Newspaper Page Text
Index
News 2,3,5,6,7,8
Obituaries 3
Opinion 4
Photo essay 6
Sheriff's Report 9
Legals 9
Calendar 10
Sports 11-12
Inside
Khloe Eidson, one of the
OCHS softball team's fresh
men, prepares to throw
the ball during practice
earlier this week. Youth
dominates the Patriots'
roster this season.
... Page 11
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The Oglethorpe Echo
Volume 149, Number 43
July 27, 2023 ■ Oglethorpe County, Georgia
$1
County cleans up after storms
By Garrett Kicklighter
The Oglethorpe Echo
The thunderstorms that hit North
east Georgia last Thursday caused ex
tensive damage, power outages and
road closures throughout Oglethorpe
County.
Dozens of county roads were closed
by downed trees and power lines,
Commission Chair Jay Paul said, and
U.S. 78 near the Athens-Clarke Coun
ty line was blocked by at least one tree
that fell during the high winds.
“I’ve been here 10 years and this
is the one (storm) I can remember,”
Oglethorpe County Public Works Di
rector Adam Nation said.
Paul said most calls came from
Amoldsville, around Wolfskin Road,
and from the Hutchins and Stephens
communities.
Rayle EMC posted on Facebook
that 5,000 of its customers lost power
during the storm. Richard Heard, Ray
le EMC’s director of member services,
said most outages were repaired by 5
to 6 p.m. Sunday.
“We’re still trying to get a few back
on,” Heard said Tuesday.
Heard said the entire Rayle EMC
crew of “35 or 40 people with the co
op” worked overtime, and he put in
49 hours of overtime from Thursday
night to Sunday night.
Heard said crews from Washing
ton EMC, Hart EMC, Central Georgia
EMC and Coastal Electric Coopera
tive, in addition to other crews, helped
with repairs throughout the county
and surrounding area.
Mary Sue Brewer, who lives on
Lake Oglethorpe, wrote in an email
See STORMS, Page 2
ADAM NATION/FOR THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
A worker sizes up a large tree that fell nearThaxton
Wynne Road during the storms last week. Several roads
throughout the county, including Highway 78, were
closed by downed trees and debris.
A heart
for
service
Dillard is always
at work for those
in need throughout
Oglethorpe County
By Dawn Sawyer
The Oglethorpe Echo
Shirley Dillard’s phone rings constantly.
Whether it’s calls with an appliance to
donate, thank you texts from families she’s
helped, or call requests for a stove, people
know to reach out to Dillard because of her
decades-long dedication to service.
Through her positions as co-chair of
Community Christmas, board member for
Family Connection and as a retired court
appointed special advocate, Dillard has a
significant hand in providing resources for
residents of Oglethorpe County, where she
has lived since 1994.
“I feel like the amount of time that I
spend is well-spent, because there are indi
viduals who are really, really hurting,” she
said.
Projects and volunteer opportunities
have become a greater part of her life since
she retired as an educator in 2011. As co
chair of Community Christmas, one of
Dillard’s many projects has been expand
ing the service opportunities for the non
profit that donates gifts to 500 children per
year.
She also helps organize and promote
the county’s annual Community Day,
which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Satur
day, Aug. 5.
Earlier this year, Dillard walked into the
storage unit for Community Christmas in
Crawford to take shelving to the Oglethorpe
County School System Resource Center for
diaper distribution.
Under a new joint partnership between
Community Christmas, the school system
and the Athens Area Diaper Bank, the or
ganization receives an allowance of diapers
for 50 children each month. This is, howev
er, less than what Dillard and members of
Community Christmas originally hoped for.
Data shows that in Oglethorpe County spe
cifically, there are 152 children under the
age of 3 who receive WIC — the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Wom
en, Infants and Children.
“We are hopeful that (the number of di
apers) will be increased in a few months
when the diaper bank receives promised
funding earmarked for expansion in rural
LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Shirley Dillard serves many roles in Oglethorpe County, including co-chair of Com
munity Christmas, board member for Family Connection and as a retired court
appointed special advocate.
Inside
A donor recently gave Shirley
Dillard two shipping containers
to help store items for families in
need.
... Story, Page 7
areas,” Dillard said.
Tackling issues like these has become a
way of life for the retired teacher. After 26
years of working in the school system, she
said she feels that it’s her job, responsibility
and gift to help those in her community that
need aid and relief.
From educator to advocate
Dillard, who is from Ohio, moved to
Georgia after receiving her doctorate from
the University of Southern California in
1986. She began working in the music de
partment at the University of Georgia and
at three higher education institutions in the
state before moving to Oglethorpe County
with her husband in 1994.
During her time at Columbus State Uni
versity, Dillard led the Voice Performance
Department. Maureen McKay, an opera
singer, credits most of her success to Dil
lard.
“I just felt so cared for,” McKay said.
“And from the get-go, because of the in
vestment of her time that she was putting
into me, it gave me such a sense of value
and determination to pursue a career as an
opera singer.”
McKay started taking private lessons
from Dillard when she was 15. Their rela
tionship carried over into her time at Co
lumbus State University, where she ma
jored in voice performance, and they
spent hours together preparing for audi
tions.
“Her tenacity was on the side of the stu
dents she was mentoring.” McKay said.
“She had their backs.”
Whether it was a performance with her
church, or flying to France with her during
her freshman year of college, Dillard was
there. Most recently, she flew to Seattle to
attend one of McKay’s opera performances.
“She was absolutely the most dedicated
teacher I’ve ever had,” McKay said.
Dillard’s time as an educator wasn’t her
only display of generosity and care. She
also worked in the foster care system for
Oglethorpe County for 20 years as a corut
appointed special advocate. She acted as
children’s legal representative in litigations
on custody rights and other familial issues.
See DILLARD, Page 7
School
employees
to receive
raises
By McCain Bracewell
The Oglethorpe Echo
All Oglethorpe County School Sys
tem’s classified and certified staff will
see a salary increase this year. The board
of education approved the 2023-24 fis
cal year budget at the board meeting on
July 20.
Superintendent Beverley Levine an
nounced the increase to all staff at the end-
of-year breakfast on May 23, but it wasn’t
official until the board approved the bud
get. The board held budget hearings for
public input on June 1 and June 15.
“We’re focused on getting our staff
paid in an equitable way, so that we can
employ the best em
ployees,” Board of
Education Chair
Becky Soto said.
“We are lucky that a
lot of our staff have
been here a long
time and want to be
here, but it needs
to be updated with
retirements and a
newer generation of
teachers.”
This compensation plan costs approx
imately $600,000 for classified staff and
$250,000 for certified staff. Soto said the
plan is funded 100% by local revenue.
The Georgia Department of Education
sets a state salary scale that local districts
must pay teachers based on degree type
and years of experience. School systems
also offer a local salary supplement.
Oglethorpe Couny’s supplement had
two scales for certified staff, one for how
many years worked in the district and
one for years worked overall.
The supplement was $600. Employ
ees were provided $100 after three years
with the district and $50 more each addi
tional year.
See RAISES, Page 2
Becky Soto
Inside
Guillermo Camacho has been
selected to serve as the repre
sentative from District 1 on the
Oglethorpe County Board of
Education.
... Story, Page 2
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