Newspaper Page Text
GOAT TALE
Students in the Summer Reading
Club learn about and pet dairy goats.
See page 2A
PIKE COUNTY
JOURNAL REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2021
PIKE'S PEEK
COVID cases
spike in Pike
There were 46
confirmed cases of
COVID-19 in Pike for
the past two weeks, up
from 36 in the previ
ous two weeks and up
considerably from the
single-digit numbers a
few weeks ago.
The Georgia Depart
ment of Public Health
is urging Georgians to
get vaccinated as the
number of new CO
VID-19 cases increases
daily and the Delta
variant spreads.
Local woman
arrested for
July 11 arson
Insurance and
Safety Fire Commis
sioner John F. King
announced today, July
27, that April Jordan,
43,
was ar
rested
for
arson
in the
first
de
gree.
The
arrest stemmed from
a July 11 incident in
which a fire was set on
the right side of Jor
dan’s residence near
the laundry room.
“Upon questioning,
the occupant con
fessed to deputies that
she had started the
fire,” said Commission
er King. “1 commend
the work and investi
gative skills of my staff
and local law enforce
ment officials that led
to the detainment of
this suspect.”
Commissioner
King’s Fire Investiga
tions Unit assisted the
Pike County Sheriff’s
Office with this investi
gation.
School COVID policy announced
rrwp33
•MASKS WILL BE AVAILABLE,
BUT NOT REQUIRED
•VISITORS WILL BE ALLOWED
BACK INTO SCHOOLS
•SCHOOLS WILL RESUME
PREVIOUS FIELD TRIP POLICY
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
The Pike County
school system recently
announced COVID-19
protocols for the upcom
ing school year which
will begin Aug. 10.
Masks are again op
tional at all Pike schools
and this year and those
who have been in close
contact with those who
test positive for CO
VID-19 will not be auto
matically quarantined
unless they begin to have
symptoms.
“Masks will again be
optional for students
and staff, both while in
school and on school
transportation. Any
student or staff member
who tests positive for
COVID-19 will be re
quired to quarantine in
accordance with CDC/
DPH guidelines. Parents
and guardians of stu
dents who are identified
as ‘close contacts’ will
be notified and asked to
monitor their student’s
symptoms closely. Those
individuals will not be re
quired to quarantine un
less they begin to show
symptoms. Students
and staff may choose to
quarantine if identified
as a close contact. As al
ways, any student or staff
member who has symp
toms should not come to
school/work,” reads the
new policy which can be
accessed in full at pike,
kl 2.ga.us/covid 19/.
In the case that any
school reaches a 2%
infection rate, addi
tional precautions will be
initiated in that school.
Those precautions will
closely resemble the pro
tocols that were in place
last year in response to
the pandemic.
“It is important to
know that we will moni
tor student and staff
health closely and are
prepared to impose addi
tional protocols and pro
cedures as required by
the situation at the time,”
said superintendent Dr.
Michael Duncan.
See COVID POLICY page 3A
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Elijah Meadows doesn’t let his epilepsy slow him down and the determined 11 -year-old
recently came in second for his age group in the Peachtree Road race as he finished a mile
in just 7 minutes and 5 seconds.
Local runner shows his speed, determination
Elijah, 11, fights epi
lepsy every day of life
and has since his first
episode and diagnosis
as a 6-year-old Pike
resident. His epilepsy is
what is called “medica
tion resistant” which
makes his seizures
extremely hard to treat.
Despite the struggles
epilepsy causes, his
neurologists gave him
permission to play
soccer, basketball and
running.
Elijah is going into
the fifth grade at Pike
elementary and decided
last year to be on the
Trailblazers running
club. The club meets
once a week, and it was
as a fourth grader that
Elijah discovered his
love for running at the
weekly practices.
“As soon as school
got out for the summer,
he was begging me to
look for races because
he just loved to run,”
said his mom Emily
Meadows. “1 saw that
the Peachtree Road
race would be divided
so kids ran Friday and
adults ran Saturday. It
was a perfect first race
for him to try and see
if he really liked it. The
morning of, he was full
Noah Meadows (left) has
been supportive of his
brother Elijah, especially in
light of his epilepsy diag
nosis.
of emotions, but over
all, simple excitement
had set in. Elijah ran
the mile in 7:05, which
we thought was pretty
amazing. He came in
second for his age group
for males and it was just
a great day.”
In addition to finding
his talent in running,
Elijah recently learned
to ride his bike with the
help of friends and local
teens. Having been diag
nosed with epilepsy and
having regular seizures
for the past five years,
he was unable to do a
lot of ‘normal’ kid activi
ties.
His older brother
Noah will be 14 in
September and he has
shown extra support
for Elijah over the years
and has helped save his
life multiple times when
he’s started having
seizures. He will start
eighth grade at Pike
County Middle School
this fall where he takes
honors classes, is on
the Principal’s Leader
ship Team, Fellowship of
Christian Athletes and
is a representative for
his class as a Portrait of
a Graduate. He enjoys
playing soccer, referee
ing soccer, youth minis
try activities, swimming,
and playing with with
his brother.
“Elijah has been very
sick, in and out of the
hospital over the last
several years, but he
doesn’t want epilepsy to
define him. He wants to
be a normal kid, but fast
like lightning,” said Em
ily. “Elijah and his whole
family want to thank
Pike County Elementary
school for training and
working with him to
make him a better run
ner in the making.”
BACK TO SCHOOL:
Open Houses planned
Students in Pike Coun
ty schools will return to
the classroom on Tues
day, Aug. 10 and Open
Houses are planned for
students. Administrators
are asking that no more
than two adults attend
with their students.
Open House for mid
dle, Ninth Grade Acad
emy and high school
students will be held on
Thursday, Aug. 5 and
Open House for pre-K,
primary and elementary
school students will be
held on Friday, Aug. 6.
Pre-K Open House will
be held Aug. 6 from 1 to 3
p.m. for all students.
Primary school teach
ers will call students and
set up meeting times
with parents.
Elementary school
Open House is open to all
students (with no more
than two adults) on Aug.
5 from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.
for students with the last
names R-Z, 5:45 to 6:30
for last names A-G and
6:45 to 7:30 p.m. for H-Q.
Middle school stu
dents entering sixth
grade or who are new
PHOTOS BY RACHEL McDANIEL
Erin Tedford prepares her
first grade classroom as
she starts her sixth year of
teaching.
to the school will attend
Open House from 2 to 4
p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5.
Schedules will be mailed
prior to Open House.
All Ninth Grade Acad
emy students may attend
Open House on Aug. 5
from 3 to 5 p.m.
High school students
who are entering ninth
grade and others who
are new to the school will
attend Open House from
4 to 6 p.m.
Last year’s Teacher of the Year Lori Beth Reeves puts a new
coat of paint on her classroom furniture as she changes her
theme to Marvelous Monsters. This is her fourth year teaching
in Pike and she will be starting her 23rd year of teaching.
Primary school teacher Dandi Johnson prepares to place a
flower on a banner that says, “We all may be different, but in
this class, we grow together.”