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Tuesday, November 16,2021 ®jje Ih-raltr (gazette 3A
FERRIER
BRYAN
ZELLNER PARRISH
School board recognizes ‘Teachers
Of the Year' for schools and system
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Four female teachers
were honored at last
week’s board of educa
tion meeting when they
were introduced as
Teachers of the Year, by
peer vote, at the primary,
elementary, middle and
high schools.
Principal Jeremy
Hawkins introduced
Tanya Ferrier as LCPS
Teacher of the Year for
the second time. She is
the special education
teacher for an excep
tional group of students.
Hawkins noted he is
often amazed to see the
progress accomplished
with the children. Ferrier
has taught first grade and
special ed at LCPS for 13
years and is working on a
masters degree in special
education. Hawkins com
mented, “If 1 ever want to
go see where the magic
happens, 1 go to Mrs. Fer-
rier’s room for a heart
warming opportunity.”
The elementary school
TOTY is Claudia Bryan,
a 21-year veteran who is
the media center special
ist. She was introduced
and highly praised by
principal Dr. Phonecia
Wilson. Bryan taught
third grade for three
years, then opened the
media center at LCES in
her 17th year. She is the
school testing coordina
tor, technology go-to, su
pervises car riders and is
on the leadership team.
A 1996 graduate of Lamar
County High, Bryan and
her husband Brad have
four children.
Middle school TOTY is
Jasmine Zellner, a nine-
year teaching veteran
who continues higher
education to expand her
opportunities. She was
introduced by principal
Stephen Boyd, who noted
she has recently “re
turned from Albany State
with a masters degree in
counseling.” Zellner also
received the honor of
LCSS Teacher of the Year
(see separate story).
At the high school,
Carol Parrish received
her third title as Teacher
of the Year; it was also
a repeat of last year
for the former English
teacher who now is the
system’s Audio Visual,
Film and Technology
instructor. Principal Dr.
David Boland said she is
the only teacher in the
state who is certified to
teach career technology/
agriculture education.
Boland also said she has
been described as “the
sweetest teacher in the
building.”
ESPLOST collections
for October came in at
$230,879.18, said superin
tendent Dr. Jute Wilson,
“the second highest” for
the year so far. He said
the ESPLOST collections
will go a long way toward
completion of the middle
school HVAC system
replacement.
Finance director Eu
gene Herrington told the
board the recent audit
discovered “no findings,”
a good indication the sys
tem has only small weak
nesses to correct. The
audit took seven months,
he said, and the minor
adjustments mostly in
volve “fine-tuning proce
dures for receiving funds
to the district, and ways
we can operate more ef
ficiently.”
The superintendent
said the system has been
able to procure 1,650
Chrome Books for stu
dent use, “412 available
for each school, so we
are more than one-to-one
on that technology equip
ment.”
The board also:
• Surplused for sale
three school buses, dat
ing from 2006, 2007, and
2000, from the LCS trans
portation inventory.
• Approved a consent
agenda including five fa
cilities uses; seven fund
raisers; seven recommen
dations for job positions;
four resignations; two
medical leaves, and two
terminations.
Officers of the board
for 2022 will be Joshua
Swatts, chair; Ron Smith,
vice chair; James Butler,
Georgia School Board
Association representa
tive; Sue O’Neal, GSBA
alternate representative.
Swatts and Butler will be
the two budget represen
tatives.
Veterans Day salute to the deceased
Each year at the Barnesville Veterans Day observance, an honor roll of veterans who have
died in the past year is read out with reverence. This year, it was read by VFW Post 6542 com
mander Richard Wright (right). Joining him in the salute are (l-r) Arthur Buffington, keynote
speaker Bill Lindsey and William Parker (obscured).
‘Determination, dedication, and
unwavering patriotism’ honored
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Numerous speakers at
the Veterans Day cere
mony contributed words
of remembrance and
honor for all veterans,
especially those of Lamar
County, who have served
in the military since the
American Revolution.
Retired Air Force
veteran Bob Richardson,
commander of Martin-
Moore American Legion
Post 25 Inc., was emcee
for the program and be
gan the event by remem
bering “the 11th month,
11th day, and 11th hour”
of the first designated
day to honor veterans.
The day was first known
as Armistice Day because
World War 1 ended on
that day 103 years ago,
he said, and in 1954 the
day became designated
as Veterans Day.
He called attention to
the recent loss of two
female veterans in Lamar,
Maxine Smith and Eliza
beth Bush Sellers. Smith
was the first U.S. Army
nurse to come ashore
after D-Day, while Sell
ers served in the Navy
WAVES as an operator of
code-breaking equipment
which resulted in crack
ing the German code for
American submarine
locations.
Richardson also
mentioned that word
had been received of
another Gold Star Mother
in Lamar, Mandy Watson,
whose son was killed in
Afghanistan. Gold Star
Mother Patsy Rabuck
was unable to attend.
Margaret Hice, repre
senting Daughters of the
American Revolution,
also gave a brief address.
William Parker, junior
vice commander, Ameri
can Legion 4th District,
led the Pledge of Alle
giance, followed by an
invocation from World
War 11 veteran Arthur
Buffington. Michelle
Moran led the audience
in the National Anthem,
and Leon Ross played
“Amazing Grace” on his
bagpipes.
Principal speaker Bill
Lindsey, a local attorney
and former 1LT in the
U.S. Army, called on his
love of history to impart
some astonishing statis
tics on veterans to the
assembly. Stone monu
ments, he said, whether
in public parks, beside
government buildings or
in local cemeteries, are
there to remind all that
they mark specific times
and circumstances that
are significant and should
be remembered.
He noted the following:
in World War I, though
our country was only in
volved in the conflict for
about 18 months, 53,000
military personnel were
killed in combat; about
75 million people died in
World War 11, a significant
percentage of which were
civilians; today’s living
veterans of all wars con
stitute almost six percent
of the U.S. population. Six
Revolutionary War veter
ans are buried in Lamar
County.
A quote he cited, un
clear as to the originator,
was “We sleep peaceably
only because rough men
stand ready to do vio
lence on all our enemies,
foreign and domestic.”
Richard Wright, com
mander of VFW Post 6542
Fifth District, read the
names of Lamar County
veterans who died since
Nov. 11, 2020:
United States Army:
James R. Padgett, Maxine
Smith, Lewis Fallings,
David E. Teal, Mela
nie Stafford, Bobby J.
Smith, Clarence Gardner,
Cleveland Myles, Ben
jamin Hardaway, John
Hamrick, Jacqueline
Harp, Wyly Hill, Paul
Coleman, Ronald Brazas,
Danny Landers, Spencer
Lowe, Michael Sorenson,
Charles Waters, Larry
Barnes, Michael Mad
dox, Gary Mickey Furlow,
James Lawrence, and
Barry Eugene Casteel,
U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.
United States Navy:
Bob Clark; Elizabeth Sell
ers, WAVES
United States Air
Force: William T. Hollo
way, SGT Michael Welch,
Ronald Geter, Monroe
Lawson Farmer, David
Rose, Gary McCall.
United States Marine
Corps: Mordecai Sim
mons, Gerry Logan, Terry
Wayne Coblentz, C.L.
Knight.
No branch given:
Rickey Corley, Wesley
Heath, John English, Karl
Heidbrink, Vern Hayes.
WALTER GEIGER/FILE
Lady Trojan standout Tamya Blasingame (12), shown in action during last year’s region title
run, opened the 2021 -22 season with a bang last week during a scrimmage at Whitewater.
Blasingame, a D1 prospect, led all scorers with 29 points in a 63-55 loss. LC plays at Spalding
Friday and travels to Houston County Saturday as regular season play begins.
You are cordially invited to join
Goggans Florist
for our
CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
21 Market Street Barnesville, GA 30204
770-358-0243
Friday 9am-5pm & Saturday 9am-2pm
November 19 th & 20 th
Enter to win door prizes and pop a balloon
for up to 50% discount on your cash purchases.
P■ aH
Refreshments will be served
We look forward to seeing each of you.
Nolan, Steven, Jeanie, and Nikki