GOLD MEDALIST INSPIRES KIDS AT BURCH SCHOOL

Olympic gold medalist Christian Taylor returned to where the spark for his track and field career was ignited, to inspire students at Robert J. Burch Elementary to follow their dreams. Although Taylor has not been a student at Burch since 2001, his memories of the school are vivid and positive. He was a member of the running club, and recalled, “I couldn’t wait to get the marks on my hands for laps that I ran. The running club is where my dream started,” he told the students during an assembly in his honor. “I walked the same halls of this school as you, I ate lunch in the same cafeteria as you, I was just like you. I am here to tell you that you can do anything you want to do. Just dream, and then work hard to make that dream come true.” Taylor referenced his former elementary school during an interviews after earning the gold medal in the triple jump at the Rio Summer Olympic Games, saying he would “always be a Burch Bear.” The school had lanyards made with that statement on them to reward students for positive behavior. Taylor was the first person to receive one. He returned to the school a few days later to have lunch with Natalia Nizker’s fourth-grade class, which won a school-based competition for best cafeteria manners.

Fayette school makes wellness honor roll

Cleveland Elementary School is one of 218 schools and the only Fayette County school on the 2016 Governor’s Shape Honor Roll, and one of 125 schools in the state awarded the highest, platinum, level. The award recognizes schools for creating a healthy school environment and a culture of wellness for staff, students, and community. Criteria for the platinum level included offering 90 hours of physical education, having 100 percent of students complete the FitnessGram fitness assessment, daily scheduled recess, and participating in the Power Up for 30 pledge and training, an additional 30 minutes of activity worked into the school day in addition to regularly scheduled recess.

Woodstock teacher is Ga. Art Educator of Year

Woodstock Elementary School teacher Pam Morgan has has been named the 2017 Georgia Art Educator of the Year by the Georgia Art Education Association. She is a strong supporter of student exhibits including the Capitol Art Exhibit and Hartsfield Jackson International Airport Youth Art Exhibit, and “The Art of Giving” project she developed shows students how their art can touch lives. It has included creating artwork to send to soldiers, making American flags for local and New York fire departments in remembrance of 9/11, and collecting coins for “Let’s Make a Change,” which benefited African orphans.