Victories Clinched at State Elementary Science Olympiad

Half of the top 10 teams at the 2011 Georgia Elementary Science Olympiad are from Fayette County.

Fayette’s elementary schools battled 65 teams from throughout the state to secure their top 10 victories. Kedron’s team finished in second place followed closely by Huddleston in third. Teams from Peeples, Crabapple Lane, and Oak Grove took fifth, seventh and ninth places, respectively.

The Georgia Elementary Science Olympiad is the largest science Olympiad in the United States; the competition challenges students with team events that cover earth, life, and physical science topics, each aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards.

The event was held May 14 at Kennesaw State University.

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Whitewater Team Places Second in Publix Brand Challenge

They were already winners having been selected as one of the top three teams in the nation to pitch their employment marketing ideas to Publix Supermarket corporate executives.

Whitewater High’s Yanna Banks and Lia Poulson took second place in the DECA/Publix Brand Champion Challenge following their presentation on March 29 at the Publix headquarters in Lakeland, Florida. They were the only team from Georgia in the competition.

“This is a huge honor; the girls represented Whitewater High School, Fayette County and Georgia well,” says Krystin Glover, the school’s marketing education teacher and DECA sponsor.

As second place winners, each student received a $250 cash prize awarded by Publix to use toward their expenses to the International DECA competition in May.

DECA is an organization that aims to prepare students for careers in marketing, management, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

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Students’ Skills Earn Awards at State Competition; Two Headed for National Conference

Six Sandy Creek High students earned gold, silver and bronze medals at the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference for their abilities in the areas of Job Skill Demonstration, Graphic Design and Communication, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Automotive Service and Diesel Equipment Technology.

Bringing home gold medals were Gavin Baswell (Job Skill Demonstration) and Chanelle Smith-Walker (Georgia SkillsUSA Brochure).

Silver winners include Chanelle Smith-Walker (Georgia SkillsUSA Promotional Graphic) and Marissa Shenkle (Extemporaneous Speaking).

Bronze medals went to Robbie Chontos (Graphic Communications), Jason Fore (Automotive Service Technology), and Donovan Ivey (Diesel Equipment Technology).

Gold medal winner Gavin Baswell, along with his instructor/advisor, Matt Turner, will compete at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, MO in June.

Addie Davis, current Sandy Creek High SkillsUSA chapter president and state treasurer, was elected to a slate of officers for another year of service at the state level. She, along with her instructor/advisor, Jeff Dykes, will represent SkillsUSA Georgia as a member of the State Officer Team.

Additional students who competed at the state level include: Rachel Barnes (Pre-school Teaching Assistant), Haley Hester (Photography), Saridh Galvan (Math Concepts 9th/10th Grade), Alex Lynch (Job Skill Demonstration), Jonathan Strickland (Screen Printing), and Alex Whitlock (Automotive Brakes).

Support from the following local industry partners helped send Sandy Creek’s SkillsUSA members to competitions this year: Cooper Lighting, Mercedes-Benz of South Atlanta, Theo Automotive, Tri-Star Automotive, and Gunnin Graphics. To become a supporter or learn more about SkillsUSA at Sandy Creek, contact Jeff Dykes at dykes.jeffrey@fcboe.org or Matt Turner at turner.matt@fcboe.org.

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Whitewater’s TSA Team Ranked Top 10 in State

Technology students at Whitewater High were fierce competitors at the annual Georgia TSA (Technology Student Association) State Conference, earning their team an overall seventh place state ranking.

The ranking was based on the number of wins and placement levels of individual team members. The following students earned top three placements in their competition areas: Katie Cassidy, first place, prepared presentation; Breanna Summers and Jevan Hutson, first place, debating technological issues; Katie Cassidy, second place, outstanding student; Jevan Hutson, second place, extemporaneous presentation; Francisco Obregon, second place, flight endurance; Guppy Stott, second place, technology bowl (written competition); and Jason Menko, third place, technical sketching and application.

As the second place winner in the outstanding student competition, Katie Cassidy was awarded a $500 scholarship.

The team also had outstanding performances in other areas of competition, placing fifth through 10th in biotechnology design, chapter team, construction renovation, digital video production, engineering design, fashion design, and technology bowl.

Student performance at the state level determined those advancing to the national conference in Dallas, Texas this June. Whitewater’s national competitors are Breanna Summers, Jevan Hutson, Katie Cassidy, Francisco Obregon, Jason Menko, Tyler Etchart, Will Dent, Ashley Larrow, Callie Sheffer, Avery Dingler, and Guppy Stott.

Georgia TSA’s annual state conference provides students opportunities beyond the traditional classroom and laboratory setting, allowing them to add to their increased knowledge and understanding of an ever-changing technical world.

Carolyn Smith, engineering and technology teacher, is Whitewater’s TSA advisor.

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HS Academic Teams Triumph at Regional and State Tourneys

Fayette’s academic teams put their marks on the RESA Regional and State Academic bowls.

An allusive third place victory was all that kept the county’s varsity and junior varsity teams from sweeping the entire regional meet at Griffin RESA. Varsity winners were McIntosh High, first place; Starr’s Mill High (Team A), second place; and Starr’s Mill High (Team B), fourth place. At the JV level, Starr’s Mill took first, McIntosh second, and Whitewater High fourth.

All of the teams qualified to advance to the state competition in Flowery Branch February 12. This time Starr’s Mill (Team A) beat McIntosh in the semi-final round and came back to overtake Flowery Branch High in the finals, clinching the state title.

“The kids are pretty excited about being state champs,” says academic team coach Nancy Close.
McIntosh finished in third place.

Whitewater High’s JV team made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Calhoun High, a team they had beaten earlier.

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Skills Tested in Regional Vo-Tech Competition

Months of practice and preparation paid off for students at Sandy Creek High as they wowed judges at the annual 2011 Georgia SkillsUSA Region 5 Competition at Central Georgia Technical College in Macon on February 4.

The students participated in 12 competitions and medaled in 10, bringing home six first place wins, three second, and one third. They competed in professions ranging from automotive refinishing technology, power equipment technology, and automotive service technology to preschool teaching assistant, graphic communications, extemporaneous speaking, advertising design, job skill demonstration, job interview, and graphic communications.

First and second place winners advance to the state competition March 17-19 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. Winning state contestants go to the national contest June 19-25 in Kansas City, Mo.

Students receiving medals in the 2011 region 5 competition:

(First Place) Steven Banks, automotive refinishing technology; Rachel Barnes, preschool teaching assistant; Gavin Baswell, job skills demonstration open; Jason Fore, automotive service technology; Marissa Shenkle, extemporaneous speaking; and Chanelle Smith-Walker, advertising design.

(Second Place) Robbie Chontos, graphic communications; Addie Davis, job interview; and Alex Lynch, job skill demonstration A.

(Third Place) Chase Hearn, power equipment technology.

Additional competitors were Galwyn Hill, prepared speech; and the school’s SkillsUSA chapter quiz bowl team members Rachel Barber (team captain), Breah Carmichael, Kevaughn Charles, Andrew Kampras, Bria Forte, Alyssa Pointer, and Laura Llorens.

“Our chapter had great success at the competition. All of our students did a great job and I want to congratulate each one; I’m extremely proud,” says Jeff Dykes, the school’s graphic communications teacher and SkillsUSA advisor.

Addie Davis, chapter president and SkillsUSA state treasurer, pulled double duty at the competition. In addition to competing and securing a second place win in the job interview category, she also delivered the welcome to approximately 300 competitors and advisors and emceed the awards ceremony.

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Students Showcase Literacy Skills at Regional Festival

Elementary and middle school poetry recitation and ready writing competitors collectively earned seven awards in the 2011 Regional Literacy Days Festival.

The annual festival was held February 2-3 in Griffin, Ga. hosted by Griffin RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency). Students from school systems in Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding and Upson counties competed in three areas: Poetry Recitation, Ready Writing and Drama.

Fayette’s poetry recitation competitors came just one grade level short of receiving a placement in each grade. (Third Grade) Olivia Wernecke, second place, Braelinn Elementary; (Fourth Grade) Barrett Hester, first place, Braelinn Elementary; (Sixth Grade) Aubrey Bennett, second place, Rising Starr Middle; (Seventh Grade) Simone Jones, third place, Fayette Middle; and (Eighth Grade) Ellie Klarl, first place, Flat Rock Middle.

Two students from Rising Starr Middle placed in the Ready Writing portion of the competition. (Sixth Grade) Ethan Roland, third place; (Eighth Grade) Emma Wernecke, first place.

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DECA Students Dominate at Regional Competition

Whitewater High’s DECA club members show no sign of losing steam as they continue to mount awards, most recently upstaging their competitors at the DECA Regional Competition on January 27 at the Rockdale Career Academy.

The club took home the most awards with 23 out of the 35 members placing in the top four and advancing to the state competition February 24-26 in Atlanta.

Students going to the state tournament include:

(First Place) Lena Alston, Olivia Bankston, Katie Cassidy, Josh Deas, Jordan Garrett, Erin Mahlbacher, Kayla Maxwell, and RoShonda Welch.

(Second Place) Ryan Gray, Theresa Lasal, Megan McDowell, Alex Resnak, Danielle Ruttinger, Mikayla Stewart and, Tanner Sweatman.

(Third Place) Taylor Birkhead, Carolyn Dishburger, Austen Hammond, Case Jackson, Emily Layland and, J'Lynn Lewis.

(Fourth Place) Lauren Morrison and Melody Ognio.

DECA is an organization that aims to prepare students for careers in marketing, management, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

To advance in the competition, students must demonstrate their knowledge and business savvy in a particular industry or trade, for example, tourism or sports marketing, management or finance.

Each event includes a written test portion and one or two role-playing scenarios. In the role-playing scenarios, students take on the type of challenges they might face in their chosen industries.

Students have only 10 minutes to read their scenario and take notes before they must give a 10-minute presentation and answer questions from the judge. They are scored based on how well they cover key points and the overall polish of their presentation.

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Students Headed to Literacy Days Festival

From Poetry recitation, writing, and dramatic performance, Fayette’s middle school students will show off their talents during Griffin RESA’s Literacy Days Festival on February 3.

A total of 16 students took first place in their grade levels at the Fayette County Recitation Festival last week, earning a spot in the district competition that will showcase students from school systems in Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding, and Upson counties.

Contestants in the poetry recitation are Aubrey Bennett, sixth grade, Rising Starr Middle; Simone Jones, seventh grade, Fayette Middle; and Ellie Klarl, eighth grade, Flat Rock Middle.

Ready Writers representing Fayette are all from Rising Starr Middle. The students are Ethan Roland, sixth grade; Elizabeth Jowers, seventh grade; and Emma Wernecke, eighth grade.

The drama team from Fayette Middle will compete in the drama portion of the event. Students on the team are Dominque Boudreaux, Montavia Caudle, Haley Kakis, Saleena Davani, Sumvia Evans, Anna Franklin, Kezia Houston, TaNia Nash, Ashley Orta, and Cecilla Robinson. They will present “A True Princess,” an original piece written by the team.

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Whitewater Team a Semi-Finalist for Employment Branding Challenge

Publix Super Markets is looking closely at the ideas of two students for attracting young employment applicants to their stores.

Whitewater High DECA students Yanna Banks and Lia Poulson have been selected as 12 semi-finalist teams in the Publix Brand Champion Challenge, a competition open to DECA students that involves creating a fully integrated marketing program to attract 16 to 25-year-olds to apply for work at the stores. DECA is a student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.

Students were given a pretend budget of $250,000 to develop their plans, and were required to create a video not exceeding 10 minutes to communicate their ideas and strategies. The competition was open to students in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Now the students must submit a written plan of their employment branding program. Publix will select three teams to participate in the final competition round. Those teams will be invited to make in-person presentations at the corporate offices of Publix Super Markets in Lakeland, FL in March.

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McIntosh Makes High Q History

Posing on the set of High Q following their history making victory are Scott Bradford, Karen Anderson, Nathan Pearson, and Logan Austin.

Anyone watching High Q (the scholastic high school competition on WSB-TV Channel 2) Sunday afternoon witnessed history in the making as the McIntosh High Academic Team garnered the most points ever earned by a single team on the game show.

McIntosh scored 910 points to Grady High School’s respectable 460 points. Not only did McIntosh win, earning the highest score ever, but also the combined score of the two teams was the highest in the show’s 25-year history.

Members of McIntosh’s Academic Team are Karen Anderson (captain), Logan Austin, Scott Bradford, and Nathan Pearson. Team coach Lynne Bruschetti says reading and retention is what makes the team successful.

“They are inquisitive students who read everything they can get their hands on. When they read, they remember everything that they read,” she says.

The team practices at least once a week from August until the end of the season in February, but they often get in a second session by joining the Junior Varsity practice. In addition to studying subjects such as history, math, literature, science and the arts, the team prepared for High Q by looking at current events that were making headlines the week of the competition.

This was the first year in several seasons of High Q that a high school from the Fayette County Public School System had appeared on the show; systems are chosen at random each year. In order to determine which high school would represent Fayette, a local competition between the county’s high school academic teams was held.

McIntosh will attempt to repeat their stellar performance on January 16 when the team returns to High Q to take on Walton High.

High Q airs weekly Sunday afternoons on WSB-TV Channel 2.

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Fayette Chamber “Total Resource Campaign” a Success

The Fayette Chamber of Commerce’s first “Total Resource Campaign” has been completed and deemed a great success, according to Chamber president Virginia Gibbs.

Launched in August at a special luncheon where the Chamber’s new logo was unveiled, the TRC’s goal was to bring focus to the Chamber’s new tagline “Where Business and Community Connect.”

“During the ten week Total Resource Campaign, the Fayette Chamber added fifty-eight new members,” said Darrell Cutts, president of Piedmont Fayette Hospital and Campaign Chair, during the TRC’s Victory Celebration luncheon held Thursday, October 28 at Glendalough Manor.

Additionally, the Total Resource Campaign teams sold thirty sponsorships for 2011 for Chamber publications as wide-ranging as the Chamber map, directory and Happenings E-zine. At least forty-four sponsorships were sold for events and programs including the Chamber’s Annual Meeting, Business After Hours, Partners in Education and others. The teams also achieved many in-kind contributions , as well as membership upgrades.

TRC Teams

“The success of this program is a result of the hard-working and enthusiastic Chamber member volunteers,” said Joe Domaleski, Chairman of the Board of the Fayette Chamber.

Four TRC Divisions, headed by Vice Chairs, Irene Edwards, Bank of North Georgia, Jim Fulton, Coldwell-Banker Bullard Realty, Mark Gray, State Farm Insurance and Pam Young, The Southern Conservation Trust, spread out across Fayette County to raise awareness of the Chamber’s extensive work with local businesses, as well as raise funds to help equip the Chamber for its 2011 efforts to continue to expand, improve and enhance the many valuable connections between businesses and the community.

During the high-energy TRC efforts, teams enjoyed a healthy and rigorous competition. Team number thirteen, “Lucky No. 13,” led by Steve McCullough, MacTees, soared to the top with the highest number of new Chamber memberships and other achievements, exceeding their goal by 220%.

Lucky No. 13 team members also included Sandy Sanders, Whitewater Creek Country Club, Pam Howland, Send Out Cards, and Marie Liang Schlosser, The Guide. Ms. Schlosser was also the Top Individual Producer of the TRC Campaign.

Team One, “The Exponentials,” lead by Robin North of diWebsite Management, exceeded their goal by 155%, bringing in the first new membership on kick-off day, among other achievements.

Additional Top Producing Teams included The Better Board Team, Coweta-Fayette EMC andPiedmont Fayette Hospital.

The other Top Overall Producers included Boni Blackstone, 92.5 The Bear; Peggy Thomas, Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services; Elaine Dingler, Fayette County Development Authority; Mary Ann Bell and Amy Lott, Coweta-Fayette EMC; Alice Muetzel and Vicki Kaiser, Piedmont Fayette Hospital; Dianne Burnsed, Georgia Power; Michael Lear, The Southern Federal Credit Union; Dan Vano, Heritage Bank; Vicki Turner, Turner Designs Concepts; and Marilyn Walker, Senior Helpers.

“The most compelling thing about the TRC effort for me was watching the Chamber volunteers and staff demonstrate ’Where Business and Community Connect’ in such personal ways,” said Gibbs. “We saw the dedication of so many business professionals connecting with each other, sharing the depth of ways the Chamber brings the business community together and makes a difference. In such a short period of time, we added a significant number of new, excited members and wonderful volunteers. In spite of the difficult economy, it is very gratifying to see the chamber grow and add to our capacity to provide needed tools and resources for our community.”

The Fayette Chamber plans a 2011 Total Resource Campaign. In the meantime, any business is welcome to contact the Chamber at any time regarding membership and many other opportunities by calling 770-461-9983 or going to www. FayetteChamber.org.

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Nine Fayette County Semifinalists Named in Scholarship Program

A total of nine seniors from McIntosh, Sandy Creek and Starr’s Mill high schools are among the 400 statewide selected as semifinalists in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Nationally, they make up the approximately 16,000 semifinalists who are competing in the 56th annual scholarship program. The 2011 semifinalists are (McIntosh High) Erika Burgess, Mary Cook, Matthew Dawson, Kathleen Newman, Robert Worley, Shiyi Zhang; (Sandy Creek) Poonim Daya; (Starr’s Mill High) Graham Bloomsmith, Justin Buchanan.

These academically talented high school seniors have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,400 Merit Scholarship awards worth more than $36 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and approximately half of the finalists will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners.

About 1.5 million juniors in nearly 22,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2011 National Merit Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance. The semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.

Merit scholarship winners of 2011 will be announced April-July.

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Votes Needed to Help Two Fayette Teachers Win Makeovers

Your vote could make a huge difference in the lives of two teachers at Whitewater High.

Math teacher Jacqueline Mullen and healthcare science teacher Julie Wolf have been chosen to represent Whitewater in THE STYLE upGRADE challenge that is being sponsored by The Avenue and Cousins Properties. The two teachers are among 10 from metro-Atlanta participating.

As part of its ongoing Partners in Education initiatives, The Avenue partnered with Whitewater and four other high school marketing departments to treat two teachers to a style makeover valued at over $1,000.

A total of 21 students in Krystin Glover’s Advanced Marketing class have been working with the shopping center on the project. Teachers were asked to submit self-nomination applications, and then each one was interviewed by a panel of students from the class using pre-determined questions from The Avenue. In order to be considered for the competition, nominees had to be a teacher, administrator or counselor. The two finalists were chosen based on their dedication to students and the teaching profession, who was the most deserving, and their personal story (both suffer from debilitating diseases, Wolf with fibromyalgia and Mullen has phenylketonuria or PKU).

Now the real competition begins. The two winners will be chosen based on who receives the most community votes. The marketing students have started a grassroots marketing plan within the school system to secure online votes for the two teachers, but they need everyone’s help to ensure that both Mullen and Wolf emerge as the winners.

Voters can go to www.thestyleupgrade.com to vote as many times as they want from now until midnight September 20. Voters will also be entered to win their own STYLE upGRADE, a $250 gift card to The Avenue retailer of their choice. All winners will be announced the week of September 21 on The Avenue Facebook page, www.facebook.com/shoptheavenue.

The teachers are not the only ones who stand to benefit from this experience. The marketing students are getting an invaluable opportunity to practice their skills in a real world setting.

“This has put the students in the highest level of marketing by not only learning the information, but also having to implement their ideas in the real world,” says Glover, Advanced Marketing teacher.

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Upcoming Chamber Expo Features Plenty of "Competitive" Opportunity!

While we may often think of "competition" as a negative word, when it comes to the upcoming 2010 Fayette Chamber of Commerce's COMMUNITY EXPO, "competition" is all about fun, the future, Fayette youth and yummy food! "There is pretty much something for everyone!" according to Virginia Gibbs, Fayette Chamber president. "This EXPO is by the Fayette community and for the Fayette community."

Junior Entrepreneur 2030 Competition

In conjunction with the 2010 Fayette Chamber’s Community Expo, the Young Professionals of Fayette County are hosting the first annual high school Junior Entrepreneur Competition in Fayette County. Winners of this exciting competition will be awarded prizes worth working for.

Sponsored by The Southern Federal Credit Union, the purpose of this competition is to encourage and recognize students who want to start their own businesses and improve the future of Fayette County. Students will create a business plan for a new business that would thrive in the year 2030. Participants will develop a structured business plan, as well as innovative ideas to launch and support such a business.

"This competition will give Fayette students an outlet to express their entrepreneurial and transformational ideas, organize them into a valid business plan, and help them learn the process involved in creating a successful start-up business," says, Sarah Smith of YP Fayette."

The drama of this competition is that students are required to challenge traditional business fundamentals and develop new ideas appropriate for a different kind of future. Student teams of one to three members will submit plans and also do an oral presentation. Submissions are due to the Chamber by September 1. Resources are available for participating students and further information is available via the Chamber's website.

Future Fayette—2030 Arts &Science Contest

Another exciting future-forward competition being held in conjunction with the Fayette Chamber Community Expo, and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Peachtree City, is a technology, arts and science contest for high schoolers. "Creating a Community Where Technology, Arts, Sciences and Social Innovation Connect" is the theme. High school students are challenged to portray a future-focused "smart community" via a project that is visionary and innovative in transforming Fayette County into a sustainable global, multi-cultural community.

Students may choose from categories such as Transportation, Energy, Water, Food, Technology, Quality of Life or Health. Up to five members may participate on a team. Many forms of media may be used to portray and explain this new type of Fayette community environment. Winning schools will receive $500. Each student on the Future Fayette 2030 Arts & Science overall winning team will receive a netbook computer. Category winners will receive recognition ribbons/certificates. Winning entries will be exhibited at the Community Expo and also at the Rotary Club's Dragon Boat Races and International Festival in September.

Wii Competition for Young and Old

Games2U is sponsoring a Wii competition for youth ages 5-18, seniors age 60 and above, and Fayette Chamber member company employees of any age. Get your game on for sixteen two-member teams that will duke it out in a single elimination competition of twenty minute game segments and a championship round. A grand prize and runner up prizes will be awarded. All competitions will take place at New Hope Baptist Church, North Campus, in Fayetteville during the Community Expo.

Best Booth and Platinum Plate

Traditional Fayette Community Expo competitions include an award for the exhibitor with the “Best Booth” and a “Platinum Plate” award presented by Dolce Atlanta Peachtree Conference Center for the Fayette business that presents the tastiest entries in the three categories of Small Bites, Drinks, and Desserts.

So, let’s see: Whether you’re young, old, smart, a great chef, business savvy, an entrepreneur, futuristic, artistic, techwise, a Wii buff, or most anything else, there’s pretty much every reason to visit the Fayette Chamber website so you won’t miss out on any registration dates for these worthy competitions. Visit www.FayetteChamber.org and click on the EXPO photo tab. And, mark down September 14 from 3pm to 7pm to be sure you don’t miss the Fayette Community Expo. In the spirit of healthy competition, let’s race each other to the calendar!---

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Fayette County School Bus Technician Top in State

One of the top 10 school bus technicians in Georgia helps maintain the Fayette County Public School System’s school bus fleet.

Lee Voyles placed seventh in the state at the fifth annual Georgia School Bus Technicians Competition held last month at North Georgia Technical College. The competition was held in conjunction with the 48th annual Georgia School Bus Technicians Workshop.

The competition consists of both a written examination and hands-on diagnostics. The written portion covers topics regarding electrical systems, brakes, engines, suspensions, drive trains and body systems. In the diagnostics portion, competitors troubleshoot and identify mechanical deficiencies in school bus components and systems. The competitor provides a detailed explanation of the cause of the specific defect or the proper techniques for correcting the defect.

The purpose of the competition is to help school bus technicians enhance their skills so that the safest school buses are utilized to transport children to and from school.

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Sandy Creek Students Nearly Sweep Writing Competition

Pictured (l-r) are Nia Decaille, English teacher Monica Dorner, Linda Wilkins, Principal Roy Rabold, Camara Carter and former Georgia School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

Three rising seniors at Sandy Creek High took the top three placements in the 14th Georgia History Day Essay Contest, nearly sweeping the entire competition sponsored by “Georgia Voyager” magazine and the Brunswick-Golden Isles Visitors Bureau.

The winners are (first place) Linda Wilkins; (second place) Nia Decaille and (third place) Camara Carter. Their winning essays will be published in the “Georgia Voyager” magazine. Over 2,000 Georgia students wrote essays on this year’s theme, “Georgia Authors.”

The winners were recognized at a special Georgia History Day ceremony held at the Georgia Department of Education in May. Awards are given to first, second, third and fourth place winners at the middle and high school levels. The competition is open to all Georgia students in grades 6-12.

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Booth Clinches Top Four Finish at National Science Competition

J.C. Booth Middle’s Science Olympiad team finished fourth in the nation at the National Science Olympiad competition held this past Saturday at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nationally revered as a tough competitor, the team has placed in the top 6 at the national competition for 12 years and has five first place victories to its name. Sixty 15-member teams from schools across the nation competed in the 26th annual event. There were 46 competition categories spanning the sciences from chemistry, biology and physics to engineering, robotics and astronomy.

The 22-member team consisting of five freshmen from McIntosh High, and five 8th graders, ten 7th graders, and two sixth graders from Booth earned five awards in event competitions. The awards and team members who earned them are as follows: first place in the Wright Stuff (model airplane flight) by Claire Worley, 9th grade McIntosh, and Dallin Murphy, 8th grade Booth; second place in Experimental Design by Andrew Perry, 9th grade McIntosh, Joey Buehler, 8th grade Booth, and Larkin Morris, 7th grade Booth; second place in Battery Buggie by Andrew Perry, 9th grade McIntosh and Michael Sweet, 9th grade McIntosh; second place Dynamic Planet by Jacob Wilson, 8th grade Booth, and Ryan Anderson, 7th grade Booth; and fourth place in Road Scholar (map reading) by Nick Chang, 9th grade McIntosh, and Joey Buehler, 8th grade Booth.

This year marked Booth’s 17th trip to the national competition. In order to get an invitation, a team must place first or second at the state competition. The Booth team won the state championship this year as it has done every year since 1999.

This also marked the first year that Tammy Pakulski served as the team’s official coach. Long-time science teacher Mary Wilde previously coached the team. She retired from teaching last year, but has remained involved with the team along with a number of other teachers and parents who also served as coaches.

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Fayette Student Science Projects Earn State Awards

Attempting to find solutions to some of the world’s scientific issues, Fayette County middle and high school students were recognized for their research at the 62nd Georgia Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Georgia.

Students who participated in the state fair earned the opportunity to compete by placing first in the regional competition. A total of 17 projects were advanced to the state level with 14 of them earning placements. By participating in science fairs, students learn how to isolate important problems and how to attack and solve problems all within the framework of organized, logical thought and study.

The following students earned placements at the state competition:

Junior Division: (First Place) Michael Koeing and Matthew Melatti, and Mamie Smith, all from Bennett’s Mill Middle; (Second Place) Helen Davidson, Flat Rock Middle; (Third Place) Matthew Harmon, Bennett’s Mill Middle, and Menaka Reddy, Fayette Middle; (Fourth Place) Monica Schwingshaki, Bennett’s Mill Middle.

Senior Division: (First Place) Jackie Roshelli and Cara O’Brien, both from McIntosh High, and Sonika Reddy, Fayette County High; (Second Place) Rebecca Otwell, and Omar Martinez and Landry Grymes, all from Fayette County High; (Fourth Place) Leslie Perez and Torie Legere, both from Starr’s Mill High, Sarika Reddy, Fayette County High, Hannah Feltner and Regan Chewning, both from Starr’s Mill High, and Tuure Pasto, Michael Martin and Sonya Jooma, all from Fayette County High.

Additionally, a special award from the University of Georgia Health and Sciences Institute was presented to Sonika Reddy of Fayette County High.

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Bus Driver Takes Top Spot in Local Roade-O

Transportation Director Michael Jennings congratulates first place winner Jimmy Poole.

Imagine steering a school bus in and out of five cones set at a close proximity and then doing it again, backwards, without stopping or bumping the markers. This and other grueling tests is what Jimmy Poole, driver of special needs bus #42, had to successfully complete to take first place in Fayette’s School Bus Roade-O competition last month.

Poole’s first place victory secures him a place in the statewide competition June 8 in Warner Robins. Joining him will be second place winner Kathy Warden and third place winner Sherry Harris.

Poole, who has been a driver for the school system for three years, said he did not expect to take first place. He credits trainers Kathy Warden and Michael Dixon, last year’s local winner and 10th place finisher at the state competition, with his win.

“I practiced the day before with the trainers. The first 5-6 times I went through the course, I knocked down cones and ran over tennis balls. I just listened to the trainers as they guided me on how to use the mirrors, properly apply the breaks and maneuver turns. I couldn’t have done it without them,” he says.

Poole, who is used to driving a smaller bus, had to use a regular size bus for the competition, making the event a bit more challenging for him than for other drivers. He says he is proud to have taken part in the event because it has sharpened his skills. Transportation Director Michael Jennings says skills improvement is exactly what the event is all about.

“This is our most realistic instructional tool available to improve driver skills. Safety competitions have proven to be one of the most effective instructional tools to improve a driver’s skills,” Jennings says.

When Poole is not driving he works in the school system’s bus shop cleaning and fueling buses. He says he could not have won the competition if the bus shop staff had not stepped in to give him the time off to practice.

“I have the utmost confidence in the safety of the buses that we send out. I see on a daily basis how hard these guys work to maintain our fleet. I want to thank them for covering for me so that I could do this,” Poole adds.

Michael Dixon, last year’s winner and owner of Dixon Vending, donated prize money for the top three finishers. Poole received $75, Warden $50 and Harris $25.

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