Ugandan Children Thankful for Chattahoochee Gold Swim Teams Helping Hand Lake Bunyonyi in southern Uganda is one of the African continents most beautiful and deepest lakes. Naturally, children who live in the lush villages surrounding the lake take to the water in this inland sea. But sadly, drowning is common because many kids have never learned to swim. Now, the local community, with help from Denver-based Global Livingston Institute, has begun giving children swim lessons at the Entusi Resort & Retreat Center. However, many of the girls were unable to participate because they didnt have swimsuits. The Woodstock-based Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club learned about the swimmers plight from former Gold swimmer Melissa Earl. They then gathered and sent four large boxes stuffed with swimsuits, swim gear and t-shirts for the Ugandan children.
Book Review: The Nest By Jessica Asbell The Nest, by Cynthia DAprix Sweeney, is a bit like a train wreck in that you cannot look away. The Nest is a nest egg put away by Leonard, the patriarch of the Plumb family, who invested money for his four children when they were young. He told them it wasnt going to be much. The caveat was that none could claim it until the youngest, Melodys, 40th birthday. What Leonard couldnt have known was that he would die soon after he invested the money, and that the market would balloon the money to over $2 million. Fast forward to today, a few months before Melodys 40th birthday, when Jack, Bea and Melody are livid because their mother has given most of the money to Leo, the eldest, to quiet an indiscretion and subsequent car accident that cost someone dearly. Each Plumb needs their share of the money for various reasons: Jack, to pay off a secret debt; Melody, who is trying to keep her house and pay for college for her twins; and Bea, a has-been author who doesnt so much need the money as wants it. Their interactions with Leo and with each other are poignant and heartbreaking, yet also hilarious in their dysfunction. When Leo disappears, chaos ensues, as they try to learn to live without the money they always thought was theirs. Its admirable that The Nest doesnt shy away from the familys dysfunction, but instead peels back the layers so that we can see, with startling clarity, exactly what makes each sibling tick. As they learn to move on with their lives, they also start to grow closer to each other, discovering a family bond that didnt exist before. Humorous, while also tragic at times, The Nest is a perfect book to read if youre looking for some crazy family dysfunction!
Mountain Road ES Media Specialist Earns National Digital Citizenship Certification The certification is from Common Sense Education, and recognizes that Ms. Shelley Sheldon is knowledgeable in teaching students how to be safe, responsible and respectable digital citizens. We appreciate your commitment to teaching digital citizenship to students, said Steve Garton, senior manager of education for Common Sense Education. Its only common sense for us to work together, and we applaud your efforts. Etowah HS Wins $6,000 NASA Grantfor Robotics TeamPrincipal Keith Ball said the competitive grant will support the schools robotics team. The NASA Robotics Alliance Project awarded the FIRST Robotics Competition Program Growth Grant to the school to use for the teams 2017 competition season. An international high school robotics competition, FIRST Robotics Competition offers high school students the opportunity to work with mentors to build game-playing robots that compete to complete specific tasks.
CCSD School Operations Director Honored as a KSU Outstanding Scholar of the Year A CCSD Office of School Operations Director has been named the Outstanding Scholar of the Year in the Educational Leadership program at Kennesaw State Universitys Bagwell College of Education. Debra Murdock, who in her director role oversees the Districts middle and high schools and athletics, was honored in a ceremony on May 10th. One Scholar is named annually for each degree program based on outstanding achievements in the major field, including an exceptional GPA and notable achievements in extra-curricular, civic or professional activities. The honor is considered one of KSUs most prestigious awards, and recipients earn the designation University Scholar for their achievement.