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Page 7 • The OGLETHORPE Echo • Thursday, October 14, 2021
The Marigold Market still going strong in
Winterville, helping with food insecurity
The 2022 Oglethorpe County Teachers of the Year were announced and recognized at the October meeting
of the Oglethorpe County Board of Education. Faculty members at each of the county’s schools chose
their Teacher of the Year from a list of nominees that they selected. Pictured from left to right are the new
Teachers of the Year. They are Pierre Oulevey from the Oglethorpe County High School, Susan Shealy
from the Oglethorpe County Elementary School, Heather Denney from the Oglethorpe County Middle
School, and Penni Stoudenmire from the Oglethorpe County Primary School.
Oglethorpe Teachers of the Year
announced at Oct. BOE meeting
Every year, one teacher from each
of the four schools in Oglethorpe
County is chosen as Teacher of
the Year. Faculty members at each
school choose their Teacher of the
Year from a list of nominees that
they selected.
The Teachers of the Year for
2022 are Penni Stoudenmire from
the Oglethorpe County Primary
School, Susan Shealy from the
Oglethorpe County Elementary
School, Heather Denney from the
Oglethorpe County Middle School,
and Pierre Oulevey from the
Oglethorpe County High School.
They were announced and
recognized at the October 5*
meeting of the Oglethorpe County
Board of Education.
That evening, each of the
county’s school principals were
in attendance. They were asked
to come up one-by-one, introduce
their school’s Teacher of the Year,
and share any comments they
would like about their honoree.
OCHS Principal Susie Johnson
began by introducing Pierre
Oulevey. She stated that it was a
“great pleasure” to do so and then
gave a brief overview of his history
in education.
Oulevey joined the faculty at the
high school in 2018, but he and
his wife have lived in Oglethorpe
since 2005. He has an education
specialist degree from the
University of Georgia.
Over the years, Oulevey has
had a “broad range” of teaching
experience, Johnson said. He has
worked as a K-12 educator as well
as adjunct university faculty.
Oulevey has taught social
studies, math, and business studies
during his time as a teacher. “His
teaching is student-centered, rather
than teacher-focused or subject-
focused,” Johnson added.
She continued, “In the classroom,
Mr. Oulevey is always working to
engage, challenge, and develop the
abilities of his students to help them
recognize and find their potential.”
OCMS Principal Mack Baldwin
next introduced Heather Denney.
She has been teaching for nine
years, with one of those years in
Elbert County.
Otherwise, she has taught in
Oglethorpe County, and she has
been at the middle school for the
past four years. There, Denney
serves as the self-contained teacher
where she deals with students who
have a “spectrum of special needs
and challenges far beyond what a
lot of us deal with,” Baldwin noted.
Every day, Denney arrives
at the school early, he said, to
help her students get off the bus
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and immediately begin working
with them. Baldwin added, “She
displays the patience of a saint
throughout the day in what can be
a very hard job.”
In addition to teaching, Denney
is a co-head cheerleading coach for
football and basketball at OCMS.
She coaches the middle school
track team as well.
Baldwin stated that, in
nominating her for the award, one
of Denney’s colleagues described
her as dedicated and “one of the
kindest and most generous teachers
known at OCMS.” He concluded
by adding that “we’re proud to
have her as a part of the OCMS
family.”
Next, OCES Principal Katie
Baldwin said she had the “honor
and privilege” of introducing
Susan Shealy. This is her 16* year
of teaching, and she has taught EIP
(Early Intervention Program) and
third grade during her time at the
elementary school.
Baldwin stated, “She models
leadership and a quiet strength
in her position. She is known for
her early arrival at school every
morning; we joke that she gets
there at ‘oh-dark-thirty.’”
Shealy gives “100% to each of
her students regardless of their
ability or behavior. She exhibits
confidence and expertise in all
academic areas and shares her
knowledge with her colleagues,”
Baldwin noted.
While teaching third grade,
Shealy has served as the third grade
team leader, and within her grade
level PLC (professional learning
community), “she demonstrates
excellent listening skills and always
provides a practical approach to
any problem that might arise,”
Baldwin said. She has worked as
the general education teacher in a
co-taught setting for several years
now.
Frequently, Shealy ends up
with “a student, or several, that
have some behavior struggles,
but despite the challenges, she is
always positive and willing to try
any and everything to help her
students be successful.” Since
becoming principal at OCES,
Baldwin said Shealy has always
been someone she could rely on
“to willingly and graciously do
anything that I ask of her.”
She continued, “Ms. Shealy
is a calm voice of reason and
encouragement to everybody at
OCES. We are so proud to have her
represent our school as Teacher of
the Year.”
Lastly, OCPS Principal
Pam Shields introduced Penni
Stoudenmire. She began by noting
that Stoudenmire started out as
a student in Oglethorpe County,
graduating from OCHS.
She then began her education
career in Morgan County
before coming “back to where
she belongs” in 2006, Shields
emphasized. Stoudenmire has been
teaching at the primary school ever
since then.
Shields asked some of
Stoudenmire’s colleagues how
they would describe her. One
noted that she was dedicated to her
family and to her students, who she
considers family.
Some of the more light-hearted
descriptions provided about
Stoudenmire were that she “loves
chocolate and dogs” and is “always
dressed to perfection and is never
seen without her lipstick.” It
was also pointed out that she is a
“fantastic runner” and “her laugh is
contagious.”
Shields agreed that no matter
what kind of day Stoudenmire
might be having, “she laughs in
spite of it all, and it helps to lift
everybody else up.” She added
that Stoudenmire’s classroom is
“stellar, and the kids are always
learning through a variety of
media.”
Superintendent of Schools
Beverley Levine congratulated all
of the Teachers of the Year, as did
the board. She emphasized that it
was a “huge honor to be selected
by your peers,” and she and the
board were “very proud” of all of
them.
Each of the honorees received a
plaque during the board meeting.
They will also be able to select a
date when they would like to attend
the Ron Clark Academy over a
two-day period in Atlanta.
Now, the four teachers will have to
write several essays and participate
in an interview to decide which of
them will be named the Oglethorpe
County System Teacher of the
Year. That person will represent
the school district at the state level,
competing for the Georgia Teacher
of the Year honor.
The Teachers of the Year will
be interviewed in-person by a
committee of outside educators
at the Central Office. The System
Teacher of the Year will be chosen
later this month.
After the onset of the
COVID-19 global pandemic
last year, the City of Winterville
tried to help those dealing with
food insecurity by creating the
Marigold Market.
In early March of 2020, a
small group of producers,
growers, and supporters met
at the Winterville Depot with a
focus on creating a community
market in town to meet the
needs and desires of Athens’
east side.
Since then, the Marigold
Market has taken oil' and
continues to thrive. It has
expanded into what is known
as the Marigold Collective and
is exploring numerous avenues
to provide as much assistance
to the area as possible.
The market’s hours are 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday,
except for the Saturday after
Thanksgiving. It will remain
on that schedule through
December 18 lh .
The market typically offers
fresh produce, bread, honey,
jelly, coffee, and more from
local farms and home-based
businesses. There are also
local artisans with crafts, art,
jewelry, and pottery available
for sale.
The Marigold Collective, Inc.
is a newly-formed nonprofit,
of which the market is just
one part. The collective also
includes the Marigold Food
Hub and a commercial kitchen.
Together, the three
components work to reduce
food insecurity by connecting
the Winterville and East
Athens communities with
fresh, affordable food and
information on nutrition
while supporting local food
producers. For those unaware,
“food insecurity” simply means
that an individual or family is
unable to afford enough food,
particularly enough healthy
food that provides critical
nutrition.
Over-abundance from
the market is distributed in
local neighborhoods as fresh
produce and prepared meals.
This is made possible by the
cold storage installed in the old
barbecue pit at Pittard Park,
which houses the Food Hub.
The refrigeration reduces
food waste until unsold
produce can be made available
to those in need.
The hub is still in its
infancy, it is noted in the latest
“Winterville Gazette,” but
there are plans to renovate
the barbecue pit into a
multipurpose building that will
include a post-harvest station
for farmers, storage for market
supplies, and a honey house.
The honey house will
be a partnership with the
Eastern Piedmont Beekeepers
Association and will provide
small producers with the
equipment they need to bottle
their honey for sale.
The beekeepers and the
market’s board are planning
a Honey Bee Jamboree for
October 23.
The final component,
the Marigold Commercial
Kitchen, creates prepared
meals from the stored produce,
provides a legally compliant
space for aspiring food
producers to experiment with
recipes and packaging, and
hosts educational workshops
to support healthier families
and businesses.
Marigold Collective hopes to
have this facility complete and
running at full capacity within
two years. The long-term
goal is to boost Winterville’s
economy by supporting local
farmers and helping producers
and makers grow their
business.
In addition to the items
available for purchase at the
market, on the first Saturday of
each month, Ms. Deidre holds
Story Time at 11 a.m. in the
gazebo to entertain children
while their parents shop. Fittle
Decisions host Victoria Cooper
conducts a live podcast from
her tent each week.
There is also music provided
during the market by a
variety of local musicians,
including Rose and Joe, the
father-daughter team who
run The Fightnin’ Bug Bed
and Breakfast on October
30 th . Winterville Mayor Dodd
Ferrelle and Adam Poulin will
perform on November 20 th ,
and Christian Montcriol and
Making Strange are also slated
for performances.
Special upcoming events
include a “Taste the Season”
cooking competition in
partnership with UGArden,
Concrete Jungle, and
Winterville Prosperity Zone on
November 13 th and a Christmas
Market on December 18 th with
a raffle for gift baskets created
in collaboration with vendors
and other local businesses.
Anyone interested in
getting involved should email
marigoldmarketwinterville@
Igmail.coir] for details on
volunteering, being a vendor,
sponsorships, and donations.
For some time, it has been
a goal of Envision Athens to
improve access to fresh food on
the east side of Athens, while
creating an inviting space
that encourages people to eat
fresh, local food. Erin Barger,
project manager at Envision
Athens, shared this goal with
Ferrelle and Laura Ney, who is
the Clarke County Agriculture
Agent.
Sherrie Anderson then joined
the team as acting market
manager with a passion for
creating and cultivating an
affordable, sustainable, and
community-driven market.
Plans were made to open the
market in Pittard Park in early
May of last year, but then
COVID-19 hit, creating some
obstacles.
The farmers and producers
took the situation as an
opportunity to collaborate in
pulling together resources to
provide affordable fresh food
in a weekly food box or bag,
with size options and add
on products for personalized
boxes.
The bags could be ordered
online ahead of time and picked
up at Pittard Park via drive -
though collection to minimize
contact. Due to the success of
that initiative, the Marigold
Market team working to create
an in-person market at Pittard
Park that opened this spring.
Community News
Amoldsville
Jean Fleming
706-742-7113
When you become reluctant
to change, remind yourself of
the beauty of autumn
Johnny and I enjoyed a short
visit last week with Martha and
Raymond. We carried them
some peas, okra, and turnip
salad from the garden. We have
really had a lot of peas this year
and shared with a few family
and friends.
Raymond is slowly improv
ing and still has a long way to
go but we are so glad he is feel
ing some better. He has a brace
on his leg that he broke the
knee cap on. He has to wear it
all the time and needs special
help to move any at all. We will
continue to keep Martha, Ray
mond and family in our special
prayers.
I had a short visit with Grace
Harris last week in Walmart.
It was good to see her and we
discussed all of our health prob
lems.
I enjoyed going with friends
Claudette, Glynda and Jimmie
Lee last week to Rafferty’s for
lunch. We miss Florine — she
didn’t feel like going. We have
not been doing much since the
COVID mess. Sure miss all of
our get-togethers. It’s always
good to be with friends if only
for a short visit.
We all enjoyed the Georgia
game on Saturday. I can’t be
lieve how excited we can get
over a ballgame but we all re
ally like those Bulldogs. And,
what about Texas A&M beating
Alabama. What a game — we re
ally enjoyed it too.
We really had a rainy week
in Georgia last week. We got a
little over 6 inches of rain here.
I think it rained every day for a
week.
We had a good crowd at
church last Sunday for lunch.
We were celebrating Nathan’s
birthday and his 18 years at
Amoldsville Baptist Church.
This is Pastor Appreciation
Month and we have really en
joyed Nathan, Rhonda and all
their family. We thank Margie
and Jerry Warren from Country
side C atering for the great lunch
they served. As always, every
thing was really good.
I had a visit with Veronica
on her birthday last week and
finally got to see their great-
grandson, Tripp. His parents
are Casey and Jarrett Fleming.
He is really a cute little guy and
I know he gets lots of loving
from Tommy and Veronica. His
grandparents are Scott and Cris
Fleming.
Deb’s
Community
Outreach
Delbra Kendrick
706-202-6707
delbrakendrick@gmail.com
Faith is about trusting God
even when you don’t under
stand his plan.
Happy October birthday
to Michael Burden, JJ Bonds,
Tre’ Heard, Dexter Armstrong,
Saundra Dorsey, Felecia Hub
bard, Mary Armstrong, Polly
Echols, Alvin Armstrong, Shei
la Sims, and Pastor Frankie
Cleveland.
You are cordially invited to
join the War Room Show on
Facebook Live (WillieDelbra),
Thursday, October 14th, at 7
pm. Delbra Kendrick is the host,
Deondra Favors & Minister
Sallie Stevens are the co-hosts.
Our special guest will be Pastor
Lewis Prichett of Edwards Cha
pel Baptist Church.
St. John Church Indoor Yard
Sale, 632 Crawford-Smithonia
Rd., Crawford, Saturday, Oc
tober 16th, 8 am-4 pm. lots of
stuff; dressers, chest of drawers,
coffee tables, end tables, chests,
entertainment centers, couch
es, chairs, daybed, recliners,
lamps, dorm refrigerator, baby
toys and furniture, home decor,
clothes, new Nike sports attire,
and more. For more information
call 706.202.6707.
New Life Church, Crawford
is having a shoe fundraiser to
raise money to renovate their
Youth Building. So, they are
asking you to donate any un
used shoes to the church and
they will be picked up by fund-
s2org, shoes will be repurposed,
and sent to third world countries
for people who mainly walk as
transportation. Please call (706)
248-4838 or (706) 286-5139 for
donations or more information.
New Life Church is holding
a benefit raffle. All proceeds will
go to Pastor Rodney & Missy
Williams Breast Cancer Fund.
The drawing is on October 21 st
at 7 pm. Each ticket is $20 and
they will be raffling off a Ru-
ger American Rifle 6.5 Creed-
more /Scope, gun case, sling,
and ammo; just in time for deer
season. Contact Greg Williams
(706) 286-5139 or Delbra Ken
drick (706)202-6707.
Please continue to pray for
the sick, shut-ins, bereaved,
homeless, our school system,
pastors & churches, and all
those in need of a breakthrough.
Big ‘O’ Thought For The
Week: Open your eyes so you
can see the bigger picture.
Greatness Is Yours!
Sandy Cross
Judith D. Paul
706-743-5824
C ongratulations (AGAIN) to
Sydney Holcomb for her wins
at the Georgia National Fair.
She won Division 3 Champion
Commercial heifer and Cham
pion Simmental Heifer.
Sandy Cross Grocery is host
ing the annual Jamboree Friday
night, October 15. Come join
us for a night of music, pizza
and other food, and friendship
and fun.
On October 4, Ross, Dana
& Sydney Holcomb, Peyton,
Vance, and Brenda Mattox,
Tony, Corrie, Eli and Coop
Mattox and Alex, Jessie Rice
were dinner guests of Patricia
Mattox. Birthdays that started
in August through October were
celebrated.
On Thursday Kellay and
Wes Watson, Vance, Brenda
and Patricia Mattox were dinner
guests of Alex and Jessie Rice.
They enjoyed some fish Jessie
caught while deep sea fishing in
Maryland with her cousin Paige
Murphy.
On Thursday Vance and
Peyton Mattox along with Ross
and Dana Holcomb traveled to
Perry to cheer Sydney Holcomb
on in the livestock show that
was held there.
On Sunday night Vance,
Brenda and Patricia were dinner
guests of Alex and Jessie Rice.
ChooChoo said she hopes this
trend continues.
I think things are getting
better - Jay took me for dinner
Sunday night and our order was
perfect (even had napkins in the
bag!)
Mixon
Used Cars
and
Body Shop
Mon.- Fri. 8-6
706-743-5500