Newspaper Page Text
Pickens County Progress
June 20, 2024
Page 6A
Make plans for floats in
July 4th parade
This form can be found and printed at PickensProgress.com
Jasper Lions Club
2024 Independence Day Celebration
“Celebrate the U.S.A.!”
Parade Registration
Parade line-up/check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 4th
on Stegall Drive behind LC Tacos and Margaritas
Parade steps off at 11:00 a.m.
Group and Name of Contact:
Type of Entry (include no. of vehicles)
Contact’s Address:
Contact’s Phone Number:
Contact’s Email Address:
Brief narrative that can be read from the reviewing stand about the entry:
NOTE: For the duration of the parade, all participants must refrain from engaging in hate
speech, from displaying signage that includes obscene/offensive language, and from other
obscene displays.
All floats will be judged on how well they illustrate this year’s theme, "Celebrate the U.S.A..'".
Cash prizes (1 st Place - $50, 2 nd Place - $25) will be awarded to the winners at the bandstand in
Lee Newton Park during the 4 th of July Celebration Opening Ceremonies immediately following
the conclusion of the parade. All winners must claim their prizes at that time. No certificates or
prizes will be mailed.
Parade Registration fees: $15.00 - for registration received on or before June 25, 2024
(Fee includes units of up to 4 vehicles — SS. 00/additional vehicle)
$25.00 - for registration received after June 25, 2024, including
the day of the parade
(Fee includes units of up to 4 vehicles — SS. 00/additional vehicle)
Return parade applications and entry fees to:
Jasper Lions Club Parade Committee
PO Box 1088, Jasper, GA 30143
Celebrate the U.S.A.
Jasper Lions Club Indepen
dence Day Parade.
If you would like to par
ticipate in the 2024 Fourth
of July Parade, you can
register by printing out this
form and returning it to the
Lions Club. The mailing ad
dress is PO. Box 1088, Jas
per, GA 30143.
The $15.00 registration
fee includes up to lour ve
hicles per unit, $5 for each
additional vehicle. The
price for registering goes up
to $25 for registrations re
ceived after June 25, includ
ing the day of the parade.
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Progress brings home awards
in annual Ga. Press contest
The Progress staff won
several awards in the 2024
Georgia Press Association’s
Better Newspaper Contest.
Reporter Angela Rein
hardt placed 1st in the Enter
prise Story category, as well
as 2nd in the Lifestyle/Fea
ture Column category.
Contributor Max Caylor
placed 1st for News Photo
graph.
Progress cartoonist
Dwight Henderson placed
3rd in the Editorial Cartoon
ist category. (See more of his
work again at right.)
The Progress staff also
placed 2nd Place in Headline
Writing.
The Pickens Progress
competed in Division C
of the competition against
many larger weekly publica
tions.
GPA held the awards ban
quet on Friday, June 7.
(L-R) Progress Editor Dan Pool, Angela Reinhardt, Max Caylor, and
Dwight Henderson.
No summer break for school board
Flanked by Board Chair Steve Lowe and Super
intendent Thomas, Anne Long is seen here being
congratulated for winning a Dragon Strong Award.
Chief Student Services Officer Kristy Bone was
also given a Dragon Strong Award.
By Larry Cavender
Contributing Writer
While students and teach
ers enjoy time off during
summer break, the Pickens
Board of Education (BOE)
and the system’s 12-month
employees are working
hard. Several projects were
reviewed and discussed at
the board’s regular monthly
meeting on June 13th.
Dragon Strong
After dispensing with
opening formalities, Board
Chairman Steve Lowe an
nounced the two June win
ners of the Dragon Strong
Awards.
Described as an example
of “a leader who serves oth
ers” and who “fully supports
her staff,” Anne Long, the
assistant principal of Tate
Elementary, received the
first Dragon Strong Award.
Other testaments stated,
“Anne goes above and be
yond to make sure teach
ers and staff feel important
and appreciated. Mrs. Long
consistently gives more of
herself than seems humanly
possible. She has a beauti
ful, authentic way of leading
us with positivity.”
The second Dragon
Strong Award winner was
Chief Student Services Of
ficer, Kristy Bone, who re
tired effective at the end of
the just-completed school
year. “She has made many
positive changes for stu
dents,” was one of the acco
lades for Ms. Bone. Others
stated, “She always has what
is best for the students at the
center of her decisions. She
communicates well with her
staff, other administrators,
and parents.” Board mem
ber Sue Finley was delight
ed at “her former boss’s”
selection for the award and
also had high praise for
Kristy Bone.
Reports on audits,
operations
During the reports to the
superintendent portion of
the meeting, Chief Financial
Officer Amy Smith said that
the system had undergone
two recent audits, and “both
went very well.” She also
said she was “very proud
of our people,” referring
to system employees who
helped with the audit.
Assistant Superinten
dent Chris Parker gave an
operations and construction
update and said, “We have
a lot of things going on this
summer.” There were 10 on
going summer projects on
which Parker reported in
cluding custodial transition
and summer cleaning, the
PHS field house construc
tion, the Pickens Junior High
and Pickens High gymnasi
um roof repairs, and phase 1
of the PHS remodel project,
which Parker said would re
sult in “major changes in the
PHS lunchroom.”
Other summer projects
include improvements to
the Hill City, Harmony, and
Jasper Middle School media
centers, the “cool cell” at the
junior high school ag. cen
ter, the HVAC project at Tate
Elementary, improvements
to outdoor playgrounds and
play areas, as well as the
repaving of the transporta
tion facility parking lot and
upgrades to the transporta
tion training facility. Parker
added, “I’d put our trans
portation training center up
against anybody’s.”
Beth Thompson, director
of school nutrition, gave a
detailed report on the status
of several programs within
her department. One item
she covered was the sys
tem’s efforts to qualify for
low or no-cost meals pro
grams.
She explained that, un
like some neighboring sys
tems which had qualified for
100 percent funding of low
or no-cost meals, Pickens
County only has 45 percent
of students who are certi
fied as eligible compared
to Gilmer County’s almost
70% qualifying, Thompson
said that she is pursuing oth
er avenues in which Pickens
might qualify for such fund
ing.
Thompson added that
with the still steadily rising
inflation, “Food prices are
not coming down,” yet she
said that next year she will
not increase student meal
prices although adults can
expect increases for their
meals. Upon the completion
of her report, board mem
bers Tommy Gartrell and
Joe Wigington both con
gratulated Thompson for a
“good job.”
In his comments to the
board, Superintendent Dr.
Travis Thomas noted that
the day of the board meet
ing also marked the final
day of the summer school
program at Pickens Junior
High. There were 125 first
through sixth graders who
signed up for the program.
Thomas also reported that
on this same day, Pickens
County received notice
that the system’s strategic
waivers program had been
accepted by the state. This
six-year contract gives the
school district more flexibil
ity with waivers of certain
rules and guidelines.
The superintendent also
commented on this year’s
successful graduation cer
emony at Pickens High.
Thomas said, “Fortunately,
the bad weather cleared late
in the afternoon and provid
ed a wonderful evening and
celebration for our seniors
and their families.”
In the business portion of
the meeting, agenda items
addressed included approval
of the fiscal year 2025 sala
ry schedule. Superintendent
Thomas noted that with the
recently board-approved
increase in the local sup
plement coupled with Gov
ernor Brian Kemp’s state
wide teacher salary raises,
this would prove to be a
significant increase in local
teachers’ salaries. The board
also accepted a request for a
revision of the state-mandat
ed paid parental leave pro
gram and approved a fiscal
year 2024 budget amend
ment and a fiscal year 2025
spending resolution.
The consent agenda, in
addition to including sever
al housekeeping items, also
called for approval of sever
al memorandums of under
standing with several insti
tutions including Highland
Rivers Behavioral Health,
Georgia Hope, Western
Governors University Clin
ical Experience, the Auburn
University College of Edu
cation, and the University of
Georgia Mary Francis Early
College of Education.
Approval was also grant
ed to new textbook adop
tions for Pickens Junior
High School and Pickens
High School.
Low Cost Spay/Neuter
Certificate Sale
for Pickens GA Residents ONLY
WHEN: Saturday, June 22; 9:00 to 11:30am
WHERE: Pickens Co Dept, of Recreation
Community Ctr, ROOM 2
1329 Camp Rd. Jasper GA
r 1
$35 for cats
3 $45 for dogs i
Low Income, Senior
citizens over 65, and I
Veteran pricing
available.
Certificates are for the
Spay/Neuter surgery only
They are our best friends,
therapist, alarm clocks,
personal trainer and
so much more!
Limited Certificates
Available
First Come,
First Serve
■ cash only"'
Exact change is
appreciated |j
The certificatesfonce purchased) are then redeemable at the
following Clinics at "All the Fixin's"
310 Gilmer Ferry Hwy, Ball Ground GA:
Tuesday, June 25 th - dogs and cats (scheduledfirst)
Friday, June 28 - all cats (scheduled second)
July 9 th will be an overflow day for dogs and cats
Subsidized by Be-Paws We Care, Inc
Please NO Pets, this is not a Vet Clinic. Certificate sale only
Questions: bepawswecarel9@gmail.com
