The Fayette County Adult ESL classes recently visited Callaway Gardens to learn about Georgia horticulture. Photo/Special.

Chick-fil-A restaurants in Peachtree City, Fairburn, Union City, Fayetteville Towne Center and Coweta Crossroads joined together with 25 area elementary schools and restaurant customers to remind area children and senior citizens that they are loved and not forgotten this past Valentine’s Day. The goal was to make and distribute 20,000 Valentine’s Day cards to Christian City and Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, as well as senior citizens, local shelters, nursing homes and with the assistance of Daughters of the American Revolution, area veteran’s hospitals. However, Chick-fil-A and the local schools surpassed that goal by more than 150,000, by successfully delivering 178,268 Valentine’s Day cards on Wednesday, Feb. 13.

• Frederick awarded scholarship
Erica Frederick, of Peachtree City, Ga., has been awarded the Jane White Memorial Marketing Scholarship by the College of Business Administration of Georgia Southern University. This scholarship is awarded for academic excellence in the field of marketing. Frederick is a 2005 graduate of Starr's Mill High School and is a marketing major with an emphasis on sales and sales management. She has been on the president's list for the last five semesters, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She is the daughter of Mark and Cindy Frederick.

Bob Denson, left, accepted the first place ribbon from High Noon Toastmasters’ contest chairman Ken Holly, for winning the Area 16 International Speech Contest at the Fayette Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Feb. 16. Toastmasters “learn to stand up to be seen, speak up to be heard and sit down to be appreciated.” High Noon Toastmasters meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Lafayette Learning Center in Fayetteville, Ga., Bldg B, room 208 at 12 p.m. Photo/Special.

8-year-old author hopes to help furry friends find forever homes

Ansley Burnette, a former Peachtree City resident who loves animals, wanted to write a book and help homeless pets. So she came up with a way to do both.

At age seven, Ansley wrote “Frisco Finds a Forever Family” (ISBN 978-0-9815003-0-0), a hardcover children’s book that became available nationwide at the end of March.

Piedmont Newnan Hospital has implemented two new services over the past month that will not only support the Emergency Department, but will also accommodate the majority of pediatric patients who have been historically treated at the hospital.

East Coweta seniors celebrated birthdays and anniversaries at the March luncheon. Shown here celebrating are Eron Crook (birthday) and Marty Brook (anniversary).

Many students don't like to write – they see no purpose in it. But a local author and publisher has found something to pique students’ interest in writing.

Newcomb & Boyd has announced that Kristina Harkey Brooks of Newnan, Ga. has been named Marketing Manager. She previously was Marketing Communications Coordinator and is a 2004 graduate of the University of West Georgia.

Air Force Airman Matthew L. Muhr has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

The Senoia Optimist Club will be hosting a pork barbecue fund-raiser (including brunswick stew) on Saturday, May 29. Serving time will be approximately 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until the food is sold out.

In ceremonies on March 28, 2008, Second Lieutenant Michael J. Saheim was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Saheim attended the USMC's Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, Virginia. Built on the core values of honor, courage and commitment, OCS is a grueling 10-week program that evaluates each candidate's physical, mental and leadership qualifications to be an officer in the U.S. Marines, typically graduating fewer than 60 percent of those who start the program. Saheim will initially be assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Basic School in Quantico, Va. He is the son of Cathy Prater of Locust Grove and Larry Saheim of Peachtree City. Saheim is 2001 graduate of McIntosh High School and a 2006 graduate of the University of West Georgia.

Taylor Dowse, a sixth grade student in Melissa Raymer's art class at Bennett's Mill Middle School, had her jungle painting displayed at the Capitol Art Exhibit in downtown Atlanta. Dowse was able to meet Senator Ronnie Chance who congratulated her on her fine work. Photo/Special.

ASAP Africa welcomes new Malawi Program Coordinator

London, New York, Peachtree City, Chikwawa. “Peachtree City beats the rest hands down!” according to Jeanette Batiste, ASAP Africa’s new Malawi Program Coordinator. After spending a week in Peachtree City in early February, enjoying absolutely beautiful spring-like weather, she returned to snow covered Rochester, New York where she will stay with her family until departing for Chikwawa, in southern Malawi, March 3rd. Jeanette will spearhead a new program there for ASAP Africa, a locally based International Non-profit Organization. Chikwawa District is one of the most impoverished in Malawi. www.asapafrica.org

Following on the success of two highly lauded and well attended business workshops held in January, the Fayette County Public Library continues its collaboration with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Georgia District Office to present a free class on Web Design & Development and E-Commerce. The workshop will be held in the community meeting room at the Fayette County Public Library in downtown Fayetteville, on Tuesday, April 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration with the SBA is required.

Daniel Houghton, a sophomore at Western Kentucky University, has won the first place award in the University Division of the Kentucky Press Association 2007 Excellence in Kentucky Newspapers award for his photograph of WKU's football coach Elson making a tandem parachute jump with the Golden Knights of Ft. Knox. Houghton's photograph appeared in the university's newspaper, The College Heights Herald, where he is a staff photographer. Houghton also has had photographs published in The Fayette Citizen, The Columbus Ledger, The LaGrange Times, The Ft. Knox Leader and works freelance for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He is a 2006 graduate of Fayette County High School. His work, as well as his winning photograph, can be viewed @ http://www.wku.edu/~daniel.houghton604.

Frederick D. Snellings Jr., a Fayette County resident, has been appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue as Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety and was unanimously approved by its board on February 14, 2008. The new Deputy Commissioner, who assumed his duties on March 17, is a native of LaGrange, Ga. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps, which included a tour in Vietnam before accepting employment with the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) in 1972. He served over ten years with GSP before leaving the department to accept a position as a Special Agent with the FBI. During his career with the FBI, Snellings served in several field offices in various investigative assignments prior to being promoted to Supervisory Special Agent at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 1991. In 1995, he was transferred to Youngstown, Ohio where he assumed the duties as the Supervisory Senior Resident Agent.

Georgia Perimeter College has recognized Samuel Trent Freeman, Brenton Alexander Hardy and Ryan Phillip Haynie, students from Fayette County, for achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or better while carrying an academic load of 9 semester hours or more at the Newton Campus during the fall 2007 semester.

Sixteen contestants impressed audiences at the 25th annual Mr. and Miss FCHS Talent Contest held at Sam’s Auditorium in February. The Miss FCHS title was awarded to Stefanie Small who sang “I’m Goin’ Down,” and Michael Carr, who performed a Mozart Clarinet Concerto, was named Mr. FCHS. Both Smalls and Carr were sponsored by their parents. Lindsay Grant and Michael Nelson were awarded 1st runners up and 2nd runners up were awarded to Jasmine Clark and Saikat Karmakar. The People’s Choice Award went to Jesse Norman. Photo/Special.

With the ever increasing technological society we live in today, many senior citizens realize the necessity of learning and improving their computer skills. During the month of February and March, teachers Bonnie Hicks and Amy Cannady offered free computer classes to senior citizens in the community. Students learned how to use Microsoft Word, download pictures from their digital cameras into the computer, and explored the many useful websites available on the Internet. Photo/Special.

A local Lexus dealership, along with the Lexus Pursuit of Potential foundation is sponsoring the innaugural Scholarships for the Stars Performing Arts Competition. The competition, which was opened to all Fayette County residents who are currently a senior in high school and planning to major in music in college, will award $20,000 in scholarships to four of the 12 finalists, with the grand prize winner taking home a $10,000 scholarship.

Danielle Mathis, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty South, has been invited by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to serve as a Reader at the June 2008 College Board AP English Language Reading in Daytona Beach, Florida this June.

There are five major divisions within the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department: Administration, Criminal Investigation, Field Operations, Technical Services, and Traffic Enforcement, which includes training.

Pictured are the winning spellers from St. Paul Lutheran School who recently participated in a spelling bee with the other Lutheran Schools in the Atlanta Area. St. Paul placed 2nd overall. St. Paul Lutheran School is a parochial school in Peachtree City. For more information, please call 770-486-3545.

Cadets from the Peachtree City – Falcon Field Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, recently participated in the Georgia Wing Drill Team and Color Guard Competition held at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, GA. The cadets competed in several rigorous team and individual events against squadrons and other cadets from across the state. These events included written examinations and physical fitness challenges as well as judged group drill and color guard competitions.

The Starr’s Mill High School Chorus went to Washington, DC this weekend to perform beautiful music in the National Cathedral, and they did do that, however something else will be what the chorus members remember for the rest of their lives.

Peter Schmidt of Boy Scout Troop 279 in Peachtree City recently was awarded the Eagle Scout badge and medal, in recognition of attaining Scouting’s highest and most prestigious rank.

The goal of any musical artist is longevity. Success and popularity typically ebbs and flows and longevity can make sure that you and your group around for several of these cycles. This lesson is well-known to Fayetteville resident Speech, the leader of hip-hop’s Arrested Development, and a solo artist in his own right.

Mara McGurl, a student at East Coweta Middle School, recently won the Optimist Club of Senoia’s Oratorical Contest. This year’s Optimist International theme - “Why Me? Why Not?” - was explored by Ms. McGurl and all of the other contestants.

The James Waldrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in Fayetteviile was honored to receive several awards from the GA Society NSDAR 110th State Conference for 2007 activities recently. Among the awards presented to the chapter are: 1st Place- American History Publicity: