Black Bear Plunge set for New Year’s Day

CHATSWORTH, Ga. — Fort Mountain State Park’s 5th Annual Black Bear Plunge is at the Park’s Beach Area. Sign in starts at 1 p.m. with the plunge at 2:30 p.m. Pre-registration cost is $15 until Thursday, Dec. 15. Late registration and day of event registration is $20. To register call the park office at (706) 422-1932.

 

Citizens Against Violence to hold Christmas event

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Citizens Against Violence will hold a Christmas Holiday Special, 10 a.m.- noon, Dec. 16, at 624 E. Jane St. in Valdosta. There will be free food, assistance with utility bills, jobs available, registration for a free turkey and bag of groceries. Drawing to be held Dec. 19. For more information call Rev. J.D. Martin or Ethel Martin at (229) 740-0643 or 292-8979.

 

Chris Tyler Band, HIghway 238 to entertain at Spirit of the Suwannee

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Come dance the night away with Chris Tyler Band on Frida and Highway 238 on Saturday at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. These two very popular bands will have you out on the dance floor all evening. Highway 238 with Austin Harden and Brett Maddox from Lake Butler will headline the Saturday entertainment in the Music Hall. This great band had the honor in 2016 of representing North Florida in the Country Showdown, winning all the way to the Country Showdown National Finals in Nashville on the Grand Ole Opry Stage. 

The Chris Tyler Band of Jacksonville starts the weekend off Friday for a big music evening. Nashville recording artist Chris Tyler fell in love with country music in high school. The band is high energy, playing modern country, rock and blues. Chris’ lead vocals added to the band’s superb playing makes for a great music experience. The band recently released its CD, Chris Tyler.

 

Two students receive top awards at ABAC fall commencement ceremony

TIFTON, Ga. — Two students received top honors as the most outstanding graduates during Thursday’s fall commencement ceremony at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Hillery Reeves, an agricultural communications major from Rebecca, received the Alumni Association Award for bachelor’s degree graduates and Madison Thornhill, a writing and communications major from Tifton, received the George P. Donaldson award for associate degree graduates. Each recipient was selected through an application and interview process conducted by the ABAC Alumni Association, which provided a plaque and a check for $500 for each of the recipients.

 

Georgia College early childhood program among tops in nation

The Georgia College early childhood education program was recently ranked first in Georgia and in the top 10 percent nationwide by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) in Washington D.C.In a separate ranking, the university’s secondary education program was rated best in the nation for affordability by Guide to Online Schools, an affiliate of SR Education Group in Washington.Last fall, the early childhood program also ranked fourth in the nation by Teacher.org based on a variety of data points, including Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the U.S. Department of Education data.“We strive to have the best program in the nation for our teaching candidates and as part of Georgia College’s path to preeminence,” said Dr. Joseph Peters, dean of the John H. Lounsbury College of Education.NCTQ looked at 875 undergraduate elementary teacher preparation programs. Georgia College’s early childhood program rated at the 92^nd percentile nationwide – the only George school to make the top 10 percent. The study identified 16 Georgia programs that ranked at or below the 45^th percentile.

The best programs graduate teachers who are prepared by evidence-based content and teaching methods, said Stephen Buckley, a spokesperson for NCTQ.A key element of Georgia College’s success is its mentoring program, where a professor guides a cohort of students for two years as they teach in local schools. Only five percent of programs studied by NCTQ incorporated a mentor experience into curriculum.“The unique combination of our faculty mentoring teacher candidates, while the candidates are immersed in courses and field experiences, has set us apart in these rankings. We’re pleased to be recognized,” said Dr. Holley Roberts, interim chair for teacher education.The Guide to Online Schools puts out a list of 25 schools that are the most affordable and academically rigorous for online secondary education degrees. It ranked Georgia College as number one for affordability – with an annual tuition for a master’s starting at $5,184 a year.