School & Sports
Piedmont Regional Technology Fair BY PATSY JORDAN
The fifth annual Piedmont Technology Fair was held at River Ridge High School. The fair began five years ago when proud students from Teasley Middle School asked to show their computer knowledge and skills. River Ridge teacher, Mrs. Judi Haggerty, took the students’ dream and made it a reality. In 2009, Mrs. Haggerty searched and found the Georgia Educational Patsy Jordan serves as Technology Fair and contacted District 2 School Board the state director, Tom Lamb Representative. She and set up a meeting. Mr. Lamb is a Cherokee High explained to Mrs. Haggerty that School graduate, retired the students could compete only if educator of Cherokee County School District, they were part of a region. There and life-long resident was no region, so Mrs. Haggerty of Cherokee County in pioneered the first region in Ball Ground, GA. patsy. Cherokee County. jordan@cherokee.k12. Only three schools competed ga.us the first year—two from Cherokee County and one from Cobb County—with a total of 30 students. Out of the 30 students, five to seven went to state, and a state winner was selected from the group. Since the first year, the competition has grown. This year, more than 180 projects and approximately 200 students were involved. Students ranged from elementary through high school levels and represented Cherokee County School District, Georgia Cyber Academy, Cherokee Charter School and Cobb County. Fifty-two projects are headed to the state competition, which will be held in Macon on March 8. All students who competed deserve a big round of applause for exhibiting superior innovation and teamwork. Mrs. Haggerty, teachers and administrators collaborate to organize the Piedmont Technology Fair. This year’s fair was entertaining as students showcased their unique technology projects. Students also demonstrated some of the ways teachers are using technology to enrich classroom learning. The use of computers and technology in the classroom has opened up a whole new method of teaching and learning. I have been honored to have the opportunity to be a judge at the Piedmont Technology Fair for the past two years. It is amazing to see first-hand the individual innovative ideas and teamwork that contribute to the unique projects. Mrs. Haggerty and team are to be commended for the positive impact of bringing students together to become more engaged in technology and for fostering a positive impact on student achievement and career possibilities. Congratulations to all of the fair competitors and to Mrs. Haggerty, the architecture, engineering and graphic design teacher at River Ridge High School. 44
AROUND WOODSTOCK | March 2014
The 2010 team. Front row: Katie Basford; Back row (left to right): Meghan Shackelford, Ava Shields and Christine Robertson
Left to right: Thomas Drake, Evan Duffield, Satpal Sagoo, Kelsey Turner and Mrs. Judi Haggerty