Captain Jeff Tucker Promoted to Deputy Chief The City of Canton Police Department recently promoted Captain Jeff Tucker to deputy chief. With more than three decades of dedicated law enforcement experience, Captain Tucker has exemplified outstanding leadership and commitment to public service."Captain Tucker's promotion to deputy chief is a testament to his unwavering dedication and exceptional leadership within our department. Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to innovation and excellence, and I have full confidence in his ability to continue serving our community with integrity and professionalism," said Chief Marty Ferrell.
Public Engagement Set for Safe Streets Program Cherokee County, along with the cities of Ball Ground, Canton, Holly Springs, and Woodstock, has begun the development of a Safety Action Plan in an effort to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on Cherokee County’s roadways.The plan is supported by the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a design services agreement with Pond & Company to prepare the action plan.Built on robust data analysis and public input, the plan will outline strategies for the county, cities, and key partners to work together to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the roadways throughout Cherokee County.A community survey is open at PlanningAtPond.com/cherokee_ss4a for community members to share their insights to help shape the plan. A map activity also is available on the website, allowing stakeholders to denote where they would like to see roadway safety improvements. The survey and map will remain open through the end of August.In addition to the survey and map activity options, comments can be shared directly with the Safety Action Plan Project Team via the plan website or by contacting Community Development Agency Director Brantley Day at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..The USDOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program includes grant funding for both planning and implementation projects. Action Plan grants assist communities that do not currently have a roadway safety plan in place to reduce roadway fatalities by laying the groundwork for a comprehensive set of actions. Implementation grants provide funding for communities to enact strategies and projects that will reduce or eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries.The Safety Action Plan will be developed through three major project phases. Public meetings will be held later this year coinciding with the completion of Phase 1: Data Collection and Existing Conditions Assessment (anticipated in August 2024) and Phase 2: Develop Action Plan (anticipated in November 2024). The final phase, Phase 3: Plan and Adopt, is expected to be completed in April 2025. Interim planning documents will be posted to the project website to keep the community informed of the process.
Two Unique Local Athletes Gain National Notoriety David Friedberg A record-breaking javelin throw in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) qualified Friedberg for the U.S. Olympic Trials. At the recent Berry Field Day Invitational in Rome, Georgia, he threw 76.08 meters, which equals nearly 250 feet. What’s unique about Friedberg? Until he attended Reinhardt University in Cherokee County (class of 2024), he had never touched a javelin.The 2024 Olympic Trials take place this month in Eugene, Oregon. Whether or not Friedberg makes it to the Paris Games in July, he already has his eye on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and plans to continue training. Debbie Blount On a beautiful morning this past April, Blount teed off in her final collegiate tournament. She competed in three full rounds over two days in the Appalachian Athletic Conference championship. What’s unique about Blount? At age 65, she’s the oldest competitive student-athlete in Reinhardt University's history, and she proudly represented RU on and off campus over the past four years.In her three years as an undergraduate (class of 2023 & 2024), Blount achieved a 4.0 GPA, won the nontraditional Student of the Year Award, and was featured by People magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, NBC, and 3rd Act magazine, to name a few. She humbly notes her proudest accomplishment as being awarded the Kim Moore Spirit Award from the Women's Golf Coaches Association in 2022.
Headliners for Canton’s River Rock Music Fest Announced On July 26 & 27, the City of Canton will take over the gorgeous riverside Etowah River Park for the two-day River Rock Music Fest — a weekend of music, food, and fun! Local country music artist Bryce Leatherwood, the winner of season 22 of The Voice, will hit the stage at 8:00pm on July 26. Popular 90s country music artist Mark Chestnutt will close out the Music Fest on July 27, by taking it back to the classics. Born and raised in Woodstock, Leatherwood competed on the NBC hit television show The Voice and was crowned the Season 22 winner. He has since moved to Nashville where he has been songwriting and recording for a project on Universal Music Group Nashville/Republic Records. His first single, "The Finger," is out now. Leatherwood continues to perform live shows, including opening several tour dates for Dwight Yoakum. Critics have hailed Chesnutt as a classic country singer of the first order. With 14 No. 1 hits, 23 top 10 singles, four platinum albums, and five gold records to his credit, Chesnutt marches on to preserve and honor the splendid works of the genre’s forefathers, George Jones and Waylon Jennings, to bring music from the honky tonks right back to where country music began. For more information or questions about River Rock Music Fest, visit ExploreCantonGA.com.
Canton’s City Engineer Named to Top 100 in Engineering Industry City of Canton City Engineer Bethany Watson was recently named as part of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Engineering in Georgia by Engineering in Georgia Magazine. She also recently celebrated a decade with Team Canton.Watson oversees capital improvement projects, water/sewer infrastructure, transportation, and land development. With more than 15 years of municipal engineering experience, she excels in securing grant funding, winning over $10 million in the last five years for diverse projects including transportation and park infrastructure. She spearheaded Canton’s inaugural sustainability initiative, the downtown parking deck, which features EV charging stations and a solar canopy to offset City Hall’s electricity costs.
Georgia Impact 2024 Season Kicks Off This Month Georgia Impact is a semi-professional women's soccer league team, sponsored by the City of Canton and Canton Tourism. The home field is at Cherokee HS, with the season running from June 1 through June 30. Cheer on these talented athletes at their four home games this season! Visit GaImpactWPSL.com for tickets.
Reinhardt University Women’s Lacrosse National Championship Victory The RU Eagles captured their first 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women’s Lacrosse National Championship title in Savannah, Georgia. With a final score of 18-10, they beat defending champions, Lawrence Tech. Head Coach Roy Reynolds received the NAIA Coach of the Year Award, and the NAIA named Shelby O’Neil (RU 2024) the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. O’Neil made the all-tournament team along with Jillian Mello (RU 2023 & 24), Anna Marie Gazzo (RU 2024), and Angela Sciacchitano (RU 2024).
Cherokee County School District Announcements 06-24 2024 Yes I Can Award Winners AnnouncedThe Yes I Can Awards celebrate the achievements of children and youth with exceptionalities. The awards encourage students to seek their highest potential and increase public awareness of the abilities, aspirations, and personal qualities of those with disabilities. Each CCSD elementary school is invited to select one student to receive the Yes I Can Award, based on achievement during the year in one or more of the following categories: academics, the arts, school and community, self-advocacy, and technology. This Year’s HonoreesAcademicsArnold Mill ES, Everett Hogan; Ball Ground ES STEM Academy, Merry Marbourg; Clark Creek ES STEM Academy, Faizaan Syed; Clayton ES, Paisly Williams; Free Home ES, Banks Alexander; Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy, Darwin Ambrocio Mendez; Indian Knoll ES, Jordan Lewis; Knox ES STEM Academy, JJ Reece; Little River ES, Ryan Nguyen; Macedonia ES, Adrian Shirling; Mountain Road ES, Mary Grace Richert; R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy, Cecilia Pineda-Jimenez; and Sixes ES, Caleb Ragan.ArtsAvery ES, Cara France.School and CommunityHickory Flat ES, Caroline Connor and Liberty ES, Ansley Winfield.Self-AdvocacyBascomb ES, Lilly Holsinger; Boston ES, William "Liam" Thompson; Carmel ES, Isaiah Law; Holly Springs ES STEM Academy, Olivia Croft; Johnston ES, Madison Byrd; Oak Grove ES STEAM Academy, Christopher Molino; and Woodstock ES, Avery Becker.Woodstock HS Students Place in International Engineering CompetitionFor the Real World Design Challenge (RWDC), Woodstock HS seniors Carson Bove, Camden Browning, and Mary Hogrefe designed an award-winning unmanned aircraft system to help mitigate wildfires. They are fourth-year students in the Career Pathway: Engineering and Technology program, led by teacher Melanie Salas.The competition follows the engineering design cycle, with teams required to design and plan using a real-world approach, including analyzing costs and efficiency. The team won the statewide competition in January and then advanced to the international competition to make their virtual presentation to a judging panel.Their winning entry created CRISPI: the Compact Robotic Imagery System for Preventing Infernos, a backpack-sized drone that acts as a fire lookout, environmental scientist, and wildfire specialist. Their 50-page entry demonstrated their design would be more than six times less costly than current systems in use as well as far more portable and efficient. The students all plan to pursue careers in engineering. Bove will study biomedical engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Browning will major in mechanical engineering with a specialty in robotics at the University of Florida; and Hogrefe will attend Kennesaw State University to study biochemistry.Mountain Road ES Students Win Top Prize at State Social Studies Fair The Georgia Council for the Social Studies organization presents the annual competition that offers participating students in grades 5-12 the opportunity to research and complete a project, individually or as part of a team. Project categories are anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology/psychology. Mountain Road fifth-graders Rachael Crachi and Aubrey Quinn earned the top prize of Best of Discipline honors in the history category for their “Apollo 13” project. Their teacher advisor for the competition was Anna Jurnack.Their entry was among CCSD’s top-scoring projects that advanced to regionals for the opportunity to move on to the state competition. CCSD students earned half the Northwest Georgia Region’s spots to advance to the state competition.Etowah HS Students Place in Statewide Architecture CompetitionTwo Etowah sophomores in the Career Pathway for Architectural Drafting and Design, Hannah Oduselu and Isaac Wood, won honors in the 2024 Atlanta American Institute of Architects High School Design Competition. The annual contest is considered the most prestigious competition in the state for high school architecture students. Students are tasked with creating a solution to specific problems using their creativity and architectural knowledge. The competition features two levels to accommodate students with different experience levels. All contest entries, which top 200 each year, are evaluated by professional architects and engineers. Wood earned second place and Oduselu earned Honorable Mention in the beginner category of the competition, which was open to ninth- and 10th-grade students. Their challenge was to design a butterfly conservatory for the Blue Heron Nature Preserve in Atlanta. The judges praised Wood’s design for featuring sculptural petals centered around the conservatory, calling it “elegant and captivating.” Oduselu’s entry earned specific praise for her butterfly wing entryway.The Career Pathways program at Etowah HS for Architectural Drafting and Design is led by teacher Lindsay Dean.Three Seniors Earn National Merit ScholarshipsLaura Hand of Creekview HS and Livana and Valor Lekas of Sequoyah HS are among the top 2,500 seniors in the U.S. who were awarded a $2,500 scholarship by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. They and their fellow Merit Scholar designees were selected from more than 15,000 finalists who made it through the initial rigorous selection process for the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Merit Scholars are selected based on their accomplishments, skills, and potential for college success. The selection committee is made up of college admissions officers and high school counselors who review records submitted by finalists and their high schools including difficulty of courses and grades earned, college-entrance exam scores, contributions and leadership in school and community activities, an essay written by the finalist, and a recommendation written by a high school official.Cherokee HS Student Earns Georgia Award of ExcellenceSenior Reid Glover earned the award presented by the Georgia Department of Education to recognize graduating students who overcome special needs to achieve academic and/or extracurricular accomplishments.Reid’s teachers praise his dedication to learning, especially his talents for writing and visual art. He has excelled in art classes of increasing challenge, culminating in his participation this year in Advanced Placement (AP) 2D Art. He’s a member of the Ambassador Club, Art Club, and National Art Honor Society.Creekview HS Student Advances to National Business Skills CompetitionSenior Olivia Canada earned first place in the job interview contest at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state leadership conference recently held in Atlanta. She now advances to the national FBLA competition in Orlando this summer.This is Canada’s second state championship win in a job interview skills contest. She previously earned first place in the contest at the DECA Student Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship Association’s state conference and advanced to international competition. Teacher Chris Jeffreys is the sponsor of the school’s FBLA chapter.
Cherokee County School District Announcements Students Selected for Governor's HonorsThe statewide summer honors program for Georgia’s top rising high school juniors and seniors offers four weeks of college-level instruction at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. Students are selected based on overall excellence in academics, extracurricular activities, and leadership as well as exceptional skills and talents in a specific area of study. Those tapped for the competitive program receive academic instruction in a specific area of study as well as cultural and social enrichment focused on helping them become the “next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders.” Etowah HS- Alexis Cua, Engineering DesignWoodstock HS - Katie Bean, Visual Arts; Caroline Toole, Communicative Arts__________________Five Students Advance to State Writing Competition The annual Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition is open to students in grades kindergarten through 12 and provides an opportunity for schools to encourage writing in a variety of genres. Each CCSD school submits a top entry for each grade level to compete at the district level. District first-place winners then advance to the regional North Georgia Regional Education Service Agency contest for the opportunity to compete statewide.These CCSD students won first place in the regional competition and are advancing to the state competition: Grade 1 - Eve Alsobrook of Clayton ES for “The Lost Dog”Grade 2 - Wren Argo of Boston ES for “My Sport in Time”Grade 5 - Elli White of Clark Creek ES STEM Academy for “Reflection Collection”Grade 8 - Ellie Cosgrove of Woodstock MS for “Excerpt from ‘To the Stars’”Grade 9 - Monica Ramirez of River Ridge HS for “I Admire the Leaves”__________________Whitney Morberg Named 2024 Counselor of the Year An 18-year school counselor and three-time Innovation Zone Counselor of the Year award winner, Morberg has served at Etowah HS for the past decade. She’s known for her expertise in guiding students to college acceptance and scholarship wins, but she’s equally known for her efforts to provide students access to career success (even coordinating students’ transportation to advanced training programs and assisting with applications), and her ability to support students experiencing emotional or mental health crises. She also serves on CCSD’s crisis team made up of the district’s most experienced counselors and uses her extensive training to respond to schoolwide crises, such as the death of a student or teacher, as well as to crises in individual students’ and colleagues’ lives.
Burn Ban Now In Effect Each summer, an outdoor burn ban takes effect in 54 Georgia counties including Cherokee County. The burn ban is in effect from May 1-September 30, 2024. The ban prohibits citizens and businesses from burning yard- and land-clearing debris during this period. This is in addition to the rule that prohibits the burning of household garbage, which is never allowed in Georgia.More information can be found on the Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services website at CherokeeCountyFire.com.
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