Here’s another round of applause for individuals and organizations doing great things in the community.

The Environmental Health Program at Echols County Health Department was recognized for its outstanding commitment to continuous improvement. The program received a certificate of achievement from the Food and Drug Administration for completing a self-assessment of the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. Dan Reddit, FDA retail food specialist, presented the certificate to Aaron Darnell, environmental health specialist IV, during the Lowndes County Board of Health meeting. The award recognizes Echols County’s Environmental Health Program for its commitment to achieving program excellence. “We are proud of our team at Echols for their continued commitment to improving. These assessments and improvements will allow our environmental health teams to continue to serve our communities at the highest level possible,” said Chris Calhoun, district environmental health director.

The General James Jackson Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Woman of the Year is Lindsay Gutierrez. Gutierrez is from Lakeland and spent six years in the Air Force in Security Forces. She has been deployed to Qatar (2012), Djibouti(2014), and spent a month in Israel for training exercises. Air Force Commendation and Achievement medals were awarded to her prior to her leaving the Air Force in September 2016. Her husband, Anthony, has been on active duty service for 13 years and works in aircraft maintenance at Moody Air Force Base. Gutierrez is pursuing a master’s degree in social work and expects to graduate in spring. She holds a master’s in human relations. This additional academic degree is expected to better equip her focus on political and social work by providing insight on legislation and policy change impacting communities with veteran populations. She is interning at the Lowndes County District Attorney’s Office with Victim Advocates.

The Valdosta Middle School Math Team competed in the 2019 Georgia MathCounts competition recently at Mathis City Auditorium. More than 100 students participated from local schools around the area. Valdosta Middle School had two students to score in the top 10: Riley Diaz and Jahlan Julian. Julian also received a special award for being the second top scorer overall. Both students moved onto the state competition held at Georgia Tech. The VMS Math Team is coached by eighth-grade teacher, Jeffrey Mole, and academic coach Latashia Gosier. Diaz and Julian are pictured with Bill Kent from Innovate Engineering Solutions.