The Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Foundation for Agriculture is offering $58,000 in scholarships to Georgia students pursuing a degree in agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences, or a related field.

Scholarships will be awarded in the following categories:

Scholarship for Agriculture This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enter a college that is part of the University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College, or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an agriculture program during the 2019-20 academic year. Applicants must pursue an undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences, or a related agricultural field. The GFB Foundation will award five scholarships of $3,000 each and seven scholarships of $1,500 each.

Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enroll in a Georgia accredited technical college and major in an area of agriculture or an agriculture-related field of study. The GFB Foundation will award five scholarships of $1,000 each.

Rising College Junior/Senior Scholarship for Agriculture This scholarship is for college students who have at least two semesters of college work remaining to complete an undergraduate degree from a unit of the University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College, or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an agriculture program. Applicants must be majoring in agriculture and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences, or an agriculture-related field. The GFB Foundation will award 10 scholarships of $2,000 each.

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship This scholarship is for students currently enrolled in the UGA Veterinary Medicine program, specializing in large animal/food animal practice. The GFB Foundation will award three scholarships of $2,500 each.

In May 2020, Cherokee County Farm Bureau will award two $1,075 college Scholarships to two Cherokee County high school seniors who are pursuing an agriculture degree.

The scholarship deadline is March 1. Visit GFB.ag/19scholarships for further information and to apply. Transcripts and letters of recommendation may be submitted online with the application. The scholarship recipients will be announced in spring 2020.

Officials with the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) recently honored lifelong horsewoman Sunny Stevens of Ball Ground with the Jane Marshal Dillon lifetime achievement award at the organizations annual convention in Denver, Colorado. The award was created to recognize equestrians who have devoted their lives to teaching and mentoring riders in the hunter/jumper riding discipline.

Stevens, owner of Stevehaven Stables, has been involved in the sport for more than 50 years and has been based out of several farms in north Fulton and Cherokee County. She has focused her time on teaching, coaching, and developing students into well-rounded horse people. Throughout her career, Stevens has helped to improve countless riders while providing them with a positive experience in the show ring and beyond, as they progress from novice to national level riders.

Residents play a significant role in contributing to the quality of life in Cherokee County. For this reason, the Cherokee Sheriffs Office (CSO) recently recognized Denver Peardon and Rebecca Johnston as Outstanding Cherokee County Citizens.

Denver Peardon has worked to bridge the differences that separate people and to improve the quality of life in Cherokee. He has also strived to preserve the military history of our community by writing a book that recounts the experiences of 13 World War II veterans, and he has raised money for disabled veterans by traveling to 400 locations to display a collection of military memorabilia in a mobile museum.

Rebecca Johnston has made a difference in the lives of many in Cherokee by devoting her time, talents, and compassion to projects and activities that improve the lives of her fellow citizens. Johnston has written two books about Cherokee County and has served as member of the press corps covering local news for more than 20 years. She has served as president of the Cherokee County Historical Society, member of the Cherokee Board of Trustees for the Sequoyah Regional Library System, member of the Service League of Cherokee County, and chairwoman of the Canton Downtown Development Authority.

The Cherokee Chamber of Commerce recently named Angie King with Killian Automotive its Chairmans Council Volunteer of the Quarter for fourth quarter 2019. In determining the Volunteer of the Quarter, attendance at Chamber events is evaluated for all Chairmans Council members.

Angie is a committed volunteer who gives 100% to the Chamber and its programs, said John Barker, Chamber board chair.

For information on the Cherokee County Chamber and its programs, visit CherokeeChamber.com.

A community volunteer, former educator, and the 39th annual First Citizen of Cherokee County, Canton resident Joan McFather recently passed away.

McFather taught English for 30 years at Cherokee High School and devoted thousands of hours to community service through dozens of organizations, for which she won countless awards.

Her many volunteer efforts and community service work benefited organizations such as the Service League of Cherokee County, Cherokee FOCUS, Cherokee Arts Center, Cherokee Chamber of Commerce,Juvenile Court Citizens Review Panel, the Cherokee Community Chorale, Cherokee County Retired Educators Association, Sequoyah Regional Library board, Reinhardt University/Funk Heritage Center, and the Cherokee County Master Gardeners, among others.

Freedom Middle Schools Maria Rogers has been named the Cherokee County School Districts Outstanding Paraprofessional Award winner of the year.

This newly established honor, which will be presented annually to one paraprofessional working in a special education classroom, is in recognition of Rogers excellent service to students and support of colleagues.

Thank you, Maria, for all of the love that you give daily to the students and staff at Freedom Middle School, Special Education Executive Director Charlette Green said. Cherokee County School District is honored to have you as part of our family!

Cherokee County School Districts third annual Volunteer Instructional Leadership Learning Academy (VILLA) saw record participation this year.

The award-winning parent academy program began two years ago as a pilot initiative developed with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) and with the support of Cherokee County School Board Chair Kyla Cromer. The program recently won GSBAs Leading Edge Award, which recognizes innovative practices by governance teams and school districts.

In response to the programs popularity, a morning session and an evening session were offered to expand enrollment, with 37 parents completing the program and graduating at the school boards November meeting.

We greatly appreciate the growing number of parents who want to learn more about our school district, and how they can better support our schools and our students, Cromer said. Parent engagement is critical to our success, and the school board and I see VILLA as an important way for us to foster that engagement.

VILLA is a free six-week program that offers participants the opportunity to learn more about public schools in their community. Topics including school operations, governance, funding, and accountability are covered in classes presented by CCSD staff, with question-and-answer sessions offered by the school board and school superintendent. Participants also take part in field trips to schools. The program concludes with a dinner and graduation ceremony.

Class size is limited, with participants selected by application (the 2020 application window will begin in May). Classes are held in the fall with graduation in November.

VILLA Class of 2019 includes Kari Armstrong, Amanda Bailey, Nicole Balejcsik, Dina Beeler, Jennifer Benns, Kim Beumel, Julie Carter, Bonnie Clark, Heather Crachi, Ashley Nettles Davey, Lynn Epps, Ashley Frey, Scott Grayson, Suzy Griffies, Amanda Griffin, Antoniqua Harris, Michelle Jones, Amy Kuleszynski, Alicia Lakhansingh, Heather Lawless, Audrey Legrand, Bob McNally, Angela Milko, Patricia Mwisa-Okoth, Kelly Nagel, Staci Powell, James Pugh, Jr., Kathy Sanders, Chanda Schwab, Megan Sparger, Scott Steinbrenner, Heather Stray, Anna Tang, Erin Thomas, Jennifer Ward, Tara Watkins, and Heather Zambrano.

Creekview High School sophomore Callahan Pace is one of only eight high school students from across the state selected to serve on the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) Youth Advisory Council.

The Youth Advisory Council was established to give Georgia high school students the opportunity to provide meaningful input to school board members through meetings that culminate in recommendations on topics ranging from academic programs to school climate. The application process is open each February to students statewide.

Were so proud of Cal for this honor and know he will represent Creekview and CCSD with excellence and pride, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. Our school board greatly values student input, and we look forward to hearing what he and his fellow student leaders share with GSBA through their service on the Council.

Through their service, Youth Advisory Council members also enhance their leadership and public speaking skills and improve their school community, with a focus this year on topics including school climate and safety, students social and emotional needs, and college and career opportunities.

Cherokee County School District (CCSD) recently held its first student video PSA contest to raise awareness about the dangers of vaping. More than 60 students in grades 6-12, working individually or on teams, created and entered short public service announcement-style videos to educate their classmates.

Entries were judged on message, quality, and creativity. The initial announcement of the contest called for one winner to receive $500, sponsored by the Service League of Cherokee County. Due to the strong response and outstanding quality of entries, two runners-up also were named, and each received a $100 Amazon gift card funded by CCSD partner donations.

The overall winner was Chloe Feibus, a seventh grader at Creekland Middle School. The runners-up were Alicia Mazzurra, a senior at River Ridge High School, and Casten Augustine, an eighth grader at E.T. Booth Middle School.