About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2024)
Wednesday, February 7,2024 OBITUARIES A2 Fayette County News I i Noah Riley Griffith Noah Riley Griffith, age 24, of Fayetteville, passed away Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. He was bom to Ryan Grif fith and Anna Reid Truby Griffith in Riverdale, Oct. 2, 1999. He was employed at Ul timate Security. He loved sports, music, friends, and family. He was loved by many. He is survived by his parents; brother, Jackson Griffith; grandparents, Donna and Billy Griffith; aunts and uncles, Chad Grif fith, Tiffany Griffith, Bran (Adrian) Griffith, and Brit ney (Chris) Broome; cous ins, Avery Griffith, Mattie Griffth, Lily Griffith, Logan Griffith, Phoenix Griffith, Foxx Griffith, Jayden Broome, and Haven Broome; and many other friends and family who will miss him dearly. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Bill and Dottie Truby. Funeral services were held Sunday Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Mowell Funeral Home in Fay etteville. Noah was laid to rest at Camp Memorial Park in Fayetteville following the service. We welcome you to leave your condolences, thoughts, and memories of Noah on our Tribute Wall. Mowell Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Fay etteville, www.mowells.com. MOWELL FUNE RA L HOME t ^@7@_Cremati.cm Service ISO N. Jeff Davis Drive FAYETTEVILLE, GA 302 14 770-461-764 1 • FAX:770-460- 1 003 FYTOF FlCEC@MOWELLS.COM 200 Robinson Road PEACHTREE CITY, GA 30269 770-487-3959 • Fax:770-487-5959 PTCOFFlCE@MOWEI_LS.COM Rob Bell Finalists Named for 2024 Teacher of the Year The number of names in the running for 2024 Fay ette County Teacher of the Year has been narrowed to just three finalists from 25 of the county’s best edu cators. The finalists for the 2024 Teacher of the Year honor are Rob Bed of Starr’s Mid High School, Brian Harmon of Fayette County High School, and Brandi Thornton of Peach tree City Elementary School. Each finalist will be ob served in the classroom and interviewed by the judging panel, which consists of two retired educators and last year’s county winner, Mi chelle Shaw of Spring Hid Elementary. The teacher with the highest combined judges’ score will be named the 2024 Fayette County Teacher of the Year. The winner will be an nounced at the annual Fay ette County Teacher of the Year celebration on Thurs day, April 11. Rob Bell, Starr’s Mill High School: Rob Bed teaches engi neering and computer science at Starr's Mid High School. Bed subscribes to an in quiry-based approach to learning where his students use project-based learning to foster their journey to ward life-long learning. He says he prefers to present his students with real-world learning experiences. He gives lectures on new mate rial, but he adds that he much prefers it when stu dents apply their knowl edge gained to become better problem solvers. Bed has two goals as a teacher: to provide students with practical, real-world learning, and to build rela tionships with them. In his current position, he has the unique privilege of teaching the same students over the course of three or four years if they choose to complete the engineering pathway. Brian Harmon, Fayette County High School: Brian Harmon is a certi fied art and literature teacher. He currently teaches a screenplay writing class, advanced placement art history, and debate I and II at Fayette County High School. Harmon says his main priority as a teacher is to do right by his students; to him everything else is second ary. His main philosophy is to teach people’s children as he would want them to teach his own. He operates outside of the box when teaching the standards to his students, using uncon ventional, creative, and complex methods that chal lenge students’ thinking and connect them to the outside world. He has been teaching for 17 years and though the classroom management piece has gotten easier, he says that the business of teaching, being engaging, impacting students, and holding them to a high stan dard continues to be hard work. Harmon does not see hard work as a bad thing, in fact, he says he believes that if teaching is easy, then you are not doing something right. Brandi Thornton, Peachtree City Elementary School: Enrichment teacher Brandi Thornton teaches first through fifth grade gifted and talented students at Peachtree City Elemen tary. Fostering critical think ing, problem-solving skills, and creativity among her students through the ped agogy of experiential learn ing is Thornton’s focus. Her enrichment students, affec tionately known as Thorn ton Thinkers, support a variety of humanitarian projects, such as Salvation Army’s Ring for Change, Midwest Food Bank, Bloom Closet, Royal Refuge, and Real Life Center. Thornton Thinkers also learn in a school garden created in partnership with Thornton and Larry Dove of Two Doves Farm. Problem- based learning is experi enced through the highs and lows of organic garden ing. Both the humanitarian and gardening experiences give Thornton’s students authentic opportunities to apply mathematics, science, conservation, creativity, problem-solving, and com munication skills. She is known to encour age her students to be coun ters of blessings, attack challenges with tenacity, and use their gifts to make the world a better place. Mr. Robert E. Kula Robert E. Kula, 79, died at home on Jan. 26, 2024. A New Jersey native, Bob graduated from Seton Hall University and entered the U.S. Army. He proudly served in the Vietnam War while achieving the rank of captain. Bob spent his entire adult life, especially after re tirement, volunteering in many church and civic or ganizations, including Little League coach, Boy Scout leader, band booster treas urer, marriage encounter, sponsor couple, and Grand Knight of Tara Council of the Knights of Columbus. Bob is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carolyn; sons, Kenneth (Lisa) and Jeffrey (Meredith); grand children, Zachary (Hollie), Kristina (fiance Luis), Jacob, Joshua, and Jordan; and a great-grandson, Carson. The funeral service was held Jan. 31 at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Newnan. In lieu of flowers, dona tions can be made to Tun- nel-to-Towers (t2t.0rg) or Catholic Relief Services (support.crs.org). We wel come you to leave your con dolences, thoughts, and memories of Robert on our Tribute Wall. Mowell Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Fay etteville, www.mowells.com. Planning Commission Denies One Rezoning Request, Approves Three Brigitte Greer Staff Writer bgreer@fayette-news.net During public hearings at the Feb. 1 meeting, the Fay ette County Planning Com mission unanimously denied the petition to rezone a 4.03- acre parcel of land from agri cultural residential to community commercial for the purpose of constructing a convenience store with fuel pumps. The vote was met with a round of applause from mul tiple area residents in atten dance. As designated on the Fu ture Land Use Plan map, the property, located on Harp Road between Georgia High way 85 and Old Senoia Road, is designated for rural res idential 2 and does not con form to the Fayette County Comprehensive Plan. Darrell Baker, who spoke on behalf of the landowner, explained that the petitioner has owned the parcel for more than 40 years and never had any intention of building a house on it because of the roads that surrounded it. “This piece of property has been a concern since it was platted. When it was platted with the county, it states, ‘future commercial use’. ..Asa farmer and as a de veloper, he understood that the piece of property was bor dered on three sides by roads,” Baker said. Baker also acknowledged the growth of Fayette County throughout the years, and the continuous growth and change the county is experi encing. “Change is inevitable, I hate to say it,” he added. The petition was met with heavy criticism from attend ees, expressing concerns of light and sound pollution, in creased traffic on Harp Road, safety for children in the neighborhood, and safety for children who attend nearby Whitewater High and White- water Middle schools. Neighborhood resident Russell Blythe took the po dium to voice his concerns. “If you transition this into a commercial property, you will increase the traffic on Old Senoia Road; it’s not intended to be a commercial artery... The last thing Old Senoia Road needs is more traffic on it. It is dangerous for kids catching the bus out there; it will negatively impact the traffic on Harp Road as well,” Blythe said. In other news, the com mission unanimously voted in favor of three petitions dur ing the meeting, each with ap propriate staff-recommended conditions, including: •The rezoning of a 2.140- acre parcel of land from agri- culture-residential to single-family residential (R- 72) on McBride Road. The landowner expressed intent to construct a single-family residence with accompanying accessory structures. •The rezoning of a five- acre plot on South Highway 85 from single-family res idential to highway commer cial for the purpose of developing a commercial property. •The rezoning of a 10.95- acre parcel on Veteran’s Park way from agriculture-residential to sin gle-family residential (R-70), with the intent of combining the property with an existing single-family residential par cel. Final public hearings for the three requests will be held during the Feb. 22 Fayette County Commission meeting. From left are Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Landon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Moffett. Ferguson, Carter Hold Moment of Silence on House Floor Congressmen Drew Fer guson (R-GA) and Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) led the Georgia Congressional Delegation in a moment of silence on the House floor on Jan. 30, honoring Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, and Spc. Breonna Alexson- dria Moffett of Savannah, who were killed during an Iran-backed terrorist attack in Jordan on Jan. 28. “Today on the House floor, we paid tribute to the heroism of three courageous Georgians, Sgt. William Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Moffet,” said Rep. Ferguson. “All three servicemembers faithfully served our country with courage, and their serv ice and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Sgt. Rivers was from the Third Congres sional District of Georgia and our community is truly heartbroken by the loss. My prayers are with their fam ilies and loved ones, to whom we owe a debt of grat itude we can never repay.” “It’s a heartbreaking time for our community, mourning the loss of three bright individuals who had their lives ahead of them,” said Rep. Carter. “Our brave servicemembers put their lives on the line every day, and we owe our freedoms and security to them. Both Spc. Sanders and Spc. Mof fett were from the First Con gressional District of Georgia, and we will miss them dearly. I’m glad that our heroes got the rec ognition they deserve on the House floor. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and the Georgia community during this time.” FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS P.O. Box 96, Fayetteville, Ca. 30214 Phone: 770-461-6317 ■ fayette-news.net Award-winning member of the Georgia Press Association and the National Newspaper association. The Staff: Luke Haney Editor, Digital Media Coordinator • support@fayette-news.net Leah Banks Senior reporter • leah@fayette-news.net Jennifer Lyons Legals, General Manager • jennifer@fayette-news.net Brigitte Greer Advertising Consultant, Staff Writer • bgreer@fayette-news.net Debbie McClain, Publisher, Co-owner Bridge Turner, Editor in Chief, Co-owner Fayette County News (USPS 188-420) is published Wednesdays for in county rates of $40 yearly. Georgia out-of-county is $50, and out-of-state is $60. Published by Upson Newspapers, Inc., 219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, GA 30286. Periodicals postage at Fayetteville, GA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fayette County News, P.O. Box 96, Fayetteville, GA. 30214. Our Goal: Fayette County News is proudly published for the citizens of Fayette County and East Coweta by Upson Newspapers, Inc., owned and operated by Debbie McClain and Bridge Turner. Our goal is to produce qual ity, community-oriented publications of which our readers can be proud. We will attain that goal through diligence, teamwork, and dedication to printing the truth in an accurate, fair, balanced, and objective manner. Our Policies: Signed letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. We do not edit for content, only grammar, spelling, and punctuation when necessary, as designated by Associated Press style guidelines. Unsigned, li belous, or profane letters will not be published. Please limit letters to 400 words or less and to only two letters per month. Liability for errors in ad vertising will not exceed the space occupied by the error. We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials. The Meeting Place Fayette County Board of Educa tion meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Fayette County Commission meets the second and fourth Thurs day of the month at 5 p.m. Fayette County Planning Com mission meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Fayetteville City Council meets the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Fayetteville Planning Commis sion meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Fayetteville Work Session meet ing on the last Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. at Fayetteville City Hall. Peachtree City Council meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Peachtree City Planning Com mission meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Tyrone Town Council meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Tyrone Planning Commission meets the second and fourth Thurs day of the month at 7 p.m. Tyrone Downtown Devel opment Authority meets at 9 a m. on the second Monday of the month. Brooks Town Council meets the third Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Woolsey Town Council meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month.
