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Class project honors classmates By CELIA SHORTT celia@newnan.com
East Coweta High School’s senior class of 2015 had another goal for graduation besides finishing 12th grade. They wanted to honor two of their classmates who died – Madeline McTier and Cole Croteau. McTier passed away on Sept. 10, 2013, following an 18 month battle with brain cancer, and Croteau died on Sept. 28, 2014, after battling Cystic Fibrosis his entire life. Their deaths affected the East Coweta High School (ECHS) community, and their classmates wanted to create something to remember both of them. That desire led ECHS teacher Georgie Dunn to work with the senior class and other students to create a full-size totem pole for the class’ senior project. “The East Coweta Indians senior class gets together and creates something spectacular every year for their art department’s senior project,” said Nick Martin, member of the class of 2015 at ECHS. “This year, the Indians are making a totem pole. A totem pole with a little more than meets the eye. Not one of the eight sections is made from actual wood. With the guidance of Ms. Georgie Dunn, the sculpture students assembled the structure from scratch … the drawing phase.”
Totem poles a re im mense sc u lpt u res usua l ly m ade of wood and carved on poles, posts, or pillars with symbols or figures. They are frequently made of western red cedar trees by the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. The word “totem” comes from an Algonquian word meaning “his kinship group.” They are not religious objects. Instead, they communicate important aspects of native culture. “We wanted to make something beautiful,” said Dunn. “The way the community came together is mind blowing.” Martin was involved with the project from start to finish and said it started with researching spirit animals. After researching those, the students would sketch one. From there, Dunn told Martin and the others they needed to adapt their sketch to a 3D design for the totem pole. The best designs were chosen and then created out of foam, plastered and painted. Even though the totem pole was not created out of wood, the plaster was made to look like it. The 15 ½ foot tall pole has eight different sections, each with a special meaning. “The bottom section features a bear, which represents power and the courage to stand up to against adversity,” said Martin. “The next level is a mixture of
Twang Shebang will benefit Bridging the Gap ministry By BRADLEY HARTSELL bradley@newnan.com
Being helped by others in the community allows Bridging the Gap to assist Cowetans in need. On June 27, The Alamo will be hosting the initial Twang Shebang, a concert benefitting the community outreach center. Local musician Kris Youmans organized the event, and has organized prior benefit concerts, including the Blues Plate Special. In February, the thirdannual Blues Plate Special benefitted Meals on Wheels Coweta. Youmans has been leading the Kris Youmans Band during her 10 years of living in Coweta County, and through the music community, she has connected with another local musician, Tyler Wallace. His parents, Alison and Kevin Wallace, founded Bridging the Gap in 2009 and operate it today. When Wallace told Youmans of his parents’ organization, she hadn’t heard of it and asked to check it out. “She visited about eight months ago, and she didn’t know what Bridging the Gap was, so I gave her a tour. The next thing I knew, she said she wanted to do a benefit concert for us,” said Executive Director Alison Wallace. Bridging the Gap is a community-supported
PHOTOS BY CELIA SHORTT
The mallard on the totem pole represents the late Cole Croteau. Croteau passed away on Sept. 28, 2014, after battling Cystic Fibrosis.
pencils and paintbrushes, which represent the daily grind of the students, and the creativity that flows from these tools in their writing, art, and everyday school. A collection of books sits on top of these paintbrushes and pencils. These represent the entire student body, and the many different passions they are instilled with … Perched on top of the books sits a duck; a mallard with a meaning.” The mallard is in honor of Croteau, who was an avid hunter. “ECHS was his family,” said his father, Eric Croteau. “ECHS is a very special place … (ECHS Principal) Evan Horton put the students, which are his kids, above politics ... Cole, this was his family.”
As for what he wanted people to remember about his late son, he and Croteau’s grandmother, Mimi Croteau, hoped they would not forget “his helping and giving spirit” and “how much he loved life.” “To know the impact he has left on these kids is probably the most comfort I can have without him being here,” said Croteau’s mother, Anne Croteau-Lee. “Cole was adored by the students, and this was evident by the amount of volunteers who came in after hours to perfect his section … Cole was always going above and beyond, even starting a foundation called Cole’s Com-
PROJECT, page 3
A 15 1/2 foot tall totem pole created by East Coweta High School’s class of 2015 for their senior project.
Georgia’s film and TV industry continues to grow By CLAY NEELY clay@newnan.com
Youmans says she’s particularly excited to help benefit Bridging the Gap.
organization that serves food and household supplies to underprivileged people in need. In December 2013, Meals on Wheels Coweta partnered with Bridging the Gap; their partnership now serves more than 1,000 local people every month by bringing them food. Kindness from community events and sponsorships keeps Bridging the Gap thriving. Youmans says Twang Shebang is similar to Blues Plate Special, with several artists performing, door prizes and a silent auction. “The one difference is it’s more traditional country music, not blues-influenced,” said Youmans. “These guys are really researching to get to that ‘beginning country’ music. All of them are just great because they’re doing this for the cause. They’re more than happy to perform for the reason we’re doing it.” Along with the Kris Youmans Band, Tyler Wallace will perform, along with the bands of Tony Sims, Daniel Williams and Tim Shepard, respectively. The doors will open at 7 p.m.; the show begins at 8 p.m. The cover at the door will be $10. Youmans says she’s particularly excited to benefit Bridging the Gap.
BENEFIT, page 4
Many Georgians are probably familiar with the growing film and television industry in the state. However, many might not realize quite the impact it’s having. Last week, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Inc. announced that Georgia’s film and television industry supports more than 24,000 direct jobs and pays local workers more than $1.68 billion in wages. Georgia has now moved into third in U.S. film production, trailing only California and New York, according to a recent study by FilmL.A. Inc. “Canada, New York, Georgia, Louisiana, and the UK are California’s primary competitors for the foreseeable future,” the study says. “While these jurisdictions may trade yearly rank positions for total project count, budget value and production spending, there are no jurisdictions immediately poised to dethrone them.” Of the 106 films surveyed by FilmL.A., 22 shot in California, 13 shot in New York, 12 shot in the United Kingdom, 12 in Canada and 10 movies were shot in Georgia. Georgia hosted the production of 21 films and 52 TV shows in 2014, with titles such as “Selma,” “Taken 3,” “The Walking Dead,” and “The Vampire Diaries,” among others. The industry also has a long-lasting economic impact in the state through infrastructure investments and film-induced tourism. Georgia has become a major film hub thanks to a generous film tax credit that allows film-
makers to offset as much as 30 percent of their qualified production expenses. California recently tripled its film credit spending to $330 million in an attempt to keep productions currently in the state in place and to lure in other productions from across the country. This year, $27.6 million was set aside to accomplish the latter goal. As a base incentive, California offers a non-refundable 25 percent tax credit off qualified expenses for relocating TV series. The credit declines to 20 percent after the first season is filmed in the state, but productions are eligible for an additional 5 percent credit. However, Scott Tigchelaar isn’t too worried about film and television productions moving back to the Golden State. As president of Riverwood Studios, he feels the momentum still
FILM, page 4
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