About The Georgia post. (Knoxville, Crawford County, Ga.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2013)
: p -j i The Georgia Post will publish early next week. Get your items in next week by this Friday at Noon. Deadline for Christmas Special Section is also on Friday at noon. Thank you this /wtictausease/i. Issue 48 Thursday, December 19, 2013 The Voice of Crawford County Since 1921 also serving Byron and Peach County 2 Sections, 12 Pages One Dollar Pictured from left, Crawford County Farm Bureau member Dennis Peavy accepts the 2013 Georgia Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award from Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall during the organization’s annual convention held Dec. 8-10 on Jekyll Island. CCFB’s Peavy wins award Georgia Farm Bureau pre sented Crawford County Farm Bureau member Dennis Peavy its 2013 Georgia Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Educator Award during the organization’s 76th annual convention on Dec. 8 on Jekyll Island. Peavy, a fourth-grade gifted teacher at Lake Joy Elemen tary School in Warner Robins, was recognized for incorporat ing information and activities in his classroom curriculum that teaches his students about agriculture and how it impacts their daily lives. Peavy begins class each day with an agricul tural fact of the day. “Sometimes our fact relates to things we are studying in class. Other times it’s just a fact that is fun to know and a conversation starter between my students and their friends and families,” Peavy said. “Many days, students from other classes will ask if they can come read my class fact. I’ve found the more bizarre the fact, the more interested the students are in discussing it.” Peavy uses hands-on activities such as “Garden in a Glove” to teach his students science and writing skills. The students plant a different seed in each finger of a clear, plastic glove and then observe and journal the seed germination process. Peavy’s students also monitor a rain gauge regis tered with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network taking turns reading the gauge and enter ing precipitation data on the network’s website. Common Core standards require students to read non-fiction publications to learn how to read text for information and understand ing. Peavy’s students read a variety of non-fiction agricul tural publications to meet this criteria while learning about the sheep, dairy and beef cattle and crops that feed and clothe them. Crawford County Farm Bureau supplies Peavy with these magazines. “Crawford County Farm Bureau is very proud of the ag riculture activities being con ducted by teachers in several of our county classrooms, and we continue to nurture those on a weekly basis, but we’re also happy to say that through Dennis, who is a Crawford County Farm Bureau mem ber, we’ve been able to take agriculture into the classroom in Houston County,” said outgoing CCFB President Edd Harris. “Dennis has enthusi astically embraced the Ag in the Classroom program and is teaching his students how the food they eat gets to their table.” Peavy, who has taught at Lake Joy for nine years, began incorporating information about agriculture into his lessons several years ago while still a general education teach er after a student commented that she thought food grown on farms was gross because it is grown in the dirt. “I want my students to real ize that agriculture permeates their life. Even though they may have come into my class thinking that agriculture only relates to food, in reality, it in cludes fuel, fiber and shelter,” Peavy said. “As most students are at least two generations removed from the farm if we do not teach them about agri culture, who will? As the award winner, Peavy received a $500 award and an expense-paid trip to the National Ag in the Class room Conference in Hershey, Pa., in June 2014. He will also be submitted for the 2014 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization. Earlier this year, Peavy was one of eight teachers to receive a scholarship from the Ameri can Farm Bureau Foundation to attend the 2013 National Ag in the Classroom Conference in recognition of his efforts to teach students about agricul ture. Dancing event raises over $18,000 This year’s Dancing for the Stars, a benefit for The Kay Center, which serves Peach and Crawford counties, was another smashing success. The event, which puts local “celebrities” on stage dancing, raised $18,702 for The Kay Center. Above are director Todd Youngblood and Martha McAfee, who came up with the event as a fundraiser for the center. McAfee is one of the instructors along with others from Khicks Ballroom Contemporary Style and everyone always has a good time. BoE asked to support grant; borrowed money for payroll BY VICTORIA SIMMONS & DENISE CLANCE The Georgia Post Members of the board of ed ucation were presented with information about applying for a state grant by the Geor gia Technology Grant Team at the last board of education meeting. Those team mem bers present included Lynda Yaughn, Keturah Rogers, Sta cy Perry and Ashley Justice, along with Mrs. Hamlin. The group asked the board for support in applying for the grant which would be used for pipeline equipment, not computers. There would be no cost to the county for the $19,000 grant at this time. All counties in Georgia are being offered this same opportunity for pipeline funding. All they need do is apply and show that there is a need. Should the state run out of funding for the grant, the county could end up having to pay for hard ware and software upgrades later. Getting the pipeline is the foundation to move forward with technology that would benefit all students in the system, not just a few and would need to be maintained for the long term to qualify for the grant. Chairman Raymond Dickey asked the team what was needed from the board and was told they needed evi dence that the district would support this for the long term. Technology team mem bers told the board to think about it and email them their responses. It was noted the high school has one working lab with 24 computers but with young people coming in to use the computers, they might have 21 working. The team would like to mail the grant applica tion by January 6, 2014 to the state. Superintendent John Douglas asked the group if they had a sample resolution and the response was in the negative. Douglas then asked if a resolution needed to come from the superintendent or from the board as a whole and said he would work on a letter and get the board members to sign it. In reviewing minutes from last month’s meeting, a change had to be made due to the fact that Jake Howell was listed as making a second on a motion and he was not in attendance at that meeting. During the Superinten dent’s report, Douglas told the board money had to be borrowed due to funds not be ing available to make payroll. Randy Robinson noted that the system has received from from the tax commissioner’s office and that the loan had to be paid off by December 31st. The board was made aware that the land around the school past the softball and football field crossing the creek was for sale and consist ed of approximately 32 acres of land. Meeting dates for 2014 were approved and the board will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 10, March 11, April 89, May 13, June 10, July 8, Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8. The last superintendent evaluation was done on December 21,2012 and a date was needed to discuss the evaluation for this year. Dick ey suggested December but Douglas said January would be fine due to other meetings going on this month. After some discussion the board set Januayr 7,2014 at 6 p.m. as the date for the superinten dent evaluation. Chairman Dickey asked Douglas to add the Special Ed ucation Director to the agen da. Dickey said he felt Douglas being in that position was a conflict. Douglas responded that the coordinator handles everything and the reason is that the financial responsibil ity will come back to him. In the back and forth discussion, friction developed between Dickey and Tim Johnson. Dickey told the board to read the policy and there was more discussion. Dickey continued that he felt it was a conflict of interest. After the meeting Dickey said he was referring to the bid policy as the conflict of interest for personnel. “If you are not satisfied with a prob lem with a department head, you have to appeal your prob lem back to the same person that did not help you the first time. In this case, the Special Education Director, is also the superintendent,” Dickey said. The Crawford County Board of Education has a nepotism policey with does not allow close relatives to be employed in the same school or under the same administrative unit head. However, these provi sions can be waived by the superintendent when there are no reasonable alternatives available. In other business Dickey asked the superintendent if he checked with local banks when trying to get the loan and Douglas responded he did call local banks but Ameris Bank whom they had gone with before, gave them a better rate. Dickey asked Douglas about a letter he and the board had received March 2013 and Dec. 2013 concerning a person who worked for the school and was trying to get information about her social security. Douglas responded that he has to find and pull that infor mation for the person. The chairman went on to tell the board about a confer ence he attended and what he learned which included a lot of discussion about strategic planning. Randy Robinson noted that there would be a strategic planning meeting to lay the ground work on De cember 16 (this past Monday evening). CCES student earns state award old and she has continued her support on the student team for the past 4 years. Last year as a fourth grad er, she exceeded er personal 'undraising pal by raising |$iooo, a honor hich in the |Relay Communi- y distinguishes o its top fund- aisers who raise Courtney Blasingame $1000 or more. (Roberta, Ga.) - Courtney Blasingame is a fifth grader at Crawford County Elementary School with a passion for fighting against cancer. For her ef forts, Courtney has been recognized by the American Cancer Society as the recipient of the 2013 Relay For Life Outstanding Stu dent Leadership (K- 12) award winner for Georgia. A School Wide Pep Rally was held Monday with a ^SURPRISE* award recogni tion ceremony for Courtney which included an American Cancer Society representa tive and her Faculty Advi sors, along with Courtney’s family in the audience. Courtney joined the student Relay For Life team at CCES when she was just 5 years Courtney raises all of her money by herself, with the encouragement of her parents. When Court ney’s parents were asked how much she did by herself, they responded with a vocal “She does it all by herself.” Courtney has the true Relay for Life spirit by always putting her money collection before anything else. She collects from church mem bers, family, and even goes throughout her neighbor hood asking for donations. “It is amazing to see a 10 year old who has raised almost $4000 since she started as a 5 year old. She is truly an inspiration to all those around her for hav ing such a passion for relay at such a young age,” said Marie Massie, CCES Teacher and Relay For Life Chair. “ As Courtney continues her journey as a true “Relay for Life” advocate raising as much as she possibly can, maybe in her lifetime, a cure will be found so that her dream of no cancer any more, anywhere can come true.” The Crawford County Elementary School is one of the top fundraising schools in the state. Last year, CCES raised over $18,000.00 and between 2004-2013, they STUDENT. Paae2
