Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 7B
School News
BCES students build Appalachian Mountain dulcimer
BCES STUDENTS BUILD DULCIMERS
Fifth grade students show off the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimers they built in a recent work
shop at Banks County Elementary School. They are: back row (left to right) Corey Collins, Chrystal
Trent, Brooks Roberts, Blake O'Kelley, Sara Grace Edenfield, Sean Hester, Madison Embrick, Jody
Milford, Robert Stephens, Macy Milford, Eric Bonilla, Caleb Bonilla; front row (left to right) Colton
Williams, Houlton Boomer, Tyler Miller, Emma Matthews, Noah Wagner and Kadin Carlan.
Banks County Elementary School
fifth grade students are completing
a unit on the Appalachian Mountain
Dulcimer in their general music
classes. They have studied the his
tory of the instrument, parts of the
dulcimer, played songs, and recent
ly 18 students built their own dul
cimer during a Dulcimer Building
Workshop held at the school. The
workshop was led by Len and
Pat Corley, dulcimer experts from
Alpharetta, and Theresa Barefoot,
music specialist at BCES.
The dulcimer unit exposes stu
dents to the history of this north
east Georgia region. The instru
ment first came into the mountains
and foothills of north Georgia dur
ing the late 1800s and has been
around ever since. It is truly an
American instrument developed
by Scotch-Irish immigrants. They
saw the Germans in Pennsylvania
playing an instrument called the
German Schietholt and began to
make their own instrument borrow
ing a few ideas from the Germans.
The Scotch-Irish used a rectangu
lar box with frets on all strings.
They began to migrate along the
Philadelphia Wagon Road (now
Interstate 81) into Virginia tak
ing their Schietholt-Dulcimers with
them.
In western Virginia, as settlers
moved down the Philadelphia
Wagon Road, the instrument again
changed using curved sides instead
of straight sides and resembled the
shape of a “teardrop.” This instru
ment was named the Virginia-Style
Dulcimer. As settlers moved from
southern Virginia through the
Cumberland Gap (the Wilderness
Road) they again changed their
mountain dulcimer. You will
remember that Daniel Boone and
his team of 30 axe-men blazed the
Wilderness Road into Kentucky.
Settlers changed the shape of the
dulcimer to the “hourglass” creat
ing the Kentucky-Style Dulcimer.
Some settlers migrated from
southwestern Virginia into the
Carolinas and Georgia. They
brought theirAppalachian Mountain
Dulcimers along and played many
mountain songs that our students
at BCES are learning today. Most
of these songs were written in
modes or early scales which differ
somewhat from the scales we use
to write songs today.
The BCES students are enjoying
their first experience with an instru
ment and music which is a part of
their heritage, teachers report.
DULCIMER BUILDING
WORKSHOP AT BCES
Students, parents, fam
ily members and dulcimer
experts worked together to
build Appalachian Mountain
Dulcimers during a recent
workshop at Banks County
Elementary School. Fifth
grade students are learning
the history of the instrument
and how to play it. The dul
cimer is an American instru
ment native to the northeast
Georgia area.
ORGANIZED TOY DRIVE
Cheyenne Campbell and Keyla Baugh, students at Banks County
Elementary School, demonstrated selflessness and determina
tion before the Christmas holidays. The girls organized a toy
drive for patients at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis,
Tennessee. The students of BCES donated enough toys to fill
five large boxes. The girls were recognized at the January
Banks County Board of Education meeting. Pictured (L to R) are
KayEllen Hagan, BCES counselor, Campbell and Baugh.
MES SPELLING BEE WINNERS
Maysville Elementary held its school spelling bee on Wednesday,
January 16. The winner was fifth grader, Kayla Banks. Fourth
grader, Lexi Delaney, was the alternate. Here, the girls are
pictured with assistant principal, Jackie Morgan.
AUTHOR VISITS MES
Children's author Michael Finklea recently visited Maysville Elementary. Finklea spoke to students
about writing and the process of book publishing. He also signed autographs. Here, Finklea signs
a book for second grader, Ricky Smith, while Hunter O'Kelley, Ms. Renee Tootle, and Bolton Sims
wait for their turn.
Waste Management offers local scholarships
Applications due by March 3
Waste Management is now accepting applica
tions for its 2008 scholarship fund.
A scholarship will be awarded to three students,
one for $1,000 and two for $500. The applicants
will be required to write an essay on the topic,
“Conserving our Natural Resources.”
Waste Management leaders say the company
plans to recognize and assist “deserving and
outstanding young people who are pursuing a
technical school or college degree.”
Applications can be obtained at the Banks
County High School office or at the R & B
Landfill scales office on Bennett Road.
The completed application and essay must be
returned to Waste Management no later than
March 3.
BCES receives Toshiba America Foundation grant
Banks County Elementary School
recently received a science and math
improvement grant from the Toshiba
America Foundation based in New York
in the amount of $1,000 for a proj
ect entitled “Razzle Dazzle Learning
Garden.”
The project was created by Wendy
Fuschetti, a third-grade teacher at
BCES.
Funds will enable students to use
earth science and geometry skills to
build a small garden on school grounds.
Students will get practice in measur
ing angles, circumference, radius and
diameter as they design the garden and
they will use plants that will help slow
erosion in the area.
The mission of the Toshiba America
Foundation is to contribute to the quality
of science and mathematics education
by investing in projects designed by
classroom teachers to improve instruc
tion for students in grades K-12.
Banks County school board meeting schedule given
The Banks County Board of The BOE will meet at 7 p.m. on the Feb. 19, March 17, April 21, May 19,
Education has announced its 2008 following dates in the Banks County June 16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15,
meeting dates. Board of Education conference room: Oct. 20, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15.