Around Acworth Letter From the Editor
When school starts every year, I can’t help but think about how the education process has changed since my Stone-Age days in the classroom. Everything was so much simpler and less stressful back then, and I wish it could be like that for this generation. In the 1970s and ’80s, we didn’t know what technology was. There were no computers or online resources. Our essays were written by hand or typed on a typewriter (a what?). Online tests didn’t exist. The closest we came were the sheets on which we filled in a circle next to our answer with a No. 2 pencil, and our answers were run through a Scantron machine. We lugged around heavy textbooks that we actually held in our hands. In elementary school, our lessons were printed on a mimeograph machine — the precursor of the modern-day copier — and the copies had a distinctive smell and left your hands purple. Our internet was called encyclopedias, which usually required a library visit. And our parents weren’t able to see our grades until they got our progress reports and report cards. Riding the bus back then was different. Parental supervision wasn’t required at bus stops. Our buses weren’t air-conditioned, so all the windows were open. Some buses even had radios — the musicplaying kind, not the two-way kind. We also didn’t have assigned bus stops. We could get off at different places and walk home different ways if we wanted. And notes signed by two witnesses and a notary public weren’t required for us to ride home with a friend on another bus. Calendars have changed. I don’t remember ever starting school before the last Monday in August. We didn’t have fall or winter break. We usually had three days at Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas, a week in the spring and three full months of summer. Ah, those were the days. The stress level of today’s students is off the charts, but I didn’t even know what stress was until I started high school. I wasn’t expected to think about a career in elementary school. We didn’t have a million standardized tests every year (I only remember one). We didn’t have honors, Advanced Placement or SAT-prep classes. Way less pressure. School has progressed a lot since the Class of 1981 graduated, but for the most part, we’ve done just fine. Since it’s back-to-school month, don’t miss our easy school-night recipes on Pages 24-25, our college-essentials guide on Pages 17-19 and a feature on Allatoona High’s orchestra teacher, Jim Palmer, on Page 32. Also, turn to Pages 26-27 to learn how an Acworth church received a much-needed piano free of charge and to Pages 36-37 to see photos of Acworth’s July Fourth celebration. Happy reading!
Donna Harris Donna Harris is the managing editor of Aroundabout Local Media. She’s a veteran journalist with newspaper and magazine experience and is excited to bring her expertise to ALM. Email her at donna@ aroundaboutmagazines.com.
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AROUND ACWORTH | August 2022
What’s New?
Timeless Beauty Supply recently opened in Suite 240
of the Shoppes of Acworth at 3450 Cobb Parkway. Hours are 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and closed Sunday. For information, call 770-405-9086.
What’s Coming?
The Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last month for Memorial Park, a veterans memorial that will be built at 502 Fairground St. near the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta. The park will honor members of the U.S. armed forces and their families and will feature a 142-foot Star Tower monument, honor walls listing the names of veterans from each military branch, a plaza for events, two reflection pools and a service hub that provides information to veterans and their families. Construction is expected to be completed in 2024. Atlanta-based RaceTrac is building a gas station and convenience store at 4337 Cobb Parkway near Cedarcrest Road in Acworth. The store will feature 22 gas and diesel pumps, as well as a large selection of on-the-go food and beverages. The projected opening is Aug. 23.
Ribbon Cutting
Mad Dreamers Space art supply store. Owner: Kaloni Cush 4958 Cowan Road, Suite 210, Acworth (behind Dairy Queen)
Upcoming Ribbon Cutting
Classy Clay’s Catering & More — Aug. 19 3415 Old Highway 41, Suite 700, Kennesaw (Across from North Cobb High School)
