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VOL. 106, NO. 18, NOVEMBER 18, 2009 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY
MILLEN, GEORGIA • 75 CENTS
Members of the Jenkins County High School JROTC are, from left, first row: Anthony Sea, Dwayne Snelling,
Brittany McKinney, Rubicela Delgado, Yahnchelle Scott, Justin Ellis, Keondra Kelly, Chris Simmons and Keith
Heggs; and second row: Ayana Walker, Marquis Moody, Paul Dieteman, Tykierra Bobbit, David Guzman, Rashon
Brady, Bernard Thompson, Quentin Williams, Trenton Polk, Tay Taylor, Fernando Gomez, Brittany Singer, Jerome
Taylor, Juan Jeronimo, Andres Jeronimo and Natalie Branch. (Photo contributed)
JROTC takes two national records
Chamber
announces
holiday events
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
Progress may be a little inconvenient at times, but the show
must go on! The annual Christmas in Millen and Christmas
Business Open House will still take place despite construc
tion work occurring on Cotton Avenue.
The Business Open House will be held 3-7 p.m. Saturday.
Nov. 21.
Participating businesses will be Sister’s Gifts and Col
lectibles, The Charm Barn, Eagle Pharmacy, Millen Better
Hometown and Millen-Jenkins County Chamber of Com
merce.
Special discounts and other promotional events will be of
fered by those participating during these hours. (See adver
tisement elsewhere in this issue.)
Christmas in Millen activities will take place Saturday, Dec.
5. Due to the construction, activities have been scaled back
and the event has been relocated.
The annual Christmas parade will be held at 10 a.m. with
lineup at the Jenkins County High School (JCHS) at 9 a.m.
The parade will proceed down Gray Street, Winthrope Av
enue, Masonic Street, Barney Avenue and back to JCHS.
Santa Claus will be at Papa’s Pizza from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
to visit with children and have his photograph made with them.
Anyone interested in participating in the Christmas parade
should contact Cindy Linder at (478) 982-3274 or the Millen-
Jenkins County Chamber of Commerce at (478) 982-5595.
The Jenkins County High
School JROTC Male Mixed
Raider Team rolled to two na
tional records at the All Ser
vices, All Classification Na
tional Raider Championships
Saturday, Nov. 7, in Molena,
Ga. After sweeping past the 3-
time State Champion Paulding
County Raider Team (Georgia
High School Association Class
AAAA) to win their first State
Championship on Oct. 24, the
War Eagles never slowed down.
With help from the Jenkins
County Department of Trans
portation and Planters Electric
Membership Corporation,
Jenkins County went into over
time during practice sessions to
perfect techniques in crossing
the Flint River spanning a dis
tance of 87 feet with a depth of
3 feet to the far side of the rope
bridge.
Jenkins County broke the
standing National Record by
eight seconds to win the event
and the title of National Cham
pion for this event. Jenkins
County moved on to the Cross
Country Rescue, a one mile
cross country course carrying
six packs weighing 35 pounds
and a stretcher weighing 150
pounds with an eight foot wall
at the end that all team mem
bers and equipment had to cross
before their time was recorded.
The War Eagles set the na
tional record in this event and
again claimed the title of Na
tional Champion until next year.
The War Eagles placed in all
five events with two first place
trophies, two-second place tro
phies and one-third place tro
phy. Jenkins County won the
overall Runner-up National tro
phy losing by two points to
Smith-Cotton High School of
Sedalia, Missouri.
“What is most spectacular
about Jenkins County’s success
this year is the fact that we have
only existed for two years and
four months and have 71 cadets
in the program. To put the ac
complishment into perspective,
consider some of the teams that
Jenkins County beat on Nov. 7.
Grissom High School from
Huntsville, Ala. is a classifica
tion 6A school that was the Na
tional Champion in the Female
Division and National Cham
pion runner-up in the Male Di
vision; Griffin (Georgia Class
4A) is number one in football
with a record of 10 - 0 finished
7th; Hiram is ranked 4th in
Class 4A football and finished
8th; Campbell is a Georgia
Class 5A school and finished
third for the second year in a
row,” commented Command
Sgt. Major Hayward Thompson
and Col. Ken Wade, who coach
the team.
Members of the Jenkins
County High School JROTC
Male Mixed Raider Team are
James Amerson, Natalie
Branch, Ruby Delgado,
Fernando Gomez, Andres
Jeronimo, Keondra Kelly, Brit
tany McKinney, Marquis
Moody, Brittany Singer, Jerome
Taylor, Tay Taylor and Ayana
Walker.
Members of the Male Raider
Team and support staff are:
Rashon Brady, Paul Dieteman,
Justin Ellis, Keith Heggs, Juan
Jeronimo, Trenton Polk, An
thony Sea, Chris Simmons,
Dwayne Snelling, Jose Solis,
Bernard Thompson, Quentin
Williams, Irene Dieteman and
Candice Waters.
Numerous donations were made by local citizen to last year’s Toys for Tots campaign. The deadline for making a
donation this year is Monday, Dec. 14. Donations are also needed for Thanksgiving in Millen. (Photo Contributed)
Council of Churches seeks holiday donations
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
As the holidays approach,
the Council of Churches is
gearing up to spread a little
“holiday cheer” with two an
nual activities.
The group will be furnish
ing Thanksgiving meals for
125 families in the commu
nity through its Thanksgiving
in Millen program. The meals
will be available Tuesday,
Nov. 24. Items needed are
green beans, stuffing, cran
berry sauce and yams.
The public is being asked
to help identify families
within the community that
would benefit from the
Thanksgiving meals. The last
date to submit names is
Wednesday, Nov. 18, (today).
Names may be submitted to
the Jenkins County Family
Enrichment Center (JCFEC).
The Toys for Tots campaign
is also underway. Donations
are needed for 92 families
with 245 children, ages 0-17.
The deadline for making do
nations is Monday, Dec. 14.
The date and time of distribu
tion of the toys will be an
nounced later.
Donations for both pro
grams, including monetary
contributions, may be
dropped off at the JCFEC on
Barney Avenue.
Local citizens are asked to
join together to help those in
need in the community have
an enjoyable holiday season
this year. The success of the
programs is directly depen
dent upon the generosity of
the public, said program
sponsors.
For additional information,
contact Tonya Gearheart at
the JCFEC at 982-8004.
JCES named Title I
Distinguished School
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox recently named
Georgia’s Title I Distinguished Schools for 2009-2010. Among
those recognized was Jenkins County Elementary School
(JCES).
"These districts and schools are a prime example of the im
pact high expectations, hard work and collaboration can have
on student achievement,” Superintendent Cox said. “I am
thrilled to recognize the educators, students and parents in these
schools and school districts.”
Title I schools have a significant population of students who
are economically disadvantaged and receive federal monies
to assist with the education of these students. Schools recog
nized as Title I Distinguished Schools must have made Ad
equate Yearly Progress (AYP) for at least three consecutive
years. Distinguished Schools that have made AYP for three
consecutive years are awarded a certificate while those who
have made AYTP for four or more consecutive years receive a
monetary award, paid for out of federal funds.
JCES has made AYP for the past seven consecutive years
and this will be the fifth time the school has earned the distin
guished status.
"I am once again very proud of the hard work and dedica
tion of each of the faculty and staff members at JCES as dem
onstrated in the academic performance of our students of the
CRCT. Day in and day out, our folks put in countless hours to
assist our students in the mastery of skills which are needed to
be successful in their future endeavors. In addition, I am ex
tremely proud of the efforts our students, each of whom rec
ognizes the great importance of these tests each Spring. Once
again, thanks to these folks on another job well done!” com
mented JCES Principal Jim Jarvis.
Jenkins County School Superintendent Melissa Williams
states, "This award is an outstanding accolade for the entire
elementary school. The staff, students and parents are to be
commended for continuing the tradition of academic excel
lence established at the elementary school and permeating
throughout the Jenkins County School system. It takes all of
us, working together and supporting each other like a family,
to provide an environment that encourages each of our stu
dents to be successful.”
Thank you!
From left, Adam Oglesby, Buford Williams and Larry
Wilson are shown repairing the fountain located at the Olde
Freight Depot Museum on Cotton Avenue. The fountain
was originally located in the old Hotel Estelle. (Photo con
tributed)