Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6B THE JACKSON HERALD WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017
‘GRADS’ RETURN TO EJES
Former students at East Jackson Elementary School gathered in front of the building when they returned for their “senior walk” through the building.
Assistant Principal Cheryl Poponi is at left and principal Teresa Jennifer Halley is at right.
By the numbers: Class of ’17 celebrates success
Jackson County School Sys
tem’s most recent graduates are
heading to college, careers and
military service with more than
$4 million in scholarship awards
and the potential - or HOPE -
for much more.
Jackson County Comprehen
sive High School’s 244 gradu
ates. 100 of whom were honor
graduates, earned $1.9 million
toward higher education, accord
ing to Dr. Pete Jones, principal.
In addition, its seven seniors
who are attending college on
military scholarships are eligi
ble for higher ed benefits that
total $790,348, according to Col.
Anthony Abbott, senior Army
instructor at JCCHS.
At East Jackson Compre
hensive High School, principal
Jamie Dixon announced $1.2
million in scholarships dollars
had been awarded to members of
the Class of 2017, which includ
ed 184 graduates, 72 of whom
were honor graduates.
EJCHS officials said 83 Eagle
graduates were provisionally eli
gible for the merit-based HOPE
scholarship, available to Georgia
residents who graduate with at
least a 3.0 grade-point average
and maintain that GPA at an
eligible Georgia college or uni
versity. At JCCHS, 114 seniors
met that standard, according to
school officials.
The Georgia Student Finance
Commission reports distrib
uting more than $386 million
in HOPE scholarship funds -
raised through the Georgia Lot
tery for Education - to public
and private school students in
the 2016 fiscal year.
The amount awarded to each
student depends on the num
ber of credits completed, with a
limit of 15 per semester, and the
rate charged by the school for
credit hours, which vary from
$70 per credit hour at schools in
the Technical College System of
Georgia to more than $500 per
credit hour at Georgia Tech.
EJCHS counselor Shane
Chaisson confirmed that 84
Eagles had been accepted at
two- and four-year colleges and
universities and 42 at technical
colleges. Five have enlisted in
the military.
JCCHS counselor Julie
McCutcheon said 159 Panthers
have been accepted at two-and
four-year schools, with 12 set to
attend a technical college.
College credits had already
been earned by 29 students at
EJCHS through “Move on when
Ready” opportunities that allow
students to take college-level
coursework for both high school
and college credit without the
cost of college tuition.
At JCCHS, nine students were
part of MOWR dual-enrollment,
and there were 298 AP course
enrollments for the senior class
during the 2016-17 school year,
McCutcheon said.
At EJCHS, 98 seniors were
enrolled in AP courses, Chaisson
said.
Students who complete AP
courses, which are comparable
to college-level classes, are eli
gible to take an exam in that
course that can earn them cred
its or accelerated placement,
depending on the acceptance of
the coursework at the college
they are attending.
Rachel Anderson and Rose
King were valedictorian and
salutatorian, respectively, at
EJCHS. Rachel Xiong was
valedictorian at JCCHS, where
Mason Williams was salutato
rian.
SENIOR WALK
Jackson County Comprehensive High School graduates and
graduates from East Jackson Comprehensive High School,
all members of the Class of 2017, took their Senior Walk
through Maysville Elementary School last month. Across
the county, seniors returned to their elementary schools to
thank teachers and staff and show the current student body
what graduation looks like.
Camp Invention to be at East Jackson Elementary for week
Camp Invention, a
nationally recognized,
nonprofit summer enrich
ment camp program,
will be at East Jackson
Elementary School June
19-23.
Camp Invention is a
program of the National
Inventors Hall of Fame®,
which promotes a nonprof
it organization dedicated
to recognizing inventors
and invention, promoting
creativity, and advancing
the spirit of innovation and
entrepreneurship.
For students enter
ing kindergarten through
sixth grade. Camp Inven
tion is a weeklong camp
that emphasizes hands-on
problem solving, collab
oration, and the use of
science, technology, engi
neering and mathematics.
Activities planned this
year include:
•Duct Tape Billionaire:
Campers design duct tape
products they can market
and sell to mock investors.
•Have a Blast: Children
build high-tech Bubble
Blasters and compete as a
team in friendly air battles
that use physics to boost
their advantage.
•Mission Space Makers:
Teams hatch eggs, sprout
living plants and grow
crystal trees, all while on
a mission to locate and
prepare a new planet for
human habitation.
•Operation Keep Out:
Campers learn to reverse
engineer old machines and
devices, and use their parts
to create the ultimate Spy
Gadget Alarm Box.
For additional informa
tion, visit campinvention.
org.
Searching
The Best
Located in the Publix Shopping Center
6055 Hwy. 124 • Suite 100 • Hoschton, GA
706-434-8593
magnoliavethospital.com
/L LRINAk'i IIOMMIAL
iiiiiiiminiii
FREE
Nail Trim & Ear Cleaning* I
With the purchase of a Spa Bath!
• Wellness & Vaccination Programs to prevent illness
• Animal Medical Services for diagnosing & treating
health conditions
• General surgery including spay & neuter and some
orthopedic surgeries
• Dental Cleanings & preventive
treatment
• And More
June is designated as
National Rose Month.
Roses have certainly found a special
place at the home of Mr. Robert Dean Wil
kes. Mr. Wilkes (age 75) has been growing
roses all of his life. He currently has a wide
variety of roses including Hybrid Knock
Out Roses, Hybrid Tea Roses and Don Juan Climbing Roses. According to
Mr. Wilkes, healthy roses require proper planting, fertilizer and mulch as well
as being pruned and deblossomed. Perhaps the most important part of taking
care of them is loving to do it, because they have to be managed constantly.
“You have got to put love into it to get the growth out of roses because they
are real delicate.” He attributes his love and knowledge of growing roses to his
mom, Pauline Venable Wilkes.
Given the special care that goes into growing roses, Mr. Wilkes said it was
all worth it. “The pleasure that they bring to people who love to look at them. It
enlightens their heart and spirit. They talk positive about things. They remove
things from their minds that normally would be detrimental to them if they are
going through stressful situations. It’s like a medication really.”
Mr. Wilkes knows personally about the benefits that the beauty of roses
can bring. His wife of 52 years passed away on April 3rd. Although Mrs. Wil
kes couldn’t grow roses herself, she loved to look at them. Her favorite were the
Knock Out roses because of their color and beauty.
“She said it was total peace and serenity for her to look out at the beauty
that was created by God in the formation of blooming flowers. She looked
forward to the blooming of the roses every year.”
Mr. Wilkes would like to dedicate this article
in loving memory of his wife, Viola Wilkes.