Valerie Young's first grade class at Spring Hill Elementary shows off the poster they made celebrating the 251 miles their class has walked collectively since the school’s new track opened at the beginning of this school year. The class was invited to the special ribbon cutting ceremony because they walk or run the track every morning to get some good exercise to start their day. The track will get a lot more use soon when the school hosts the fourth annual Turkey Trot on November 10. For more info on the event, visit the school’s website at www.fcboe.org/schoolhp/shes/home.htm. Photo/Dionne Ryff.

Levi Villars earned his Eagle Scout rank at a ceremony held June 8 at Providence United Methodist Church. Villars is a member of Troop 74, which meets at Heritage Christian Church. His Eagle project involved landscaping at Providence United Methodist Church. Villars is a senior at Fayette County High School and is section leader in the Fayette Tiger Marching Band. Photo/Special.

Dan Palisch, principal of St. Paul Lutheran School, challenged the students to donate their chapel money to the non-profit organization The Foundation for Children with Cancer. Any student contributing will be allowed to wear a hat in honor of those children who lose their hair due to cancer treatments. St. Paul will continue to collect contributions throughout the first school quarter. To date, the contributions equal $650. For more information about this program or about St. Paul Lutheran School, please call the school office at 770-486-3545. Photo/Special.

This fall, local middle school student Karmin Shute, a sixth grader at Fayette Middle School, will take part in an extraordinary leadership conference in Washington, D.C. Themed “Voices of Leadership: Reflecting on the Past to Create the Future,” the Junior National Young Leaders Conference introduces young people to the rich tradition of leadership throughout American history, while helping them devekop their own leadership skills. Shute was nominated for the program by Margaret Garcia of Fayetteville Intermediate School.

Fayette Senior Services is offering flu shots to the public at its eighth annual Health & Wellness Fair on Thursday, November 1 at New Hope Baptist Church, 551 New Hope Road, in Fayetteville from 9 a.m. to noon. Flu shots are free for Medicare Part B participants and $25 for all other individuals. Pneumonia shots will also be available.

Truett-McConnell College’s 2008 Miss Reflections Pageant will be held on Monday, November 5 and Rebekah Rhodes, a Fayetteville resident, is among the ten contestants vying for this year’s title. The winner will represent the college at special events throughout the coming year. Pictured above are the contestants: (front row, left to right) Tabitha Pritchett, a junior education major from Dawsonville; Christine Puckett, a sophomore education major from Suwanee; Aisha Moore, a junior music major from Atlanta; and Katie Fullem, a freshman education major from Suwanee; (middle row, left to right) Rhodes, a sophomore education major from Fayetteville; and Courtney McCauley, a freshman physical therapy major from Royston; (back row, left to right) Ivey Norton, a sophomore music major from Albany; Sarah Rogers, a sophomore contemporary worship music major from Warner Robins; Elizabeth Anderson, a freshman business major from Clarkesville; and Meg Mendell, a sophomore Christian studies/education major from Augusta. The pageant will take place at 8 p.m. at the Black Bear Theater near Cleveland, Ga. Photo/Special.

Two seniors from McIntosh High School were recognized as Technical Career Students of the Month at a recent breakfast hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City. Brandon Hooper was nominated by teacher Lori Decker for the month of August. Hooper’s interests include sports, traveling and church activities. He plans to attend Albany State or Georgia Southwestern and major in business and communications. Matt McMahan was nominated by teacher Lisa Collins for September.

The Peachtree City chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, hosted State Superintendent Kathy Cox as their speaker when they commemorated Constitution Week with a garden dinner meeting. From left: hostess Judy Hughes, regent Carol Abadie, Cox and program chairman Wendy Fox. Photo/Special.

Wilmajean Nipper photographs a manhole cover at the Oakland Cemetery. The Fayette Photo Club spent a morning at the Atlanta landmark on a field shoot September 30. The club theme for the month of October is "cemetery." Anyone interested in joining the group can email Donna Rosser at donna@thebarefootphotographer.com. Photo/Special.

More than 50 students from high schools across Georgia have been named members of the state superintendent's Student Advisory Council, and Fayette County resident Olivia Tucker is among them.

• Mathias graduates from leader's training course

Casey M. Mathias has graduated from the Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) Leader's Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky. The 28-day course is a leadership internship for cadets who are normally between their sophomore and junior college years. College students experience and examine the Army without incurring an obligation to serve in the Army or ROTC, and are eligible to receive two-year college scholarship offers and attend the ROTC Advanced Course at their college. The Army observes and evaluates cadets to determine their officer potential in leadership abilities and skills. The cadets are trained to have a sound understanding of traditional leadership values during the challenging, motivating "hands-on" training. The training develops well-disciplined, highly motivated, physically conditioned students, and helps improve the cadets' self-confidence, initiative, leadership potential, decision making, and collective team cohesion. The cadets receive training in fundamental military skills, rifle marksmanship, small arms tactics, weapons training, drill and ceremonies, communications, and squad-level operations field training. The cadet is a student at Georgia State Univesity. He is the son of Charles E. and Brenda J. Mathias of Fayetteville, Ga. and a 2005 graduate of Starr’s Mill High School, Fayetteville.

Seven-year old Olivia Hayes grins with the satisfaction of knowing she’s been a big help to the animals at the Fayette County Humane Society. For the second year in a row, Hayes asked friends and family to bring dog and cat items to her birthday party in lieu of presents. On October 20, Hayes made a donation of 212 pounds of food and treats to Stephanie Cohran, president of the Fayette County Humane Society, at Petsmart in Fayetteville. Hayes is the daughter of Lorraine and Rudjard Hayes.

Ron Simpson has built a career helping to entertain thousands of people in any way, at any time. Now his efforts have been recognized with his recent induction into the International Festival and Event Association (IFEA) Hall of Fame.

Members of Fayette County’s American Legion Post 105 recently celebrated their unit’s 80th anniversary.

The Legion meets in the familiar “Log Cabin” in downtown Fayetteville, right off Ga. Highway 85 across from the Heritage Park fountain plaza. Last year the membership swelled to 278 members, the most the club has ever had.

Carve your pumpkin, sew your costume, gather your goody bag and head toward downtown Fayetteville for the Great Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Old Courthouse Square and the Stonewall Village complex.

The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) recognized Ora Jean Gunnin—a member of Travelers Protective Association of America, Post B, Atlanta, Georgia—as a Fraternal MVP (Most Valuable Participant) for the week of September 24, 2007. Fraternal MVPs are “Fraternalists-in-Action” who volunteer their time and energy to strengthen their communities through participation in local lodge activities and other charitable endeavors.

Sheri Waynick and Cathy Gailey recently co-founded Bikers Riding for Awareness (BRA), an educational organization for breast cancer survivors to educate young women about the importance of early breast cancer detection. The survivors are using their love of motorcycling to reach high school girls with a unique, attention-grabbing method to convey their important message. BRA are roaring into high schools in Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Douglasville this month and hope to expand their program to educate young women across the entire state.

Sgt. Mike Harris, formerly of Fayetteville, recently graduated from the Citadel in Charleston, S.C. He was commissioned on May 4, 2007 and became Lt. Mike Harris, United States Marine Corps. The next day, Harris received his degree in political science with a concentration in international and military affairs. Harris graduated magna cum laude, was recognized as a distinguished military graduate, received the Horatio Alger scholarship (having made the dean's list six times during his time at the Citadel). Additionally, he was selected as the outstanding MECEP student for 2007 and was honored by receiving the Mamaluke sword from his commanding officer in a ceremony prior to graduation.

Michele Hall, left, representing the Metro Fayette Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville, presents a check to Iola Snow and Fred Brown, co-chairs of the Southern Crescent Memory Walk for the Alzheimer’s Association. The walk, which took place Oct. 6 in Peachtree City, included a 5K (3.1 miles) route along wooded cart paths. Musical entertainment, drawings for prizes and free lunch were provided for participants. Photo/Special.

The Henry-Butts-Clayton-Fayette-Spalding County Farm Service Agency office request for Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funds for damage due to drought in Henry, Butts, Clayton, Fayette, and Spalding County has been placed on a list for allocation of funds to assist producers by implementing drought emergency measures.

Award-winning children’s author Carole Marsh and best selling novelist Ferrol Sams were featured at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) trade show in Atlanta, Ga., September 28-30. Both Fayetteville residents, Marsh and Sams were crowd favorites at the event, which attracted thousands of book-lovers from all over the south.

The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) has selected Starr’s Mill High School student Meagan E. Hogarth from Fayetteville for membership. The society recognizes top scholars and invites only those students who have achieved superior academic excellence. The announcement was made by NSHSS Founder and Chairman Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prize.

The Peachtree City Optimist Club held its annual installation banquet on Monday, September 24 at Flat Creek Country Club.

• Frederick chosen as scholarship recipient

Erica Frederick, of Peachtree City, Ga., has been selected by the College of Business Administration of Georgia Southern University as the Mark Anderson Scholar for 2007-2008. This scholarship is awarded for academic achievement. Frederick is a 2005 graduate of Starr's Mill High School and is a marketing major. She has been on the president's list for the last four semesters for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Frederick is the daughter of Mark and Cindy Frederick.

The Peachtree City Optimist Club held its annual Installation Banquet on Monday, September 24 at Flat Creek Country Club.

Crystal Swygert, lead singer for Crystal & the Cruizers, is telling south side residents to hold on their hats—cowboy hats, that is.

The Southern Crescent Chorale will kick off their sixth concert season on October 20 with its annual gala, “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Jarrett A. Skov of Fayetteville, Ga., was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award in the Boy Scouts of America organization, at a Court of Honor on June 21.