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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. AUGUST 18. 2022 "A tremendous start" for Pickens schools Three Pickens High School students/alumni were awarded state championship rings won last year during the most recent BOE meeting: Jake King, Georgia Special Olympics bowling champion; Piper Duncan, GHSAAAAA Literary State Champion in International Extemporaneous Speaking; and, Angelina Casey, GHSA AAAA Track and Field State Champion in the high jump. By Larry Cavender Contributing Writer As Pickens County stu dents begin to settle in for the 2022-23 school year, it was the consensus of the Pickens Board of Education members and staff that this year's start was a good one. On Thurs day, August 11 during the board's first regular meeting since the start of school, board chair Sue Fendley went so far as to say that it was a "tremendous start." Fendley said, "I can't thank everyone enough" for the "tremendous start," espe cially when it comes to those who made preparations dur ing the summer and to those who worked so hard the first week of school. Despite a good start there are always unforeseen first- week glitches, and one of these was the failure of some air conditioning units at Tate Elementary. Chief Opera tions Officer Stacy Gilleland reported that the A/C outage was due to a power surge that damaged some of the older A/C units at the school. Flowever, that "glitch" was repaired quickly and every thing is now in good operat ing order. Enrollment up at start of school year Enrollment systemwide saw an overall increase of more than three percent over last year. On day nine, enroll ment stood at 4,147 over the 4,012 recorded on the last day of school this past spring. Previous reporting has noted school enrollment re mains well below a high point ner 4,300 reached pre pandemic. Four schools reported in creases in enrollment while two schools had decreases according to Patrick Shea, the chief technology officer. Harmony and Hill City el ementary schools increased slightly more than three per cent each, with Flarmony at 549 newly-enrolled over last year's 529 and Hill City's 592 up from 572. Jasper Middle School grew the most (9.97%) with 634 new students compared with last year's 572. Pickens High School's enrollment, which had been projected to be slightly more than 1,200, rose to 1,290 over 1,184, an increase of 8.21%. The largest decrease was reported by Pickens Junior High whose enrollment dropped to 622 from 663 or a reduction of 6.59%. Tate El ementary School also dropped slightly losing only three students at 489 down from last year's 492. From where did these new students originate? Accord ing to Shea's report, the largest percentage of new students (53%) were trans fers from another county/dis trict. Ten percent of the transferred students came from another state or terri tory. These numbers seem in dicative of Pickens County's recent growth. What might also be considered as post pandemic numbers, 22% en tered from being home-schooled and 14% came from private schools. Shea also reported that Pick ens County lost 200 students during the pandemic. In other news: Despite the Tate A/C glitch, COO Gilleland also stated it was a "good start" and reported only a few first week transportation prob lems mainly the result of "late transportation requests." As is the case with many other school systems, Pick ens continues to be plagued with a shortage of bus driv ers. However, Gilleland noted that new bus driver training sessions will begin soon. "All things considered, it's been a good start for food services," Gilleland said. As was expected following the federal government no longer funding free meals, "meal counts are down," and Gille land reported only 771 stu dents are signed up for free or reduced meals. He encour aged parents to apply for free or reduced meals as soon as possible before the "grace pe riod ends." The COO reported the high school ag facility con struction "is still on schedule and looking great." Three Pickens High School students/alumni were awarded state championship rings at the meeting. Before making the presentations, Assistant Principal Chris Williams reiterated that last year was the best year in his tory for the high school ath letic programs. Those who received the state champi onship rings were: Jake King, Georgia Special Olympics bowling cham pion; Piper Duncan, GHSA AAAA Literary State Cham pion for International Extem poraneous Speaking; and, Angelina Casey, GHSA AAAA Track and Field State Champion in the high jump. f ithcns d'lmnti] f niflwss sALt OSOUW. OA T Tl>uSS*T^~^i u)ww.picl<ensprogress.com S'iercb T-Sbirts & jfats Fundraising event for community minded BBQ cook August 20 Photo/ “A Day for Danny” Facebook page Danny Cruikshank is known as someone who has al ways given back to the community. After a serious surgery and medical bills, a business and off-road Jeep club are or ganizing a fundraiser for him this weekend. Jeep benefit on same day Angela Reinhardt Staff Writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com A fundraising event will be held for Danny Cruik shank, owner of food truck/caterer Shade Tree BBQ, this Saturday, August 20 at Bub-ba-Q. Cruikshank recently underwent triple-by- pass surgery. Owners of the Jasper restaurant are hosting an all-day event to help with medical bills. “He is the first to step-up when people need help,” Bub-ba-Q wrote on the Face- book fundraising event page. “It's our turn to help him.” The restaurant will donate August 20 proceeds to Cruikshank. This event will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will include raffles, food, a silent auction and live music. You can find it on Facebook titled “A Day for Danny.” “Those of you who know Danny know that he has done a lot over the years to help our community. Re cently he suffered a heart at tack and it will take several months for his recovery. We are excited to host a day for him and his family.” Cruikshank has also done many cooks at Appalachian Gun over the years. Owner Kim Fitts speaks highly of his character. “A lot of people might not realize it but Danny does a lot from his heart,” she said. “I have a friend that was helping a church event in Ashton, North Carolina and their guy backed out last minute. Danny had the day open so he hauled all his equipment up there just to help them out. He had about two days’ notice. This was a huge deal for a couple hun dred under privileged kids. That’s the kind of guy Danny is. He is loved.” The Outlaw Off-Road Club (for Jeeps) is also host ing a benefit ride for Cruik shank that same day. The ride begins at 10 a.m. and is $20 per vehicle. Jeeps will meet at Chattahoochee Technical College and ride through Nimblewill Gap before end ing at Bub-ba-Q. If you or a business would like to contribute to the event or volunteer private message Bub-ba-Q or contact Ben jamin Wells or Jessica Quin ton Wells on Facebook. Commercial building for lease in downtown Jasper 72 S. Main Street 1,600 square feet recently renovated Great for office space, retail, small restaurant. Call 770-710-6799 to discuss options Piedmont Mm IMTA IMCinC MOUNTAINSIDE Greetings! Can you believe it’s already “Back to School” time? I’m sure there are many parents who are feeling a flood of emotions as they watch their young children enter kindergarten or teens beginning their senior year — and their children in grades in between. With all that’s required on your “to do” list, including school supply lists, clothing, vaccine records, athletic physicals, forms and more forms to complete, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the beginning of a new school year. I found a few tips on how to help your child stay healthy this school year in a Piedmont “Living Better” blog on the website that I’d like to share with you. 1. Teach good hygiene“During every patient visit, I reinforce hygiene,” says Dr. Jonathan Schuh, Piedmont pediatrician. ‘Wash your hands before eating and touching your face and after using the bathroom. Don’t drink or eat after anybody. Wash your hands when you get home from school.”’Send your child to school with hand sanitizer or hand sanitizing wipes—and encourage your child to use them when they can’t wash up with soap and water. 2. Talk to your child about mental healthMany kids are anxious about going back to school, says Dr. Schuh, particularly if the previous school year was rocky or your child is transitioning to a new school. He suggests asking your kid, “What can we do to make this school year go smoothly?”Pay attention to signs of anxiety, depression, overwhelm and bullying in kids and teens, such as, tantrums, crying more easily, behavioral issues at home or school, separation anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, irritability, sadness, not wanting to do activities they once enjoyed, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, difficulty paying attention, signs of self-injury or feelings of worthlessness or guilt.If your child has any of these symptoms, talk to their school guidance counselor or pediatrician. 3. Help children establish routines “The more consistent your evening routine is, the better,” says Dr. Schuh. “Kids thrive with routines.” He recommends having them put away their digital devices an hour before bed and read for 30 to 45 minutes before they need to go to sleep. The amount of sleep kids need varies by age: Preschool schoolers (ages 3 to 5) need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, plus naps; School-age kids (ages 6 to 13) need nine to 12 hours of sleep; Teenagers (ages 14 to 17) need eight to 10 hours of sleep. 4. Prioritize nutrition“lt’s a good idea for kids to avoid anything too sugary, especially first thing in the morning,” says Dr. Schuh. “Eating a sugary breakfast can spike their blood sugar, leading them to crash a few hours later at school.”A morning meal with protein (eggs, peanut butter, turkey sausage or bacon, yogurt, etc.) and fiber (fruit, oatmeal, whole grain bread, low-sugar cereal, nuts and seeds, etc.) will give them fuel for the day ahead. 5. Encourage physical activity “Many kids get home from school and go straight to video games and their devices, but it’s important for them to get 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day,” says Dr. Schuh. 6. Make sure they have their immunizationsCheck with your child’s doctor to ensure they’re fully vaccinated and have their booster shots for the school year.“We encourage all people to get the COVID-19 vaccine if they haven’t,” says Dr. Schuh. He also recommends children (and adults) get the flu vaccine in late September or early October. 7. Encourage kids to have fun “Kids need some kind of creative outlet that doesn’t involve studying,” says Dr. Schuh. “It’s important for them to have downtime. They deserve a happy, whole childhood.”Piedmont makes getting great health care simple and convenient. Schedule an appointment today through your Piedmont MyChart account or our website: www.piedmont.org. In Good Health, Denise Ray, President & CEO Piedmont Mountainside Hospital