Habersham Central High School seniors Lawson Lewallen and Taylor Hill were crowned 2014 Homecoming King and Queen Friday. They were crowned during halftime ceremonies of the football game between the HCHS Raiders and Centennial High Knights.
Congratulations to Lawson and Taylor and the rest of this year’s HCHS Homecoming Court.
First, a disclaimer. My son will hate me when he finds out I wrote this but, hey, I’m the mother of a teenager, I’m used to being hated, so here goes.
Earlier this evening I dropped off my 14-year old son in Clarkesville to meet up with his date for the homecoming dance. Ever since, my mind has been reeling and my heart aching. Why, you ask? I’ve wondered myself. After all, it’s just a dance. Kids – excuse me, t-e-e-n-a-g-e-r-s – go to dances all the time. But not homecoming, not my son, not all the time. This is his first homecoming and it will be his last first homecoming.
Oh, I feel rather foolish sitting here with tears welling up in my eyes, trying to ease the pang in my heart by writing about it, but I just can’t help feeling melancholy about the whole thing. Surely I’m not the only mom out there tonight feeling this way. I mean, it was just yesterday they were babies and now…and now…this. Homecoming. It’s a rite of passage – an entrance into the “big people’s'” tent.
During school hours our Habersham County ninth graders are safely tucked away in their own academy. Freshmen in name but freshmen apart from the high school across the street. Sure, they mingle with the upper classmen at ballgames and such, but it’s rare they are allowed onto the hallowed ground that is Habersham Central High.
Now, tonight, they are all there, all together making memories that will last a lifetime.
Remember your first homecoming dance? Remember the hype, the excitement and the game leading up to it? Remember spending hours after school decorating for the dance and spending even more time getting dressed for it? I do. It’s been a long time and my memories are a bit faded but I still remember my friends’ faces, the freedom I felt on the dance floor and the sheer exuberance that came with feeling ‘grown up.’
When you’re a teenager there’s just something special about going out on the town without your parents in tow. Paying for your own meal (with Mom and Dad’s money); riding in a car, just you and your friends (the only one in the group old enough to have a license sitting behind the wheel); and, in general, soaking up the intoxicating fumes of independence (that better be the only ‘intoxicating’ thing that happens tonight).
No, for teens Homecoming’s not just a dance it’s a transformative experience; a glimpse into the future of life on their own. For us parents it’s a glimpse into the future of life without children. Dropping them off, not just downtown, but at college. Watching them pull out of the driveway headed to their new job as they glance back at you in their rearview mirror.
Funny how things change. When our children were young we left them at home. Now they’re leaving us. It starts with a dance, a ballgame, a date, and ends up with a whole other existence. We’ll always be connected to our children but we won’t always be with them. And tonight, that thought hurts.
There is comfort in knowing it’s my job as a parent to raise my son in such a way that he will be able to leave: That he’ll have the tools, the wisdom and strength of character to make a life on his own. There is comfort in knowing that right now he’s having fun with his friends and later we’ll have our own homecoming. When he walks through that door he’ll give me a hug, loosen his tie and tell me all about it. I can’t wait!
By the way, if your teen didn’t take pictures at the dance (on the off chance they left their cellphone at home) here’s how it looked. The teachers and students at HCHS, led by Fine Arts/Chorus teacher BJ Addison, did a brilliant job decorating to the theme “Phantom of the Opera.”
A two-car crash on Highway 15/U.S. 441 near Homer claimed the lives of a young couple from Baldwin Saturday. A spokesman with the Georgia State Patrol in Gainesville says 22-year old Brittany Hester and her 25-year old husband, Lyndon, were killed when Hester lost control of the car she was driving and crossed over the median into oncoming traffic.
It happened at 11:10am just south of Sample Scales Road. The GSP says Hester was driving north toward Baldwin in a Nissan Altima when she ran off the road, overcorrected and skidded across both lanes of Hwy.15/441. The car then crossed the median and struck a gold Honda Pilot driven by 62-year old Cynthia BoBo of Sautee Nacoochee.
Authorities say the Hesters – who lived on the Banks County side of Baldwin – were dead by the time they arrived. Two children in their car were injured. A 6-month old girl was airlifted from the scene and taken to Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta in critical condition. A 3-year old boy was transported to Athens Regional Medical Center with apparent minor injuries.
Authorities say Bobo and a 9-year old passenger in her vehicle were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The accident tied up traffic between Baldwin and Commerce for several hours Saturday.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
RONALD “BRUCE” LOVELL, age 71, of Clarkesville, Georgia, formerly of Hiawassee, Georgia, passed away on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at the residence following an extended illness.
Wendy was my black Tennessee Walker; a feisty mare, built for speed. Riding her felt like being on water skies in the early morning, when no other boats were out. She was smooth as glass. A group of us rode on Saturdays, a few times a month, galloping down long stretches of dirt road. When we came to forks in the road or intersections, we would simply place the reins on the nape of the horse and go whichever direction the horse chose. For me, it was life on the “edge.” I never knew where Wendy would take me and since horses are pack animals, they will always follow the lead horse who 99% of the time was mine.
One Saturday though – Wendy didn’t want to choose. There was a T- shaped intersection up ahead. Instead of going left or right, she decided to go straight up a hill covered in pine trees and briers. The sting of the branches on my face felt razor-sharp and I wondered if my cheeks would be covered in blood. It seemed as though she ran uncontrollably; and although I tried to slow her down, she wouldn’t. The other horses had not followed – this time. I could hear a distant shout from my friend Rhonda, “Nora, are you ok?”
The woods opened to a clearing with a creek running through the center, and there she stopped. I hadn’t been to this spot before, which seemed impossible since I felt I knew every inch of Dublin, Georgia. I sat down on a rock and washed the cuts on my hands and face. The sound of the water flowing passed me, calmed my beating heart.
“He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul…” the passage from Psalm 23 entered my head. Our pastor, Jim Rush, had just encouraged us to memorize the Psalm in our confirmation class. Suddenly, it made sense. Sometimes we go down paths of our own making; sometimes paths other’s have forced us on; and sometimes, one’s God brought us down purposefully. We may not know the reasons for the trials or how long we will have to endure the journey; but one thing is certain, He will bring us back to still waters.
Faith holds true in good times and bad. It is the assurance that when we walk with God, no matter the decision we’ve made, He will see us through the obstacles, the pain, the suffering, the grief, the destruction, and bring us back to peaceful waters.
Local business owners and managers looking to better familiarize themselves with current laws governing the workplace are invited to attend an upcoming seminar sponsored by the Georgia Department of Labor.
Smiles, handshakes and sighs of relief could be seen and heard Thursday night at the Habersham Central High School performing arts auditorium in Mt. Airy during North Georgia Technical College’s most recent GED graduation ceremony. Fifty of this year’s graduating students took to the stage to receive their general equivalency diplomas. Among them, Irene Ensley of Fannin County.
Ensley spent twelve years working toward her GED. NGTC Adult Education teacher Donna Earl says Ensley entered the Adult Ed program in Fannin County when she was laid off from her job at a local plant. A native of the Phillippines, Ensley first had to overcome language barriers. “Her English skills were weak, and she had to work on those at first,” Earl says. “Once she learned enough academic English, she started GED classes.”
Ensley continued her studies during intermittent work layoffs and last October passed her final GED test. Ensley used her GED as a launching pad and this past May enrolled in classes at the NGTC Blairsville campus. She’s now in her second semester working toward a degree in accounting. Earl says, “We couldn’t be prouder!”
The circumstances surrounding Ensley’s GED quest are different than those of her fellow graduates – they all have a story to tell – but they are indicative of the challenges adult ed learners face when returning to school. Jobs, financial obligations and family responsibilities can often distract from classroom time and studying and make the overall process of learning much harder.
Michael Harding of Habersham knows just how hard it can be. He earned his GED earlier this year. Harding says he dropped out of high school when he was 15 to help take care of his family after his father committed suicide. He says it wasn’t until he was laid off from his job at Fieldale that he finally returned to the classroom to finish what he started. “It’s hard,” Harding says, “but I’m glad I did it.”
Harding and Ensley are among 353 students who received their GEDs from North Georgia Technical College this year. The college offers free GED classes on its three campuses – Clarkesville, Currahee and Blairsville – and in adult learning centers in Cornelia, Cleveland, Clayton, Blue Ridge and Toccoa. They accept students ages 16 and up. While there are costs associated with taking the GED test – $40 per test for five tests – there are scholarships available. NGTC offers scholarships to eligible students and Volunteers for Literacy of Habersham County (VFL) also has a GED scholarship program that is open to all residents of Habersham County enrolled in certified GED programs, regardless of where that program is located.
For more information about GED classes at NGTC click here. For more information about the VFL GED scholarship program visit www.vflhabersham.com.
For more photos from Thursday night’s graduation visit the NGTC Facebook page.
Fifteen years ago Cornelia native Kimberly Bramlett Schlapman appeared for the first time as a guest on the Grand Ole Opry stage with her group Little Big Town. Last night she took to the Opry stage in Nashville again, but this time, as one of its newest members.
The country music quartet was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry Friday night surrounded by fanfare and legends. Vince Gill and Little Jimmy Dickens – country music stars generations apart – shared in the honors as Little Big Town members Schlapman, Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet joined the Opry’s inner circle.
LBT first appeared on the Opry stage in 1999. Since then the group has won a Grammy Award for the chart topping “Pontoon” in 2012 and numerous other country music awards. They also won a daytime Emmy for penning and performing the theme song for ABC’s “Good Afternoon America.”
When she’s not on stage performing, Schlapman can be found in front of the camera as host of Kimberly’s Simply Southern, a cooking show on the Great American Country TV network.
Schlapman is the daughter of Tolbert and Barbara Bramlett of Cornelia and a 1987 graduate of Habersham Central High School.
Little Big Town will release its sixth album, Pain Killer, on Oct. 21.
It was the win that nearly was. The Habersham Central Raiders left it all on the field Friday in their homecoming game against the Centennial Knights of Suwanee.
Looking to snap their 19-game losing streak, the Raiders struck first. They got on the board with six minutes to go in the first quarter on a 20-yard field goal by Alex Alvarado. The Raiders were up until halfway through the second quarter when Knights’ quarterback Casen Conway connected with Tee Holland on a 60-yard pass. The TD and extra point put the Knights up 7-3. Conway connected with Holland again late in the second for another touchdown making the score 14-3, but the Raiders quickly answered. With just one minute left in the quarter the Raiders’ Michael Babers scored on an 8-yard rushing touchdown. The volley continued as the Knights scored again with less than a minute left. Halftime score, Knights 21 Raiders 10.
The Raiders came back after halftime homecoming ceremonies determined to turn things around…and they did. Halfway through the third quarter Michael Babers scored again on a 40-yard rushing touchdown. The Raiders then pulled ahead on a 4-yard rushing TD by Jim Barnett. The Raiders were up 21-24 with just a minute to go in the third.
But it was the fourth quarter that killed the Raiders’ dreams of that long-awaited win.
Halfway through the fourth quarter Centennial reclaimed the lead, scoring on a 25-yard rushing TD by quarterback Conway. Babers answered with a 40-yard touchdown – his third of the game – and the Raiders were up again by a score of 31-28 with just three minutes left in the game. It was downhill from there for the Raiders as the Knights scored twice in succession. First on a 30-yard pass then a defensive touchdown. The Knights took the lead late in the fourth 42-31.
The Raiders scored again with just 40 seconds left in the game but it wasn’t enough. Final score, Knights 42 Raiders 39. The Raiders are now 0-7 on the season, 0-6 in the region.
The Raiders have three games left this season. They’re away next week to take on the Johns Creek High Gladiators at Johns Creek High Stadium. Kick off is at 7:30pm. Both HCHS and Johns Creek will be playing for their first win of the season. The Gladiators lost to North Forsyth Friday 14-13.
Other scores in Region 6AAAAAA:
Alpharetta 56 Chattahoochee 7
Lambert 3 Northview 0
West Forsyth 27 South Forsyth 14
Other scores of regional interest:
Region 8-AAAAA
Flowery Branch 52 Apalachee 28
Winder-Barrow 37 Cedar Shoals 35
Gainesville 35 Clarke Central 10
Lanier 49 Heritage, Conyers 20
Salem 31 Loganville 27
Region 8-AAAA
Buford 51 Monroe Area 12
Stephens County 55 Chestatee 27
East Hall 42 Johnson, Gainesville 23
Madison County 49 North Hall 20
North Oconee 31 White County 6
Region 8-AAA
Jefferson 63 East Jackson 0
Hart County 43 Jackson County 7
Oconee County 33 Morgan County 31
Region 8-AA
Riverside Military 21 Oglethorpe County 0
Rabun County 45 Union County 31
Washington-Wilkes 41 Social Circle 0
Region 7-AAA
Banks County 49 Lumpkin County 46
Fannin County 35 Dawson County 28
East Hall 42 Johnson, Gainesville 23
West Hall 27 Franklin County 12
Expect traffic delays in and around Habersham this week due to road work. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) says crews will be working all week – Monday, October 20 through Friday, October 24 – on various projects (see list below). Work hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weather permitting. Lane closures are required for patching asphalt, a flagman or pilot vehicle will direct traffic through the work zone.
WHERE and WHAT:
Habersham – A crew will mow the rights of way alongside SR 255, SR 17 and SR 105. The shoulders will be closed for mowing and lanes will be closed as striping occurs. Another crew will replace raised pavement markers on state routes throughout the county, a rolling lane closure is used as this work occurs.
Lumpkin – A crew will mow the rights of way on SR 9 and SR 60. The shoulder of the roadway will be closed as this work occurs.
Rabun –- A crew will mow the rights of way along SR 2/US 76 and SR 197. The shoulders will be closed as this work occurs.
Towns – A crew will mow the rights of way along SR 17 across Unicoi into White County to Robertstown. The shoulder will be closed as this work occurs. Another crew will clean and restore ditches alongside SR 180 spur.
Union – A crew will mow the rights of way on SR 11/US 129 south of Blairsville, SR 180 east and SR 384. The shoulders will be closed as the work occurs.
White – A crew will mow the rights of way on SR 384 and SR 75. The shoulders will be closed as the work occurs.
Interstate 85 in Banks County – A crew will remove and repour damaged concrete slabs in the outside or right lane of I-85 north beginning north of the SR 15/US 441 Commerce Exit #149. Work will progress north in the outside lane daily. Long delays are expected in the area.
Interstate 85 in Franklin County – A crew will trim vegetation growing alongside I-85. The shoulder will be closed as this work occurs.
Banks – A crew will clean and restore the ditches alongside SR 51 then manually trim the vegetation growing in the rights of way. This work requires the shoulders to be closed
Elbert – A crew will seal the cracks in the driving surface of SR 77. A lane closure is required as this work occurs.
Franklin – A crew will trim vegetation growing in the rights of way alongside SR 327 and SR 145. Then the slopes alongside SR 106 will be mowed. This work requires the shoulder to be closed.
Hart – A crew will repair a drainage structure on SR 51, closing the right shoulder.
Madison – A crew will trim vegetation growing in the rights of way alongside SR 8 and SR 17. A lane and the shoulder will be closed as this work occurs.
Halloween is a holiday for kids (forget all that pagan stuff, we’re talking homespun, simple fun, dress-up for candy Halloween, here).
