School News
KSU senior and SGA president Tariq Bradford participates in Kennesaw State’s ceremonial cake cutting to celebrate the first day of school. Photo courtesy of Cobb Chamber.
Kennesaw State Celebrates Start of Semester The first day of fall semester at Kennesaw State University looked a bit different in the age of social distancing, but senior Tariq Bradford still felt the same energy on campus. “It feels great to be back,” Bradford said, a double-major in business management and marketing. “Seeing Kennesaw State be able to adjust so effectively was amazing, and I’m really happy that they’re looking out for the students. Things are a little different, but the environment is still positive.” Bradford, the president of KSU’s Student Government Association, took part in the activities on the Kennesaw Campus Green to welcome students, faculty and staff to the 2020-21 academic year. Bradford, KSU President Pamela Whitten, Scrappy the Owl and SGA vice president Jessica Watkins cut KSU-themed cookie cakes in a ceremony that was duplicated on the Marietta Campus later in the day. “The first day of classes is always one of my favorite days of the year, and seeing our students back on campus means even more this year,” Whitten said. “These are unique times, and we have implemented a number of measures to help our students attend Kennesaw State safely. From what I saw on the first day, our students are enthused about the semester and eager to make the most of their KSU experience.” Following the ceremonial cake cutting, individuallywrapped cookies in Kennesaw State colors were available at locations around the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses in a modified version of KSU’s First Day of School Cake tradition. As Watkins observed people wearing masks and practicing social distancing, she was happy to see the Campus Green active again. 46
AROUND ACWORTH | September 2020
Class Project Helps Special Needs Child Chattahoochee Tech interior design students made the world a brighter place for a child with special needs through a class project that was conducted in partnership with the nonprofit Sunshine on a Ranney Day. The Chattahoochee Tech students planned every detail of a wheelchair accessible dream bedroom and bathroom makeover for 10-year-old Caitlin Davis. A grand reveal was held Aug. 12 with a television news crew on site to help capture the moment when Davis and her parents saw her new bedroom and bathroom for the first time. Their home is located in Alpharetta, a short drive from the Chattahoochee Tech Woodstock Campus, where the college’s interiors program is based. For eight years, Sunshine on a Ranney Day has worked through partnerships and donors to provide no-cost home renovations valued at tens of thousands of dollars for children with special needs using top-of-the-line design and construction. The nonprofit was named after founders Peter and Holly Ranney with the belief that anything is possible with a little bit of sunshine.
Acworth Elementary Utilizes Garden Acworth Elementary School’s garden is not only ready for teachers to utilize as an outdoor learning resource, but it is producing food for local community food banks, thanks to Jeanne Young and the Captain Planet Foundation. The group recently harvested five pounds of Siberian kale. Okra, peppers, tomatoes, beans and herbs were ready to be harvested shortly after the kale.
Acworth Elementary School garden provides fresh produce for families in need.
