Life 400 North ~ August / September 2015

THE

LIFE 400 NORTH

DRIVING FORCE Bearden's plan to keep Forsyth County Schools ahead

BEST KEPT SECRET

Swimming hole brings students together

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EASY FALL LANDSCAPING FIXES

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August•September 2015

August•September 2015

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E ditor

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chool has officially begun. This means a couple things: traffic is much, much worse and our job is much, much easier, at least from the content side. The latter is true because, this issue, we decided to focus on education along 400 North - more exactly in Forsyth County. I am sure it will come as little surprise to you that there is no shortage of things to write about. Forsyth County Schools is one of the top performing districts in the country. That success has spawned exponential growth over the last 10 years, and however flattering it might be, the growth could prove to be a problem. At this point the district is adding about 1,200 students a year. That’s a small high school.

So, we had our own Kayla Robins sit down with the man at the helm of this fast-moving ship, Superintendent Jeff Bearden, and discuss the issues that growth could cause and how he thinks the district will address them. But that’s only the beginning of where this magazine may take you. We catch up with former Superintendent Buster Evans, who is leading prison education reform on the state level using Forsyth County tactics. We meet some of the district’s unsung heroes and even get a closer look at some of your favorite fall fair food. Thanks for picking us up!

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—

Micah Green

August•September 2015

Family At Emory Johns Creek Hospital, we’ve found that when someone suffers from an illness or disease it impacts the whole family.

So bringing families into the healing process is critically important. As a full-service hospital in your community providing academically based health care right in your back yard, we not only focus on delivering effective and timely care, we also strive to support the family and include them in the treatment. The fact is, if one member of a family has a serious illness or injury, it affects the whole family.

As part of the Emory Healthcare Network, we provide immediate, local access to more than 700 physicians in 54 specialties and are part of Emory’s broad network of six hospitals, 1,800 physicians and 200 provider locations. Learn more at emoryhealthcare.org/together.

emoryjohnscreek.com 678-474-8200 August•September 2015

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Contents 10

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From Forsyth to the Front Lines

Supporting Roles

Buster Evans is using Forsyth County tactics to empower the imprisoned across the state

A look behind the scenes of some of the players in the school system

5 Easy Fixes

Cover Story: Driving Force

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Fall landscaping and gardening tips from Erica Glasener

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Way Down Yonder

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Forsyth County Schools are building from the top

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Fair Food Frenzy Some of the most popular fair foods for fall

One last time on the ’Hooch before going to college

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Winning Wines

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Calendar

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Sports Portraits

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August•September 2015

Contributors Content Director

Micah Green mgreen@forsythnews.com 770-887-3126

Advertising

Ryan Garmon - Director rgarmon@forsythnews.com 770-205-8960 Cheri Boghos cboghos@forsythnews.com Connor Kelly ckelly@forsythnews.com

Graphic Design Angie Decker

Copy Editor/Paginator Tracie Pike

Contributing Writers Kelly Whitmire Kayla Robins Brian Paglia

Executive Staff

Publisher Vince Johnson vjohnson@forsythnews.com Editor Kevin Atwill katwill@forysthnews.com Circulation Director Lisa Salinas lsalinas@forsythnews.com Online Editor Jim Dean jdean@forsythnews.com

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August•September 2015

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877-341-2400 THE LIFE 400 NORTH

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From Forsyth to the Front Lines Buster Evans is using Forsyth County tactics to empower the imprisoned across the state Story by Micah green

B

uster Evans walked into Gov. Nathan Deal’s office last year to go over some details of what everyone around the men already knew was set in stone.

The governor was going to appoint Evans as the next assistant commissioner of Education for the Department of Corrections.

The meeting was a formality.

Likewise, it was hardly a secret that, after serving seven years as superintendent for the Forsyth County School System, Evans was looking to “retire.”

Thirty-five years prior, Evans began his career in juvenile corrections. The appointment, in a way, was like a homecoming.

But this homecoming was one Deal’s

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office was completely unaware of.

“Of course, I assumed they did,” Evans recalled. “But [they] didn’t realize until the first time I came to speak with them.”

Not that it really mattered. Evans finished as a finalist for the Georgia Superintendent of the Year two of the seven years he was at the helm in Forsyth County and once as the superintendent for Bleckley County School System.

In Forsyth, oversaw the growth of more than 10,000 students and was able to keep increases to the annual budget minimal.

He integrated digital technology not only on the administrative side, but in the classroom as well, effectively extending the school day and adding a

whole new level of interaction between students, parents and the schools.

Evans also served as president of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders and of the Georgia School Superintendents Association.

So, yes, he was qualified.

Despite all this success, Evans had no doubt that the Department of Corrections gig would be a whole new challenge. He was walking into a broken system, one that Deal’s office had begun to reform, but only just.

The main problem? Recidivism rates.

From the Report of the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform, January 2014: “Between 1990 and 2011, Georgia’s prison population more than doubled to nearly 56,000 inmates. State spending on corrections August•September 2015

soared as well, from $492 million to more than $1 billion annually. Despite this substantial investment, Georgia’s 30 percent recidivism rate had remained virtually unchanged for a decade.”

Evans believes education is a big part of the answer.

“We looked at the data and there is a perfect correlation between high education levels and [low] recidivism,” he said. “But on a personal level too, our governor feels, we feel, if you lock someone up in prison and don’t do anything to help them, over time, when they are released and have no better skill set, they will actually be a worse problem on society than someone who learns some skills.”

Though the challenge of reducing recidivism rates in prisoners may seem like it would require a different approach than that of a superintendent directing a school district in one of the wealthiest counties in the country, Evans has taken a lot of what he learned in Forsyth County and is prepared (and already begun) to implement some of the same strategies.

And those strategies, a focus on technology and a more personalized curriculum, are starting to pay off. Currently, the Department of Corrections is working on its academic education, vocational education, as well as a chaplaincy program.

“We have roughly 35 prisons in Georgia and I have been to every one,” Evans said. “While our numbers aren’t what we want yet, we are getting in

place and we have the people in place.”

Even though the numbers are still sparse, the success stories are building.

Up until the past year, those incarcerated in the state of Georgia could get a Grade Equivalency Diploma, but not an actual high school diploma.

“We now have started two charter schools and we have just graduated our first 19 graduates,” Evans said. “We took a lot of those things from Forsyth County and said, if it worked there it ought to work here.”

Evans said that the first round of graduates has shown him and his crew that the student prisoners are actually more engaged and involved in their work than those in the free world.

“They have got all that clutter out of their life,” he said. “Frankly, they don’t have anything else to do, the distractions are not there and for the first time now, in some cases, in several years, they have an real opportunity.”

Prisoners are selected to participate in these programs by counselors, who scour the department’s data bases looking for inmates who match certain criteria for either the vocational or academic side.

On the academic side, the goal is to graduate at least 40 students a year, once the program is fully instituted.

As far as vocational education goes, the department is already pretty close to that, after graduating 35 welders recently.

“Almost all of these guys will get out of prison in the next three, four years and they’ll be making up to six fig-

ures,” he said. “We had one guy get out this week, he has been in prison 13 years, has never been able to live with his 13-year-old son, but he went home to two jobs waiting on him and really has the opportunity to turn his life and his son’s around.”

In March of 2014, the RAND Corporation released the most recognized and reliable study on the impact of education on recidivism. Basically, it states that for an inmate that gets his high school diploma or G.E.D while incarcerated, he or she has a 41percent reduction in their future recidivism.

This number is huge in the scheme of the amount of money the state could save by helping prisoners.

Evans empathy is ever present when he talks about the reform he is at the forefront of, and it may be that empathy that will allow Georgia to see the benefits of educating its prisoners.

About 95 percent of all inmates will go home one day, with an average time served of 3.1 years. Georgia alone sends home about 20,000 a year.

“We feel like being equipped with the skill set to be successful with reentry, they will be able to make better decisions, find and keep a job, and in some cases be better prepared not to be taken advantage of,” Evans said. “We believe we are creating hope, opportunity and ... certainly ethically and morally as well as in some cases, legally, we have the responsibility to provide education and programs to help inmates.”

by the numbers Statistics important to Evans’ cause

55,000 30% inmates in Georgia prisons

rate of recidivism among prisoners

70%

41%

of prisoners without a diploma August•September 2015

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5.

EASY FIXES THIS FALL

FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE AND GARDEN

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BY ERICA GLASENER

all is an ideal time to revitalize your garden and landscape.

After extended periods with long, hot days, the promise of cooler temperatures and autumn rainfall makes the idea of working in the garden appealing. Autumn is also a good season to plant trees, shrubs, perennials and cool season annuals. The soil temperatures are warm enough for good root growth without the drying heat of summer.

Plants have time to become well established before the cold of winter sets in. Here are some easy projects that will give your home and garden a welcome facelift.

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1. Spruce up your front entrance.

This can be as simple as adding two large decorative pots planted with cool season annuals and perennials like violas, snapdragons, wallflowers scabiosa and euphorbia.

2. Edge your flower beds.

Use a digging spade and dig down several inches at an angle. Fill the area with mulch. Your beds will look better and it will be easier to keep the lawn out of the flower beds.

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3. Add some fall blooming perennials to your landscape.

Here are are few to consider : Amsonia hubrichtii - Also known as Arkansas bluestar, this tough, award-winning native is one of my favorite perennials, not only in autumn, but spring and summer too. The willowy green foliage turns golden yellow in the fall and makes a great companion for asters and shrubs like beautyberry and Callicarpa americana.

Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’- There is something elegant about white flowers. This beauty produces masses of 2- to 3-inch wide blooms on airy stems. It also has handsome rich green foliage and clumps can get to be 2- to 3-feet wide. Part-shade and a moist well-drained soil is best for this anemone.

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4.

August•September 2015

3.

Aster laevis ‘Blue Bird’- Asters come in a wide range of colors and sizes and bloom in summer and fall. One of my favorites, blooming in September to October, is ‘Blue Bird,’ with oneinch wide violet blue daisy-like flowers on plants that reach three to four feet tall. For an easy-togrow tall aster, I like Aster tataricus, the Tatarian daisy. It reaches six feet or more and doesn’t need staking. The blue to purple ray flowers, with yellow centers appear in late autumn, sometimes in November and last for several weeks. Full sun is best for both of these asters.

Begonia grandis - This hardy, easy-to-grow begonia is perfect for the shade garden. The pink flowers and green leaves with red undersides, brighten up the woodland in late summer to early fall.

Calamintha nepeta nepeta - Also known as lesser calamint, it is covered with white fragrant mint scented flowers (with a hint of blue) all summer and into October. It loves full sun and attracts bees and butterflies.

Farfugium ‘Jitsuko’s Star’- For late fall, this perennial offers unexpected double yellow flowers and handsome foliage.

Kalimeris pinnatifida - Japanese aster is easy to grow and flowers for months, with double white blooms on plants that are one to two feet tall and wide.

Solidago ‘Fireworks’- This native is easy to grow. The yellow blooms look good with asters and fall fruited shrubs and trees like beautyberry and crabapple.

Growing together and depending on each other.

4. Plant a tree with colorful fall foliage.

Japanese maples are beautiful year-round. Plant them in the ground or in a large decorative pot.

Many display striking colors in the autumn.

5. Add some spring blooming bulbs.

Daffodils are easy to grow and because they are poisonous rodents won’t dig them up. Order your bulbs now and plant them in October when soil temperatures are cooler.

Erica Glasener is horticulturist and Marketing

Manager at Gibbs Gardens where fall is filled with colorful flowers and foliage.

The Gardens are open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Check out our fall festivals at www.gibbsgardens.com

August•September 2015

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ONE lAST TIME ON THE HOOCH

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o one is really even sure who built the original tree house.

But no one really seems to care either.

It sits high above the Chattahoochee River, deep in a subdivision stocked with million dollar homes on the south end of Forsyth County.

If you didn’t know exactly where it was, it’d be easy to miss it, even if you walked right underneath.

And the Lambert High School students (the school is right around the corner, practically) that frequent it prefer it that way. It’s their secret spot.

For a lot of them, this spot will be the last place they hang out with high school friends before leaving for college. a few short THE are LIFE 400steps, NORTH pieces 14 | There

of 2x4, nailed into the tree that bends out over the Hooch. The steps are there - for now, anyway.

“There is a guy [whose house is] back over there,” Coleman Abney pointed directly away from the river.

“He takes them down over night all the time, so we just keep putting them back.”

Abney, who just graduated from Lambert High School, doesn’t really even need the steps, he scaled the 30-or-so-feet swiftly, rope in hand.

The rope is made for wakeboarding with a triangle handle at the end.

He ties it up as Matthew Vonderschimdt, another recent grad from Lambert, and underclassman Matt Dunavant, look on.

“That rope looks pretty low, you know,” yelled Vonderschimdt.

“You’re going to have to really

pick your feet up.”

Abney ignored him, but shouted back asking if Vonderschimdt and Dunavant have ever seen anyone jump straight off the platform, rather than with the rope he is attaching.

“Yeah, man, this kid did a double backflip off of that tall one,” Vonderschimdt said. “Never seen anything like it.”

Abney finishes tying the rope and quickly but deliberately makes his way down.

It’s the moment of truth.

Vonderschimdt volunteers to test the rope for the first time. Once before, he lost his grip and fell into some shallow water with more than enough broken tree limbs.

He doesn’t want to do that again.

Vonderschimdt climbs up on the side of the tree, tightensAugust•September the rope, 2015

takes a deep breath and hurls himself backwards.

His momentum shifts, flinging him forward and launching him out over the river where, at his highest point, he lets go, plummeting downward and disappearing under the water.

A few seconds later Vonderschimdt resurfaced.

“Is it cold?” Abney shouted down.

Vonderschimdt stalls getting out for a second and stares up at Abney.

“Nah, man, it feels amazing,” he jested back.

“Yes, it’s freaking August•September 2015 cold!”

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WINNING WINES

Chateau Michelle Sauvignon Blanc Horse Heaven Vineyard | 2013 This is an aromatic offering, with notes of pineapple, kiwi, herbs and oak spices. It’s creamy in feel, but with tart, vibrant acidity with hints of juicy pear that keeps the palate fresh and lively.

My favorite dishes: Asian Glazed Copper River Salmon with Tropical Fruit Salad and Scallop-Mango Ceviche with Jalapeno Chiles

Let our wine expert introduce you to some bottles to help you show off your sophisticated palate.

Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon

Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot

Columbia Valley | 2013

Columbia Valley | 2012

This is one of the most inviting Cabernet Sauvignon I’ve tasted in a very long time.

It’s highly concentrated with Washington red fruit and offers plenty of complexity and structure with silky tannins.

This wine is known as Chateau Ste Michelle’s most approachable Merlot. This wine offers aromas of black cherry, leather and spice with layers of rich dark red fruit flavors and a long, smooth, sweet finish. A touch of Syrah adds an exquisite jammy fruit character.

My favorite dishes: Braised Oxtail with French Fries & Aioli and Tuscan HerbRubbed Pork Tenderloin with Cabernet Pan Sauce & Grilled Asparagus

My favorite dishes: Truffled Meatballs with Parmesan and Pork tenderloin with Hoisin Sauce.

W

hether you’re trying to make the first impression at your children’s Parent-Teacher Conference, stocking up the bar for football season, or trying to find the perfect cork to pop on the first cold front of the year you can find every Fall essential at Jax Spirits.

While we tend to drink more whites and rosés in the warmer weather, robust reds are the perfect treat when it gets colder. The Georgia summers tend to last longer, which let us take advantage of the last few bottles of lighter, summer wines. At the beginning of September we will taste the wines of late summer that also pair perfectly with fall — including Chardonnay, champagne and other sparkling wines. No worries, if you really like them you can drink them year round — we won’t judge!

Who doesn’t like to be referred to as ‘Hostess with the Mostess’? Hosting autumn gettogethers involves popping the perfect cork that pairs with the season’s “slow-and-low” cooked comfort foods. Towards the middle of September we start to venture into Red and Italian wines. For reds, Syrah- and Grenache-based wines like Pinot Noirs will be perfect for your fall festivities.

- Rachel Justis, Jax Fine Wine & Spirits

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August•September 2015

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SUPPORTING ROLES There is a good chance you’ve heard of the superintendent. You may have also heard about the principals and assistant principals. You’ve probably heard about the teachers and the coaches, and you’ve definitely heard about the students. But all of those people, though an undeniably integral part of the Forsyth County Schools, would have a hard time making it run without the help of some behind-the-scenes figures, most MICAH GREEN of whom, you’ve likely never thought about.

THE TRANSPORTER

B

en Pike never thought he would ever drive a bus.

That is until 2008.

Pike owned a business dealing in pharmaceuticals, but after retiring he noticed his family’s insurance increasing.

Pike needed to supplement, but until he was out on the golf course one day, was at a loss as to how.

“The course I used to play at, there was a guy there that was a bus driver,” Pike said. “And I thought to myself, that’s not a bad idea, and ran with it.”

Seven years later, he is one of the district’s cleanest bus drivers.

That’s not a metaphor, either. Pike keeps his bus immaculately clean.

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“This is my office,” Pike explained. “I want it to be presentable every time someone steps on.”

The kids have picked up on this, no pun intended.

“The students don’t say anything, but I know they know what’s expected,” he said.

“Usually just talking them through it does the trick.”

The students obviously have a ton of respect for Pike, something they may have actually learned from him.

“I was responsible for 50 or 60 people when I retired, and now I know,” he went on, “everyone just wants to be treated fairly, whether it’s a kindergartner or an adult.”

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THE DISPATCHER

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f you have busted pipes. If you’re too hot. If you’re too cold. If your door won’t close properly. If your light switch is sparking. If you think you have a gas leak.

If those things or anything like them happens to you in the Forsyth County School District, you call Amanda Odom.

She’s been “putting out fires” since she was 18 years old. Taking in the work orders and dispatching the specialists.

“If anything breaks in the school, we fix it,” she said as her office phone rang.

She picks up.

“Maintenance,” she said.

“Um, yes we have a cooler that has dipped below 50 degrees,” a voice on the other end replied.

“We’ll send someone out,” answered Odom and she hung up.

“I already dispatched someone out there five minutes ago, I got an email notification.”

The district could easily lose thousands of dollars worth of products if a cooler goes above 50 degrees for too long.

So she has to stay ahead of the game. The number of schools in the Forsyth County school system have doubled since she began working. Luckily, technological capabilities have too.

She used to have to sit on the floor and shuffle through the individual work orders and physically pass them out. Now they are all done on an iPad. “I wouldn’t be able to function without technology,” she admits. “There would need to be three of me.”

The “someone” she sent out was one of 28 of her specialists.

Odom calls them “her boys,” and she loves them.

“I have, since I was 18, grown up with these boys,” she said fondly.

Odom keeps up with her boys all day long via GPS and a large monitor she has mounted in her office. She got that last winter.

“If I ever have an emergency, I just look right up there, see which boy is closest and dispatch them out,” she said. “It’s literally August•September 2015 been a lifesaver.”

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THE PAYROLLER

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veryone in the Forsyth County Schools is happy when they get an email from Diane Bennett.

But a vast majority of the district’s 4,100 plus employees have probably never laid eyes on her.

When payday comes around, Bennett’s name graces an email that hits every inbox, alerting each employee that either a direct deposit has been made, or that a check is on the way.

So it’s safe to say her name has a pleasant connotation.

The end of August will mark the midway point of her 43rd year with the Forsyth County Schools.

Her office, once in a two-room trailer located in Forsyth Central High’s parking lot, now sits in a million dollar central office.

Bennett’s office trajectory is a nearly cliche metaphor for how the district has grown around her.

But the end of August also marks her retirement, and the Forsyth County native maybe isn’t quite ready to go.

“I love my job, I really do hate to leave it,” Bennett said. “I was born and raised here, and I have seen a lot of changes, good and bad, but in my opinion, this is the best school district there is. It really is like a family.”

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THE MARKETEER

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ou might not guess that marketing would be a big part of a food nutrition manager’s daily duties, but April Cox can tell you, it’s one of the most important.

Especially when you’re serving about 650 elementary school kids a day, some of whom can be picky and others who have specific nutritional needs.

“Every day I am competing with lunch bags,” Cox said. “The nutrition inside those lunch bags is really my biggest concern,” But Cox, who grew up in Forsyth County and has been in her role at Dave’s Creek Elementary for four years, has a secret weapon. An inside source that helps her get the word out.

The Nutritional Advisory Council.

This council tests different recipes and menus, helps tend the small vegetable garden at the school and make “advertisements” that are displayed and distributed throughout the school.

August•September 2015

Did I mention they’re fifth-graders?

“They really do all my marketing for me, unknowingly maybe, to their friends,” Cox said. “When we were kids, if someone wasn’t happy we never heard about it, with NAC we get that feedback we need.”

Building a relationship with her kids, though, is only half the battle. Cox has made a conscious effort to reach out to parents and the staff at Dave’s Creek too.

When parents come to visit their kids for lunch, Cox always tries to be available to meet them, introduce them to their menu that day and really encourage them to give the food a test drive.

“I think if they really try our lunch, they walk away impressed, and they will let their kids eat with us,” Cox said. “If you can forge that bond with staff and parents, it will trickle down to the kids.”

Check out Cox’s blog at www.http:// thislunchlady.blogspot.com/

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Is there anywhere to go from the top except man who splits his days between sitting behin desk in a corner office and visiting students an refuses to accept that thought. But continuing takes work, and just because the stones steppe there led to the top does not mean those same continue upward.

The Life­­— 400 North ­had a conversation Superintendent Jeff Bearden about the future County Schools. And what – if any – threats 22

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August•September 2015

FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS

ARE TRAILBLAZERS.

down? A nd a clean nd teachers g to climb ed on to get e stones will

n with of Forsyth s it faces.

August•September 2015

WHAT CAN STOP THEM?

By Kayla Robins

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J

eff Bearden, Forsyth County’s 21st school superintendent, is quick to acknowledge the local school system did not get to where it is because of him.

A history of previous leaders and teachers have worked to place Forsyth County among the top public educational systems in Georgia, and while some find it easy to take credit for the present without highlighting the past, the U.S. Air Force veteran often prefaces accomplishments by noting he is just beginning his second school year in the district.

His goal has always been to make sure the accomplishments – high graduation rates, through-the-roof test scores, specialized learning opportunities – keep knocking at his door in the face of changing times, attitudes and technology.

“It used to be that the student had to acclimate to being in school, but now, especially in high schools, it’s evolving,” Bearden said. “It’s different than when I was involved in the process of learning. Teachers used to impart the knowledge. They would stand up front, and they would talk and students would take notes. Then at some point they take a test to share that information back.

“We’re starting to see a change in that.”

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Turning learning upside down

Classrooms throughout Forsyth County have been flipped, he said.

“I used to teach history and government, and [an example would be] we would now would listen to a 15to 20-minute recording as homework and then we would come to class to apply what we heard. Much of it is project-based or doing communal experiences in the field.”

Assessment is no longer simply filling in the bubbles. Maybe it’s a presentation or includes audio-visual components.

“Kids are so much more engaged that way. It’s tough to listen and sit for 45 minutes at a time,” he said.

“They’re so plugged in today and they get and give information so fast that the ‘sit and get’ doesn’t resonate.”

He said he expects digital textbooks to outnumber hard-copy versions in five to seven years in efforts to save money and paper. Most kids in the county are already asked to bring their own tablets or smartphones to supplement classwork, anyway.

If overloading students with traditional testing methods is a threat to high-performance, what’s the solution?

“To teach them the way they will

learn best,” Bearden said. “It can make it more rigorous, but just giving them information isn’t the best way anymore because they can just look up information. Now we have to teach them how to make sense of that information. And to be intelligent and ethical consumers of technology.”

‘Finding the balance’

With technology, though, comes a new generation of interaction.

He’s heard concerns from both parents and business partners that “kids these days” don’t know how to communicate in person.

Basic skills still must be taught.

Reading. Writing. Arithmetic.

They’re just as important and are still the foundations of instruction. But they’re no longer enough.

“It’s finding the balance with being innovative in technology but being able to present themselves with soft skills,” he said. “How to shake a hand or look someone in the eye when they talk.”

Forsyth County already offers an academy or career pathway at each of the five public high schools, from health to marketing to sports to robotics.

And that balance is found on both ends of the spectrum.

“The Forsyth Academy is for those kids who may be lost in high school August•September 2015

and want a smaller setting. Big settings aren’t for everyone,” he said.

Students can receive and education without even stepping foot in a classroom by receiving instruction through the iAchieve Academy.

But computers and hi-tech isn’t the only focus. Last year’s Teacher of the Year was the automotive technology teacher at Forsyth Central High.

Even with all of those options, Bearden and his team continue to look at alternatives and new forms of educating young students.

Talks have been aired about a parthomeschool, part-on-campus hybrid program. Or having a high school with 10 periods where some students leave at the traditional time while others come later and leave later.

The threat of growth

Whether new programs are created, or whether technology stays up to par, a major threat to the school system may be perceived as unprecedented growth. Potentially.

Growth will only threaten high

August•September 2015

performance if it is not handled properly.

“We have to figure out how to use existing facilities. We can’t just build schools and technology forever,” Bearden said. “Let’s look at what we already have and make it more efficient.”

“Our growth is not a threat to academic achievement or graduation rates. It hasn’t been so far, but we need to make sure the connection is there with the new population that moves in. [Forsyth County is] becoming more and more diverse, and we have to understand their culture.”

Part of involving new students is involving their parents.

“We have five Title-I schools, and they invest a lot of their money in parental involvement and education,” he said. “The parent is the first teacher.”

Bearden grew up in a transient family with his father, grandfather and brothers all enlisting in the Air Force, so he “understands the growth and acclimation that comes with it.”

Growth cannot be handled right if every school and every class is expected to follow the same schedule.

“School flexibility is necessary because communities throughout the county are not the same. We are a system of schools, not one school system,” he said. “But within that, we expect that there are universal goals, which is our Learner Profile.”

Teachers know their community best, so they should be the best people to connect with students and parents. And handle anything that is thrown their way.

However, even widespread individuality can constitute a threat to productivity if schools are not on the same page and some fall behind.

That’s where organization and leadership from principals and the superintendent’s cabinet come in.

“It can be messy, but it’s worth the investment as long as it’s safe and conducive to learning,” he said. “How we get there may be different. The how may be different, but the what is the same.”

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September 3rd

Alpharetta Food Truck Alley 37 Old Roswell Rd, Alpharetta 5-9 PM

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th th 18 20 Cumming Fairgrounds Arena Fri. 8pm | Sat. 8pm | Sun. 7pm

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45th Annual Oktoberfest, Helen GA.

IronKids Alpharetta Wills Park Pool, Alpharetta 7 AM start time

ironkidsalpharetta.com

Sept. 10-13 & Sept. 17-Nov. 1 Parade on Sept. 12th at Noon

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Johns Creek Fall Family Festival, Newton Park, Johns Creek 10am - 2pm

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Alley haretta 5-9 PM

crow Harvest ve, Alpharetta 10am - 2pm

Water Lily Festival Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground 11am - 5pm

10th - 11th

alpharetta.com Georgia Apple Festival - Ellijay

Sat 9am - 6pm Sun 9am - 5pm

ily Festival Ball Ground 11am - 5pm

bsgardens.com

Alley haretta 5-9 PM

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Country Fair Fairgrounds

mmingfair.net February•March 2015

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Alpharetta Food Truck Alley 37 Old Roswell Rd, Alpharetta 5-9 PM

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Cumming Greek Festival 3074 Bethelview Rd. cumminggreekfestival.com

17th - 18th Georgia Apple Festival - Ellijay Sat 9am - 6pm | Sun 9am - 5pm

17th - 18th Gold Rush Days Downtown Dahlonega

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48th Annual Mountain Moonshine Festival Downtown Dawsonville

Saturday 8am-7pm | Sunday 8am-5pm

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Sports on 400 North

Our favorite portraits of some of the area’s most talented athletes.

Photographs by Micah Green

Reed Bagwell, West Forsyth

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August•September 2015

Alex Barbir, South Forsyth Bianca Mora, South Forsyth

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FAIR FOOD FRENZY W

ith school back in session and football season right around the corner, it’s clear that summer is starting to wind down.

But as the leaves turn and cooler weather blows in, a fall staple also returns.

The Cumming Country Fair & Festival, held annually since 1995 at the Cumming Fairgrounds, comes to life each October, and while the rides, entertainers and demonstrations of old-time living can draw a crowd, the food is a staple that keeps attendees coming back for more.

While probably not anyone’s idea of a everyday eats, fair food serves as a-mostlyunhealthy yearly treat that is the real star of any fair or festival.

Ray Bianco, of South Carolina-based Bianco’s Food, serves many fair favorites including pizza, fries and funnel cake.

Bianco said that the food he makes can’t be accurately duplicated in a restaurant.

“I think its typical fair food that you can’t get anywhere else,” he said. “Restaurants have tried to duplicate some of the things that we try to do at a fair or a festival and it’s kind of hard when you don’t feature an item. And we kind of pride ourselves on that, we feature an item.”

Much like the fair itself, Bianco said that the novelty of the food, especially his elephant ears and funnel cakes, makes it so popular.

“I think there’s a novelty aspect to that, actually seeing it go into a fryer from a bat-

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REVIEWING SOME OF FALL’S FAVORITE TREATS BY KELLY WHITMIRE

ter state,” Bianco said. “They’re seeing you actually mix the water and mix the ingredients into it. Then they see it go into the fryer, they see it come out of the fryer.”

Like Bianco, Michelle Spivey of Spivey’s Southern Grill knows how popular greasy fair food can be.

“We have three food wagons,” Spivey said. “We sell everything from cheesesteaks to turkey legs, foot-long hotdogs, Italian and polish sausages, basically like a full menu of cafeteria-style food.

“Our top seller is usually our cheesesteak, you know the nice thin cut steak with the melted cheese and pepper and onions on it, that’s our best at almost every fair.”

Though the taste is the main reason people go after her food, Spivey said the convenience of certain items makes them more sought after.

“Now today with things you can carry around, smoked turkey legs are very popular,” she said. “I think the turkey leg is popular because it’s big and everyone likes anything big, but I think a lot of people like something they can carry around.”

Another easy-to-carry food that gets love at the fair is peanuts, and Stan Rutledge of Stan’s Peanuts keep the fairgrounds well supplied.

“We do boiled peanuts, we do roasted peanuts and we do deep-fried peanuts,” Rutledge said. “They just walk around and pop them in their mouths. A lot of people eat the shell and everything; most people

just pop the peanut in their mouth.”

As attendees will still be battling the early fall heat, it should come as no surprise that cold treats are very popular for fair attendees as well.

“We have home churned ice cream, we churn our own ice cream on the spot,” said Charlene Staton of Jon’s Homemade Ice Cream. “I do a root beer and orange soda float, hot fudge brownie and a hot apple dumpling.”

Staton said that the brownie is a big seller around fairs, and called it “a big ol’ brownie and it has a scoop of ice cream on the top of it, then we put hot fudge or nuts if they want nuts, or whatever they want on it.”

But ice cream isn’t the only chilly treat served at the fair.

“We serve tropical shaved ice,” said Jo Jeschke of Kona Ice. “What makes us unique is we have what is called a ‘flavor wave’ on the outside of our truck, so kids and adults get to mix and match their own flavors to make amazing flavors.”

Jeschke said that she’s not sure whether it’s the flavor or name that makes one flavor a fan favorite.

“Probably the most popular flavor is called ‘Tiger’s Blood,’” she said. “We don’t know whether it’s because of the name or the actual flavor, which is a strawberry coconut flavor. I do have a lot of adults that love that flavor, but I think it’s the name that gets the kids.”

The Cumming Fair is set for Oct. 8-18.

August•September 2015

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We’re honored to serve you It’s an honor to be recognized as the nation’s leading hospital for maternity and newborn care.

Look a little closer and you’ll discover that Northside performs more surgeries and diagnoses and treats more breast and gynecologic cancer than any other hospital in Georgia. While people choose Northside for our expertise, they also know us for our exceptional compassionate care.

Visit us online at www.northside.com

August•September 2015

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