Newspaper Page Text
Index
Inside
News 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9
Opinion 4
Around the County 6
Calendar 10
Sheriff's Report 11
Legals 11
Sports 12-13
Oglethorpe County's
Quentin Nash and his
teammates face a tough
test when they open re
gion play against Prince
Avenue Christian, the
top-ranked team in Class A
Division I, on Friday night.
... Page 13
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The Oglethorpe Echo
Volume 150, Number 3
October 19, 2023 ??? Oglethorpe County, Georgia
$1
SIDNEY CHANSAMONE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Jacob Dake sits on the front of his 2001 Mazda Miata before participating in the Angel Ride, a
non-profit fundraiser that raised $42,077.65 for the Oglethorpe County High School grad who was
injured in a severe vehicle accident last September.
Guardian
angels
Non-profit Angel Ride raises
more than $42K for Jacob Dake
By Sidney Chansamone
and Caleb Rollins
The Oglethorpe Echo
The 13th annual Angel Ride raised $42,077.65
for Jacob Dake on Saturday at the Jackson County
Agricultural Center in Jefferson.
???I???m really grateful that they???re able to help me,???
Dake said after the ride, a non-profit fundraiser that
selects one person facing hardship as the recipient
every year.
The Oglethorpe County High School graduate was
in a motorcycle accident last September, and he un
derwent 15 surgeries, including the amputation of his
right arm. The funds will help support Dake and his
family as he pursues a career as an auto mechanic.
Dake, who drove the 50-mile escorted route
through rural Jackson County with his girlfriend
Emilee Griffiths, said he was surprised when he was
selected as this year???s recipient.
???He was happy,??? said Rhonda Pilgrim, Dake???s
mother. ???He didn't think he was going to be chosen
because there's so many people who were needing
help. You know, it was a blessing.???
SIDNEY CHANSAMONE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Motorcyclists start the 13th annual Angel Ride
that benefitted Oglethorpe County's Jacob
Dake on Saturday. The ride lasted 50 miles
through Jefferson and Jackson County.
Roughly 175 riders and passengers participated
in the ride, and more people attended the event as
spectators.
???What I love about this event is that so many peo
ple everywhere are so willing to help other people,???
event crew member Elizabeth Harris said. ???The
big goal for today, and for any day, is just to make
things a little easier for him to not have to worry,???
The rest of the afternoon included lunch and a va
riety of fundraising activities, such as ticket raffles,
a silent auction, door prizes, a gun raffle and live
music by Levi Lowrey.
Bailey Armistead, an event crew member, said
Dake was a great candidate for the ride.
???He's got a great outlook on life ??? he's young,
he has a lot of goals, and he very much so fits,??? Ar
mistead said.
Dake and his friends, who own custom cars they
enjoy working on, said they were thrilled to partic-
See ANGELS, Page 3|
OCHS grad
rates among
best in area
County administration credits
strong systemwide involvement
By Cassidy Hettesheimer
The Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe County School Sys
tem leaders celebrated an increase in
the graduation rate ??? now at 95.8%
??? with cupcakes that spelled out the
percentage.
The dessert display was deliv
ered not just to the high school, but
the primary, elementary, and middle
schools.
???This is not just a high school
celebration,??? Oglethorpe County
Superintendent Beverley Levine
said. ???It starts in kindergarten, and
really, in pre-K, we start molding
the kids to be lifelong learners.???
Oglethorpe County???s High
School???s graduation rate has climbed
in six of the past seven years, even
as neighboring school systems??? rates
dipped slightly in 2023.
OCHS Principal Bill Sampson
said graduation is a focus in his
building.
???From the day they come in as
ninth-grad
ers, and we
have the first
class meet
ing, we're
telling them,
???OK, you're
the class of
2023 ... and
there's not
one of you
that we can
afford to lose,??? ??? Sampson said.
Oglethorpe County???s gradua
tion rate increased 1.6% from 2022,
and is more than 10 points above
the state???s rate of 84.4%. The coun
ty is also only one of 43 districts in
Georgia with a graduation rate at or
above 95%, according to the Geor
gia Department of Education.
See RATES, Page 2
r
Bill Sampson
Oglethorpe County graduation rate among highest
The Oglethorpe County School System graduated 95.8% of seniors In the class of 2023. This rate
is third highest among the 13 county and city school systems In Oglethorpe County's
surrounding area Oglethorpe also graduated students above the state average rate of 84.4%.
2023 Graduation Rate
50%
Madison
92.7%
Elbert
86 1%
Oglethorpe
95.8%
Wilkes
Map Cassidy Hettesheimer ??? Source Georgia Department of Education * Created with Datawrapper
CASSIDY HETTESHEIMER/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Callie Bridges kneels alongside an Angus cow at Bridges Angus Farm
in Lexington. Callie, the daughter of Phillip and Leigh Anne Bridges, is
part of the fourth generation of the Bridges family to work the farm.
Livestock production is in the DNA
By John Henry Hammond
The Oglethorpe Echo
Ralph Bridges, who founded
Bridges Angus Farm in Lexing
ton, made headlines in 1985 when
his bull, Warlock, became the first
documented one to gain 5 pounds
in a single day.
Today, under the ownership of
Phillip Bridges, Ralph???s grandson,
the farm???s bulls routinely set the
individual gain test record, some
times gaining between 6-7 pounds
per day.
This is due, in part, to the use
of modern methods in livestock
farming.
When Phillip Bridges and his
brother Alan purchased their
grandfather???s Angus cow herd in
2005, they recognized the need to
maximize their beef???s quality and
increase demand for their cattle.
Their solution? DNA.
???We do a lot of things through
genetics,??? Phillip Bridges said.
???Every animal in the place has a
genomic profile on them, and they
have data such as birth weights,
weaning weights, and a lot of oth
er information.???
As the industry grows in
Oglethorpe County, local cattle
farmers like the Bridges are adopt
ing new technology to enhance
beef production.
Livestock production is vital to
Oglethorpe County???s economy.
In 2021, the county ranked
fourth in total livestock and aqua
culture value across the state.
Livestock, including cattle, con
tributed more than $48 million to
the local economy, according to
the University of Georgia???s Cen
ter for Agribusiness and Econom
ic Development.
???Beef production as a whole has
made significant quality advanc
es through genetic selection over
the past couple of decades,??? said
Shanna Reynolds, UGA Exten
sion coordinator for Oglethorpe
County. ???We have several high
See LIVESTOCK, Page 8