FreePress 8-15-14

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

1/24

by John [email protected]

Te Junior League o DeKalb (JLD)is celebrating its 80 anniversary in 2014.Founded in 1934, the volunteer organiza-tion was originally known as the JuniorService League o Decatur.

Te league is an organization o womenwho collectively volunteer their time andresources to improving the communitythrough educational and charitable activi-ties and programs. Members represent awide variety o races, religions and nationalorigins. And, or the first time in the his-tory o the organization a Black woman isat the helm.

Angela Turkwas recently inducted asthe new president and has lofy goals orthe organization. One o her top prioritiesis to increase training or JLD membersso they are able to better serve the com-munity and become advocates o changethroughout DeKalb County. Proessionally,urk is the director o communications orthe College o Education at Georgia StateUniversity; she handles media relations,publication management and college-levelspecial events. urk has been employed atGeorgia State or 13 years.

A member since 2006, urk said she hadbeen looking or an organization where shecould participate in structured volunteer

work, which was one o the things that in-terested her most in becoming a membero the Junior League. I took my member-ship to JLD seriously, she said. Im proudto be the recipient o both o our leagueawardsthe 2005-2006 Spirit o the League

Angela Turk is the rst African American to lead the JuniorLeague of DeKalb.

rom left, interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May said an updated purchas-ng policy would help restore the publics trust in government. Scott

Callan, the countys interim purchasing director, said the old policy wasearly at the IRS level of complexity. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Junior League ofcers seated from left: Cartrina Scipio (Nominating Chair), Angela Turk (President), Mindy Ka-plan (President-Elect) and standing from left: Shara Sanders (Vice-President Finance), Michele NeSmith (Vice-President Membership), Sidnee Young (Secretary), Stacey Keegan (Sustainer Advisor), and Renee Bazemore(Vice-President Community)

See Preview on page 11A

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewspaperchampionnews

hechampionnewspaper.com

Were Social FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 VOL. 17, NO. 21 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.

FREEPRESS

See May on page 17A See JLD on page 17A

Countys convolutedpurchasing policy revised

Junior League of DeKalb celebratesmilestone anniversary with a first

by Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb Countys convo-uted, two-volume purchas-ng policy was reduced toust 38 pages with the stroke

o a pen Aug. 6 by interimDeKalb County CEO LeeMay.

Mays executive order re-vising the countys purchas-ng policy is part o a holis-ic approach and ultimately

an aggressive approach toestore the publics trust in

DeKalb County govern-ment, he said.

Te updated policy re-quires that all things mustbe competitively procuredunless exempted and estab-ishes a purchasing advisory

committee and an ineligiblevendor list. It also states thatpeople with business inter-ests may not attempt to in-fluence the outcome o theprocurement process.

Scott Callan, called theprevious policy convo-uted.

May said the policy is theesult o a DeKalb county

grand jurys recommenda-

tion that the DeKalb Countypurchasing department be

evaluated and reorganized,revise its procurementpolicies, and apply uniormpurchasing process. An out-side consultant was hiredto make recommendationsabout improving the coun-tys purchasing policy.

We must continue towork and improve ourprocedures and our peopleto achieve the standard ointegrity and trust that thepeople o DeKalb Countydeserve, May said.

Te overwhelming vastmajority o the countys6,500 employees are goodand honest public servants,but its been made clear thatthere are a ew bad apples,and there has been an atmo-sphere, in years past, thathas not ostered the bestpractices to be able to flour-ish, May said.

Scott Callan, the countysinterim purchasing and con-tracting director, said, Tepolicy defines the methodo an emergency purchaseas appropriate when theresan imminent threat to the

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

2/24

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

3/24

THE CHAMPI ON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 3A


housands o residents partici-pated in more than a dozen Na-ional Night Out events Aug. 6.

I hope that our residents gethe act that they are a part ohe solution when youre talking

about addressing crime andtheealities o DeKalb County com-

munities and streets, said interimDeKalb County CEO Lee Mayduring an event at the arget storeon Lavista Road.

Residents are the eyes and earso our police department, Mayaid. hey tell us whats out o

place, whats not right within their

communities and when they part-ner with us, were able to addresscrime in a more strategic manner.

National Night Out, dubbedas Americas Night Out AgainstCrime, began in 1984 to promotenvolvement in crime preven-ion activities, police-community

partnerships, neighborhood ca-maraderie and send a message tocriminals letting them know thatneighborhoods are organized andighting back, according to the

organizations website.We really want to get out to

he community and get them edu-cated and build partnerships withour whole public saety apparatus,aid May, who stopped at several

National Night Out events aroundhe county. We want people to

get engaged with their communi-ies andunderstand that publicaety is a team eort. Its not just

county government, but its alsowith the communities and theeadership and representatives inhe community as well.

May said there have been sev-

eral improvements in public saetyin DeKalb County since his irstNational Night Out as interimCEO last year.

his time last year we prob-ably had 100 or so less police o-icers on the streets, May said.By the end o this we would havebrought in our dierent policeacademies that would have gradu-ated this year. We have put morestrategic eorts in the intelligenceled policing and we have a ull-time SWA orce nowthey werepart time.

May also touted the countysnew take-home car program orpolice oicers and the 3-percentbonus and 3-percent cost o living

adjustment oicers received sincelast year.So Im eeling good about our

eorts and our goal again is toreduce the high attrition rate thatweve had in years past, May said.We want to keep more o our o-icers here.

DeKalb County Fire ChieDarnell Fullum said NationalNight Out was started to encour-age communities to take backtheir streets by spending time inthe communities.

By being out they were show-ing that they were not araid, Ful-lum said.

Representatives or the irerescue department were on handdistributing inormation aboutire saety and car seat installation.hey used their mobile ire saetyhouse to demonstrate to childrenhow to exit a home saely duringa ire.

Any time we get an opportuni-ty to interact with the community,were going to talk about preven-tion, Fullum said.

Residents hold nightout against crime

DKalb Polic ofcrs stand outsid a SWAT vhicl during National Night Out. Photos by AndrwCauthen

On of th National Night Out vnts in DKalb was sponsord by th Targt stor on LavistaRoad.

Various DeKalb County leaders took part in the event designed to promote police-communitypartnerships.

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

4/24

ONE MANS OPINION

Earlier Ebola visit to the CDC?

Panic travels faster than fact. columnist Bill Crane, today.

In 1990, crab-eating macaquesmonkeys, imported from the Philip-pines, were determined to be carry-ng the filo-virus strain of Ebola. As

no history of the disease was previ-ously documented in the Philip-pines, the Center for Disease Con-rol and Prevention (CDC) deter-

mined the infection likely occurredn transit on a KLM jet fl ight, beforeeaching its destination and securelyransporting these test monkeys toabs near Reston, Va.

Subsequently, the CDC receivedeports of the disease, via theseame infected monkeys, in Alice,

Texas, and the CDC Division ofQuarantine secured a temporaryban of bringing monkeys into theUnited States from anywhere in theworld. Lab workers in Reston wereexposed to the virus but did not de-velop symptoms.

An investigation followed, trac-ng the original monkey population

back to Indonesia, and experiments

were conducted in a Level 4 lab athe CDC campus in DeKalb County,imilar to the Level 4 Emory Uni-

versity Hospital facility where two

human patients are now being treat-ed, in terms of security and hygiene

protocols. These tests were conduct-ed on 32 monkeys, half Green Mon-keys and half crab-eating macaques,half were infected with the Reston

virus strain, and the other half withthe Ebola virus. The Ebola infectionwas lethal to nearly all monkeys.However, most of the Reston virusstrain monkeys recovered in justover a month.

The surviving monkeys werekept for two years to detect any re-curring traces of the virus, and nonewas found, though the survivors didcontinue to produce a high level ofantigen to the viruses. An antigenis substance in the body which pro-

duces an immune system response.Antigens are often critical elementsin the development of vaccines. Twoof the monkeys that survived theReston virus infection were laterinfected with a large dose of theEbola virus, in effort to produce anEbola vaccine. One of the monkeysremained resistant and the seconddied.

The cloud of distrust that in-creasingly shrouds our own gov-ernment is largely of its own mak-ing. Mistakes will, of course, bemade, but all too often our federal,state and local government officials

simply make the paternal choice thatthey know best. Being an educatedLibertarian, I believe that the publicshould be presented with data and

the facts, perhaps given guidance,and then allowed the judgment and

free will to choose our own path.In the immediate aftermath of9/11, government officials assuredthe population of Manhattan, aswell as thousands of first respondersand public health workers, that theywere under no imminent healththreat from the dust clouds andheavy particulate matter in the airsurrounding lower Manhattan, fol-lowing the collapse of the majorityof the World Trade Center complex.However, as we now know, many ofthose surviving first responders andheroic health care workers are nowexperiencing major health after-effects to the contrary.

During the early 1950s, whilecivil defense officials were produc-ing newsreels with a snappy jingleto educate school children on thepotential dangers of nuclear warfare,featuring a Disney-esque, Bert theTurtle, at practically the same time,federal and state authorities wereencouraging Atomic Tourism inthe Nevada desserts near Las Vegasto witness the mushroom clouds ofnuclear weapons testing.

Las Vegas experienced seismicafter-effects from the testing, andmushroom clouds were routinely

visible on the horizon from down-

town hotel towers. Winds carryingthe fallout of these tests routinelyblew into southern Utah, causingmarked increases in cancers, includ-

ing leukemia, lymphoma, thyroidcancer, breast cancer, melanoma,

bone cancer, brain tumors and gas-trointestinal tract cancers. Despitethe documented surge in deadlyillness, the United States did notmove these tests underground fordecades and did not cease full-scaleweapons testing in the Yucca flatsuntil 1992. An underground teston the properties of plutonium wasconducted there as recently as Dec.7, 2012.

My suggestion here is that whilewe should extend more trust andbelief in our government and itselected and appointed officials, thattrust must also be routinely and re-peatedly earned over time, just as it

is with our other friends, neighborsand even family neighbors. One ofmy favorite Reaganquotes of theCold War era speaks to this quitewell:Trustbut verify.

Bill Crane also serves as a politicalanalyst and commentator for Channel2s Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as acolumnist forhe Champion, Cham-pion Free Press andGeorgia rend.Crane is a DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. You canreach him or comment on a column at

[email protected].

Bill Crane

Columnist

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 4AOPINION

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

5/24

LETTER TO EDITOR

South DeKalb YMCA, countypartnership is a win-win

I attended the information meet-ng of the proposed Public Private

Partnership (P3) between DeKalbCounty and the South DeKalb Fam-ly YMCA on Sunday, Aug. 3. Inhort, the county is proposing using

about $5 million dollars of taxpayer

unds to purchase the YMCA alongwith about 18 acres of property thenease it back to the YMCA for $1

per year for 50 years. The YMCAwould assume all operating costs.The YMCA has also committed toeinvest the $5 million dollars for

building additions, renovations andoverall site improvements.

If one were to spread this invest-ment over the life of the term, itwould average about $100,000 peryear. On labor costs alone, this rep-esents a significant savings to resi-

dents. Factor in that at the conclu-ion of the term, the property wouldevert back to the county. One could

assume that the initial investmentwould increase significantly. Froma financial standpoint, this appearso provide solid value for citizens.

This is a more cost effective option

than purchasing land, building arecreational center and budgetingoperating costs for 50 years. In thiscase, most of the infrastructure is inplace.

As a longtime member of theYMCA and DeKalb County citizen,

this looks like a win-win situationfor everyone. This potential P3 canleverage the strengths of each en-tity, the county in facilities and theYMCA in day-to-day operations.Outdoor areas can be used followingthe same procedures as any DeKalbCounty Park. If one wanted to usethe inside areas, it would require aYMCA membership. Membershipfees can be calculated on a slidingscale based on income.

I heard concerns about the mem-bership fee; however, I believe it isoffset by the availability of resourcesand activities not found at a typicalDeKalb parks and recreation facility.A great example is the swimmingpool. The YMCA has an indoorpool that is available about 50 weeksof the year whereas the pools/water-parks for the county are all outdoor

and available less than 20 weeksduring the year. Perhaps the YMCAcould offer some combination of amembership discount in the formof a flat rate or percentage off forall DeKalb residents, in addition totheir sliding scale assessment. The

YMCA could recoup the discountthough increased memberships.There are many benefits to this

P3 with the opportunity to impacthealthier lifestyles and the overallquality of life along with easier ac-cess to recreational facilities to moreDeKalb residents. I understandneighboring Gwinnett and Rockdalecounties are engaged in P3s withtheir respective YMCAs. Usage feesare common in many state parks.I believe this is a smart invest-ment recommendation on behalf ofDeKalb citizens where the benefitsoutweigh the risks. I look forwardto the next step in making this P3 areality.

Ernest Brown

OPINIONTHE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 5A

Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and contain

the writers name, address and telephone number forverification. All letters will be considered for publica-tion.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email to [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: ( 404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one weekprior to publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contribut-ing editors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor orpublishers. The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is not responsible forunsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher:John Hewitt

Chief Financial Officer: Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Photographer: Travis Hudgons

Staff Reporters: Carla ParkerLauren Ramsdell

Advertising Sales: Louise Dyrenforth Acker

The Champion Free Press is published eachFriday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHERWe sincerely appreciate the discussionsurrounding this and any issue of interest toDeKalb County. The Championwas founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for discoursefor allcommunity residents on all sides of anissue. We have no desire to make the newsonly to report news and opinions to effect a

more educated citizenry that will ultimatelymove our community forward. We are happyto present ideas for discussion; however, wemake every effort to avoid printing informationsubmitted to us that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

John [email protected]

Chief Operating Officer

The beauty within the beast

For all the negatives o DeKalbCounty, there are just as many, i notmore, positives.

Many o us, including the media,ocus too ofen on emphasizing the

negatives and give little attention tohe many attributes o our county.

DeKalb is home to Arabia Moun-ain, a National Heritage Site that

dates back 400 million years. Tis isone o the most picturesque placesn the southeast in my opinion. Welso can lay claim to Stone Mountain,he largest granite outcropping in

he southeast, and site o the largestelie carving in the world. And, one

o the largest collections o erns inhe world is showcased at Georgia Pe-imeter Colleges botanical garden on

Panthersville Road.Lithonia has a small town appeal

with its historic homes and rural set-ing; and is home to Arabia Mountains well as many picturesque old arm-teads situated on rolling hills.

Stone Mountain Village is quickly

becoming a rather quirky, bohemianarea that builds on natural beautyalong with the historic buildings inthe central core o the city that date tothe 1800s. As many other small towns

are attempting, the village has addedstreetscapes and actively encouragingbusiness owners to locate there.

Downtown Avondale Estates isreminiscent o a quaint European

village with its historic udor-stylearchitecture; it is also listed on theNational Register o Historic Places.Avondale Estates residential sectionsshowcase heavily tree-lined streets,impressive and diverse design stylesand a beautiul lake or residents and

visitors to enjoy.Decatur has the historic county

courthouse, now home to DeKalbHistory Center, the historic city cem-

etery, sidewalk caes, art galleries andboutiques. Te downtown area ofentops best o lists or its variety odining and entertainment options.

uckers new streetscape improve-ments combined with a spirit o coop-eration by Main Street merchants anda newly remodeled high school givethat community a resh, urban appealthat ew other communities have ac-complished. An ofen-repeated chanto ucker Pride is indicative o how

the community has rallied to improveits surroundings and it shows in im-pressive ways.

Drive along Buord Highway andsee a virtual quilt o international in-

fluences in everything rom architec-ture to ood and ashions. Doravillehas become quite a cosmopolitanlittle town where shopping districtssuch as Asian Square, Plaza Fiesta,Korea own and the coming soonViet Village. For the oodies, there isnothing anywhere in the world that Iknow o that compares with the vari-ety and quality o ethnic cuisine thatabounds along Buord Highway.

Chamblee too has undergone animpressive transition over the lastseveral years. What were once manu-acturing acilities are home to lofapartments and hip hangouts that

pay homage to the historic nature othe community while beautiying andrepurposing all that is old to becomenew again.

DeKalb Peachtree Airport is alsoa gem waiting to be discovered bymany. With its manicured green spac-es, a park where children rolic andadults watch planes take off and landand many nicely renovated mid-cen-tury industrial buildings; the airportis worthy o consideration as a desti-

nation or those not amiliar with it.Dunwoody has its historic arm-

house, tree-lined neighborhoods,upscale shopping and hotels, as wellas enough high-rise buildings to actu-

ally create an impressive skyline alongboth sides o I-285.

Pine Lake, which was originally aresort spot or Atlantans to escape thecity, is built around a pristine lake andmost o the homes were once smaller

vacation homes.Our newest city, Brookhaven,

which was settled in the early 1800sis also listed on the National Registero Historic Places. It is the site o thefirst planned gol club community inGeorgia that was part o the CapitalCity Country Club in the early 1900s.

Lets not get caught up with allthats wrong with DeKalb.

Lets celebrate our beauty thatgives us all many reasons to be proudto call DeKalb our home.

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

6/24

PAGE 6A THE CHAMPI ON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014

If you would like to nominate someone

to be considered as a future Champion

of the Week, please contact Andrew

Cauthen at [email protected]

or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

DEGAS WRIGHT

ChampionoftheWeek

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

by Lauren Ramsdell

[email protected] weeks o back-and-orth be-

ween council, the mayor and residents, theClarkston city council voted unanimouslynot to publicly reprimand Mayor Ted Terryor ethics violations.

Te last item on the Aug. 5 meetingagenda called or the council to accept theethics committees recommendation. Coun-cilman Robert Hoganmade the motion noto accept the recommendation and not tossue the reprimand suggested by the city

ethics committee.As you know some very important

changes have been taking place recently,and this is a time or us to heal, Hogan said.

Mistakes and misunderstandings happenedon both sides. I believe that i Mayor ederry had the opportunity to do it again, hewould have done it differently.

Te audience erupted into applause.Te complaint was originally filed July

17. It included questions o impropriety orerrys inaugural celebration, a birthdayundraiser email sent to supporters and resi-dents, and accusations o his impeding thebidding process or the citys Livable Cen-ers Initiative.

On Aug. 1, the ethics committee releasedts findings and recommendation related tohe complaints. Te report stated the com-

mittee ound no evidence in wrongdoing

with the bidding process or birthday und-aiser but ound there was a conflict o in-erest during the inaugural celebration.

We conclude that [erry] has violatedhe intent and conflict o interest provisions

o the code o ethics, Sec. 2-41 and Sec.2-44, respectively, the report states. Whilewe have no doubt o the mayors good in-entions, and respect his enthusiasm to doomething to create a benefit to the public,

we think the code o ethics directs the may-or [to] do more to separate himsel rom

involvement in the Inaugural Committee

activities.Te report recommended a public rep-rimand be issued and published in a localnewspaper.

Te issue arose because erry oundedand codirected a nonprofit undraisingcommittee or Clarkstons inaugural eventon Jan. 7. Te ethics committee stated erryknowingly solicited donations rom compa-nies that had worked with or had contractswith the city, creating the conflict o interest.

During the meeting, and previously, resi-dents said the complaints should never havebeen filed and instead discussed internally.

Unortunately the our council mem-bers, without addressing the concerns theyhad to me first, jumped straight to an ethics

complaint, erry said in a previous articlein Te Champion. Or at least it appearedto jump out o nowhere. But the work o aClarkston resident who filed an Open Re-cords request ound something very disap-pointing and saddening.

However, the council did not publiclyreprimand erry based on the findings.erry said councilmembers are working onpushing the reset button.

I see a council that is here to work to-gether, erry said. In any governmentthere is a time or politics and there is a timeor governing. And now is the time or gov-erning.

Also at the meeting, the council voted,

also unanimously, to direct city staff to re-vise or rewrite the citys code o ethics. Dur-ing ethics board meetings, reporters wereprohibited rom using cameras; only twoo three seats on the board were filled; andrules and regulations were adopted in closedsessions at the last minute.

City manager Keith Barkersaid he willwork with city attorney Stephen Quinntodraf new language or the code and presentit to the council within the next 60 days.

Clarkston drops ethicscase against mayor

DeKalb Workorce Development has an-nounced its August 2014 schedule or workeadiness workshops, which are held at the

DWD building, 774 Jordan Lane, Building4, Decatur.

he ree work readiness workshops aredesigned to empower job seekers with es-ential work readiness skills to secure em-

ployment. Since the programs inception,more than 2,000 customers have attendedDWDs work readiness workshops.

he schedule or the work readiness work-hops is as ollows:Resume WritingMondays and Thurs-

days, 10 a.m. to noon Personal BrandingTuesdays, 10 a.m. to

noon MarketingWednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon NetworkingMondays, 10 a.m. to noon

and 1 to 3 p.m.; uesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.;uesday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m. to noon only;and Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.

Interviewing TechniquesMondays, 1 to 3p.m. and Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.

Basic ComputerMondays, 10 a.m. tonoon, and uesdays, 10 a.m. to noon

Introduction to Microsoft Office SuiteWednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon, and hurs-days, 1 to 3 p.m.

DeKalb Workforce Development offers work readiness workshops

For more than a de-cade, 51-year-old DegasWright has been involvedwith the Boy Scouts oAmerica. He began serv-ing as a scout volunteerwhen his son Leland

joined the Boy Scouts in1999. Since then, scoutinghas become a bond that heshares with his son.

Te impact o scout-ing in Lelands lie hasinspired [me] to spread

scouting to as many youthas possible, the Lithoniaresident said.

Wright has servedas scoutmaster or theBoy Scout roop 106 atGreenorest CommunityBaptist Church and cur-rently serves as committeechair or Pack 394 androop 394 at First BaptistChurch in Atlanta.

He also serves as exec-utive board member o theAtlanta Area Council othe Boy Scouts o Ameri-

ca. He was recognized in2010 by the Boy Scoutso America as a NationalScoutmaster o the Year.He has also received theWhitney M. Young Jr.Service Award and theSilver Beaver Award, thecouncils highest volun-teer awards or his servicewithin the community.

Wright is the ownero an asset managementfirm, Decatur CapitalManagement Inc.

Wright also has servedon the boards o sev-

eral church and nonprofitorganizations. He hasserved as chairman andboard member or OurHouse, a non-profit child-care center or homelessamilies located in De-catur. He also served onthe 2003 Business LeaderAdvisory Board or the

Georgia Department oEducation.

He is a 1998 graduateo Leadership DeKalb, anda graduate o the Volun-teer Incentive Program othe United Way o Atlanta.

Wright said volunteer-ing is important to himbecause he believes lie is ablessing.

Shirley Chisholmexplained it best, Serviceis the rent we pay or theprivilege o living on thisearth, Wright said.

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

7/24

THE CHAMPIO N FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 7A

COMMUNITY

AROUNDDEKALBAvondale EstatesCity to host yard sale

Avondale Estates will host its irst citywideyard sale Sept. 6 rom 2 to 6 p.m. Households canhold a yard sale on the day o the event. Partici-pants have until Aug. 29 to bring a $15 registra-ion ee to city hall. Ater the sale, several non-

proit organizations will come through the city topick-up any letover items be to donated. Partici-pating households should be ready or their irsthoppers by 7:45 a.m., and should begin clearing

o their property by 6 p.m. For more inorma-ion, visit www.avondaleestates.org/events.

City to host Labor Day race

Avondale Estates will host its 36th AnnualLabor Day 5K Race and 1 Mile Race Sept. 1. Reg-stration begins at 7:30 a.m., the 1 mile race willtart at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K race will begin at 8

a.m. o register the day beore the race, visit ac-ive.com. For more inormation, contact Karen

Holmesat (404) 294-5400 or [email protected].

ClarkstonClarkston to rehold annexation vote Nov. 4

Clarkston attempted to annex two areas of un-

ncorporated DeKalb during the May 20 primary.One measure failed, while the other, attemptingo annex an area adjoining southwest of the city,

ended in a 35-35 tie.DeKalb County ruled a tie meant the annexa-

ion failed. However, Clarkston city managerKeithBarkerand city attorney StephenQuinnuccessfully appealed, bringing the judgment be-

fore a Superior Court judge in Rockdale County.The judge ruled that a tie meant the vote hado be recast, as the measure neither passed nor

failed.The annexation issue will be on the Nov. 4

ballot for residents of the proposed annexationarea. More information can be found at www.clarkstonga.gov.

DecaturHealth providers sing to benefit mentalhealth, substance abuse clients

he Brighter omorrows Inspirational Choirnvites the community to a special concert cel-

ebrating its two-year anniversary.Members o the choir are healthcare providers

n the DeKalb Community Service Board. heconcerts theme is Shine and will be held Friday,Sept. 12, rom 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the RichardsonHealth Centers Bohan Auditorium, 445 WinnWay, Decatur.

he concert is ree but donations will be ac-cepted to help beneit clients receiving men-al health and substance abuse services at the

DeKalb Regional Crisis Center.Attendees are also welcome to donate basic

need items such as mens and womens socks, un-dergarments and plain -shirts.

For more inormation about the concert orDeKalb CSB, visit www.dekcsb.org, or [email protected] or [email protected].

Local unsung heroes to be recognized

Select local unsung heroes will receive recog-nition during the annual Black ie, Red CarpetEvent hosted by the Nonproit rinity AwardsInc.

he awards ceremony will be held Aug. 17at the Porter Sanord III Perorming Arts Com-munity Center located at 3181 Rainbow Circle,Decatur.

he doors will open at 4 p.m. or the redcarpet walk, photos, hors doeuvres, vendors,

mix-and-mingle and networking. he awardsceremony will begin at 6 p.m. with musical selec-tions rom local artists.

he mission o the Nonproit rinity AwardsInc. is to support, acknowledge and honor smallnonproit organizations and outstanding individ-ual volunteers and or their work, commitmentand service within their respective communities.

Commissioner to host free health and job fair

DeKalb County Commissioner StanWatsonis seeking companies with current job openingsand organizations that provide health relatedscreenings, reerrals and inormation to partici-pate in his ourth annual Community Check-

Up Wellness, Health and Job Fair on Saturday,Aug. 16, rom 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.his event is cosponsored by the Alpha Kappa

Alpha Sorority Inc., au Pi Omega (Stone Moun-tain-Lithonia) Chapter, Council or CommunityEnrichment Inc. and DeKalb County WorkorceDevelopment.

he event will be held at the House o Hope/Greater ravelers Rest Baptist Church located at4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. Approximate-ly 500-800 attendees are expected.

Call (404) 371-3681 or additional inorma-tion. his event is ree and open to the public.

DunwoodyDunwoody Butterfly Fest returns Aug. 16

Celebrating all things Lepidoptera, the Dun-woody Butterly estival is back or its 21st year.he estivals main attractions are its tents o livebutterlies. imed entry is required to enter thetents, and tickets can be pre-purchased online toensure convenient entry times. Once the entrytimes are ull, no urther admission to the butter-ly tents will be allowed.

In addition to the tents, there will be un andgames, magic and music shows, and arts andcrats. Kids will have the opportunity to go ona scavenger hunt, learn about birds o prey andmake coee ilter butterlies to take home.

he estival takes place at the DunwoodyNature Center Aug. 16. ickets purchased in ad-vance are $8 and $4 or kids aged 4-12. Day-otickets are $10 or adults and $5 or children. heestival starts at 10 a.m., rain or shine, and runs

until 5 p.m. More inormation can be ound atwww.dunwoodynature.org/butterly-estival

LithoniaNature preserve to host hikes

Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preservewill host the Ranger Ramble Guided Hikes Aug.15 and Aug. 24 rom 8 to 11 a.m. RangerRobbyAstrove will visit some o his avorite spots in theDavidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve.

his is a on a moderately diicult hike and at-tendees are asked to wear hiking shoes and bringa bottle o water. For more inormation, call (770)492-5220.

Stone Mountain

Nonprofit receives $10,000 donation

As a part o Delta Community Credit UnionsPhilanthropic und, the organization presentedthe Society o St. Vincent de Pauls Georgia ClientServices program a $10,000 check on Aug. 7.

he Georgia Client Services program pro-vides direct inancial assistance to individualsand amilies acing economic crisis in the ormo ood, clothing, rental and utility assistance andprescription drugs. rained sta screens clientsor eligibility, and identiies an individual serviceplan that provides budgeting, inancial manage-ment and lie skills training to ensure inancialstability in the uture.

Pictured in the ront row rom let are Jai Rog-ers, vice president o business and communitydevelopment, Delta Community; branch man-ager Raj Subramanian; Jenn Maxwell, direc-tor o Vincentian Services; Kevin Barbee, chieoperating oicer, Society o St. Vincent de Paul;and Matthew Shepherd, Delta Community chieoperating oicer.

Pictured in the back row rom let are BlakeWatts, a commercial insurance manager, DeltaCommunity; LouiseConiglio, director o volun-teer and community engagement; LorenzoHer-man, development VISA; and Melissa Winkler,marketing and communications specialist.

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

8/24

THE CHAMPI ON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 8ALOCAL NEWS

Restaurant Inspections

Establishment Name: Best China RestaurantAddress: 5260 Memorial Drive Ste 1205-ACurrent Score/Grade: 84/BInspecon Date: 07/31/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsObserved open Mountain Dew can and water bole on preptable. Informed PIC drinking in food prep areas is permissiblebut must be done from a single service cup with a lid and straw.Advised PIC to consume beverage from single service cup. COS-PIC discarded beverages.Observed chicken cooling in walk-in cooler at a temperatureof 86-90F. PIC states chicken was cooked shortly aer 12:00pm. Informed PIC potenally hazardous foods must cool from135F to 70F within 2 hours and from 70F to 41F within 4 hours.Advised PIC to place chicken in walk in freezer to rapidly cool to70F. COS- PIC placed chicken in freezer for rapid chill.Observed chicken thawing in stagnant water in 3 compartmentsink. Informed PIC potenally hazardous foods must thawunder approved methods. Advised PIC to place chickencompletely submerged under running water. COS- PIC placedchicken completely submerged under running water.

Establishment Name: La Botana Tex-MexAddress: 2071 Savoy DriveCurrent Score/Grade: 84/BInspecon Date: 07/31/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsNo measurable sanizer in dish machine. Advised PIC toreplace sanizer. COS - PIC replaced sanizer measuring at200ppm Cl-. Corrected On-Site. New Violaon.Observed working containers of chemicals without labeling.Advised PIC that working containers of chemicals must belabeled with the common name of the chemical. COS - labelsadded.Observed food handler wearing a bracelet. Advised PIC thatno jewelry may be worn on the wrists by food handlers. COS -employee removed bracelet.Observed employee food and cell phones stored with foodintended for customers and food contact surfaces. Advised PICthat employee belongings must be stored separately from foodintended for customers and food contact surfaces. COS - movedemployee belongings to approved surface. Repeat Violaon.Observed daylight coming through the back door. Advised PICthat all openings to the outside must be sealed and protectedin order to prevent pests from entering the facility. NewViolaon.

Establishment Name: Sweet Potato CafeAddress: 5377 Manor DriveCurrent Score/Grade: 96/AInspecon Date: 07/31/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsWiping cloth soluon exceeding 100ppm Cl-. PIC advised thatwiping cloth soluon must be maintained between 50 and100ppm Cl-. COS- PIC remade soluon to 50ppm Cl-.

Establishment Name: Cafe 160Address: 160 Clairmont AvenueCurrent Score/Grade: 83/BInspecon Date: 07/31/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsConsumer advisory not provided for consumpon of raw orundercooked foods.Observed cook making to orders for customers with mediumeggs. The yolk of egg is liquid on the inside.Advised to provide consumer advisory on menu. ProvidedCFSM with copy of consumer advisory.Cold-held potenally hazardous foods (boiled egg-61F,tomatoes-52F, cheese-47F & RSE-49F)not maintained below41F; no me controls/documentaon in place.Advised to maintain potenally hazardous foods at 41F orbelow. Advised to put me controls in place for foods at preptop.CFSM put me controls in place. Corrected On-Site. RepeatViolaon.CFSM said she did not want to post score. Advised to postscore. New Violaon. Equipment not maintained in goodrepair.Observed reach in cooler/prep top has not been repaired and issll in use. Ambient temperature 49F.


Construction alongCandler Road and otherreas o the county should

begin again ater the DeKalbBoard o Commissionerspproved Aug. 12 approxi-

mately $10 million in con-racts.

Work on several areas onhe countys billion-dollar

watershed capital improve-ment projects (CIP) had

been stopped or up to twomonths because o the wayhe contracts were written.

he projects include:Candler Road water line re-placement, Scott Boulevardwater main replacement andKensington Road sanitaryewer improvement.

We had contracts thathad been designed, bid andwe didnt have the engineer-ng services to continue tohe end, said Morris Wil-iams, the countys deputyhie operating oicer o thenrastructure group.

Saunders added, We hadome projects that were inonstruction; we stoppedhem until we had all o thessociated services in place.

Saunders said the countybegan addressing problemswith the contracts, whichare mostly or waterline re-placements, approximatelytwo months ago.

Weve movedveryquickly to get it to this[vote] today, Saunders said.We are pleased that theboard understood and ap-proved it.

We just have changedour approach, said Ken-nethSaunders, an assistant

watershed director over theCIP. Weve been relying onour on-call contracts, butthose contracts expired, sowe were let with a lot owork that was not completein terms o the services go-ing all through construc-tion.

James Chancellor, direc-tor o watershed, said thenew contracts are really notcosting us more money.

We didnt arrange thoseservices to begin with,he said. We have to havethose services. hese costsare costs we would have in-curred anyway.

Commissioner SharonBarnesSuttonsaid shedidnt understand why

these contracts were writtenin such a way that the engi-neering services wouldnt beincluded to the conclusiono the contract, Sutton said.I just dont understand howsomething like this couldhappen.

hat decision, Williamssaid, was made by the previ-ous administration.

It was pay-as-you-go,explained CommissionerKathie Gannon. We didthe design part o the proj-

ect and we paid or that.hen we did another partand paid or that. It was apay-as-you-go kind o way.he change is that now weregoing to try to estimate thewhole project rom begin-ning to end and set themoney aside up ront.

Williams said the newcontracts do not translateinto additional costs in theCIP.

You were going to en-counter the costs one wayor the other. It was just theinterruption o costs thatcaused a lot o conusion,Williams said. All Im try-ing to do is get the projectsdone.

Commissioners approve $10Mto restart watershed projects

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

9/24


Dads Bucket List: Unique outings for dads and kidsby Lauren [email protected]

At a Little League gamearound two and a half yearsago, Matt Boettcherrealizedhat the friends he and his

oldest son had made overhe summer were likely to

go back to their respectiveparts of north Atlanta, noto see each other again untilhe next summers games.

He wanted to find a way tokeep in touch while still hav-ng fun.

Boettcher founded DadsBucket List, an LLC thatorganizes activities for dads

and their children. Its a wayo make new connectionsand to connect with theirchildren, Boettcher said.

We dont just show upin a park and do the moretraditional playdates, like

a mothers morning out orsomething like that, he said.We try to do things that aremore off the beaten path.That aligns with the wholebucket list (things one wouldlike to do before dyingorkicking the bucket) concept,checking it off your list.

Some things the dadsand kids have done includeziplining, treetop obstaclecourses and orienteering.One weekend during thesummer they harvestedpears and passed them out at

a community food bank.We had dads up in thetrees pushing the branchesand kids and dads below

with helmets on collectingthem on a tarp, Boettchersaid. We got about 600

pounds and our kids got todistribute them to peoplepicking up their monthlygroceries.

After a few events,Boettcher, who is the chiefexperience officer of thegroup, noticed that he had toturn away prospective dadsand kids because of the largenumber of people wantingto participate. He then cameup with the Checklist Chal-lenge, drawing inspirationfrom television shows asSurvivorand TheAmazing

Race to come up with chal-lenges to complete within acertain amount of time.

[Kids and dads] need

to work together as a teamto complete the challenges,Boettcher said. Its more

like, see how much you candoand not a race. The goalis just to have a heckuvalotof fun.

Dads Bucket List hostedits first Checklist Challengein March, while the nextone is scheduled for Oct. 25.Registration is ongoing forthat event at dadbucketlist.com or on the Dads BucketList Facebook page. TheChallenge will support BurtsBig Adventure, a charitythat provides trips to Dis-ney World for children with

chronic or terminal illnesses.Boettcher said that, in ad-dition to giving moms andother childrens caregivers

some time off and givingkids and dads some timeto bond, Dads Bucket List

events also connect parentswith each other, for friend-ship and networking.

Networking isnt some-thing that comes naturally toa lot of folks, Boettcher said.This is a real easy way formen to make connectionspersonally and professionallywith low barriers, connect-ing through an activity withyour kids and other peopleskids. Its kind of a win-winfor families: mom gets sometime off that she wouldntnormally ask for herself and

dads get a chance to connectwith other dads and theirkids.

Matt Boettcher rests with his son Blake after a long day of Dads Bucket Listactivities. Boettcher founded the group to lead fun activities with fathers andchildren.

Bucket List Checklist Challenges use obstacles like those on Survivoror The Amazing Raceto getkids and dads to work together.

Dads Bucket List participants recently collected more than 600 pounds of pears for donation to alocal food pantry.

DeKalb County Interim CEO LeeMayis traversing the county to holdcommunity meetings titled A Retro-pective Look Back, A Progressive Move

Forward: A Candid Conversation withnterim CEO Lee May.

he programs will ocus on the ac-complishments and issues over the past

2 months in DeKalb County, and dis-

cusses some o the issues in DeKalbsuture as it pertains to governance struc-ure, cityhood and other issues.

he meetings will be held hursday,Aug. 14, 7-8:30 p.m., at St. imothy

United Methodist Church 5365 Memo-rial Drive, Stone Mountain; uesday,Aug. 19, 7-8:30 p.m., at ucker-ReidH. Coer Library, 5234 LaVista Road,ucker; hursday, Aug. 21, 7-8:30 p.m.,at Welcome Friend Baptist Church, 3198Bouldercrest Road, Ellenwood; anduesday, Aug. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., at MalooAuditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive,

Decatur.An annual report o the same name

has been released, and is available onlineor ree at www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

DeKalb interim CEO holding community conversations DeKalb Animal Services announces adoption specialDeKalb County Animal Services (DCAS) and LieLine Animal

Project are extending an adoption special until the end o Au-gust. o encourage the community to adopt pets and save lives, theshelter is oering a ail End o Summer promotion.

All dogs and puppies may be adopted or $20, and cats and kit-tens may be adopted or $10. Adoption counselors will be on handto ensure the animals are being placed in good homes.

Adopters will receive a dog or catthat has been spayed or neu-tered, has had all vaccines and is microchippeda $200 value. o

view animalsavailable or adoption, or or the shelters address andphone number, visit the shelter or visitwww.dekalbanimalservices.com/adopt.

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

10/24



MORGANOWN, WVFor aconsecutive 26 hours and 14 minutes,a group o metro Atlanta studentsweaked, repaired, tested and chargedheir robot and competed in multiple

matches.eam Reboot, based out o the My

nventor Club machine shop which isocated in Atlanta and composed oeveral DeKalb County homeschooltudents, competed in the Aug. 1-2

event against 23 FIRS (For the Inspi-ation and Recognition o Science and

echnology) teams rom 13 states andCanada.

Robotics competitions are really ex-

citing, said Joshua Turner, 17, a Geor-gia Cyber Academy student who startedeam Reboot in 2012. I guess they canbe stressulwhen youre leading theeam, butit is still a lot o un. You geto meet a ton o dierent people and

everyone is pretty much always reallyhelpul, as well, so that makes it really,eally good.

he West Virginia University com-petition, called WVROX, was hosted byhe local Mountain Area Robotics team

No. 2614hence the basis or the 26-hour, 14-minute event.

Although eam Reboot did notcome back to Georgia with any tro-phies, the team has won two awards ints two-year history. he team was the

2012 Peachtree Regional highest rankedookie seed and was the 2013 Peachtree

Regional winner.urner, the teams captain, was in-

spired to start the team ater seeing the2010 world robotics championships inAtlanta.

In his ourth year o robotics, urnerdoes design work and programming orthe team.

For me its about making the con-nections with various people rom therobotics community but also the en-gineering community in general, andlearning, urner said.

Robotics is a great way to apply aca-demics, he said. It helps general schoolstu like improving your writing skillswhen writing grantsor writing thingsor judges.

It improves your math skills tre-mendously, urner said. I learned allmy geometry through doing design

work or the robot and then I went totake the test and I aced itit was easy.urner said robotics competitions

help to increase the participants prob-lem-solving skills.

Each year, youre always having torethink your whole [design], urnersaid. You can never really go back andsay lets make some minor modiica-tions and put it on the ield. You alwayshave to start over so the longer you doit, it deinitely improves your problem-solving skills.

urner said anyone considering join-ing a robotics team, cant go wrong.

heres engineering type jobs youcan do on a team but theres also busi-ness [and] theres art, urner said. Areally, really successul team runs likea company, and you have every type operson there, and you have every typeo job.

Local robotics teamendures 26-hour event

Svral DKalb County youth ar mmbrs of Tam Rboot (#4080), a robotics tam which rcntly travld to WstVirginia for a 26-hour comptition. Th robot, which was dsignd, programmd and constructd by th tam, comptdn alliances with other robots to score points in a game created for robots. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

11/24

THE CHAMPIO N FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 11ASPORTS

by Carla [email protected]

Some teams moved up, andsome moved down, but the 2014season will still be filled with someexciting matchups in DeKalbCounty.

Te Georgia High SchoolAssociation released the new

classification list Nov. 18 and sevenschools rom DeKalb Countywere moved to a new classificationor the 2014-2016 school years.Classifications are based on the

schools population. According toGHSA.net, Lakeside leads DeKalbin student population with 1,979students, and ucker comes insecond with 1,832 students.

Lakeside and ucker movedrom Region 6-AAAAA to Region2-AAAAAA, one o the smallerregions in AAAAAA. Te regionalso includes Alcovy High School in

Newton County, Clayton CountysLovejoy High School, NewtonCounty High School and RockdaleCounty High School.

ucker head coach Bryan

Lamarsaid playing in a newclassification will be a differentchallenge or his team.

alent-wise, [Region6-AAAAA] was one o the toughestregions in the state, Lamar said.Te teams played with tremendousspeed and physicality. Our regionrom top to bottom [this year] isprobably not as strong as the region

that we were in, but you do havegood teams in Lovejoy, RockdaleCounty, Newton County andLakeside.

So we got some new

challenges, Lamar added.Moving up a classification

also means acing some o the topprograms in the state rom Cobb,Fulton and Gwinnett counties iLakeside and ucker advance tothe playoffs. ucker will be testedlong beore the playoffs when itaces two-time AAAAAA statechampions Norcross in the Corky

Kell Classic Aug. 23, which isuckers first game o the season.Its a different challenge, Lamar

New season features region, classification changes

Another top recruiting class for DeKalb Countyby Carla [email protected]

For the past five years, DeKalb County hashad hundreds o senior ootball playerscontinue their athletic and academiccareers at some o the top universities and

colleges across the country.In addition, every class had players who were

known as some o the top recruits in the country.Tis year is no different as the 2015 class hasfive players ranked on ESPNs op 300 prospectist, and one in Rivals.com op 100 prospect list.

National Signing Day is expected to be anotherbig day in DeKalb with possibly more than 100recruits signing scholarships.

ucker deensive tackle Jonathan Ledbettereads DeKalb as one o the top prospects in the

country. He is the only player rom DeKalbranked on Rivals.com op 100 list at No. 24,and ranked No. 62 on ESPN 300. ESPN also hasLedbetter ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect inGeorgia and the No. 9 overall deensive tackle inthe country.

Ledbetter committed to the University oAlabama in January and described Alabama as agreat school with a great ootball program.

It was an honor to get an offer rom them,Ledbetter said. I went down there, saw thecampus, saw the acilities, met the coaches andI eel like it is the right fit or me. It elt like asecond home.

Ledbetter finished last season with 50 tackles(35 solo), five sacks and 13 tackles or a loss.He said he hopes to help Alabama win anothernational championship soon.

Im just going to do my part, contribute to

the team and just be successul, he said.Another deensive player who made a

name or himsel is Stephenson deensive endChauncey Rivers. Rivers, who committed to theUniversity o Georgia in February, is ranked No.123 on ESPN 300. He is ranked No. 17 overallin the state and No. 15 in the country at thedeensive end position, according to ESPN.

Georgias deensive coaching staff was whatattracted Rivers to the school, which includesnewly hired deensive coordinator JeremyPruitt.

Coach [Tracy] Rocker, the deensive line

coach, recruited my brother to Ole Miss andwe have a great relationship, Rivers said. I l ikecoach Pruitt. Hes bringing a new edge to the

Georgia deense, and I want to be a part o that.Rivers finished last season with 100 totaltackles (52 solo), 15 sacks, 28 tackles or a loss,and two umble recoveries. Rivers said Georgia isgetting a good edge rusher.

Im a person that can get off the line [oscrimmage] ast, use his hands, quick and aleader on deense. Im bringing a player that canmake plays.

Marist offensive tackle Sage Hardinwilljoin Rivers at UGA afer committing on June 27.Hardin is ranked No. 230 on ESPN 300, No. 27overall in the state and No. 21 in the country atoffensive tackle.

In recent years, Lakeside has not producedas many top recruits as Stephenson, ucker,M.L. King or Southwest DeKalb. However,offensive lineman Mike Horton has changed thatperception. Horton is ranked 256th on ESPN300, he is also ranked No. 30 overall in the stateand No. 20 in the country at the offensive guardposition, according to ESPN.

Horton committed to the University oFlorida July 31. In a July 16 interview, Hortonsaid the school that he would eventually committo must eel like home to him.

Im looking at academics, early playing timeand a ootball program thats successul andwhere I can be successul and grow.

Horton is listed and ranked as an offensiveguard on recruiting websites, but he playsoffensive tackle and deensive tackle or the

See Recruits on page 13A

See Classification on page 14A

From left, Chauncey Rivers and Jonathan Ledbetter

Photo

Illustra

tion

by

Travis

Hudgons

Photo

by

Travis

Hudgons

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

12/24


Arabia Mountain Rams

Head coach: Stanley Pritchett2nd season) Region: 6-AAAA

2013 record: 7-3

Outlook: After making history withheir rst winning record, the ArabiaMountain Rams look to build off lastyears success under second-yearcoach Stanley Pritchett. The Ramswill have to do that in a new regionand with a number of young players.After losing more than 20 seniorsrom last years team, the Rams willook to returning quarterback JakobiMyersto lead the offense. Myershrew for 1,147 yards, completed 54

percent of his passes and scored 13ouchdowns last season.

Cedar Grove SaintsHead coach: Jermaine Smith2nd season) Region: 4-AAA

2013 record: 6-4

Outlook: In his rst year as headcoach, Jermaine Smithled the

Saints to the second round of theplayoffs. With one of their bestcollege recruiting classes, theSaints are poised to make anotherun in Region 4-AAA and a possible

playoff appearance. Cedar Groves building on offense but has anumber of its top defensive playerseturning, including defensive back

Chris Fredrick, who nished thirdon the team in tackles (92).

Chamblee BulldogsHead coach: Allen Johnson3rd season) Region: 6-AAAA

2013 record: 6-4

Outlook: The Bulldogs lost their 2013eading rusher Xzavier Shugars, whoransferred to Tucker High School.Shugars led Chamblee in yards1,071) and touchdowns (11). Young

players will have to step up to ll thevoid of Shugars production. Some ofhose players include junior quarter-back Kendrew Wynn, who led theeam in passing yards (448); and theBurgesstwins Brentand Chris, whohad a combined 474 yards in receiv-ng, rushing andpassing.

Clarkston Angoras

Head coach: Terrence Hughey(1st season) Region: 6-AAAAA2013 record: 4-5-1

Outlook: The Clarkston Angoraswill try to have their rst winningseason since 1998 under newhead coach Terrence Hughey.They will try to do that in a non-region schedule that has themplaying Tucker Sept. 26. Theyoung team will have to competewithout Rooshambi Paquette, wholed the team in yards (957) andtouchdowns (13).

Columbia EaglesHead coach: David Edwards(3rd season) Region: 6-AAAA2013 record: 6-4

Outlook: The Eagles are expectedto make some noise in their regionwith their leading rusher and passerAndre Brown, and leading receiverShadell Bellreturning. Brown led

the team with 2,204 total yards and20 total touchdowns. He also n-ished second on defense in tackleswith 48. Bell led the team in recep-tions (37) and receiving yards (463).

Cross Keys IndiansHead coach: Kevin Saunders(1st season) Region: 6-AAAA

2013 record: 1-9

Outlook: New head coachKevin Saunders won a statechampionship in Virginia and hopesto one day bring one to CrossKeys. But rst, Saunders and hisyoung Indians team will work to getCross Keys its rst winning recordsince 1994. The Indians will havetheir leading receiver back. As a

junior, Samuel McDadeled theteam in receptions (32), receivingyards (548) and team touchdowns(5). McDade also led the team ininterceptions (6).

Decatur BulldogsHead coach: Scott Jackson(2nd season) Region: 4-AAA2013 record: 7-3

Outlook: Despite a 7-3 record,the Bulldogs missed out on theplayoffs because of a 3-3 regionrecord, which put them at fthplace in region standings. Withits leading rusher Elijah Rachell,leading tackler Andre Youngandstarting quarterback DevontaeCarterall returning, Decatur will becompetitive in a new region to earna playoff spot.

Druid Hills Red DevilsHead coach: Mark Adams(2nd season) Region: 6-AAAAA2013 record: 4-6

Outlook: The Red Devils havemoved down a classicationbut are probably in one of thetoughest regions with M.L. King,Stephenson, Mays and defendingstate champion Creekside.However, Druid Hills should be ableto hold its own with most of its topoffensive and defensive playersreturning, including its top threerushers (Michael Scott, HassanEnisand Dax Tolson) who scoreda combined 16 touchdowns.

Dunwoody WildcatsHead coach: Jim Showfety(5th season) Region: 6-AAAAA2013 record: 3-7

Outlook: Dunwoody will try to playfor its rst winning record since2011. With a team of mostly four-year starters, coach Jim Showfetybelieves the team can get over thehump this season. The Wildcats willhave to get over that hump withoutAaron Alexander, who had a totalof 895 yards and 10 touchdowns.The Wildcats will have their second

lead rusher, Daniel Hinton,returning, as well as quarterbackMatthew Nathan and wide receiverChase Hawkins.

Lakeside VikingsHead coach: Heath Hinton(2nd season) Region: 2-AAAAAA2013 record: 2-8

Outlook: Lakesides offense ac-cumulated 3,226 yards last season.The team hopes to collect moreyards and wins in a new region be-hind an offensive line that includesMike Horton, one of the top offen-sive linemen in the state. The offen-sive line will block and open holesfor its leading rusher, Kellyen Walk-er. Walker rushed for 864 yardsand scored three touchdowns lastseason. The Vikings will also have

linebacker DarrellPatterson, wholed the defense in tackles with 95.

Lithonia BulldogsHead coach: Marcus Jelks(5th season) Region: 6-AAAA2013 record: 4-6

Outlook: In his fth season as head

coach, Marcus Jelksis looking toget the Bulldogs at or above .500 forthe rst time since 2002. Lithonia willhave to replace its starting quarter-back, leading rusher and two leadingtacklers from last season. The Bull-dogs will have its third leading tackler,Marquavious Latner, this season.Lithonia will also have running backTerence Minorback, who averaged11.9 yards per rushing attempt.

Marist War EaglesHead coach: Alan Chadwick(30th season) Region: 6-AAAA2013 record: 8-2

Outlook: After another disappoint-ing end in the seminals of thestate playoffs, the War Eagles willregroup and try to make anotherrun for a state title as coach AlanChadwickenters his 30th season.QuarterbackSamuel Phelts willlead the offense while one of thestates top offensive linemen Sage

Hardinblocks for him. The de-fense will have Jack Kratzenbergand Kenneth Brinson, who wereamong the top ve tacklers fromlast season.

TEAM PREVIEWS

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

13/24


Recruits Continued from page 11ALakeside Vikings. He was a late

bloomer to ootballintroducedto the game in middle school. Hecredited his offensive line coachWill Hardy or developing him intoone o the top offensive linemen inthe country.

Hes done a really good jobdeveloping my technique, telling me

the right things to do, and tellingme how I can play on the nextlevel, Horton said. Hes done anamazing job preparing me or thenext level.

Horton said he is proud torepresent Lakeside as a top recruitbut said his ocus is on helpingLakeside become a better ootballteam in his senior year.

Ive had to struggle with myteam, and Ive had to work to get towhere I am, and I know how hard mywhole team has worked, he said. Ive

been through bad times with themand through good times. I know wellbe much better this season.

As the Cedar Grove Saintsprepare or the upcoming season,

the team is also preparing or anumber o college prospects tomake their college choices soon.Te 2015 class is one o the largestrecruiting classes at Cedar Grove.

Te Saints expect at least nineplayers to commit to Division Ischools and at least our to playor a Division I-AA or Division II

schools next year. Deensive tackleQuentez Johnsonhas alreadycommitted to North Carolina Stateand saety Christopher Fredrickcommitted to Syracuse University.

Head coach Jermaine Smithsaid having a large number ocollege prospects means a lot or theprogram.

It says that weve been doing itthe right way, Smith said.

Fredrick said that he and therest o the senior class have workedhard to get to this point in their

ootball careers.Were close, weve beentogether since middle school, andI think this is going to be our bestseason, Fredrick said.

Sage Hardin Mike Horton Christopher Fredrick

Six new coaches take over football programsby Carla [email protected]

urning a losing ootballprogram into a winningprogram can be a diicult

task or coaches, especially or new

head coaches.Four o the six new head

ootball coaches in DeKalbCounty are acing the challengeso doing just that as the seasongets under way Aug. 22. he newhead coaches that will be on thesidelines this year are TerranceHughey (Clarkston), KevinSaunders(Cross Keys), NicolasKashama(M.L. King), RoderickMoore (Redan), Chaka Mason(Stone Mountain) and BrianMontgomery(owers).

Saunders is taking over a CrossKeys program that has not had a

winning season since 1994. heVirginia native has experiencewith winning, going 49-15 in iveseasons at Gretna High School inGretna, Va. He also won a statechampionship in 2011.

In a March interview, Saunderssaid it is going to take hard workand dedication to win.

Its going to take players, too,he said. You have to have goodplayers to win. I think there issome talent there and some kidsthere that can play. hey just have

to work at it.Its going to be dierent than

what theyre used to, Saundersadded. Ive been ortunate enoughto be really successul where Ivebeen, so I think its going to be alot dierent than what theyre usedto.

Clarkston does not have aslong a losing streak as CrossKeys, but the program has had its

share o losing seasons. he lasttime Clarkston won ive gameswas in 2012. Beore then, its lastwinning season was in 1998. Newhead coach Hugheywill have achallenge on his hands as he triesto turn the program around.

Stone Mountain is a programthat is starting over under CoachMason but will do so with youngand inexperienced players. Masontakes over the program aterormer coach Dante Fergusonwaslet go. Mason was a head coach at

Stone Mountain and a deensivecoordinator at Stephenson MiddleSchool.

Stone Mountain lost a ewplayers due to the coachingchange, and Mason, who has nevercoached on the high school level,will have to work harder to get theyoung team above .500.

Last season, ormer owershead coach James Holloway

transormed owers rom awinless team to a .500 team.Now new head coach BrianMontgomerywill try to turn theprogram rom a .500 team to aplayo team.

Montgomery was hired July25 to replace Holloway. It is stillunclear why Holloway was let go.Holloway was not in attendance atFootball Media Day July 16, but hewas still head coach o the team.

Montgomery was the ormercoach at Shiloh High School in

Gwinnett County, but resignedin 2012 because o recruiting

violat ions, according to reports .With the late hiring, Montgomeryhas missed all o the oseasonpractices and workouts with hisnew players.

However, the team has workedhard all oseason to get betterand to make a run to the playos,according to assistant coachEmanuel Lewis.

We had a strength andconditioning coach by the name oWilliam Ward, who came in witha plan o building speed, agility,getting our players strong, bigger,aster and quicker, Lewis said.We implemented a study hallor the players because were alsobuilding academics. Our mottois, to win today. I we go aboutthe season winning each day, itll

transer to Friday nights.Coach Moore o Redan hashad experience turning a programaround. In 1999, Moore was a parto Johnny Gilberts coaching stawhen he took over the program.McNair went rom 3-7 in 1999 to5-5 in 2000 and then to a winningin 2011 with an 8-3 record.

Moore later took over as headcoach rom 2005 to 2008 and hadwinning records each year.

See Coaches on page 16A

Kevin SaundersNicolas Kashama Roderick MooreChaka Mason

Photos

by

Travis

Hudgon

s

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

14/24


Classification Continued from page 11A

Upcoming Seminars at DeKalb Medical

For a referral to a DeKalb Medical physician or to reserve

your space for these free seminars, please call 404.596.4772.Light refreshments will be ser ved. Parking is free.

Doc Talks

www.dekalbmedical.org dekalbmedical

5 Tips To LowerHigh Blood Pressure

Tuesday, August 26, 20146:307:30 p.m.Community Room atDeKalb MedicalHillandale campus

High blood pressure, alsoknown as hypertension,affects millions, includingchildren and teens. Learnabout causes, symptoms,diagnosis, treatmentand prevention fromour experts.

Complimentary bloodpressure and BMImeasurement available.

Call 404.596.4772or visitwww.dekalbmedical.org.

said. But weve established ourselves asone o the top programswe eel likein thetate o Georgia and the country.

In Region 6-AAAAA, one DeKalbeam was added, while two teams wereemoved. Druid Hills moved down rom

Class 6A to 5A. Te Red Devils will joinClarkston, Dunwoody, M.L. King, MillerGrove, Southwest DeKalb and Stephensonn Region 6-AAAAA.

Te two schools removed romRegion 6-AAAAA are Arabia Mountainand Lithonia, which joined Chamblee,

Columbia, Marist, Redan and StoneMountain in Region 6-AAAA. Cross Keysand St. Pius jumped up to Class AAAA,Region 6, rom Class AAA.

Arabia Mountain head coach StanleyPritchettsaid his team moved rom oneough region to another.

DeKalb County has a lot o talenthroughout the whole county, Pritchettaid. [Te players] get up to play each

other and theyre going to compete. A loto these [players] grew up together, so itsgoing to be a lot o riendly rivalries.

Were looking orward to a toughchedule and competing, Pritchett said.

Cedar Grove, Decatur, McNairand owers remain in Class 3A, butransitioned rom Region 6 to Region

4, which includes mostly Atlanta PublicSchools teams.

Tis season will also include theesurrection o a ew county rivalries. Te

Southwest DeKalb Panthers will ace oldnemeses in the Cedar Grove Saints and theColumbia Eagles. Te Panthers lead bothseries against the two teams.

Southwest DeKalb leads the series withCedar Grove 6-0. Te teams last playedin 2007, when the Panthers won 17-6.Southwest DeKalb has also dominatedColumbia in the past with a 21-8 series lead.Te two teams last game was also in 2007,and the Panthers won that game 28-0.

Southwest DeKalb head coach MichaelTanks said he appreciates the school

district athletic department or bringingthose rivalries back.I think its great or the community,

anks said. Columbia is about [threemiles] right up the street, and going inthe other direction is Cedar Grove, whichis about [six miles] rom us. A lot o the[players] know each other, they playedtogether in rec [league] ball and middleschool. Its going to be a un time.

Te Panthers open the season againstColumbia on Aug. 22 and play CedarGrove the ollowing week on Aug. 29.Both games will be played at PanthersvilleStadium.

Tere will also be a battle o the privateschools, when Marist hosts St. Pius Oct. 10.Te rivalry dates back to 1962, accordingto Georgia High School Football HistoriansAssociation. Marist leads the series 30-15-3, but St. Pius won the last matchup 28-3 in2009.

The Tucker Tigers will face new rivals in Region 2-AAAAAA. Photo by Travis Hudgons


When Marist begins the newschool year Aug. 27, oneo its students will be com-

peting in the 2014 Youth OlympicGames in Nanjing, China.Senior Kenneth Brinson was one

o 17 athletes named to the 2014 U.S.Youth Olympic eam in rack andfield this summer. Brinsona deen-sive end on the ootball team, a statewrestling champion and a state trackand field championwill compete inthe hammer throw Aug. 24. Brinsons the first American male hammer

thrower to compete at the YouthOlympics.

Brinson said he is excited aboutthe competition and is grateul togo.

My throwing coach and I went

to the [U.S. Olympic] trial [competi-tion], got lucky, got blessed and madethe team, Brinson said.

Brinson competed in the U.S.

Area Youth Olympic Selection rialsin Miramar, Fla., in April. Brinsonand two other American athletesmade it a U.S. sweep on the mens

podium in the hammer throw com-petition. Brinson won gold, throwinga 63.52m/208-05.

More than 3,800 athletes rep-resenting 204 nations are expectedto participate in the Youth Olympic

Games in China. Te 13-day compe-tition or athletes ages 15-18 will ea-ture all 28 sports on the program orthe Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Brinson said he is looking or-ward to traveling to China or thefirst time and being around some othe best athletes in the world.

Knowing that youre there tocompete or your country is really agreat honor, he said.

Brinson will return to Atlantaafer the games end Aug. 28, just intime or Marists first ootball gameo the season. Marist will ace No. 12

Kenneth Brinson to compete in Youth Olympic Games in China

Knowing thatyoure there to

compete foryour countryis really agreat honor.

Kenneth Brinson

See Brinson on page 15A

Ph

oto

by

Travis

Hudgons

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

15/24


DKalb County Athltics Dirctor Horac Dunson

Battle of the Bordersreturns with four games

Georgia and Florida will clash or the second consecu-tive year Aug. 30 at the Chick-il-A Battle o the Borders.

his years classic will eature our games that will beheld at Hallord Stadium in Clarkston.

In last years battle, Martin Luther King Jr. deeatedBlanch Ely 42-15, and Stephenson knocked o Norland-

Miami 29-12 to give DeKalb County and Georgia a sweepin the inaugural Battle o the Borders.his years event was expanded to our games with

Marist hosting No. 12 nationally ranked Godby rom al-lahassee, Fla., in the opener at 11:45 a.m.

M.L. King returns to the event and will ace returneeNorland-Miami in the second game at 2:30 p.m. Norland-Miami is ranked No. 8 in their state classiication.

In the third game, the Stephenson Jaguars will take onNo. 8 nationally ranked Central High o Miami at 5:30 p.m.

he inal game eatures the ucker igers and the 2013national champion and No. 1 ranked Booker . Washing-ton o Miami at 8:30 p.m.

Presale tickets are $10 and will be available at all ourGeorgia schools. ickets also can be purchased at DeKalbCounty Chick-Fil-A locations, all metro DLR locationsand online at www.totalgatesolutions.com.

Game day tickets are $12 or the day.


DeKalb County has some o the bestrivalry matchups in the state. Al-though there were changes made in

classification and region alignments, DeKalbootball ans will still be able to see some o

heir avorite rivalry games, new matchupsand even some old rivalry matchups.Preseason will kick it off with one o the

most anticipated battles between two o theop programs in the county and state. Te

Stephenson Jaguars and ucker igers willace off Aug. 15 at Hallord Stadium at 7p.m. Te two teams have only played eachother twice and each team has won a game.

Although Stephenson and ucker areone o the newer rivalries in the county, its still a game that the players, students and

ootball ans get excited or. Both teamsare in a rebuilding stage afer losing a largenumber o seniors, but there are a ew play-ers who ans should watch or.

One o those players is ucker deensive

ackle Jonathan Ledbetter. Ledbetter is oneo the top college prospects in the state andcountry (No. 24 on Rivals100, No. 62 onESPN 300). He finished last season with 50ackles (35 solo), five sacks and 13 tackles

or a loss.Other players ans should watch or on

he ucker igers are linebacker/runningback Elijah Sullivanand Yaquis DukeShelley. Sullivan had 48 total tackles, eightacks and nine tackles or a loss on deense,

and on offense, he had 888 all-purposeyards and 13 total touchdowns.

Shelly was a star on offense, deense andpecials teams last season. He had 41 totalackles, six interceptions and three touch-

downs on interception returns on deense.On offense, he had 296 all-purpose yardsand our touchdowns, and five touchdownsor 385 yards on special teams.

For Stephenson, the player who has

been getting the most attention duing theoffseason is deensive end Chauncey Rivers.Rivers, another top college prospect, fin-ished last season with 100 total tackles (52solo), 15 sacks, 28 tackles or a loss, and twoumble recoveries.

Another returning starter or Stephen-son is deensive back Dale Warren, who

finished last season with 115 tackles, threesacks and 18 tackles or a loss.When the season starts, Stephenson

will have three rival games that ans will beexcited about. Te Jaguars open the seasonagainst the Arabia Mountain Rams, anothernew rivalry that is building in the county.Some players on both teams played togetherin Little League or middle school and arehyped to play against each other.

Stephensons deense will have to slowdown Rams senior quarterback Jakobi Mey-ers. Myers threw or 1,147 yards and had 13touchdowns with a 54.0 percent completionrate last season. He also had 120 rushingyards and scored 3 touchdowns.

In October, Stephenson will ace two

more rivals back to back in M.L. King andSouthwest DeKalb. Rivers and the rest o theJaguars deensive line will have to deal withM.L. King offensive guard Kwan Stallworth.Te 6-oot-3, 310-pound lineman is one othe top 51 guards in Georgia.

Te Southwest DeKalb Panthers has aew top tacklers returning to its deense, in-cluding linebacker Ashad Moore, who ledthe team in tackles last season with 88.

Southwest DeKalb will be renewing oldrivalries with Columbia and Cedar Grove.Te Panthers will have to contain Columbiawide receiver Shadell Bell, who had 463yards on 37 receptions. Te Panthers offensewill have to deal with a Cedar Grove deense

that eatures deensive backChris Frederickand deensive lineman Quentez Johnson.Frederick had 92 tackles and two

interceptions last season, and Johnson had65 tackles with 12 tackles or a loss.

Big games preview

El ijah Sullivan Yaquis DukeShelley

Shadell BellJakobi Meyers Quentez Johnson

The Stephenson Jaguars will have to face a number of tough opponents. Not only will they facerivals in M.L. King and Southwest DeKalb back to back, but they will compete against Tucker in a pre-season opener and Floridas No. 8 nationally ranked Central High of Miami in the Chick-l-A Battle ofhe Borders. Photo by Travis Hudgons

Brinson Continued from page 14Anationally ranked Godbyrom allahassee, Fla., inthe Chick-fil-A Battle o theBorders Aug. 30 at HallordStadium.

At 6 eet, 3 inches and220 pounds, Brinson isranked as a 3-star deen-sive end college prospectby Rivals.com. He has notcommitted to a school yet

but has received offers romapproximately 10 schools.

Im looking at Georgiaech, Wake Forest, Armyand a ew other schools, hesaid.

He has also receivedoffers rom the Air Force,Boston College, Yale andmore. Last season, Brinsonfinished the season with 61total tackles (32 solo), 12sacks, 31 quarterback hur-ries and one caused umble,according to MaxPreps.com.

Brinson has been a ter-ror on the deensive sideo the ball, but the Maristcoaching staff is also look-ing at Brinson to help on

offense at tight end, despiteBrinson having reservationsabout the move.

Ill definitely do what-ever the team needs me todo, but I guess I just likedeense more than offense,he said.

When the ootball sea-son ends, he will try to de-end his state wrestling title.

Brinson is a two-time ClassAAAA state champion. Hewon the state title in the220-pound division lastyear and won gold in the195-pound division in 2013.

He is also a two-timetrack and field state champi-on in the discus throw, win-ning the Class AAAA titlein 2013 and 2014. Althoughhe is looking orward to de-ending his individual statetitles, Brinson is ocused onwinning his first state titlein ootball and improving

his individual stats.Im hoping to get 15-20 sacks, 100 tackles, and15-20 tackles or a loss, hesaid. Tose are my goals.

Photo

by

Travis

Hudgons

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

16/24


Coaches Continued from page 13A

M.L. King LionsHead coach: Nicolas Kashama1st season) Region: 6-AAAAA

2013 record: 7-3

Outlook: The Lions will openhe 2014 season with their fourth

coach in four seasons. NicolasKashamawas the defensivecoordinator at M.L. King from 2010o 2012. Kashama said he plans tomplement discipline. The Lions willneed discipline as they face tougheropponents in the revamped Region6-AAAAA and rebuild the team afterosing many starters.

McNair MustangsHead coach: Shelton Carleton2nd season) Region: 4-AAA

2013 record: 1-9

Outlook: Coach Shelton Car-etons rst season with the Mus-angs is one he would probably likeo forget, but the Mustangs have

a lot to look forward to in a newegion. The Mustangs will have a

quarterback and wide receiver tan-dem of MickeyRiddleyand Anto-nioSomersetthis season. Riddleyhrew for 1,019 yards on 88 pass

completions, and Somerset caught48 of those 88 passes for 755yards. Last seasons top two tack-ers Justin Corleyand Don Evansalso will be back this season.

Miller Grove WolverinesHead coach: Damien Wimes5th season) Region: 6-AAAAA

2013 record: 4-6

Outlook: After back-to-backwinning seasons, the Wolverinesaltered in 2013 and fell under .500.

Miller Grove will try to bounce backbut without its leading defender,nebacker Ray Tillman, who

had 111 tackles, 11 sacks and 11ackles for a loss last season. The

Wolverines will have a few returning

starters on offense, includingquarterback Jonathan Mitchell.

Redan RaidersHead coach: Roderick Moore(1st season) Region: 6-AAAA2013 record: 1-9

Outlook: The Raiders may havegotten a new coach, but coachRoderick Mooreis not new to this

job. Moore was the head coach atMcNair from 2005 to 2008. Mooresaid the losing mentality that Redanhad when he took over was thesame mentality McNair had whenhe began there as an assistantin 1999. Moore is changing themindset of the program throughdiscipline, hard work and betteracademics. He hopes the culturechange translates into wins on thefootball eld.

St. Pius Golden LionsHead coach: Paul Standard(14th season) Region: 6-AAAA2013 Record: 7-3

Outlook: St. Pius will face newchallenges this season as it moves

up from AAA to AAAA. The GoldenLions will face their old nemesisand new region opponent Marist.St. Pius is still expected to be acontender in the new region witha couple of returning starters, ledby quarterback Joey Connors,running back Dalton WilsonandNick Spear.

Southwest DeKalb

PanthersHead coach: Michael Tanks(2nd season) Region: 6-AAAAA2013 record: 2-8

Outlook: Last year, the Panthershad their rst losing season since1979 under rst year head coachMichael Tanks. But Tanks willtry to get the program back onwinning ground with an experienceddefense. The Panthers has veof its top defensive performers,who had a combined 348 tackles,returning this season.

Stephenson JaguarsHead coach: Ron Gartrell(19th season) Region: 6-AAAAA2013 record: 8-2

Outlook: The Jaguars arebasically starting over this season,said head coach Ron Gartrell.Stephenson lost 18 starters, mostlyon defense. The Jaguars, whichhistorically had good defensiveunits, led all county teams indefense last season. Stephensonwill look to defensive endChauncey Riversand defensiveback Dale Warrento lead thedefense this year.

Stone Mountain PiratesHead coach: Chaka Moore(1st season) Region: 6-AAAA2013 record: 4-6

Outlook: The Pirates are alsostarting over under new head coachChaka Moore. Stone Mountainlost a lot of players and will look toyoung and inexperienced players tostep up this season.

Towers TitansHead coach: Brian Montgomery(1st season) Region: 4-AAA2013 record: 5-5

Outlook: The offseason tooka surprising turn for Towersrecently when former head coachJames Hollowaywas let go andreplaced by Brian Montgomery.Montgomery was the former coachat Shiloh High School in GwinnettCounty but resigned in 2012 dueto recruiting violations. Despite thecoaching change, the Titans will tryto continue to improve after goingfrom a winless team to a .500 teamin one season.

Tucker TigersHead coach: Bryan Lamar(3rd season) Region: 2-AAAAAA2013 record: 10-0

Outlook: With the statechampionship loss behind them,the Tucker Tigers are focused oncompeting in a new classicationand facing two of the top football

programs in the nation in back-to-back weeks. Tucker also lost alarge number of starters but still hassome playmakers left in defensiveend Jonathan Ledbetterandathletes Duke Shelleyand ElijahSullivan.

When Moore was hired as head coach at Redan, he noticed manysimilarities between Redan and the 1999 McNair team.

No disciplinethey have talent but have a losing mentality, hesaid. Now its my job as a coach and the coaching sta to changethat mentality and [teach them] how to ight back mentally as well as

physically, no matter who you are acing.I we change the culture and have a lot o discipline youll see adrastic change in our ootball program, Moore added.

One o the ways Moore is changing the mindset o the program isthrough academics. His sta includes academic coaches, and he hasimplemented a mandatory tutorial beore practices.

heyll go to the core classes that theyre having trouble in andthey have to maintain a certain grade average, he said. I the irstprogress report has a grade below a 74 that student wil l have to goto Saturday school or three hours to work on that class that theyrehaving problems with.

Moore said his goal is to have all o his players in the currentninth grade class to have a 2.9 grade point average or higher by thetime they are seniors.

Ive already gave the challenge academically that were going tohave the best grade average out o a ll the sports in the school, hesaid. Yes, we want to be successul on the ootball ield but my main

objective and calling is to make sure our young Arican Americanmen go to [college].

8/11/2019 FreePress 8-15-14

17/24

Award (an award given to aprovisional) and our 2008-2009 Presidents Award.

urk expressed an in-erest in the position o

president two years agoand made a ormal applica-ion. I believe I knew afer

my provisional year that Iwanted to serve in leader-hip in league. By servingn leadership, there were so

many opportunities to notonly grow personally, but toalso grow and improve JLD.And, I had the opportunityo serve as a member underome great presidents. I en-oyed the difference I could

make and members wereencouraging. I think it washe first time that I actually

contemplated such a hugeesponsibility, and thoughto mysel I can do this, and

potentially make a differ-ence, urk said.

Afer an interview pro-cess with other leaders ohe organization, she was

approved or advancementnto the position. Tey not

only assess your answerso their questions, but they

also view your service tohe league and length oime youve been a member.was very clear in my com-

munication with member-hip, and I increased theirknowledge o the leagueand o DeKalb County,urk commented. She wasapproved as president-electn February 2013 and in

June 2013 began her term.urk said she devotes

15-20 hours each week to

league affairs and wants tobe more o an external pres-ident who is visible in thecommunity in addition tostrengthening governanceo the organization. She alsoexpects ellow members tobe more active and visiblein the community and en-courages members to serveon JLD committees as wellas other community organi-zations.

In addition to a ull-timecareer, urk is active inseveral proessional devel-opment groups at Georgia

State and is a graduateo the GSU LeadershipAcademy o Women andhas served on its subcom-mittee or two years. Sheis also active in the FirstCongregational Church o

Atlantas hand bell choir.urk graduated rom theUniversity o Georgia where

she was a member o Geor-gia Redcoats marchingband and said she enjoysreturning to Athens eachyear or homecoming andto participate in the alumniband. She holds a bacheloro arts in journalism romthe University o Georgiaand a master o arts in com-munications rom GeorgiaState University.

Tere are currently 57active members and 290sustaining members in JLD.urk hopes to make surethat all

Date post:	03-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	champion-newspaper
View:	220 times
Download:	0 times

FreePress 8-15-14

Documents