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Heard County School System Announces 2020-21 Retirees





Linda Hart
Spending twenty-eight years in the Heard County School System, Linda Hart worked at the high school, middle school, and elementary school as a paraprofessional during her career. For the past twenty-two years, Hart worked as a bus driver. Hart also would occasionally work as a substitute teacher when needed. Hart claims her fondest memories come from her time as an elementary parapro. “I really missed Carol Barno, who I worked with in Special Education for many years,” stated Hart. “I loved when a student couldn’t read and Ms. Barno and I made sure they could before they left. I still think about that.” Hart gives “God all the praise” for her long career, and misses seeing the children on her bus route each day.



Richard Free
Richard Free has served as the media specialist at Heard County Elementary School for the past twenty-seven years. During that time, he oversaw the transition from an old school library with card catalogs to a modern technically advanced media center. “I have enjoyed my work and my Heard County Elementary family both adults and students,” stated Free. “Although I am retiring from my work as a media specialist, I look forward to my future plans in retirement.” Illustrating his dedication to HCES, Free spent many days in the school over the summer and cleaned each teacher computer, revamped each material collection, and made sure he was prepared for all of the faculty’s needs when they returned. “Mr. Free has dedicated his adult life to our school and providing reading opportunities to our students,” claims HCES principal Kim Tisdale. “It is hard to imagine Heard County Elementary School without him.”



Janet Scott
Also retiring is Janet Scott, who has served thirty-three years in the Heard County School System. Scott has filled roles as diverse as kindergarten assistant at Heard County Elementary School to library aide at Heard County Middle School. “People will tell you to find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. This is how I feel about my time with the school system,” claims Scott. “Working with friends and co-workers you love makes coming to work something to look forward to a joy.” For more than a decade, Scott has worked hard as the physical education assistant at HCES, assisting Coach Randall Curbow, but has always been willing to step up and help with whatever HCES needed. “We will miss her dedication to our students and her dependability to be here everyday ready to work,” stated Tisdale. “Janet would do whatever was needed to help our students and our school.”



Lance Taylor
Lance Taylor has been teaching in the Heard County School System since he was hired in 1991. During his tenure, Taylor served as head coach of the varsity baseball team, the varsity basketball team, the varsity football team, and the high school tennis team. However, Taylor is most known for teaching United States History at HCHS for the past twenty-seven years. “Lance Taylor is one of the finest teachers I have ever had the pleasure of working with in my career,” stated HCHS principal J.J. Wahl. “He not only believes that every student can learn, but that every student can succeed. He will be greatly missed.” Over the past fifteen years, Taylor built an United States History curriculum that has HCHS students scoring with the very best high schools in Georgia on state mandated exams. “By working with some incredible teachers in my department and two very special co-teachers, I believe the Heard County Social Studies Department has become one of the finest in the state,” said Taylor. “While Heard County faces many socio-economic disadvantages, our schools have succeeded in overcoming many of them. I am proud to have played a role in that success.”



Bob Markham
Bob Markham, who retired earlier this school year, worked as a special education teacher at HCES since 2012. Markham began his career as a teacher in Carroll County in 2006. “I formed some really good friendships with the staff and I have great memories of the students,” said Markham. “I really do miss my Heard County family.” Markham had a diverse background prior to becoming an educator. He owned his own bar in Chicago, and worked aboard trains for many years. Markham and his wife, Anne, moved back to Chicago to be closer to family after he retired. Anne, who worked at Tanner Hospital in Carrollton, also recently retired. “While Mr. Markham worked with students with special needs, he never stopped believing in what they could achieve,” claimed Tisdale. “His big smile and sense of humor made him fun to be around.”



Angela Thompson
Angela Thompson’s teaching career in Heard County began with the 1983-84 school year. Thompson was originally hired to teach business education at HCHS and serve as the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) adviser. “I felt that I had big shoes to fill following the retirement of Mrs. Sarah Hyatt,” claimed Thompson. “I began with a room full of assorted typewriters and year by year a few computers were added to the mix.” During her time at Heard County High School, Thompson taught more than a dozen courses that included everything from Keyboarding and Business Law to Computer Programming and Web Design. The rapid and constant advances in technology kept Thompson on her toes. “It seemed that every summer was spent in workshops learning how to teach a constantly changing curriculum,” stated Thompson.
One area of immense pride for Thompson, has been the success of FBLA over the years. During Thompson’s career, Heard County FBLA attended the State Leadership Conference every year and won numerous individual and chapter awards. “I dearly loved working with FBLA and enjoyed the thrill of winning,” reflected Thopson. “Preparing students for useful occupations and developing leadership skills has been the highlight of my career.



SETH FLEMMING III OF HEARD COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL IS NAMED PAGE STAR STUDENT






Heard County High School senior Seth Flemming III has been named the school’s 2021 PAGE STAR Student. Melinda Brown, President of the Heard County Chamber of Commerce, the local STAR program sponsor, announced the honor on May 7th during the Senior Awards Night. Flemming selected Mr. Johnny Hurd, Music/Band Director at Heard County High School, as his STAR Teacher. Flemming, the son of Keith and Shauna Flemming of Roopville, earned the recognition for academic achievement and performance on the SAT. The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program is sponsored, administered, and promoted by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) and the PAGE Foundation. Since its creation, the STAR program has honored nearly 28,000 students and the teachers they have selected as the most influential to their academic achievement. High school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average to qualify for STAR nomination. STAR begins each year in participating Georgia high schools when the STAR Student is named and chooses a STAR Teacher to share in this recognition. The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from one of the more than 170 statewide civic organizations and businesses that serve as local sponsors of the STAR program. Students then compete for school system recognition as the top STAR Student, and those winners compete for region honors. Region winners contend for the honor of being named State PAGE STAR Student. STAR Teachers continue on with their STAR Students at every level of the program. "We are very proud of Mr. Flemming and Mr. Hurd and the academic excellence they exemplify at Heard County High," said Mrs. Brown. PAGE and the PAGE Foundation honor outstanding students and educators and, encourage academic excellence through competitive academic programs such as PAGE STAR, the PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades and the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon. ### The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) is the state’s largest and fastest-growing educator association. Deeply committed to excellence in public education, PAGE provides unparalleled legal coverage, legislative advocacy, and professional learning opportunities to more than 97,000 teachers, administrators, and school personnel. PAGE protects, supports, and empowers members throughout all stages and facets of their career. For more information, visit our website at www.pageinc.org.



Ken Wiggins Named Centralhatchee Elementary Principal






On May 11, the Heard County Board of Education selected Ken Wiggins as the new principal at Centralhatchee Elementary School beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. The position of principal at Centralhatchee Elementary opened when current principal Dawn Bennett was selected to serve as Heard County’s instructional leadership coach for next school year. “I cannot think of a better choice for this position than Mr. Wiggins,” praised Heard County School Superintendent Rodney Kay. “He has the experience, patience, and integrity to become a great principal.” Becoming principal at Centralhatchee Elementary School (CES) is a homecoming of sorts for Wiggins. After graduating from the University of West Georgia in 1994, Wiggins immediately started his teaching career at CES. For the next twenty-two years, Wiggins served as the Physical Education teacher at Centralhatchee. During that time, he earned a Master of Education degree (1998), a Specialist in Education degree (2002), and an Education Leadership certification (2006), all at the University of West Georgia. In 2016, Wiggins left CES to become an assistant principal at Heard County Elementary School. “”Mr. Wiggins instantly made a positive impact on Heard County Elementary School,” praised former HCES principal Paul Mixon. “His high character and strong work ethic made our school better from day one.” After serving three years at HCES, Wiggins moved into the assistant principal position at Heard County Middle School for the past two school years. Despite serving the last five years away, Wiggins maintains close relationships with many at Centralhatchee Elementary and the community at large. “After serving at Centralhatchee Elementary for twenty-two years, I feel like the school and community are part of my extended family,” claimed Wiggins. “Going back where I started, to now return as the principal, is definitely a highlight in my career as an educator.”


From left to right: Trey, Sara, Angela, and Ken Wiggins



FIREFIGHTERS CELEBRATE 32nd ANNUAL “GIVE BURNS THE BOOT” DRIVE




The Head County Fire Department will join more than 100 fire departments across Georgia to help “Give Burns the Boot” during their upcoming annual boot drive benefiting the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation. Weather permitting, firefighters from Heard County Fire & Emergency Services will be collecting donations on May 27, 28 and 29th, 2021 on the square in downtown Franklin, GA for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation’s 32nd annual “Give Burns The Boot” drive. The GFBF was founded in 1982 by a group of Dekalb County Firefighters. Over the years, the GFBF has grown to incorporate the entire state and expanded its work to include all Georgians. In 1990, the “Give Burns The Boot” campaign was started to support the GFBF’s efforts. Since that time, firefighters across the state have continued their support by collecting more than 14.5 million dollars. Proceeds raised driving the “Give Burns The Boot” drive help the GFBF fulfill its mission to educate the public in burn awareness and prevention, support medical facilities in the care of buns in Georgia, and assist burn survivors in their recovery. The Foundation fulfills the mission through several different programs including the Chesney Fallen Firefighters Memorial Grant Program, named in memory of the Gwinnett County firefighter who died in the line of duty. The program provides funding to fire departments’ fire safety/burn prevention programs. The foundation also works closely with both the Burn Center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta. Each center receives grant funding each year. The funding helps these facilities acquire equipment and send personnel to conferences on burn care treatment and rehabilitation. Money raised by Heard County Fire & Emergency Services also goes to Camp Oo-U-La, Georgia’s only camp held exclusively for burn-injured children. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an in-person camp could not be held last year but an estimated total of 100 children attended summer camp in 2019. When at camp the campers experience an entire week where they get to feel like kids again, regardless of their physical features. The cost for both campers and volunteers is covered entirely by the GFBF. Eligible campers are Georgia residents age 7 to 17 who sustained a burn injury that required treatment or hospitalization at a burn center, or non¬‐Georgia residents who were treated in a Georgia burn center, and their siblings. Over the past 25 years, Camp Oo-U-La programs have served over 2,000 children. To help keep the fire fatality and burn injury rate down, the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation and Heard County Fire & Emergency Services along with Fire Chief Steve Wirth need your help. When you see a firefighter on the square in downtown Franklin, GA on May 27-29, 2021, please donate. No matter how big or small the donation, the life you may help save, could be your very own. Without the support of our citizens each year, the Boot Drive would not be a success. For more information, visit www.gfbf.org