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BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023
BCHS band brings home awards
from Lake Hartwell competition
The Banks County High
School Band traveled to
Hartwell to compete in the
Lake Hartwell Band Com
petition where it brought
home several top awards.
Drum Majors earned a
Superior rating and took
third place in their division.
The Percussion section also
received a Superior rating
and placed third in their di
vision.
The BCHS Band re
ceived a Superior rating
and claimed third place in
their division. Color Guard
achieved an Excellent rat
ing, narrowly missing a Su
perior rating by three points,
and seemed third place in
their division.
Danceline earned an Ex
cellent rating, missing a
Superior rating by just two
points, and achieved first
place in their division and Photo by Randy Crump
. The Banks County High School Band brought home several awards from a recent competition,
second in their category.
BCMS Students of the Month named
Banks County. Middle School Students of the Month are
Mason Caudell, Kyson Nesbitt, Raegan Davis and Essie
Cantrell.
CAUDELL
Mason enjoys working out in the gym and attending sci
ence class. He recently returned from a trip to Mexico and
read the book “Watchmen.” His favorite food is wings, and
he hopes to own a restaurant one day. If Mason had three
wishes, he would use them on unlimited money, personal
and family success and to have his dog live as long as he
does.
NESBITT
Kyson enjoys playing sports and aspires to play in the
NFL. He recently went to the beach and enjoys ELA class.
His favorite food is fried chicken. He recently read “Good
bye, Billy Radish.” If he had three wishes, he would use
them to be rich, drive a fast car and be able to fly.
DAVIS
Raegan is an aspiring actress or softball coach. Her fa
vorite hobby is softball. She was on the team that recent
ly won the league tournament. She enjoys hibachi, health
class and Harry Potter. If she had three wishes, she would
get a new softball bat, another pet and gain admission to
the University of Georgia.
CANTRELL
Essie plans to be a nurse. She enjoys ELA class and play
ing softball. She recently read “The Lord of the Flies.” Her
favorite foods are the rolls from Texas Roadhouse. If she
had three wishes, she would use them on playing softball
in college, going to Hawaii and going to Texas Roadhouse.
MASON CAUDELL
KYSON NESBITT
RAEGAN DAVIS
ESSIE CANTRELL
Blaze finishes season with 15-1 record
North Georgia Blaze fin
ished up the fall season this
past weekend in Jefferson.
They fell short a game to
take them to the champion
ship this time but finished
the season strong with a
15-1 record. The team fin
ished up the season with the
following batting averages,
RBIs, and stolen bases, list
ed player, batting average
and RBI stolen bases:
•Gage Smith, 0.694, 20,
24.
•Easton Murray, 0.658,
18, 16.
•Jaxson Wagoner, 0.600,
11, 14.
•Cohen Wagoner, 0.571,
12, 14.
•Graham Smith, 0.529,
18, 16.
•Gauge English, 0.500, 2,
7.
•Luke McEntire, 0.500,
10,21.
•Logan Smith, 0.444 ,8,
13.
•Ty Campbell, 0.438, 5, 6.
•CJ McLendon, 0.417, 8,
10.
•Gage Griffin, 0.333, 7,
12.
“Our pitching has been
a huge part of the team’s
success this season,” lead
ers state. “Over half of our
team can pitch. Easton Mur
ray led the team in mound
appearances. He pitched a
total of 24 innings with 54
strikeouts. To follow his
pitching stats are Jaxson
Wagoner and Gage Grif
fin. Both pitched a total of
10 innings, Jaxson with 24
strikeouts and Gage G. with
15 strikeouts. Gage Smith is
another really strong pitcher
for the Blaze team, but due
to injury he was very limit
ed in his pitching time. Oth
er pitchers who have made
mound appearances and
pitched exceptionally well
are Luke McEntire, Gra
ham Smith, CJ McLendon,
Logan Smith and Ty Camp
bell.”
Team leaders add, “We
are very proud of how well
this team has played. They
have learned to play togeth
er and bring each other to
gether on and off the field.
We look forward to extend
ing Blaze nation’s success
into the Spring of 2024. We
will have a 10U and 12U
team for the spring season.”
Spring season tryouts will
be held Saturday, Novem
ber 18, at 10 a.m. at Grace
Point, located at 5874 Hwy.
441 Bypass, Baldwin.
“If anyone is interested,
please come out and be
come a part of this amazing
travel team,” leaders state.
“If you have specific ques
tions, you can message the
team on the North Georgia
Blaze Facebook Page.”
Weather station in place in county
A weather station is now in place in Banks County.
The weather station was paid for through Hazard Mitiga
tion Funds under Tropical Storm Zeta.
In accordance with the program’s requirement, GEMA/
HS Hazard Mitigation Risk Reduction Team was on hand
to conduct a final Inspection of the project.
In accordance with the program’s requirement, GEMA/
HS Hazard Mitigation Risk Reduction Team was on hand
to conduct a final Inspection of the project. Banks County
fire chief Steve Nichols (third from left) is shown with the
inspection team.
This weather station was recently placed in Banks County at
one of the schools.
Angie Wheatley is shown working in small groups on read
ing.
Banks County Teacher
Spotlight: Angie Wheatley
In a commitment to elevate student achievement, Banks
County Schools launched an initiative this school year to
recognize and celebrate exceptional educators who em
body best practices and promote student success. This
month’s spotlight shines on Mrs. Angie Wheatley.
With 19 years of teaching experience in the Banks Coun
ty School System, Wheatley brings a wealth of knowledge
and passion to her role as a teacher at Banks County Prima
ry School. What makes her story even more special is that
she is a graduate of Banks County High School and carries
a deep-rooted love for her community.
As a second-grade teacher at Banks County Primary
School, Mrs. Wheatley’s mission is to pass on the same
enriching educational experiences she enjoyed as a student
in Banks County. Her goal is to nurture lifelong learners
with a strong foundation in reading.
Wheatley’s devotion to reading is evident in her teaching
methods. She places a strong emphasis on individualized
and small group reading sessions, ensuring that every stu
dent’s unique needs are met. This personalized approach
recognizes that each child learns differently and at their
own pace.
One distinctive aspect of Mrs.Wheatley’s teaching phi
losophy is her commitment to meeting students where they
are when they first enter her classroom at the start of the
school year. Whatever learning levels students begin the
year at, Mrs.Wheatley sees each child as having equal po
tential to become a lifelong reader.
While it is not always about immediate goal achieve
ment, students consistently progress under Mrs. Wheat
ley’s patient guidance. She understands that these small
accomplishments are the building blocks for future success
and, ultimately, for a lifelong love of reading.
Mrs. Wheatley employs various reading strategies, such
as Heggerty, a program used for phonological and phone
mic awareness- which helps students have awareness of
the sounds that letters and letter combinations make. Pho
nemic awareness is another valuable tool she uses to help
students deconstruct words and build them into more com
plex terms.
One of her key challenges lies in understanding where
each student is on their reading journey and starting from
that point. Her commitment to setting high expectations for
her students inspires them to stretch their limits and reach
greater learning levels.
Stepping into Mrs. Wheatley’s classroom, there is a rich
assortment of instructional materials, including Funda-
tions, leveled readers, and manipulatives. Her dedication
to nurturing young readers has earned her a special place in
the hearts of many past students and parents.
“Mrs. Wheatley inspires a love for learning in every stu
dent,” said principal Mike Boyle. “She is a beloved vet
eran teacher, often requested by parents who recognize
her commitment to fostering a love for reading in the next
generation.”
LESSON ON ALLIGATORS
This month, Mrs. Stroud’s class dove deep into the world
of alligators, sharks, toucans, flamingos, zebras, and cows.
Students learned details about their habitats while learning
through teamwork and collaboration. This project marks the
beginning of the class’s Informational Writing unit. Shown
are Bree Ewing, Mackenzie Nguyen, Kyra Mansur and Gabri-
ella Reeves.
The Banks County News
Homer, GA 30547
Founded 1968
Tire official legal organ of Banks County, Ga.
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher
Angela Gary Editor
BanksNewsTODAY.com
(SCED 547160)
Published weekly by MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.,
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