Progress 2021

PROGRESS

2021

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

We thank the Business & Industry section sponsor:

415 Dahlonega Street

FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS

SECTION C

10C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

A GROWING CITY

A look at six projects in the works for Cumming Photo by Kelly Whitmire Forysth County News

Crews work on structures at the Cumming City Center, one of several large developments that are coming to the city that Cumming Planning and Zoning Director Scott Morgan said would “create more opportunities to do things here.”

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Compared with Forsyth County, development has usually been less prominent within Cumming’s city limits, but plans are in motion for several large-scale developments in the city.

Scott Morgan, Cumming’s director of planning and zoning, recently detailed several upcoming, mixed-use projects that he said could radically change the makeup of the city.

“If all these projects come to fruition, we’re going to have over 3,300 new housing units added into the city,” Morgan said. “Our latest population estimate is somewhere around 6,700, plus or minus, and this could, in the ory, about double the population of the city.”

He said the buildout for some projects would take four or five years, meaning all new residents wouldn’t be coming at the same time.

Along with an influx of residents, Morgan said the developments will also benefit business, bring new employers to the city and make Cumming more of a destination for those looking for dining or other things to do.

“That’s what we’re trying to do with the city center and some of these others is create more opportunities to do things here,” he said. “We’ve expanded our recreation activities and keep people here doing things in these live-work-play areas. That’s, I think, where the city’s emphasis is refocused.”

Here are a few of the upcoming developments.

Westshore Where: Market Place Boulevard and Turner Road What’s the plan: A planned unit development, or PUD, project on 58 acres on the west side of Market Place with residential, commercial and retail, including a hotel. For the residential portion, studio units will make up 10-20% of the residences, two-bedrooms will be 25-40%, three-bedrooms will be 0-10% and combined one-bedroom units will be

40-60% of the units. A portion of the residential units will be for a senior community.

The development will also include 322,000 square feet of commercial buildings, a town green and two outparcels for either restaurants or retail.

What’s next: Crews have begun initial work to clear the site and prepare for utility installation.

Cumming City Center Where: 75 acres off Canton Highway, abutting Forsyth Central High School What’s the plan: The Cumming City Center has been a major focus for city leaders in recent years and is planned to have a classic “Main-street America” theme that will feature an amphitheater, a trail system, parks, a lake, a fountain, a stage and bandshell, a miniature golf course, green spaces and 117,000 square feet of space for retail, restaurants and offices.

Across Canton Highway, about 14 acres will also be donated to the city and will include other walking trails.

Forsyth Central and the city center will share a recently-built parking lot located northwest of the school’s football stadium. Though the center will largely be green space and businesses, the Cumming Police Department and the city’s municipal court will also move into a 15,000-square-foot building.

A traffic light will also be installed on Canton Highway for the project.

What’s next: Morgan said four streams on the property had to be combined as part of the site work for the project and construction on some structures has already begun.

Mashburn Village Where: Between Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Atlanta Highway What’s the plan: The project will include the Solis Cumming Town Center, a multi-use development with 320 apartments, retail and civic space.

The development will be part of the larger Mashburn Village, which will include 193,000 square feet of total retail, 320 rental units, 85 single-family homes and 31 townhome units. An extension of Buford Dam Road that will connect Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Atlanta Highway is also being built for the development.

The project will include a multi-story self-storage unit, restaurant, civic space, open and preservation space, a multi-use trail and other amenities.

Also, part of the project is a new road that will extend Buford Dam to Veterans Memorial, which will be built by the developer. The city will then extend the road down Industrial Drive to connect with Castleberry Road as a route that is expected to alleviate traffic in downtown Cumming.

What’s next: Crews are already working to clear and grade the site and construction of the town center is expected in 2022. Some of the residential areas of Mashburn Village are expected to take five to seven years to build out.

Villages at Brooks Farm Where: Between Atlanta Highway and Pilgrim Mill Road.

What’s the plan: Unlike other projects on this list, there are no current plans for the project after members of the Cumming City Council voted in January to deny the rezoning application for the proposed Villages at Brooks Farm, which had been proposed with 231 age-restricted singlefamily homes, 25 traditional single-family detached homes, 56 single-family attached townhomes, 335 multi-family units and 42,500 square feet of vertical mixed-uses with 60 residential units over commercial and retail units on the 152 acres of land.

Amenities like passive park areas and neighborhood pool, clubhouse and sidewalks were also included in the proposal.

The proposed North Cumming Bypass was part of the project as well, which would have extended Sawnee Drive to Pilgrim Mill Road.

During their meeting, members of the council also voted to lift a one-year ban

from filing a new rezoning application so as not to penalize the property owner.

What’s next: Morgan said though the previous proposal was denied, there is still interest between city leaders and the property owner to bring back new plans for the land.

Ashton Atlanta Where: Buford Dam Road between Sanders Road and Market Place Boulevard.

What’s the plan: The project is still up for rezoning and calls for the rezoning of about 70 acres to R2 moderate-family conservation subdivision district for singlefamily homes and townhomes.

The proposal is for about 85 townhomes and around 180 single-family units.

Another 10 acres of the land is planned for an office use.

The development will connect with another 50-acre parcel on Market Place, Sander and Mary Alice Park Road, which will be used for retail, medical offices and other uses. The connecting parcel will not be rezoned.

What’s next: The project was approved at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 16.

Hopewell Group Annexation Where: Canton Highway, west of the City Center property.

What’s the plan: Located on 43 acres on both sides of Canton Highway, with the majority on the same side as the city center, the plan calls for about 198 townhomes and 200 condominiums, along with retail and an existing church on the land.

The project will have walking trails and roads connecting to the city center.

The property is not currently in the city and will need to be annexed. Forsyth County Commissioners did not object to the annexation when it was before them.

What’s next: A public hearing was held at the city council’s Tuesday, Feb. 9 meeting, and the project will be discussed at future council meeting.

City of Cumming optimistic about the future

At the outset of 2020, I think we were all very hopeful for not only a joyous and prosperous new year, but also for an entire new decade full of good things for our community, country and world. But of course COVID-19 had other plans, and we have all been affected in ways none of us could have imagined.

Despite all the challenges of 2020, the City of Cumming was still able to accomplish much. Throughout the past year, work has continued at the site of the Cumming City Center on Hwy. 20 West.

City Council selected several contactors to handle the various aspects of site work and construction, and vertical construction began on Dec. 22, 2020.

Additionally, during the summer of 2020 we rolled out the official logo and a less-formal merchandise logo for the Center, as well as the City Center Buy-ABrick Program.

Through this program, individuals, families, businesses, or any other group can purchase personalized, engraved bricks which will be placed around the Plaza Fountain, located near the amphitheater.

Recently we decided to give the community one last opportunity to purchase bricks through this program, with the final deadline set for May 31, 2021.

We encourage any family, business or organization that has not yet done so to please take advantage of this opportunity to become a part of the City of Cumming’s history for only $50 per brick; place orders easily at www.bricksrus.com/

donorsite/cummingcitycenter or pick up a hard copy order form from City Hall (100 Main Street) any time from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., MondayFriday.

We have also worked Brumbalow throughout this past year to conduct discussions with possible City Center tenants. Some of the businesses that are slated for inclusion at the Center include a unique golf putting experience featuring holes modeled off several world-renowned professional courses and some that will be very familiar to local golfers.

Among some of the other tenants: a brewery; Italian and pizza by the slice restaurants; a classic diner; high-end Mexican restaurant; and artisan ice cream, candy, and coffee shops; as well as various retail shops. Additionally, the Center will feature an outdoor amphitheater, several miles of walking trials that will eventually connect to the Big Creek Greenway, and ample green space and park areas.

In March, we launched the City Center’s own Facebook and Instagram pages: @cummingcitycenter on both platforms.

I encourage everyone to like and follow these pages (as well as our regular City of Cumming pages @cummingcityhall on Facebook and @cityofcumming on Instagram) for regular updates on our progress as we work toward the City

City Center Buy-A-Brick Program Don’t forget to buy your brick and be part of history.

Place orders at www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/cummingcitycenter or pick up a hard copy order form from City Hall (100 Main Street) any time from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Residents and businesses have until May 31 to purchase a brick.

Center’s grand opening later this year!

In addition to the Cumming City Center, we are also currently working on an important road project.

In November, City Council awarded a bid to Jasper Grading and Pipeline, Inc. for extension of Buford Dam Road from Veterans Memorial Boulevard to Castleberry Road, and crews can currently be seen from the Cumming Fairgrounds’ Parking Lot #3. This project will help to reduce traffic around the downtown area during peak hours and after major events at the Cumming Fairgrounds.

Speaking of the Fairgrounds, City Council and I were pleased to assist the Forsyth County Health Department by allowing use of Horton Hall as a COVID19 vaccination site. This facility has been used on most days since February in lieu of the Health Department’s office on Canton Hwy., which did not provide sufficient parking or waiting areas to allow for proper social distancing.

With more segments of the Georgia population being allowed to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, we are excited to be able to get back to a more normal schedule of events at the Cumming

Fairgrounds for 2021.

This spring and summer we’ll bring back some of our most popular events, including The Taste, Cumming Music Fest and several other concerts, and our Independence Day Celebration (which will be held on Saturday, July 3, this year due to July 4, falling on a Sunday).

We’ll also be adding some new events — Shriner’s Circus and Fair in May and Peach State Cats Arena Football throughout the spring and summer — and much to everyone’s delight, the Cumming Country Fair & Festival will be returning from Oct. 7-17!

Stay up-to-date on all Fairgrounds’ events at www.cummingfair.net or by following @cummingfair on Facebook.

As we begin to work our way back to normalcy in the coming months, I am extremely optimistic that 2021 will be a great year in the City of Cumming, and, I hope and pray, for our entire country and world!

Troy Brumbalow is the Mayor of the City of Cumming. He was elected to a four-year term in November of 2017 and took office in January of 2018.

4th of July Fireworks

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

CITY OF CUMMING

The Brannon-Heard House

Cumm

ing Pla yhou

se

3

92 lt 1

g

min

Cum

Bui ool Sch

Cumming Country Fair

ir try Fa g Coun Cum min g

in Cumm

Cou n

try

for new, modern playground areas, an amphitheater, and a 27,000-square-foot, multi-purpose building that will offer several classrooms and office spaces, a conference center and kitchen areas.

A new roadway is also slated to be complete by the end of this year. Lanier 400 ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 11C Parkway will extend from Bald Ridge Marina Road to Pilgrim Mill Road. The project - with its close proximity to Ga. Hwy. 400 as well as the University of Georgia’s Cumming Campus, the National Guard Regional Readiness Center, Cumming Aquatic Center and Georgia Drivers’ Services Center - is the perfect spot for continued economic development for future use and enjoyment by Cumming and Forsyth County residents.

The Cumming Aquatic Center, with its three pools for fun, exercise and education, has again been tapped to host the Georgia Recreation and Park Association statewide swim meet this July. The center first hosted this event in 2014, drawing some 1,200 swimmers from around the state and more than 8,000 of their supporters. As with all City of Cumming amenities, the Aquatic Center is open to all residents of Cumming and Forsyth County, as well as surrounding areas. In 2014, the center provided more than 21,000 swim lessons to kids and adults throughout our community. And that’s on top of the hundreds of participants in water and land exercise classes offered throughout the year.

Speaking of water, as the provider of water and sewer services to much of Forsyth County, the City of Cumming’s Utilities Department is working on several major expansions as well. The largest is the addition of sewer services to an area that compasses land between Hwy. 369, Hwy. 9, Dr. Bramblett Road and Spot Road. The city also plans to add new waterlines in the same area to accommodate expected residential growth.

With fiscal stability, strong leadership, and support from our businesses and residents, the City of Cumming is thrilled to move through 2015, making a lot of “Progress!”

Congratulations to the Cumming SMALL TOWN HEART, BIG CITY SPIRIT Fairgrounds, Cumming Playhouse, Fa

ir and Cumming Recreation and Parks Through decades of continued growth and urbanization, the City of Cumming has remained the steadily beating Department for earning various heart of our community. From historic preservation to family-focused facilities, activities and events, the City “Best of Forsyth 2015” recognitions of Cumming has always sought to maintain a small-town, close-knit community feel. At the same time, the City

by Forsyth County News readers! If you haven’t checkedeconomic out all that the believes in fostering development to provide stability.

City of Cumming has to offer, you

Cumming Country Fair

2021 brings unlimited opportunities for the City to enhance both its should soon!

SMALL TOWN HEART AND BIG CITY SPIRIT! BEST OF FORSYTH

City of Cumming cityofcumming.net

TroyH.Brumbalow Ford Gravitt Mayor Mayor

Joey Cochran Lewis Ledbetter Councilman Councilman

Chad Quincy HoltonCrane Councilman Councilman

Jason Ralph Perry Councilman

Evans Councilman

Linda Christopher John D. Pugh Ledbetter Rupert Sexton Councilman Councilman Councilwoman

COMMUNITY EVENT Cumming Country Fair & Festival

Light Councilman

GYMNASTICS PROGRAM Cumming Rec Dept.

CONGRATULATIONS

Cumming City Center: Opening Late Fall 2021 • Located Between Canton Hwy. and Sawnee Drive, Behind Forsyth Central High School • Classic Main-Street, Americana Feel • Amphitheater for Concerts & Other Outdoor Events • Pocket Parks & Playgrounds • Boardwalk & Trail System (Eventually Connecting to the Big Creek Greenway) • Water Features Including Pond & Fountain Surrounded by Personalized Bricks • Steam Engine Display Honoring Cumming’s Historical & Community Ties to the Machines • Putting Course Incorporating Replicas of 13 Famous Holes from Around the World & 5 Signature Holes from Forsyth County Courses • Approximately 120,000 Square Feet of Leasable Retail/Restaurant/ Office Space • More Than 8,000 Square Feet of Rooftop Dining Space

to the Cumming Country Fair & Festival and Cumming Rec Dept. for earning “Best of Forsyth 2021” recognitions by Forsyth County News readers! If you haven’t checked out all that the City of Cumming has to offer, you should soon!

Like Us on Facebook & Instagram! @cummingcityhall @CityofCumming @CummingCityCenter

12C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

SALES: Monday - Friday 8:30am-8pm • Saturday 8:30am-7pm Closed Sunday • Open 24/7 Online SERVICE: Monday - Friday 7am-6pm • Saturday 8am-3pm • Closed Sunday OVER 100 USED VEHICLES IN STOCK AND READY FOR DELIVERY Over 30 certified used vehicles!

All come with: • 6-Year / 100,000- Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty* • 12 month / 12,000 mile extended limited bumper to bumper per warranty • 172 point vehicle inspection and reconditioning process 2 Oil Changes included

COMPLETE, REMODELED SERVICE DEPARTMENT

BEFORE

AFTER

ACCEPTING WALK IN OIL CHANGES.

470-394-0363

527 Atlanta Road, Cumming • www.AndeanChevy.com

2C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

PROGRESS

2021 FORSYTH COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Chamber remains true to mission despite challenges Despite the challenges 2020 presented us, the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce saw a great deal of progress last year. Though revisions were made to our workplans over the course of last year, I am proud that through all of the uncertainty we remained true to our mission of advancing positive business growth and community partnerships to promote a superior quality of life for all in Forsyth County.

Your Chamber was the first Chamber in Georgia to launch an economic recovery initiative and among the first in the nation to do so. The focus of this Together4FOCO initiative from day one was to provide business leaders with expertise to help them make sound business decisions, provide access to working capital and engage our residents in supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs. I believe we were successful in each of these areas.

While the Chamber led the local business community in economic recovery, the organization itself thrived. We completed the construction of and relocation into a new organizational home. We

were named a national 2020 Chamber of the Year Finalist by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. We lived out the brand adoption words we set in 2019 as McCoy we intentionally monitored our business community’s needs, innovatively transitioned our events and collaborated with Forsyth County Government to administer the Forsyth County CARES Small Business Relief Grant Program.

While 2020 was not the year that any of us expected, your Chamber learned a great deal in how we can intentionally pivot and meet the changing needs of our community. Building upon these lessons, we are hard at work ensuring that our community continues to thrive.

The Forward Forsyth economic development partnership is focusing on Forsyth County’s product development to attract businesses into the community and infrastructure development in the north portion of the county, all elements

of Forsyth County’s strategic economic development plan.

Last year, your Chamber renewed a dedicated focus on workforce development. We will continue that path with strong partnerships with Lanier Technical College and the University of North Georgia (UNG), producing training opportunities and programs like Profs for FoCo that matches a UNG Mike Cottrell College of Business faculty member with a business leader for short consulting appointments.

Our recently launched FoCo Works initiative focuses on maintaining Forsyth County’s historically low unemployment rate despite the economic consequences of the current global health crisis.

The Chamber’s tourism development arm recently launched the DiscoverFoCo brand including an Instaworthy website and visitors guide.

DiscoverFoCo is focused on recruiting additional rectangle field sporting tournaments and showcasing Forsyth County’s facilities via virtual site tours.

As the entertainment industry begins to

bounce back, Film Forsyth is ready to marketing our community as an ideal destination for film projects, near but outside Atlanta.

With Forsyth County’s first Community Improvement District (CID) now in operation (the South Forsyth CID), you will soon see a major transformation in the McFarland Corridor.

Your Chamber is already laying the groundwork toward the creation of additional CIDs in specific areas of Forsyth County.

In short, 2020 was a banner year for your Chamber, but there remains much work ahead. I am glad for the new knowledge our organization acquired and excited for the collaborative opportunities we have ahead. I would very much like to connect with you. Please feel free to contact me at jmccoy@focochamber.org.

Sincerely, James McCoy President / CEO Forsyth County Chamber

Chamber debuts new location

New year, New space The Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce broke ground on their new facility on Dec. 21, 2019.

During the ceremony, James McCoy, President / CEO of the Forsyth County Chamber, said “today is all about future and this ceremony marks the beginning of a new life for our chamber. This new building will house the chamber that will be the gold standard for local economic development organizations in the nation, a chamber that is on the very cutting-edge of what supporting entrepreneur startups and technology firms, what that means in this country.”

The Chamber recently opened the new space at 212 Webb Street to the public.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS -The Visitors Center within the Chamber buildingat 212 Webb Street in Cumming is open to walk-in visitors.

-All visitors are personally greeted via the Chamber’s digital, interactive board (kindly provided by Chamber member, Sharp Business Systems) -Chamber staff members are wearing masks inside the building and visitors are encouraged to wear masks as well. Masks are provided in the Chamber Visitor Center.

-Visitors are asked to scan a QR code and answer a few health screening questions before entering the building.

-Upon arrival to the Chamber, all staff members and visitors are required to have their temperature checked at a kiosk station and to utilize the hand sanitation station.

-The Chamber building undergoes daily cleaning procedures and is heavily sanitized each weekend.

-The Chamber has also developed an Event Safety Guide for hosting in-person elements of its hybrid events. To request a copy of this guide, please contact the Chamber’s Director of Events, Jessie Martin at jmartin@focochamber.org

The Chamber offices contain two collaboration spaces, like the one above, designated for teams of Chamber staff members to work together on projects, prepare for presentations and brainstorm big ideas in.

CONTACT THE FORSYTH COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE By phone: 770-887-6461 | Online:FocoChamber.org By mail: 212 Webb Street, Cumming, GA 30040

Visitors of the Chamber will be greeted in the main lobby with a digital, interactive board before heading up the elevator to the reception desk, left.

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 3C

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

During the chamber’s annual celebration on Friday, Nov. 6, which was held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns, organizers played a pre-recorded video where Jimmy Lane, the chamber’s executive vice president, surprised EMA Director Chris Grimes with the Charles Welch Citizenship Award while he was working at the county’s emergency operations center.

Grimes receives Charles Welch Award

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Forsyth County Emergency Management Director Chris Grimes won one of the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce’s highest awards in November for his and the county’s response to COVID-19.

During the chamber’s annual celebration on Friday, Nov. 6, which was held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns, organizers played a pre-recorded video where Jimmy Lane, the chamber’s executive vice president, surprised Grimes with the Charles Welch Citizenship Award while he was working at the county’s emergency operations center.

“It’s not every year that we can give the Charles Welch Citizenship Award, but this year has been an extraordinary year, and we give this award to

someone who has exemplified the qualities that he did to this great community, and those qualities are service without regard for recognition, a commitment to always do what’s right and a passion to make sure Forsyth County is a great place to live,” Lane said as he presented the award to Grimes.

Grimes, who has helped lead the Forsyth County government’s COVID-19 response since February, said “it truly is an honor to do what I do every day.”

“Thank you for this award,” Grimes said in the video. “It truly is an honor to get to serve our community every day and make it a better place to live to work to have a family. I have my family here, just like many of you have your families here, so it truly is an honor.”

The celebration was also a chance for chamber officials to

show off their new headquarters on Webb Street.

“One year ago, we stood on this site for the groundbreaking of the future home of the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. I don’t need this hard hat anymore, because it is now the home of the Forsyth County Chamber,” said 2020 chamber president Carter Patterson as he crossed out the first part of signage calling the building the future home of the chamber.

Patterson was joined on the tour by Scott Hutchinson, who was also named during the meeting as the 2021 chamber president and presented Patterson an honorary gavel for his work in the prior year, which Patterson called “an honor of my lifetime.”

“Our chamber is the best in Georgia, one of the best in the nation because we have a com-

munity that is involved actively, and they expect us to be one of the best, and I think we’ve done a great job even in 2020 with this pandemic,” Patterson said.

Hutchinson said the chamber had learned a lot of lessons this year for him to apply to his term as pres-ident. “[In] 2020, the chamber has learned that we’ve got to be mobile, agile and with [ C OV I D - 1 9 r e s o u r c e s ] Together 4 FoCo and the CARES Act, been able to pivot our vision and help the community with the dollars that we can get from the government and everything else,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to next year just pumping all of this into the community some more.”

Hutchinson said in 2021 he wants to see more product development for companies to move into the community,

increase workforce development by working with local colleges and better infrastructure, particularly in north Forsyth.

While 2020 didn’t go as planned for most of the community, chamber officials said during the year, they hosted 115 webinars attended by 3,500 participants, lead 16 small business administration loan information sessions, consulted 211 businesses on SBA loan applications, held 30 virtual networking sessions, held six virtual job fairs, ensured 319 businesses received a total of $2 million in CARES funds, announced 18 economic development projects, worked on $109 million worth of new capital invest-ments and fostered 220 new jobs.

Economic Development

Forward Forsyth experienced meaningful progress in 2020 Forward Forsyth, Forsyth County’s economic development partnership (consisting of the Forsyth Chamber, Forsyth County Government, Forsyth County’s Development Authority, Forsyth County Schools and the area’s higher educational institutions) launched in 2019 to execute Forsyth County Government’s strategic economic development plan.

This plan provides a roadmap to substantially increase the commercial investment in Forsyth County and accelerate the pace of creating a more balanced tax digest.

Commercial development is a key driver to ensure that residential property taxes stay low while Forward Forsyth continues to support the infrastructure that fosters Forsyth County’s economy and superior quality of life.

This plan will create more than 5,000 local, new jobs and save tax payers more than $83 million. It includes catalyst projects to guide Forsyth County’s future like: • Target emerging technologies • Develop infrastructure in the northern part of the county • Champion hotel and convention center development • Expand development on Lake Lanier • Lead community improvement district (CID) creation in the county In 2020, Forward Forsyth shifted its scope of work to focus on economic recovery. All partners agreed that what economic development looked like in 2020 was ensuring the success of the community’s current commercial investors during a crisis. This interim economic recovery plan included con-

necting businesses to operating capital, connecting employers with displaced talent and providing support to specific industry sectors.

Despite the focus on Gulledge economic recovery, 2020 was still a remarkable year for economic development in our community. Twenty-four companies announced a collective $153.3 million in new capital investments (a 34 percent increase from 2019) and created 554 new, local jobs.

Forward Forsyth saw meaningful progress in 2020. In early fall, the partnership announced the results of an analysis of Forsyth County’s tax digest.

The analysis reviewed changes in the tax digest from 2017 to 2019, the period since Forward Forsyth initiated the strategic economic development plan.

From 2017 to 2019, there was an increase of $527 million in assessed value partially driven from adding 208 acres of land now zoned for new businesses.

It is exciting to see this progress and to be expectant of what is to come.

Forsyth County’s unique partnership in Forward Forsyth is producing results and positively positioning Forsyth County’s future prospects for success.

I am so glad to be a part of the Forward Forsyth team and I am looking forward to all that 2021 has in store.

Sincerely, Slade Gulledge, Vice President of Economic Development, Forward Forsyth

YOUR CHAMBER IS

Visit the Chamber’s website at

www.focochamber.org

for up-to-date information on virtual events and webinars.

770-887-6461 FOCOCHAMBER.ORG

4C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

Sawnee EMC a staple in the community Dedicated, Dependable, and World Class Service … these are just a few of the words used to describe our local electric cooperative, Sawnee EMC Sawnee EMC’s mission is to serve the changing needs of its members by enhancing the quality of life through active support of community developments and identifying and serving the member’s needs. It is this action of service that makes electric cooperatives unique.

Each day our staff of approximately 370 dedicated employees serve our 165,000 member-owners. We strive to provide exceptional reliability and safe, affordable electric service coupled with world class customer service. Our members have voted us Best in Customer Satisfaction with Residential electric service among Cooperatives, 2 out of 3.

On July 16, 1938, a few local visionaries successfully incorporated the Forsyth County Electric Membership Corporation in Cumming, GA, which was one of the first EMCs in the state.

On June 22, 1939, the first switch was thrown to energize 168 miles of power line which served about 750 homes in Forsyth and portions of three other neighboring counties.

They all received electric power for the first time. By December 1940, the service area had grown to more than 1,500 members. In August 1950, the members unanimously voted to change the name of the Cooperative to Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation (Sawnee EMC).

My how things have changed …

Sawnee EMC, a not-for-profit electric cooperative. In 2018 and 2020 J.D. Power recipient for highest in customer satisfaction among cooperatives, provides electricity to more than 187,000 electric meters within its seven-county service territory. As outlined in the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act, which was passed by the Georgia Legislature in 1973, Sawnee EMC serves parts of seven counties including Forsyth, Cherokee, Dawson, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall and Lumpkin.

Sawnee EMC is the ninth largest cooperative in the United States and 3rd largest in Georgia. Sawnee EMC maintains more than 11,708 miles of distribution line. Each day, Sawnee EMC staff members field approximately 750 phone calls and Sawnee’s

Control Center is staffed and in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

When COVID-19 hit our members, Sawnee EMC had a response plan in place to help members through the pandemic without accruing late fees or having to go without power. The Sawnee Foundation also responded with emergency funds provided to local food pantries and free school lunches for those children in need.

Keeping rates low is also a top priority. In July 2020, SEMC rates were as much as 25.25% lower than other electric utilities. Sawnee has many money saving rebates and incentives. This may sound strange, but we do want our members to have lower energy bills.

Sawnee EMC members can participate in the virtual solar program, take advantage of the rates and rebates for Electric Vehicles, participate in Solar Generation and Solar NET energy metering Members can also view, and take advantage of, many Sawnee EMC services at its corporate website or free app for IOS and Android users, all located at www.sawnee.com. Programs and services such as paying a bill online, signing up for prepay metering, reviewing energy data, reporting an outage and much more are also available options for Sawnee members.

Members can also learn about energy evaluations and rebates offered by Sawnee for residential and commercial accounts. Sawnee supports the communities it serves through educational programs for youth, Operation Round Up, Green Power EMC, and Virtual Solar. Finally, as a value-added service, Sawnee EMC also offers very low natural gas rates through its preferred natural gas marketer, True Natural Gas.

Offerings Sawnee EMC offers many products and services to help members save electricity and money: * True Natural Gas – www.truenaturalgas.com; * In-home energy audits (free to members); * Sawnee EMC App – Search “Sawnee EMC” in the Apple App Store or Google Play; * Energy efficiency tips published in a monthly newsletter; * Energy saver books which are free upon request; * Free, do-it-yourself energy conservation videos and DVDs; * Clean, environmentally friendly, green power; * Virtual Solar Program; * Energy-saving load management programs, including smart thermostats; * Rebates and incentives to make homes and businesses energy efficient; * Sawnee Foundation Youth Scholarship Program; * Facebook and Twitter.

Sawnee EMC We Never Stop We are here to help you power every moment of your day

$0.398 / therm

Directions: Sawnee EMC’s corporate campus is located at 543 Atlanta Highway in Cumming. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. From Ga. 400, take Exit 14 (Hwy. 20). Go west 1/2 mile to Hwy. 9 and turn right. The office is located on the left at 543 Atlanta Hwy.

Contact Sawnee EMC at (770) 887-2363 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The e-mail address for general inquiries is customerservice@sawnee. com and the corporate website is www.sawnee.com.

Additionally, members can also text Sawnee at 678-999-8124, chat via the website or use Facebook Messenger to address their electric account needs. The mailing address is P.O. Box 266, Cumming, GA 30028.

THANK YOU! “Best in Customer Satisfaction with Residential Electric Service among Cooperatives, 2 out of 3 years.”

J.D.770-887-2363 Power 2020 Award

| truenaturalg

For J.D. Power 2020 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards

R

Please note, when establishing new service with Sawnee EMC, there is a onetime $45 connection fee and a $5 membership fee. A deposit may be required based on an applicant’s credit history and the type of service needed.

Source: Sawnee EMC

R

Sawnee EMC’s ga

*Sawnee EMC is not a certified natural gas marketer in the state promotes the natural gas services of True Natural Gas, the certifie as a value-added service to its members. Rate above is a 12 mon

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 5C

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

SATURDAY, JULY 3RD July 4th Celebration

Free Admission Food & Craft Vendors Childrens’ Activities 4pm - 10pm Fireworks 9:30 pm at Fairgrounds Annual Steam Engine Parade @10 am

SEPTEMBER 3rd -SEPTEMBER 5th IPRA (International Professional Rodeo Association) World Championship Rodeo Friday & Saturday 8 PM • Sunday 7 PM Admission (Advance Tickets Available): 13 & up - $15.00, 5 - 12 - $10.00 4 & under - FREE, Seniors 65+ $10.00 8 Event Rodeo includes: Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Riding, Calf & Team Roping, Cowgirls Breakaway Roping

OCTOBER 7th-17th

Cumming Country Fair & Festival Mon- Thurs 4 pm - 10 pm Friday 4 pm - Midnight Sat. 10 am - Midnight Sunday 12:30 - 9:00 pm Fair Admission: 11 & up - $10.00, 10 & under - FREE Advance Tickets Available through October 6th - $7

Free Parking

Free Concerts & Shows with Paid Admission Heritage Village Indian Village Working Exhibits Cotton Gin | Sawmill | Sorghum Mill Cider Press | Blacksmith | Grist Mill Quilters | Schoolhouse | Churches Doctor’s Office | Dentist’s Office Barber Shop | Post Office | General Store Printing Press | Midway Rides Daily Ground Acts Petting Zoo & Local Entertainment

WWW.CUMMINGFAIR.NET 235 CASTLEBERRY ROAD CUMMING, GEORGIA 770-781-3491

6C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 7C

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

Proudly serving North Georgia since 1992

415 Dahlonega Street

Land Commercial Industrial We Moved!

415 Dahlonega Street | Cumming, GA 30040

770.844.6274 | info@bryanproperties.com

8C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

PROGRESS

2021

ARTS & COMMUNITY

Sawnee Association of the Arts holds successful virtual events, plans April opening

By Ashlyn Yule

with acrylic and oil, and photography.

In November of 2020, Guadalupe Navarro was awarded Best in Show for Looking back at the past year, the his piece “Prayer/Sinner,” and Lauren C u m m i n g A r t s C e n t e r / S a w n e e Miranda won the public vote of People’s Association of the Arts has been through Choice for her piece “Polyphemus Moth ups and downs. and Magnolias.”

Like most businesses, restaurants and Because the virtual format of the centers, the Cumming Arts Center had to “Autumn in the City” art show had such a close its doors. However, the organiza- strong response from the public, the tion was able to continue to spread the Cumming Arts Center held other events love of art through a virtual platform and online: The Festival of Trees and soon, they will be opening back up again. Nativities from Around the World.

The Cumming Arts Center hosted its The Cumming Arts Center also held a first ever virtual “Autumn in the City” successful 2021 Art Calendar Contest, event last year and opened the contest up and it was able to continue to provide artto the public. The art show ran from Oct. work to the Forsyth County Courthouse 5 to Nov. 5, and members of the and Sexton Hall with its fourth rotational Cumming Arts Center described the installation of different pieces of abstract response from the public as “overwhelm- art. ing.” On the first day of the show alone Currently, the Cumming Arts Center is the organizations’ website had 81% more accepting member entries to its 2022 visits than years before.

Virtual Art Calendar Contest. Photos will Through community outreach and be posted to its website at www.sawneeonline engagement, the Cumming Arts arts.org, and members and the public will Center saw over 125 pieces of art for the be invited to vote for their top three virtual “Autumn in the City” art exhibit. choices beginning March 29.

The pieces all varied in mediums, rangLooking forward, the Cumming Arts ing from 3D with wood and metal, 2D Center will open its doors to the public

ayule@forsythnews.com

Guadalupe Navarro won Best in Show with his piece “Prayer/ Sinner.”

Lauren Miranda won Peoples ’ Choice for her piece “Polyphemus Moth and Magnolias.”

again in early April. Classes and open studio will resume both virtually and inperson lead by instructors such as Kris Straukas, Alan Young, Elizabeth Stallings and Bonnie Flood.

Later this year, a “World of Art” exhibit will be a collaborative event with other local artists and organizations such as ‘Pianos for Peace’ and The Place of Forsyth to create a multi-cultural exhibit.

In October, artists will be participating alongside the City of Cumming and the American Cancer Society in the Lantern

Parade.

Members of the Cumming Arts Center will be designing some of the lantern artwork present at the event.

To find out more information about class schedules, registration and more upcoming events, visit www.sawneeart.org.

The Cumming Arts Center will be closely monitoring and following CDC, state and local safety guidelines as events and classes resume. Any scheduling will follow the guidelines as they continue to evolve.

Chabad of Forsyth breaks ground on new Jewish Community Center, synagogue

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

Chabad of Forsyth and Congregation Beth Israel welcomed community members and guests to a groundbreaking of its future Jewish Community Center of North Georgia and synagogue campus on Sunday, Dec. 13.

The groundbreaking marks the official beginning of the construction of the new facilities, which will be the first of its kind in Forsyth County and in the North Georgia area.

To celebrate the historic groundbreaking and the fourth day of Chanukah on Sunday, leaders of Congregation Beth Israel and Chabad of Forsyth welcomed community members and guests with music, food and happy spirits as they arrived at the site of the future campus on Brannon Road.

R a b b i L ev i M e n t z o f Congregation Beth Israel invited community leaders and county officials to give thanks and ask them to take part in the program, including commissioners who have shown support for the project since its inception.

“This is a wonderful groundbreaking for us,” District 1 Commissioner Molly Cooper said. “This is our Jewish community here in Forsyth County.

This is our Jewish community here in North Georgia. This is so

near and dear to our hearts, I get tears in my eyes. This is wonderful.”

Cooper and her husband, Dr. Scott Cooper, started by welcoming everyone to the event before later introducing Rabbi Yossi New, the director of Chabad of Georgia and spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah.

New reiterated the incredible nature of seeing a project such as the Jewish Community Center of North Georgia and synagogue campus come to life in a place such as Forsyth County. Mentz said the community in the county has come a long way since Congregation Beth Israel held its first grand menorah lighting four years ago.

“It was a week before that grand menorah lighting, the first ever for this county, and I remember I had a private meeting with a long-time Forsythian,” Mentz said. “And I came to invite him to the celebration. I tell him all about it; it’s going to be beautiful celebrating Chanukah with menorahs, song, latkes, the works.

And he looks at me and leans over on his desk, and he says, ‘In Forsyth County, a Jew needs to stay under cover.’ My dear friends, four years later, look where we are today.”

Mentz and his wife, Chaish Mentz, thanked many of the leaders and community mem-

Sabrina Kerns Forsyth County News

Rabbi Levi and Chaish Mentz speak to the crowd Sunday, Dec. 13 during the groundbreaking celebration for Chabad of Forsyth and Congregation Beth Israel.

bers who not only showed up to the event to support the historic groundbreaking, but also donated and showed further support to the project to make it happen.

So far, Congregation Beth Israel and Chabad of Forsyth have raised more than $2.6 million for the new building out of a goal of more than $4.7 million. The donated funds will help to create the preschool, hebrew school, playground, sanctuary, social hall, chapel and other amenities planned for the campus.

He thanked Jacques and Evelyne Preis for their donation of $1.75 million to go to the project, one they both feel will have a positive impact on the Forsyth County community.

Mentz also thanked the com-

m u n i t y, F o r s y t h C o u n t y Commissioners, Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman, the Congregation and many others for their support.

Continuing on with the night, community member Liza Klahr and her children brought forth soil from Israel to sprinkle it into the earth where they first broke ground later in the night, ensuring that the foundation of the campus will contain soil from the Holy Land for the generations to come.

Mentz then asked that guests write a message with their “highest ideals” on a blank index card to place in a time capsule that will be kept on the campus for the next 100 years.

He wanted to give everyone an opportunity to share brief

thoughts with the next generation, who will be able to read the cards once the capsule is opened in the year 2120.

Before the lighting of the menorah, members of the community came together to participate in the Torches of Light, a ceremony to recognize those in the community who have found their light inside.

“We can never forget that inside every single one of us, we have a candle,” Mentz said. “We have a unique branch. We’re all unique. We’re all special.”

Those recognized include District 2 County Commissioner Dennis Brown, who served for 30 years in the U.S. Army and and Dep. Terry Roper, who played a part in rescuing baby India last year, along with others in the community.

“This is my candle. This is my light. Find your candle. Find your light,” they each concluded after presenting a torch to the crowd and forming their own menorah.

The event ended with the official groundbreaking as Congregation leaders picked up their shovels and ceremoniously dug into the soil for the first time.

“Tonight is a magical night,” Mentz said.

GOVERNMENT

Alfred John joins Forsyth County commission for District 2

By Ashlyn Yule

ayule@forsythnews.com

Alfred John was sworn in as the new District 2 Commissioner on Dec. 29.

John’s professional background i n c l u d e s wo r k i n g i n t h e h u m a n resource tech space at a company in Buckhead. For the last three years, he has been working on the Zoning Board of Appeals, or ZBA, hearing variances and other appeals. “[The ZBA] gave me a good transition into the [Forsyth County] Board of Commissioners,” John said.

John told the Forsyth County News

before his swearing-in ceremony he was excited to work with the BOC along with the Forsyth County government staff, working together to execute the visions of John the board and county residents.

“We have a great amount of talent and intellect on the current board of commissioners, and I’ve met with a number of staff,” John said. “We’ve got some really great talent there as well. So I want to work with them on

a number of initiatives that are coming up in District 2.”

Being a south Forsyth resident, John plans to bring his passion for helping the people of District 2 and Forsyth County to his term. He plans to oversee and contribute to projects like the widening of Old Atlanta and McGinnis Ferry roads and the Ronald Reagan extension, saying he “[wants] to be sure that … all goes along well.”

“I believe that I can contribute to the current trajectory in Forsyth County of smart growth and join also with the current commissioners in focusing on growing our commercial base,” John

said.

“There are a number of great projects coming that … will benefit our county and [District 2] in particular,” he said. “Like Halcyon – that has been a great development recently. But the road and infrastructure needs are great, and I want to be sure that we focus on that.”

John said he would also like to work on the proposed DavidsonForsyth Overlay, a mixed-use property that encompasses 450 acres of land located between Peachtree Parkway, Westminster Lane and Old Atlanta Road.

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS 27-28, 2021

9C | Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

PROGRESS

2021

GOVERNMENT

Forsyth County continues to grow, move forward The year 2020 was the year the entire world was forced to stop, slow down, and rethink how we manage everyday life.

Due to the pandemic, thriving businesses shut down, small businesses tried their hardest to stay afloat, schools and churches closed, and it became harder to socialize with family and friends.

Eventually, everyone realized that a different plan of action was needed. People thought of creative ways to manage through life while the world continued to fight a deadly virus.

In the midst of this, your Forsyth County Government continued to work for you. The Board of Commissioners ensured that safety precautions and resources were made available for staff, allowing us to

continue to serve you, our residents.

As a result, County business kept moving forward with addressing the things that matter to

Tanner

our community.

A multitude of citizens across the state continue to see the great things happening in Forsyth, they want to make our County their home. Our estimated population numbers, from the 2020 Census, will put us over 250,000 residents. That is a 42% increase since 2010!

With this growth comes additional traffic and congestion; The County recognizes this as one of the biggest concerns of our residents.

Thanks to citizen support of the Transportation Bond and SPLOST, the County is making great strides in relieving congestion. Over the past several years, these funds have allowed us to make improvements to 12 intersections along State Routes 9, 369, 306, 53 and 400.

It provided for widening along major thoroughfares like Ga. 400, Union Hill, Sharon, Castleberry, Old Atlanta roads, and many others. It allowed us to add sidewalks and make other safety improvements at locations throughout the County.

We will continue to move forward with major transportation projects that will help reduce congestion even more.

These multi-year projects include: • McGinnis Ferry Road at

Ga. 400: Creation of a full diamond interchange and widening of McGinnis Ferry; • Ronald Reagan Blvd.: Extension of the road from Majors Road to McFarland Pkwy., with sidewalk/multi-use path; • Old Atlanta Road (Phases IV & V): Widening of existing two-lane road to four lanes from Saint Marlo Country Club Pkwy. to James Burgess Road; • Ga. 400 and Hwy. 369: Creation of a partial cloverleaf interchange and widening of Hwy. 369; • Ga. 400: State project to add express lanes from McGinnis Ferry Road to the North Springs MARTA station.

In addition to transportation improvements, there are several park projects that are also continuing to move forward.

These include renovations and extensions to the Big Creek Greenway, as well as new amenities at Eagles Beak, Sawnee Mountain, Lanierland and Bennett parks.

So, while some things may have stopped or slowed down, Forsyth County kept moving forward.

There are so many other great things happening in the county. We invite residents to stay updated on the latest news and information, from your County, through our website or multiple social media channels.

To sign up to receive news f r o m t h e C o u n t y, v i s i t forsythco.com.

Kevin Tanner Forsyth County Manager

Here’s the latest on 11 major projects in Forsyth County Forsyth Technology Park on Atlanta Highway

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

With the constant growth in Forsyth County and the surrounding area, it’s no surprise that one of the most asked questions by residents is “when is this development going to be done?”

Below are a few of the commercial, mixed-use and residential projects across the county that have been a p p r ove d o r p r o p o s e d t o Fo r s y t h C o u n t y Commissioners, what those plans entail and where they are in the zoning process.

The information is compiled from previous stories and online information provided on Forsyth County government websites.

Publix in west Forsyth

Where: North of 3426 Canton Road, east of Tribble Road at the intersection with Era Road, north of Canton Highway at the intersection with Era Road.

What are the plans: A 15.7-acre commercial development planned for 83,853 square feet of buildings anchored by a large grocery retailer with 51,908 square feet of large-scale retail, 505 parking spaces and gas pumps.

Where it stands: Forsyth County Commissioners approved the request from applicant Halvorsen Development Corporation to rezone the land from agriculture district (A1) to commercial business district (CBD) and singlefamily residential districts R1 and R2R to all CBD in November 2019. Construction for the project has not started.

New mixed-use space in north Forsyth

Where: 4715 and 4735 Settingdown Circle and west of Ga. 400.

What are the plans: A master-planned district with 310 apartments and 39,100 square feet of office/retail/restaurant/commercial at the intersection of Settingdown Circle and Ga. 400. Applicant WP South Acquisitions is requesting the rezoning of 51.7 acres from commercial business (CBD) and multi-family residential (Res6) districts to master-planned district (MPD).

Where it stands: The application was on the agenda for the Forsyth County Planning Board’s meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25, and members voted to postpone the item to the March 23 meeting.

Sharon Springs Village

Where: 1571, 1615, 1637, 1655 and 1683 Sharon Road, north of Sharon Road and east of the intersection with Peachtree Parkway.

What are the plans: A mixed-use development on 20.7 acres with 97 attached residential units and 29,000 square feet of commercial buildings w i t h 1 4 5 p a r k i n g s p a c e s . A p p l i c a n t N a n cy Bentley is requesting and rezoning from commercial business district (CBD) and agriculture district (A1) to master-planned district (MPD) What’s next: The public hearings for Sharon Springs Village have been on commissioners’ agendas and postponed more than 35 times since December 2017, most recently at the Thursday, Feb. 4 meeting, when commissioners voted to move it to the March 4 meeting.

Where: Between 2765 Atlanta Highway and Ga. 400 What are the plans: A mixed-use project on 118 acres that will include 907,550 square feet of commercial and industrial buildings and 88 age-restricted residential units, which will be operated by the Orchards.

Plans for the development call for about 95 acres to be used for industrial purposes, 20 acres for residential and four acres of commercial to be developed with 1,079 parking spaces for the Forsyth Technology Park. The remaining 30 acres will be open space.

Where it stands: Forsyth County Commissioners approved the request to rezone from single-family residential restricted district (R1R), commercial business district (CBD) and agricultural district (A1) to master-planned district (MPD) in July 2020. Construction on the project has not begun.

Sterling Estates of Forsyth

Where: Atlanta Highway, Shiloh Road, Mars Hill Road and Mars Hill Circle What are the plans: A development including assisted living facilities with 130 units totaling 182,332 square feet and 93 parking spaces; an independent-living facility with 90 units totaling 103,446 square feet and 78 parking spaces; 100 single-family attached units totaling 184,600 square feet; and 19 detached units totaling 35,800 square feet; and nine acres of open space.

Where it stands: Forsyth County Commissioners approved the rezoning of 43.8 acres from urban Village (UV) and agriculture (A1) districts to UV with a conditional-use permit for Forsyth Senior Living, LLC to operate a continuing care retirement community known as Sterling Estates of Forsyth in August 2020.

According to Sterling Estates’ website, construction is expected to begin this year.

The Traditions

Where: Atlanta Highway and Majors Road What are the plans: Originally approved by commissioners more than a decade ago, the project will include 60 age-restricted, detached, single-family units along with 7,000 square feet of single-story office, 28,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and shops.

Where it stands: In March 2019, Forsyth County Commissioners approved the changes to the original plans for the 182-acre development. Construction on the project has not started.

Amazon coming to Shiloh Road

Where: Shiloh Road near Shiloh Crossing.

What are the plans: Warehouses that will operate around the clock totaling 442,495 square feet with 1,810 parking spaces on 103 acres currently zoned Restricted Industrial District (M1) off Shiloh Road. The project is proposed with three buildings: Building 1 totaling 219,000 square feet; Building 2 totaling 180,375 square feet; and Building 3 totaling 43,120 square feet.

Where it stands: In November, commissioners approved variances for an additional amount of parking spaces up to 1,531 along with the reduction of the zoning buffer along the northeastern portion of the entrance drive for Seefried Industrial Properties, an Atlanta-based developer, has been tied to several

Amazon fulfillment centers, including locations in Louisiana, Texas, Chicago and Tampa Bay.

Davidson-Forsyth mixed-use

Where: Between Peachtree Parkway, Westminster Lane and Old Atlanta Road What are the plans: A proposed 450-acre mixeduse development is being planned with six areas, or pods, that would have different uses and standards. The property is part of an 800-acre tract used by an existing quarry. The quarry is being reduced to 350 acres, leaving the rest to be developed.

Where it stands: At a meeting in September, Forsyth County Commissioners met discussed the project with a consulting team from Nelson Worldwide and the property owner to develop the plan, which looked at materials, exterior architectural styles, the look of the development overall, housing, infrastructure and road needs and more.

District 2 Commissioner Alfred John, who was sworn-in at the beginning of the year, said the project was a major focus for him.

Liu Investments mixed-use

Where: 100 McFarland Parkway, east of Atlanta Highway at the north side of the intersection with Martin Drive and south of the intersection with McFarland Parkway.

What are the plans: A mixed-use project with 67 attached residential units with a density of 3.62 units per acre and proposed commercial buildings totaling 43,975 square feet with 233 parking spaces.

Applicant Liu Investments has requested a rezoning from Commercial Business District (CBD), Office and Institutional District (O&I) and Single-Family Residential District (R1) to Master Planned District (MPD) on 18.534 acres.

Where it stands: The project will next go before the county’s planning board. At the board’s Tuesday, Feb. 25 meeting, members voted to postpone the item to the Tuesday, March 23 meeting.

TW Bethelview investments mixed-use

Where: Old Atlanta Road, James Burgess Road and Southers Circle.

What is it: A proposed mixed-use development with 19 single-family detached units, 53,450 square feet of commercial buildings with 318 parking spaces and 4.5 acres of open space. The applicant is requesting the rezoning of 20 acres from agriculture (A1) district to master-planned district (MPD).

Where it stands: The application is currently being reviewed by the county’s planning department and has not yet gone to commissioners or the planning board.

Fox Creek Properties mixed-use

Where: 3690 and 3710 Mathis Airport Parkway.

What is it: A planned mixed-use project consisting of 59 single-family detached and 22 townhome residential units, 14,050 square feet of commercial space with 66 parking spaces and 7.6 acres of open space. The applicant is requesting a rezoning from commercial business district (CBD) to masterplanned district (MPD) on 23 acres.

Where it stands: The application is currently being reviewed by the county’s planning department and has not yet gone to commissioners or the planning board.

Photo by Ashlyn Yule Forsyth County News

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Coal Mountain Dog Park officially opened. The dog park sits across from the Forsyth County Animal Shelter on County Way, just off Ga. 400. Commissioners, including Cindy Jones Mills, above, were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with those who had worked on the project and their four-legged friends.

Photo by Kelly Whitmire Forsyth County News

Local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ga. 400 interchange at Hwy. 369 and a widening project along Hwy. 369 on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

PROGRESS

2021

E D U C AT I O N SECTION D

East Forsyth High nearly ready for summer opening

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

East Forsyth High School, Forsyth’s seventh traditional high school located on nearly 90 acres of land at 9030 Jot Em Down Road, is nearly finished as the district plans for the next school year.

The high school is now just waiting on final touches to the building, staff hirings and the installation of school fixtures.

Director of Construction Tom Wening said they should receive the certificate of occupancy for the school by April.

Jeff Cheney, who was chosen as the school’s principal in 2019, said during a Board of Education meeting that he could not wait for the opening. Cheney previously served as a principal at North Forsyth, South Forsyth and Oglethorpe Middle School in Savannah.

While working to open the school, Cheney said that he has focused on building relationships and integrating the school within the East Forsyth community. He has also spoken with middle schoolers in the county who plan to eventually “Head East” to answer some of their questions about the school and teach them more about what East has to offer.

The school is expected to open with approximately 1,500 students in grades 9-11, similar to Denmark’s opening three years ago, and it will offer 13 different career pathways.

Cheney and other East leaders have built a focus around “Bronco Design: Building for the Future,” which highlights some of the school’s unique pathways — Entrepreneurship; Architecture/ Drafting and Design; Interiors, Fashion and Textiles; Marketing Communications and Promotions and Construction/ Carpentry.

“When you look at the projected growth in our county, the east side of Forsyth is wide open, and we wanted these relevant pathways where kids could get industry certifications, real world experiences and be a part of building our community if that’s what they want to do,” Cheney said.

The school will also offer Early Childhood Education, which Cheney said is the first pathway of its kind in the district. The program will complement the Teaching as a Profession pathway, and Cheney said they are hoping to eventually add an early childhood education center to the school for students to access.

“Our students have asked for this,” Cheney said. “Our teaching as a profession pathways have been very popular at all of our schools. A lot of our students intern and work at elementary schools in the teaching as a profession [pathway], so this was a great opportunity to take this to another level.”

Other pathways that will be offered include A/V Technology and Film, Computer Science, Culinary Arts, Engineering and Technology, Marketing and Management, and Cheney Programming.

Aside from academics, Wening noted the importance of getting up students’ school spirit even before the start of the school year. The school’s football field and stadium are already completed and ready for student athletes to use beginning as early as May. The district has also named an athletic director for the school, Matt Hollis.

Hollis served as head football coach at Forsyth Central High School from 200204 before a one-year stint as Cedartown’s head coach and athletic director. He is currently an assistant administrator at Denmark High School and has also worked at South Forsyth High School.

Brian Allison was also chosen as the school’s head football coach, tasked with building up school spirit and the Broncos culture from the ground up.

“There’s going to be a lot of challenges involved,” Allison said. “I just think the initial getting to know everyone and getting everyone on the same page — because we’re going to be pulling from two different high schools.”

Once it opens, the school will relieve overcrowding from North Forsyth and Fo r s y t h C e n t r a l H i g h S c h o o l s .

Redistricting plans finalized at the end of last year showed that 1,000 students from North Forsyth and another 500 students from Central would be attending the new school beginning in August.

Athletic coaches from North Forsyth will also be joining students at East beginning in the summer as both Kyle Counts and Tyler Martin accepted positions as the school’s baseball coach and swim and dive coach, respectively.

The school announced later that they also hired Scott Bracco to lead the Broncos’ boys basketball program and Mike Hedrick to head the school’s girls basketball program.

While the school is on track to open with nearly 1,500 students, the building can accommodate 2,125, and it was designed for a future addition that would let the school house up to 2,475 students.

East Forsyth High School’s ribbon cutting is planned for July 17.

“Opening a new school is an amazing experience, and I’m having a blast,” Cheney said.

David Roberts contributed to this article.

Photos courtesy Forysth County Schools

East Forsyth filling out athletic department ahead of inaugural season

By David Roberts

droberts@forsythnews.com

Matt Hollis will guide the East Forsyth athletic department through its inaugural school year.

Hollis, East’s first athletic director, served as head football coach at Forsyth Central High School from 2002-04 before a one-year stint as Cedartown’s head coach and athletic director. He is currently an assistant administrator at Denmark High School and has also worked at South Forsyth High School.

East will open in August 2021 ahead of the 2021-22 school year.

“When I came back with the opportunity of opening Denmark, all of a sudden you’re looking at five schools in the county and it’s totally different,” Hollis said. “You’ve got new leadership at the top with Dr. Bearden, it’s just bigger, the whole place is different — Hammonds Crossing, my gosh. The fruit stand is gone and Mudcats is gone.

Now it’s Bojangles’ and a RaceTrac.”

In addition to football, Hollis has coaching experience in soccer and wrestling, and has served as a strength trainer.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a window into this county in several different areas,” Hollis said. “When it was three schools coming from a mountain region into basically Tucker, Marist, (St.) Pius and that change. My last game at Washington County was when North beat us before I became the head coach at Forsyth

Matt Hollis will guide the East Forsyth athletic department through its inaugural school year.

Central. North Forsyth went to the Georgia Dome that year.

That was one very different time in this county.”

As a football player, Hollis was part of Jacksonville State’s national championship team in 1992, which beat Pittsburg State 17-13 in the Division II title game.

“We are thrilled to have Matt join the Broncos to lead the development of our athletic programs and extracurricular a c t iv i t i e s ,” E a s t Fo r s y t h Principal Jeff Cheney said in a press release. “Matt has held numerous leadership roles at various schools, which helps him understand the support our students and coaches will need, and the critical importance of cultivating strong community engagement for the long-term success of all at East Forsyth HS.” East will be the county’s seventh high school and will be

able to accommodate more than 2,000 students.

According to redistricting plans, more than 1,000 students will move to East Forsyth from North Forsyth High School, plus nearly 500 students from Forsyth Central High School.

Brian Allison, who was selected as East’s head football coach, hasn’t seen an offseason quite like this one, despite his 25-year head coaching career in Georgia.

That’s because Allison is tasked with laying the bricks for East’s football program, building the Broncos culture from the ground up.

“There’s going to be a lot of challenges involved,” Allison said. “Right now, we don’t have a coached hired and I’ve yet to meet a student-athlete. I just think the initial getting to know everyone and getting everyone on the same page — because we’re going to be pulling from two different high schools.”

Allison spent 19 seasons at Union County, combining a six-year stint from 1996-01 with a 13-year tenure than began in 2008. Allison also coached six seasons at WinderBarrow.

Allison is one of only 12 Union County head football coaches dating back to the school’s opening in 1957. In fact, Allison surpassed his former head coach, Terry Rogers, as the school’s all-time wins leader in 2012 and finished with a 121-77 record at Union County.

“I’ve grown up in Union County, went to Union County and I have family in Union County,” Allison said. “It was a tough deal to make the initial decision, but when the decision was made, I’ve been excited about the opportunity at East Forsyth. The people in Forsyth County have been just marvelous and welcomed me with open arms. I’m just really

excited about the opportunity.”

Union County developed a penchant for its high-powered offenses under Allison.

Prior to this past season, the Panthers averaged 30 points per game every year since 2013, highlighted by the 2014 team’s school-record 453 points in 11 games.

That season marked the first time Union County reached 400 points in a season. The Panthers surpassed that mark four more times from 2015-16 and 2018-19.

“We want to still be able to be a wide-open offense,” Allison said. “We have been fortunate that we’ve had some good quarterbacks come through our program, and we’ve had some good receivers come through the program.

We’ve had some really good players come through the program the last few years. We’ll See DEPARTMENT | 2D

10D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

FCSO proudly serves citizens, visitors of Forsyth County The year 2021 is showing the hope of life moving toward a sense of normalcy for all of us, including your FCSO. Even with the challenges of 2020 fresh in our minds, FCSO has been moving forward to do all we can to help the community during the difficulties presented by COVID-19.

Late last year, the Forsyth County Government and Board of Commissioners, our Emergency Management, Fire Department, Department of Public Health, and FCSO began meeting to determine how we could coordinate COVID-19 vaccinations once available. Our deputies and volunteer units, CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team), CHIPS (Citizens Helping in Policing), and others, continue to provide hundreds of volunteer hours in assisting in vaccine clinics.

In fact, our volunteers (over 100 of them) donated the equivalent of ½ million dollars in work for our community.

No one asked for credit, no one wanted recognition, we just agreed to get the job done and our clinics have been widely praised for efficiency and operation.

Forsyth County’s crime rates remain the overall lowest in the metro-Atlanta region. While the pandemic may have slowed the world, someone forgot to give that message to the criminals. Our deputies worked diligently in solving an

organized crime-led burglary ring that was primarily targeting our Indian community. Our Johns Creek and Forsyth Drug Task Force continues to focus on removing drug dealFreeman ers from our community and has been highly successful in leading investigations that led to the arrest of dealers both within and outside of our community. Forsyth County continues to show others what can happen when community and law enforcement develop trust and partner together to keep their community safe.

We enter into 2021 highlighting several new initiatives. Our Pups with Purpose program pairs inmates with dogs from our local Forsyth County Animal Shelter. These pups go through a 6-8 week full-time training program led by inmates with oversight from Forsyth County Deputies and our local volunteer professional trainer, Scot Rucker.

This program has been hugely successful for both the pups and the inmates involved. To date, over 40 pups have been trained and adopted. We also began our RSAT (Regional Substance Abuse Treatment) program in the jail.

This 180-day program pairs local resources, training, and work for inmates assigned to the program. The

goal is simple, take those with substance abuse issues, teach them skills to use in life, require them to work, and reach an ultimate goal of becoming responsible citizens again. One of the recent work projects our RSAT program undertook was the renovation of the Cumming Cemetery, which had fallen into severe disrepair. Inmates have remounted headstones, cleaned memorials, performed significant landscaping, and even discovered buried and forgotten monuments that have now been remounted and cleaned.

We begin 2021 with a forward-looking initiative to assist those with mental health issues avoid the criminal justice system. Too often, jails become housing for a broken mental health system.

With grant funding providing the financial resources, we are one of the few agencies in Georgia with a full-time Mental Health Critical Response Unit that pairs a specially trained Deputy Sheriff with a mental health professional to respond directly to 911 calls where needed. They, along with a peer counselor, also follow up with those with persistent mental health issues to provide resources and care options.

Financially the FCSO ended 2020 $1.1 million under budget; those monies were returned to the Board of Commissioners for future needs. We have operated under budget each year since 2017. We continue to see highly

qualified candidates applying to FCSO and as of March 2021 we are nearly at full staff with a waiting list of candidates.

I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to thank Forsyth County for allowing me to serve as your Sheriff for another four years. It is a great privilege and responsibility I will never take lightly.

The men and women of the FCSO are the most professional and dedicated group of people I have ever met. They work selflessly every day to keep Forsyth safe, and the response from our citizens shows the mutual respect each holds for one another.

I often remind folks, we are not perfect, we are human and make mistakes like anyone else, but we must work every day to meet the motto we internally hold as the “Forsyth County Way”, Service before Self. That motto means to us that: • Integrity counts • Service matters • Excellence is our goal • We are here to serve our community • We approach crime proactively • We treat people consistently and fairly • We are innovative in our service Ron Freeman Forsyth County Sheriff

CUMMING POLICE DEPARTMENT

Marsh: Department has grown over the last year

The City of Cumming Police Department has made large strides in 2020 to increase our law enforcement and service capabilities to our citizens and guests.

In the last year the police department has filled all the open positions within the agency bringing our staff up to 20 sworn officers and three administrative assistants. We provide a 24/7 response to 911 calls for service along with a fully staffed criminal investigation division which works the various property and person crimes throughout the city.

The police department made signifi-

cant technology advances as well by adding body cameras to every officer and vehicle-based camera systems to our fleet of patrol cars. This gives our agency a very high level of transparency and creates stronger cases for prosecution when arrests are made for criminal violations.

Our focus for 2021 will be to continue our service to the community by providing a compassionate and competent response to calls for service.

The criminal investigation division has identified several cold case files, including a murder from 2010, that will be

reopened and investigated along with any new cases that are reported.

Our uniform patrol division will have a focus on traffic and pedestrian safety within the city limits with a special concentration on Marsh the roads which contribute to the downtown area.

Distracted driving, red light violations, and high police visibility will help contribute to a safer pedestrian environment for anyone walking from the parking

decks to the various government buildings and businesses on the square.

As the City of Cumming continues to grow and zone more residential and commercial properties the police department will expand its community involvement and crime fighting abilities.

We plan to explore the various federal and state grant opportunities which will allow us to add equipment and services without an extra burden on the tax payers.

David Marsh Cumming Police Chief

Paul Holbrook sworn-in as Forsyth County coroner

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

When Forsyth County Coroner Paul Holbrook was sworn-in to his new role on Monday, Dec. 28, he was able to include some late family members.

Like he did four years ago, when being sworn-in as a deputy coroner under former Coroner Lauren McDonald III, during Holbrook’s swearing-in this week, he did so using his grandparents’ Bible, which, according to a note on the inside, they received on Christmas day 1953.

“My dad passed away several years ago, and my grandmother gave it to me, because I’m sure it was going to go to him,” Holbrook said, “but she gave me that, and I used it for my dad’s eulogy at his service, I used it whenever I was sworn-in as deputy coroner four years ago and my grandmother actually died two months [before the swearing-in] and I just thought it would be something nice to kind of honor her and my grandfather and my dad to be sworn in on that Bible.”

Taking on his new role, Holbrook said he had big shoes to fill and learned a lot from McDonald, who did not seek re-election for coroner and was elected to the District 26 seat in the Georgia House

of Represen­tatives in Novem­ber.

After four years as a deputy coroner and two as chief deputy coroner, Holbrook said he is “excited and nervous” for his term Holbrook and has a few ideas he wants to initiate.

“Over the next few months, I would like to implement a couple of programs at no cost to the citizens, like a suicide awareness group,” Holbrook said. “I know a lot of churches have them, but we deal with the families firsthand when it comes to suicides and that sort of thing … I thought if I could offer some kind of support system as well, of course at no cost, that would be something I would like to do.”

Holbrook is a director at McDonald & Son Funeral Home and began working in the funeral industry when he was 16. He is a graduate of the Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service and earned degrees in forensic science, funeral service and criminal justice.

He has previously volunteered with Prevent Child Abuse Georgia and serves as court-appointed special advocate with

Photo courtesy Paul Holbrook

Paul Holbrook was sworn-in to his new role on Monday, Dec. 28, as Forsyth County coroner. Holbrook used his grandparents’ Bible, which they received on Christmas day 1953.

CASA of Forsyth County.

Along with Holbrook, his deputy coroners – Keith Bowen, Hutch Bennett,

Claire McDonald, Chris Shelton, Stan Rutledge and Kent Saferight — were also sworn-in in December.

Cumming Police Officers honored at city council meeting

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Three of the Cumming Police Department’s top officers were recently honored for their hard work over the past year.

At the Cumming City Council’s work session on Tuesday, Dec. 1, Chief David Marsh handed out the awards and touched on why each of the winners was selected for lifesaving and officer and supervisor of the year honors.

The first award of the evening, a lifesaving award, was given to Sgt. Tracy Holbrook for her actions in June giving CPR to a woman who had fallen unconscious until paramedics arrived and she could take her to the hospital.

“There’s no question in anyone’s mind that her CPR helped save [the woman’s] life,” Marsh said, “and she is alive today because we had a police officer who knew what she was doing and was willing to do it.”

Officer Howard Corrigan was also presented a lifesaving award for his work responding to a call of an unconscious person and administering NARCAN, a medication designed to overcome the effects of an opiate-based overdose.

“Officer Corrigan’s quick thinking

Cumming Police Department’s Officer Howard Corrigan, Sgt. Tony Hodgkins and Sgt. Tracy Holbrook were recognized at a recent Cuming City Council meeting for their work over the last year.

and medical background undoubtedly saved a young man’s life, and we’re very happy to present him a lifesaving medal as well,” Marsh said.

In addition to the lifesaving award, Corrigan was also named the Cumming Police Department’s Officer of the Year, which Marsh said was usually the toughest decision for the awards but

Corrigan had separated himself from his peers.

“People in our community call 911 when they have nowhere else to turn, and oftentimes police officers can respond to calls that are not law enforcement related,” Marsh said. “Many police officers can get frustrated with their time is being spent dealing with person-

al problems for others, but Officer Corrigan approaches every contact with others as a chance to serve someone else in the community.”

Along with the lifesaving and officer of the year awards, Marsh said the department was also giving, for the first time, a Supervisor of the Year award, which was presented to Sgt. Tony Hodgkins, who Marsh commended for his work running training sessions and other duties.

“Along with his patrol responsibilities, Officer Hodgkins plans, coordinates and teaches all of the in-service training for the police department, and he does a fantastic job of juggling the state-mandated training that we need … as well as coordinating agency-specific training,” Marsh said.

The city council meeting was heavily attended by other members of the police d e p a r t m e n t , a n d M a y o r Tr oy Brumbalow said while only three received awards, he appreciated the entire department’s work.

“These three may have received awards tonight, but you all are Officer of the Year in my heart,” he said. “I want you all to know that I and this city council support all of you and the job that you all do for our community every day.”

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 11D

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

FORSYTH COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

Hose uncoupling ceremony held for Forsyth County Fire Station 11 Station 11 opened in west central Forsyth County on Sept. 28 From Staff Reports

The Forsyth County Fire Department held a hose uncoupling ceremony for the Fire Station 11 on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The new station funded by the voterapproved SPLOST VI and by impact fees officially opened on Sept. 28.

“Fire Station 11 proudly serves the residents of west Forsyth County and provides enhanced coverage for our customers in this area,” Forsyth County Fire Chief Barry Head said. “We are

and to allow for future growth.

“It’s always an honor to be a part of an uncoupling ceremony for a new fire station and to see the great pride the Fire Department takes in each of their new facilities,” said Todd Levent, District 3 Forsyth County Commissioner. “The station is a beacon to our growing community that their safety is a priority.”

In September 2018, the Forsyth County Fire Department was awarded a grant from the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA to support the staff cost

Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Fire Department

Fire Chief Barry Head signs the fire hose during the a hose uncoupling ceremony for the Fire Station 11 on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Photo Kelly Whitmire

very thankful of the voters’ continued passage of the Forsyth County SPLOST program and eternally grateful to the board of commissioners for their unwavering support of the fire department.”

Fire Station 11 is a 12,000-squarefoot, four-stall station, designed to accommodate the personnel and equipment that will operate out of the facility

at Fire Station 11.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant funded the hiring of 12 new firefighters for the new station. The grant provided funding for 2019, 2020 and 2021 that was not otherwise fully funded in the fire department’s budget.

Forsyth County Fire Station 11 is at 4655 Pittman Road in west Forsyth.

Circus Fair 2179 Annual 20Yaarab Shrine th

bL

NG

W EE

KEND

SP

CUMMING FAIRGROUNDS, CUMMING

IAL!

May 22-May 31, 2021 #yaarabtogether

OP E

NI

EC

MAY 22 & 23 MEGA PASS $15.00 ADMISSION AND RIDES FOR ALL AGES

CYCLE CIRCUS LIVE FAIR FOOD GAMES & RIDES ELEPHANTS TIGERS

REGULAR PRICES

REGULAR RIDE TICKETS AT THE GATE 1 ticket $1.25 | 21 tickets $20 MONDAY-THURSDAY, 55 tickets $50 | 120 tickets $100 MAY 24-27 **All riders must be 36” $18 PER PERSON REGULAR ADMISSION AT THE GATE Admission $10.00 *Includes circus admission

10 & under FREE

*Includes circus admission

GROUND ACTS

UNLIMITED BOGO RIDE SPECIALS TICKET OFFER

Parking $5.00

*Does not include admission. **All riders must be 36”

FRIDAY-SUNDAY & MEMORIAL DAY $25 PER PERSON

*Does not include admission. **All riders must be 36”

Pick up BOGO admission tickets at any Metro Atlanta Food Depot May 1- May 31, 2021 Buy One Admission Get One Free ($10.00 savings) *Does not include ride tickets.

CUMMING FAIRGROUNDS 235 Castleberry Road Cumming, GA 30040

BUY DISCOUNT TICKETS ON-LINE

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 404.419.6755

2021shrinecircus.com

12D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition | March 27-28, 2021

Where will you lead?

When Nataly Morales Villa graduated from UNG with a B.S. degree in political science, she was the first in her family to earn a college degree. Scholarships, including the prestigious Gilman International Scholarship, provided tuition support and study abroad experiences in Spain and Peru. Nataly’s research as a participant in the McNair Scholars Program eventually led her to Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she is on schedule to graduate in May 2021.

Learn more go.ung.edu/ apply

Lead where it counts.

When Noah Bryant enrolled at UNG’s Cumming Campus, he didn’t want to just attend classes and go home. As a firstgeneration college student, he wanted to immerse himself in the college experience. A Cumming native pursuing a degree in History, Noah joined the Student Government Association, serving as treasurer and then president of the organization.

Now on the Gainesville Campus, he continues to serve on SGA’s Executive Council. Noah also served as a Supplemental Instruction facilitator for students in world history classes, which gives him practical experience toward his ultimate goal. “I plan to teach college-level students,” he said. “And I would like to teach at UNG.”

Scan to learn more about UNG’s Cumming Campus

UNG is designated as a State Leadership Institution and as The Military College of Georgia®.

Blue Ridge • Cumming • Dahlonega • Gainesville • Oconee • ung.edu

2D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS

District remains one of the top in the state

Forsyth County Schools is proud to be one of the top districts in Georgia and the United States. Our success has been accomplished through dedication to our mission and a commitment to continuous improvement through the cooperative efforts of all stakeholders.

Forsyth County Schools serves 51,500 students in 39 schools — 22 elementary, 10 middle, six high, and one college and career high school. It is amazing to think that just a decade ago we had 34,181 students in our schools.

This August we are excited to open Hendricks Middle, East Forsyth High, a new building for the Academies for Creative Education (ACE) programs, and the FoCAL Center, a centralized performing arts center. In 2021 we will open our last school from the 2018 voter approved bond, New Hope Elementary.

As the sixth largest of 180 school districts in Georgia, Forsyth County Schools has the highest CCRPI score (State assessment), highest county graduation rate (96%), highest SAT score, highest ACT score, and highest financial efficiency rating (5-out-of-5 stars) in

metro-Atlanta and among large districts.

These accomplishments are because we have excellent teachers and staff, hardworking students, and supportive parents/guardians and Bearden community business partners.

We operate on a $494 million budget, with 73 percent of our expenses tied to instruction. The budget income is 48 percent from local funds and 52 percent from state and federal funds.

The FY21 budget was built maintaining the same millage rate for the last five years, which is the lowest in MetroAtlanta. FCS’ per pupil expenditure is $9,209, which is the second-lowest among the 12 largest districts in the state. Thirteen percent of the student population is free and/or reduced.

FCS is proud to be one of 17 school districts in the United States to receive the highest possible bond rating, AAA, from both Moody’s and Standard and Poors (S&P). Having the highest possi-

ble credit rating is a benefit for taxpayers with lower interest rates on the sale of bonds.

One of the many things that make FCS special is that even with our growth, we still maintain a small-town feel and form connections that go beyond the walls of our schools. As one of the nation’s top 11 fastest growing communities, Forsyth County’s growth and increasing diversity have had a positive impact on our schools.

Highly motivated students come to our classrooms locally and from all over the world, representing 124 countries and 52 languages. The fastest-growing population is Asian students at 25%; the student population is also comprised of White 52%, Hispanic 14%, Black or African American 5%, Two or more races 3%, American Indian or Alaska Native and Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, which are both 1%.

Forsyth County School’s path to greatness is outlined in the district’s Strategic Plan, which was created with input from students, staff and business and community members. The plan

focuses on the needs of Forsyth County Schools’ primary customer, the individual student.

The strategic compass for the plan is the Learner Profile, which is an advanced profile that describes the attributes of students attending and graduating from a Forsyth County school. With these academic skills and personal characteristics, Forsyth County Schools’ students are college and career ready.

Forsyth County Schools is excited for the opportunities that are before us and looks forward to working collaboratively to serve all in Forsyth County by providing Quality Learning and Superior Performance for All. The district invites you to stay connected by visiting its website, www.forsyth.k12.ga.us, following on social media (@FCSchoolsGA on Twitter, @ FCSchools on Facebook, and @ ForsythCoSchoolsGA on Instagram), and to download the updated mobile app, Forsyth County Schools GA.

Jeff Bearden is superintendent of Forsyth County Schools.

Lindsey Adams takes over Board of Education District 5 seat

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

The Forsyth County Board of Education welcomed Lindsey Adams, the newly-elected District 5 representative, early this year as she took over the seat recently vacated by longtime member and chair Nancy Roche.

A former educator and a mother to four Forsyth County Schools students, Adams was sworn-in to her new position on the board after its last meeting in December. She took a moment to thank her family, the other board members and Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden for their support.

Since taking over in the role, she has continued learning from other board members and the community to help make an impact in Forsyth’s schools.

With her mom being a lifelong teacher, Adams said that education has always been a huge part of her life, which has led her to an involvement in the community and with nonprofit organizations.

She ended up attending Boston College, earning degrees in English and Education with Moderate Special Needs while also taking the time to volunteer and participate in service work with children. Adams has since worked extensively with nonprofits such as Special Olympics Georgia, The Center for Child Wellbeing at the Task Force for Child Survival and Development, and Love Not Lost.

Adams

Eventually moving back into education, Adams later taught sixth grade as a co-teacher at Shamrock Middle School in Dekalb County. She taught math and science along with a study skills class for students with special

needs.

After teaching, Adams began working from home as a small group insurance specialist for businesses under 100 employees, and she stayed in the company there for nearly ten years.

She and her family continued to involve themselves in the community and its schools even after she left teaching. She served as a member of the Forsyth County Schools Superintendent’s Parent and Community Advisory, the Local School Council at Haw Creek Elementary where her kids are students and the Total Wellness Collaborative.

Although she was heavily involved in the community, Adams said that she did not understand much about the world of local politics until her husband, Chandon, ran for a seat on the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners back in 2016. Having gone through that experience, when she heard that a seat on the Board of Education would be opening up, she felt up to the task.

“When I learned that Nancy was retiring, I felt a calling in my heart,” Adams

said. “It felt like …. this was the perfect time for [me] to step up.”

Even before being elected, Adams started to think of what her purpose would be as a former educator and new member of the county’s school board. In the end, she said that every decision she helps to make on the board will be with the district’s students in mind.

“When something comes at me, I need to ask the question: Is this in the best interest of the students?” Adams said. “That’s what it comes down to.”

In the long-term, Adams plans to focus on student safety, health and wellbeing within the district while she’s on the board.

She has already begun to learn more about ongoing student safety assessments, and especially after the past year, she wants to make sure that school and district leaders are “staying diligent” and looking out for students’ mental and physical health.

Adams also said she has wanted to work to further connect students to communities within their schools, giving them an outlet and sense of belonging at school that each and every student can turn to when they may really need it.

“That community and that feeling of being part of something is big — we need to do a better job of doing that [in school],” Adams said. “I think churches do that really well and maybe athletic groups and things like that, but with school in general, I think we can do a better job of doing that. Humans were

FROM 1A

Department start working that offensive philosophy and that offensive scheme when they get here. The biggest thing is we’re teaching fundamentals, we’re teaching kids how to throw and catch, to block, to tackle.

Football’s football. We want to work hard to put our kids in the best position we can to be as successful as they can.”

Allison is hopeful the Broncos will host a spring practice, though East is in a unique position since all of its potential players are currently enrolled at another school.

According to the 2020-21 GHSA constitution, spring practice “may be held on 10 school days from Feb. 1 until the end of the school year, spaced over 13 consecutive school days.”

Schools have until Feb. 1 to determine whether they will have spring practice.

“I really hope we’re able to get a spring practice,” Allison said. “We’ve had that conversation, and I think that we will. That’s the plan moving forward, is to have a spring practice. I’ll start at East on March 1st, so I want to start meeting kids and start making decisions on if they’re coming to East, or what’s happening with them. I want to start working with the kids as soon as I can.”

East’s mascot might be the Broncos, but Forsyth County’s newest school will start with a tinge of Raider purple and black.

Kyle Counts and Tyler Martin — both coaches at North Forsyth — are set to join East as the school’s baseball coach and swim and dive coach, respectively.

Counts, who won a state championship at North Forsyth in 1998 and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame, returned in 2017 to coach the Raiders.

Counts previously spent eight years coaching at Chestatee and had a twoyear stint at North from 2006-08.

Martin, who was hired by North in 2017, has coached five all-state selections, including two-time state champion Hailey Galbraith.

Martin graduated from North and was a swimmer for the Raiders from 200811. Martin also served as an assistant

Tyler Martin, left, will serve as East Forsyth’s swim and dive coach, while Kyle Counts will be the Broncos’ baseball coach.

Brian Allison, who was selected as East’s head football coach, is tasked with laying the bricks for East’s football program, building the Broncos culture from the ground up.

coach with North for four years before being promoted to head coach.

East also announced a pair of hoops hires, selecting Scott Bracco to lead the Broncos’ boys basketball program and Mike Hedrick to head the school’s girls basketball program.

Bracco previously coached at Lambert for nine seasons, leading the Longhorns to the playoffs each year and compiling a 189-70 record. Hedrick spent four seasons at Patrick Henry (Va.), where he led the Patriots to a 71-21 mark and produced a state championship berth this past season.

“Both Coach Bracco and Coach Hedrick bring the necessary energy needed in creating a new program,” Hollis said. “They are both proven winners, understanding that hard work is the foundation for championships; but more than that, their dynamic leadership styles made it clear that they were the perfect fit to build our Bronco basketball programs.”

At Lambert, Bracco guided the Longhorns to five straight Sweet 16 appearances, highlighted by a 2015-16 team that finished 27-3 and captured its second straight region championship.

The Longhorns finished 12-15 this season, falling in the first round of the

Class 7A playoffs to Berkmar, which will play Saturday for a state championship.

Bracco also coached at Dunwoody and South Gwinnett prior to Lambert, winning back-to-back state championships with Dunwoody in 2005-06.

Hedrick also found postseason success in his last stop, reaching the playoffs in all four years at Patrick Henry and advancing to the semifinals in his last two seasons.

“In the four years, we went from the third-worst overall record in the state of Virginia to in the four years winning 70-something games, or whatever it was,” Hedrick said. “Every year we were in the Elite Eight, and the last two the Final Four. Then we got to the state tournament and just couldn’t quite finish the job.”

Hedrick’s Patriots finished the abbreviated 2020-21 season 9-2 and ultimately fell to Princess Anne in the Class 5A state championship game.

Hedrick already had a friendship with Buford coach Gene Durden, then heard about the East opening through former North Forsyth and current Dawson County coach Eric Herrick.

“The more I researched the job, the more I talked to Nathan Turner and Jeff Cheney and Matt Hollis, it became evident that they wanted to have excellent coaches and they wanted to build winning programs. I just fell in love with the administration, and I believe you win in life with people,” Hedrick said.

“Enjoying who you work with every day, that was a huge part of it. It was hard to leave BH, because we built a really great program there.

“It was really hard to tell the girls that

made for a connection, so if we can somehow create a way where our schools can foster communities of connection for every student, I think that would be truly amazing.”

Adams mentioned that when students are struggling with their mental health or even when they may just be feeling lonely, which many have felt during the pandemic over the past year, it is important to have those “communities of connection” so that they can have someone at school that they feel comfortable speaking with and reaching out to.

“There has to be some way that we can build a community of connection other than just going in, learning and then leaving,” Adams said. “There has to be more to develop the whole self.

School should be a whole-self model, not just a knowledge.”

Going forward, Adams said she is excited to continue working with the other board members and elected officials to further help the county’s students and connect the community further with its schools.

For those who have any questions or would like to get in touch with Adams, they can email her at Liadams@forsyth. k12.ga.us or call her at (470) 695-0009. “[I aim to be] someone who can support the needs of the community,” Adams said.

I was going, but the draw of building a program from scratch — my philosophy is ‘be better’ — and being able to institute that from the first day of school until, hopefully, decades from now when I retire, in the state of Georgia, close to Atlanta, with all the history that Forsyth County has and the great administration. You just put it all together and it’s like, ‘How could you say no?’

It’s a dream job. It really is.”

Hedrick said he’s given clinics on playing matchup zone and that his teams have traditionally been up-tempo, pressoriented squads.

Still, Hedrick will shape the team’s strategy to fit the attributes of the players, whom he has yet to meet.

East will draw from Forsyth Central and North Forsyth, a pair of established programs in the county. North has captured four straight region championships and reached the Elite Eight each of the past four seasons.

“I took the job understanding that I want whoever wants to be a part of it. If you want to stay at North, stay at North,” Hedrick said. “If you want to be a part of East and do this, come on.

That’s going to be my approach, and we’re going to coach up whoever we have.”

Hedrick said it was especially difficult leaving Patrick Henry because of the relationships he developed there.

“The most proud thing that had happened was whenever my birthday happened a few weeks ago, all the players wrote me letters,” Hedrick said.

“Sometimes you don’t know if they get it, and when they wrote me a letter and some of them expressing things they never would have said in person, and at that moment I knew they get it. We’re doing something more than winning a game. I love winning. I love it. But winning doesn’t drive happiness. It’s the relationships.”

Hedrick also spent time in the collegiate ranks, serving as an assistant coach to a pair of women’s programs in Francis Marion (S.C.) and University of Charleston (W.Va.).

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 3D

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

Forsyth County Schools begins implementation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

The Forsyth County School district began implementing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan this year after working on putting together plans for staff training, curriculum and more over the past few years.

The Board of Education originally approved the DEI plan in 2017 as part of the district’s overarching five-year strategic plan, and in the past year, FCS Director of Communications Jennifer Caracciolo explained that the district has been able to form action steps and community partnerships which will allow them meet their goals for the plan.

Caracciolo said that not only have they created and implemented action steps through the past year, but they have also created and shared DEI resources for school staff, focused more attention within the school system on racial and ethnic heritage and history months, conducted research on how to enhance the curriculum, developed and implemented new professional development training for staff members and more.

Overall, Caracciolo said that these actions and partnerships are all to build awareness, grow knowledge, develop skills and eventually put those skills into action to help better the district in three main areas: student engagement and learning, staff capacity and culture and climate.

“We want to get to that point where we are inclusive in our actions and our words and our thoughts,” Caracciolo said.

The district also hired Dania Peguero at the beginning of 2021 as the first DEI Specialist for the county. As she began her work, she discussed with the board how she and district leaders want to continue with the plan through the new year.

Peguero transitioned over from Hall County Schools where she worked for 15 years as a school social worker and coordinator. She said her family is from the Dominican Republic, but she grew up in the U.S. in Rhode Island. She eventually moved to Gainesville in 2005 where she has lived since.

P eg u e r o s t a r t e d o u t i n Forsyth by meeting others in the community, visiting schools in the district and speaking with school leaders about their visions for DEI on their campuses. She said she is excited by the enthusiasm that school leaders and staff have for the plan.

“I always tell Jennifer that I’m really impressed with the work she’s been doing so far because it really has been good,” Peguero said.

She said staff members have been especially appreciative of the professional development training course, Diversity 101, that they started during the fall last year.

This training, created in partnership with the Georgia

Leadership Institute for School Improvement, helped staff members to learn more about Forsyth County’s history, identify their own personal identity and biases and recognize the dimensions of diversity among staff members. The training also helped to connect staff members within the school and help them to take action to build inclusiveness within the school.

Caracciolo explained that they collected data from the first training and sent it to GLISI, which they plan to use to develop their next training course, Diversity 201. They plan to launch the 201 course later this year.

The district has also made strides in adding to the students’ curriculum, starting by looking at the eighth grade Georgia Studies course and finding places where they can connect Georgia history with Forsyth County’s local history.

“It’s just taking historical things that have occurred in the state of Georgia and taking it down a step further into the local history, but it’s all age

appropriate,” Caracciolo said.

This past year, the district conducted research and created this curriculum, and after reviewing what they had gathered with the social studies content specialist and teacher leads, they have begun developing lesson plans they will use in classrooms in August when the 2021-22 year starts.

Caracciolo said that the new curriculum addresses concerns in the community that kids are not taught about Forsyth County’s past, especially regarding race, during their time in school. These concerns were amplified in the community last summer when protests against police brutality broke out across the U.S. after George Floyd’s death in May 2020.

“It does discuss things such as the lynchings, when the Black and African-Americans were driven out of Forsyth County, the marches in the 1980s,” Caracciolo said. “It does address those, but it’s very age appropriate.”

In order to build upon lessons, the district partnered with the Historical Society of

Cumming/Forsyth County to film videos of different areas of the community that are significant to its history.

While the district is currently only looking at the eighth grade Georgia Studies course to add this local history to, Caracciolo said they plan to build upon it and bring the lessons to other courses later on.

They received permission from the state to also create five introductory courses, and as part of their DEI plans in the coming year, the district is planning to create two courses to begin with students in the 2022-23 school year — Introduction to African American/Black Studies and Introduction to U.S. Women’s Studies. The courses will be offered in person at Denmark a n d S o u t h Fo r s y t h H i g h Schools and through the Forsyth Virtual Academy to all district students.

Caracciolo said they have not made plans yet to create the other three introductory courses, but they are hoping to offer the two courses in 2022 to adults in the community along with students.

In the meantime, Peguero has already begun planning for many more initiatives under the DEI plan, including working on recruitment to diversify their staff, review and change English Language Arts book lists and work with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to discuss guidelines for reports of racism or harassment off campus or on social media. Most importantly, she said she wants to work to connect their work with the larger community.

“The DEI effort has to be a community effort as well,” Peguero said. “It just can’t be us.”

For more information on the DEI plan and the district’s continued work, visit www.forsyth. k12.ga.us.

Thank you for voting us BEST

PEDIATRICS

in Forsyth

770-888-8888 Monday - Friday | 8am - 5pm 1800 Northside Forsyth Drive | Suite 460 Cumming, GA 30041

www.cummingpediatricgroup.com

4D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

Kim Sarfaty honored as 2021 Teacher of the Year

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

Kim Sarfaty always looked up to her dad growing up. She remembers that she would speak just a little slower when they talked because he was deaf and needed to read her lips, and she noticed as she got older just how hard her dad worked at communicating with others so he could grow closer to those around him.

Her dad served as a role model for her as she grew to learn to see people for “their abilities, not their disabilities” and recognize how much of an impact that small, everyday moments can have. Early on, Sarfaty realized she also wanted to have that impact on those in her life.

“I wanted to help people realize their individual needs are unique and valued,” Sarfaty said. “I wanted to show empathy, kindness, love and patience with all people and develop positive relationships. I wanted to help others learn in the best possible way, using whatever means available. I wanted to be like so many of the wonderful teachers who touched me. Whether it was through a positive word, an engaging lesson, a listening ear, a little extra time taken to explain a new concept, or a caring smile.”

The influence her teachers and father had on her led her to her career today as a special education and preschool teacher at Chestatee Elementary School, and on Friday, she was recognized as the 2021 Forsyth County Schools’ Teacher of the Year for the big impact she has made in the school and the community.

“I’m so very honored,” Sarfaty said. “I’m honored to represent Forsyth County as teacher of the year. There are so many wonderful, amazing teachers in our county, and to be a part of that is such a special experience. To be a part of our Chestatee family here at our school is just very special to me.”

Photo by Sabrina Kerns Forsyth County News

Kim Sarfaty, a special education teacher at Chestatee Elementary School, was named Forsyth County Schools’ 2021 Teacher of the Year at the annual Celebration of Excellence.

Sarfaty was one of several individuals honored by the school system Friday at its annual Celebration of Excellence, which looked a little different than in years past.

While hundreds usually gather at the Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Technical College for the district-wide event, this year, the district made it available for attendees to watch live from home.

FCS Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden introduced viewers to the event starting at 11:30 Friday morning from the conference center where the school system honored some its Partners in Education and community members.

In a pre-recorded video played during the live-stream, Jessica Younghouse, last year’s FCS Teacher of the Year, read the names of 39 total FCS Teacher of the Years chosen at each school across the county.

They also shared a video about each of the seven semi-finalists chosen last month.

After the videos were finished, school leaders went live at Chestatee Elementary where they surprised Sarfaty with the news of her win. Principal Polly

Tennies led her outside the school where Board of Education Chairwoman Kristin Morrissey was waiting to present her with the Teacher of the Year award.

As Sarfaty stepped up to the microphone to give her speech to the viewers at home, her Chestatee family — teachers, counselors and other staff members — came running out of the school to cheer her on.

During her speech, she expressed how much the award means to her and how honored she feels to work at Chestatee and with the community’s children. She remembered back to when she first had her own kids.

She said her daughter was born three months prematurely and had to spend nearly two months in the hospital before she could take her home. Her oldest son was born having seizures, and her youngest was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 1 year old. While they each had their own health complications, they each are thriving and making their own positive impacts today.

Sarfaty shared during her speech what she has shared with parents of her preschoolers.

“I know when you saw your child’s name and diagnosis on the first page of her IEP, it made it real that your child has special needs,” Sarfaty said. “I understand. I felt the same way at [my son’s] first IEP meeting. When you shared that one of your greatest fears was that your child’s voice would not yet be heard because she is not yet speaking words, it made me think of my father. He was deaf.

For many years, I was his voice, and I will be your child’s voice.

Whether through an electronic device, sign language, picture or words, your child’s voice will be heard.”

Sarfaty emphasized that the staff and students at Chestatee and even across the district all feel like family. She thanked her FCS family, all of the staff members and those who support her at Chestatee, her principal, her husband and three kids, Bearden and the Forsyth County community for the award and for a career that she loves.

The Teacher of the Year was not the only one to receive an award Friday.

Bearden awarded Rosemarie Degaraff as the 2021 Mentor of the Year. He said the mentor from Sawnee Elementary has served at the school longer than most staff members, partnering “with her mentee year after year to build a long-lasting relationship and build connections with all students and staff.”

Doug Jenkins with Georgia Power also presented the 2021 Friend of the Year award to Beaver Toyota and Rucker Dog Training. Beaver Toyota has supported schools in Forsyth for many years and has been working closely with Mashburn Elementary. They have also provided financial support to provide a touchless water fountain for students during the pandemic.

Jenkins said Rucker Dog Training has helped FCS students and staff at Lambert High School with their overall emotional wellbeing through a donation of therapy dogs to

school leaders and teachers.

Duck, the first of several dogs donated to the school, also went up on stage during the livestream to receive the award.

Teresa Banker and Bridge the Gap for Kids Inc., from Whitlow Elementary School were honored with the 2021 Volunteer of the Year award.

Jenkins said Banker, a volunteer, and the nonprofit have provided more than 300 snacks every two months to students at Whitlow.

Dental Town and Solvay Specialty Polymers also both won 2021 Silver Program of the Year awards. Lynn Jackson, a leader at Northside Hospital Forsyth who presented the award, said Dental Town has supported many schools and provided free dental care to students in need. Solvay Speciality Polymers representatives have served as mentors at Midway Elementary and provide funding for STEM specials.

North Point Community Church was honored as the 2021 Gold Program of the Year for their support at Brandywine Elementary School beginning when the school first opened in 2016.

Lastly, Forte Data Systems was given the 2021 Don Hendricks Partnership award.

The business helped to kick off the Forsyth County Education Foundation in 2015 and has provided support schools, scholarships and programs throughout the district.

Bearden closed out the live streamed event Friday, congratulating Sarfaty on her award and expressing his appreciation for FCS, its partners and community members.

“Many of you have heard me say before that the best schools and the best school systems are the ones where homes, school and community work together as partners,” Bearden said. “I can’t think of any other school district that is more blessed than ours. Thank you for providing resources and support. Our school system is successful because of you.”

Thank You for voting us the Best of Forsyth 6 years in a row!

North Pointe NEWS | FORSY NTY TH OU

2016

.COM WS NE

FORS YTH C

OB/GYN

BEST OF FORSYTH R

EA

DER

S’ C H O

IC

E

Exclusively at Northside Hospital-Forsyth...

Any day and every day... never any exceptions.

www.npobgyn.com 1800 Northside Forsyth Drive Suite 350 | Cumming, GA 30041 81 Northside Dawson Drive Suite 305 | Dawsonville, GA 30534

(770) 886-3555

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 5D

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

Forsyth Central opens new Humanities Institute to all students

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

Forsyth Central High School Principal Mitch Young recently thought back to when he was a teacher at West Forsyth in 2008, dreaming of a school where history, journalism, art and language arts teachers would all work together to form ideas and help students.

The school system set a basis for a similar program nearly 10 years ago with its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academy, or STEM, which they decided to place at Forsyth Central. Young said the program felt perfect because it allowed students from throughout the county to apply and take part in a program where the curriculum is interwoven between classes and students stay in a cohort together for all four years of school.

The program quickly became competitive, becoming one of the top specialty programs for students alongside the International Baccalaureate program at South Forsyth High School. After years of seeing success in the program, Young said he was interested in bringing similar opportunities to students outside of STEM. “We said, ‘Okay, we’re doing this on the STEM side, but we’ve got a lot of brilliant kids who [are interested in] English, history, journalism, law,’” Young said. “We’ve got kids that are operating at just as high levels as the STEM kids.”

This idea led Forsyth Central’s administrators and a group of teachers to come up with the Humanities Institute, a program that brings students interested in English, social studies and art and together with their teachers.

The school piloted the program with a small group of students in 2019, and now they plan to open the institute up to students throughout the county for the 2021-22 school year.

Assistant Principal Precilla Saint-Jean, who helped to create and facilitate the program, said that they are excited to offer the program to students across the county because it offers those students who are considering a future as a lawyer, journalist, writer, politician or educator to delve deeper into subjects that will interest them.

A group of teachers put together a set course schedule for each of the students’ four years that they take alongside the usual classes. Some of these courses include AP Human Geography, Humanities, AP Art H i s t o r y, J o u r n a l i s m a n d Current Issues and AP U.S. History.

Going into their senior year, students will be able to choose

Photo by Sabrina Kerns Forsyth County News

Forsyth Central High School opened up its new Humanities Institute to students across the county, allowing rising ninth graders to apply for the 2021-22 school year and join their own cohort of students.

between two set pathways depending on their interests.

One pathway is Global Issues and Politics where students who are interested in international affairs or political science can study U.S. and Global Affairs. The other is Publication and Media for those students more interested in writing, journalism and English.

Students can find these classes or similar classes in high schools throughout the county, but the administration, teachers and students at Central all agree that what sets the Humanities Institute apart from regular AP and honors courses is the experience.

“It’s different because it’s a package,” Young said.

Students first apply for the program as rising ninth-graders, and the group of students they meet and begin taking classes with in their freshman year is the same group of students they will stick with throughout their time in high school.

These students also all have the same teachers, meaning that throughout all four years, all of the students and teachers are collaborating with each other on assignments and projects.

Antonia Alberga-Parisi, a teacher and leader in getting the program started at Central, has been working directly with another teacher, Matthew Thompson, since they started piloting the program, teaching the same group of kids.

Thompson teaches AP U.S. History and Parisi teaches AP Language, but their curriculum is always meeting together and intermingling. At the same time, Thompson was speaking

with students about the revolutionary war and America’s founding fathers and early constitution, Parisi was also reviewing the musical, “Hamilton,” and analyzing it as a work of art. It led students to review the U.S. constitution and some of The Federalist Papers, looking at documents from the country’s early history through different perspectives.

“It’s this really interesting way of connecting art to history to linguistic analysis to culture,” Parisi said.

Thompson said that the kids understand and remember what they are learning much more easily when they have this extra context before walking into the classroom. They have the opportunity to have the full story behind a lesson instead of learning a lesson in segmented parts across classrooms.

Journalism and Current Issues teacher Johnathan Henderson agreed, saying that both learning and teaching tends to flow easier when all the topics relate.

“That’s really the mark of the whole humanities program is not teaching a subject in isolation so that students can see the interconnectedness of things,” Henderson said. “And the idea is it will create these habits of thought that will allow them to see relationships and be better thinkers and creative problemsolvers.”

With dedicated, collaborative teachers, the students also have received more opportunities to explore their areas of interest outside of the classroom.

During the past two years, students have visited Shakespeare’s Tavern, they have spoken with Russian and

Iranian students over Skype about their perspectives on current events and U.S. and foreign relations, and they have toured CNN with a news anchor.

Going forward, teachers collaborate to plan even more of these opportunities for students to show them more about the world and how disciplines come together outside of school.

Many of the humanities students also agreed that being within a cohort gives them a much greater sense of community and comfort than in regular classes. With all of them sticking with each other in the same group in multiple classes through the day, they said they quickly became a closely-knit group of friends.

Young saw this same community forming within the STEM program before piloting the Humanities Institute, and he described it as a “school within a school.”

“Being with a small group of people has been really nice because we’re kind of like a little family, as cheesy as that sounds,” said Addison Denney, a freshman at Central.

Others say the feeling of community also helps them learn better.

“It’s a lot easier to answer questions in front of them because we are so comfortable with each other,” Sophomore Gloria Longoria said. “And then it’s a lot easier to get something wrong and know we’re wrong, but nobody is judging you because we’re so close.”

Parisi said the institute has had a huge impact on students’ confidence in so many ways,

allowing students that could not find the courage to speak in class to feeling comfortable sharing their thoughts.

Part of this confidence comes from students interested in humanities finding their place among each other and in school where they can find more opportunities.

With the STEM Academy’s success, many students felt pressured to join a program where they might be able to find a more rigorous course load.

“I feel like people tend to forget that history and literature are just as important as math a n d s c i e n c e ,” s a i d E d d y Delcroix, a sophomore at the school. “Literature and history have such a huge impact on our world and how we run society and how we keep culture and people going.”

Young said that when most think about the world’s problem solvers, they think of those in STEM fields. They think of c u r i n g c a n c e r, fi n d i n g a COVID-19 vaccine and all of these other scientific, mathematical and engineering solutions. But humanities experts can help to solve one of the largest issues facing societies throughout the world today — a lack of civil discourse.

“At the root of civil discourse is not knowing how to communicate with each other and not understanding that there are multiple perspectives for every problem,” Young said. “There’s not just red and blue. There are different variations of every problem we see that face our societies today. And so, having a group of potential leaders be able to tackle and go deep in those issues and come out and be able to disagree without demonizing. That’s the problem we’re wanting to solve.”

Teachers at Central are already seeing their students in the Humanities Institute become these leaders even after only a year and a half in the program, and students have loved delving into these topics and discussions just as much as the teachers have.

Even for students who do not know where they want to go in the future, they hope they can take all they are learning and the experiences in the institute into anything they decide to do after high school.

“We went into education because we want to save the world, but we know we can’t do that,” Young said. “But if we can, for 30-60 students per year, change the way they’re thinking about things and that they can lead and go out and solve problems effectively and positively, then maybe we have made the world a little better.

That’s what keeps us going.”

West Forsyth offers 3DE Leadership Academy to students

By Sabrina Kerns

skerns@forsythnews.com

West Forsyth High School recently took on one of the Forsyth County Schools’ newest programs, 3DE by Junior Achievement, which aims to prepare students for success in a 21st century, global economy.

Lisa Marie Scalese, who serves as 3DE’s schools director at both West Forsyth and at Northview High School in Fulton County, said that 3DE is a little different than many of the district’s programs in that it is run by Junior Achievement, a now global nonprofit organization founded in metro Atlanta more than 100 years ago.

Junior Achievement always works to partner with those in public education to combine resources and open up further opportunities to teach K-12 students more about financial literacy and business.

In Georgia specifically, the organization has opened Junior Achievement Discovery Centers throughout the state, which help to serve middle school students in the area. The centers provide teachers with material which helps them to teach financial literacy and simulate with middle school students what it is like to spend money as an adult.

Junior Achievement just recently opened one of the discovery centers in Cumming, near Alliance Academy for Innovation, which is part of the reason why the school district and organization both felt Forsyth County would be a perfect spot to host its next endeavor.

The organization created 3DE six years ago, and starting this school year, expanded to Forsyth County and even to districts in other states. While the program is a product of Junior Achievement, Scalese said that it is not focused on financial literacy or business, but rather on skills that

students need to be successful in any career path.

“3DE really is this education for every aspect of life,” Scalese said.

Wi t h i n t h e p r o g r a m , J u n i o r Achievement uses its connections and networks within different industries to connect students with different companies and industry leaders. Whether the companies are big or small, the goal of 3DE is to teach students to collaborate, gather and analyze data and solve real-world problems that these companies may be facing.

Some of 3DE’s partners include the Arby’s Foundation, Delta, The Home Depot, The Marcus Foundation Inc., Suntrust, the Coca-Cola Foundation and many others.

“They come to us with an existing problem or challenge that they’re having in their industry right now,” Scalese said.

“And so they give us all of the background, data and resources and then talk about their current challenges that they’re facing in their industry.”

With this information, the students work in teams on six different cases throughout the year with six different companies to come up with solutions to some of the problems these companies are facing. For example, one group of students worked earlier this year as if they were on Arby’s marketing team to come up with a marketing campaign that may appeal to 13- to 17-year-olds.

Not only do the students collaborate and work together on the case projects, but they also work on them in their core classes as teachers connect the curriculum to a real-world project. Scalese said that 3DE makes sure to work with each company beforehand to write the case challenges so that they align with the students academically.

In an ELA class, teachers may usually teach a concept such as rhetorical devices

through a book or prompt, but through 3DE, they can teach the same concept through the students’ marketing campaign that they are also working on in other classes. In a math class, instead of working on problems out of a textbook, they are working on analyzing data that will inform their decisions and project.

“They’re seeing why and how you actually use data,” Scalese said. “Not just to get the right answer on the test.”

Throughout the process a professional from the industry comes out to the school to coach students while they are working on a project. After the project is finished, students come up with a presentation, and each team presents an idea to a company and industry leaders. Scalese compared the final presentation to the TV show “Shark Tank” as each company ultimately chooses a winner or an idea that they like best.

Overall, Scalese said the case projects and presentations can give students a focus for what they may want to do in the future. Working with different companies in different industries provides them with opportunities to get an inside look into what working in that industry would entail.

In a normal year, students would travel to the companies, meet with leaders and present ideas in an actual board room.

This year, due to the pandemic, students are able to have that opportunity to look into an industry virtually through Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Scalese said that not only is the program helpful for students in finding their focus and in building lifelong skills such as communication, collaboration and problem-solving, but it also helps to build up confidence as students and as leaders.

“Our students love it,” Scalese said.

“Just the fact that, by the time they graduate, they’ll have worked on 24 different

teams and presented to 24 different industry leaders and champions. Just to stand up there and speak to 24 different people that aren’t teachers.”

Collaborating and working in a team of other familiar students has also helped with many students’ confidence and abilities in the classroom as they help each other find valuable skills in a comfortable environment. While one student might be naturally charismatic and skillful at presenting information, another might be better at analyzing or correcting data.

Scalese said 3DE helps students to identify and value those different skill sets in themselves and others.

“To know that others can find and see your value, even when it’s different than theirs, it’s just awesome, especially for those students who are not the most outgoing,” Scalese said.

Karl Mercer, principal at West Forsyth High School, is excited to offer the 3DE program to not only students at West, but to high school students from throughout the district who may be interested.

While the program is a school-withina-school model, similar to the STEM Academy and Humanities Institute, Scalese said students can take separate classes outside of 3DE. Although the program is connected to the students’ core classes, they still have the option to take on-level, honors or AP courses.

“At West Forsyth High School, we are always looking for ways to enhance our curriculum,” Mercer said. “3DE aligns with our school’s vision, Inspiring Innovative Leaders, and our beliefs in the importance of relationships, rigor, and relevance. The 3DE Leadership Academy is developing leaders for our future.”

For more information on 3DE or how to apply, visit West Forsyth High School’s website at www.forsyth.k12.ga. us/wfhs.

6D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA

$1.4 million federal grant will be used to boost Appalachian region From staff reports

The University of North Georgia (UNG) has been awarded a $1,450,719 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide workforce development in six counties in northeast Georgia. The counties are Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Hall and Lumpkin.

“This three-year grant is expected to have an immediate impact on career opportunities for the high school students in these counties, and provide a foundation that will boost the economic development of the region for decades to come,” said Bobbi Larson, director of community engagement and economic development at UNG. The grant will fund the “StartItUp Appalachia” project, which seeks to accelerate the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region that was described as “primitive and ineffective” in a recent study by the Georgia Tech Enterprise Institute.

“The persistent lack of local career opportunities leaves rural communities plagued by ‘brain drain’ as their most talented youth seek opportunities in

other places,” Dr. Ruben Boling, direct o r o f U N G ’s C e n t e r f o r Entrepreneurship and Innovation, said.

“This stifles the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem to supply and retain new entrants into local businesses.”

The project uses three approaches to boost entrepreneurism in the region: youth entrepreneurship education; training for educators, economic development and industry professionals; and development of the local and regional ecosystem. The program will expand existing UNG programs offered to area high school students such as the entrepreneurship competition InnovateUNG and Building Ethical Employability workshops.

“As a public university and the primary higher education provider in the north Georgia region, UNG is well-positioned to lead collaboration among school districts, employers, and economic development partners,” Larson said. “We already have been facilitating partnerships widely in the region through the Regional Education and Economic Development (REED) Initiative.”

Community economic development

plans across the region reference a need to foster entrepreneurship and both employers and educators note that students will benefit by developing professional skills.

“This program aligns well with the goals of the university, school systems, industry and economic development partners,” Larson said. “Through the grant, UNG seeks to build capacity for schools that don’t have the people or the knowledge to provide this kind of instruction. We’re also working to build relationships that make it easier for these programs to continue into the future.”

“We’re very excited about the grant’s potential to build a foundation for workforce development that could act as a catalyst for long-term economic development in the region,” Sandy Ott, director of UNG’s Blue Ridge Campus, said.

“Increased business opportunities, employment rate, income per capita, median household income, and other key economic indicators all could rise with the establishment of a sustainable workforce development model in these communities.”

The Institute for Educational

Leadership (IEL) is another partner who will help UNG gauge the success of the programs and activities created through the StartItUp Appalachia grant.

“IEL is pleased to partner with the University of North Georgia on the StartItUp Appalachia grant that will advance high school students’ exposure and connections to local and regional entrepreneurial networks and employment opportunities,” said Mark Watson, director of transition at IEL. “IEL brings years of experience growing youth workforce development and mentoring programs, network building, and datainformed practices. We look forward to a multiyear collaboration.”

The three-year grant is part of $29 million in funding the U.S. Department of Labor announced this fall through the Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities program, in partnership w i t h t h e A p p a l a c h i a n R eg i o n a l Commission and the Delta Regional Authority. UNG is one of 27 recipients in the 13-state Appalachian region.

Grant recipients will work with industry and community partners to promote new, sustainable job opportunities and long-term economic vitality.

Board of Regents approves criminal justice program as UNG’s first Ph.D.

By Clark Leonard

For the Forsyth County News

The University of North Georgia’s (UNG) first Ph.D. program will help meet a growing national demand for criminal justice instructors.

On May 12, the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents approved a doctoral degree in criminal justice with a concentration in intelligence that is scheduled to launch in fall 2021 at UNG, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. It will become the second criminal justice Ph.D. in Georgia. The other is at Georgia State University.

“This degree is hugely significant for UNG because while we have three existing doctoral degrees, this is our first Ph.D. and represents a significant benchmark in the growth of research and graduate programs at the university,” said Dr. Chaudron Gille, UNG provo s t a n d s e n i o r v i c e p r e s i d e n t for Academic Affairs.

The program will train intelligence analysts, who can go back to their law enforcement agencies and implement research-based policies that can lead to better results. Those who earn the degree also can teach criminal justice at

Dr. Douglas Orr is exactly the kind of professional UNG will seek to attract to its new criminal justice Ph.D. program. He spent three decades in law enforcement before earning a Ph.D. at Washington State University so he could teach in higher education.

the university level. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of postsecondary teachers in criminal justice is projected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026.

A recent survey of UNG’s Master of

Science in criminal justice students showed 87.5% were interested in a Ph.D. program in the field, and 75% of those were “very interested” in the possibility of studying at UNG. Nearly all respondents pointed to cost and online availability as deciding factors.

“The online nature of this Ph.D. program will attract working professionals already established in their careers and communities, catering to the lifestyles of upcoming generations and adding a mixture of flexibility for working professionals,” said Dr. Douglas Orr, who takes over as head of UNG’s Criminal Justice Department on June 1 after previously serving as assistant department head.

The cohort-based program will focus on applied research and require 54 hours of coursework, including 15 hours of dissertation courses, with the ability to complete it in three to five years. All students will be required to complete two teaching practica and write and defend a dissertation.

The program will be well-positioned to attract workers who spend a 30-year career in law enforcement and have a desire to teach in higher education upon retirement. That was the case for Orr, who worked in law enforcement for three decades before earning a Ph.D. in

criminal justice at Washington State University. He is eager to lead UNG’s new doctoral program.

“A practitioner who has worked in law enforcement not only understands the rule, they have lived the exception,” Orr said. “They can teach other people coming through the criminal justice field about how theory differs from practice.”

In addition to preparing those who can teach criminal justice, the degree is designed to meet the intelligence and research needs of military, federal, state, and local governmental agencies, private corporations engaged in intelligence and security fields, and others interested in developing greater knowledge about the field of intelligence and research studies.

With the additional degree, UNG’s criminal justice program will offer associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, including its Public Safety Academy that allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree while earning Peace Officer Standards and Training certification.

LANIER TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Local students take advantage of dual enrollment

Lanier Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), serves as the leading workforce development resource for Forsyth, Dawson, Hall, Lumpkin, Banks, Barrow and Jackson counties by providing higher education and career-technical education programs leading to associate of applied science degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit.

The college also provides customized business and industry training, economic development services, continuing education for technical and professional development and adult education services.

Tim McDonald, the college’s Interim President, captures the purpose and role of the college: “The college’s mission can be summed up in two words — ‘workforce development.’ With a placement rate of 100 percent, the college’s motto, ‘Great Careers Begin Here,’ comes true every day.”

Lanier Tech’s five campuses are conveniently located throughout northeast Georgia and offer 191 programs, including 38 degrees, 44 diplomas and 109 technical certificates of credit. Programs are available in allied health, business and computer technology, industrial and technical studies, public safety and professional services, and general studies.

The newest program at LTC’s Forsyth Campus — the Associate of Science in Nursing Program, which qualifies graduates as Registered Nurses — accepted its first class of students in fall 2020.

This program will fill an acute workforce development need: In the past month, employers in LTC’s service delivery area posted hiring ads for 759 Registered Nurse positions.

Upcoming campus events include the Lanier Tech Horticulture Program’s Annual Plant Sale. This year, orders are being taken by email, with four pick-up dates between April 1 and April 16. This year’s plant offerings include a wide variety of vegetables and herbs. For a list of available plants, specific pick-up times and dates, and ordering information, contact Gary Love, Program Director, at (678) 341-6624 or glove@ laniertech.edu.

Programs of study are offered through traditional, online, and hybrid classes.

Applications are currently being accepted for summer semester. Completed application packets for summer 2021 classes will be accepted through May 15. Summer 2021 courses begin May 24. The college is also accepting applications for the fall 2021 semester, which begins August 16. Priority application deadline for fall semester is June 1.

Contact the admissions office for further information on the application process.

Lanier Technical College’s Forsyth campus, a 120,000-square-foot facility on 49 acres, located off Exit 13 on Ga. 400, with more than 1,000 enrolled students, is an educational provider of high-demand programs of study in health care, computer technology, business technology, public safety and professional services.

Lanier Tech continues to experience strong growth, with a record enrollment of 5,045 students in fall 2020, with 1,137 students at the Forsyth campus.

This is a 9.3% increase for the college over 2019, and a 4.3% increase for the Forsyth campus.

The College’s SACSCOC accreditation opens the door for area students to complete core courses required by the University System of Georgia’s (USG) four-year colleges at Lanier Tech. An articulation agreement between TCSG and USG, 28 General Education courses — such as English, math, psychology, history and public speaking — may be completed at Lanier Tech and then be accepted at any USG college or university.

Many students taking advantage of the articulation agreement are currently enrolled high school students participating in the Dual Enrollment program. In fall 2020, Lanier Tech enrolled 1,279 dual enrollment students, a 4% increase over the previous year. More than 300 of these students were enrolled at the Forsyth campus.

“Dual enrollment students tend to be some of the best and brightest,” said Dr. Joanne Tolleson, vice president of Institutional Effectiveness and Dean of the Forsyth Campus. “Dr. Jeff Bearden,

Superintendent of Forsyth County Schools, and Valery Lowe, the system’s Director of College and Career Development, were instrumental in the growth of dual enrollment at LTC’s Forsyth campus.”

The program provides for students who are dual-credit enrolled at a participating eligible public or private high school, or home study program in Georgia, and a participating eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia.

These students take postsecondary coursework for credit towards high school graduation or home study completion and postsecondary requirements.

Students who participate in Dual Enrollment will receive high school credit and college credit simultaneously while attending college classes on the college campus.

Tuition and college textbooks are provided and Dual Enrollment classes do not count against the number of college credit hours for which the Georgia HOPE Grant/Scholarship will pay. (For more information about Dual Enrollment and signing up for classes, contact Victoria Bowermaster at 678341-6635, lbowermaster@laniertech. edu.)

The economics of attending Lanier Tech are also outstanding for students enrolled in programs covered by the HOPE Career Grant: tuition is free for students receiving HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship funds and enrolled in qualifying programs. Qualifying programs at Lanier Tech include Automotive Technology, Computer Programming, Networking Technology, Construction Te c h n o l o g y, D e s i g n a n d M e d i a Production, Diesel Equipment Te c h n o l o g y, E a r l y C h i l d h o o d Development, Health Science, Industrial Maintenance, Practical Nursing, Precision Manufacturing, and Welding and Joining Technology.

For more information, contact Tonya Budke at 678-341-6610, tbudke@laniertech.edu.

The College’s Adult Education division offers, free to qualified applicants, English language training, GED/HiSET training and testing, and preparation for

the U.S. Citizenship test.

“We want to help students be successful, not only in learning English or getting their high school equivalency diplomas, but in the next steps in their careers and lives. We provide them with encouragement along with information about training and post-secondary options that they may have never considered before,” said Shannon Cole, Dean of Adult Education.

More information on the GED/HiSET program can be provided by Maria Bond at 678-341-6606 or mbond@laniertech.edu. For information on the English language program, contact Laura Sanabria, who can be reached at 678-341-6650 or lsanabria@laniertech. edu.

Conference Center The College’s Forsyth Conference Center continues to expand services. In 2019, this 14,000-square-foot facility hosted about 76,000 patrons during 500 events. The center can be configured to hold a single large meeting, many small gatherings or a combination of both. It offers a wide range of services, including audiovisual, wireless Internet, video conferencing, laptop rental and other services for area businesses and other guests.

For weddings and social events, the center offers flexible options to meet community needs in an elegant, affordable setting. In 2020, the Conference Center had a strong start with 110 events and 15,000 visitors before it closed due to COVID. During our closure, we were able to repaint the entire center and install new carpeting throughout, making it look like a brand new center when we reopened in June 2020 to 50 people or less events. We continued at this limited size for the remainder of 2020.

To inquire about reserving the Conference Center, contact Sara Harrison at 678-341-6619 or sharrison@laniertech.edu.

For information about any programs offered by Lanier Tech’s Forsyth Campus, call the Forsyth admissions office at 678-341-6610.

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 7D

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

PINECREST ACADEMY

Rodgers next Head of School going into 2021-22

By Sabrina Kerns

Academy’s next Head of School,” Rodgers said. “As I’ve gone through this discernment process, it’s been evident to me that Pinecrest has an amazing legacy that folks Rodgers have prayed and sacrificed to make possible throughout the years, and I feel honored to be a part of that legacy.

“As I think about the future, I am excited about the immense potential that this school has to further realize its vision, to build on its tradition of excellence and to share the light of Christ with others,” he continued.

Before serving as a principal, Rodgers also worked as a grade level dean and AP English teacher at Knoxville

skerns@forsythnews.com

Pinecrest Academy, a private PreK-12 Catholic school located off Peachtree Parkway in Cumming, named Jake Rodgers as its next Head of School, effective July 1.

Rodgers plans to move to the Forsyth County area in early summer, coming from Knoxville, Tenn., where he currently serves as the principal of Sacred Heart Cathedral School.

He said he wants to work with interim head of school, Beth Howard, and Charlene Dougal, assistant head of school, along with the board of directors to learn more about the school, its strategic plan and how to continue with its execution.

“I am thrilled to be Pinecrest

Catholic High School and as a teacher, basketball coach, dean and interim assistant upper school principal at St. David’s School in North Carolina.

He earned his master’s in education in Independent School Leadership from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and his master’s in Humanities from the University of Dallas.

Rodgers also serves as a fellow of the University of Notre Dame’s Reform Leadership Summit, and the Knoxville News Sentinel once named him a member of the “Top 40 Under 40” class.

In the new school year, he will be taking over for Howard, who has served as the interim Head of School since spring 2020. Howard previously “enjoyed a lengthy tenure in teaching and administration from 2002 to 2011,” according to a press release, and she began to serve

on the school’s Board of Directors in 2020.

“We are extremely excited and grateful that Jake, his wife, Rachel, and daughter Cate have decided to join our Pinecrest community,” said Mark Doxtader, Pinecrest Academy’s chairman of the board of directors. “After an extensive and extremely robust evaluation process, we are sure that Jake will bring the excellence in all areas of integral formation that our students and families expect.

“Equally important, Jake has proven to be a community builder and will focus on humbly supporting our most important asset, our faculty and staff.

Jake is a leader that will help take Pinecrest to the next level.”

Seven seniors to watch in 2021-22

Kojo Antwi, Lambert A 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver with speed to burn, Antwi is rated the No. 8 receiver in the country, according to 247sports. Antwi caught 44 passes for 795 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior for a Lambert team that finished 5-5 in 2020.

Antwi released a list of his top-five schools earlier this month, naming Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Southern Cal and Texas A&M as his favorites.

Oscar Delp, West Forsyth West Forsyth’s 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end enjoyed a breakout junior season, catching 43 passes for 730 yards and nine touchdowns and helping the Wolverines to the Elite Eight. As a result, Delp became a hot commodity in the recruiting world and is now the top Class of 2022 tight end in the country. Delp, a four-star prospect, holds a few dozen Power Five offers and cut that list down to 13 schools in February (Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma Southern Cal, South Carolina and Stanford).

Maddie Erickson, North Forsyth Erickson, North’s 6-foot-1 center, played a critical role on both ends of the court during the 2020-21 season, leading a North defense that held its opponents to a paltry 38.3 points per game. Erickson blocked six shots and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Raiders’ season-ending loss to Brookwood and showed off her offensive capabilities with 13 points against Roswell in the Elite Eight.

Jessie DeNardo, Denmark Denmark’s athletic shortstop led the team in 2020 with a .457 batting average, adding seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 30 runs and 13 doubles. DeNardo also starred for the Danes on the hardwood as a junior and collected her 500th rebound.

DeNardo, a three-time All-County selection, burst onto the scene as a freshman after transferring from Pinecrest Academy, hitting .452 with five home runs. She followed that up by batting .423 as a sophomore, striking out only six times in 97 plate appearances.

Brennan Hudson, South Forsyth Three-year player figures to be one of the county’s top offensive players in 2022.

Hudson hit .382 with eight doubles, 12 doubles and 13 walks during a shortened 2020 season. He’s batting .296 (8-for-27) through 13 games this season, scoring 13 runs with five RBIs and one home run, also adding 14 walks. Hudson committed in October to play baseball at Georgia State.

Oscar Lynch, Pinecrest Academy Lynch became a two-sport star in the fall when he emerged as Pinecrest’s top pass-catcher, hauling in 28 catches for 590 yards and seven touchdowns on the way to a GAPPS 8-man Division II state championship. Lynch was outstanding for the Paladins’ basketball team, averaging 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game a season after averaging 13 points per contest for a Pinecrest team that advanced to the Class 1A Private Elite Eight during the 2019-20 season.

Kate Eaton, Forsyth Central Eaton already holds a pair of Forsyth Central swim and dive records in the 50 free (24.75) and 100 free (53.45) and is poised to build on a solid showing at the 202021 Class 7A state meet. Eaton finished 10th in the 100 free (54.14) at the state meet and was part of Central’s 400 free relay team that logged an 11th-place finish at the state meet. Eaton, along with Mina Lynch, Caroline Scharff and Caroline Tom, will return next season for the Bulldogs.

8D | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

H E A LT H & SAFETY Northside touts success of vaccination events PROGRESS

2021

By Kelly Whitmire

kwhitmire@forsythnews.com

Northside Hospital Forsyth Administrator Lynn Jackson applauded Forsyth County residents for their willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine but said there is still work to be done before returning to a prepandemic lifestyle.

In a recent conversation with the Forsyth County News, Jackson said after dealing with the disease for more than a year, there is now a sense among hospital staff that “we’re on the prevention side, finally” by giving vaccines rather than only being reactive to the fallout from COVID cases.

“It’s very energizing for our staff to get this tool in their hands and be able to share it with the community,” Jackson said.

Jackson said, as of Monday, March 15, Northside had distributed around 28,000 vaccine doses – 13,880 at clinics at the hospital, 11,641 at community clinics with the Department of Public Health and Forsyth C o u n t y ’s E m e rg e n cy Management Agency, sheriff’s office and fire department and about 2,400 at recent clinics for Fo r s y t h C o u n t y S c h o o l s employees – since December at events affiliated with the hospital.

“We’re beginning to really see some traction here,” Jackson said. “We’ve still got a long way to go, but every single shot we get into somebody’s arm is another step toward putting this behind us.”

As the debate continues

Northside Hospital Forsyth Administrator Lynn Jackson applauded Forsyth County residents for their willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine but said there is still work to be done before returning to a pre-pandemic lifestyle.

around how to best handle the reopening of schools across the country, Jackson said “it was great to be able to know that now they’re going back to their jobs and being able to be safer.”

“In a couple of weeks, they’ll be much safer than they were,” she said of the employees vaccinated at the event. “Of course, we’re still asking people to wear their masks and social distance and use good handwashing, but the scientific evidence looks like even if you got covid now, it would help you to have a much slighter case of COVID and reduces the mortality associated with it.

“It’s really looking like we

have some great tools at our disposal now, which after this last year, honestly, that’s excellent news for all of us.”

Jackson said Northside has partnered with first responders and DPH for years and having those relationships in place has been a big benefit for distributing vaccines quickly and efficiently during the pandemic.

“Logistically, it’s our goal to make sure that people don’t have extended waits and that they’re handled with great customer service and it’s our pleasure to be here and providing a great customer service for them,” Jackson said. “This collaboration has made all of that

possible.”

Citing a recent clinic offering 1,200 doses to residents, Jackson said there had been “overwhelming” interest from the community and, when the hospital found they would have more vaccines than expected, it didn’t take long for residents to claim their spots.

“We received more vaccines in our shipment [on Monday], so we added 200 more appointments,” Jackson said. “When we did add those 200 appointments online, they filled within 20 minutes. So, I think the interest is very high, which is rewarding for us to know that people have such high interest

in getting the vaccine and getting protected.”

Over the last few months, Northside has used all three C OV I D - 1 9 va c c i n e s – Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson – and, while the FCS event used the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, meaning only one shot was required, the hospital is primarily using the Pfizer vaccine.

“The Pfizer supplies seem to be fairly reliable,” she said, “and because we do, between ourselves at the hospital and the Department of Public Health, we have subzero refrigeration readily-available, we’re able to keep our supply going for the Pfizer vaccine.”

While COVID-19 numbers are below the peaks seen in previous months and many are ready to return to how their lives were, Jackson said “we’re not there yet” and encouraged the community to continue to use all tools at their disposal, including washing hands, wearing masks, social distancing and getting vaccinated.

“We’re just telling people, ‘Let’s be good stewards to each other and good public citizens and continue to wear our masks and social distance and not gather in too big of crowds so we can continue to get on the other side of this eventually,’” Jackson said. “We’ve got to stop the spread. The numbers for hospitalizations across the country really, but certainly in Georgia have plateaued. They haven’t gone really down, they’re still plateaued, and we’ve been at a plateau for several weeks, which is a bit concerning.”

Georgia Highlands Medical Services key to community Despite being shrouded in a year full of uncertainty, Georgia Highlands Medical Services was able to accomplish some large goals. GHMS continues to service Forsyth County residents.

1. Don Hendricks Award: GHMS received the Don Hendricks Award due to its work as a long-time partner that best exemplifies Forsyth County School’s vision of “quality learning and superior performance for all.”

GHMS also demonstrated loyalty to the school system and to the community.

2. Diabetes health education event: In order to ensure that all of GHMS’s patients were not only being treated for chronic illnesses but were also able to take responsibility for their own health, GHMS hosted a Diabetes educational event. Patients were able to ask questions and receive further education about chronic illnesses such as Diabetes.

3. 22 free mass testing COVID-19 events: GHMS completed 22 free mass testing events for COVID-19 in different counties throughout the state of Georgia.

4. Curbside, contract and delivery pharmacy: Highlands Pharmacy altered day-to-day operations to better serve patients and make discounted prescriptions more accessible.

Patients can now have prescriptions delivered, go to a contract pharmacy or pick up their prescription through curbside delivery.

5. Impact Award: GHMS was awarded the Forsyth County Impact Award. This program recognizes organizations throughout the county that have made a positive impact on the community by being a driving force in creating a superior quality of life for its citizens.

6. Community service events: GHMS participated in many community events in 2020, such as a food drive for community members during Thanksgiving, a Christmas toy drive for families in need and a self-care health education event for youth in foster care.

7. School health enrollment forms: GHMS completed 75,330 forms for families whose children needed complete medical forms to stay enrolled in school. This was through a partnership with Forsyth County Schools.

Georgia Highlands Medical Services, Inc. Address: 475 Tribble Gap Road, Cumming, GA 30040 Phone: (770) 887-1668 Online: ghms-inc.org

Photos by Ashlyn Yule Forsyth County News

Cheyanne Reyome (right) has been working with the rest of the Georgia Highlands Medical Services staff to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to their patients. Reyome said that she hopes to see a vaccine surplus in the coming months.

ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 9D

Weekend Edition-March 27-28, 2021

Forsyth County Ranked in top 10 communities in US for investing Top-notch public safety • Low millage rate 25 parks and greenspaces, over 2,700 acres 11 miles of greenway • Healthiest county in Georgia

Halcyo

n in So

Coal Mo

untain

uth For

syth

Dog Pa

rk

Lake La

nier at C

Fire Sta

tion #1

1 Hose

Uncoup

harlesto

n Park

ling Ce

remony

DISTRICT

DISTRICT

DISTRICT

Molly Cooper Vice Chairwoman

Alfred John Secretary

Todd Levent Member

DISTRICT

DISTRICT

Cindy Jones Mills Chairwoman

Laura Semanson Member

2

1

4

3

It is the mission of the County’s elected officials and employees to provide effective, professional public service with integrity and a commitment to excellence.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

5

Connect with Forsyth County Government

/

forsythcounty government

@forsythcountyga

@forsythCoGov

tvforsyth.com

forsythco.com Connect with Forsyth County government today and be a part of our community’s future.

Visit us online, tune into TV Forsyth and attend County government meetings. Get social with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube!