October 2014.Pub
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Tribe Scribe Dodge County High School 350 Pearl Bates Avenue Eastman, GA 31023 Fall Newsletter 2014 Volume 23 Issue 1 Advisor: Amy Mullis Editors: Lindsey Graham and Charlie Johnson Underwood honored as Teacher of the Year By Charlie Johnson Susan Underwood has been proudly teaching at Dodge County High School for twenty -one years. For her dedication to her students and to her school, Underwood has been awarded the title of Dodge County High School Teacher of the Year. Originally from Eastman, Underwood graduated from DCHS. Underwood attended Middle Georgia College where she earned her Associate’s degree of Arts. She then transferred to the University of Georgia for her Bachelor’s degree in education. After she began her teaching career at DCHS, she enrolled at Georgia Southwestern University and earned her Master’s degree in Mathematics Education. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Underwood is a Beta Club sponsor, an after -school program teacher, and a math tutor. She is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) chairperson, has been the head of the Math Department for the past four years, and assists in the Honors Night program every year. “[Underwood] does a lot for the math department,” said DCHS math teacher Angie Pritchett on Underwood as department head. “She gets us everything that we need, and she’s a great communicator between us and the administration.” Underwood has been nominated as a top five Teacher of the Year every year for the past twelve years. “It’s an honor to be chosen as the Teacher of the Year,” said Underwood. “I absolutely love my job. I am blessed to be a part of an outstanding faculty and staff and to teach such fabulous students.” DCHS Principal Dr. Susan Long feels very strongly about the positive impact that Underwood has at the school as an educator and a leader. “Mrs. Underwood is the epitome of what the Teacher of the Year should be. We are honored to have her represent Dodge County High School,” said Long. Underwood is married to Jeffrey Underwood. Together, they have two children: Haley, a ninth grader at DCHS, and Jaret, a fifth grader at North Dodge Elementary School. The Underwoods also have two dogs, Bella and Peaches, who are “just as much a part of the family as the rest of us,” Underwood said. In her spare time, Underwood enjoys reading, shopping, watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , and participating in any activities with her children. Pictured (l -r): Assistant Principal Eric Cowart, Principal Dr. Susan Long, Susan Underwood, Assistant Principal Sonya Bundick, and Assistant Principal Pam Melvin Faculty, Staff recognize top teachers The faculty and staff of Dodge County High School One -Act shines at regions are proud to announce the nominees for Teacher of By Gracie Snyder the Year. Nominated by their peers for this This year, the Dodge County High School One -Act commendable honor are Mrs. Dana Niblett (Science), Play Competition season has been filled with much Ms. Darci Rogers (Math), Mrs. Christy Sheffield excitement and strenuous work. Returning from region (English), Mrs. Susan Underwood (Math), and Mrs. competition with a First Runner Up trophy definitely put Brande Vaughn (English). Our thanks go out to these an exclamation point on the season. wonderful candidates for their commitment to the On Monday, October 20, the One -Act cast and crew success in and out of the classroom of all students at performed at the Magnolia Theater to a full audience DCHS. and then performed for the entire school on Wednesday, Pictured (left to right) are Mrs. Niblett, Mrs. October 22 during all six periods for the English classes. Sheffield, Ms. Rogers, Mrs. Underwood and Mrs. The region competition, where DCHS competed Vaughn. against six other one -act teams, took place at the Appling County High School auditorium on Friday, October 24. The One -Act team placed second, and three actors were named to the All -Star Cast: Derrien Carr, Charlie Johnson, and Tyndal Mitchell. “After having to adjust and having to be extremely flexible about practicing and times, I am thrilled to have placed second at region competition,” stated Vaughn. “I am also excited for our outstanding actors and actresses to be honored for the hard work they put in.” Dodge County High School Tribe Scribe Fall Volume 23 Issue 1 Page 2 DCHS welcomes new faculty, staff Pictured (l -r) Matt Herring (CTAE), SFC Alphonso Marsh (JROTC), Adam Johnson (Science), Chris Bryan (Math), Rene Souther- land (Special Education), Amy Burch (English), Heather Molewski (Special Education), Ashley Jones (CTAE), Brandi Roland (Social Studies), Jodi Spivey (Special Education), Chris Ryles (Band) , Debbie Roland (Front Office Staff) and Martha Breedlove (Custodian Staff) For a closer look at the new members of the DCHS family, please visit our Web site and read their student -written biographies. Individual new faculty and staff biographies can be found under the NEWS tab at dhs.dodge.k12.ga.us GYFA wins at Sunbelt Ag Expo AP Scholars awarded DCHS proudly recognizes five top students who were By Noah Atkinson recently honored as AP Scholars by College Board. The Dodge chapter of the Georgia Young An AP Scholar is a student who has earned scores of 3 Farmers Association (GYFA) felt pride last week or higher on three or more AP exams. after winning first place in the Sunbelt Ag Expo Advanced Placement (AP) exams are scored 1 through barbeque contest in Tifton. The victorious 5. Traditionally, a score of a 3 or higher earns a student barbeque team included Tom Cranford, Eric college credit for that class. AP exams are noted for their Cowart, Joey Jones, and Ken Hardy. After difficulty and the scholarly focus necessary to do well. cooking for thirteen hours straight, the team Four years ago, DCHS offered only one AP class. The eventually walked away triumphant, bringing school now offers seven AP courses and will offer three home a $1,200 check which they will donate to the more beginning next school year. GYFA. “It was an honor to win,” stated Jones. “It Pictured (l -r) Griffin Law, Charlie Johnson, Gracie was hard, yet very rewarding.” Snyder, Gunnar Rogers, and Ryan Graham Class of 2018 commits to graduate By Gracie Snyder With the onset of the new school year, the ninth grade class is beginning to get accustomed to new surroundings as well as starting to set goals they hope to achieve. To spark the making of these attainable aspirations, Jostens held a “Commit to Graduate” ceremony in the DCHS lunchroom on August 26, 2014. The freshmen class attentively listened as Jason Miley, a representative from Jostens, began the presentation by likening high school to a journey he took to Swaziland, Africa. He discussed how “reading to children in Africa was an experience that dramatically changed my life, and likewise, high school is a similar life -altering experience.” The presentation continued as Miley explained the significance of being the “Class of 2018.” He explained, “The two dates people remember most in their lifetime are their birthdate and graduation year. Therefore, 2018 will be a number that is forever a part of you, which is a fact that you should grab hold of and be proud of.” With the excitement given to the students by this statement, Stephen Newman, another Jostens’ representative, quickly began to examine how “2018 will not magically appear, but instead, takes commitment on an individual’s part.” He depicted how commitment is needed in all aspects of a person’s life, whether it be in sports, service projects, or marriage. He then related this commitment to especially being needed in “receiving one’s ticket to the future – a high school diploma.” One of the highlights of the presentation was the “Line of Line” demonstration. In this illustration, six students used an eighty -two foot measuring tape to plot six monumental points in an average person’s life. The demonstration was meant to display how from age fourteen to eighteen, people are in a space in their life known as high school. High school is only one hundred eighty days a year, and Newman explained how “what you do in this short time will forever affect the rest of your life. So, you have the opportunity to make the right choices in a small window of time that will ultimately alter your future.” With this statement beginning to sink in and connect with the freshmen, Newman encouraged the students by stating, “High school is a clean slate, and it starts now!” He then brought up four seniors – Lillie Douglas, Allie Griffis, Alana Bray, and Derrien Carr – who explained how they got involved and applied themselves in high school and what effect that had on them. With the ceremony coming to an end and the feeling of affirmation in the air, the students were asked to sign a “Class of 2018 – Committed to Graduate” banner. Then, they were challenged to approach a teacher or administrator, state their name, their graduation year, and the declaration, “I am committed to graduate.” Each student was then given a green “Commitment to Graduate” bracelet to wear as a reminder of their commitment to the high school road ahead. Before ending, Newman left the students with “a little advice: Don’t just sit there and watch life go by you. Apply yourself, and get connected to activities within school. Earn your diploma, and most importantly, be committed to graduate!” Pictured: (top) Julianna Belflower makes her pledge to graduate in 2018 to Ms. Sheena Orange. (bottom) Tristen Moore signs his name on the Commitment to Graduate banner with other members of the Class of 2018.