When 35 year-old Henry County native Dave Womack won the 2006 U.S. Mid Amateur Championship in Flagstaff, buy shop Arizona, buy it set the stage for him to achieve what most golfers can only dream about……to play in the Masters. (Augusta National Golf Course invites the winner of the Mid Amateur Championship to participate in the Masters Golf Tournament.) So, in 2007 Dave headed to Augusta. “That first drive down Magnolia Lane was an awesome experience and one of my greatest memories,” he says. Dave tells of staying at the Crow’s Nest, a place where golfing legends like Jack Nicklaus...
The Thrill of Barrel Racing
Most of us have experienced the thrill of riding a roller coaster. We begin by anxiously waiting in line anticipating the excitement of the park attraction. When it’s our turn, we slide into the cockpit-like seat and get locked in with a padded lap bar, implicitly warning us of the impending danger. Finally, the car jolts forward and we begin the slow, rhythmic incline until we reach the crest of the hill and begin accelerating downward. With white knuckles we hold on for a harrowing 45 seconds as we traverse hills, valleys, and turns until the tracks lead us back...
Soaring With Eagles
As parents, we understand there is much more to life than just what is taught within the four walls of a classroom. It is the practical application of what we learn that allows the educational process to become so much more than just a degree. Things like teamwork, readiness, organization and leadership often never get developed properly without having a means of practical application. So parents help their children choose activities like, dance, soccer, softball, baseball and music to help them experience life outside the classroom. Another activity that may not get the same mainstream recognition is Boy Scouts; but...
Farguson School – Building Community
Great buildings that endure have strong foundations. So it is with great communities too. Henry County is fortunate to have a large population of foundation citizens who have invested their entire lives in fostering a strong sense of community – even when challenged by rapid population expansion and changing cultural norms. For many of these local patriots, their experience began decades ago when they attended grammar schools at small – one, two or three room – buildings located in their farming neighborhoods. Unless you live in town, you likely reside in one of these small communities whose identity has faded...
Personal Education
When a person decides their career lies in the field of education, there is really only one intention driving that decision for their life. Their focal point revolves around helping children. It does not matter if the help is academic, social, or about life in general. In the end, all three aims will be realized at some point through the course of their career. And it really doesn’t matter what educational level those students are on or how many are under a teacher’s guidance at a given time. The goal of taking a child from point A to point B...
Inspired by a Babe and a Book
It’s race day. The runners step up to the line. They pause to reflect on the hurdle’s of life they have leaped in preparation for this race. The sound of their own breath becomes increasingly audible as they attempt to clear their mind and focus on the race at hand. The starting pistol sounds. Swiftly the runners eject from the starting line with no other thought than to perform their best. As an experienced runner, Amy Waggoner knew this feeling all too well; but in 2009 circumstances placed her in the ready position at a starting line of a different...
All the World’s a Stage…. but Henry is Home
Coming back to Eagles Landing Christian Academy [ELCA] was a no-brainer for India. She wasn’t coming to get an education; instead it was time to give back and help others reach the spotlight. India Scandrick has been shining under the spotlight for many years even though she is only nineteen. Before she could graduate from ELCA, India was chosen to perform in The Lion King on Broadway which required her to relocate to New York. However, her time at ELCA from 3rd to 7th grade left a deep impression on India and she is thrilled to be able to impart...
Academy Theater in Stockbridge
Have you ever thought of drama as just a cluster of communication? I hadn’t until Robert Drake broke down the art of acting. When most of us go to the movies or theater for entertainment, we don’t realize we are listening to a mass of choreographed communications. From the writer of the screenplay, to the brightness of the stage lights, to the method of acting — we are interpreting an ensemble of communication. Robert Drake is the artistic director of Academy Theater in Stockbridge. Drake has done extensive renovations on the theater, which is the former First State Bank building....
Creativity Canned
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The oft-repeated idiom aptly applies to a group of talented students and their teacher at Henry County Middle School. In Melissa Wood’s art class, nothing goes to waste. Some of the most interesting pieces are composed of items once discarded as something to be picked up on the weekly garbage route. Egg cartons, pizza and cereal boxes, soda cans, scrap lumber, old textbooks – you name it and it is probably being used by students in the class in a creative way. This all started as a way to save money in light...
Game Changer
Meet Marnie Hornsby, 39, a multi-sport athlete and Olympian. She is the reigning silver medalist champion in Alpine Skiing earned at this year’s 2013 Special Olympics World Games held in Pyeongchang, Korea. Although Marnie has competed in a variety of sports [softball, bocce ball, equestrian, tennis and volleyball], the 2013 games were her first foray into international competition, and her first time traveling abroad. “Being in a foreign country was an interesting experience and I’m glad that I went,” she said. As you might expect from a professional athlete, Marnie comes across confident, social, and engaging as she discusses her...