PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWS

Emily Cole, an eighth-grader at Merry Acres Middle School, won third place in pastel category with her fox oil pastel picture at the Georgia National Fair in Perry. The 13-year-old’s iris flower picture captured third place in the painting on paper category.
Eric Chen, a fifth-grader at Lee County Elementary, entered an oil pastel dragon picture in the budding artist category and won a participatory ribbon.
Cole and Chen were instructed by Dong Shang, who is originally from China. Shang has been teaching children art for more than 20 years and holds a bachelor’s from The College of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University. She has had 24 of her students win awards combined at the 2004 and 2006 U.S. National Youth Art Competition.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Ted Barton, a teacher at Lee County Middle School, was among 29 of Georgia’s best and brightest new teachers to receive a New Teacher Assistance Grant from Georgia Power.
Teacher nominations were submitted to Georgia Power by the 18 Georgia public colleges and universities that have a school of education. To be eligible for the grant, candidates had to be in the top 25 percent of their class academically, be a first-year teacher employed by a public school in Georgia and demonstrate a high aptitude for teaching.
A graduate of Americus’ Georgia Southwestern State University, Barton can use the $1,000 grant to purchase items such as books, educational CDs or DVDs, computers or projectors, or other supplies.

Albany High School’s girls soccer team, Albany Middle School’s girls basketball team and Merry Acres Middle School girls basketball each were recognized recently by the Dougherty County Board of Education by earning the highest team grade-point average. The grade-point average each team attained was not released.
Albany High’s girls soccer team, coached by Keisha Williams, is made up of Jessica Barnette, Shakera Childs, Sherrell Durden, Chelsea Fitzhug, Mariah Hatcher, Jeanetta Hicks, Lillian Hilerio, Tiffany Jackson, Jocelyn King, Kierra Mathis, Dreanna Moore, Samaria Roberson, Karina Ruiz, Perri Swords and Essence Thomas.
The Albany Middle girls soccer squad, coached by Letressa Whatley, is made up of Chasity Butler, Diamond Byrd, Iesha Hunter, Ladaisha Green, Danielle Jackson, Keyada Thomas, Courtney Wallace and Brianna Washington.
Merry Acres Middle girls basketball squad, coached by Angela Johnson, is comprised of Courtney Caldwell, Toiannah Campbell, Denae Cheatham, Tecoyiah Desmuke, Kahler Fletcher, Kair’Sha Jackson, Achanti Layfield, Aubreanna Moore, Kelsea Roberts, Briana Scott, Kenayana Thomas, Shikeria Weaver, Jamilia Williams and Tanishia Young.

Deerfield-Windsor School sophomore James LaRussa performed with the Atlanta Ballet in its recent two-week production of “Pinocchio” at the Cobb Energy Center. The 15-year-old also performed in the Atlanta Ballet productions of “Peter Pan,” “Snow White,” “Babar,” which he did with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
“It was more fun than I had in a while because before ‘Pinocchio’ it was ‘Peter Pan’ and that was a couple years ago,” said LaRussa, who played the real boy Pinocchio. “What I like working with is the different choreographers and I had never worked with this one before.”
Next month, LaRussa will be performing for the eighth year in the Atlanta Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. In the spring, LaRussa will be in Deerfield’s production of “Hello Dolly” in Albany.

Members of the Southside Middle School FFA Chapter recently attended the FFA Day at the Georgia National Fair in Perry.
The program was designed for students in grades six-nine to learn more and get excited about FFA and agricultural education. Throughout the day’s events, students were able to interact with Georgia FFA area officers while learning more about FFA opportunities. More than 1,200 students attended the event.
Members of Southside FFA were eighth-grade students Tiana Harold, Crystain Jackson, Justice Jenkins, Briyonna Jones, Tiara Jones, Britney Lewis, Ayasha Mack, Manzera Paul, Xavier Porter, Darrien Shannon, Roderiquez Sibley, Chavi Simmons, Joshua Thomas and Antonia Turner.
The seventh-grade students were Tanesia Anthony, Vashuan Banks, Savialiemi Davis, Kayana Dixon, Rayshawn Ellis, Chassidy Freeman, Kendell Fulton, Montavious Gibson, Nicholas Harriel, Ronald Holsey, Robert Jackson, Subrica Jackson, Enrique Martinez, Quinlisha Richardson, Jameal Smith, Lykeem Taylor, Brenton Truitt, Dovorrius Williams, Marcus Williams, Jykerious Willis and Taneshia Wright
Sixth-grade students were Lakesia Anthony, Ashtin Baker, Dominique Roberts, Christian Stephens, Charlie Stewart and Jarius White.
Eighth-grader Demetrice Allison captured first with his hanging basket live plant display, Baker came in first with his live plant display and Jalin Ransom placed second with his live plant display. Southside FFA students also participated in the floral design displays. Mack came in third with her floral design display and Davis received honorable mention for her floral design creation. Simmons, Turner, Stephens and Anthony each received ribbons for participation for their floral design creations.

COLLEGE NEWS

Dywane Hall, a seminar presenter for the Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, gave freshmen and sophomores at Albany State University an introduction to credit and financial management at the recent First- and Second-Year Experience Lecture Series.
A financial adviser for more than 20 years, Hall is nationally known as “The Retirement Resource” for his innovative strategies in the area of retirement planning. He is often featured and quoted in both national and local publications and provides expert commentary on both TV and radio in the Washington, D.C., area.
Derrick Isabell, a freshman computer science major, said the workshop was a much-needed one. “A lot of people neglect the importance of credit, especially in college,” Isabell said. “While growing up, my mother would always warn me about creditors seeking out college students, so this was very beneficial.”

BOOK DONATION

As part of its annual celebration of National Chemistry Week, the Georgia Southwest section of the American Chemical Society recently donated three copies of the “The Merck Index” to high school chemistry teachers in Americus and nearby cities in a ceremony at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus.
Merck & Co., which publishes the internationally-recognized resource book, donated more than 12,000 copies of “The Merck Index” to schools and chemistry teachers around the country in partnership with the American Chemical Society for National Chemistry Week.

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