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.
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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
