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gwinnett Est. 1988 Covering Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Lilburn, Berkeley Lake, Duluth
Vol. 31 No. 6
Recalling Fond Memories
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APRIL 2019
Norcross High School pulls out all the stops for their Mary Poppins Spring Musical By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com
Weekends!
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Singing in the hallways, students from Norcross High School’s theatre program (NHS), take five. It’s the start of spring break, and although they’ve spent months rehearsing, the young thespians have hours of work remaining before their production of the Broadway musical “Mary Poppins” opens on April 25, 2019. After the break, they gather around the piano where Doug Jordan, their musical director, slams tunes. “Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee,” they sing in chorus. In both 2016 and 2017, Norcross High School’s drama program won the Region 7AAAAAAA One Act Play Competition. But for most of the students in the 33-character cast, this will be their first show. They’ve come a long way according
See POPPINS on Page 18 Sweet Tea & Sisters page 9
Special photo
Students from Norcross High School’s Theater program during practice vocals for their spring production of the Broadway musical, “Mary Poppins”. L-R: Makena Fosdick, Kamyah Richardson, Amanda Marcheso (seated), Walker Philips, Doug Jordan (at piano), Marlo Mecredy, Calvin Bernardo, Ella Bullock.
GenRx in Gwinnett — Changing Perceptions and Re-educating a Community
Celebrating a Century of Living
Kicking off your heels page 19 Special photo
INSIDE Citizen Connection 4 Gwinnett Pulse 6 Health & Wellness 12 Classifieds 15
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Mike and Debbie Mason, Mrs. Wischusen’s son, Henry Wischusen, and seated Margaret Wischusen.
By Staff Reports
It’s rare enough to find someone who has lived long enough to celebrate a 100th birthday. So, imagine finding two people who have lived an entire century. Just recently two centenarians, both residents at Village Park at Peachtree Corners, a senior living community, celebrated their 100th birthdays with family and friends. James Aguilar, a WWII veteran, born March 3, 1919 and Margaret Wischusen, born March 20, 1919,
who worked in a factory repairing airplanes during WWII, recently reached the remarkable milestone. The two were recognized recently during a special birthday celebration at Village Park. It was an evening for reminiscing as Mr. Aguilar’s son told of his father’s humble upbringing in Honduras before moving to the United States and Mrs. Wischusen’s son retold the story of how she had met her husband during WWII. Mr. Aguilar served in the U.S.
See CENTURY on Page 16
Special photo
Diana Plazas, Director of the Gwinnett Chapter of GenRx, holds an EMMY award for the 30-minute documentary produced at CETPA, a nonprofit providing drug abuse and mental health counseling services in Norcross.
By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com Changing perceptions and debunking myths about prescription drug use is something Diana Plazas, Director of the Gwinnett Chapter of GenRx, does every day. She had already been to three schools delivering information-
al materials and setting up parent workshops when she met with the Gwinnett Citizen at CETPA, a mental health and addiction counseling nonprofit out of which she operates. Meadowcreek High, and Norcross High are two she works with frequently, but in recent months she’s also been zeroing in on middle
See GEN RX on Page 14