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Foundation set for Habitat solar home | IB
Traffic a light matter
Police seek truck
that struck pole
By Julie Arrington
iarrmgton@forsythnews.com
Authorities are looking for a trac¬
tor trailer that reportedly struck a
utility pole Tuesday afternoon in
downtown Cumming, causing traf¬
fic delays.
EDUCATION
'4 I * ?
Photos by Autumn Vetter Forsyth County News
STAR GAZING
Central honors
top academics
By Jennifer Sami
jsami@forsythnews.CQm
Students and families were
asked to hold their applause until
the end. but that didn't happen.
They were too excited to show
support for the more than 100
Forsyth Central High School stu¬
dents who scored 1,100 or higher
on the non-writing portions of
the SAT or a 24 or higher on the
ACT.
The annual Central STARS, or
Students Taking Academic
Responsibility Seriously, award
ceremony honors those high
achieving students in front of
their peers.
Principal Rudy Hampton said
he was proud of the group. Ho
also spoke to those who have yet
to take the tests.
‘Those of you students sitting
in the stands who will be juniors
and seniors next year, we chal
lenge you to do what these stu
dents have done” he said “We
hope to see you sitting here next
year.”
The SAT and ACT are tests
that measure a student's verbal
and math abilities and are often
used as an entrance exam for
many colleges and universities. A
perfect score on all parts of the
SAT would total 2,400.
For some Central students, the
ceremony was similar to last
year’s.
Senior Ethan Smith received
"mum
i
Board OKs firms expansion plans
Cumming Police Sgt. Bryan
Zimbardi said the pole, which is on
the comer of Castleberry Road and
West Maple Street, was hit about
2:15 p.m.
As a result, West Courthouse
Square was closed Tuesday after
noon.
The southbound lane of the road
remained shut down until about
1:30 p m. Wednesday.
By that point, a crew from the
state Department of Transportation
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the Top Dog Aw ard for a scoring
1,580 out of a possible 1,600 on
the math and critical reading
parts of the SAT. the highest
mark at the school,
Smith was also Top Dog last
year, when his score was 1,570.
His first, junior year attempt
yielded a 1,470.
“[I] took it again because 1 felt
like the first time 1 didn’t really
study or work hard at it.” said
Smith, whose final overall SAP
score was 2,300. “So the second
time 1 did it, I tried to practice the
questions.”
The third time was a scholar
ship requirement. While he said
it was an honor to receive the
Top Dog award, that wasn’t his
motivation.
“It’s not about w hat other peo¬
ple got or who I’m better than, it
was more about seeing how
much I could get,” he said.
“What I appreciate is that I know
1 did what I could.”
Though he’s been accepted to
the University of Georgia,
Inside
Volume 103, Number 15
© 2012. Forsyth County News
Cumming, Georgia
had replaced the pole and the traffic
light was working properly.
Castleberry was also closed
Tuesday afternoon between Bank
Avenue and West Courthouse
Square until the pole could be safe
ly removed, Zimbardi said,
Cumming Police Chief Scott
Burgess said authorities are tracking
down a lead on the tractor trailer.
Anyone with any information
ahout the truck can call police at
(770) 781-2(MX).
Principal Rudy Hampton
congratulates Top Dog
Award winner Ethan Smith
during the STARS awards
ceremony Wednesday at
Forsyth Central High. Left,
Anna Purcell was named
STAR student at the event.
Georgia Tech and Drexel, Smith
said he’s waiting to hear from
MIT, Harvard, Princeton and
Yale.
He plans to study economics
or operations research and pur¬
sue a career as a chief executive
officer.
Addressing students after
receiving his award, he said, ‘To
do this, 1 worked hard. 1 did not
do this half way. All of you can
do it too, if you work on it.”
The STARS event also reeog
nized Anna Purcell as the
Professional Association of
Georgia Educators’ ST AR stu
dent.
The honor is based on her SAT
score, which was higher than
1.400 on the math and critical
reading parts, but also her overall
academic career. The association
also honors a STAR teacher,
selected by Purcell,
“So many teachers here have
had an impact on my studies, it
was difficult to pick just one
STAR teacher,” she said. “But
when I think of what teacher,
what class 1 enjoyed the most ...
the first thing that comes to mind
is Kelli Schuyler. She goes above
and beyond.”
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Lambert boys, girls beat Johns Creek | 5B
3A Students apply for
can
tour ofD.C.
^ 1 , ■5 ■” />'H '-‘-ft Ply
-
Jim Dean Forsyth County News
Workers remove a traffic light beam Tuesday from a
damaged pole crossing Castleberry Road in down
town Cumming. Authorities want information on the
tractor trailer that allegedly caused the incident.
COUNTY COMMISSION
Committee
to oversee
tax projects
Funding plan
seen as key
By Alyssa LaRenzie
alaremie@forsYthnews.com
A team of local govern¬
ment officials will oversee
the construction of a new
courthouse and jail expan¬
sion, which could get start¬
ed in July.
Forsyth County commis¬
sioners voted 5-0 to create
a nine-member committee
to advise on the capital
projects voters approved in
the 1-cent sales tax exten
sion last fall.
The team will include
Commissioners Pete Amos
and Todd Levent, as well
as undetermined represen-
Change taking
out of code
Way will clear
for beekeeping
By Alyssa LaRenzie
alarenzie@forsythnews.com
An exception to the rule
appears to be sweeter than
honey for local beekeepers.
Forsyth County commis¬
sioners took the first step
toward amending the unified
development code to allow
honeybees in all zoning dis¬
tricts.
The commission voted
w
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Alyssa LaRenzie Forsyth County News
During a commission meeting Tuesday, beekeeping
supporters, clad in yellow, listen to a presentation.
It Technology
on display at
poultry expo.
tatives from the city of
Cumming, local courts and
sheriff’s office.
Also on the panel will be
representatives from the
county finance and pro¬
curement departments,
public facilities manage¬
ment and the county man¬
ager's office.
The seventh round of the
special purpose local
option sales tax, or
SPLOST, included an esti¬
mated $100 million for the
jail and courthouse facili¬
ties, which will be built
across from each other
along East Maple Street in
downtown Cumming.
Voters also approved the
bonding of up to about $89
million for those projects
See PUN 13A
5-0 on Tuesday to hold two
public hearings on changing
the code, which prohibits
bees in residential districts
under the definition of “live¬
stock”
The issue arose last fall
when a backyard beekeeper
received a notice from coun¬
ty code enforcement that his
hives were a violation.
Nicholas Weaver appealed
the issue through the coun¬
ty’s chain of command, con¬
tending that honeybees are
not livestock.
See CODE |3A
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