Newspaper Page Text
Take time to Inside: Boys and Girls Club raises $59,000 — page 5C
thank teachers •
May 13,
2009
A S THE school year
winds down, it’s a
great time to thank
your children’s teachers for
all that they have done this
year. Teachers spend a great
deal of time with your chil
dren and often make a very
important
impact on
their lives.
My sis
ter, Amanda
Myler, is a
fourth grade
teacher and
she recently
shared with
me a poem
that one of
her students wrote about her.
Rachel Anderson, age 10,
wrote the following poem:
‘My teacher is an awesome
teacher as you can plainly
see.
She’s funnier than you or
even me!
She loves to tell stories
about things she’s seen in her
past.
I’ve had so much fun this
year. It’s gone by too fast!”
What a great poem. If only
all students, felt this way
about their teachers. Many
students today don’t respect
their teachers at all.
My nephew, Jake, has
always had wonderful teach
ers and he has loved them all.
Mrs. Peggy and Mrs. Jones
in Pre-K; Mrs. Standridge in
kindergarten; and now Mrs.
Richards in first grade have
all been great. He has learned
so much from these wonder
ful teachers and we appreci
ate all that they are doing for
Jake and his classmates as
they begin their education.
It’s amazing how much you
learn these first few years.
It’s also amazing the impact
that these teachers have. I
still fondly recall my teachers
during my early years. I was
also fortunate to have great
teachers who helped mold me
into the person I am today.
Reading and writing are two
of my favorite things to do
and it’s two teachers I had
early in my education that led
me to love both.
Mrs. Shirley Peters instilled
a love of reading in her stu
dents. I can still hear her voice
as she read “Charlotte’s Web”
and other classics to my class.
She had our undivided atten
tion as she brought the tale of
Charlotte and Wilbur to life.
Using different voices for the
different characters, she had
our attention and interest.
I remember the essays
I wrote for Mrs. Nicky
Wilbanks in middle school.
She encouraged our writing
and I still love to write today.
Writing was always a part of
our studies and I still have
some of the essays I wrote
in Mrs. Wilbanks’ class. She
gave us interesting topics and
encouraged our writing.
As a journalist, it’s only
natural that reading and writ
ing were my favorite subjects.
I really didn’t like science or
math and had a hard time with
them both. However, even in
subjects that I didn’t enjoy,
I had teachers who made the
learning fun.
One of my early science
teachers was Carolyn Mitton.
One of our assignments was
to keep a bird journal and
make a note whenever we
spotted a bird. This made us
all aware of nature around us
and gave us an appreciation
for birds. I still make a mental
note every time I spot a bird.
Mrs. Julia Langford was
one of my early math teach
ers. I can still see her standing
at the chalkboard teaching us
the basics of math.
Angela Gary is an editor
with MainStreet Newspapers.
She can be reached at
AngieEditor@aol.com.
Jana Adams Mitcham,
Features Editor 706-367-8760
jana@mainstreetnews. com
Section C
Ag at EJES: School wins state award
PRINCIPAL SPEAKS
East Jackson Elementary School principal Jennifer Halley spoke to fifth grad
ers Monday afternoon about their first place win in the Governor’s Agricultural
Awareness Observance Award. Local, state and national leaders were at the school
Monday to recognize the fifth graders for taking first place in the state.
AG WEEK
East Jackson Elementary School fifth grad
ers participated in Ag Week recently, with
high school students assisting.
Adopt a Chick program, Ag Day
among EJES fifth grade activities
BYANGELA GARY
PEARHEADING A
School-wide project that
allowed students to adopt a
baby chick.. .Learning how to plant,
care and harvest seeds in a gardening
project.. .Attending safety lessons on
tractors and electricity.. .Participating
in a Quiz Bowl Competition and Ag
Day.
These are among the projects that
led to East Jackson Elementary School
fifth graders winning the Governor’s
Agricultural Awareness Observance
Award. EJES was judged as best in
the state for using innovative agricul
ture teaching techniques.
The East Jackson students learned
about Georgia agriculture through
several creative avenues. It was the
unique nature of the program that
distinguished East Jackson from the
other finalists, according to the gover
nor’s office.
Local, state and national leaders
were at the school Monday to recog
nize the fifth graders for taking first
place in the state.
“You are the best of the best,”
Donnie Smith, the governor’s agricul
tural liaison, told the students.
Principal Jennifer Halley kicked off
an assembly Monday recognizing the
award.
"Today is an exciting day at East
Jackson Elementary School,” she
said.
The school partnered with the
Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia
Young Farmers Association, Georgia
Agribusiness Council, Georgia FFA
and Georgia 4-H for the project. High
school FFA members also assisted the
students.
“You really did a great job,” said
Joe Bums, one of the judges of the
contest, who is with the Agriculture
Commission. “It is a great accom
plishment for all of you.”
Andrew Dill and Darren Kimbell
recognized the students on behalf of
Georgia’s senators.
“All the way in Washington, D.C.,
they are talking about East Jackson
Elementary School,” Dill said.
continued on page 2C
POULTRY WINNING TEAM
The winners of the East Jackson Elementary School Poultry
Project program included (L-R, first row): Loren Thomas,
Hollie Stamey, Caitlyn Bennett and Makayla McClure; (second
row) Lawton Dillow, Keegan Polnaszek, Aiden Polnaszek and
Alexis Germain; and (third row) Mark Thomas, Bradley Akin,
Jade Brooks, Lindsey Tolbert, Breanne Cotton and Hannah
Stamey.
READY TO GO HOME
T.J. Anthony, a student at East Jackson Elementary School, prepares
to take his chicks home.
JUDGING
Poultry judging
team member
Bert Carithers
of the EJCHS
FFA Poultry
Judging Teams
removes a
bird from the
cage for closer
examination.
Soul Shaker Band has local connections
SOUL SHAKER
BY SHARON HOGAN
FINANCE manag
er... A landscape
designer...city
employees...an emergency
personnel worker.
By day, six local men hold
down regular jobs. But on the
weekends, they are perform
ing locally as the Soul Shaker
Band.
The members of Soul Shaker
Band got together as a group
in October 2008. The group
first performed at the American
Legion Hall in Statham.
The band is a solid blend of
southern, stadium, metal and
grunge rock and packs a hefty
music punch, according to their
website.
The band consists of Duke
Wayland, Winder, who
is employed by the City of
Lawrenceville; Lee Burks,
Commerce, employed by
Jackson and Greene coun
ties Emergency Management
Services; Brian Langley,
Bishop, employed by the
City of Lawrenceville; Steven
Anderson, Braselton, a busi
ness owner in Auburn; Mike
Cyphers, Auburn, employed in
the landscaping business; and
Gary Gove, Winder, employed
as a finance manager.
Burks said Cyphers and him
self had played together before
and they had talked about get
ting back together and were try
ing to start up a band. Wayland
was looking for a band and
Anderson and Langley had
played together previously and
they all got together and put
an ad out for a singer and got
Gove.
The group performs in
Winder at Down Riggers,
Wayland said.
“We haven’t performed
a lot in the last couple of
months, we have been trying
to concentrate on writing and
recording our own material,”
Wayland said.
Wayland said the group is
currently working on their first
CD. They shot a music video
at Hurricane Shoals Park on
Sunday.
Wayland said the goal for
the group is to write their own
material and get away from
the cover music.
“We want to hit venues
where we can play our own
original material and see what
people think,” Wayland said.
Burks said, “We are hard
working individuals with a
dream of being professional
musicians one day. We just
want to introduce our music,
our passion, to others in the
county.”
For more information on
the group and their upcoming
events, check out their website
at www.soulshakerbankrocks.
com.