Newspaper Page Text
6A
THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2006
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£* ?' f * / / - ?
submitted
Warner Robins High School junior Ryan Prior recently earned Boy Scouting’s highest
award, the rank of Eagle Scout.
Prior earns Eagle Scout
Special to the HHJ
Ryan Prior, a rising
junior honor student at
Warner Robins High School,
received Boy Scouting’s
highest award, the rank of
Eagle Scout, in a ceremony
at Christ United Methodist
Church June 11.
The son of Mary and Tom
Prior of Warner Robins, he
is a member of Troop 550
sponsored by Christ United
Methodist Church.
Prior joined Cub Scouts
in 1996 while living in
O’Fallon, 111., and in 2001
moved on to Boy Scouts in
Northern Virginia. Later in
2001, when his family moved
to Warner Robins, he joined
Troop 550.
In addition to earning 28
merit badges and serving as
senior patrol leader in his
troop, Prior, according to a
release, “demonstrated his
leadership skills by planning
and executing a challenging
service project.”
He led 30 fellow scouts
and friends in improving a
On-line SAT prep class is back
Program open to public, private
as well as home school students
Special to the HHJ
State Superintendent
of Schools Kathy Cox
announced this past
Thursday that Georgia stu
dents will once again have
access to a free On-line
SAT Preparation Course.
The course is open to all
Georgia high school stu
dents, including all public
school students in grades
9-12.
This coming school
year, students enrolled in
home school programs and
accredited private schools
located in Georgia can also
use the course for free.
“I’m thrilled that we are
able to offer this class to
all of our students,” Cox
said.
“This is one way we are
using technology to make
sure Georgia students
have access to the tools of
success.”
This is the second year
the legislature has funded
statewide access to the on
line SAT Preparation class
created by the College
Board - the company that
administers the SAT. Last
year, the course was avail
able to all public high
school students.
OBITS
From page 3A
an avid golfer. He was a
member of River of Light
Church of God. The char
acter of the life he lived
might be summed up in a
few words: he was a lov
ing husband, father, son and
friend to many. He was a sin
courtyard at Bonaire Middle
School.
“They removed debris,
repainted benches, installed
landscape timbers and plant
ed trees and shrubs,” the
release read. “Community
support was vital to Ryan’s
service project.
“The Civitans ‘donated
over $l5O, Warner Robins
Supply contributed over SSO
worth of materials and Tom
Williams from the Bonaire
Ace Hardware Nursery
imparted vital planning
advice and delivered all the
plants at a discount.”
Active in Troop 550 for
more than four years, Prior
attended summer camp each
year and demonstrated the
depth of his character to the
adult leaders of the troop
by living by the Scout Oath
and Law.
His family has also been
involved with scouting for a
long time. His grandfather
Ammons was a Boy Scout
in the 1930 s and both of
his mom’s brothers were
The decision to expand
the program came after
Cox heard from the par
ents of private school and
home school students who
wanted to give their chil
dren access to this useful
resource.*
“These parents know
the impact a program like
this can have,” Cox said.
“I’m pleased that we can
give private and home
schooled students access
to the SAT Prep course at
no additional cost to the
taxpayers.”
“I want to thank
Governor (Sonny) Perdue
and the state legislature
for their continued sup
port of this important pro
gram,” she said. “I also
want to thank the College
Board for their flexibility
in allowing us to expand
this program to include all
Georgia high school stu
dents.”
The Official SAT
Prep Course On-line
features:
■ 18 interactive lessons
■ Six full-length, official
SAT practice tests, plus
diagnostic pretests;
■ Over 600 practice
cere, honest man and will be
missed by many. His father,
Reverend Guy Jones and one
brother, Edsel Jones, both
preceded him in death.
Survivors include his
wife of 30 years, Kathy
Beckmann Jones, his chil
dren, Adrianne and Ryan
Jones, all of Warner Robins;
mother, Eunice Autry Jones,
Cleveland; siblings, Helen
Jones, Winter Park, Fla.;
Nella Jones, Cleveland;
Boy Scouts in the 19605.
His mom was a Girl Scout
and earned the rank of First
Class, the highest rank at
that time.
His father is an Eagle
Scout, his father’s three
brothers are Eagle Scouts,
and his brother Jason is an
Eagle Scout. His grandfa
ther Prior was a Scout leader
for more than 15 years and
in 1973 received the Silver
Beaver Award, the highest
recognition presented to an
adult scout leader by a BSA
Council.
Ryan is a two-year letter
man on the WRHS Cross
Country Team and earned
All-Region Sophomore Team
honors in 2005.
His coach also identified
him as the Most Improved
Runner for the 2005 sea
son.
He is also secretary of the
Beta Club and a member
of the varsity soccer team.
Student Council, Fellowship
of Christian Athletes, Junior
Civitans and Math Club.
questions
■ Explanations of
answers to all questions
■ Automated essay scor
ing
■ Personalized score
reports for students
ACCESSING THE
PROGRAM
Public School Students
Students in public
schools will receive a pass
code from their guidance
counselor or principal’s
office at the beginning of
the next school year.
Students who have a
passcode from the 2005-
2006 school year can still
access the On-line SAT
Preparation Course during
the summer at www.saton
linecourseschool.com.
Private and Home School
students
. Students from home
schools and accredited pri
vate schools will be able
to request access to the
On-line SAT Preparation
Course beginning in mid-
July.
Access should be avail
able sometime in August.
More information will soon
be made available on the
www.gadoe.org website.
Myra Adams, Mableton;
Sharon Jones, Betty Jones,
both of Atlanta; Hallie
Newton, Marietta; Guy
Jones, Jr., Austell; Phillip
Jones, Warner Robins; Steve
Jones, Bonaire; and a host of
loving nieces, nephews and
in-laws.
Go to www.mccullough
fh.com to sign the Online
Registry for the family.
McCullough Funeral Home
has charge of arrangements.
LOCAL
KIDNEY
From cage IA _
person’s creatinine would
be around .8 or .9.
Gabriel was born March
2001, three months prema
ture at 1 pound 14 ounces,
but he was a fighter. Drvden
said. He only stayed on a
ventilator for six hours and
remained in the hospital for
six weeks.
In November 2001,
Dryden began dialysis. She
continues in her fifth year
to go for four hours three
days a week having her
blood cleansed and excess
fluids removed. The pro
cedure, she said, drains her
emotionally and physically.
She must take anti-anxi
ety medicine every time she
goes for her dialysis due to
restless leg syndrome which
in turn causes her to go
into fight or flight when she
can’t move. The medicine
lets her sleep through most
of the four hour procedure.
The grueling dialysis
schedule makes it impossi
ble for her to work, and she
is disabled because of her
End Stage Renal Disease.
Her kidney function is
now reduced to 10 percent
or less of normal function.
The size of her kidneys have
shrunk from that of a fist to
the size of half a thumb.
She is currently talk
ing with staff at Emory
Healthcare and is in the
first stages of getting on
the waiting list for a kid
ney transplant. Kidney
transplants require a 100
percent match.
According to Emory offi
cals, donors are selected by
blood and tissue type and
the patient’s length of time
on the waiting list, forcing
Dryden to play the wait
ing game. Emory works
with the United Network
DRIVE
From page 1A
beautiful as ever to
him and the two have
been together ever since.
Harte has made a com
mitment to Dryden and
Gabe and has rearranged
his priorities in the hopes
of becoming a family
man.
Due to his job, Harte
is out of town most days,
but every Thursday he
has flowers delivered to
Dryden during her dialy
sis.
Harte has become a part
of her and Gabe’s life.
He has joined the church
and supports Dryden in
her life struggle to be
healthy.
FUNDS
From page 1A
adopted by local govern
ments; provides compre
hensive planning, techni
*cal and research assistance
to local governments; and
serves as the lead agency
for the state’s solid waste
reduction efforts.
For more information,
visit the DCA website
at: http://www.dca.state.
ga.us.
Prime Rib
Seasoned to Perfection
oreen derbv
Saw *
1-75 Exit 136 * 987-8877 35615
Goodwill NEEDS your Donations! |
Donation Locations
* 2209 Moody Road
• 115 Margie Drive
■ 1355 Sam Nunn Blvd.
. * Galleria Mall - 2922 Watson Blvd.
When you donate your clothing and household items to Goodwill Industries, the merchandise will
be processed by trainees and resold at Goodwill stores to fund job training and placement services
for people with barriers to employment. All donations to Goodwill Industries arc tax-deductible.
www.goodwiHworks.org
Huildinx lives, families, and communities-one job at a time!
for Organ Sharing and
Life Link of Georgia to find
matching donors.
With the cost of a trans
plant ranging from $25,000
to $150,000, she is also
working with Access to
Care, an organization that
will match up to SIO,OOO to
help her pay for the proce
dure.
In addition, she is col
lecting cans and pop tops
for funding and receives
Medicare and Medicaid,
both of which will cease
after the transplant.
Her financial worries,
however, will not cease
after a transplant. Dryden
said she will be forced to
take anti-rejection drugs
her whole life, which can
range in cost from S7OO to
$2,000 per month.
Her father, Tony Smith
and his wife, Jan, live in
Midville. Smith is a min
ister and is stepping in to
assist Dry den in her fund
raising efforts. He has
hosted a luncheon at his
church to raise funds for
his daughter and has plans
for future efforts.
Today, the miracle child,
Gabriel - who kept her
alive by bringing her medi
cal problem to the attention
of Dryden and her doctor
is 5 and will begin kin
dergarten at Matt Arthur
Elementary School in the
fall. When asked if “Gabe”
knows about and under
stands what is going on, she
says, “Oh yes. He knows
what dialysis is. He's never
known me (as being) well.”
“That’s why I most look
forward to the transplant,”
she said. “So that I will
be able to do things with
him.”
Currently Dryden is lim
ited in things she can do.
She can’t travel because she
cannot be away from her
doctor and dialysis treat
ments.
But, she said she stays
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Priest Buzzell ~ - 1
Member of the Sun Mark Community Brink , ... jm
Advisory Boa'd. and Director of Warner k W
Robins Convention and Visitors Bureau ,
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COMMUNITY BANK
Warner Robins 250 S Houston Lake Rd . 953-1155
Bonaire 749 Highway 96. 988-0117
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
as active as possible. She
has been a member of the
Bonaire United Methodist
Church for about three
years. She sings in the
choir and joins another
church member in cook
ing for the congregation’s
weekly “Wednesday Night
Qut” supper.
“If it had not been for
this church,” she said. “I
don’t know' where I would
be.”
Dryden’s mother, Kati
Brannen, with whom she
lives along with her step
dad Thomas Brannen and
son Gabe, said that times
w'ere tough when Dryden
first moved back home after
she and her husband split.
“She didn’t want to take
care of herself,” her mother
said. “1 told her 1 was going
to call her ex-husband and
tell him to come get their
son. I didn't want to watch
her kill herself.”
Today, Dryden is taking
care of herself and things
are much better. She looks
at the whole situation as a
blessing and “life lessons
learned and retained.”
She said she has met
many “wonderful” people
through her church that
support her and her family.
She and her mom have a
mantra that they often say:
“Faith makes it possible,
not easy.” says Brannen.
Dryden added: “The dif
ference between success
and failure is trading what
you want for what you want
right now.”
“We have to look at each
other and say that some
times," said her mother.
To this day, Dryden keeps
Gabe s liny hospital anklet
on her key ring as a remind
er of how lucky and blessed
she is.
As Dryden awaits her
transplant, she remains
optimistic with the support
of her family, friends, and
extended church family.