MCBOE Celebrates Student Success
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
During the December 16 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education, the Board and Superintendent Ronda Hightower recognized several students for their success in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
“Our student success is off the charts because it is in multiple areas,” Hightower told the Board and attendees. “We do care about test scores and we hold people accountable and celebrate test scores – but we celebrate a whole lot more than that as well.”
The recognitions began with Montgomery County High School Agriculture Teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) Advisor Brittany Braddy updating the Board on the achievements of the district’s high school FFA members.
“Tonight, I just wanted to recognize a few FFA members who have gone above and beyond in their work this semester,” she shared. “The last time I was here [presenting in a meeting] was last December. A lot has happened since then – we have had a lot of growth, a lot of success, and a lot of time to learn from mistakes so that we can do better in the future.”
She began by informing the Board that at the Georgia State FFA Convention in April, Montgomery County High School Student Hannah Williamson was recognized for receiving a scholarship to attend the Washington Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. Williamson was one of the 26 applicants selected to attend the conference this past summer, where she learned about leadership and the history of the nation.
Braddy also said that Dot Foods has agreed to donate Washington Leadership Conference scholarships to Montgomery County High School, so that two upperclassmen may attend the event this upcoming summer.
Montgomery County High School Students Nora Cartwright and Evan Hardeman were recognized at the state convention for their proficiency in their supervised agricultural experience projects, which serve as a means to give students hands-on experience in a field of their choice. Cartwright competed with her project, in which she worked in her family’s beef cattle operation, in the Diversified Agriculture Production division, winning first place at the regional level and third place at the state level. Hardeman competed with his project, during which he worked with his family’s apiary, in Specialty Animal Production competition, and earned first place at the state conference and was among the top 4 placements in the national competition.
In September, several FFA members competed in various Career Development Events (CDEs), which are competitions that help to prepare students for their future careers, at Toombs County High School. These students included: Morgan Connell
Senior Floral Design.
Hartley Williamson Junior Floral Design; Williamson won first place at the regional competition, then went on to win 10th place overall at the state competition in December.
Hannah Williamson – Employability Skills; Williamson won first place in the subarea competition, then 5th place in the area tournament.
Luke Burns Tractor Operations Fletcher omas FFA Quiz; Thomas won 4th place in this competition.
Several students competed in more CDEs in November and December, including: Jonas Carpenter, Jackson Mosley, Macy Mosley, Morgan Connell – Environmental Natural Resources Junior Team Devin Pra(, Evan Hardeman, Jamie Brown, Hartley Williamson – Senior Environmental Natural Resources Senior Team; this team won 4th place in the competition.
Hartley Williamson and Macy Mosley – Floriculture Chloe Pa(erson, Pe nelope Rodriguez-Vasquez, Kaylee Ba(en, Isla Fussell Vet Science Jonas Carpenter, Kaden Williamson, Jordan Newsome, Morgan Newsome – Wildlife Junior Team Evan Hardeman, Nora Cartwright, Landon Powell, Luke Burns – Wildlife Senior Team After announcing these competition participants, Braddy commented on the students’ dedication to the club. “They put in a lot of hard work – they have afterschool practices just like athletics,” she told the Board. “We are very proud of them and very thankful for a school that allows us to do these things so they may become well-rounded individuals.”
Superintendent Hightower congratulated the students and Braddy on their success, saying, “We believe in you! Thank you for what you do.”
Following the recognition of these FFA members, Montgomery County Athletic Director Eric Burns and Montgomery County High School Head Foot- ball Coach Kaream Hess addressed the Board, as they highlighted the football players that received All-Region honors for their performance this season.
“We are super proud of this team,” Burns began. “I am proud of Coach Hess and his staff. I’ve been in the position before coming in as a new coach – it’s very hard to get your players to buy in [to the new way of doing things]. You have to earn their trust, and they have to believe in you. They have to know that you love them and you trust them. I think Coach Hess and his staff did a fine job of that.”
Burns told the Board that the football season started strong with some victories, then hit a time of tough opponents; he also said that Hurricane Helene put an intense strain on the athletes, who played 3 football games in 9 days. “It’s very unheard of [to play that many games in that short time], but these guys never quit,” he emphasized. “These guys fought hard, and I really think that had Helene not hit, this team would have been sitting in the first round of the playoffs.”
“It’s not always about the x’s and the o’s – it’s about helping to mold these men that are going to be leaders and fathers. That is a huge part of it,” Burns added. “We have a bright future ahead of us, though we are losing some very special seniors.”
Coach Hess echoed these sentiments, as he said that it was amazing to have these players recognized by other coaches as standing out in the region, as some of the individuals recognized as being All-Region candidates this year did not play during last year’s football season. “It’s really a testament to how hard these guys work,” Hess remarked. “All of these young men have grown throughout the season, and I’m so proud of them.”
Linebacker Devonte Wise, Offensive Lineman Matt Chambers, and Linebacker Elec Waters were all recognized for receiving Honorable Mention for the region. Linebacker Eric White, Defensive Back Cameron Henderson, Defensive Lineman Jayden Roberson, Defensive Lineman Haze Thigpen, Offensive Lineman Chez Rivera, and Quarterback Jayden Harris were honored for being named to the All-Region Second Team.
Wide Receiver Jaquez Kelly, Oensive Lineman Seth Carelock, Linebacker Elijah McEwen, and Defensive Back Zayden Waller were recognized for being named to the All-Region First Team, while Running Back/Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Jamun Coglin was honored for being named the Region 2-A Division II Athlete of the Year.
After recognizing these young men, Burns told the Board that the basketball and wrestling teams are currently competing. “There is a lot of good things happening for our student athletes. They are excelling on and off the field – academics are strong with them as well,” he shared. “They represent the Eagles proudly.”
Following the recognition of the football players, Superintendent Hightower announced that Montgomery County Middle School Student JuanaMaria Cruz had won the district Patriot’s Pen writing contest, earning her a spot in the state competition. Cruz’s submission to the competition, which is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10229, marked the first submission in 8-10 years, as the group is working to revive participation in the annual contest.
Superintendent Hightower told the Board that Montgomery County students were performing well in the RESA District Competitions, in which the students compete against other students from 10 different districts. Hightower said that she had just learned that two students had placed in the RESA Writing Contest, while five students had placed in the RESA Art competition. Hightower could not disclose the identity of these winners yet, but said that the District plans to recognize these individuals in the coming weeks.
Coglin, Zayden Waller, Jaquez Kelly, Jayden Harris, Chez Rivera, Jayden Roberson, Cameron Henderson, Eric White, Seth Carelock, Elijah McEwen.
Photo by Michael Lane
ALL REGION FOOTBALL – Montgomery County High School Football Players that received All-Region honors were recognized during the December 16 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education. L to R: Athletic Director Eric Burns, Jamun
EXCELLENCE IN AGRICULTURE – Several Montgomery County High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) members were recognized at the Montgomery County Board of Education meeting on December 16 for their excellence in agricultural competitions throughout the year. L to R: Hartley Williamson, Landon Powell, Devin Pratt, Jonas Carpenter, Luke Burns, Morgan Connell, Kaden Williamson.Photo by Michael Lane
