Fayette Continues Rein at Regional Math Tourney

Middle school math teams placed first in every division, and students swept the overall individual winners category in the Griffin RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) 2011 Middle School Math Contest.

First place winners were Bennett’s Mill (Division I), Fayette Middle (Division II), and J.C. Booth (Division III).

Additionally, Rising Starr took second place in Division III.

Overall individual winners were Nathan Hung (first place), J.C. Booth; Seth Triplett (second place), J.C. Booth; and Nicholas Powell (third place), Bennett’s Mill.

Over 24 middle schools participated in this year’s contest, setting a new record. The regional competition included schools from Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding, and Upson counties.

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Fayette Dominates Regional Math Competition

With nine placements up for grabs, Fayette’s math students seized six of them in the 2011 High School Math Contest sponsored by Griffin RESA.

Sandy Creek, Fayette County, McIntosh, Starr’s Mill and Whitewater high schools all secured wins in the regional competition that featured over 14 schools from Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding, and Upson counties.

Sandy Creek and Fayette County High took second and third place, respectively, in Division I (smaller schools); McIntosh High took first place in Division II (larger schools); Starr’s Mill and Whitewater High tied for second.

Overall individual winners from the competition were Yuta Inaba of McIntosh High who took first place, and Ji-Shoo Shin, also of McIntosh, who placed third.

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Students Draw Posters Promoting After School Program

Laura Davis and Anna Dingler accept their $25 Walmart gift certificates from (L) Julia Simpson, after school program director, and Sue Cleek, principal of Brooks Elementary.

Posters created by elementary-age after school students of the Fayette County Public School System helped promote the annual “Lights on After School” day on October 21.

Students created the posters during their After School Program (ASP) classes as part of a countywide poster contest. The contest was one of many activities that were held in support of the national event that calls attention to the importance of afterschool programs and the resources required to keep them operating.

Laura Davis and Anna Dinger of Brooks Elementary collaboratively created this year’s winning poster. Each received a $25 gift card from the Walmart in Peachtree City.

Photo Source:  Fayette County Board of Education

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Peachtree City's The Fred hosts Jack O'Lantern Contest, Halloween Event

‘The Fred’ is once again planning a spooktacular Halloween party and wants you to be a part of it. Kids and adults alike are invited to decorate or carve your best pumpkin design and enter into our second annual jack-o-lantern carving contest at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. The contest is in conjunction with the “Not so Frightful” Storytelling and Halloween Party on Saturday, October 23 beginning at 2 pm.

Bewitching prizes will be awarded to the winners of the creepiest, funniest and most creative designs in the kids category (up to 12 years of age) and adults (13 years and older).

The pumpkins will be on display at the ‘Fred’ during the “Not so Frightful” Storytelling and Halloween Party. Judging will take place on Saturday morning, Oct. 23 and winners will be announced that afternoon at the event. All pumpkins must have the following information attached to the bottom: Name, address, phone # and age. We will begin accepting jack-o-lanterns at The Fred Box Office on Thursday, Oct. 21 with a deadline of 5 pm on Friday, October 22.

Kids and their families are invited to attend the second annual free storytelling event and take part in lots of fun activities including safe trick or treating, costume contest, storytelling and more. Performers include the return of well-known storyteller and folk singer Erik Litwin, magician Ken Scott, and a visit from My Reptile Guys.

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Fayette Middle Student Wins Annual Plains Postcard Contest

Julie Bustamante is congratulated by President Jimmy Carter as the first place winner in the 7th grade division of the 11th annual Plains, Peanuts and a President Postcard Contest.

The 39th U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Jimmy Carter, shook hands with Fayette Middle seventh grader Julie Bustamante, congratulating her as a first place winner in the annual Plains, Peanuts and a President Postcard Contest.

The former president honored Julie’s first place achievement during an awards ceremony at the annual Peanut Festival in Plains on September 25. She received a certificate and a signed copy of one of President Carter’s books.

Julie designed her postcard as part of a classroom project in Ellen Mitchell’s art class. Artwork had to be drawn on an index card and was required to contain at least one image or drawing of a peanut and something about Plains or President Jimmy Carter. Julie’s drawing featured a portrait of the former president along with peanuts and the Georgia flag. Her artwork can be viewed online at www.jimmycarter.info under “In the Spotlight.” She won first place in the seventh grade division.

Around 12-15,000 postcard entries were received statewide from students in grades K-12. A first, second and third place winner was chosen for each grade level.

The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Education Program sponsors the contest. It continues the dream of Ms. Julia Coleman, President Carter’s favorite teacher. She always incorporated many types of student activities for the betterment of students. President Carter quoted Ms. Coleman in his Inaugural address in 1977 and once again in 2002 when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.

Photo source:  Fayette County Board of Education

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Students Flush with Success at Future Fayette 2030 Contest

Photo: (L-R) Casey Slaggert, Kevin Thomas and Carol Thomas stand next to their winning entry, “Dr. John,” as they show off their netbooks.

Starr’s Mill High’s “Dr. John” is giving Japan’s fancy medical toilet a run for its money.

In an adapted version of what the Japanese have created, three futuristic thinking students have envisioned a toilet that will not only analyze a person’s urine, blood pressure, temperature, and weight, but also send the data directly to a physician who can authorize immediate in-home treatment to cure illness, all while the patient sits on the toilet.

Starr’s Mill students Kevin Thomas, Carol Thomas and Casey Slaggert are the three inventors of “Dr. John,” and the winners of the Future Fayette 2030 Contest sponsored by the Rotary Club of Peachtree City in conjunction with the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce Community Expo. The winning team was announced at the expo held at New Hope Baptist Church September 14. Team members received a net book and $500 was given to their school.

The goal of the competition was to get high school students thinking about products and services that would be included in “smart communities.” These students believe that in-home health monitoring systems are the wave of the future, and will be the key to living longer by detecting and curing diseases and illnesses before they become life threatening.

The mockup of the toilet the students created for the competition features a hypothetical patient, Jack, whose medical toilet detected the on start of lung cancer. With a simple injection of nano-bots, the cancerous cells are destroyed and he is cured.

In case you are interested, the students predict that life expectancy could go upwards to 150 years old for most people, thanks to forward thinkers like them who are working on technology that will keep the community healthier, safer and happier.

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Near Sweep for Fayette County in Middle School Math Competition

Math students from FayetteCounty's middle schools barely missed sweeping the entire 2010 Regional Middle School Math Contest at Griffin RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency).

The school system had a first place winning team in all three divisions; entirely swept one division, fell one placement short of sweeping another, and brought home all three individual awards. Over 23 middle schools participated.

Here are the results:

Division I (Smaller Schools), Bennett’s Mill Middle placed first; Division II (Medium Schools) Fayette Middle placed first, Flat Rock Middle second, and Whitewater Middle third; Division III (Larger Schools) Rising Starr Middle placed first followed by J.C. Booth Middle in second.

Individual winners were Nathan Hung, J.C. Booth, first place; and Austin Palmer and Vivian Nguyen, both of Rising Starr, taking second and third place, respectively.

The Griffin RESA Middle School Math Contest is a regional competition among middle schools in the Griffin RESA region that includes the school systems of Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding and Upson counties.

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Eldredge Receives DAR American History Essay Award

Pictured (l-r) are John Eldredge, Maggie Eldredge, Ann Eldredge and American History Chairman Phyllis King.

Maggie Eldredge, a 5th grader at Peachtree City Elementary School in Peachtree City, was recently announced as the 5th grade winner of the 2010 American History Essay Contest sponsored by the James Waldrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Eldredge wrote her essay from the viewpoint of a settler who was present on May 10, 1869, when a golden spike completed the First Transcontinental Railroad. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Eldredge.

The James Waldrop Chapter DAR is chartered in Fayetteville, GA.

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Fayette County Students Finish Strong in Foreign Language Competition

Foreign language students brought home 52 awards last month from the 37th annual Declamation Contest held at Clemson University.

A total of 71 students from all of Fayette County's five high schools competed in the following languages: French, German, Latin and Spanish. Contestants were required to recite two poems from memory using their chosen language. Judges rated each recitation on pronunciation, interpretation of text, smoothness of delivery and textural accuracy.

Fayette’s results were strong with 73 percent of the students earning first, second and third place prizes. All totaled, the students won 19 first place awards, 17 second and 16 third.

The following students placed first in their foreign language category:
(Fayette County High) Marina Lopes, Spanish 3; Samira Issa-Boube, French 2; Zahra Manji, French 3; (McIntosh High) Kathleen Newman, French 1; Molly Cook, French 4; Shelby Coffey, French 4; Nathan Pearson, Latin 2; Natalia Cuestas, Latin 3; Scott Lauderdale, Spanish 4; (Sandy Creek High) Courtney Henfield, German 3 native; Lyssa Beck, German 4 native; Broderick Sims, German 1 native; (Starr’s Mill High) Anika Noorali, French2; Michelle Perez, French 3; Katherine DelleDonne, French 4; Travis Richardson, German 4; Leslie A. Perez, Spanish 2; and (Whitewater High) Ayana Graham, Spanish 3; Cameron Green, Spanish 4.

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Young Fayette County Authors Win at Competition

Three possible up and coming Fayette County authors have been recognized through the Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition.

Tyler S. Patrick, first grade, Hood Avenue Primary; Ian Fertig, second grade, Braelinn Elementary; and Laura Wu, fifth grade, Kedron Elementary all had winning entries at the Griffin RESA district level, which includes Butts, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding and Thomaston-Upson counties.

The contest, sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. One winner is selected from each grade level. Any type of writing can be entered. Entries may be short stories, poetry, essays, journals, personal narratives, reports or any other original student writing. District winners advance to compete at the state level.

The purposes of the Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition are to encourage students to develop writing that represents their best efforts, provide a context for schools to support and celebrate the writing successes of all students, and encourage and recognize student achievement in writing throughout Georgia.

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Vote Now to Help Fayette County Students with Water Conservation Efforts

Gifted students at Fayetteville Intermediate are helping Fayette County citizens conserve water, one flush at a time.

You might have seen them at the Home Depot in Fayetteville handing out the Flush Flow Fixer, an empty water bottle which recipients fill with water and place in the tank of their toilets. The bottle displaces the water each time the toilet is flushed, resulting in less water usage.

The students won a water conservation contest sponsored by Governor Sonny Perdue back in December 2007 and received $2,000 to implement the program. Almost two years later, the students are still working hard to get residents to conserve water and are going after another grant to keep their effort going.

Keep Atlanta Beautiful has selected them as one of four finalists in the “Stepping Lightly in Atlanta Awards Contest.” The contest is open to children in the metro Atlanta area who are taking steps to reduce their ecological footprints where it matters most: in their homes, schools and communities.

Now through May 15, you can cast your vote for Fayetteville Intermediate to help the students win the $1,000 grand prize. Simply go to wsbtv.com/goinggreengeorgia and watch a video to learn more about the Flush Flow Fixer and cast your vote.

“It looks like Fayette Intermediate is in the lead. The parents and friends of the school are really into this and are spreading the word and voting,” says Heidi Johnson, gifted teacher.

You can vote once every five minutes per IP address. For more information on the contest, visit keepatlantabeautiful.org.

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Fayette County Students Bring Home State Foreign Language Awards

A total of 65 students representing all five of Fayette County’s high schools brought home awards from the annual Foreign Language Association of Georgia (FLAG) Middle and High Spoken Language Contest.

Collectively, the students brought home 41 superior, 18 excellent and six notable ratings in various levels of French, German and Spanish.

Ratings by school are as follows: (Fayette County High) Eight superior in Spanish 1; French 2, 4 and 5; and German 1 and 3. Five excellent in Spanish 2 and 3 and French 3. Two notable in German 1 and 4. (McIntosh High) Four superior in Spanish 3 and French 1 and 2. Two excellent in French 1 and 2. (Sandy Creek High) Eight superior in Spanish 1, 2 and 3 and French 1, 3 and 4. Four excellent in Spanish 3 and French 1, 2 and 4. (Starr’s Mill High) Eleven superior in Spanish 1, 2 and 3; French 1, 3 and 4; and German 1, 2 and 3. Four excellent in Spanish 2 and 3; French 3 and 4; and German 1. One notable in Spanish 1. (Whitewater High) Ten superior in Spanish 1, 3 and 4; French 1 and 2; and German 1 and 2. Three excellent in Spanish 3 and 4 and French 3. Three notable in Spanish 2 and French 1.

Students from across the state participated in the competition to showcase their ability to communicate orally in their target language by conversation with an interviewer. Interviewers based their evaluation on the students’ ability to use the target language fluently in the level entered. Attention was given to comprehension, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar/syntax, fluency, and student initiative in conversing in the target language.

Students were awarded scores of 0-16. A score of 14-16 earned a superior rating, 11-13 an excellent rating and 8-10 a notable rating. Students who earned scores 0-7 received a certificate of participation.

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Fayette County Math Students Sweep Top Awards

Math students in Fayette’s middle schools swept first place awards in all three divisions of the 2009 Griffin RESA Middle School Math Contest.

The first place winners are Bennett’s Mill (Division I: Smaller Schools), Flat Rock Middle (Division II: Medium Schools) and Rising Starr Middle (Division III: Larger Schools).

In addition to the first place finishes, Whitewater Middle placed third in Division II and Logan Austin of Bennett’s Mill placed second in the overall individual winners category.

The Griffin RESA Middle School Math Contest is a regional competition among middle schools in the Griffin RESA region, which consists of Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding and Upson counties. Over 22 middle schools participated in this year’s competition.

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Rising Starr Student Places In Voice of Democracy Competition

A Rising Starr Middle student’s essay and recorded speech outlining how the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans benefits youth today took third place honors in the 2009 Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Peachtree City, Post 9949.

Sarah Graham received a $100 U.S. Savings Bond for her winning essay and was recognized during the VFW’s annual Christmas Party on December 12 at the Gathering Place in Peachtree City.

Also recognized at the party were two home schooled students who were the first and second place winners. Benjamin Horton took first place and received a $200 U.S. Savings Bond and Christopher Horton placed second and earned a $150 U.S. Savings Bond.

The contest gives students in grades 9-12 attending public, private, parochial or home school an opportunity to express their thoughts on a patriotic theme, allowing them the opportunity to improve both writing and speaking skills while competing for awards. This year’s theme was “Service and Sacrifice by America’s Veterans Benefits Today’s Youth by...”

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Huddle, Snap, and Click Your Way to the Super Bowl

FL Note: Why do you love football? Why do you take all those captivating pictures of your kids playing football? Maybe you have a hankering to attend the Super Bowl in Tampa?

With all the cars and golf carts lined up at our local youth league and high school football games this fall, we suspect there are some phenomenal pictures. Why not enter your best into the contest? We'd love to have a winner from Fayette County!

(NAPSI)-Highly satisfying, for many parents, is capturing great photos of their children's milestones and important moments that can be shared with loved ones for years to come. Incorporating photography into your everyday activities can help you capture memories that will last a lifetime.

To encourage that idea, Canon U.S.A. and the Pro Football Hall of Fame are giving football and photography fans a chance to capture the fun, passion, excitement and journey of youth football and enter their best football photos in a fun contest. Everything from a playful catch in the backyard to any youth, school or organized football game is eligible for the "Why Do You Love Football?" Photo Challenge.

The grand-prize winners in the adult and teen divisions will each be awarded a trip for four to attend Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay and will earn a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a photo displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Additionally, the winners will receive a trip for four to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Celebration.

The nationwide amateur photo contest features two entry categories, "Action" and "Feature." The "Action" category focuses on any image that captures football action during game play, while the "Feature" category comprises any football imagery outside of game action on the field.

A judging panel consisting of renowned sports photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Peter Read Miller, Sports Illustrated, Archie Manning (former NFL quarterback and father of Indianapolis and New York Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks) and other prominent photographers will determine the group of 14 finalists in each division. The voting will then be turned over to the fans, who will crown the first-place winner in each category as well as the grand-prize winners.

"This will mark my third year working with Canon on the 'Why Do You Love Football?' Photo Challenge," said Archie Manning. "We've received some amazing photographs over the years, and I know from personal experience how important it is to have captured life's journey through photography. Having the opportunity to reflect and flip through old photos brings me right back to some of the best moments of my life."

Parents, family members and friends are encouraged to submit as many as 10 images each through December 3, 2008, by visiting www.usa.canon.com.

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One Creative Kid Chef Could Win a $25,000 Scholarship Fund

FL Note: Come on Fayette County kids! Grab that peanut butter, put on your thinking caps, and bring home lots of peanuts!

(NAPSI)-As parents prepare for the back-to-school season, packing school lunches such as the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a great way to stick to the family budget and satisfy even the pickiest eaters. A recent survey conducted by Kelton Research on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company found a variety of ways adults prefer to eat their sandwiches made with peanut butter--69 percent of consumers prefer to use creamy peanut butter while 36 percent like their sandwiches toasted. However, for the past six years, thousands of kid chefs from across the country have been able to think outside the "lunch box" and create butterfly pancakes, lettuce wraps and even a "Monstwich" using Jif® peanut butter and their own imagination to earn scholarship funds.

From August 4 through November 14, 2008, the makers of Jif peanut butter are accepting entries for the 7th Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest™. The grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 scholarship fund and four runners-up will be awarded a $2,500 scholarship fund. The contest is open to children ages 6 to 12.

Last year's most creative peanut butter sandwich was influenced by a child's love of Chinese food. Eleven-year-old Samuel Sosa of Riverside, California, hit a home run with his "Crunchy Chinese Fortune Cookie Sandwich," consisting of Jif Creamy peanut butter, celery and apple on wheat bread crimped into the shape of a fortune cookie. The "fortune cookies" are served with a dipping sauce of Jif Creamy peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, sesame oil and chili powder. Samuel added more creativity to his sandwich by handwriting fortunes such as "Smile, Mom Loves You" for his "cookies."

Jif is also offering up something for adults to help spark their creativity. For years, choosy moms have made Jif their No. 1 choice of peanut butter, which is why Jif is inviting adults to share stories--250 words or less--of how moms make the best choices for their families in the Jif Moms Voice their Choice Contest™. One grand-prize winner will win a trip to New York City to serve as a judge at the 7th Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest final live judging event in March 2009. Last year's winner and mother of two, Mary Grabowski, from Commerce, Mich., said in her winning essay "The way I make the best choices for my family is simply by using two things: my heart and my head. The job of 'Mom' is the hardest job in the world but is definitely the most rewarding."

For Official Rules, entry form, recipes or to learn more about the contests, visit www.jif.com.

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Girls-- Get Your Creative Game On!

FL Note: We thought this sounded like fun! And we know our local gals in Fayette County are as creative as can be. Give it a shot.

Girls-- Get Your Creative Game On!
Rack Rooms Shoes Announces Shoe Naming Contest for Girls 7-12

The Milly’s? The Emma’s? The Cindy’s? Just like girls themselves, girls shoes go by very cool names these days. Since it can be such a tough job to think of all these highly creative brand names, Rack Room Shoes is asking some of its most important customers to weigh in. Girl’s ages 7 to 12 are invited to enter their most creative shoe name and even a logo design if they like, for Rack Room Shoes 2008 Name That Shoe Contest!

Entering is easy. Sales associates at any Rack Room Shoe stores will happily provide an entry form or the entry forms and rules can be downloaded from rackroomshoes.com. “This is a fun way to get our younger customers involved in the process. We encourage them to get creative, and share their most zany, brainy or fun shoe names. They can also sketch a logo for the shoe if they like, it’s optional,” says Jan Mauldin, Rack Room Shoes director of marketing. Entry forms must be returned to stores or mailed by July 12, 2008. A parent or legal guardians signature is required on the form.

Rack Room Shoes creative team will select a winner based on originality. The Winner will receive a year’s worth of free shoes (valued at $600) and a $1,000 scholarship. The Winner and their shoe name will also be featured on the Rack Room Shoes website.

“You can enter as often as you like,” says Mauldin. “We’re counting on getting flooded with entries from all the up-and-coming shoe lovers, designers and marketers out there!”

Free newspapers, ditches and conspiracies

A vast majority of families in Fayette County have a free newspaper tossed in their yard each week. Some receive two, some three. There are two freebies that go out on Thursday, one on Wednesday.

All lay claim to a circulation of around 26,000 papers I think. I "assume" (but don't know) that the number claimed includes the stacks left at the Chamber of Commerce, libraries, local gyms and other places. I "assume" (but don't know) that the number includes the ones placed in boxes for sale around the county.


The point of today's missive isn't about the actual circulation.

It's about ditches.

We only get one paper on our street each week. I'm not sure how the paper's break down the area they distribute their free papers. I've lived in four locations in the county and have only received one of the three papers no matter where I live. Same one. I know others who receive different papers, so I'm not doubting for a minute that some are getting out, I just don't know the areas they've chosen to toss their papers.

We have a wide, very wide, driveway.

On either side of the driveway, we have ditches.

Each week, without fail, the free newspaper ends up in the ditch.

It's a ditch conspiracy.

The people across the street have ditches. The people to the left and right have ditches.

I've been watching. Their paper ends up on their driveways the vast majority of the time. When it isn't on the driveway, it isn't in the ditch either, it's on the grassy part of the yard behind the ditch. No climbing down in ditches to get it for our neighbors, oh no.

It's a ditch conspiracy. It's a game. They singled us out because we have the widest driveway on the street. Ours should be the easiest to hit.

If I didn't mind a trashy yard, I'd let the newspapers pile up in the ditch.

I know the person who tosses out the papers must live somewhere nearby. They zip down the road early, early, toss our paper into the ditch. Then they go home and sleep for a few hours. They know our routine by now. After all, they've been tossing it that same ditch for the past four years...

They sit somewhere safe, with their binoculars, or better yet, their camera, and wait for us to slide down into the ditch to get the paper. Somewhere there is a YouTube video with nothing on it but people like us slipping and sliding down into a ditch to get a soggy plastic wrapped paper.

All across the county, paper delivery people are watching their chosen victims as they tumble and contort to try and reach that plastic wrapped paper. Maybe they sit around at special occasions showing their favorite videos. Maybe they have paper delivery contests for the most trouble, the funniest or the most dangerous attempt to get the paper.

We may be slow, but we finally figured out a way to thwart their Candid Camera moment. We have a rake that we now use to grab the paper out of the ditch.

So there wicked paper tossing video making delivery person. That's the last time you'll win a video contest with us in it.