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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
Sunday, October 16,2022 FORSYTHNEWS.COM
Pinecrest among top schools in country
From Staff Reports
Pinecrest Academy has been rec
ognized as a 2023 Best School by
Niche.com, the market leader in con
necting schools with students and
families.
Pinecrest, a private PreK-12
Catholic school in Forsyth County,
achieved the following rankings this
year:
• No. 1 Catholic High School in
Atlanta
• No. 1 Catholic High School in
Georgia
• No. 1 Private K-12 School in
Forsyth County
• No. 1 College Prep Private High
School in Forsyth County
• No. 10 Private K-12 School in
Georgia
• No. 46 Catholic High School in
America
Pinecrest earned these rankings by
scoring highly in many factors that
aim to capture what it’s really like to
attend the school.
“We are honored by this recogni
tion as we believe the pursuit of
excellence lies at the core of our mis
sion as a Catholic school,” said Jake
Rodgers, Pinecrest Academy Head of
School. “Forming the next generation
of Christian leaders takes a team, and
our talented, dynamic faculty is dedi
cated to seeing the very best in each
of our students. Achievements like
this reflect the sum total of their
efforts and speak to the amazing cul
ture and community of our school.”
Niche has nearly 2.5 million
school reviews from students, parents
and teachers. This provides a view
into how communities really feel
about a school.
Niche is dedicated to constantly
reevaluating data to ensure that statis
tics are current, accurate and com
plete. Niche uses the most up-to-date
data available from dozens of public
data sources including the
Department of Education, U.S.
Census and FBI. Rankings are a
blend of student and parent reviews
alongside dependable data.
View Pinecrest Academy’s profile
at www.niche.com/kl2/pinecrest-
academy-cumming-ga/ for the full
list of rankings, methodologies and
data sources at niche.com.
Submitted photo
Pinecrest Academy was recently honored with three
No. 1 rankings, including the top Catholic High
School in Georgia, by Niche.com.
Years of serving Vietnam veterans
VIETNAM VETERANS
OF AMERICA
A
Kelly Whitmire Forsyth County News
Founding President Billy Darby recently spoke at Vietnam Veterans of America Cumming Chapter
1030's October meeting to celebrate the group's 13th anniversary.
WA Chapter 1030 celebrates its 13th anniversary
‘Chapter 1030 supports veterans in need and
especially the substantial number of homeless
veterans throughout North Georgia.’
Billy Darby
Founder ofWA Chapter 1030
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Members of the local chapter of
Vietnam Veterans of America can
typically be seen at public events
like Memorial and Veterans Day
ceremonies and parades, but that
was not always the case.
Members of Vietnam Veterans
of America Cumming Chapter
1030 celebrated the group’s 13th
anniversary at their October meet
ing, where current members heard
from guest speaker Billy Darby,
who started the local chapter.
“Darby, and his wife Cathy, set
up a table at the Cumming
Fairgrounds to hand out informa
tion and gauge interest in estab
lishing a chapter in our communi
ty,” officials with the organization
said in a news release. “They soon
signed up the requisite minimum
of twenty-five members and were
awarded a charter by the national
organization.”
Darby, who was the club’s first
president and was re-elected eight
times, discussed the challenges
and successes of starting the
group.
“From that initial twenty-five
members, it now totals over two
hundred regular and associates,”
the release said. “Chapter 1030
supports veterans in need and
especially the substantial number
of homeless veterans throughout
North Georgia.”
Along with supporting veterans,
the local VVA chapter also offers
a college scholarship for high
school graduates from Forsyth
County and supports The Place of
Forsyth County and other social
service and nonprofit organiza
tions.
Chapter 1030 meets at 7 p.m.
the first Tuesday of each month at
the AA Driving Academy at 432
Canton Highway, Cumming, GA
30040. All Vietnam-era veterans
are welcome to attend. For more
information visit www.vval030-
cumming.com.
Free health clinic to
open at The Place
for the uninsured
From Staff Reports
The Forsyth Community Clinic, a new free
healthcare clinic, will officially open its doors in
Forsyth County on Saturday, October 29 at The
Place of Forsyth.
According to a press release, the nonprofit will
utilize the expertise and resources of the commu
nity to deliver free basic health and wellness ser
vices to uninsured Forsyth County residents in
need.
The clinic is the result of several years of work
and planning by a dedicated group of board
members that includes many notable names from
the Forsyth County community.
Interest in and recognition of the need for a
free clinic to meet the needs of the county’s most
underserved populations began in 2018.
Throughout the ensuing years, as everyone navi
gated the trials of the Covid-19 pandemic, the
Board of Directors maintained its vision and
commitment and in May, hired Forsyth County
native Evan Shoemake as the first Executive
Director.
Shoemake grew up in Forsyth before moving
away to pursue further education and work. He
brings back to the county and the FCC several
years of experience in fundraising, education and
healthcare.
The clinic will initially be open on Saturdays
but will eventually expand its hours, days and
services. The clinic is operated and staffed by
volunteers, both medical and nonmedical, and
offers basic health screenings, referrals and pre
scription assistance.
Services are available to uninsured residents of
Forsyth County ages 18-65 who meet the
required income qualifications. For additional
information about the Forsyth Community Clinic
visit www.forsythcommunityclinic.org.
FCC is working to solidify a permanent loca
tion, but in the interim, The Place of Forsyth has
offered the use of its facilities for the clinic to
begin operations.
On Saturday, October 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m
individuals who may qualify for services are
encouraged to come to The Place offices at 2550
The Place Circle in Cumming. Once on-site
these individuals will have the opportunity to
meet with volunteers who will screen them for
eligibility.
They can receive free eye exams from the
Lions Club as well as blood pressure and diabe
tes screenings and speak with pharmacists direct
ly about affordable medication options. For
questions about what to expect and what to
bring, email info@forsythcommunityclinic.org.
Abortion fight highlights race for Georgia attorney general
By JEFF AMY
Associated Press
ATLANTA — The
Democratic state senator trying
to unseat Georgia’s incumbent
attorney general says abortion
isn’t the only issue in the race,
but she’s leading with her advo
cacy of abortion rights in her
challenge to the Republican
seeking a second full term as the
state’s chief lawyer.
State Sen. Jen Jordan and
Georgia Attorney General Chris
Carr also disagree over who
would best protect Georgians
from crime, how independent
the attorney general should be
and what’s the best approach to
protect consumers and encour
age businesses.
Jordan, a Sandy Springs law
yer, said she would support
those challenging Georgia’s six-
week abortion ban on state con
stitutional grounds, a case set for
a late October trial in Lulton
County.
“This isn’t a partisan thing,”
Jordan said at a NARAL Pro
Choice America event in early
October. “This is about the abili
ty just to not be treated as a sec
ond-class citizen, not just to be
treated as a vessel for someone
else’s use. This is about women
in this state and their ability just
to be equal to men.”
Carr, though, lumps Jordan’s
claim that there is a role for the
attorney general to challenge
state laws alongside some dis
trict attorneys who refuse to
enforce certain laws.
“The job of the attorney gen
eral is to enforce the laws of the
state of Georgia — period,” Can-
said after a campaign speech in
August. “If you don’t like the
law, you run for the legislature,
or in her case you don’t quit the
legislature. That’s how we
change the laws. But for the
attorney general or a district
attorney to say, ‘I disagree with
the law, so I won’t enforce it,’ is
a dereliction of duty.”
Jordan won attention in 2019
for an impassioned speech
against the anti-abortion bill that
finally took effect this July after
the U.S. Supreme Court over
turned Roe v. Wade. The law
bans most Georgia abortions
once a “detectable human heart
beat” is present. Cardiac activity
can be detected in an embryo as
early as six weeks into pregnan
cy.
Carr quickly asked the 11th
Circuit Court of Appeals to let
that measure take effect once
Roe was overturned.
He touts his “vigorous
defense” of the law on his web
site, but it’s not the centerpiece
of his appeals. Instead, Carr
leads with his office’s newfound
powers to prosecute gang mem
bers.
Georgia’s attorney general has
traditionally had little power to
directly prosecute, mostly
defending and filing civil law
suits. But lawmakers have
increased the office’s prosecu
tion power, adding human traf-
See AG 12A
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