
halea.caudill@piedmont.o
rg for an application. The
deadline to apply is May 1.
Selected participants will
be notified of their accept
ance by May 15.
Wednesday, March 15,2023
FCN Partners with High Schools
for Newspapers in Education 9
Program Providing Free Newspapers to Students
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Leah Banks, right, reporter with the Fayette County News, delivers newspapers to
members of The Prowler staff. From left are Prowler Editor Adeline Harper, Editor-in-Chief
Cecilly Shaber, and Editor Drew McCarthy. Courtesy of Fayette County Schools
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
Traditionally, the value
of information that flows
throughout communities,
both large and small, be
gins with local news
papers.
Whether crimes that
keep citizens on the edges
of their seats or football
victories that bring the
community together in
celebration, the value of
local publications allows
for members of the Fay
ette County community to
come together and to
bring to light conver
sations that can span dec
ades.
To commemorate
Newspapers in Education
Week, Fayette County
News is launching a pro
gram to deliver papers to
each of the county’s five
high schools weekly, at no
cost.
March 6-10 was News
papers in Education
Week, which is a “Young
Reader Development” ini
tiative centered on the use
of newspapers in schools
for purposes of improving
literacy and developing a
reading culture among
children.
Fayette County News,
the only print newspaper
in the county, will offer a
valuable resource for the
schools, especially to the
student-run media pro
grams at Starr’s Mill High
(The Prowler) and McIn
tosh High (The Trail).
In announcing the pro
gram, FCN officials said,
“We believe newspapers
broaden horizons, expand
minds, and stimulate cu
riosity in and out of the
classroom. Newspapers
are a valuable teaching
tool, they improve reading
and writing skills, and cul
tivate critical thinking
while encouraging stu
dents to become more en
gaged citizens by learning
about the world around
them.”
Starting next school
year, Fayette County News
plans to expand the pro
gram and begin delivering
to each of the five middle
schools.
Shelter Pets
of the Week
Fayette Humane Society
Batman & Robin
Meet Batman and Robin!
The mostly white one (left) is
Batman, and the mostly orange
(left) is Robin. These kittens
are just the sweetest ever, and
that is coming from a foster
mom who’s been taking in res
cue babies for to years!
If you’re interested in adop
ting Batman and Robin, please
complete a no-obligation pre
adoption form at fayettehu-
mane.org. For more
information, email Fayette Humane Society at info@fayettehumane.org or
call 770-487-1073.
Royal Animal Refuge
Elsie
Give a warm welcome to
Elsie. This sweet girl is two years
old and is the most loving baby
ever. She is doing great with
learning her basic commands
and keeps a clean kennel. She
does good with other dogs and is
ready to find her next best
friend. Apply today to meet our
sweet girl!
Elsie is available for adoption
at Royal Animal Refuge, located
at 414 Jenkins Road in Tyrone.
For more information, visit
www. royalanimalr efuge. org.
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