FreePress 11-13-15

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F REE P RESS

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FRIDAY, novembeR 13, 2015 • voL. 18, no. 31 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

Same-sex marriage:

See Lavista on page 19A

See Diplomat on page 19A

U.S. diplomat aims to spark career exploration

by Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

Educators strive to pre-

pare students or the “realworld” by teaching them toead, write, calculate ando be prepared or the un-

known.On Nov. 9 Assistant Sec-

etary or the Bureau o Ari-

can Aairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke with hun-dreds o students at StoneMountain High School in aneort to expose students tocareer options that they maynot have heard o beore.

“I think it’s really im-portant or students to hearabout dierent options orcareer paths that they may

not be exposed to. I havemade it my mission to makesure that young people learnabout the state departmentand learn about the oreignservice so that they can con-sider it among many optionsor their utures,” homas-Greenield said.

Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors illed

the school’s theater to hearhomas-Greenield speak.

he school’s Navy JuniorReserve Oicers rainingCorps administered thepresentation o colors, stu-dent Cheyenne Murray ledthe audience in the Pledgeo Allegiance, and scholarsTiffany Nguyen and AstynMaddox welcomed students

to the event, and introducedthe speaker.

At the conclusion o theevent Stone Mountain HighSchool Principal James Jones presented homas-Green-ield with a token o appre-ciation or speaking with thestudents.

homas-Greenield worksin a division o government

Investigation opened forpotential election fraudin LaVista Hills vote

Elections volunteers line up in the DeKalb elections ofce late Nov. 3 to turn in poll results. Photos byAndrew Cauthen

basketballHIGH

SCHOOL P r e v i e wSee Preview on 11A

by Carla [email protected]

wo days afer Geor-gia Secretary o State

Brian Kemp openedan investigation into allegedlection raud in the reeren-

dum o the proposed city oLaVista Hills, proponents ohe city announced that they

will explore legal action.LaVists Hills Alliance an-

nounced Nov. 7 that it hasetained legal counsel to ex-

plore possible legal action tohallenge the validity o the

Nov. 3 vote.

Te LaVista Hills reer-endum was deeated by 136 votes. According to WSB-V,Leonard Piazza, an elec-tion supervisor at DeKalb

County’s Office o VoterRegistration and Elections,alleged that he ound an un-secured memory card Nov. 4that contained results romthe Briarlake Elementaryprecinct.

In a Nov. 5 statement,Kemp said he takes any al-legation o elections raudseriously.

“Our office has openedan official investigation o

possible criminal activityduring the Nov. 3 electionsin DeKalb County,” Kempsaid. “Given the serious na-

ture o these allegations, Ihave asked the Center orElections at Kennesaw State

University and the GBI to as-sist in this investigation.

“I asked the GBI to assist

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas Greeneld speaks to StoneMountain High School Students.

Stone Mountain High School students crowd the theater to hear from the U.S. diplomat.

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The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Page 2A LOCALPage 2A The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015

LOCAL

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Lithonia businesswoman wins state position after three triesby Andrew [email protected]

Lithonia businesswomanDoreen Carter has triedhree times to win a state po-itical position.

In 2012, she ran unsuc-essfully for House District

92. Last year, she garnered theDemocratic nomination forecretary of state, but didn’t

win the election.But the third time was

he right time for Carter. OnNov. 3, she defeated SherriWashington 52.68 percent to47.32 percent to win the raceor House District 92, whichncludes portions of DeKalb

and Rockdale counties. hepecial election was help toill the vacancy created when

Tonya Anderson resigned toun in the special election forState Senate District 43.

“iming is everything,”Carter said. “I think it’s a re-ally good time to be electednow in the state house. heast three years I have had an

opportunity to stay engageddoing some things in theommunity.

“People have been ableo see that it’s not just about

being elected; it’s really beenabout serving for me,” sheaid. “Even though I didn’t

win in 2012, I stayed in-volved.”

Carter is the president ofhe Greater Lithonia Cham-

ber of Commerce and is aormer Lithonia City Council

member. She chaired theSouth DeKalb ImprovementAlliance and the East MetroDeKalb Community Im-provement District formationommittee, and helped formhe Stonecrest Business Alli-

ance“Even though I didn’t win

n 2012, this is a great timeand I’ve had an opportunity

o build some constituenciesand have some initiatives thathave been positive,” Carteraid.

Carter, owner of theWealth and Wisdom Re-ource Group, a financial ser-

vices firm, said, “It didn’t hurto be the Democratic nomi-

nee for secretary of state lastyear, which gave me an evenbroader view of the needs ofhe people of Georgia.”

“Being able to travelaround the state and hearrom voters about their con-erns…will allow me to be

more conscious of the deci-ions and how [they are] go-ng to affect Georgians over-

all,” she said.Carter said her run for

secretary of state taught herthat “we really have to address voter suppression in Georgia.”

“We have to address ex-panding opportunities forpeople to be able to vote andhave greater access,” Carter

said.Carter said she now

understands “from travel-ing around the state how farpeople have to drive to voteand how some of the deci-sions that leaders are making

around the state make it hardfor some people to vote.”

Carter said she alsolearned that it’s important toexpand Medicaid and haveaffordable healthcare.

We’re hearing about hos-

pitals [that] are closing andpeople’s lives are being lostbecause they don’t have accessto quality healthcare,” Cartersaid. “raveling around thestate broaden my perspectiveand increased my compas-sion.”

Carter said her top twoissues are education and eco-nomic development.

“You really can’t havethriving economy withouta thriving education,” saidCarter, who is hoping she will

be able to serve on the houseeducation committee.

Carter said her win “feelsgood.”

“I haven’t had an oppor-tunity to soak it in,” Cartersaid about her win. “hat

night when we finally sawthe numbers, I just thought,‘Wow. God is good.’

“I am humbled andhonored to have the vote ofconfidence of DeKalb andRockdale citizens as they haveelected me as their State Rep-resentative,” she said.

“It’s a great opportunityfor us to have someone thatwill stay connected in thecommunity and be diligent atthe State House,” Carter said.

Doreen Carter’s failed run for secretary of state paved the way for herto win a Georgia House seat.

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The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Page 3A LOCAL

by Andrew [email protected]

America’s veterans were hon-ored during a Veterans Day pro-

gram Nov. 5 at the Lou WalkerSenior Center.“We have honored our heroes

here today to remember theirachievements, their courage, andmost of all, their dedication andwe say ‘thank you’ for your sacri-fices,” said Bettye Davis, directorof the Lou Walker Senior Center.“hank you for answering thecall.”

he ceremony, titled “A DayOf Honor–Celebrating hoseWho Served in the United StatesArmed Forces and Other Coun-tries,” featured song and danceperformances.

Among the veterans who ad-dressed the assembly was DeKalbCounty Commissioner Stan Wat-son.

“We have to make sure thatwe remember those who served–those that are homeless, thosethat are mentally incapable, thosethat didn’t have a bed last night.hose are some of the veteranswe have to serve,” Watson said.

Watson said when he left theU.S. Navy, one of his first jobswas at the Veterans Administra-tion Center.

“I had the opportunity to see

people that looked like me thatneeded help [and] needed jobs,”he said. “We want to make suretoday that we take care of our veterans because we all are on thebattlefield.”

Interim DeKalb County CEOLee May , the event’s keynotespeaker, said, “hank you all, vet-erans, for doing what you did andserving our country regardless ofwhat the country did for you.

“A lot of people served thiscountry, but the country didn’tin turn serve them,” May said.“We’ve got too many stories aboutpeople who have served our

country in times of war and thenthey came back and didn’t evenrecognize the country that theyloved.”

May said that it is shamefulthat many veterans returned tothe country and did not have “ahouse to live in, food to eat and a job [so] that they can feed them-selves.

“We’ve got to do better…totake care of our precious veter-ans, young and old,” May said.

May said Veterans Day iscelebrated “to give our flowers...when people can smell the roses.We’ve got to give them their en-couragement now. We’ve got tothank them now.”

May said DeKalb County isparticipating in an initiative start-ed by President Barack Obama to end veteran homelessness na-tionwide.

“We stepped forward and saidwe would accept that challenge,”May said. “It was our goal tohouse 338 homeless veterans thisyear. We have housed 482 to date.

“We have to be deliberate[about] how we offer servicesand help to our veterans in need.hey have done so much for us.

Freedom isn’t free. It costs some-thing,” May said.“When [veterans] step for-

ward and gave us their service, weowe them something,” May said.

“God is looking at how wetreat our vets,” he said. “Youcan’t love God and not love yourneighbor. “when you talk abouthelping those in need and lovingGod, you have to do something.”

DeKalb honors its vets

Seniors gathered at the Lou Walker Senior Center on Nov. 5 to recognize the service of DeKalb’seterans. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Page 4A OPINION

Support needed forclean power plan

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Gale Horton Gay

[email protected]

Lifestyle Editor

Our trashy, trashy waysMiniature liquor bottles,

ast ood bags, beer cans,Styrooam containers, plasticcups, chip bags and moreittler our roadways in abun-

dance.

In addition to seeing thisunsightly mess while driv-ng through DeKalb County,’m even more aware o ourrashy habits afer spending

a recent Saturday morn-ng picking up some o this

bounty in my Stone Moun-ain neighborhood.

I’ll be the first to admithat I rejected the idea when

my husband suggested at 8a.m. that we volunteer andoin the 9 a.m. cleanup e-

ort. “Been there, done that”

was my immediate response(although honestly it wasat least 10 years ago), and“I need more notice” was a

tagged a lame excuse.Apparently I wasn’t the

only one who didn’t want toleave my bed or the greatergood because out o a neigh-borhood o 1,400 homes a

mere eight residents showedup, including two teenswhose demeanors clearlyindicated this was theirmother’s idea.

Equipped with reflec-tive vests, pick-up sticks andplastic trash bags, we took toRockbridge Road.

It didn’t take long to en-counter a little trash hereand there beore hitting areaswhere the litter that’s visiblerom the roadway was scat-tered down a ravine. In these

areas that were difficult toreach and potentially danger-ous to maneuver within, thegarbage was thick. Our crewo five stayed on the areasclosest to the roadway and

within 90 minutes, our bagswere ull.

I ound mysel wonderingwhy so many people appar-ently care so little about theplaces where they live andtravel through. Is it disdainor others, the result o beingangry or learned behavior?

Say what we will aboutwhat politicians, countydepartment heads and staffneed to do to improve ourcounty, we individually alsoshould consider asking i

we’re contributing to ourcommunity’s deterioration.

Do we toss trash out carwindows or litter when walk-ing through our neighbor-hoods? Do we talk to our

children and young peopleabout littering and howeach o us is responsible orthe upkeep o our commu-nity? Have we taken time toroll up our sleeves to join aneighborhood cleanup orbeautification project?

Keeping DeKalb beautiulis more than a catchy phrase.It requires caring, commit-ment to changing our waysand pitching in to make ourkeep our neighborhoods asbeautiul as we can.

President Obama’s recent Keystone Pipelinevictory should be celebrated; however, there istill more work to do. For example, support is

needed or the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

he EPA’s Clean Power Plan is theornerstone o President Obama’s Climate

Action Plan, and is the most signiicant pieceo ederal climate action ever. he Clean PowerPlan will reduce carbon emissions by 32 percentby the year 2030.

Despite its beneits, he Clean Power Plan isnot without its opponents. Since the release ohe plan in August, 24 states and many utilities

have joined a lawsuit to stop the Clean PowerPlan rom taking eect. On Nov. 19-20, theEPA will hold one o our nationwide hearingsn Atlanta. he purpose o the hearings is toake comment on the proposed Clean Power

Plan. Supporters o the plan are asked to testiyat the hearings being held on Nov. 19-20, at

he Sam Nunn Federal Building, 35 Forsyth St.SW, Atlanta. o register or a speaker slot, go toc.org/cpphearingatl.

I you cannot testiy, at least educate yourseland others about the impact o climate change.One way to do this is to join me in working withour local Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). CCL isworking to convince Congress to take action onhe issue o climate change. I you want to know

more about CCL, go to citizensclimatelobby.org.Climate Change is a people’s issue. It cuts

across all socioeconomic strata, particularlympacting people o color and those who residen low-income areas. Due to its ar reachingmpact, all o us need to be engaged in thetruggle. o find out what you can do, or to learn

more about the issue, please contact me.

anet S. Young, PhDTe Natural Pathway, [email protected]

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The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Page 5A

Let Us Know What You Think!

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Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.

O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send emailto [email protected] • FAX To: (404)370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779 . Deadline for newsreleases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by colum-nists and contributing editors do not necessarilyreect the opinions of the editor or publishers. ThePublisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is notresponsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewitt Chief Financial Ocer:Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor:Andrew CauthenProduction Manager:Kemesha Hunt Photographer:Travis HudgonsSta Reporters:Carla Parker, Ashley Oglesby

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F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Champion was founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for all community residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effect

a more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

OPINION

Hello; Tucker; Goodbye, LaVista Hills

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

ONE MAN’S OPINION

“Hasta la vista baby!” Ar-nold Schwarzenegger, quotedrom the ilm Terminator 2:udgment Day (1991).

At last, a healthy num-er o DeKalb voters in

what might have been mu-nicipalities number 10 & 11have spoken. Hello, ucker,nd goodbye, LaVista HillsLVH). A pending investiga-ion may result in a re-vote,hough those are rare in

Georgia, as LaVista Hillsupporters currently haveawyers reviewing a number allegations o election day

hijinks.During high school and

ollege, I worked in DeKalb

County grocery storesWinn-Dixie) and later as awaiter, in locations as varieds South Hairston Road at

Covington Highway, More-and Avenue near the city o

Atlanta line, ucker, Emorynd Embry Hills. I gainedarly on an appreciation ornd exposure to the charmsnd dierences o our manyowns and the communities

which surrounded them.Jump ahead 40 years,

nd the soon-to-be 30,000-plus residents o the city

ucker always had a

downtown, commercialdistrict, central post oice,well-established local busi-nesses, a school cluster and

rowing retail strip alongLawrenceville Highway, aswell as Hugh Howell Road.

A nearby industrial district,and the later retail, and whitecollar oice employment inthe Northlake Mall area alsoormed a reasonably compact

community, o predominant-ly middle and upper middleclass home owners.

LaVista Hills by contrastis a widely varied hodge-podge rom Embry Hills tooco Hills and rom the edgeo Brookhaven and DeKalb’sPDK Airport heavy withmultiamily housing andlegal and undocumentedimmigrants, to the tonierand more upscale Lakeside,Briarcli Woods, Breck-enridge and other majorsubdivisions near the center

o the proposed city. In ad-dition to these demographicdistinctions, there was nological center or “place” toput a town center, with thetwo possible exceptions obulldozing the BriarcliHigh School campus or tak-

ing over/locating in an exist-ing oice park, as initiallythe newer DeKalb cities oDunwoody and Brookhaven

have done.Despite the common and

growing contempt or the in-ability to properly unctiono a widening array o agen-cies and departments withinDeKalb County government,creating new cities has notproven to be a panacea.

Arguments have beenand will be made about thecosts o adding an additionallayer o government, or thepotentially better deliveredservices rom the smallergovernments, positioned asbeing “closer” to their con-stituents.

But, in Dunwoody andBrookhaven, each new burgwill be on its third mayor bythe time same are sworn inthis upcoming January.

Dunwoody became a cityin 2008, and Brookhaven in2012. hat degree o turn-over, six mayors in a com-bined 10 years, may not sug-gest that something is rottenin Denmark, but it certainlydoes suggest that the cleanbreak rom unincorporatedDeKalb did not overnight

deliver these communities tothe Promised Land either.

As the Georgia GeneralAssembly considers a com-plete reworking o the orga-nizational charter or DeKalbCounty in the coming year, I

will oer only ive CEOs intothe current structure (electedCEO and county commis-sion). hat, I believe, is more

about who is running andwho we elect as our leadersthan it is about structure. Acomparison to or review osome o DeKalb’s earlier less-than-stellar choices or theoice o sheri, prior to thelong, strong and steady ten-ure o ormer Sheri Thom-as Brown is particularly in-structive on this point.

It is unlikely that thestronger supporters or LVHwill simply ride o into thesunset anytime soon. Mostlikely, along with the pro-posed burgs o Greenhavenand Stonecrest, LVH advo-cates will simply emerge withsmaller boundaries and likelyanother name next year.

hat said, without thesplit o the Northlake com-mercial district, the numbersor LVH are extremely relianton a predominantly residen-tial property tax base, hardlyproviding the depth or thelong list o municipal services that LVH was planningto provide.

So again welcomeucker, Georgia to DeKalb’s

“league o cities”—Atlantain DeKalb, Avondale Estates,Brookhaven, Chamblee,Clarkston, Decatur,Doraville, Dunwoody,Lithonia, Pine Lake andStone Mountain. And again,

a warm embrace or thoseo us in unincorporatedDeKalb, and places such asScottdale, Stonecrest, oco

Hills and Briarcli Woods—home is right where you areand it doesn’t necessarily re-quire its own city hall.

And, at least until the nextelection, Hasta LaVista, Baby.

Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commen-tator for Channel 2’s ActionNews, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as wellas a columnist for The Cham- pion, Champion Free Pressand Georgia Trend. Crane isa DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. Youcan reach him or commenton a column at bill.csicrane@ gmail.com.

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LOCAL

four to five years,” she said. Itwas a situation where I didn’thave too many choices so I just had to keep moving, re-locate and get help.”

Waters started volunteer-ing at disABILIY LINK, anorganization led by and forpeople with disabilities thataims to promote full partici-

pation in community life.She said once she started

volunteering with the organi-zation she realized there weremore opportunities available.

“It seemed like a door

started to open and I’ve al-ways been a firm believerthat when a door opens youstep through it and see what’son the other side,” she said.

hrough Waters’ involve-ment with disABILIY LINKshe started to learn moreabout her condition and heroptions.

She said she was unin-sured and unemployed at thetime so she decided to par-ticipate in a research studyat the Shepherd Center toget the medical attention sheneeded.

he study lasted for fouryears.

“hroughout the wholeperiod I was trying to get mybenefits started,” she said.

“I was starting to get better,I could move on with mylife and start working. Eventhough my condition hasprogressed, it’s been so slowthat I don’t see it. I just think,

“Keep it moving and keep itgoing.

“It was challenging butsupport from my family anddisABILIY LINK got methrough it,” she added.

Waters battle with MShas affected her ability towalk.

She said following herinitial treatments she decidedto move to Decatur and“from there my life startedexpanding.”

Waters was hired as amystery rider for MARA,learned to navigate the railsystem and “regained inde-pendence.”

For the last 12 yearsWaters has worked with dis-ABILIY LINK as a lead

independent living specialistand housing advocate whereshe spends the majority ofher time connecting peoplewith services and resources.

She also volunteers with

ADAP, a national grass-roots community that orga-nizes disability rights activ-ists to engage in nonviolentdirect action, including civildisobedience.

“A lot of times I see thatpeople don’t have a real pic-ture of being disabled until itaffects them and their fami-lies,” she said.

She added, “disABILIYLINK is like a second life forme now. I get the chance togive back to the communitybecause these are peoplewho advocated for me to getwhere I am now.”

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

MARGO WATERSIn 1994, at the height of

her career as a hair stylistand salon owner in ennes-ee, Margo Waters was diag-

nosed with multiple sclerosisMS), a long-lasting disease

hat affects the immune sys-em.

rumped by illness andhe death of her mother Wa-ers closed the doors of heralon and sought help.

“It was really devastat-ng–the disease and the pass-ng of my mother who was

my biggest supporter,” sheaid. “My biggest challenge

was not knowing that therewas life after disability.”

Waters got help from herbrother and eventually thewo moved to Georgia.

“It took a while for meo go through the transitionof working and not workingwith no resources, apply-ng for benefits and getting

denied. It was just a rough


Seventeen months afterbreaking ground, the newly con-tructed Avondale Fire Station

No. 3 reopened.DeKalb County and Avon-

dale Estates elected and publicafety officials celebrated theeopening with a ribbon-cutting

eremony Nov. 9. DeKalb CountyFire Chief Darnell Fullum saidhe department is “extremely”

happy to have the station openand back in the community.

“This station not only servesAvondale Estates but it has awider territory,” Fullum said.We’re just excited to be back intohe community and continue toerve.”

Avondale Estates Mayoronathan Elmore said he was

happy have the station back upand running. “This makes every-body feels safer, and we’re happyo have the firemen back,” Elmore

aid.The new 11,339-square-foot

acility includes private sleepingquarters and restrooms, kitchen,dayroom, fitness room, two of-

fices and a community meetingroom. Avondale Estates CityManager Clai Brown said the sta-tion will allow the city to use thecommunity room for events.

The new station also includesan apparatus bay to accommo-date three bays. The 12-personcrew from the old station was as-signed to the new station.

Fullum said he was most

impressed with the size of thestation. “The old station couldprobably fit in this bay area,” hesaid. “We have much more room.Firefighters are here 24 hours, sothey’re not only working here butthey’re sleeping and living here.There is a lot more as far as theamenities of allowing them to bemore comfortable.

“It’s also built to where if wewant to we can expand in thefuture,” Fullum added. “The oldstation had one bay; this one hasthree so we can put more equip-ment in here. This station will lastus over 50 years.”

The estimated $2.6 millionproject was a part of the Housingand Urban Development (HUD)Community Development Blockgrant.

The old 3,120-square-footstation, built in 1947, was oneof the first fire stations built inDeKalb County. The station wasoriginally 2,430 square feet, butthe fire department later madesome additions to it, which in-cluded a living room, kitchen, asecond bedroom and a secondsleeping place for on-duty per-sonnel.

The station could only holdone fire truck and one ambu-lance. Because the station wasbuilt 65 years ago, the station wasnot compatible with modern fireequipment.

Despite not having a stationin the area for 17 months, Fullumsaid his department was able tocover the area with other stations.

“We have 26 stations locatedthroughout the county, and atany given time that station, thatcrew can be out on a call,” he said.“What we have is a system thatallows for the next closest unit torespond. We felt very comfort-

able that we were able to providea high a level of service even withthe crew not being here.”

Avondale Estatesfire station reopens

The new 11,339-square-foot Avondale Fire Station No. 3 hasreopened. Photos by Travis Hudgons

DeKalb County and Avondale Estates elected and publicsafety ofcials cut the ribbon to celebrate the reopening ofthe station.

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AtlantaTeen choir sets annual evergreen sale atShallowford Presbyterian Church

he teen Chapel Choir at Shallowford Pres-byterian Church announced its annual evergreensale offering fresh cut trees, wreaths and ropingdelivered straight from a North Carolina nursery.Order trees online at www.shallowford.org/shopby Nov. 22 for pick up at the church on Saturday,Dec. 5.

Cut from a nursery in North Carolina anddelivered the next day to Shallowford Presby-terian Church’s parking lot, the Fraser Fir trees

range in height from six to 12 feet tall, starting at$55. Nearby home delivery is offered for an ad-ditional $20. Wreaths made from the tips of FraserFirs branches come in three sizes starting at $16.Roping is available in Fraser Fir or White Pine for$4 per yard. Visit the website for full details.

All evergreen purchases are guaranteed; if thebuyer is not satisfied, money will be refunded.

Proceeds from the evergreen sale benefit Shal-lowford’s Chapel Choir, a choir of more than 80teenagers who are bound for Scotland on their an-nual summer tour in 2016.

Avondale Estates

Rains cause sinkhole to develop

Recent heavy rainfall has caused a sinkhole at adrainage point across from 61 Berkeley Road in Avon-dale Estates. City officials have asked everyone to usecaution when in the area near the “significant cavity[that] has developed in the ground.”

“he affected areas are cordoned off with tape andeveryone is asked to stay clear of the cordoned areasuntil repairs have been made,” according to a state-ment from Avondale Estates. “he city is addressingthe issue and it will be rectified as soon as possible.”

Avon Garden Club to host breakfast

he Avon Garden Club will host a sausage andpancake breakfast Nov. 21 at Avondale Commu-

nity Club from 8 to 11 a.m. he costs of ticketsare $6 per adult, $4.50 per child ages 6-12, $3 perchild ages 3-5 and free for children younger than3. ickets can be purchase from any Avon GardenClub Member, or call (404) 297-9893. he Avon-

dale Community Club is located at 59 LakeshoreDrive in Avondale Estates.

Brookhaven

City to hold storm drain marker program

Brookhaven will host its first Storm DrainMarker Program Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon.Participants will meet at Brookhaven City Hallat 9:45 a.m. to receive instructions and materials.Volunteers will glue plastic discs to storm drainsreminding residents “Only Rain Down he StormDrain.” For more information or to sign up, email

[email protected].

DecaturLocal school promotes father involvement

On Dec. 4 Oak View Elementary School willhost its annual Guys Night Out event at 3574Oakvale Road, Decatur.

School officials aim to increase parent involvement by inviting dads and guardians to at-tend the event with their sons for a night of bond-ing, education and fun.

During the Guys Night Out there will be bas-

ketball competitions, soapbox races, and informa-tive sessions on teaching boys how to tie a tie andshake hands. he event will include pizza, wings,chips and refreshments.

Event organizers are recruiting male volun-teers for the event to accompany children withoutparents or guardians.

Contact Parent Liaison Wendy Jackson at(678) 875-1302 for additional information.

Group schedules cityhood meeting

he Concerned Citizens for Cityhood of SouthDeKalb will have an informational meeting on theproposed city of Greenhaven.

“Are you at the table or on the menu? Findout how current cityhood movements could affectSouth DeKalb,” states an announcement about theevent which will be Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. at CovingtonLibrary 3500 Covington Highway, Decatur.

For more information, email [email protected].

LithoniaLocal author to sign new book

Employment expert Jerry T. Myers will besigning copies of his recently released book, GETIN THE DOOR: 7 Keys to Maximizing Your CareerSearch, on Nov. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Stonecrest

Library, 3123 Klondike Rd., Lithonia.he book has job search strategies for high

school and college graduates. It provides tips forthe unemployed or underemployed from a humanresources perspective explains how leveraging so-

cial media will enhance a career search, and show-cases the importance of one’s personal brand.

City to host farmers market

he Muhammed’s Farmers Market will be inLithonia Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. he mar-ket, which will have fresh fruits and vegetables, willbe on Swift and Main streets. For more informa-tion, visit www. cityoflithoniageorgia.files.word-press.com.

TuckerOlympian to address Atlanta Health & Fitness

ExpoDr. Flora Hyacinth, a three-time Olympian

and former world record holders will be making apresentation on solutions for sports injury and fa-tigue at the Healthy Joints and Fitness Expo at theDouble ree Hotel, 4156 Lavista Road, ucker, onSaturday, Nov. 14, from 3 to 6 p.m.

he expo presenters will provide techniques tospur sport teams to peak performance and assistwith solving many injuries and fatigue.

he expo will combine education, demon-strations, health screenings and entertainment toincrease knowledge and build awareness of variousmethods to increase overall health and wellness.

Hyacinth and Dr. Cleopatra Peter, executivedirector of Healthy Joints and Fitness Expo, willintroduce their own health and fitness products.

he doctors also will honor two outstandingresidents who have excelled in the fields of com-munity service, education, the arts, health, sportsand/or business.

For more information about he HealthyJoints & Fitness Expo, go to www.earthlyrelief.com.

CountywideSurviving the holidays seminar scheduled

“GriefShare: Surviving the Holidays” is a semi-

nar for people facing the holidays after a lovedone’s death.Scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m. to

8 p.m., the seminar will feature video interviewswith “Christian experts on grief and recovery top-ics as seen from a biblical perspective and personaltestimonies from people who have experienced theholidays after bereavement, according to a release.

he video seminars are combined with sup-port group discussions of the materials presentedduring the video and include a workbook thatprovides additional insights and ideas on holidaysurvival.

here is no charge for this event. he cost forthe workbook is $5. his seminar is sponsored bythe Agape Wholistic Life Changing Ministry. Foradditional information contact the church at (404)243-9888 or Verlene Brow n at (678) 591-7323 formore information.

AROUNDDEKALB

Photo by Travis Hudgons

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LOCAL

Residents’ input solicitedor county’s form of

government

DeKalb County SuperDistrict 6 CommissionerKathie Gannon will host aown hall meeting to launch

a citizen study of local gov-ernments to guide electedofficials.

“Government is supposed

o be ‘of the people, by thepeople and for the people,’” Gannon stated in an an-nouncement about the event.DeKalb citizens must be

actively involved in choosingheir form of government. It

cannot be imposed by politi-cians or selected by experts.

believe citizens should edu-cate themselves about theiroptions as well as the prosand cons of those options.

“I am all for reviewingand improving our form ofgovernment, but I think we

hould look before we leap,”Gannon stated. “We need tounderstand how changinghe form of government will

correct the problems. Whatother corrections and adjust-ments need to be made thatwill make DeKalb more ac-countable to the citizens? Let’salso avoid unintended con-equences of options that are

not well vetted by the public.”wo years ago Gannon

nitiated the Blueprint to Re-define DeKalb, a citizen-ledeffort resulted in legislationbeing passed this year to

trengthen the ethics code,creating an internal auditorand improve the county’spurchasing procedures. “hefirst Blueprints effort was a

successful method for citizensto make meaningful changes.We will start Blueprints 2 onNov. 16 and keep working toreform DeKalb government.

“Now is the time for citi-zens to step forward and helpimprove our form of govern-ment,” Gannon said.

All interested DeKalbresident are invited to attenda kickoff meeting on Nov. 12,

from 7 to 8 p.m. at the SouthDeKalb Senior Center, 1931Candler Road.

Interested volunteers willorganize, study, reach conclu-sions and make recommen-dations before the end of the2016 state legislative sessionin March.

Dunwoody Nature Centerlaunches 2015 annualfund campaign

he Dunwoody NatureCenter has announced the

start of its 2015 annual fundcampaign with a stated goalto raise $47,500.

he campaign recentlystarted with an annual invi-tation-only event for specialguests–the past year’s influ-encers and major contribu-tors to the Dunwoody NatureCenter including donors, key volunteers, corporate spon-sors, and other long-timefriends and supporters.

Funds raised during thisyear’s campaign will be al-located towards continuedimprovements on both the

grounds and the facilities ofDunwoody Park. he naturecenter’s plans for 2016 are de-signed to continue to inspire

a love of nature and centeraround the nature center’score competency: education.Plans include extending ini-tiatives such as the MilkweedProject and Creek Restora-tion and increasing passivesignage in the park. henature center will developexhibition and programmingcomponents around a dem-onstration bee hive and will

work with public art councilsto incorporate art into itsofferings. Additional plansinclude increasing the num-ber of camp options, classes,backyard camp outs, and op-portunities to enjoy nature.o learn more about theDunwoody Nature Center’sAnnual Fund campaign, visitwww.dunwoodynature.org/Annual-Fund.

DeKalb County AnimalShelter announces newhours

Effective Dec. 1, theDeKalb County AnimalShelter is expanding its eve-ning and weekend hours toallow the shelter to be moreaccessible to residents whowork during regular businesshours.

he new hours of opera-tion will be: Monday-Friday,11 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

hese are the hours thatthe shelter will be open tothe public for adoptions, re-claims, and other services.

he service hours for thecounty’s animal control offi-cers are not affected.

NEWS BRIEFS


Brookhaven is the latest munici-pality to adopt a purchasing card (P-ard) policy for its city employees.

he Brookhaven City Councilpproved the policy at its Oct. 27meeting. According to city officials,he P-card policy will help make theity more efficient as well as provideight controls on spending.

“We have had very good poli-ies and procedures in place to makeure that the few people in the city

who had P-cards—which has beennone of the elected [officials], unlikeother parts of our county—did re-quire receipts and accounting for anyxpenses made,” Brookhaven Mayor

Rebecca Chase Williams said. “hispolicy that we adopted is very clear,it’s very tough. If [employees] use itfor unauthorized purchases, whichincludes personal expenses, youcould be fired.”

Brookhaven’s policy reflectsthe state’s purchasing card policy.Brookhaven City Manager MarieGarrett said purchases will be taxexempt.

“Right now we’re just using astandard credit card and the mer-chant is required to charge us the taxwithout any backup data or infor-mation,” Garrett said. “So this willbe much easier and this is a bettersystem.”

he cards can be monitored inreal time by the city’s designated card

administrator and certain vendorsand items can be blocked.

House Bill 192 provided regula-tion for use of purchasing cards andgovernment credit cards by electedofficials of counties. he law says

no county, municipal corporation,school system or consolidated gov-ernment “shall issue governmentpurchasing cards or governmentcredit cards to elected officials on orafter Jan. 1, 2016, until the governingauthority of such county, municipalcorporation, local school system, orconsolidated government by public vote has authorized such issuanceand has promulgated specific policiesregarding the use of such govern-ment purchasing cards or govern-ment credit cards for elected officials

of such county, municipal corpora-tion, local school system, or consoli-dated government.”

Although, Brookhaven electedofficials do not hold a P-card or cred-it card, staff and city attorney recom-

mend that a P-card policy be in placefor employees and any future officialswho elect to have a card.

Nine Brookhaven city employ-ees have purchasing cards, and thespending limits vary by department.

“he key to this is accountabil-ity,” said Finance Director Carl Ste-phens. “Users will be able to submitreceipts online, and the city’s cardadministrator will have the ability toshut cards down at any time.”

Brookhaven council approves P-card policy

See Briefs on page 24A

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Organization works to give homeless children happy holidays

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

AMENDMENT TO ZONING ORDINANCE RELATED TO PAWN SHOPS

Notice is hereby given that the Mayor and City Council of the City of Lithonia, Georgia will

hold a public hearing for consideration of an amendment to the City of Lithonia Zoning

Ordinance related to pawn shops. Should the Mayor and City Council adopt the amendment,

the

existing

moratorium

may

be

lifted.

The

hearing

will

be

held

on

the

30th

day

of

November,

2015 at 6:00 PM in the Lithonia City Hall at 6920 Main Street, Lithonia, Georgia.

Written

comments

concerning

the

proposed

amendment

may

be

filed

with

the

City

Clerk

prior to the public hearing or submitted at the hearing. Individuals interested in commenting

on the proposed amendment, either in writing or verbally, will be given the opportunity to be

heard at the above mentioned time and place. The proposed amendment may be examined at

Lithonia City Hall during normal office hours or on the city’s website at

www.cityoflithoniaga.gov.

Further

information

may

be

obtained

by

contacting

Ms.

Leah

Rodriguez,

City

Clerk,

at

770.482.8136.

Deborah A. Jackson

Mayor, City of Lithonia

by Kathy Mitchell

Cliff Kinsey recalled de-ivering a turkey and items toomplete the meal to a chil-

dren’s group home and see-ng the director break downn tears. “Now the children

won’t have to have hotdogsor hanksgiving dinner,” she

aid.Kinsey, along with co-ounder Jim Cox , 23 years

ago started Children’s Res-oration Network (CRN), a

nonprofit dedicated to serv-ng the needs of children inoster care and group homes

and well as children andheir mothers living in shel-ers.

“he holidays, particu-arly big family holidays such

as hanksgiving and Christ-mas, are really hard for chil-dren who don’t have familiesaring for them. We want

hem to know that they areoved. here are people whoare about them. We wanthese deserving children toeel normal and to have a

bountiful hanksgiving mealike their peers.”

Kinsey, a former para-medic who volunteered onhis days off, and Cox werehelping a veterans’ organiza-ion when they read about a

group home that needed helpeeding its resident young-ters. When they arrivedo deliver food, they were

hocked by what they saw. “Ifyou moved a piece of paper,oaches scattered. he place

was in really bad shape. Wegot a group of people to helpus. We cleaned and painted

and did whatever we couldto make the place nicer. hatexperience helped us real-ize how shelters and grouphomes need help. Most ofthem are struggling to paytheir light bills. hings like anice holiday meal are a realluxury.”

he organization that

started with two peoplehelping a single group homewithin two years became aregistered nonprofit and hasgrown to serve the entiremetropolitan Atlanta area,with a staff of four full-timepeople and one part-timeperson and a core of morethan 6,500 volunteers. Kinseyestimates that CRN servesapproximately 3,000 childrenat any given time and 6,000over the course of a year.

Although CRN serves a21-county area, 40 of the 134shelters and group homes in

its network are in DeKalbCounty—almost twice asmany as Fulton, the countywith the next largest group.“Local governments havelaws about how many unre-lated people can live underone roof,” Kinsey explained.“DeKalb’s are less stringentthan others in the metroarea. hat’s why childrenwho find themselves home-less in other metro coun-ties often end up in a grouphome in DeKalb.”

he goal of the nonprof-

it’s current drive is “to col-lect 300 turkeys and all thetrimmings to go along withit for a bountiful hanksgiv-ing meal for the homelesschildren we serve,” Kinsey

said. He noted that becauseCRN has limited cold storagespace the organization is ask-ing donors to consider givinggift cards instead of frozenturkeys. “Also,” he added,“there are items needed toround out the meal thatpeople usually don’t thinkabout donating and we can

purchase those with giftcards. However, we are happyto accept donations any waythey come.”

Kinsey said most vol-unteers host their own fooddrives, then donate what theycollect. “hat works well forus. We’ll even send someoneto pick the donations up.”

He said that in additionto supplying the holidaymeal, CRN wants to fill eachorganization’s food pantry.

“Children are out of schoolfor several days during theholidays. Without schoollunches, group homes andshelters have to provide extrameals. Anybody who haslived with a teenager knowsthey eat a lot.”

Almost as much as CRNneeds donations of food and

money, it needs volunteers,according to Kinsey. “Vol-unteers are our lifeblood.We wouldn’t be able to dothis without them. We needindividuals, companies,neighborhoods, churchesand social and civic groupsto hold collection drives. Wealso need volunteers to pickup food from companies andgroups holding drives andto sort and deliver food togroup homes and shelters

all over metro-Atlanta,” hesaid. CRN can provide boxes,flyers and signs for organiza-tions holding food drives.

While the current em-phasis is on holiday needs,Kinsey pointed out thathomeless children haveneeds all year and educationis a particular area of focus

for CRN. “As anyone mightimagine, homeless childrenoften need special help withschool work and we providesuch help through ProjectOne-on-One, our mentoringprogram. Some of our vol-unteer mentors have workedwith the same child five orsix years.

o help with the currentdrive, or for more informa-tion, visit www.ChildRN.org.

With the help of donations and volunteers, the Children’s Restoration Network serves approximately 6,000 children annually.

8/20/2019 FreePress 11-13-15

10/24


Goodwill

Locations In:

Atlanta/Northeast Plaza, Athens,

Cartersville, Cornelia, Decatur, Duluth,

Oakwood, Rome, Smyrna,

Stockbridge and Woodstock

You did your job for the country. Now a Goodwill Career Center can

help find you one here at home. With special programs for veteransand disabled veterans, our services include: Job Assessment,

Employment Readiness Training, Occupational Skills Training

and more. We even have a Veteran Outreach Coordinator who

understands what you’re going through and can use his contacts

to help transition you back into a civilian workplace.

If you’re lookingfor a job,

we’re here to serve.

Count on Goodwill for support,

training and placement.

To learn more about our Veterans Services and programs

visit goodwillng.org/veteranprograms or email us at [email protected].

of North Georgia

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

CITY OF LITHONIA GEORGIA

FISCAL YEAR 2016 (FY16) BUDGET REVIEW AND ADOPTION

(JANUARY 1, 2016 – DECEMBER 31, 2016)

PUBLIC

HEARING

ON

FY16

BUDGET: A Public Hearing on the FY16 Budget is scheduled for Monday,

December 7, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the City Hall Chambers located at

6920 Main Street, Lithonia, GA 30058. At this meeting, the Mayor and Council will receive both written

and oral comments about the Annual Operating and Capital Budget for the City of Lithonia, Georgia.

The Public Hearing on the Budget will be followed by the Council Meeting at 7 p.m. in the Council

Chamber.

MAYOR’S RECOMMENDED BUDGET AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW: The FY16 Mayor’s Recommended

Budget will be available for public inspection during normal office hours starting on November 16, 2015

at the following locations:

Lithonia City Hall, 6920 Main Street, Lithonia GA 30058

Lithonia‐Davidson Library, 6821 Church Street, Lithonia GA 30058

BUDGET REVIEW: The Mayor and Council of the City of Lithonia are scheduled to review the FY16

Mayor’s Recommended Budget on the following dates:

Monday, December 7, 2015 (7:00 p.m. at City Hall, 6920 Main Street)

Monday, December 21, 2015 (6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 6920 Main Street)

BUDGET

ADOPTION:

The Mayor and Council of the City of Lithonia are scheduled to adopt the FY16

Budget at

their

regular

monthly

Work

Session

on

Monday,

December

21,

2015.

The

meeting

will

be

held at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Chambers located at 6920 Main Street.

by Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

Wylde Center will host its

irst wreath-making fundrais-ng event at Oakhurst Gardenn Decatur, Dec. 1-5.

Participants will be pro-vided with balsam fir wreaths,along with a variety of gardenmaterials including dried ber-ies and herbs, pine cones,

magnolia pods and more tombellish wreaths and create

holiday decorations for theirhomes.

“This will be a fun, back-o-nature, seasonal activityhat I hope becomes an an-

nual fundraising event for the

Wylde Center,” said StephanieVan Parys, executive directorof the center.

She added, “Participantsare invited to bring their ownefreshments and beverages,ncluding beer and wine,” sheaid. “It’s the perfect way for

adults to celebrate a birthday,anniversary or other specialoccasion, or simply to get intohe holiday spirit. People can

be as creative as they want tobe with the wreaths, whichwill be ready to take home theame evening.”

The cost is $65 per person

and all materials are included.Adults must register online inadvance and may choose anvening from Dec. 1-5 from

7-9 p.m.Funds raised at the the

event will further support theorganization’s community

efforts, educational program-ming and green spaces.

The center was recognizedin August by the City Schoolsof Decatur’s board of educa-tion for its Farm to Schoolprogram, which provideshealthier lunch food optionsfor children within the district.

According to the WyldeCenter’s Education DirectorAllison Ericson, the organiza-tion has established a relation-ship with all schools in cityof Decatur school system andworks with teachers to “bring

the kids into our gardens fordifferent programs.”“They want us to come in

and do these programs. Theysee the value of it. We want tocome in and do it, it’s just find-ing the funds to support theprograms,” Ericson said.

Through the Farm toSchool program, nutritionspecialists conduct taste testswhere they bring foods fromcommunity gardens into theschools for students to try andgive them feedback. The re-sults of the taste tests are usedto plan meals for the student

body.Ericson, who has two chil-

dren in the Decatur school dis-trict, said, “To see the impact

of these taste tests, even onmy children,... for them to tryfoods that they wouldn’t havehad before and seeing those

foods in their cafeteria—it’smaking a difference in theireating habits at home as well.”

The organization recentlyreceived a grant to work withWhitefoord ElementarySchool, a Title I institutionwhere there are high percent-ages of children from low-income families.

Ericson said, “Just to seethe sheer excitement of thembeing in the garden,... explor-ing the area and learning aboutthe different animals and vege-tables that are living there—it’s

been really wonderful.”She added, “It’s really im-portant to show the kids thereare other jobs out there thatpeople do and to expose themto eating the fresh foods thatthey may not have the expo-sure to.”

Whitefoord students willwork with the Wylde Centereach week in the gardens tolearn more about nutritionand gardening.

The organization is alsomaking efforts to get theirprogramming in Atlanta andDeKalb county schools.

To learn more about theWylde Center visit wyldecen-ter.org.

Wreath-making event tosupport nonprofit programs

Money raised at the wreath-making event will be used to assist TheWylde Center’s programming.

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SPORTSThe Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Page 11A

‘I JUST TRY TO

HUMBLE MYSELF;

IT’S JUST THE

BEGINNING [OF THE

SEASON].’

B a s k e t B a l l H I G H S

C H O O L

P r e v i e w


DeKalb Countyhas produced tal-ented basketball

players for years; and it ap-pears that the tradition willontinue.

Marshon Brooks ucker), Kelly Cain (St.

Pius), Tahj Shamsid-Deen Columbia), Asia Durr (St.

Pius), William Goodwin Southwest DeKalb), Kayla

Lewis (Southwest DeKalb)and Tony Parker (MillerGrove) are some of thenames that have brought

national attention to DeKalbCounty from the basketballworld.

his season is no differ-ent as several DeKalb Countyplayers are listed as some ofthe best prospects on severalnational ranking lists. One ofthese players is Miller Grovepoint guard Alterique Gil-bert.

he 5-star recruit com-mitted to the University ofConnecticut in July. Gilbertis ranked 28th nationally on

ESPN’s 2016 op100 list andranked No. 2 in Georgia onESPN. He is also ranked No.36 nationally on Rivals.com.

Last season, he averaged17.7 points per game andled the county in assists (6.0per game) and steals (5.4 pergame).

Even with all of this at-tention, Gilbert has not let itget to his head.

“I just try to humble my-self; it’s just the beginning[of the season],” he said. “Istill know I’m in high schoolbeing highly recruited, butthings like that is just a littlemotivation for me and also

for my teammates.”Gilbert has been a pro-ductive player for the Wol- verines since his freshman

Top prospects hope to have big year

See Prospect on Page 15A

Miller Grove guard Aaron Augustin, who committed to East TennesseeState, is ranked 14th in the state by ESPN.

Miller Grove point guard Alterique Gilbert, a 5-star recruit and UConncommit, is ranked 28th nationally on ESPN’s 2016 Top100 list.

Stephenson guard Miracle Gray committed toPurdue in 10th grade.

Southwest DeKalb guard Jada Walton is a 3-starrecruit and one of the top prospects in the 2017class.

P h o t o s b y T y F r e e m a n / t y f r e e m a n . c

o m

-Alterique Gilbert.

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Arabia MountainRamsHead coach: DedrickWhiting (3rd season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 12-14Returning starters:

Sophomore power forward/center Jer-mon Clark ; junior guard Jamal Middle-ton; junior guard Darius Giles Outlook: “he Arabia Mountain boys’basketball team will be one of the tough-er defensive teams in the region thisyear,” Coach Whiting said. “hey planto swarm the ball on every defensivepossession and just flat out utilize theirtransition offense to score points on theoffensive end of the ball. heir mainexpectations include: finishing as oneof the top four teams in the region, winthe Pre-Holiday Christmas ournament,and make a deep run in the state tourna-ment. hey are considered by many tobe a very young team, but they are veryhungry. he Mighty Rams will striveto finish strong in the region to propelthem into the state tournament.”

Cedar Grove SaintsHead coach: JamesMartin (8th season)Region: 4A-AAA2014-15 record: 22-5(Playoffs)Returning players:

Senior guard Makale Carter; seniorforward/guard Antonio Reeves; juniorcenter Jelani WoodsOutlook: “We’re just trying to survive,”Martin said. “I hope we can win someballgames.”

Chamblee BulldogsHead coach: CaesarBurgess (14th season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 6-20Returning starters: Ju-nior guard Odell Fer-

rell; junior forward Glenn Robinson;unior forward Dazz Riggins; junior for-

ward Tariq Patterson; junior TeedumGeorge-Komi Outlook: “With the addition of a fewmore kids, and the football players, weare very optimistic and looking forwardto a successful season,” Burgess said.

Clarkston AngorasHead coach: JuliusThompson (3rd sea-son)Region: 6-AAAAA2014-15 record: 5-20Returning starters:

Senior forward/center Su Su EntongweOutlook: “We expect to have a good yearand surprise the experts in our region.We have the most talent we have had inthe last three years,” hompson said.

Columbia EaglesHead coach: KerrySandifer (4th season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 21-8(Playoffs)Returning starters:

Senior guard Justin Longstreet; seniorguard Rodriguez Dennis; junior guardJalen Cobb; senior forward JerrickCobbOutlook: “I expect to improve upon our21-8, first round state qualifying 2014-2015 season.

Cross Keys IndiansHead coach: RonJackson (1st year)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 0-23Returning starters:Senior forward Jer-

emiah Cross; senior guard Trey MyersOutlook: “My expectations for the sea-son are to first create a winning mindsetand attitude within the program, thatwill become the solid foundation neededfor us build on,” Jackson said. “From awins perspective, a realistic goal is forus to garnish wins ranging anywherebetween six and 10 games. his numberis based on the amount of growth al-ready established through training andconditioning. We are looking to competestrongly and at a higher level than themore recent years.”

Decatur BulldogsHead coach: Bill Rob-erts (1st year)Region: 4B-AAA2014-15 record: 12-15Returning starters:Junior guard/forward

Terrill Hal; junior power forward Den-nis Bell; senior guard Kobie Davis; ju-nior guard Antonio Myrick Outlook: “It will be a transition year forus with a new coach and a new systemof play, but I did have the opportunityto work with the boys as an assistant lastyear, so the transition has been a littleeasier,” Roberts said. “However, like inany transition year, it will take a good bitof work and development of chemistryand buy in. If we can accomplish thosethings, we could definitely make somenoise this year.”

Druid Hills RedDevilsHead coach: JeromeLee (8th season)Region: 6A-AAAAA

2014-15 record: 10-17Returning starters:Junior forward Dillan Hall; junior for-ward Jordan Foote; junior point guardCameron Starkes; junior guard Ter-

rance RoseOutlook: “o be better than we were lastyear,” Lee said. “We would like to make itto the state playoffs.”

Dunwoody WildcatsHead coach: KevinDankosky (3rd sea-son)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 7-20Returning starters:

Senior forward Nate Welsh; senior for-ward Bernard MillardOutlook: “As we work hard year round,we’ll be a better defensive team and bemore fundamentally sound offensively,”Dankosky said. “We look forward to therigors our region offers.”

Greenforest Chris-tian Academy EaglesHead coach: LarryThompson (1st sea-son)Region: 5-A-Private2014-15 record: 27-2

(Playoffs/state runner-up)Returning starters: Junior guard JustinForrest; senior guard John Ogwuche;senior forward Precious Ayah; juniorcenter Ikey ObiaguOutlook: “Our expectation this season isto contend for the Class A-Private StateChampionship,” hompson said.

Lakeside VikingsHead coach: DennisAlexander (1st sea-son)Region: 2-AAAAAA2014-15 record: 10-16Returning starters:

Senior guard Sean Atwater; senior for-ward/center Adonis Hall; senior guardBennett Fahsel; sophomore forward/center G. Martin Haggray Outlook: “I expect for my players tocompete really hard, smart and togetheron the defensive end,” Alexander said.“I expect them to play unselfishly of-fensively. Our first job as a coachingstaff was to change the culture here atLakeside. hat started with develop-ing a commitment to working on theirstrength and conditioning, as well astheir individual games. We were able tobegin having success in those areas inthe offseason. he next step is to committo doing the little things to win games.I expect that we will be very detailed inmaking that happen.”

Lithonia BulldogsHead coach: Wallace

Corker (3rd season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 27-3(Playoffs)Returning starters:

Senior guard Ty’heem Freeman; seniorforward Tylon Patterson; senior pointguard Rodney Chatman; senior forwardDerious Wimbley Outlook: “Our expectation this year is tomake to the final and possibly play forthe state AAAA championship,” Corkersaid.

Marist War EaglesHead coach: KevinMoore (2nd season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 9-17Returning starters: Se-nior forward PatrickZeck ; junior guard

Whid Childs; senior guard/forwardLuke Testani; junior guard/forward BenDuma Outlook: “We are going to be young,with only three seniors on the team—one of which is recovering from a foot-ball injury that we won’t get back untilafter the season starts,” Moore said. “I’vegot a great group of hardworking under-classmen who have put in a lot of workduring the offseason. here will be alearning curve, but I am very confidentin these younger guys. We expect to be very competitive in an incredibly diffi-cult region. It should be a fun season.”

M.L. King LionsHead coach: TonyBrinson (2nd season)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 24-6(Playoffs)Returning starters:None

Outlook: “o build on last year’s successwith a young team,” Brinson said.

McNair MustangsHead coach: RodneyMinggia (3rd season)Region: 4A-AAA2014-15 record: 3-23Returning starters:Senior forward Key-shawn Walker; junior

guard Demarcus Harris; sophomoreguard Josh Jenkins Outlook: N/A

Miller Grove Wol- verinesHead coach: Shar-man White (10thseason)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 27-4

(Playoffs)Returning starters: Senior point guard

Alterique Gilbert; junior guard/forwardJoshua Jackmon; senior forward RaylonRichardsonOutlook: “o compete for regional, state,and national championships while devel-

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Arabia MountainLady RamsHead coach: YolandaRedmond (2nd sea-son)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 17-11

Playoffs)Returning starters: Senior guard Saman-ha Pringle; sophomore guard/forward

Marissa Mills; sophomore guard/for-ward Kennedi Manning ; center/forwardyanla Kitchens

Outlook: “No excuses because we areyoung, no excuses on why we lost and noxcuses on why we are not getting betterndividually or as a team,” Redmond said.We expect each player to take responsi-

bility for her individual development aswell as the development of the team. Wexpect our defense to win games we areupposed to win and games we are told

we won’t win.”

Cedar Grove LadySaintsHead coach: Shen-etria Wyche (2nd

season)Region: 4A-AAA2014-15 record: 4-14

Returning players: Sophomore guardLeanna Ramos; sophomore forwardayda Jackson; sophomore guard Mi-

kaysha Lemon; junior shooting forwardMarciannah JacksonOutlook: “Play more team oriented bas-ketball and put more emphasis on de-ense,” Wyche said.

Chamblee Lady Bull-dogsHead coach: JosetteBarton (1st season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 8-15

Returning starters:Senior guard Ariana HendersonOutlook: “My expectations this seasonare for my girls to understand the con-ept of basketball, be able to compete

with the teams one game at a time, playhis game smart,” Barton said. “As aoach, I am looking forward to seeing

how each team competes and learn asmuch as I can from other coaches inGeorgia. I feel I have a lot of improvingo do, so I am looking forward to thiseason.”

Clarkston LadyAngorasHead coach: CoreyMartin (1st season)

Region: 6-AAAAA2014-15 record: 1-17

Returning starters: Junior guard/forwardTabitha Ferrell

Outlook: “Our main expectation is to bemuch more competitive,” Martin said.“Clarkston lost by an average of 34 pointslast season. Before we can begin talkingabout winning, we must create an atmo-sphere of competition. We need to com-pete at every practice, and we must slow-ly transition into the other phases of thegame, such as winning quarters, halves,and games and individual matchups. We

play in a very tough region, and our teamis very young. We will get somethingakin to a baptism this year, but, in theend, we will be better because of it.”

Columbia LadyEaglesHead coach: CurtisGilleylen (1st season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 13-11

Returning starters: NoneOutlook: “Get better every day,” Gilleylensaid.

Cross Keys LadyIndiansHead coach: Roberta

Gibson (1st year)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 2-21Returning starters:

Junior point guard Kahmiya McField; junior power forward Dyani Whitaker;sophomore shooting guard Lena Le; junior center Temitope Igbineweka;sophomore shooting guard Yuyan Ke Outlook: “I currently have a youngteam,” Gibson said. “So my expectationsthis year is to try and build a programwhere my players can reach their fullestpotential individually and collectively.”

Decatur Lady Bull-dogsHead coach: Sarah

Coleman (2nd year)Region: 4B-AAA2014-15 record: 29-3(Playoffs)

Returning starters: Senior power for-ward/center Janay WilliamsOutlook: “As in every year, our expecta-tions are to improve consistently over thecourse of the season and be in a positionto play for a region championship in Feb-ruary,” Coleman said. “We won our firstregion championship last year and wehope to repeat. We have a young team,but a hard working team that I think willbe ready to get back to the state tourna-ment this season.”

Druid Hills Lady Red

DevilsHead coach: RosariaRice (2nd season)Region: 6A-AAAAA

2014-15 record: 10-17Returning starters: Senior guard NikkiMintz; junior guard China DurhamOutlook: “We are rebuilding the foun-dation of the basketball program atDruid Hills,” Rice said. “We inheritedfive seniors our first year at Druid Hills.They are all gone. We will rely on ninefreshmen to rebuild the program. We arechallenging the young ladies to be men-

tally tough and compete against a brutalschedule. We want them to understandand enjoy the process of becoming betterindividually and as a team. In essence,the young ladies must commit fully tothe program, learn how to deal with adversity, improve their skill level, and bementally tough.”

Dunwoody LadyWildcatsHead coach: AngelaNash (22nd season)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 13-13Returning starters:

Junior guard/forward Jazmine Bryant;senior power forward/ center Anjanice

Cutno; junior small forward KendallSmith Outlook: “We are in a rebuilding stagewith the nucleus of our squad consistingof sophomores, however, season expecta-tions are for the team to be competitiveon a high level as our region is loadedwith high-caliber teams,” Nash said.

Greenforest ChristianAcademy Lady EaglesHead coach: AllisonPrather (8th season)Region: 5-A-Private2014-15 record: 11-9Returning starters:

Senior point guard Arielle Holloway ;senior guard Theodora Odia

Outlook: “My expectation for this up-coming season is to win more gamesthan last year,” Prather said. “I have somenew players that will help the two seniorsimprove our program this season.”

Lakeside LadyVikingsHead coach: SheilaAsher (3rd season)Region: 2-AAAAAA2014-15 record: 9-16Returning starters:

Senior forward Anne Elizabeth Heyse Outlook: “We are very young,” Ashersaid. “We have five sophomores on the varsity team. I expect the entire team towork hard and improve throughout the

season. They are very dedicated and havea lot of heart. We should be competitive.”

Lithonia LadyBulldogsHead coach: KanikaRichardson (1st sea-son)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 0-20

Returning starters: Senior forward AlanaSmith; senior forward Grace Puente; junior Kaylan Adams; sophomore guard

Tiara Maiden Outlook: “Our expectations include be-ing highly competitive and begin build-ing a tradition of excellence in girls’basketball at Lithonia High School,”Richardson said.

Marist Lady WarEaglesHead coach: KimHixon (14 season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 23-5(Playoffs)

Returning starters: Senior guard Domi-nique Oden; senior guard AnnabellaFarabaugh; senior guard Ansley Gross;sophomore guard Diarra Oden

Outlook: “We are looking forward to thenew season with four returning players,”Hixon said. “We need to stay healthyand focused on our goals this season. Welook forward to the challenge of compet-ing in Region 6-AAAA and defendingthe region title.”

M.L. King Lady LionsHead coach: MichaelWilson (2nd season)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 4-21Returning starters:Sophomore guard

Azhana Maxwell; junior power forward/center Zeela Smith; junior forwardAniya Williams; senior forward Tamia

Johnson Outlook: “I expect the Lady Lions tocompete hard and play with a chip ontheir shoulders with the top teams in ourregion,” Wilson said. “We won’t shy awayfrom the competition and after being inthe system for two years, I feel my girlscan compete with anybody. Our goalis to learn how to win close games andmake the state playoffs. Last season, Ihad multiple injuries to key players, andit was hard establishing any continuity. Ifelt that if we could have stayed healthy,our chances for making the playoffswould’ve increased.”

McNair LadyMustangs

Head coach: ByronParker (2nd season)Region: 4A-AAA2014-15 record: 4-22

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Returning starters: Senior forwardAlonzia Collier; junior forward NashaCollins; Jehnesha Huguley Outlook: “The expectations that I haveor our team this year is to continuously

get better game by game,” Parker said.More importantly, I want our team to

have fun.”

Miller Grove LadyWolverinesHead coach: TamicaJones (2nd season)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 15-12(Playoffs)

Returning starters: FourOutlook: “Our expectations for our ath-etes is to play hard, hustle, play for each

other and win a state title,” Jones said.The coaching staff expectations are toreate an atmosphere that is family ori-nted, teach life lessons, and win state.”

Paideia Lady PythonsHead coach: PaulMeiereRegion: 5-A-Private2014-15 record: 15-13(Playoffs)

Redan Lady RaidersHead coach: JerryJackson (8th season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 19-8(Playoffs)Returning starters:

Senior forward Taylor Tucker; seniorguard Kia Smith; junior guard SydneyBrown

St. Pius Lady GoldenLionsHead coach: KyleSnipes (7th season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 Record: 27-4(Playoffs)

Returning starters: Sophomore forwardMacey Carson; senior guard/forwardHannah JonesOutlook: “We will look to compete foranother region championship and returnto the state playoffs for the sixth consecu-tive season,” Snipes said. “We will havefour new starters after having essentiallythe same starting line-up for three con-secutive seasons. We will have one seniorand three juniors—two of which have varsity experience. The returning sopho-mores include one starter and two othersthat saw limited action. The most press-ing concern is how the young players willadapt to varsity competition early in theseason.”

Southwest DeKalbLady PanthersHead coach: KathyWalton (14th sea-son)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 22-8

(Playoffs)Returning starters: Senior guard DaisaAlexander; senior forward/center CoriBostic; senior forward/center AstonDraper; junior point guard ChantzCherry ; junior forward/guard Jada Wal-tonOutlook: “We would like to finish topfour in the region and return to the state

playoffs,” Walton said.

Stephenson LadyJaguarsHead coach: DennisWatkins (17th sea-son)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 28-5

(State Champions)Returning starters: Senior guard MiracleGray Outlook: “We have a really talented butyoung team,” Watkins said. “We havean extremely competitive region andschedule then add on the fact that we arethe defending champions. This all willcertainly make this a great season for ouryoung players to grow and our veteranplayers to thrive. The sky is the limit forthis group and we definitely look forwardto a challenging and successful season.”

Stone MountainLady PiratesHead coach: StanleyClark (10th season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 9-15Returning starters:

Senior guard Kyann Perry ; senior centerKacian Lawarence; senior guard AlexisWarren Stephen; senior forward JamielaDickersonOutlook: “My expectations for this sea-son are to compete for a region title andto make the state playoffs,” Clark said.

Towers Lady TitansHead coach: Kalley Young (2nd season)Region: 4A-AAA

2014-15 record: 3-20Returning start-ers: Senior forwardAshley Lewis; juniorguard Mia Car-radine; Jailen KeyesOutlook: “The expec-

tations for this year’s team are to showimprovement in the basic skill areas ofbasketball with an overall better attitude,”Young said.

Tucker Lady TigersHead coach: RobinPotter (13th season)Region: 2-AAAAAA2014-15 record: 18-11(Playoffs)Returning starters:

Senior guard Najla Shamsid-Deen;senior guard/forward Mariya Trimble;senior forward Chiqueria Cook ; juniorguard/forward Bria BassOutlook: “I expect a very successful sea-son,” Potter said. “Not only do we havefour starters returning, but also haveQuinlan Hughes returning after kneesurgery last year and have added seniorJayla Morrow and Kierra Johnson-Graham.”

W.D. MohammedLady CaliphsHead coach: QuranShakirRegion: 5-A-Private2014-15 record: 2-18

oping our players on and off the court,”White said.

Paideia PythonsHead coach: JoJoCadray Region: 5-A-Private

2014-15 record: 12-14

Redan RaidersHead coach: GregWood (2nd season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 10-16Returning starters:Junior point guard

Tyonne Stuckey ; senior guard Strick-and Gary ; senior guard/forward Daryl

Moody ; senior forward Ashaki PowellOutlook: “My expectations for anyeam are always very high,” Wood said.Whether we have experienced andeasoned players or kids that are ‘new’o the program, it really doesn’t matter,

because we all have one common goalnd that is to win our very last game—atate championship. I really do believen this team. I believe that they can doome big things. I believe that they can

go extremely deep in the regional andtate tournaments. I expect for us toompete and play as hard as we can eachnd every game.”

St. Pius Golden LionsHead coach: Aaron Parr (5th season)Region: 6-AAAA

2014-15 Record: 25-5(Playoffs)Returning starters:hree including lead-ing shooters seniorforward Kerney Lane and senior guard

Christian Merrill.

Outlook: “Our expectations this year arehigh,” Parr said. “We want to focus onthe process of getting better each day tobe the best team we can be. We are ex-cited for the opportunity to try and com-pete for a title in the highly competitiveregion 6-AAAA.”

Southwest DeKalbPanthersHead coach: EugeneBrown (3rd season)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 18-8Returning starters:

hreeOutlook: “Continue to improve ourcompetition tenacity, player skill level,

statistical results, [and] team record,while creating an opportunity to con-tend for the state championship,” Brownsaid.

Stephenson JaguarsHead coach: RasulChester (1st season)Region: 6A-AAAAA2014-15 record: 15-14 (Playoffs)Returning starters:

None

Outlook: “My expectations for this sea-son are to lay a solid foundation towardsbuilding a championship program,”Chester said. “A program each night,will compete at a high level competition;being led by discipline, hard work, andintegrity. As a young and inexperiencedteam we will embrace this process to

represent DeKalb County School Dis-trict and the state of Georgia.”

Stone MountainPiratesHead coach: TonyStroud (4th season)Region: 6-AAAA2014-15 record: 17-9Returning starters:

Senior guard/forward Dunnell Stafford;senior center Michael GrahamOutlook: “With only two remainingstarters back from last year, we are ina rebuilding year,” Stroud said. “Likealways, our goal as a team is to make itto the state playoffs but we realize howmuch work we need to put into improv-

ing during the season to reach that goal.We look forward to the season and willwork extremely hard to reach our goal.”

Towers TitansHead coach: AntonKadar (3rd season)Region: 4A-AAA2014-15 record: 7-17Returning starters:Senior guard/forward

Jermaine NealOutlook: “My expectation for this year

is to teach a great group of guy’s defensebecause we are going to be small butquick, and great defense will give us achance to compete and win some games,”Kadar said.

Tucker Tigers

Head coach: JamesHartry (16th season)Region: 2-AAAAAA2014-15 record: 29-3(Playoffs)Returning starters:

Senior guard Tyler Payne; junior for-ward Earmas Ghebreah; senior forwardAdonis Green; junior guard KentonEldrigeOutlook: “At Tucker we play for statechampionships,” Hartry said. “If you playfor me you should already know whatwe’re playing for, and [a championship]is what we play for. I try to establish abasketball program and not a basketballteam. When you have a basketball pro-gram you have a tendency to be able to

compete year in and year out. But 29-3is hard to beat,” Hartry added. “I knowthat you don’t go to the Final Four everyyear and I know that’s not something you just do, but this team is pretty good I gotcoming up.”

W.D. MohammedCaliphsHead coach: QuranShakirRegion: 5-A-Private2014-15 record: 9-16

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DeKalb County has nine newcoaches heading up programs thisyear at public and private schools.

he list includes Dennis Alex-ander (Lakeside girls), Josette Bar-on (Chamblee girls), Rasul Chester Stephenson boys), Roberta Gibson Cross Keys girls), Curtis Gilley-en (Columbia girls), Ron Jackson Cross Keys boys), Corey Martin Clarkston girls), Kanika Rich-

ardson (Lithonia girls) and LarryThompson (Greenforest boys).

Barton has coached for 11 yearson both the high school and col-egiate level. She won a state cham-

pionship in her first year as headcoach at Raymond High School inMississippi. Barton last coached atProvine High School in Jackson,Miss.

Barton said she brings to Cham-blee the same style of coaching asher college coach.

“I had one of the best collegecoaches, to me, in the world, ShirleyWalker at Alcon State University,”Barton said. “She was a demand-ng coach, being 110 percent trueo yourself and everything I learned

playing under her is really what Ibring to the table as a coach.”

Chamblee finished last season

with an 8-15 record. As she tries tobuild a winning team with a younggroup of players, Barton has nodoubt her players will win in theclassroom.

“o be a top team in the county,of course, you’re going to have towin some ball games, but at Cham-blee we’re known for academics,”she said. “What I can say about mygirls is we’ll definitely be known forour academics. Whether my kids getathletic scholarships or not, I’ll havea lot of kids that will go to college onacademic scholarships. he seniorsthat I have are 4.0 students. If wedon’t get recognized as champions,we’ll be recognized as scholars.”

Martin is entering his seventhyear of coaching, his first in DeKalbCounty. He comes from exaswhere he has coached boys’ basket-ball. Martin said he brings a differ-ent mentality to coaching.

“I’m a smart guy. I look at bas-ketball in a completely differentway,” Martin said. “I want my kids tounderstand the geometry of basket-ball, the spacing and how effort—es-pecially on the girls’ side where theathleticism is not nearly as great onthe boys’ side—is a skill and if theybring effort we can always compete.”

Martin will be taking over aClarkston program that has not wonmore than six games in a single sea-

son in the last 10 years. Although hedoes not realistically expect to turnthat around immediately, he doesexpect his team to be more competi-tive.

“When I looked at the historyof the program they’ve won [five]games the last three years total,” hesaid. “We lost by an average of 34points last year. I can guarantee youthat we will not lose by 34 points.

“I am a veracious competitorand if we don’t win our games wewon’t be losing by 34 points. It’s abuilding thing,” Martin said. “Wehave a tone of freshmen, so I do ex-pect that we’ll take our licks againstsome really good schools, but atsome point we will be extremelycompetitive.”

Alexander, who comes fromMiami, Fla., is entering his 11thyear of coaching and his third yearas a head coach. He is taking over aLakeside program that has not beenover .500 since 2009. He said histeam has to execute better to winmore games.

“I just want them to go harderand execute more, especially on thedefensive end,” Alexander said. “Iwant them to play hard on defensefirst, but offensively and defensivelyhave an identity of when you playLakeside High School you’re goingto have to play really hard to get out

of there with a win.”Jackson is not stranger to

DeKalb. He has been coaching inDeKalb for four year as an assistantcoach at M.L. King and head coachat Bethune Middle School beforemoving up to Cross Keys.

Jackson said he wants to instill awinning philosophy along with de-

veloping players.“We can walk in and try to de-

velop players all day long, but if theydon’t buy into the program or buyinto the philosophy that you’re pre-senting it’s null and void. Phase Onewas for me to come in and incorpo-rate my style of play, do an overallevaluation of what’s been going onand do an evaluation of as far aswhat I can put together.”

Jackson said playing with con-fidence will be the key in winninggames this year.

“We probably won’t win the statetitle this year, but at the end of theday the foundation is put together,”he said. “he adversity they’re go-ing to face…last year they probablyfaced that adversity and would turnaround and put their head downand give up. his year I can guaran-tee you they won’t put their headsdown. hey’re going to fight untilthe end of the game.”

Nine basketball teams welcomes new coaches

year, and was a big factor in the twohampionships he won with theeam. He was unable to get a thirdtate title in his high school career,

but thinks it is a possibility this sea-on.

“Last year we took a hiccup,” heaid. “We definitely want to comen and try to win state; get back to

where we were. I think we definitelyhave a shot at that.”

Gilbert will have another topecruit alongside him this season in

Aaron Augustin. he senior guardransferred to Miller Grove from

Peachtree Ridge in Gwinnett Countyhis past summer.

“I feel like it was a perfect fit,”Augustin said. “Coach [Sharman]White—you already know his back-ground—and I just wanted to comehere and bring another state cham-

pionship here. I know last year theylipped up, but this year [it’s] nothingess than a state championship.”

he 3-star recruit, who commit-ed to East ennessee State, is ranked4th in the state by ESPN. He aver-

aged 16.6 points and 4.3 assists pergame last season.

Augustin said he committed toEast ennessee State because of itsnew head coach, Steve Forbes.

“[Forbes] was at Wichita State,and everywhere he went he won,and he has coached some good pointguards, so I feel like I can fit thatmode,” he said.

Right now, Augustin is workingto fit in and adjust to Miller Grove’ssystem.

“It’s been an adjustment,” hesaid. “Preseason workouts have beencrazy. It’s just so much basketball-focused workouts. he preparationhas been different.”

Stephenson guard Miracle Gray has worked this summer to makesure her teammates are prepared todefend thei

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