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THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 2. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
Red Ribbon Week proclaimed
Mayor Steve Lawrence and Chairman Kris Standlproclaimed October 23-31
as Red Ribbon Week. A number of people came out to support the measure, in
cluding Superintendent Thomas, a number ofprincipals and representatives from
ACES, The Boys and Girls Club, Appalachian CASA, Pickens County Schools,
Pickens County Head Start, North Georgia Family Partners, North Georgia
Health District, Pickens County DFCS, and the Pickens County Family Connec
tion.
HARMONY ELEMENTARY: (l-r)
Tiffany Griffis, Stephen Hunter, assistant
principal; Jennifer Valeriana, Gerald
Hunter, Mandy Ledford, Mike Moffitt, Deb
bie Ford.
HILL CITY ELEMENTARY (l-r) Andrea
Gartell, Mike Moffitt, Gerald Hunter, Deb
bie Ford, Angela Kretschmar, principal; and
Jenny Richards.
Bent Tree Foundation Awards
Pickens County Teacher Grants
By Debbie Ford
Chair
Bent Tree Foundation
Grant Program
On October 10, Gerald
Hunter, chairman of the Bent
Tree Foundation, Debbie
Ford, chair of the Bent Tree
Foundation Grant Program,
Mike Moffitt and Nancy
Davis, both Bent Tree Foun
dation directors, had the
pleasure to continue the com
mitment of the Bent Tree
Foundation Mission by pre
senting nine Pickens County
educators and administrators
at Pickens County schools
with grants totaling over
$8,000.
The grant funds were
raised through a variety of
fundraising events and the
generous donations of many
Bent Tree residents. Each of
the grants was personally
presented to the school ad
ministrators and educators
for implementation of their
respective grants during the
2023-2024 academic year.
Hill City Elementary
School Principal Angela
Kretschmar accepted grant
funds for recipient Andrea
Gartell for her grant entitled
“Flexible Seating” and Jenny
Richards for her grant enti
tled “Tinkering with “Tinker
Tars.”
Scott Stephens, Tate Ele
mentary School principal, ac
cepted funds for grant
recipient Krista Newton for
her grant entitled “Mirrors
and Windows: Diverse
Books Matter 1-4.”
Harmony Elementary
School Assistant Principal
Stephen Hunter accepted
funds for grant recipient Jen
nifer Valeriana for her grant
entitled “Interdisciplinary
Units for Kindergarten”;
Tiffany Griffis for her grant
entitled “Super Size Our
Centers” and Mandy Ledford
for her grant entitled “Flexi
ble Seating For SPED Stu
dents.”
Corey Thompson, Jasper
Middle School principal, ac
cepted funds for Rhonda
Noe’s grant entitled “Motiva
tion, Movement, and Maps.”
Thompson also accepted
grant funds provided by Bent
Tree Foundation Board
member Nancy Davis, in
memory of her husband Dr.
Monte Davis, professor
emeritus at Georgia Tech, for
Lydia Kress whose grant was
entitled “Expanding Hori
zons: Enriching Through At
lases.”
Pickens High School
Principal Matt Combs ac
cepted funds for Scott
Hamilton’s grant entitled
“Preparing Special Ed stu
dents for Future Employ
ment”; Dennis Wilson’s
grant entitled “OSHA 10
Certification” and Jeremy
Sellers grant entitled
“Change of PACE.”
The Bent Tree Foundation
looks forward to hearing
about the educational impact
and/or results of the individ
ual grant implementations at
the end of the school year. In
addition, the Bent Tree Foun
dation would like to thank
the Bent Tree Foundation
Grant Review Committee
members and former educa
tors Jodi Thurmond, Mike
Moffit, Nancy Davis and
Nancy Moffitt for their dedi
cation and review of the
2023 grant applications on
behalf of the Bent Tree Foun
dation.
PICKENS HIGH SCHOOL: (l-r) Matt Combs, principal;
Scott Hamilton, Gerald Hunter, Dennis Wilson, Jeremy
Sellers, Debbie Ford, Mike Moffitt.
JASPER MIDDLE SCHOOL: (l-r) Lydia Kress, Gerald
Hunter, Nancy Davis, Mike Moffitt, Rhonda Noe, Corey
Thompson, principal; Debbie Ford.
At right,
TATE
ELEMENTARY:
(l-r) Debbie Ford, Mike
Moffitt, Krista Newton,
Gerald Hunter, Scott
Stephens, principal.
STOP THE
INSANITY
VOTE AGAINST
ALL INCUMBENTS
IN THE
CITY OF JASPER
ELECTION
PAID FOR BY SHIRLEY MITCHELL