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.

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.

Remote Learning Food

Distribution Plan

Following Cobb County Schools’ July 16 announcement that the 2020-2021 school year would start with a fully remote learning model, the Cobb Schools Food and Nutrition Services began preparing to provide breakfast and lunches to students in a way that best supports the remote environment.

With the help of MUST Ministries, Cobb Schools has distributed more than 455,000 meals to students since schools closed in March. Beginning the first day of school, parents were able to pick-up prepaid meal kits for the entirety of the week. Meal kits are available to all students currently enrolled in Cobb Schools.

Most Cobb schools will schedule meal kit pick-ups on Mondays between 4-6 p.m. for those families who have completed the online pre-order process on MyPaymentsPlus website. Specific times and dates are located on the pre-order form.

Pre-orders must be made weekly to receive meal kits. The pre-order form opens every Tuesday with a deadline of noon every Thursday, in order to receive meal kits for the following week. Local schools will not be able to assist with placing orders over the phone. Meal kit orders must be submitted through the online pre-order form.

The cost of the meal kits, which will include five breakfasts and five lunches, is based on the meal benefits the student qualifies for: • Free = No charge for weekly meal kit • Reduced-Priced = $3.67 per week • Paid = $23.99 per week

The to-go meal kits will include items that can be reheated at home. Reheating instructions and a menu will be provided in meal kits. KSU Fall Sports Postponed

Due to ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big South Conference and the ASUN Conference recently announced the postponement of their respective fall sports seasons. Kennesaw State University competes in the Big South for football and in the ASUN for all other sports KSU sponsors.

The Big South postponed football season with the intent of playing in the spring. The ASUN’s postponement of fall semester sports includes cross country, women's soccer and volleyball. The ASUN Presidents' Council decision to suspend fall competition will also apply to intercollegiate competition for any ASUN-sponsored sports that have a designated spring championship, such as golf and tennis.

The ASUN Presidents' Council also affirmed that providing a spring season for the fall sports remains an ASUN priority. Winter sports - men's and women's basketball and men's and women's indoor track & field - are not impacted by this decision. "This is not the outcome for fall sports anyone wanted, but I know our studentathletes will continue to persevere and start preparing to compete in the spring semester,” said KSU director of athletics Milton Overton. “The health and safety of our student-athletes, individuals associated with our athletic programs and our campus environments will always be our number one priority."

Virtual Learning Tools

Cobb County Public Library System staff is here to help students have a great school year. • Check out books and more at any Cobb library for free with your library card or Library PASS account. • Access free digital resources — including eBooks, eAudiobooks, comics, newspapers and magazines, streaming video, databases, and way more — 24/7 with your library card or Library PASS account. • Get free, one-to-one, on demand tutoring with TutorATL. For more information, visit cobbcat.org/back-to-school.

Life University Debuts Podcast Series

Last month, Life University launched a new inspirational podcast series called Today's Conversations on Leadership (TCL), which will feature discussions with business and civic leaders. The podcast will be hosted by Life University Vice President of Advancement Gilles LaMarche, chosen by the Cobb Chamber as one of 50 members of the Leadership Cobb Class of 2020.

The TCL podcast will be available on Apple and Spotify Podcasts. Video access of the podcasts is available on the university’s YouTube page. New episodes will be released every two weeks.

Sign up for Fall 4-H Activities

Cobb 4-H staff has planned many engaging activities for Cobb County students this fall. The club and activities are open to kindergarten through 12th grade students. Though programming may look different this fall with increased virtual options and a few small in-person activities, Cobb 4-H still strives to keep kids excited, engaged and learning, all while having fun.

Upcoming fall activities: County Council (general monthly 4-H meeting), Cloverbuds (K-3rd grade), Homeschool science, Horse and pony club, Virtual cooking club, NEW Virtual SPIN clubs with activity kits.

For more information about Cobb 4-H activities, or to register, visit ugaextension.org/cobb or email bkelley@uga.edu.