Franky Carroll was recently named a District winner in the 24th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) High School Art Contest. A junior at Sequoyah High School, Carroll received $100 for being the top winner from the GFB 1st District, which consists of fifteen counties in Northwest Georgia. Drawings were judged on artistic merit and how well the artwork represented Georgia agriculture. The contest, sponsored by Georgia Farm Bureau, was open to any Georgia high school student in grades 9-12.

After 23 years at Sequoyah High School, Chief Master Sgt. (Ret) John Futral retired as an Air Force JROTC instructor. Hundreds of past students, friends, and colleagues honored Futral earlier this summer at a retirement party that celebrated his lifetime of service.

Futral became an AFJROTC instructor in 1993 and came to Sequoyah when the unit opened in 1995. Over the years, he inspired students to lead by example, live a life of service, and become better citizens.

I am so proud of each of you, Futral said to his former students. It never mattered to me what you chose as a career, only that you did it well. You became everything that I knew you could be.

Hanna Palmer earned the Award of Excellence for Apparel & Accessories Marketing at the 2018 DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta. The conference was the pinnacle of competition for the student marketing association, where more than 19,000 students from around the world vied for international honors.

Hanna serves as the vice president of hospitality officer for Georgia DECA, and she competed at the local, regional, and state level before achieving her international honor. The career organizations competitions simulate real-life business scenarios and test students academic understanding and skills development.

The four-week summer instructional program at Berry College for rising high school juniors and seniors is designed to provide students with the academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders. Students live and study on the campus in Rome from June 17 to July 14.

Students apply for a specific area of study and are screened and interviewed locally and at the state level as part of the selection process for the prestigious program. The following students were selected for this honor:

Cherokee HS
Jacqueline Johnson
Communicative Arts

Creekview HS
Adam Morrison
Theatre

Riley Ortega
Music

Nathanael Seman
Music

Sequoyah HS
Brae Davies
Mathematics

Olivia Goss
Communicative Arts

Marko Petrovic
World Languages

Recently, the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Education Committee presented its 2018 Excellence in Partners In Education (PIE) Awards.

The award winner for Elementary School with Small Sized Business or Organization partnership was Jan Rooney - State Farm Insurance Agency with Free Home Elementary. As a current business owner and a former school teacher, Jan has a heart for educating students. As a member of the Free Home Elementary School Council, Jan lends her expertise to offering solutions and ideas for pressing needs within the school. She often begins filling needs before the school even asks. Jan is a critical part of the kindness initiative at Free Home and has a positive character program called Cool 2 Be Kind. In addition to being a spelling bee judge and Read Across America participant, Jan sponsored students at Christmas and reached out to her business contacts who sponsored students as well. Jan also shows her appreciation to the teachers by delivering goodie bags throughout the year, and she caters a lunch during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Other winners included the following:

Elementary School with Medium/Large Sized Business or Organization Partnership - Rotary Club of Canton with Canton Elementary STEM Academy

Middle/High School with Small Sized Business or Organization Partnership - Allegro Business Products with Freedom Middle School

Education Centers Partnership - City of Holly Springs with L.R. Tippens Education Center

The International Center for Leadership in Education has named CCSD an Innovative District for 2018 one of only eleven school districts in the nation to be recognized.

Selection is based on criteria including substantive, data-validated, student academic growth; a strong learning-centered culture; and dedication to transforming instruction to best serve students needs today and in the future.

Dr. Hightower said Chief Academic Officer Dr. Nicole H. Holmes and Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Keith Bryant have played important leadership roles in CCSDs success.

Its a challenge to take a high-performing school district and identify how to further improve teaching and learning, and its an ever-greater challenge to get buy-in from your organization that change is needed, he said. Theyve succeeded at both.

Creekview High School recently took home the top prize at the worlds largest and most competitive student rocketry contest The Team America Rocketry Challenge. The students from Creekview will now represent the United States at the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show outside of London in July, facing off against teams from the U.K., France, and Japan.

Creekview Highs Aeronautics Team is in its ninth consecutive year of national qualifying, with Captain Braden Dodge, Elijah Alcivar, Kennedy Hugo, Ryan Lamazarez, Aiden McChesney, Warren Teachworth, and Chris Youngblood continuing the legacy along with sponsor Creekview HS teacher Tim Smyrl.

• Mazzato will be locating at 190 E. Main St. and taking 6,100 sq. ft. of restaurant space. The contemporary Peruvian establishment is expected to open in late June. It will also feature Asian and American dishes.
• Redevelopment plans have been submitted for more retail, restaurant, and residential development in the former Canton Textile Mills by Penn Hodge Properties for the thirty-plus acre site along the Etowah River.
• Construction continues on two additional floors that will add eight new patient beds at Northside Hospital - Cherokee. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by November. After investment in the new beds, plus additional parking, Northside Hospital - Cherokees campus will have a total of 126 beds and around 1,500 parking spaces.
• Progress is underway for the mixed-use development project at the intersection of Academy Street and Main Street in downtown Canton. One of the more visible incoming businesses is Panera Bread. Panera will also feature a drive-thru.

Are you an entrepreneur or know of any entrepreneurs wanting to share their business concept with the community? 1 Million Cups Cherokee is a joint program between the cities in Cherokee County, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, and Reinhardt University that meets bi-monthly as a platform for entrepreneurs to engage and connect with the community. Please visit 1MillionCups.com/cherokee for more information.

The Reinhardt University Mens Lacrosse team captured back-to-back national titles by defeating the Madonna (MI) Crusaders 8-7 in overtime in the 2018 NAIA Mens Lacrosse National Invitational.

Wow, it doesnt get any better than that! We were down again by four goals in the second half, and my guys refused to lose, Head Coach John Snow said. We continued to fight like we always do and showed the heart of a champion. We always preach play Reinhardt Lacrosse for sixty minutes, and eventually, we will find a way to win. And we did. To come back and win the national championship in sudden death overtime against an undefeated (22-0) team, is epic a total team effort and well deserved. We showed unbelievable resilience and grit, and I couldnt be more proud of my guys!