Cougar Call
Volume 3, Issue 5
FFA Goes To Work
Recently, the Piedmont Academy FFA chapter has been very busy and successful in all of their fall activities. The Farm Business Management CDE team placed 3rd overall in the Central Region contest. The Farm Business Management CDE helps teach management skills and critical thinking. At the contest, the team was tasked with completing a test individually and a problem solving activity as a team. This year’s team consisted of Chris McClain, Grayson Bradley, Ashley Johnston, and Wyatt Galloway.
The PAC FFA chapter also competed in the Environmental National Resources CDE or ENR. At the ENR competition, the team had to take an exam and identify different plants and animals as they used a GPS to track plotted points. This year’s ENR team placed 8th overall, and the team consisted of Owen Brady, Clayton Carter, Preston Tyler, and Eli Waits.
The PAC FFA’s Floriculture team also had a practice session for their upcoming CDE. The team, along with Mrs. Judy Nelson, went to Pike’s Nursery in Lake Oconee and practiced their plant identification skills. Brandon Coker, Pike’s store manager, helped the team with identification and finding samples from the floriculture list. The floriculture team consists of Lillie King, Anne Marie Hildebrandt, Rylee Owens, and Ryn Smith.
The PAC FFA Dairy Judging team had a practice contest at Donald Yoder’s dairy in Barnesville. The members on the dairy judging team are Martina Coleman, Lexie Schad, Ezra King, Lawton Harris, and Wyatt Galloway.
The Piedmont Academy FFA chapter also hosted a Veteran’s Day program at the school. At the program, they honored the community’s veterans. During the program, they had a procession of the veterans, Mrs. April Allen sang “America the Beautiful.” Piedmont Academy FFA secretary, Anne Marie Hildebrandt, sang the national anthem, and two United States Marine Core recruiters were in attendance and spoke to the audience. Several middle school students from Piedmont shared writing samples and poems they wrote about veterans.
At their last meeting, FFA members packed “Operation Christmas Child” boxes. Donation boxes were set up around the school, so people could donate items for the boxes. Items packed in the boxes included: hygiene items, toys, school supplies, and socks. The boxes will be picked up and sent to underprivileged children across the world.
By: Lawton Harris
GISA Shotgun Meet
By: Joseph Anderson
FFA Operation Christmas Child
To get in the Christmas spirit, the Piedmont Academy FFA Chapter collected items to pack boxes to send to Operation Christmas Child. OCC is a part of the Samaritan’s Purse Organization that collects shoe boxes filled with items we take for granted. The boxes, packed with things from toothpaste to pencils, are shipped to children all over the world to spread the word of God during the Christmas season. Our FFA chapter collected 520 boxes to be sent to the OCC headquarters to brighten a child’s Christmas, and over 10,900 boxes were collected total! Ezra King said, “Packing the boxes with things we use every day really helped us all understand how fortunate we are.” Merry Christmas from FFA!
By: Ivy English
Y-Club Visits the Nursing Home
On December 9th, the PAC Y-Club visited the Jasper County Nursing Home. They brought Christmas cards and sang Christmas carols to the guests. “It was a great experience to see the residents so happy for our visit,” says Emily Mills. It is a wonderful thing we can do each year for our community. The smiles on their faces bring great joy to our hearts. They handed homemade Christmas cards to the residents who could not make it to the carols. The caregivers and residents were very appreciative for the visit.
By: Mackensie Johnston
Seniors Ben Smith, Michael Edwards, Tyler Mills, Madison Burnham, Ashley Johnston, and Mack Brady at All-Star Game
L/R: Emma Kate Edmonds, Team Mate of the Year Chris McClain, Team Mate of the Year Wyatt Galloway, All State & All Region Mack Brady, All Region Michael Edwards, All Region Tyler Mills, All Region Ben Smith, All Region Kelsey Leach, Cheer Student Athlete
Wrestling
Starting December 8th, Piedmont Academy will begin its first wrestling matches at Windsor at 5 o’clock PM. The team is made up of nine different people from grades eight through twelve. The wrestling team is coached by Alvin Hawkes. Assisting Coach Hawkes is assistant coach, Nolan Cleary. The team will have eleven different matches. Below is the roster for the 2016-2017 Piedmont Academy wrestlers.
Roster
8th Grade- Tanner Locklear
9th Grade- Trent Coots and Blake Calhoun
10th Grade- Logan Connor
11th Grade- Ian Boyd, Corbin Burrell, and Tanner Coppock
12th Grade- Ben Smith and Jay Sheets
Good luck to the 2016-2017 Piedmont Academy Wrestlers, Coach Hawkes, and Coach Cleary!
By: Kelsey Leach
Field Trip Kennesaw State Holocaust Museum
On December 7, the 6th- 9th grade took a field trip to the Kennesaw State Holocaust Museum. Each grade was studying the Holocaust in their classes. We decided to go on this specific day because it was Pearl Harbor Day. We learned about how they rationed food in World War II. The people had certain numbers of points they could spend on food and they had to carefully choose how to spend their points. We also visited the Parallel Panels and the Georgia Journey Panels. We learned about lives of the people in the Holocaust. Another activity we did was watch an Anne Frank video. We learned about her and her family during this difficult time. We learned about why she hid and who was in the Secret Annex. This trip was a very educational experience for us.
By: Mackensie Johnston
“SECRET SHOPPING”
For its 17th year, Piedmont Academy opened its doors with community outreach to local merchants to provide “secret shopping” for the students. Merchants set up “shops” in the gym and the students were able to practice budgeting while they shopped for family and friends. Some of the children could not resist the urge to splurge and purchase something for themselves!
The school’s Grandparents’ Club came and wrapped the presents for the students and promised to keep their surprises a secret. Middle and high school students assisted the young shoppers and they were a huge help.
Merchants and groups participating included the PAC Grandparents, Monticello Drugs, Sylvermyst Creations, and Peddler’s Corner.
By: Judy Nelson
Devotion
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger. Luke 2:10-12
One of my favorite songs is called “Great Are You Lord.” A line in the song towards the end says, “All the Earth will shout Your praise, our hearts will cry, these bones will sing, Great are You, Lord.” Jesus is not only a best friend, Savior, and Father; He is a wonderful person. Every great person, however, has to start somewhere. As the Christmas season comes around, a lot of people tend to think of things like presents and food. In reality, Christmas is about the birth of the Messiah, the Lord, and the Prince of Peace.
Many years ago in the town of Galilee, Nazareth, lived a young, virgin girl with the name of Mary. An angel appeared to the girl and told her of the favor the Holy Spirit had found in her. Mary was to become pregnant with a child and call Him Jesus. Jesus would be the Most High and a Savior to all. Joseph, a descendant of David, was to help Mary and to be the father of the Holy child.
In the town of Bethlehem, Joseph took Mary to be registered. During the time they were there, baby Jesus was coming. “She wrapped Him in cloth and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).” Currently, the Angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and told them the good news of great joy. Christ the Lord has been born; He will be found wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger. Once the shepherds heard the wonderful news, they hurried quickly to Bethlehem in search of Mary, Joseph, and the child. When the shepherds arrived and found Jesus, they praised God for everything they had seen.
In the future, Jesus would go on to save lives and those spirits in need of Him. He would walk on water, spread the good news of His Father in Heaven, and teach multiple lessons to people. He was crucified, but He rose again three days later. The birth of Jesus is a miracle not because of what happened at the moment of His birth, but it was so miraculous because of everything He would do in the future. Presents are always fun to receive, but we have obtained the greatest gift of all. The purpose behind Christmas is the miracle of the Messiah’s birth many years ago; remember the miracle of Christmas this holiday season!
By: Kelsey Leach
Top Christmas gifts
Top 2016 Christmas Gifts
For Elementary:
1. Xbox One S Minecraft Bundle
2. LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack
3. Snap Circuits 3D Illumination Electronics Discovery Kit
4. LEGO Minecraft The Jungle Tree House
5. MegaBloks American Girl Building Sets
For Middle School:
1. Pokémon Monopoly Johto Edition
2. Happy Cat Emoji Portable Charger
3. Plush Organs
4. Awkward Moment Card Game
5. Customized Sneaker Kit
For High School:
1. Wireless Earbuds
2. Smartphone Projector
3. Lumee lighted selfie iPhone 6 plus case
4. Mobile lens kit
5. Polaroid Zip mobile photo printer
By: Mallory Boyd
Piedmont Academy Student Qualifies for Duke Gifted Program
William Anderson, a fourth grade student at Piedmont Academy, has been invited to join the prestigious 4th -6th Grade Talent Search for gifted students sponsored by Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP). Each year, a select group of students in the United States are identified as academically gifted based on their exceptional standardized test scores in school and are invited to participate in the Duke TIP program.
Participants are then invited to take the above-grade level PSAT 8/9 test designed for older students so that their academic abilities and potential can be more accurately evaluated. They also receive a variety of support services and gain access to research and other information about using their academic abilities more effectively.
The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a non-profit educational organization that is recognized as a leader in identifying and serving the educational needs of academically gifted youth. Through identification, recognition, challenging educational programs, information, advocacy and research, Duke TIP provides resources to gifted students, their parents, educators, and schools to help gifted scholars reach their full academic potential. For more on Duke TIP talent searches, including qualification requirements for its 4th -6th Grade Talent Search and 7th Grade Talent Search, visit www.tip.duke.edu .
William is the son of Marty and Sarah Anderson of Monticello.By: Judy Nelson
Christmas Jokes
What do you call an elf who sings?
A wrapper!
What do you get if you cross Santa with a detective?
Santa Clues
What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
Claustrophobic.
What do you call an obnoxious reindeer?
RUDEolph.
Why was Santa's little helper depressed?
Because he had low elf esteem
What do you call a snowman on rollerblades?
A snowmobile.
What do you call a snowman in the summer?
A puddle.
Where does a snowman keep his money?
In a snow bank.
What's white, furry and smells minty?
A polo bear
What do snowmans do on weekends?
Chill out
What’s white and goes up?
A confused snowflake
What Christmas carol is a favorite of parents?
Silent NightBy: Savannah Mote
Paws At A Glance
January 4: School reopens
January 5: Chapel
January 6: Varsity Basketball vs TJ 6:30
MS BB vs TJ 3:45
Report Cards issued
January 10: Varsity Basketball Mon Don 6:00
January 13: Half Day
MS Basketball 3:45
V Basketball 6:00
January 14: MS Basketball vs Creekside 11:00
January 16: School Holiday
January 17: V Basketball vs Brentwood 6:00
January 19: Chapel
January 20: V Basketball @ Windsor 6:00
January 21: V Basketball vs Briarwood
MS Basketball vs Briarwood
January 24: MS Basketball vs Gatewood 3:45
V Basketball vs Gatewood 6:00
January 27: V Basketball vs Mon Don 6:00
January 28: MS Basketball @ JMA
V Basketball @ Oak Mountain 2:00
January 30: MS Basketball @ JMA
V Basketball @ Gatewood 6:00By: Ivy English