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THURSDAY. MARCH 16. 2017 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
PHS symphonic, concert bands rate superior
The third quarter of school
has been a very busy and pro
ductive time for the PHS
Band Program. Students have
been busy with auditions,
music preparation for Large
Group Performance Evalua
tions and many other activi
ties within the band program
like small ensembles (duets,
trios, quartets, etc.) and many
of our seniors getting ready
for college music auditions.
The Symphonic Band and
Concert Band performed at
the District 9 High School
Large Group Performance
Evaluations at Dawson
County High School on
March 9th. The adjudicated
event is a time for bands and
their directors to receive
feedback on how their groups
perform when aligned to a
standard set forth by the
Georgia Music Educators As
sociation. The highest rating
awarded is a Superior.
The Symphonic Band
played a grade 6 program (on
a scale of 1-6, with 6 being
advanced high school and
college music) and received
an overall rating of Superior
for their performance on
stage and in sight-reading.
Some of the comments from
the judges included “A ma
ture sounding group! Avery
fine group, again your matu
rity shows well for you!
Super challenging program,
great effort by all including
students and conductor!”
The Concert Band re
ceived an overall rating of
Superior for their perform
ance as well and showed in
credible progress from the
beginning of the year until
the performance!
“I am so very proud of
both of our groups. The stu
dents work so hard and our
student leadership takes own
ership in helping everyone.
The band has a great family
atmosphere and I am so for
tunate to teach at PHS. I love
these kids so much,” said
Band Director Michael
Oubre.
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We returned to the Gold
Dome on Monday, March 6
for legislative day 29, which
began the ninth week of the
2017 session. Since we com
pleted Crossover Day the Fri
day before that, the House
began to focus on legislation
that was already passed by
our counterparts in the Sen
ate. We spent much of our
time this week reviewing
Senate bills in House com
mittee meetings to ensure
that each bill is fully vetted
and making changes we
thought were important be
fore they are voted on in the
House.
Some Senate bills had al
ready made their way
through the committee
process and onto the House
floor for a vote. One such bill
was Senate Bill 69; this
would eliminate the duplica
tive registration requirements
for those who produce,
process, distribute, or handle
any certified organic food or
products in Georgia. Cur
rently, these individuals are
required to register with both
the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and
the Georgia Department of
Agriculture before pro
ducing, processing, distribut
ing or handling any food or
product labeled ‘‘organic.”
Under this legislation, certi
fied organic producers would
no longer be required to reg
ister with the Georgia De
partment of Agriculture and
would only be required to
register with the USD.
SB 102 passed the House
overwhelmingly and would
create the Office of Cardiac
Care (OCC) within the De
partment of Public Health.
This office would be respon
sible for designating quali
fied hospitals throughout the
state as “emergency cardiac
care centers,” similar to
Georgia’s stroke and trauma
care centers. The legislation
would establish a three-level
emergency cardiac care des
ignation system for these
centers with each level pro
viding various degrees of
care to help emergency med
ical technicians quickly de
termine the most appropriate
hospital for cardiac patients
depending on the patient’s
needs. The OCC would be re-
Report from the Capitol
By State Representative Rick Jasperse
quired to conduct site visits
and collect, analyze, and re
port data on all out-of-hospi-
tal cardiac arrest and heart
attack patients in hopes of
improving survival rates and
providing comprehensive
care to patients. SB 102
would give hospitals the op
tion to apply through the
OCC to be designated as an
emergency cardiac care cen
ter if the hospital meets cer
tain criteria, and grants
would be awarded to hospi
tals in need of funding in
order to be designated an
emergency cardiac care cen
ter.
In addition to passing
Senate bills this week, the
House also voted on and
adopted House Resolution
389, that would create the
House Rural Development
Council to identify the chal
lenges and economic devel
opment opportunities in
Georgia’s rural communities,
an issue that has been at the
forefront of many discus
sions this session. The House
Rural Development Council
would be made up of 15
members of the House of
Representatives appointed by
the Speaker of the House and
would be tasked with exam
ining the various challenges
facing rural areas across our
state. This council will also
explore potential legislative
solutions in policy areas such
as education, infrastructure,
health care access, and eco
nomic growth incentives to
revitalize our rural areas. Be
ginning April 1, 2017, the
council would lead a thor
ough, intensive, and system
atic two-year study of rural
Georgia by holding meetings
throughout rural areas on a
regular basis to hear from
local officials, educational
and business leaders, health
care providers, civic groups,
and individuals interested in
offering input. The council
would submit two reports de
tailing its findings and leg
islative recommendations,
with the initial report to be
submitted by December 31,
2017 and the second report to
be submitted by December
31, 2018. Although Georgia
is the No. 1 state in the nation
to do business, not all parts of
our state have enjoyed the
same levels of economic suc
cess, and rural Georgia faces
its own unique challenges. I
look forward to seeing rural
Georgia thrive as a result of
this council’s work. I am
working to be on this council,
as I know this is an important
issue for all of our state.
In addition to passing
these bills and resolutions
this week, my colleagues and
I also had the chance to honor
some very deserving Geor
gians. On Thursday, March 9,
Major General James E.
Rainey and men and women
of Fort Stewart-Hunter Army
Airfield’s Third Infantry Di
vision joined us in the House
Chamber as the House of
Representatives recognized
Third Infantry Division Day
at the Capitol. Fort Stewart is
home to more than 20,000
active duty military soldiers
and has been distinguished as
the top U.S. Army installa
tion worldwide six times.
The Third Infantry Division,
which is based at Fort Stew
art, has the one of the most
successful combat records of
any U.S. Army division.
“Rock of the Marne”
Finally, we took time this
week to celebrate Law En
forcement Appreciation Day
on March 6 at the State Capi
tol with House Resolution
492. This day was dedicated
to honoring Georgia’s highly
trained and professional cer
tified peace officers who
daily put their lives on the
line to serve and protect
every one of us. Georgia’s
approximately 54,000 certi
fied peace officers serve
across many state agencies.
All of these officers must un
dergo a comprehensive train
ing program that includes
classroom instruction, practi
cal skills building sessions,
and advanced specialized
courses based on specific
sections, such as criminal in
vestigations. Georgia’s certi
fied peace officers enforce
traffic laws and investiga
tions, provide criminal inves
tigation and forensic
laboratory assistance, re
spond to natural disasters,
and promote and facilitate
overall crime prevention and
public safety. We have lost
699 officers in the line of
duty throughout our state’s
Fried Chicken Dinner
Dine-In or Carry-Out
Friday, March 17 • 11:00 a.m. — 2 p.m.
$7.00 per plate
Boneleoo chicken breaot, creamed potatoes, green beano, cole olaw,
roll and a olice of pound cake.
Dining hall of Pickens Star Lodge
139 Old Federal Rd., Jasper
Sponsored by Jasper Chapter #479 Order of the Eastern Star
For advance tickets drop by the Pickens Progress office
or Bank of North Georgia.
history, including nine offi
cers within the past year
alone, and it was only fitting
that we honor the lives of the
brave men and women we
have lost and those who con
tinue to serve and protect our
communities.
We are getting towards the
end of the session, and peo
ple will become tense and a
bit short tempered. We will
work hard to pass only mean
ingful legislation through
both houses. I encourage you
to contact me in the weeks re
maining with any concerns
you might have about any of
the bills that are up for con
sideration in the House or
Senate. Your comments are
always important to me, and
I hope to hear from you soon.
You can call my office num
ber at (404) 656-7857, or
email me at
rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.
As always, thank you for
allowing me to serve as your
Representative.
Pain Solutions
Dinner and Discussion
Pain Solutions: Treatment Options
for Chronic Low Back Pain
Join Dr. Jordan Tate as she discusses pain solutions.
March 28,2017 - 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Piedmont Mountainside Hospital
Lower Level - Education Room
1266 Highway 515
Jasper, Georgia 30126
RSVP: Call 877.527.3712 to register.
Seating is limited. Dinner will be provided.
["j Piedmont
MOUNTAINSIDE
#§> KMerM* m
REGISTRATION FOR 2017-18
Saturday, March 25, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
(706) 253-1880
(706) 253-1730
(706) 253-1860
Register your child for the school in your district:
Harmony Elementary (706)253-1840
Hill City Elementary
Jasper Elementary
Tate Elementary
Registration Information:
1. The child must be a Georgia resident.
2. The child must be five (5) years old by September
1, 2017.
3. Visit www.pickenscountyschools.org for forms.
Bring to Registration:
1. Your child for a screening test;
2. Child's birth certificate and social security card;
3. Proof of residency - 2 items (phone bill, utility bill,
etc.);
4. Child's immunization records;
5. Parent/Guardian identification (photo ID);
6. The Georgia Department of Health Form 3300
(Hearing, Vision and Dental Form).
Note: If you cannot attend registration or have a
question, please contact your child's school.