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Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia’s Lake Country \ www.LakeOconeeNews.us
VOL. 18 NO. 50 FRIDAY DECEMBER 16 2016 75 CENTS
MORGAN COUNTY
Firefighters put out mobile home blaze
Michael Stone
michael@lakeoconeenews.us
A mobile home located at 1341
Clack Road was severely damaged
by fire last week.
A Morgan County deputy
reported the fire at approximately
7:19 a.m. and Morgan fire crews
responded to the scene quickly
since there were reports that
someone might have been in the
house.
According to Morgan County
fire chief Jeff Stone, firefighters
determined that the occupants
were out of town.
Firefighters attacked the fire
from the exterior and managed
to contain the fire to the master
bedroom and master bath area,
according to Stone, but the smoke
and other damage may be severe
enough to warrant demolishing it.
Many of the items belonging to
the occupants were saved.
According to Stone, 24 fire
fighters responded to the scene
from several stations including,
Station 2(central), Station 3
(Bostwick), Station 5(Godfrey),
Station 7 (Clacks Chapel), Station
8 (Bethany), Station 9 (Rutledge),
Station 11 (Sugar Creek), Morgan
County Headquarters Station 16
and National EMS.
After the fire was contained,
units performed an overhaul of
the area.
Investigators were called in and
are still conducting an investiga
tion into the cause of the fire.
Firefighters
were able
to contain
the blaze to
the master
bedroom and
bath, but the
mobile home
was severely
damaged.
Contributed
MORGAN COUNTY
Vcdittis
wuo&eams
Santa Claus dropped by
the African-American
Museum in Madison
last weekend and
visited with Jillian
Jacobs (far right) and
Gerri Williams. After
hearing what children
wanted for Christmas,
Santa rode the Madison
Holiday Parade.
T. Michael Stone/Staff
index
Calendar B5
Churches B6
Classifieds D4
Community B1
Opinions A4
Recipes D1
Sports..,.. 1 !.. Cl
FRIDAY
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Published by
Smith
Communications Inc.
MORGAN COUNTY
T. Michael Stone/Staff
The Morgan County Board of Education welcomed system teacher of the year Angela Watson to
its monthly meeting Monday night. (L-r) Superintendent James Woodard, board vice-chairman
Andy Ainslie, board member Erica Veasley, Angela Watson, board chairman Nelson Hale and board
members K.E. Howard and Brad Evans praised the work Watson has done in Morgan County.
BOE hosts teacher of the year
Michael Stone
michael@lakeoconeenews.us
The Morgan County Teacher of
the Year recipient let the Board of
Education know a little bit about
her journey as a mother and
school teacher during the most
recent meeting held Monday
night.
Angela Watson was first
selected the Morgan County El
ementary School teacher of the
year and was then named system
teacher of the year.
Watson said she made her
decision to become a teacher in
the first grade after her Hightow
er Elementary school teacher,
Mrs. Cotrell and Watson’s mother
kept her in standard elementa
ry school when some wanted to
place her in special school due to
hearing and vision impairments.
Watson was inspired by her
teacher’s belief in her and this led
her to overcome many obstacles
on her way, she said.
Watson graduated from
Georgia Southern University
with a degree in PE and Health
and taught ballroom dancing
where she met her husband.
She moved from the city of
Atlanta to Good Hope and then
came to Morgan County. She got
her masters in special education
SEE TEACHER » A9
GREENE COUNTY
BOE honors
outgoing
members
Mark Engel
engel@lakeoconeenews.us
The biggest part of Monday’s Greene
County Board of Education meeting
was devoted to honoring the three
members who will leave at the end of
their terms on Dec. 31, 2016.
BOE Chairman Arlie Collins, Vice-
Chair and District 2 member Deborah
Smith and District 4 representative
Leah Dukes all decided not to run
for re-election. District 1 member
Clarence Hunt and District 3 rep
resentative Velicia Cobb’s terms will
continue for another two years.
SEE BOE » A2
LAKE COUNTRY
Area schools
score below
state average
Michael Stone
michael@lakeoconeenews.us
While Lake Oconee Academy basks
in the glow of sterling scores on the
Georgia Department of Education’s
(DOE) College and Career Ready Per
formance Index for the 2015-16 school
year, results from other schools in
Lake Country are a mixed bag.
The Putnam County school system
scored highest of the three with an
average score of 75.9, above the state
average of 73.6. Putnam County
High School scored well above the
state average for high schools at 84.5.
Putnam County Middle School scored
a 76.1 to top the state average middle
school score of 71.5. The elementary
school dropped slightly below the state
average of 71-7 with a score of 71.4.
The Morgan County school system
fared almost as well as Putnam
County with the system attaining
SEE SCHOOLS » A2
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