Newspaper Page Text
TOPS IN TRACK
Middle school’s boys and girls track
and field teams earn top spots in league.
See page 9A
PIKE COUNTY
JOURNAL REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021
PIKE'S PEEK
Golden Eagle
dinner to
honor mayor
The 2021 Spalding/
Pike Golden Eagle Din
ner will honor Larry
Stover
and
Concord
mayor
John
Strick
land at
their
Thurs
day, April
29 event
at the
Kiwanis
Event
Center
at 7 p.m.
The
Golden
Eagle
Dinner
is hosted by the Boy
Scouts of America
Flint River Council
and presented by The
Associates Group
Insurance and Kiwanis
Club of Griffin.
To attend the Gold
en Eagle Dinner, RSVP
to rebekah.florence@
scouting.org.
LARRY
STOVER
Teen who died at local business
was from Spalding County
The 14-year-old teen
who died on April 2 at
Middle Georgia Water
Systems in Zebulon was
from Spalding County,
according to the Pike
County Sheriff’s Office.
The teen was found
under a vehicle, having
suffered severe trauma.
Authorities say two oth
ers were inside a garage
bay at the business, a 12
year old and a 14 year
old. One of the surviving
boys is from Spalding
County and the other is
from Pike County.
“This case remains
under investigation. We
have been in constant
contact with District
Attorney in reference to
this case and will pres
ent our findings to the
DA upon completion of
the investigation,” said
PCSO investigator Maj.
David Neal. “We are also
awaiting a full report
from medical examiners
office at the GB1 crime
lab.”
The injured teen
was transported by
ambulance but was
pronounced dead at the
hospital.
According to the
PCSO report, the ju
veniles say they were
inside the business
working on vehicles.
Investigators de
termined the three
juveniles entered the
premises to commit
burglary.
The two surviving
boys were charged with
burglary, criminal dam
age to property, enter
ing auto and reckless
conduct.
Jobless rate
drops again
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Pike County High School was recognized as a 2021 AP Honor School recently, based on the
number of AP exams taken and passed by PCHS students in the 2020-21 school year.
Pike County High School recognized for second year
The adjusted job
less rate for the Three
Rivers region, which
includes Pike County,
dropped by 0.6% in
February The rate was
4.5% compared to 3.7%
in January, 2020.
Initial unemploy
ment claims in Febru
ary were down by 30%
from December.
In addition to La
mar, the Three Rivers
region includes Butts,
Carroll, Coweta, Heard,
Lamar, Meriwether,
Spalding, Troup and
Upson counties.
Pike County High
school was recently
recognized as a 2021 AP
Honor School for the
second year in a row.
“This is based on the
2020 school year, which
is even more impres
sive because all the AP
exams last year were
moved to digital at the
last minute. Students
had to take the tests
online at home. There
were 201 students who
took one or more AP
exams in 2020,” said
PCHS counselor Holly
Cantrell.
Of the 201 AP stu
dents, 30% scored a 3 or
higher on one or more
AP exams (the high
est score is a 4). There
were 10 students who
scored 3 or higher on at
least three exams; three
students who scored
three or higher on four
or more exams and two
students who scored a
three or higher on five
AP exams.
“AP courses offers
college-level curricula
and examinations to
high school students.
College course credit
may be granted to
students who obtain
high scores on the AP
exams. AP classes can
boost college applica
tions and success in dif
ficult courses is a sign
of college prepared
ness,” said Cantrell.
AP classes also
strengthen transcripts
by receiving an extra
GPA point. For example,
if an A in a regular class
gets 4 points on a GPA,
then an A in an AP class
gets 5 points on a GPA.
“This award recog
nizes the dedication
of PCHS to ensure that
students are prepared
for college and career
after graduation,” said
Cantrell. “It also high
lights the hard work of
our AP teachers and
students as they chal
lenge themselves with
rigorous coursework,
culminating with the AP
Exam in May.”
SPECIAL PHOTO
Downtown Concord will be transformed into a Craft and Car
Show this Saturday to benefit Red Clay Ministries. To register
online, go to RedClayMinistrieslnc.org, scroll down and click
on the Craft and Car Show tab. Registration will be held from
9:30 to 11 a.m. for vehicles April 17, with judging beginning at
noon and awards presented at 2 p.m.
Craft and Car Show set
for this Saturday, April 17
Red Clay Ministries
will present its first Craft
and Car Show on Satur
day, April 17 in down
town Concord with plans
to make it an annual fun
draiser for the ministry
“Since the coronavi-
rus pandemic curtailed
so many fun activities,
we are hoping for a
beautiful spring day
on Saturday, April 17,
so families and friends
can be outside, enjoy
the fresh air and just
have a fun day visiting
the vendor booths and
looking at the vehicles
in the car show,” said
Rhonda Morgan, director
of Red Clay Ministries.
“Anything on wheels
is welcome at the car
show, so we are expect
ing cars, trucks, tractors,
lawn mowers and scoot
ers. Maybe there will
be other vehicles that
will surprise us, too. We
will have food vendors,
also, and eating outside
is always a fun picnic.”
To register online, go to
RedClayMinistrieslnc.org,
scroll down and click on
the Craft and Car Show
tab. Registration will be
held from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
for vehicles April 17,
with judging beginning at
noon and awards pre
sented at 2 p.m. Vehicle
registration is $10 and
vendor spaces are $25.
For more, call Dale
Gould at 678-603-5261 or
Ted Gustin at 937-668-1243.
See CAR SHOW page 3A
COVID-19 cases remain low,
no additional deaths recorded
The number of con
firmed COVID-19 cases
in Pike County was at 20
cases over the past two
weeks, according to the
Georgia Depart
ment of Public
Health.
Since the pan
demic started
last March, there
have been 1,038
confirmed cases
in Pike, 24 confirmed
deaths, 14 probable
deaths, 68 hospitaliza
tions and 1,164 antigen
positive cases.
There have been more
than 4.7 million vaccines
administered in the state
of Georgia, including
4,793 citizens in Pike
County. At least 15% of
the county’s population
has had at least one dose
of the vaccine with 2,755
currently having one
dose. There are 2,134
Pike citizens who are
fully vaccinate, at 12% of
the population according
to DPH data upadated
April 11.
To find a vaccine
location in the area,
* * go to dph.georgia.
gov/covid-vaccine
^3* or call the Health
Department Vac-
® cine Scheduling
Resource Line at 888-
457-0186 from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. Monday through
Friday or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday.
Pike County schools
were out for spring break
from April 5 to 9 and
before the break, the
numbers of COVID-19
cases were consider
ably lower than previ
ous weeks. There were
four confirmed cases in
students but no adults in
the school system were
confirmed. There were 37
students quarantined and
no adults quarantined.
PCHS student takes part in Work-Based Learning Program
Pike County High
school senior Liz Ward
recently completed an
internship with the Pike
UGA Agriculture Exten
sion Office. The opportu
nity was made possible
through the PCHS Work-
Based Learning Program.
Her culminating project
was to teach about seeds
at the Primary School.
Students who are in
terested in work-based
learning opportunities
should contact Mr.
McLendon at the High
School or send an email
McLendC@pike.kl2.ga.us.
As part of her intern
ship, she hosted a plant
science workshop for
second grade students
at Pike County Primary
School on March 30 and
31. As an intern, Liz has
been able to experience
the many areas that
Extension entails, and to
wrap up her internship,
Liz was tasked to create
and host an Extension
program of her choice.
Liz decided to host a
plant science workshop
geared toward primary
students, teaching the
basics about seeds,
plants and germination.
“Luckily Pike County
primary’s new Youth
Agriculture program was
the perfect platform for
this workshop,” said
Liz Ward. “Pike County
Extension was able to
partner up with Agricul
ture teacher, Mrs. Brandi
Baade.
The program con
sisted of a short lesson
about plants and finished
up with students creating
their very own ‘Garden
in a Bag’ necklace so that
they can observe seed
germination up close.
The 32 second grade
students thoroughly en
joyed learning all about
plant science and left
eager to see their own
seeds sprout.”
SUBMITTED PHOTO
At right, Liz Ward hosts a
plant science workshop for
primary school students and
teaches them about seeds,
plants and germination.