“FMS + BMMS = SUCCESS … Welcome Fayette Middle.”
On Thursday the 14th, the FMS Cubs volleyball team won a game against the Bennett’s Mill Broncos volleyball team. The game was played at Bennett’s Mill Middle School.
After the game, the Lady Cubs were presented with posters for the school and goodie bags were given to the coaches.
FMS Coach Phyllis Huttsel told me, “They gave us boxes of Skittles for all the girls on the team and the cafeteria had made these huge cookies. Oh, and there were balloons. It was amazing. The girls from our school actually said that they were excited for the schools to come together.”
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Bennett’s Mill volleyball team and their coaches (and don’t forget the wonderful ladies in the cafeteria) for this amazing gesture.
As I sat at the school board meetings over the last couple of months and listened to everything that the adults in the community were saying, I was dreading the move.
After last week, it is clear to me that, at least the kids and the teachers (the Broncos family) care about us and will welcome us with open arms.
Bennett’s Mill has set up parent tours for the parents of the FMS students to see the school and meet the teachers who may or may not be there next year. I’m really hoping that my teachers will love me and accept me as much as the teachers at FMS did.
On Tuesday of last week, I was able to be a part of an amazing event in Fayette County. March 19th was “Read Aloud Day.” A local preschool (my mom teaches there but I’m not sure if I am supposed to put their name here or not) hosted an 11-hour read-a-thon.
Over 250 members of Fayette County came to one of the two schools to read to the children. I went after school and read for two hours myself.
Among the readers were the mayor, Sheriff Babb, the fire chief, Judge Thompson, several public servants, church members, and over 70 Fayette County teachers (some of whom brought students with them) and members of the school administration.
Between the center in Fayetteville and the one in Tyrone, over 3,000 books were read to preschool children in one day.
We set the record in Georgia and will be getting a visit from the governor’s wife and (I believe) the commissioner of pre-K for Georgia.
We have had several people, including board member Leonard Presberg and several teachers, offer to come back and read again.
There are several things that will happen as a result of this in regards to publicity for the school and Fayette County as a whole.
What I would like to say is that things like this, the way the community came out in support, is what will ensure that Fayette County will continue to be a leader in the education of children for years to come.
It’s not just the schools that make it happen. It is the community as a whole and from what I saw last week, I’m proud of this county!
I wasn’t able to go to the board meeting Monday 18th because of the weather. My mom and dad said it wasn’t safe and I could call Mr. Nelms later to get the scoop. (Gotta love your parents, hehe).
I will, however, be at the called meeting on the 25th. As I have said before, I love my teachers and I wish I had been there tonight to support them, especially Ms. Gividen, who has been in the system for over 20 years.
And I want the community to remember the amazing Coach Huttsel who is retiring after serving her students for around 30 years. Oh, what a difference she has made!
I know she will be subbing next year and can’t wait to see her there. That’s everyone I will mention tonight.
Black and Gold forever!
[Samantha Frazier, a Fayette Middle School seventh-grader, volunteered to write a series of opinion columns for The Citizen about the closing of her school from a student’s viewpoint.]
