One Gif t Fits All.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Giftscriptions – the only gift delivered all year long!
December 24, 2014
MyConnection Published every Wednesday and delivered free by The Newnan Times-Herald
Check Out the Classifieds on Page 7
2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1! One for a Gift, One for Yourself OR Two Gift Subscriptions! — See page 3 2 for details —
Sweet Ideas
i n s i de
Find thes e fun fig recipes a nd more !
Holiday Desserts
➤
for
PAGE 4
Family Features The highlight of many a holiday meal, desserts are adored by young and old alike. This year, complete your festive celebration with delightful desserts that feature California Dried Figs. Naturally sweet and available year round, figs easily add a touch of elegance to a variety of recipes. Dark purple Mission Figs have a soft, thin skin with a sweet, fruity taste, while Golden Figs are amber-colored with a firmer skin, well-developed seeds and a slightly nutty flavor. Both are interchangeable in most recipes. Keeping holiday traditions California Dried Figs are the perfect ingredient to star in
your holiday recipes. Sliced and simmered with fresh lemon and honey and spooned over cheesecake or chopped and combined with a little hazelnut liqueur and caramel for a luscious bottom layer, figs add a stunning fruit accent to popular cheesecake desserts. No matter what you are celebrating, your family will love these “figgy” recipes. Besides the sweetness that figs bring to the table, California Dried Figs are a healthy ingredient rich in dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates and such essential minerals as potassium, iron and calcium. Learn more about Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid California Dried Figs at www.valleyfig.com.
NHS senior sets weightlifting records at American Open Championships
Glanton Elem celebrates Title 1 Reading Day
By DOUG GORMAN
dgorman@newnan.com
With an already lengthy list of national records, Sydney Goad may have raised the bar higher than even she imagined at this year’s American Open Weightlifting Championships in Washington D.C. The Newnan High senior established two new national marks for the 17-under division, winning the event with records of 64 kilograms in the snatch (141 pounds) and for overall total after adding a clean-and-jerk of 82 kg (180.77 pounds) while competing in the 48kg division. The combined effort also set a personal best for the eldest child of Coweta County’s First Family of weightlifting. “I am really excited,” she said. “I wasn’t really expecting to win. The total weight is the most I have ever lifted.” It also may have given Goad even more initiative to think of a potential run toward the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, where she could join both her mom Robyn (top-five finisher at the 2000 Games in Sydney) and father Dean (a top placer at the Pan-Am Games) as an international standout in the sport. Heading into the event, Sydney has established herself as the No. 4 lifter in the country among all females while the youngest by eight years among the top-five. This summer, she set six national records at the USA Weightlifting National Youth Championships. Just as impressive, she’s a top student at Newnan High according to school principal Chase Puckett while also handling a five-day weekly training schedule in addition to competing at the highest level with the GymCats varsity gymnastics team. Goad qualified for last year’s All-Around at the GHSA Championships while reaching the state meet in her first three years of varsity competition. Weightlifting, however, could be the sport where Goad may have the brightest future after having been named the nation’s best female lifter in the 16-17 year-old age group. Her success in the sport has made her a contender for the 2016 Summer Games. “It is something I really know I am going to have to sit down and think about,” she said. “Going to the Olympics is certainly a goal.” Goad will have yet to turn 20 by the time the summer of 2016, more than a decade younger than Robin was when she competed in Australia as a young mother of a then 3-year-old. Should Sydney pass on making a run for Rio, she could ready to compete by the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Having two parents that are veterans of international competition certainly can be a blessing, though both have let their daughter stay in control of her own decisions.
Glanton Elementary School first grade teacher Tammy Ayers reads to Emmie Arrington during the school’s recent reading day event.
By Celia Shortt Newnan High senior Sydney Goad set two new national records while winning her 17-under girls weight class of 48kg during the American Open Championships in Washington D.C. Goad had set six records this summer at the USA Weightlifting Championships in Daytona Beach.
“She’s been in control these last four years. She just doesn’t slow down,” Dean Sr. said of Sydney this summer. “She’s still really young. Even nineteen is young for a weightlifter. Most don’t start to begin to hit their peak until around 26 or so. It’s a gamble.” Younger siblings Rubylin, 10, and Dean Jr., 12, have also caught the weightlifting bug while already beginning to earn honors for their respective age groups nationally. “It helps that they are weightlifters too,” Sydney said. “We can set a training schedule that works for all of us. “They can push me harder, because they know what I am going through.” Despite dedicating a large commitment of time during her senior year, Sydney continues to enjoy putting in the effort. “I have been involved in the sport since I was 8-years-old,” she said. “It is something I really enjoy,” she said. Goad also knows whatever she decides to do, she will have her parents’ support. “I know I have some decisions to make,” she said. “They will help when it comes time.”
celia@newnan.com
Glanton Elementary School recently held its seventh annual Title 1 Reading Day for its students and their parents. “We created Reading Day as a way for parents to come into the school and learn about different reading strategies to help their students at home,” said Glanton Elementary School Principal Katie Garrett. “We have had different themes throughout the years, ranging from fairy tales, favorite book characters, author studies … Our theme this year was music and literature.” Each grade level was given a list of suggested reading material to incorporate into the day. “The students were exposed to books that taught about composers, musical instruments, musicians, bands, orchestras … They also heard books that were illustrated song lyrics,” said fifth grade teacher Dr. Sondra Lee, who was one of the event organizers. Lee said students listened to books being read aloud, and each teacher had an activity planned, which went along with the book topic. Some of the activities included craft projects, making an instrument, singing a song, using body percussion to create an orchestra, and doing a dance. “Typically, the students move through three rotations, reading a story during each
rotation and then doing an art activity or one involving technology in each rotation,” added Garrett. “We always have a reading strategy to share with parents. One of our goals is to increase our number of parent volunteers and this activity has proven to be a good way to involve them. Our culminating activity this year was a play for all of the students to enjoy.” The Serenbe Players performed “The Wizard of Oz” for kindergarten through fifth grade students. Another reading day goal is to “have every student, teacher, or parent find a new way to enjoy reading by exposing them to books” about music and composers in the elementary libraries. “The overall skill for the day was to teach the difference between fiction & nonfiction literature, using books with a musical theme,” added Lee. Both students and parents enjoyed this year’s annual event. “Our students love the hands on activities and the live performances,” said Lee. “When teachers provide the opportunity for the community to get involved in classroom instruction everybody learns something new, participation is high and it’s fun. Teachers were able to connect all this fun activity back to the literature.” “The parent volunteers that were in the building for the event had only positive and exciting comments,” she added.