Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Volume 133 Number 35
Jasper, Georgia
22 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
PHS graduation rate near top
Competition Region (2020 & 2021)
School Name
Graduation
Total
Graduation
Class Size
Graduated
Rate
Pickens High School
314
295
94.0
Central High School
305
284
93.1
Northwest Whitfield High School
320
297
92.8
Ridgeland High School
291
269
92.4
Heritage High School
325
299
92.0
Southeast Whitfield High School
299
275
92.0
Gilmer High School
289
261
90.3
LaFayette High School
267
237
88.8
Cedartown High School
356
299
84
Above, PHS Principal Chris Wallace says the whole system deserves
credit for their exemplary graduation rate. Below, problems hamper vir
tual learning as students lag behind classroom counterparts.
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Students Who Returned from Virtual to the
Traditional Setting
Grades K-4 Grade 5-6 Grades 7-8 Grades 9-12
■ Percentage on Track When Returning ■ Percenatge Not on Track When Returning
• Students falling behind
with virtual classes
• Time is coming for
major renovation on
Dragon Drive
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@piekensprogress.com
The school board closed the year
with a meeting that heard a great re
port on the graduation rate at the
high school, but a dismal report on
how virtual learning is not reaching
a number of students effectively.
They also spent big on a sorely-
needed new telephone/communica-
tion system for all schools during
their regular December meeting
Thursday.
PHS graduation rate
Among top among similar schools
Pickens High School’s gradua
tion rate was the top among the
“competition region” [similar sized
schools PHS plays in sports] and
was fifth among all North Georgia
RESA schools, which includes all
Whitfield County and Cherokee
County high schools.
Pickens’ graduation rate for the
last academic year was 94 percent
with 295 of the 314 members of the
class receiving a diploma, according
to PHS Principal Chris Wallace.
With only one high school here,
Wallace said it’s important to spread
the honor throughout the system
and not just the teachers, but every
one from the lunch room workers to
the central office staff.
This is worthy of celebration and
the credit goes to everyone, he said.
Also deserving applause here is the
Mountain Education Center, which
really serves kids who don’t do as
well in traditional classroom set
tings, Wallace said.
Superintendent Rick Townsend
commended the efforts and results,
acknowledging it takes a commu
nity to be successful with schools.
Wallace said they are always
working on the graduation rate and
while 94 percent is hard to beat,
their goal is 100 percent. He noted
that with a small senior class size,
the rate here can fluctuate a lot in
percentages with choices made by
just seven or eight students.
As a comparison, the state grad
uation rate was only 83 percent.
Students falling behind
with virtual classes
A report from the first semester
showed that many students are far
ing poorly and some rarely logging
on to the virtual learning classes.
A slide presented at the meeting
showed the majority of students
See School on 10A
$1,4M school communication system offers many options
The board approved the purchase
of a new systemwide communica
tion system at a price of $1,408,049
that will replace an aging and lim
ited system currently in place.
Explaining the need, Chief Tech
nology Officer Patrick Shea and
Chief Operations Officer Stacy
Gilleland described the current sys
tem “as antiquated, old and expen
sive to repair.”
Shea said the board has been dis
cussing replacing it for at least nine
years and the time has come.
The new system will rely on an
internet base, rather than standard
phone lines, opening up a range of
options and improving reliability. In
addition to phones, this system also
provides the school bells, intercom
and includes virtual learning fea
tures.
Responding to a question Gille
land said, “Nothing is foolproof but
it is better than what we have.” With
the old equipment, they must stock
pile parts and they are “hanging on
by a shoestring,” he said.
The modem system is included
in the budget and can be paid for
using sales tax funds.
See System on 10A
Stop the Steal rally held at
Pickens courthouse Sunday
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At a Stop the Steal rally in Jasper on Sunday, protesters applaud calls for an inves
tigation into what the "fraudulent, illegitimate, and unconstitutional"presidential elec
tion.
By Larry Cavender
Contributing Writer
In the six weeks since the November 3rd
General Election, rallies have been held in
support of President Tramp and his claims
of a stolen election. In a county that over
whelmingly voted for Tramp over Joe Biden
by an 83 percent to 17 percent margin, per
haps it was inevitable a Stop the Steal rally
would eventually take place in Pickens
County.
3 See Rally on 11A
What is old man
winter brewing up?
Depends on which
source you consult
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra
tion (NOAA), The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and The
Farmer’s Almanac, three trusted predictors of long-term
weather outlooks, agree that the winter outlook for Geor
gia will be warmer than normal - but one foresees a wet
winter and the other two a drier one.
NOAA sees warmer, drier season
NOAA’s winter forecast for the U.S. favors “warmer,
drier conditions across the southern tier of the U.S., and
cooler, wetter conditions in the North,” due to what they
say is an ongoing La Nina effect. NOAA believes the La
Nina climate pattern could expand and intensify drought
conditions in the southern U.S. this winter.
NOAA’s seasonal out- See Weather on 11A
Expansive model train set could be headed to Tate Depot
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Trains evoke storytelling
and poetry unlike any other
mode of transportation. We
find them in our literature
and films as backdrop to a
romance, as the vehicle for
travels to a new life or land,
or as the space where a chase
between two rivals plays
out.
Big Canoe resident Bill
Gibson weaves some of his
own life story into his
sprawling model train set,
which he has offered to do
nate to the historic Tate
Depot. It remains to be seen
if all the pieces fall into
place with the depot com
mittee in terms of relocation
funding and placement.
“There are a few anachro
nisms in here,” Gibson says
as he tours me around the
various scenes of his impres
sive model, which is in a
dedicated room on the lower
level of his home and set to ALL ABOARD! - Bill Gibson has been fascinated with trains since he was a young boy and finally had room to
See Train on 11A build his massive model train set after he moved to Big Canoe. He wants to donate it to the historic Tate Depot.
Inside:
Nettes and
Dragons seniors
recognized at
Senior Night
Page 10B
COVID in Georgia,
Pickens
5,850 vaccine
doses arrived
in coastal Georgia
Monday
As of Tuesday, Decem
ber 15th there were
479,340 confirmed cases
of COVID-19 in Georgia,
with 9,218 confirmed
deaths, another 886 prob
able deaths, 37,737 hospi
talizations and 6,859 ICU
admissions, according to
the Georgia Department of
Public Health (GDPH).
In Pickens, there have
been 1,217 confirmed
cases since the outbreak
began in March, 14 con
firmed deaths, an addi
tional four probable deaths
and 92 hospitalizations.
The GDPH received the
first shipments of COVID-
19 vaccine for administra
tion in Georgia on Monday,
Dec. 14th. Shipments of
the Pfizer vaccine arrived
in coastal Georgia at two
public health locations, ac
cording to Jennifer King of
the North Georgia Health
District 1-2. Additional
shipments of vaccine were
expected this week at facil
ities in other parts of the
state, including metro At
lanta.
Obituaries - 9A
• Bill Hall Jr.
• Carolyn O’Neal
• Donald Bivens
• Helen Bozeman
• John Sapp
• Marty Hightower
• Melba Evans
• Peggy Costello
• Robert Mallernee
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