Sometimes the youngest among us can solve big problems. One such problem is social isolation among older adults. It is estimated that 43 percent of seniors experience some form of social isolation and this percentage is expected to continue to grow as Baby Boomers age over the next two decades. Regardless of whether seniors are living independently at home or living in a community setting with other seniors, they are often isolated from the fast paced world around them because of cultural changes and limits or constraints they face. In an effort to keep social isolation from happening, intergenerational programs...
Getting Ahead with Dual Enrollment
Getting on with life Teens earning a two-year college degree, even before leaving high school Finish high school and then go to college: It’s been the way of our education system for decades. But, like many other parts of life, the way children are being educated is changing, especially for high school students in Henry County. Since its opening in fall 2009, Henry County Schools’ Academy for Advanced Studies has served students from high schools across the county participating in the school system’s dual enrollment program. The program offers students the opportunity to complete credits needed to graduate high school...
Aiming to Succeed
“Leaving your mark” – it’s an expression often used to inspire students to achieve great things in all they do. The expression is literal when it comes to the exceptional archery team at Hickory Flat Charter Elementary. The group is making many across the region take notice with their strong performances in just their second year of competition. Coach Stuart Phillips, physical education instructor for the conversion charter school on Brannan Road in McDonough, said he has a select group of students who are taking aim at high achievement levels – and achieving them. “We started this back in 2013,”...
Grief Is The Price Of Love
Feisty and spirited are two words used often to describe Terry Milling. While these are true, Terry was also a girl, the youngest of three daughters, who just wanted to live life. She wanted to go to school, enjoyed playing soccer and loved to paint. Terry had a style all her own – shoes were meant to be colorful and funky. And, like most other young girls, Terry had a dream of what she wanted to be when she grew up. Terry hoped to become a pediatric oncologist. She wanted to help other children like her. In the...
Robo-Writer
(Local 3rd Grade student has“itch” for inventing robots and writing books) By JD Hardin As far back as many of us can recall, we have at one time or another thought about the world with robots all around us. Whether these robots were human-like or merely made our lives easier, there was an invention smart enough to help us with normal tasks. Some individuals had that image or idea shaped by shows like “The Jetsons,” while the younger generations can envision robots in different forms thanks to more modern television shows and movies. Better yet, younger generations have a lot...
How Safe are Your Kids?
Growing up in McDonough, sildenafil I spent most of my childhood outdoors. I couldn’t wait to get home from school to go splash in the creek or build a new fort with my neighborhood friends. We had a simple set of rules that included being home before the street lights came on, buy and always using your manners when you trampled through the neighbor’s house for lunch. Our parents all knew each other and their biggest concerns were ticks, snakes, and broken bones. I still call McDonough home, but the sense of peace in the neighborhood has drifted off ....
Before It’s All Said and Done…
“I’m going to make the Olympic Team before it’s all said and done…” These words started Doug Gjertsen’s journey, buy sickness and they were spoken when he was a 14-year-old boy. When it was said and done, physician he did become an Olympic Gold Medalist. He made the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, not once but twice, and joined an exclusive group of United States athletes who have won a gold medal and got to stand on the top step of the podium. Those words became his mission statement. He predicted his own future and became a member of Team USA!...
Like A Boss
…Do you have days when you feel out of control? …Moments when you aren’t really sure you will be able to keep yourself from yelling at the person who just cut you off? …Or throwing something away that you just can’t seem to get right? …What if for no reason you just banged your head against the wall; and out of the blue, you’re twitching so badly that those around you think you are having a seizure? Now the last two seem unreasonable to us — controllable. But for someone with Tourette’s Syndrome, they are a way of...
Tan Your Hide
Each year a surprisingly large number of American alligators invade the Southern Crescent. From the swamps of Louisiana and Florida, these ancient predators crawl from their watery home and travel through our fair community on their way to destinations around the world, like trekkers who endure a lay-over while venturing to an international appointment. Have no fear. Governmental authorities welcome this migration into our area. The instigator of the onslaught is a local company with a history of introducing creatures from the wild to folks who are much more comfortable fighting traffic than hunting game. Tucked away in...
Civil Air Patrol
In the summer of 2009, Marybeth Leavell was working as the Executive Director of Forest Park Street School (FPSS). During a meeting, Leavell had the opportunity to meet Col. Bracewell, who happened to be active duty military and a member of Civil Air Patrol (CAP). As they discussed the different opportunities that FPSS had to offer, he asked if they had a JROTC program. Being such a small school, they were not able to meet the requirements for JROTC, so he asked her about starting a CAP unit. She laughed as she shared the experience because she said she had...