GHS Adulting Day sees community educating students

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ELLIJAY, Ga. – “It takes a village to raise a child.” An old proverb and quote repeated over the years comes home to Gilmer County as Gilmer High School returned to its annual Adulting Day event.

Adulting Day

From VCA Appalachian Animal Hospital, these volunteers spoke about working with animals and the veterinarian career.

The event sees members of the county coming into the high school setting and volunteering to educate students on skills and life in society today. The lessons have ranged over the years from financial things like writing checks, balancing checkbooks, applying for loans, or starting a small business to personal ideas about life after school like possible careers, joining the military, and even personal health and hobbies to support it.

These volunteers from the community work alongside teachers in classrooms and are put into lessons building off of their personal expertise. Led by the Guidance Counselor’s Office, Adulting Day looks to aid students in information not directly taught in standard core classes.

The event has also evolved from its original form, in recent years, lessons have changed as volunteers have come and go and the number of lessons have increased. While originally only held for one grade, Adulting Day now includes every student in the High School with certain lessons done at different grade levels.

One of the school’s three counselors, Daniel Marshall said that this year saw about 40 community members volunteer their time for the day. Those included close to 95 percent of the volunteers from the last time the school held the day. Unfortunately, the COVID outbreak required the event skipped. With virtual academy and other responses taken to mitigate the spread many events suffered this fate.

Adulting Day

Not only going through the details of what Fire Rescue employees do but showing the equipment they deal with, students were introduced to Gilmer’s Public Safety department.

However, while Marshall said that a couple did want to hold back this year, he added that they asked to be kept in mind for next year. He stated, “We are very grateful, very thankful that we live in a place where the community is willing to help.”

Starting in September, initially emailing community partners, the school fills in lessons and asks teachers if they have sessions they can teach. This allows every class to be filled in with important lessons about adult life. Classes also include careers in trades like welding and electrical work. Showcasing all forms of careers, the school branched into firefighters, military, nursing, veterinary, and much more. Layered on top of the other information, it becomes a day to prepare for life both soon after graduation and later on in life that could be post military or post college.

Adulting Day

Reece Sanford, of South State Bank, speaks with students about starting a small business and the impact it has on our area during Adulting Day at Gilmer High School.

Nixon Bunch, a teacher in Gilmer High School, introduced kids to hiking and equipment used. As something he is personally interested in and has nearly a decade of time vested into, he offered a beginner’s look into the hobby. He said that his session was about the hobby but also about finding balance and taking care of your own mental health. While not a career path or basic skill, he noted that in life nature, being outside, exercising, providing these positives in life help to balance that health.

Reece Sanford, a manager at South State Bank, led discussions and introductions into starting a small business. From source ideas to getting a small business loan, introducing these students to the idea broadens horizons into an area some may not have considered. Sanford said that in rural America a small business is often needed for the community as they have far less corporate based jobs. Relating back to the community, Sanford discussed the economic impact of such businesses in the area. He went on to add how important he feels it is to work with students and how much he hopes that each one is able to take something away from this day and his presentation.

Working alongside these volunteers during Adulting Day, the schools prepare each year for the day to offer as much as they can. Taking feedback from the community and building on their successes, they can consistently improve and offer more than they have in previous years.

Adulting Day

Students hold onto the jaws of life used by Gilmer’s Public Safety workers.

Marshall noted that each year also sees a survey given to the students for other lessons to add and to get feedback on the day along with the volunteers. He said that some of this years sessions came directly from suggestions made on the surveys from previous years stating , “We look at the data and we see where is the majority of the suggestion piling into. We take that information and see how we can incorporate it next year.”

When asked about the school and community cooperation, Marshall said, “It’s a massive impact because, we as counselors and educators in the building, our goal is not only to help the students learn the things they need to know while they are in high school but its looking forward and having a future focused mindset. What are your next steps? How can we help you get to that point? It’s things like this that help us get to that next level for those kids. Without the community people, we couldn’t make any of that happen.”

 

Board of Education approves alternative to popular vote calendar

Board of Education, News
vote

EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – With two public speakers in the meeting asking board members to reconsider their stances that they indicated in last month’s meeting and this week’s earlier work session, the Board of Education vote came 3-2 in support of an alternate calendar from the most popularly voted option amongst three choices sent out by Gilmer Schools to parents and teachers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5HNmWUen9A

Last month, board member Ronald Watkins voiced opinions to set suggested restrictions on Calendars sent in by school governance teams for consideration by the board. The process over recent years has usually culminated with the board approving the most popularly voted calendar. As the process has changed to include restricted voting and the exclusion of students in the vote this year, Watkins brought up the idea of telling schools not to submit calendars with teachers not coming back for the new year before August 1. With some support indicated and agreement from board members Joe Pflueger and Michael Parks, the vote came today with these three in favor of a less popular calendar for the school system. Michael Bramlett and Doug Pritchett voted against the calendar.

Additionally, before the vote, the Board listened as two public speaks both commented to the board in favor of the more popular Calendar 3. Lynne Barnes, a teacher from Ellijay Elementary School, said that teachers and parents have little that they directly influence. While citizens as a whole can vote on Board Members, teachers specifically have enjoyed and been afforded the opportunity to vote on the annual calendars. She said, “When that voice is not recognized, it truly is disheartening because I am a parent and a teacher. A school calendar directly affects parents’ and teachers’ lives. We should be able to choose through a democratic process without interference from the board.”

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Teacher Lynne Barnes stands at the podium to speak with Gilmer’s Board of Education on the 2021-2022 Calendar.

Barnes said that the submitted calendar followed all restrictions set forth by the board but did not follow the suggested starting date. Barnes went on to say that the other calendars do not meet start date. She said, “There are flex days on those calendars. Every teacher would have to use one of the flex days before August 1 as one of the required 10 staff days. So, none of the calendars meet this requirement at all.”

Barnes also noted that while board members suggested the start date, the majority of the public disagreed and did not want to follow the suggestion as the majority of all voters from the public, voted for Calendar 3, besting the next one by over 111 votes. “This was not a close vote at all” said Barnes.

As reported earlier this week, the results between the three presented included 295 votes (38.22%) for Calendar 1, 71 votes (9.2%) for Calendar 2, and 406 votes (52.59%) for Calendar 3.

The second speaker, Kayanne West, a parent of a student and member of Clear Creek Elementary School Governance Team, echoed many of the statements of Barnes saying she was also speaking in support of Calendar 3. West echoed the sentiment of the vote saying it is an “injustice” to ignore the vote and very disheartening. West said that simply because Calendar 3 did not follow the start date is “just not a good enough reason not to vote for Calendar 3.”

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Parent and School Governance Team member for CCES, Kayann West speaks to the board in support of Calendar 3, a majority winner in the public vote for the school calendars with over 50% of the vote.

West went on to add that there is so little time before class for teachers to prepare their classrooms, open house, attend meetings, and be ready for students. She said that not allowing teachers to start before August 1 pushes back their preparation time with a start date still looming on potentially August 5. She added that Clear Creek Elementary will be in a totally new building that teachers should have more days and a chance to start before August 1 in order to move into the building and familiarize themselves with the new building.

West asked the board to either vote for the more popular Calendar 3, but said, should the board choose not to support that calendar, she hoped to see the board at CCES on August 1 as teachers will have to take long hours in order to accomplish all the need to before students come back to class.

Similarly, when she spoke, Barnes told the Board before she finished that she felt not supporting the popular vote sends a very different message to the public.

After these two spoke at the beginning of the meeting, the board continued with their agenda, going through personnel before reaching the calendar for 2021-2022. Board member Ronald Watkins nominated Calendar 1. He looked to his two previous supporters as he asked for a motion. The motion came from Michael Parks with a second from Joe Pflueger, and the aforementioned final vote of 3-2.

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