Several students and educators were recognized for regional and national excellence at the February 10 regular meeting of the Henry County Board of Education.
Ananya Augustin, a sixth-grader at Eagle’s Landing Middle School, won the district’s spell-ing bee for the third consecutive year. She secured the crown Jan. 17 at the Performing Arts Center after 38 students competed for 18 rounds. She spelled “circuitous,” which eliminated the last of her opponents, then also spelled “syndicate” to take the title. Augustin attended Hickory Flat Elementary in fourth and fifth grades when she also won first place in the district spelling bee.
Second place this year went to David Bui from Dutchtown Middle School. Shruti Borra from Rocky Creek Elementary School placed third. All three top spellers advanced to the regional spelling bee.
This year’s Quiz Bowl academic team champion for the district is from Union Grove High School. Coached by Lee Wright, the squad includes seniors Greer Christy, Jacob Vanegas, and Hailey Reed; junior Ethan Pham; sophomores Wonu Abiodun, Afnan Ahmad, and Brianna Reed; and freshman Anu Olusanya. Quiz Bowl is a game in which two teams compete head-to-head to answer questions from all areas of knowledge, including chemistry, science, history, literature, fine arts, current events, popular culture, sports, and more.
Luella High School student Nicole Cortes and her teacher, Jennifer Coleman, made up one of only 16 teams selected to travel to the “Sacrifice for Freedom: World War II in the Pacific” Student and Teacher Institute in Hawaii to explore historic sites relating to the Pacific Theatre of Operations during WWII. The contest from which they were selected is in conjunction with National History Day, a year-long academic program focused on historical research, interpretation and creative expression for students in grades 6-12 across the county. The experience culminates in a series of contests at the local and affiliate levels and an annual national competition in the nation’s capital in June.
Melanie Kellam, an eighth-grade teacher at McDonough Middle School, has been named the 2019 Gwen Hutchinson Outstanding Social Studies Educator by the Georgia Council for the Social Studies. Among the criteria required to receive this award, Kellam “fosters the development of democratic values and citizenship in her classroom and school,” according to a district official, and “also uses multiple sources to enhance instruction and she has presented at conferences and workshops.”
Jolie Hardin, the district’s executive director for leadership development and employee services, is this year’s recipient of the Dr. Jimmy Stokes GAEL Exemplary Service Award presented by the Georgia Associa-tion of Educational Leaders for long-time, outstanding service.
Fairview Elementary was recently named a Title I Reward School for its improvement rate that has placed it among the top five percent of all Title I schools.
