Mentor Breakfast Celebrates Another Successful Year

Mentoring changes lives, that was the message that resounded throughout the annual Fayette County School System’s Friends Mentoring Appreciation and Awards Breakfast.

The mentors were not just talking about the students they help every week, they were also referring to themselves, stating that they get as much out of the experience as they give. Both adult and teen mentors alike say the experience has enriched their lives in ways they didn’t expect.

“It taught me how to be there for someone and taught me how to care for someone other than myself,” says Malcolm Belton, a senior at Fayette County High who has mentored at Fayetteville Intermediate for two years. “The greatest achievement I got out of mentoring was a life lesson, a lesson that will be useful in my future. That life lesson is that you should always give one hundred and five percent on anything you do because that percentage could have a huge impact on someone. The feeling of having an impact on someone is huge. It is a good feeling that doesn’t happen often.”

A number of mentors attended the breakfast spanning age groups and different walks of life. Some were high school students from the Hi Teen program, while others were retired teachers and administrators, current school system employees, retired community members, and local business people. All have made a commitment to devote at least one hour a week during the school year to helping a child. Many have been involved with the program for years.

New this year was the presentation of Outstanding Service Awards, one to a teen mentor and the other to an adult. Persons were nominated by school counselors and After School Program site coordinators as those who personify the foundations of mentoring: showing up, having a positive attitude and empathy, giving their best, and demonstrating a love of mentoring.

The first award recipients are Kathryn Aquino, a senior at Whitewater High who has mentored for four years at Sara Harp Minter Elementary, and Tanya VanHoozer, a community member who has also been in the program for four years starting at Spring Hill Elementary then following her student to Fayette Middle where she continues to mentor her today.

While it is nice to have public recognition and appreciation, the mentors say they are not looking for accolades, just an opportunity to have a positive impact on someone’s life.

“Mentors are like Navy Seals, they work in the shadows and they are willing to extend themselves to go the distance. We don’t need pats on the back; we’re not looking for accolades. We’re doing this because we’re making a difference,” says Julius Pryor III, a mentor and member of the program’s advisory board.
This marks the 18th year for the Friends Mentoring Program. Through the years nearly 800 volunteers have helped Fayette County Public School students. This year, 144 registered mentors and tutors worked with over 200 students.

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor or learning more about the program can contact mentoring coordinator Jane Gough, 770-460-3990, ext. 255.

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Schools Set to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day

Veterans and active military personnel from throughout the county will be special guests of Fayette County Public Schools this Veterans Day as they attend assemblies, parades, and other special events recognizing their service and sacrifices for our country.

Students and teachers have been planning and organizing events for weeks. Preparation began with classroom instruction about the significance of Veterans Day and why it is important to remember those who have, and are serving in the United States military.

Combined with their studies, students have been working on songs, skits, short plays and assemblies to which they are inviting veterans from their school communities to attend. Here is a brief rundown of events happening at schools around the county on Veterans Day, November 11:

Braelinn Elementary will host a breakfast from 8:30-9:15 a.m. for veterans and active military personnel with a flyover, weather permitting, from 9:15-9:45 a.m.

Brooks Elementary is serving lunch to veterans from 11 a.m.-noon followed by an assembly featuring the Sandy Creek High School Air Force Junior ROTC Color Guard. The school’s annual Veterans Day Parade will take place 1:15-2 p.m. with music from the Whitewater High School Marching Band.

Cleveland Elementary fourth and fifth grade students will perform a musical titled “Faces of Freedom” at 7 p.m. The program will also feature a kindergarten soloist.

Crabapple Lane Elementary will hold an assembly at 8:30 a.m. to honor veterans in its school community. Immediately following the assembly, the students will line the halls for the Veterans Walk. The walk was one of the most touching moments from last year’s celebration, according to Principal Doe Evans. “One of our grandfathers, who has difficulty walking, would not ride in a wheelchair, but insisted on walking the entire distance. Our students cheered him on. It brought tears to our eyes,” she says.

Fayette Middle will have its annual Veterans Day program at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium with Principal Sharlene Patterson’s twin sister, USAF Colonel Shirlene Ostrov, as one of the speakers. A reception will follow in the media center.

Huddleston Elementary will begin its annual Veterans Day assembly at 8 a.m. in the school’s gymnasium.

Peeples Elementary will invite past and present military personnel to join them at 1:45 p.m. for a walk around the school. Students will honor them by lining the hallways, waving flags and singing patriotic songs.

Sara Harp Minter Elementary will invite veterans to join students for a special assembly featuring The Voice of Veterans.

Spring Hill Elementary will have a daylong celebration for veterans beginning with a Patriotic Parade in the school from 9-9:15 a.m. immediately followed by an assembly where each veteran will receive a medal in honor of their service and sacrifice. Students will also perform a Patriotic Musical Salute. The school will host a reception after the assembly and veterans will visit classrooms.

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BOE Candidate Sam Tolbert to Speak to Fayette Republicans Oct 2nd

Fayette County Board of Education Post 5 candidate Sam Tolbert will be speaking at the Fayette County Republican Party First Saturday Breakfast at the Fayetteville IHOP at 9am on Saturday, October 2nd. 

Tolbert is a semi-retired senior manager who is currently an adjunct professor of mathematics at Gordon College in Barnesville. He decided to run for the school board position in part because of concerns about the school system’s financial shape. Tolbert says his background as a senior manager with “having to mind a budget and be fiscally responsible for expenditures and controls” would be an asset to the school board.  He plans to look at the financials and try to understand exactly what is required, what is coming in, and whether we are able to meet a reasonable budget that grows as the county grows.

Tolbert, who is a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Management with a minor in Business Finance, is skilled in project management, project engineering, quality assurance, organizational excellance, small business management, and communication.  He would also like to look at new programs that can be offered to help students, whether by allowing them to start college earlier or adding technical education earlier on “as opposed to just going and spinning their wheels in high school courses.” 

Tolbert will face Democratic candidate Dr. Laura Burgess in November’s general election.  All interested Republicans are invited to attend.

Friends Mentors Honored at Annual Breakfast

Just showing up is the most important part of what some 200 adults and high school students do each week. They reach out to help children in the Fayette County Public School System who are struggling academically or socially, in danger of failing their grade, or may not graduate from school.

They are volunteers in the school system’s Friends Mentoring Program who were honored for sharing their time and talents with others during the second annual Friends Mentoring Program Appreciation Breakfast.

Over 60 of the school system’s adult and Hi-Teen mentors attended the breakfast. Those in attendance ranged from volunteers who have been involved for multiple years to those who just started the program this year, such as Superintendent Dr. John DeCotis who mentors at the Fayette County Alternative School.

Although this is his first year as a mentor, DeCotis has always recognized the need and value of the program and has been a major supporter. He told the mentors that the time they spend with children is invaluable.

“Even though you are not getting paid, your value is sky high. You cannot save every child, although that is the goal, but your efforts are important to that child you are working with,” he said.

In honor of his approaching retirement, the Friends Mentoring Advisory Board publicly thanked DeCotis for his support over the years and presented him with a Woodruff Arts gift card.

Mentors are required to go through training and an extensive background check before acceptance into the program. They are asked to commitment to working with a student at school for one hour each week. Volunteers work with students, at all grade levels, who have been identified by their counselors as benefitting from a mentor/student relationship. The school obtains parental permission prior to assigning a mentor to a child.

Julius Pryor, a mentor at Fayette Middle and advisory board member, summed up what it means to be a mentor and offered a few words of inspiration.

“Listening, encouraging to be better, caring, showing up, empowering, establishing relationships, all of this is what mentors do to build the confidence students need to be successful” Pryor said as he addressed fellow mentors at the breakfast. “We always sell ourselves short, we think we are not capable of doing things that we can do. We don’t know how powerful or how influential we are. We have the ability to make a difference, the only person holding us back is us.”

The mentoring program relies on volunteers and charitable contributions to operate. Immediate needs include volunteers to mentor middle school students throughout the county and elementary students in Fayetteville. The program can also use tax deductable monetary gifts to cover mandatory finger printing for mentors, mentor/mentee breakfasts, and budget shortfalls in the areas of salaries, supplies, printing, postage and recruitment materials.

If you would like to make a monetary donation, please make your check payable to Fayette County Board of Education, with “Friends Mentoring Program” in the memo line, and mail to Fayette County Board of Education, Friends/Mentor Program, 205 LaFayette Avenue, Building D, Fayetteville, GA 30214.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities through the Friends Mentoring Program, contact Jane Gough at gough.jane@fcboe.org or call 770-460-3990, ext. 255.

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11th Annual Partners in Education Recognition Breakfast May 14

The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce will recognize the 2010 Outstanding Business Partners of the Year at their annual Partners in Education Recognition Breakfast on Friday, May 14, 2010, 7:30 am at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

This year’s program will include; guest speaker Kathy Cox, Georgia’s State Superintendent of Schools. Under Superintendent Cox’s leadership, Georgia has seen unprecedented gains in student achievement. A special recognition will be given in honor of retiring Fayette County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John DeCotis, plus the annual awards presentation for the 2010 Outstanding Partners of the year. New this year will be an award given to a Fayette County School recognized for its strong relationships with its business partners.

The community is cordially invited to attend the breakfast. The cost is $10.00 per person. Pre-registration required by Wednesday, May 11th. You may register online through the Chamber’s event calendar at www.FayetteChamber.org or contact the Chamber at (770) 461-9983 for payment options.

Sponsors for this year’s breakfast are Delta Community Credit Union, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, and The Southern Federal Credit Union. Additional support is provided by Huntington Learning Center, Progressive Tutoring of America, Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services, and Primrose School of Peachtree City.

The Partners in Education program is a joint effort of the Chamber and the Fayette County Board of Education that provides an avenue for businesses to form partnerships with public schools and educational programs in Fayette County. Business “Partners” work with the school system to prepare the workforce of tomorrow by providing enhanced educational opportunities for students. To learn more about getting involved with the Partners in Education program, contact Joyce Gaglione at the Fayette Chamber (770) 461.9983 or go to www.FayetteChamber.org/PartnersinEducation.

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Breakfast Brain Food Is The Best Way To Start The Day

FL Note: We see children everyday out enjoying our home turf. With all the summer activities for them to do, sometimes eating a good breakfast can get lost in the shuffle. Here's an interesting story that also includes a yummy recipe.

(NAPSI)-Buying the newest supplies may not be the best way to help your child succeed in school or at play. The best purchase may actually be the groceries stocked in the refrigerator, like healthy breakfast foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and choline for brain development, as found in Eggland’s Best eggs.

The foods that kids consume affect their daily performance and parents can help them jump-start their day by ensuring they eat a nutritious and healthy breakfast. A recent research study conducted by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who suffered from decreased school performance were directly linked with unhealthy eating patterns. These children consumed a diet with low levels of highly nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruit, fish and eggs.

Additionally, a study in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics outlines the importance of a nutritious morning meal, linking skipping breakfast to weight increase in adolescent schoolchildren.

With three times more omega-3s and 10 times more vitamin E than the average egg, Eggland’s Best (EB) is one of many nutrient-dense foods that can potentially help promote brain focus along with memory and cognitive functions in children throughout the day. Compared to ordinary eggs, EB eggs contain 25 percent less saturated fat, 19 percent less cholesterol (175 mg. vs. 215 mg.), 200 mcg. of lutein for eye health, plus provide 40 percent of a person’s daily requirement of iodine. Here’s a tasty recipe to make the most of this valuable brain food:

Eggland’s Best Brainy Burrito

Serving Size: 1

Cook Time: 3-4 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Eggland’s Best eggs

1 whole wheat tortilla

1 tablespoon refried beans

¼ cup low-fat cheese

2 tablespoons salsa

½ avocado, sliced

Nonstick spray

Preparation Method:

Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Beat Eggland’s Best eggs; pour into skillet and cook, stirring continually, until slightly set, about 2 minutes. Add cheese. Spread refried beans on tortilla. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Spread Eggland’s Best egg and cheese filling down the center of the tortilla. Add salsa and sliced avocado. Fold one side of the tortilla over filling. Fold up bottom. Roll securely.

Don’t let the morning time crunch tempt kids to skip breakfast.

Here are a few ways to save time:

• Pack schoolbags at night and set them by the door.

• Make bedtime fun and lay out clothes the night before.

• Get kids more enthusiastic about eating in the morning by asking them to help select some of their favorite foods.

For more information, visit www.eggland.com.

Unhealthy eating habits can negatively affect kids’ school performance, so make sure they eat a nutritious breakfast.