Two Grace Classical Academy students recently scored gold medals, placing first at the 2016 National History Day competition in Washington D.C. Mercy Koehler, age 15, and Devin Snyder, age 16, teamed up to write and perform a play on Mary Musgrove (17001767), a biracial, Creek Indian Princess. Koehler and Snyder placed first nationally in the Senior Performance Category on National History Day at the University of Maryland near Washington D.C.

Cherokee County School District students who plan to be educators and attend Reinhardt University will be the recipients of a scholarship thanks to those who have devoted their lives to teaching.

The Cherokee Retired Educators Association made a generous donation of $2,500 to Reinhardt University President Dr. Kina Mallard to be awarded to a CCSD graduate who attends Reinhardt Universitys Price School of Education.

For the past 13 years, the retired educators association has provided scholarships to students attending Reinhardt University. The first donation when the scholarship was created was $500, and it has steadily increased over the years.

Major Buster Cushing of the Cherokee Sheriffs Office recently spent two weeks in Israel for training in the latest counterterrorism techniques and technologies by that countrys top police professionals.

Cushing was a member of a delegation of police chiefs, sheriffs, a Georgia commissioner and an inspector from various public safety and law enforcement agencies who participated in the 24th Annual Peer-To-Peer Public Safety Training Program, organized by the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE).

Fifteen Georgia delegates were joined by law enforcement leaders from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department in New York and police departments in Alabama and Washington.

Georgias Attorney General, Sam Olens, emphasized the trainings importance to Georgia communities when he stated, The training received in Israel and their ability to deal with high-pressure situations will be valuable for day-to-day situations. There is so much we can learn to be that beacon on the hill again.

GILEE, a research unit of Georgia State Universitys Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, improves public safety by enhancing inter-agency cooperation and educational training among law enforcement communities by offering best practices and sources of excellence in a peer-to-peer environment. It was founded as a joint program between the University and Georgias law enforcement community by Director Robert Friedmann, Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice.

The 2016 GA Music Awards ceremony was recently held at the Grand Opera House in Macon, GA. Cherokee Countys Andrea Coburn Band won the award for Best Americana/Bluegrass Band. The nomination and win was a first for the band.

The Andrea Colburn Band (ACB) has been busy since forming in early 2015. They have played at some of the best music venues in Atlanta, such as the Earl and Smiths Olde Bar, and have opened for heavy hitters like Shooter Jennings and the Waymores Outlaws, the Deslondes and Kim Lenz and the Jaguars. Their debut album, Sad Songs & Switchblades, has already received rave reviews in Creative Loafing Atlanta and Country Music People UK since its release earlier this year. ACB is Andrea Colburn on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Christopher Salmon plays banjo and fiddle, Nate Elliscu plays the mandolin, Robert Green is on the upright bass and Zack Smith is on drums.

You can catch the Andrea Colburn Band at Smiths Olde Bar on July 9th. For more information on the band or to purchase their music, visit AndreaColburn.com/, Facebook.com/andreacolburnmusic/ or CDBaby.com/cd/andreacolburn.

The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce recently recognized the 2016 group of Cherokee Countys Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch.

The Top 10 in 10 initiative is designed to cultivate and showcase exceptional Cherokee County young professionals, said Pam Carnes, Chamber President and CEO. This recognition program focuses on Cherokee County residents under age 40, who are considered to be Cherokee Countys up-and-coming leaders over the next 10 years.

We were extremely pleased with the number and caliber of candidates for this years recognition. Far more than 10 nominees were submitted. Each application was carefully reviewed by a panel of judges that found the task of only choosing ten honorees challenging, shared Chamber Board Chairman Steve Garrison, owner of Canton Tire & Wheel. Judging criteria included past professional achievements and awards, 5-10 year professional goals as well as the nominees volunteer and community activities.

Ten police officers are now mandated after recently graduating from Reinhardt Universitys Police Academy. Several leave the Academy with employment opportunities at locations such as the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office and the Winder Police Department.

The Police Academy at Reinhardt University is certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) and meets at the North Fulton Center in Alpharetta. The Academy boasts a 96% employment rate, based on 2015 graduates. In 2014, 89% of its graduates had employment secured by graduation.

The high employment rate of Academy graduates is partly attributed to the Academys entrance standards and rigorous pre-service screening process. All POST-certified academies require pre-service applicants to undergo a background investigation, interview process, fingerprinting and medical evaluation, said Police Academy Director Trey Drawdy. Reinhardt Academy students are held to a higher standard in that they must also meet University admissions requirements, undergo psychological screening and submit to a polygraph examination before a final admissions decision is made.
We are an evening and weekend Academy that allows individuals to pursue certification in a non-traditional format, Drawdy continued. Our unique scheduling is attractive to individuals who are seeking a pathway into law enforcement, but cannot leave their full-time jobs to attend training on a full-time schedule. In addition, Academy students earn academic credits towards the award of a college degree through the program.

Those who choose to pursue a four-year degree are appropriately guided to one of Reinhardts advantage degree completion programs. Because the program is tied to academic programming, qualified individuals may utilize financial aid to assist with tuition costs.

Applications are being accepted for spring 2017. For more information, visit Reinhardt.edu/working_adults/Public-Safety-Institute/Police-Academy.

The City of Holly Springs is proud to announce that it has received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its 2016 budget. City Manager/Finance Director Robert H. Logan was presented with the award, along with a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation.

From GFOA, The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entitys budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device. The City of Holly Springss 2016 budget received a rating of proficient in all four of the listed categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories.

The City also received this award for its 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 budgets.

Michael Gustafson recently became the first Boy Scout in Cherokee County to ever earn all the merit badges that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) offers. Currently, there are only 136 merit badges. But in addition to those 136 badges, Michael also earned the only 4 historical merit badges earned in 2010, and he earned a computers merit badge before it became digital technology. So Michael has 141 total merit badges. There have only been 7 other Boy Scouts in Georgia to ever accomplish this goal in the past 100 years, and no Boy Scout in Cherokee County has ever accomplished this feat. Judge Frank C. Mills was Michaels first merit badge counselor in swimming in 2009, and he recently presented Michael with his 141st merit badge at the Boy Scout Court of Honor at the Cherokee Arts Center. To understand how rare it is for a Boy Scout to accomplish this, there are only about 2 or 3 Boy Scouts in the U.S. who reach this goal each year.

The University was honored as R.M. Moore Elementary Schools Partner in Education of the Year and the Reinhardt University Football Team and head coach, Drew Cronic, were awarded Partner in Education of the Year for Clayton Elementary School.

Molly Johnston of Ball Ground, GA has been selected to compete in the Fort Worth Extreme Mustang Makeover held in Fort Worth, TX. Molly will have approximately 100 days to gentle a randomly assigned, wild horse and compete for cash and prizes.

Molly is a 7th grade honor roll student at Teasley Elementary, and she loves riding and training horses. Her love for horses began when she started volunteering at Trinity Horse Rescue in Acworth.

The mustangs competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover challenge, which were virtually untouched prior to being picked up by the contestants, will compete in Fort Worth in September. The youth, ages 8-17, and the mustangs will compete in a series of classes that will showcase their new skills. The horses will compete in handling and conditioning, leading trail and a freestyle class. Event information about the Fort Worth Extreme Mustang Makeover is available at ExtremeMustangMakeover.com.

The purpose of the competition is to showcase the beauty, versatility and trainability of these rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the west, where they are protected under federal law.