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gwinnett Est. 1988 Covering Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Lilburn, Berkeley Lake, Duluth
Vol. 31 No. 10
Back to School
page 4
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AUGUST 2019
Timothy Jones walks by faith and not by sight onto Georgia State Campus By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com
Life Enrichment page 9
This fall, Timothy Jones begins his first semester at Georgia State University pursuing a Master’s in Piano Pedagogy. Blind since birth, Timothy is something of a keys prodigy, and it’s his dream to help others who are visually impaired find a place in society through music. “I’ve been fortunate,” Timothy said. “Many blind people today are going to have to live on welfare the rest of their life because they were not given the tools and resources at the time they needed them. Now, there are a lot of blind seniors out there who went blind either in their teenage or early adult years, and because no one was able to give them a chance, there’s no way they are ever going to be able to find work.” At an early age, Timothy exhibited exceptional musical ability. He had what musicians call “perfect pitch,” meaning he could aptly distinguish notes without training. When he was two, his mom, Nancy Jones, caught Timothy picking out the tune to “Lamb of God” by Twila Paris. Following the suggestion of a friend, she decided to put him in music lessons immediately. But finding someone to teach him was easier said
See FAITH on Page 18 Interior Experts page 15
Photo by Julie Thompson
Timothy Jones, crossing Beaver Ruin Rd. independently at the new crosswalk with Hawk Signal created by Gateway85 Gwinnett (CID)and funded by the Georgia DOT and the Gwinnett DOT, among others.
McClure Health Science Hearts to Nourish Hope High School opens doors helps wayward youth in to students Gwinnett find purpose
Neo-Pop Artist page 19
INSIDE Citizen Connection Gwinnett Pulse Health & Wellness
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Photo by Julie Thompson
At McClure Health Science High School, students will have access to innovative technology, including 3D digital maps of the human body.
By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com This August, a group of 632 students begin the school year at the new McClure Health Science High School in Duluth — a $38 million-dollar Gwinnett County Public Schools facility where high school students can earn college credit and industry experience while working towards their diploma.
Located at 3921 Club Drive, the school is nestled in the Meadowcreek Cluster and sits adjacent to Kaiser Permanente Gwinnett Comprehensive Medical Center. The building spans 17 acres and includes more than 42 classrooms for students to complete their high school education while gaining hands-on, real-world experience. “Everything we do in this school will be ‘Awakening the Wonder’ of
See SCHOOL on Page 16
Photo by Julie Thompson
Hearts to Nourish Hope staff. L-R: Ericka Leslie, Career Case Manager; Kevin Vu, Intern; Oscar Parada, Intern; Patrice Wuerth, COO; Royale Schoepf, Counselor, and Timothy Whailen, LMSW.
By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com Patrice Wuerth, COO and Co-founder of local non-profit “Hearts to Nourish Hope”, is on a mission to provide work and education opportunities to troubled youth in the community. With a new center in Lawrenceville that focuses on ages 16 to 24, Patrice sees all kinds of possibilities to make a difference for those in DEFACS, the Juvenile
Court system and out-of-school teens in Gwinnett. “We’re always looking for new partnerships and work experience opportunities to help the kids,” Patrice said. As a theater graduate from New York University, Patrice found her way to Georgia about 30 years ago. She and her sister, Deborah Anglin, shared a vision to start their own organization after years of
See HEARTS on Page 10
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