Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22,2014
Forsythßusiness
Sign-ups for tech fair approaching
By Kayla Robins
krobins@forsythnews.com
An annual technology competition
for school-age studentsis still a few
months away, but registration opens
soon to allow time to brainstorm and
create projects in a number of catego
ries.
Registration for this year’s Forsyth
County Technology Fair, set for Jan.
24 at Whitlow Elementary, opens
Nov. 1 and closes Jan. 8.
All students in third through 12th
grades who are schooled within
Forsyth County may participate. That
includes all public, private and home
schooled students.
The annual event showcases young
talent in various technological fields.
The winner of each category will be
invited to the statewide Georgia
Educational Technology Fair in March
at Middle State College in Macon.
Scholarships are available for seniors at
the state level.
“Tech Fair is a great opportunity for
students who have interests and
strengths in a variety of areas,” said
Karen Daughtery, instructional technolo
gy specialist at Whitlow and the Tech
Fair’s director. “The students are able to
show their passion for technology by
creating projects that mean a lot to them.
Their projects amaze us every year.”
Students may enter just one project,
which can be submitted by a single stu
dent or a two-member team.
Teams and individuals will compete
against each other within each grade
grouping except for the programming
challenge category. Students can partici
pate in that category and the Technology
Literacy Challenge in addition to enter
ing one project. Grade groupings are as
Spaghetti dinner benefit
Friday in north Forsyth
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
A local woman will be getting
some help Friday from a charity
she assisted for years as a north
Forsyth eatery holds its fifth
annual spaghetti dinner benefit.
This year’s beneficiary is Hilda
Hodge, who worked at the Donut
Connection on Keith Bridge
Road for eight years and for
owner Kirk McConnell even lon
ger.
“She’s been working for me
for 17 years,” McConnell said.
“She’s helped in every one
before, and it’s just sad but it’s
reality that we're having to give
her one.”
The dinners at Donut
Connection usually raise between
$4,000 and SB,OOO, and always
benefit a local resident.
“We usually sell somewhere
between 400 and 1,000 dinners,
[and] all the funds go to the per-
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The categories for the upcoming Forsyth County
Technology Fair include the following:
¢ 3D modeling
o Animated graphic design
» Case modification
* Digital photography
» Digital video production
¢ Game design
¢ Hardware
* Programming challenge
» Mobile applications
| Note: Hardware and programming categories are open only to seventh through 12th graders. !
follows: third and fourth; fifth and sixth;
seventh and eighth; ninth and 10th; and
11th and 12th.
Lee Steiner, a judge at the event
for the past six years, said the fair
has grown each year and that she
enjoys seeing “what technology in
Forsyth is all about.”
Projects are judged on originality,
clarity, documentation, appropriate
ness and design.
Steiner also judged the State Tech
son who is ill,” McConnell said.
“Usually, we get a pretty good
draw because people want to
come out and help with some
body locally.
“We give all the money to the
recipient. They spend it on medi
cine or medical bills or living
expenses. I don’t ask them how
they spend it, I just try to help
them out a little bit.”
McConnell also gets his con
struction business involved -with
the event, and uses his entire
retail complex, all of his employ
ees and volunteers to prepare.
“I'm fortunate enough to own a
small strip center on [Hwy.] 306,”
McConnell said. “My office,
where I keep Coal Mountain
Builders, | take everything out of
my office and set up the tables
and chairs, we use the kitchen at
the Donut Connection and bring
all the food over to my office.
“All my employees at the
Donut Connection help, and
Fair last year, where 37 projects from
Forsyth County took first, second or
third place. Those winners spanned
every category, 20 of which were for
first.
“To see how well our FCS stu
dents achieved at that level makes
every cent spent by this county
invaluable,” Steiner said.
There is a $lO registration fee for
each student. Schools, PTAs and busi
nesses can sponsor every child in one
some of the local people come in
to help, because to serve that kind
of dinners in a three- to four-hour
period takes a community.”
Lunch consisting of Italian
salad, garlic bread and spaghetti
will be served from 11 a.m. until
2 p.m., and dinner will be served
from 4:30 to 8 p.m. All of the
meals will be served with authen
tic Italian gravy.
“There’s a lady that works for
me, her name is Linda Worley,
and she has been working for me
10 years and she makes all the
sauce, which takes her about a
week,” McConnell said. “She’s
been kind enough to do all that
work.”
McConnell and Jimmy
Thompson, a friend of his since
high school, have held benefit
dinners for six people.
“It’s just something small that I
can do, and Jimmy can do, to
help some people that need some
help,” he said.
forsythnews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS|
¢ Multimedia apps
* Non-animated graphic design
¢ Non-multimedia applications
¢ Project programming
* Robotics
» Technology literacy challenge
* Web 2.0 internet applications _
» Digital audio production (recent
ly added) :
school for a flat donation of S2OO.
Before registering an individual stu
dent or team, check with the school’s
ITS to see if the school is sponsored,
Daughtery said.
Anyone interested in sponsoring
students can contact Karen Daughtery
at kdaughtery @forsyth.kl2.ga.us.
For more information or to register a
project, go to techfair.forsyth.kl2.ga.us.
Flooring firm holding
festival this weekend
Young Life
benefits from
Flacktoberfest
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
If you’re looking for fall
family fun, Flack’s Flooring
has your fix.
On Saturday, the business
on Ga. 400 in north Forsyth
will be holding its third
annual Flacktoberfest.
“Flacktoberfest is two
things. On Friday, we have
our biggest sale of the year,”
said Brad Flack, owner.
“And on Saturday, we have a
community event that
involves lots of fun things
like pony rides [and] bouncy
houses.”
5A
For the event Friday, a per
centage of all sales will ben
efit one of the largest local
youth organizations.
“Any money raised on
Saturday will benefit Young
Life of Forsyth County,”
Flack said. “We’re going to
raise money and contribute it
to the group.”
Young Life is an interde
nominational nonprofit that
shares the message of Jesus
Christ with middle and high
school students.
Flacktoberfest promises
something for all ages,
including face painting,
inflatables and more than
SBOO in prizes — including a
32” Sharp TV, and a SSOO.
gift certificate to the store — °
for adults.
There also will be free bar- -
becue cooked on site. ;