Newspaper Page Text
June 8, 2016
PAGE ID
^Reporter
Mary Persons grad already has first college degree
Shea Sparks, left, and roommate Hannah Smith are all smiles
on graduation day at Middle Georgia State College.
DIANE GLIDEWELL
news@mymcr.net
When Dr. Jim Finch
presented Shea Sparks
her high school diploma
at the Mary Persons
graduation on Friday, it
was her second gradu
ation in less than a
month. On May 12, she
received her Associate
of Science in natural
sciences from Middle
Georgia State College,
signifying that she
already had two years
of college credit before
she officially
completed high
school
Sparks was
accepted into
the Georgia
Academy
of Arts,
Mathematics,
Engineering
and Sciences
at the end of
her sophomore
year at Mary
Persons and
moved onto
the campus
at Cochran
the next fall.
The program
proved to be a
perfect fit for
Sparks, who
thrived on
both the academic and
extracurricular oppor
tunities of the program.
She was delighted to be
part of the first spring
graduating class of
Middle Georgia State
University, which was
founded in 2015 from
the combination of
Macon State College and
Middle Georgia College.
Sparks will transfer to
Georgia State University
in Atlanta this fall to
enter a dual bachelor-
master program in neu
roscience, the branch
of biology that focuses
on the nervous system.
She began the Georgia
Academy program with
about 45 high school-
college students, but
about 10 of them did not
complete the program.
“It taught me a lot
about dealing with peo
ple,” said Sparks of her
experience at Georgia
Academy. “I feel very
prepared to move on to
Atlanta.”
As a Middle
Georgia college stu
dent, Sparks traveled
all over Georgia and
to Chicago as a mem
ber of the mock medi
ation team. As a par
ticipant in the Model
African Union, she
went to Washington,
D.C. She was a mem
ber of the first bee
keepers association
on campus, an inter
est and involvement
that turned into a
research opportunity.
She was
a mem
ber of the
president’s
Torch
Society,
through
which she
helped
with vari
ous service
projects and
with gradu
ation and
other projects
of the univer
sity president’s
office. She had
the opportu
nity to help
organize social
functions on
campus.
As a Georgia
Academy student,
Sparks could participate
in all aspects of student
life except athletics and
sorority/fraternity activi
ties. She was also eligi
ble to be a part of activi
ties at Mary Persons,
although as she became
more and more involved
in college, she came
home less frequently. In
fact, she did not come
home at all during her
last semester.
One thing that Sparks
did give up in order
to participate in the
Georgia Academy was
the opportunity to be
valedictorian of Mary
Persons 2016 class.
Sparks was in conten
tion for the honor, but
she knew that Monroe
County rules require
that the valedictorian
take at least three class
es on campus at Mary
Persons.
She maintained a 4.0
grade point average at
Georgia Academy. She
thinks there may be a
change in the valedic
torian rule as the Move
On When Ready pro
gram encourages more
high school students
to participate in dual
enrollment programs at
college.
Sparks said one of the
best parts of her college
experience was learning
how to live with people
in a dormitory setting.
She kept the same
roommate, Hannah
Smith of Elberton,
for the full two years
and considers her a
best friend. She feels
ready for the tran
sition to college in
Atlanta in a way she
does not think she
could have without
Georgia Academy.
She appreciates
the support of her
parents, Misty and
Kent Sparks, and
the administration
at Mary Persons,
especially counselor
Teresa Roller, for
making it possible.
Although her tuition
was covered, her
parents paid about
$3,500 per semes
ter for room, board
and fees and paid
for books the first
year. Sparks has
two younger sisters,
a rising junior and
sophomore at Mary
Persons.
Sparks said she had
lots of great professors
at Georgia Academy,
including biology pro
fessor Dr. Huddleston,
who brought her into
the beekeeping project
and research, and Dr.
Makaya, who was the
faculty sponsor for the
mock mediation team
and the Model African
Union.
“It was the place for
me,” she said unequivo
cally.
Shea Sparks receives her A.S. degree on May
12, before getting her high school diploma on
June 3. She kept a 4.0 GPA in college for two
years, even though she hadn’t graduated from
high school.
Swain & the Highway Souls, local
musicians with big talent
Swain and the Highway Souls will play at The Rose Theater on Saturday, June 11. (Photo/John
Belknap)
BY DENNIS
SMITH
The question one
must ask Stephen
Swain is where did
you get the name
for your band? “Well
the Swain part was
easy,” he said. “The
rest of the name kind
of sneaked up on us
when we realized that
each of us had done
a good bit of travel
ing around the south
and other parts of the
country and some of
the guys even trav
elled in Europe. We
just wanted our name
to convey that we were
on-the-road musicians
who listened to what
we heard and saw and
wrote our music to
match the feelings we
experienced. Being an
entertainer keeps you
on the highway a lot. So it all
worked out for our name.”
Swain and the Highway
Souls opened for a concert last
November at The Rose and by
the time the evening ended,
it was apparent that Monroe
County had its own rising
stars to Nashville. It is also
very likely that there was a
bit of ESP in the selection of
the name for the band since it
is typically a very long high
way journey between being a
band and being the owner of a
hit record.
Swain and the Highway
Souls have the enthusiasm
and the talent to make it hap
pen. But it will take a lot of
support and require a lot of
miles travelled. The band is
comprised of Stephen Swain
along with Miles Benson,
guitarist, singer, songwriter
and Forsyth native who is
now Band Director at Tattnall
Square Academy in Macon;
Galen Jacobs also of Forsyth
who plays drums and percus
sion and is a MPHS graduate.
He and his wife, Ashley, have
a daughter named Brooklyn.
Joe Palmer, bassist, is from
Macon and has a musical lin
eage through his father that
traces back to the Marshall
Tucker Band. He is active
in entertainment by hosting
an “open mic” radio show.
Rounding out the band is
keyboardist Cliff Walton who
lives in Warner Robins with
his wife and family. Cliff
played in the U.S. Air Force
award-winning touring band
in a host of venues world
wide. He loves music and
gives the Highway Souls a
very full sound.
Swain and
the Highway
Souls were
asked what
type music
they play.
The response
was, “We play
some Rock,
some Blues,
some Jam
Band, some
Funk, some
Soul.”
Fact is...
they play
a variety
of types of
music. One
thing for
certain: the
music is
always excel
lent and the
presentation
by the musi
cians is very
entertaining.
Once in a while the prob
lem with a multi-talented
band is that they can’t decide
what they do best. Come see
their show and you decide.
The show is Saturday June
11th at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15
each with reserved seating.
Box Office is open from 4-7
p.m. Monday, June 6-Friday,
June 10 and on the day of the
show two hours prior to cur
tain. For more information,
call 478-994-0443 or check out
thebacklotplay ers. org
Corrections
Kayla Parrish
Joshua Ware
Kirsten Wilder
Check out Park possibilities on Monday
From noon-3 p.m. on
Monday, June 13 Ameri
can Ramp Company will
set up a Pumptrack at
City Park for everyone to
try out bikes, scooters
and most anything on
wheels. Helmets will be
provided. Forsyth city
council wants input on
whether this is some
thing citizens would like
to see in the park perma
nently. At right, an artist
sketch of what American
Ramp Company has
proposed for the Forsyth
City Park on Country
Club Drive.
We'are proud of you.
Preston Benjamin Cook Ciena Morgan
Carolyn Webb &
Rhonda Seckinger