SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Editor; sheila@the-grip.net

The resignations of Griffin High School Coach Steve DeVoursney and his wife, Jessica DeVoursney, also a GHS teacher, followed

two investigations, though neither was completed. According to Tim Shepherd, general counsel for the Griffin-Spalding County School System, the first investigation began following an Oct. 28 formal

complaint filed by Spalding High School Principal Darrell Jeffcoat. At the heart of the complaint was the allegation of grade

JESSICA W. GREGORY ::: Publisher; jessica@the-grip.net

"We have three boys, we don't make girls," joked Slate Fluker, Griffin Young Life Director. "We want to grow our family and we wanted a little daughter and this is how we landed on [adopting from] China," he said. Slate's wife, Lindsay, said they decided to pursue adoption in March 2013, despite feeling overwhelmingly busy and high adoption costs. "Our church, Journey, has a real heart for working with the poor and my eyes were just opened and I became aware of how

blessed we are in America. I had a burden for orphans; it just seemed to be popping up everywhere I was going," she said. "We would talk about it here and there and we would think, our plates our full and our boys are keeping us busy and it's so expensive, so we didn't feel like the time was right but it just kept coming up. Back in March of last year, we finally made the decision to start pursuing it." "For me, China is just the cross-section of our family's desire and the great need orphan crisis going on," said Slate, explaining why the family chose China over other countries or domestic adoption. The Flukers describe the grim scenario

that tens of thousands of female Chinese infants experience: "Southeast China actually now has baby drop-off centers. They have built small buildings where people can abandon their babies safely because people were abandoning them in parks, markets, on the side of the road, and they were dying of exposure," said Lindsay. The little girl they will adopt this August, who they plan to name Camille, was left at the gate of an orphanage in a cardboard box when she was only one day old. When they received the email with a picture and

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Editor; sheila@the-grip.net

Signs, signs, everywhere signs – vertical art deco, signs, that is. Now being installed are four signs representing Griffin's rebranding logo at the city's four gateways – Zebulon Road, Highway 16 eastbound and westbound and Highway 362. The Zebulon Road and Highway 362 signs have been installed and the two remaining for Highway 16 will be installed this week. “We had one slated for Highway 16, but the construction kind of axed that,” said Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith. “The

www.the-grip.net ::: free

APRIL 24 - MAY 8, 2014 VOL. 04 NO. 8

CONT, INVESTIGATION, PG. 2

GOVERNMENT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

CONT, SIGNS, P. 7CONT, BABY LIAN RU, P. 2

THE GRIP770-229-3559

PO Box 2251, Griffin GA 30224

Jessica W. GregoryPublisher jessica@the-grip.net

Sheila A. MathewsEditor & Ad Executivesheila@the-grip.net

Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Grip strives for accuracy in all its editorial content. If you have a question, comment, or concern about articles or photos published in The Grip, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us.

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June 16-20 9-noonJuly 21-25 9-noon

ART SUMMER CAMPS @ STACHEpainting ::: comics & drawing

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770-229-6599 | www.stachestudio.net | 116 S. Sixth Street, GriffinCheck our Facebook page for weekly Open Studio times!

The city of Griffin is in the process of installing four gateway signs that represent the rebranding initiative undertaking in 2012. The signs cost $180,000 and were included in the Fiscal Year 2014 budget.

The Fluker Five plus oneSlate and Lindsay Fluker, with their three sons.

City's gateway signs part of rebranding initiative

Records show claims of wrongdoing in DeVoursneys' investigation

Griffin will soon have the first three of eight monuments celebrating the hometown of Doc Holliday and the plans to honor local history.

From the Great Griffin Mayfling to The Rock Ranch Strawberry Festival, there is family fun galore to be found thius weekend. Visit the Mayfling in City Park to enjoy all the festival food, Georgia Tech robotics and entertainment before then head south to create a new tradition by picking strawberries at the peak of freshness.

p. 7 » p. 3 »

changing and illegal football recruiting. Jeffcoat also alleged he had submitted previous complaints that did not result in investigative action being taken by Central Office. “Seldom have responses or resolutions been given or meetings held,” Jeffcoat wrote in his Oct. 28 complaint. Based on this allegation against school system administrators, the Board of Education determined an outside investigator should be retained. This resulted in the hiring of Richard Hyde, of Phoenix Research LLC. Hyde said he began his investigation Nov. 7, and as part of that process interviewed a number of local school personnel. Included in his case update provided to Shepherd March 25, Hyde included damaging statements from former Spalding High School Assistant Principal Dexter Sands, who is now principal of Kennedy Road Middle School. “I know that he (Steve DeVoursney) has done it (illegal recruiting) once before,” Hyde reported Sands said. Hyde went on to say Sands indicated Steve DeVoursney had one approached a Spalding High School student at a track meet regarding

transferring to Griffin High School. The student did not transfer, but rather reported the incident to the SHS principal. Sand also allegedly spoke of a second incident involving another student regarding transferring to GHS. According to Hyde, Sands also indicated Steve DeVoursney had others recruiting athletes on his behalf. “Coach DeVo has a lot of folks in the community that recruit for him,” Hyde reported Sands said. “Part of the reason Central Office does (student) transfers now is to stop recruiting. DeVo is an average coach, but he gets the cream of the crop.” In response to Jeffcoat's allegation of illegal grade changing, Sands reportedly stated that it would be “impossible” for a student to complete credit recovery utilizing Odyssey Ware in one day. In specific reference to the extreme grade change noted in Jeffcoat's complaint, Hyde said Sands stated, “I've never seen it before. I've only seen one kid do one in under one week. He was very smart, but missed a lot of class.” Additional statements reported from Central Office staff included those of Assistant Superintendent Denise Burrell. Hyde said Burrell also confirmed that illegal recruiting was taking

place, but that she did not believe Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones was aware of the activities. “There's no indication that Jones knows this is going on now...I would be very surprised, but I'll tell you it's going on,” Hyde reported Burrell as having said. Burrell was also quoted as having been outspoken in her opposition to the illegal recruiting activities. “This (recruiting) coming back up now, all of this is a blight on our community. There's nothing positive about it,” Hyde quoted Burrell as saying. “It's talked about in the community. It's accepted.” Burrell also allegedly said the illegal recruiting reaches beyond Steve DeVoursney, with other school staff being involved. "Anybody who knows (Coach) Ray Nash will tell you that he's recruiting," Hyde wrote of his interview with Burrell, who also named Anotonio Andrews as being involved. "I'm immunie to the rumors; I've heard them for so long." Burrell was also reported to have emphatically denied that credit recovery could have occurred in the manner some student athletes' records indicate.She denied the possibility of making up an entire semester's credit by saying, "No, no, no." Ω

file for Lian Ru, the Flukers said they "kind of knew immediately" that

she would be their little girl. Though they describe her disposition in the photos as sad and forlorn due to lack of interaction with a caretaker, the Flukers are confident that once she is a part of their family, she will blossom. "The family is a powerful thing," said Slate. "Just how through scripture and life, the power of family to heal, provide shelter and comfort. It's fun to be able to use the family we started 16 years ago when we first got married as an agent of restoration, hope, rebuilding, healing, to carry out a Biblical mandate to loose the cords of oppression." The Fluker's church, Journey Church, is very supportive of families wishing to adopt. Michael Moody, pastor of Journey Church, says that two percent of the church's budget goes to a general adoption fund to help families raise the hight costs of adoption. Moody has very actively fund-raised for the Flukers, creating the "Fluker 50," where he asked 50 people or families to donate $100 to the adoption. The $5,000 goal has long been surpassed, with that particular fund-raiser's balance at $12,000. "It has been really huge for us that we have an advocate in Michael and in our church. It looks like you're climbing Mt. Everest. Michael has been our biggest PR person...to have someone keep the word out there and advocate on our behalf has really been huge," said Slate. Though the fundraisers have been successful, the Flukers are only about two-thirds of the way to their estimated $30-40,000 needed for the adoption. To donate to the Fluker 50 campaign, checks can be designated for the Fluker adoption and sent to Journey Church, P.O. Box 1333, Griffin, Georgia 30224; or online at journeynow.org, where there is a "Give" link. All monies donated go directly to the Fluker family and are tax deductible.

To follow the Fluker family's adoption story, visit Lindsay's blog at http://theflukers.blogspot.com. Ω

GET A GRIP AND GET THE GOOD STUFF THE GRIP APRIL 24 - MAY 8, 2014

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« investigation, cont.

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SUBMITTED ::: A butterfly and container garden workshop will be offered Wednesday, May 28 from 9 a.m. until noon at the University of Georgia Research and Education Garden off Ellis Road in Griffin. The workshop is based on research from the UGA garden and will be presented by experts from the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture. The topics will include garden friendly insects, plants for pollinators, pest control strategies and putting it all together. Participants will build a container garden that will attract pollinating insects like bees and butterflies. The garden will also attract beneficial insects that naturally reduce the need for pesticides. The cost of the workshop is $39 and includes

instruction, materials for the container garden and refreshments. For more information or to register, call (770) 228-7214 or

email bhorne@uga.edu. Register online with a credit card at http://tinyurl.com/ugapollinatorworkshop.

Create butterfly container garden at UGA Griffin workshopSUBMITTED ::: The Rock Ranch Strawberry Festival will be held Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event will celebrate peak strawberry picking season at The Rock Ranch. Guests will enjoy picking fresh strawberries from the strawberry patch and eating homemade strawberry ice cream. There will be tasty strawberry treats like strawberry pies and strawberry shortcake. The Farm Market will remain open until 5:30 p.m. selling berries, fresh produce, honey, jellies, all natural pork products and The Rock Ranch steroid free, antibiotic free beef. All The Rock Ranch attractions will be available for a $10 admission fee. Festival goers will enjoy unlimited access to the locomotive train, pony rides, paddle boats, pedal carts, the giant jumping pillow, Tiny Town, slide hill, cane pole fishing, a petting zoo and more. The festivities include corn hole games, a children’s bounce house and a bluegrass band providing some banjo pickin’ to accompany all the strawberry pickin’. Families may also meet and take pictures with The Rock Ranch Strawberry Princess. Concessions will be sold and menu options include Chick-fil-A sandwiches, pizza, kettle corn, turkey legs boiled peanuts, premium home grown burgers, ribs, roast beef sundaes, funnel cakes and more. The “Cow-A-Bunga” zip lines will be open for those who are not too chicken. These amazing attractions transport guests at tree top level across a corn field and over two ponds at speeds of 30 mph. The cost is $8 to ride the fast lines (800 ft.) or $12.75 to ride the long lines (1400 ft.). There is also a 50 ft. tall rock climbing wall for $5. Strawberries are sold for $3.00 a pound U-Pick or $3.50 pre-picked. The Farm Market, U-Pick produce area and new playground are open every Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from now until November 22. After strawberry season, The Rock Ranch Farm Market will offer fresh crops of garden vegetables, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and grapes. The Rock Ranch is open each of the next three Saturdays: April 26, May 3 and May 10. The Rock Ranch is located at 5020 Barnesville Highway (Highway 36), The Rock, Ga. It is a 1500-acre ranch owned Chick-fil-A founder by S. Truett Cathy and dedicated to “Growing Healthy Families”. For more information, visit www.therockranch.com, call 706-647-6374 or find them on Facebook.

Strawberry Festival promises springtime family fun

SUBMITTED ::: Annual Community Festival Supports Humanitarian EffortsGRIFFIN, GA. -- Kitchen Drawer Illustrated has partnered with TogetherWorks in an effort to build community, beyond promoting tourism in downtown Griffin. The partnership is encouraging community support for humanitarian projects, both local and abroad, through their sponsorship of the 5th Annual Doc Holliday Beer, Wine

and Arts Fest on May 24, 2014.The festival will be held at the Park @ 6th in Griffin, GA., and will include tasting of over 75 craft beers from all over the nation and feature select, seasonal wines. David Fountain, manager of Bank Street Café, is serving as this year's beer professional and is hand picking a seasonal selection of beers that are hard to come by. Charles Arnold, writer and wine enthusiast is serving as

wine sommelier and has compiled a list of unique offerings, including some from local Georgia wineries. Proceeds of this year's event will benefit TogetherWorks. TogetherWorks has two projects - one to help Veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and another to help feed the needy in Nicaragua. Event organizers, Kitchen Drawer Illustrated and TogetherWorks, are

encouraging businesses to make charitable contributions. Volunteers and sponsors are needed! Volunteers receive an official DHBF T-shirt and training about the beers and wines they will be presenting. Sponsors will receive free tickets and other sponsor level perks while having the opportunity to promote their brand/product to patrons at the event.

Annual community festival supports humanitarian efforts

As you save and invest for retirement, what

are your ultimate goals? Do you plan on traveling the world? Purchasing a vaca-tion home? Pursuing your hobbies? People often think and plan for these costs. Yet, too often, many of us over-look what potentially could be a major expense during our retirement years: health care. By preparing for these costs, you can help yourself enjoy the retirement life-style you’ve envisioned. Many of us may ignore the impact of health care costs because we just as-sume Medicare will pay for everything. But that’s not the case. In estimating health care costs during re-tirement, you may find that $4,000 to $6,000 per year per person for traditional medical expenses is a good starting point, although the amount varies by individu-al. Furthermore, this figure does not include the costs of long-term care, which can be considerable. To il-lustrate: The national aver-age for home health aide services is nearly $45,000 per year, and a private room in a nursing home is nearly $84,000 per year, according to a recent survey by Gen-worth, a financial security company. So what can you do to help cope with these costs? Here are a few suggestions: Estimate your costs. Try to estimate what your out-of-pocket health care costs might be, based on your health, your age at retire-ment, whatever supple-mental insurance you may carry and other factors. Know the key dates. Things can change in your life, but try to identify, as closely as possible, the age at which you plan to retire. This will help you spot any coverage gaps before you become

eligible for Medicare at age 65. Also, be aware of the seven-month window for enrolling in Medicare, be-ginning three months be-fore your 65th birthday.Review your insurance op-tions. Medicare-approved insurance companies of-fer some other parts to Medicare, including Part D, which covers prescrip-tion drugs; Medigap, which covers gaps in Parts A and B (in-hospital expenses, doctor services, outpatient care and some preventive services); and Part C (also known as Medicare Advan-tage, which is designed to replace Parts A, B, Medigap and, potentially, part D). You have several options for Part D, Medigap and Medi-care Advantage, each with varying coverage and costs, so choose the plans that best fit your needs. (To learn more about Medicare and supplemental insurance, go to www.medicare.gov.)Develop a long-term care strategy. To meet long-term care costs, you could self-in-sure or purchase insurance coverage. To learn about long-term care insurance solutions, contact your fi-nancial advisor. Invest for growth and ris-ing income. Health care costs typically rise as you move further into retire-ment, so make sure that a reasonable portion of your assets is allocated to invest-ments with the potential for both growth and rising income. Think about health care directives. If you were to become incapacitated, you might be unable to make health care decisions — and these decisions may affect not only your quality of life but also your financial situation, and that of your family. Talk to your legal advisor about establish-ing a health care directive, which allows you to name someone to make choices on your behalf. Health care costs during your retirement may be un-avoidable. But by anticipat-ing these costs, you can put yourself in a position to deal with them — and that’s a healthy place to be. Ω This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Ad-visor.

“Every challenging situation becomes an opportunity for me to trust Him – to obey, to learn, to grow, to rely more on His grace.” – Christina Fox

I read this quote recently and it has ministered to

my own spirit for the past several days. Adjusting to living on the farm has been, well, an adjustment. We labor more than we ever have. Our drive to work is longer. Heck, our drive re-ally anywhere is longer. It’s just harder. But, just be-cause something is hard doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Or a wrong decision was made. Sometimes, things are just hard. And, hard is okay. It’s in the hard places we truly grow. Growth is impossible without some-thing pushing us forward. Trusting God isn’t necessary unless we have something to trust Him in. We don’t need His grace when things are always easy. We can’t be an over-comer without something to overcome. Instead of focusing on what “seems” wrong about the place we are in and fo-cusing on how hard things may be, we have to focus on what is good and right while we are in that place. We have to ask God, “What do you want to work in my life through this?” For ex-ample, instead of focusing my thoughts on the extra work that comes from tak-ing care of horses, I am changing the way I look at it. I watch my daughter carry two buckets of food and walk across a field to the gate. I imagine what God is working in her as she feeds these large animals. What is He speaking to her spirit on those walks across the field? What does she hear in those quiet moments

alone with God’s creation? What if she learns some-thing in these walks that rescues her heart when she is 40? What if? God doesn’t waste one day of our lives. He uses everything for our growth. For our good. For our des-tiny. I love living on the farm. But, if I focus on what is hard, I will become bitter instead of better. If I focus on every positive, life-giv-ing thing it provides, I will not only fall in love with every part of it, I will grow. I will be fulfilled. I will be content. I will be full of joy. This is why James said, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endur-ance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully de-veloped, you will be per-fect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:3-4) He works all things for your good. Even the hard places. So, begin thanking God for them. It is in these places, we become better. We become complete. Ω

This article was originally published in the August 29, 2013 edition of The Grip. We ran it again here because Dusty is enjoying vacation with her family and will re-turn to writing for The Grip in the next edition.

LIFESTYLES4GET A GRIP AND GET THE GOOD STUFF THE GRIP APRIL 24 - MAY 8, 2014

AMY DUNHAMEDWARD JONESFINANCIAL ADVISOR

DUSTY TAKLEEAGLE'S WAY ASSOCIATE PASTOR

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Adoptable Pet of the Week: Jake Lewis

Happy, goofy, playful, loving Jake. Gets along well with other dogs and really likes to play. He is missing his

friend Mavis, who was recently adopted but having fun with Truly and new friend Koda. He is happy to be inside or outside but really wants to be a real family dog. Has a streak of the escape artist in him if he sees an opportunity to challenge the fence. Adoption fee is $125 and includes spay/neuter and routine shots. Call and leave a message 770-229-4925.

Just being competent is not enough to get

ahead in today’s job market. There are four very impor-tant skills you need to suc-ceed. The first one is CLEAR COM-MUNICATIONS. This is the ability to clearly state your point of view and make a connection through your communication. A job-seek-er needs to be able to clearly communicate a picture of his/her work style. The inter-viewer should be able to feel your enthusiasm and have a good understanding of what you think is important after talking with you. Office conversation has increasingly become a se-ries of online emails and some people never develop the ability to give a verbal presentation for example. Technology in some ways has taken away our ability to write well and many people are so busy multitasking that they skip basics like spelling and proofreading. The second is YOUR PER-SONAL BRAND. What do I mean by that? It’s the way you present yourself not only in person, but on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linke-dIn and other sites. Many HR people research candi-dates online and if they find something they don’t like, that can hurt you. Be careful what you post! The third skill is FLEXIBILITY. How well and how quickly you can respond to an em-ployer’s changing needs is as important as how quickly your employer responds to

its customers. The ability to learn new skills is of great im-portance. Companies want to know that if they roll out a new program or new tools, their employees are going to be able to adapt readily and are open to learning. Finally, there is how well you can improve your PRO-DUCTIVITY. Do you do just what is expected of you on the job? Or do you volunteer for projects? A way to really differentiate yourself in the workplace is to be proactive. Clients are looking for em-ployees that have the ability to understand what is want-ed and needed rather than waiting to be told. If you can improve on these skills and demonstrate what you can and have done by describing examples, you will have a fighting chance of either succeeding at your current job, or landing a new one. Ω

Gale Brown Sandler is the founder of Griffin Resume Service and can be reached at galerbrown@gmail.com.

Question: There is a new study about marijuana in the news. What is all of that about? Is there anything dangerous about marijuana, really? I only use it occasionally – may be three or four times a month at parties.

When we look at research, we should consider the prepon-

derance of evidence that it offers and temper that with common sense. Sadly, common sense is sometimes trumped by political considerations when it comes to this particular drug. Icannot imagine, for example, pro-tracted political fights over personal use of Zantac or Amoxicillin. There seems to be a tsunami of ac-ceptance for the use of marijuana. As you know from the news, some states have made it legal, or at least less ille-gal, despite federal laws that suppos-edly supersede state laws. Apparently, those federal laws only apply when the Attorney General and Depart-ment of Justice agree with them. Recently, findings of another study were released (April issue of the Jour-nal of Neuroscience) that suggest that marijuana use with a frequency of one or more exposures per week in young people will change the shape and function of areas of the brain which deal with emotion and motivation. MRI studies comparing regular pot users with people who do not smoke marijuana found that the nucleus ac-cumbens, a brain region known to be involved in reward processing, and the amygdala nuclei, which are connected to emotion centers, were larger and had a different shape and structure in the marijuana users com-pared to non-users. There were also changes in the density of gray matter in these areas of the brain, which is composed of nerve cell bodies. These findings are consistent with animal studies (How about a poodle smoking pot for science?) that have shown the

same brain changes. Many of the studies on marijuana users have concentrated on those with heavy usage, not light or moder-ate users as this study did. This study is potentially enlightening if we as-sume that most users fall into the ca-sual/light or moderate category. Brain damage with casual marijuana use might correspond to a social drinker who shows measurable liver damage with even light exposure, which does not happen with small amounts of al-cohol once per week, by the way, for those who want to compare marijua-na to alcohol. Marijuana, though illegal, is every-where. About 19 million people in United States admit using marijuana, according to the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Mental Health, leav-ing open the possibility that there are millions more who do not admit it. Because the supply is large, the price has even come down over the years. Marijuana use is known to be asso-ciated with problems in motivation, attention span, learning ability, and memory impairments. It changes mental acuity, reaction times, sensory input, behavior, judgment, and social relationships.

Marijuana stimulates receptors in the brain that influence pleasure, mem-ory, thinking ability, concentration, sensory and time perception, and co-ordination of movement. It alters per-ceptions and mood, impairs the abil-ity to walk or perform functions that involve fine motor control, interferes with thinking and problem solving, and disrupts learning and memory. This study in the Journal of Neuro-science focused on young adults. We know that marijuana affects brain development when used heavily by young people, and its effects on think-ing and memory may be long-lasting or permanent. Another study showed serious learning impairment among people who began marijuana use in their teenage years. A long-term study from New Zealand showed that peo-ple who began smoking marijuana heavily as teenagers lost an average of eight points and their IQ between the ages of 13 and 38. The lost cognitive abilities were not restored in those who stopped smoking marijuana as adults. This study will spark debate on both sides of the marijuana issue. Right now in the state of Georgia, posses-sion and use our illegal. Even light exposure stays in your blood (and urine) for about 30 days. Heavier ex-posure will cause you to test positive for up to four months after you quit. If an employer does hair analysis, it may be found farther back than that. I return at this point to the combina-tion of research and common sense mentioned in the first paragraph. If you are a pot user now, or considering trying it, just weigh the evidence as you make your decision. Look at what you think it does for you versus what it actually does to you. Hopefully, re-search and common sense will guide you to a better decision. Ω

LIFESTYLES 5 APRIL 24 - MAY 8, 2014 THE GRIP GET A GRIP AND GET THE GOOD STUFF

DR. BOB HAYDEN DC, PhD, FICC

HEALTH & WELLNESS

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April 26-27. Great Griffin Mayfling. Griffin City Park. Vendor applications are now being accepted. Appli-cation may be found online at http://www.griffincham-ber.com?wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2014-Application.pdf.

May 1. Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee Breakfast. 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Stuckey Building on the University of Georgia-Griffin Campus. Senatorial candidates have been invited to introduce themselves and briefly present their qualifications and platform.

Monthly Alzheimer's support group meetings. Reflec-tions Adult Day Program is hosting an Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group. Affiliated with the Georgia Alzheimer's Association, the meetings are held from 2 to 3 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Spalding County Senior Center, 885 Memorial Drive. For additional information call 770-233-6179.

Weekly line dance lessons. Held at 7 p.m. every Thursday at the Spalding County Senior Center. Lessons for begin-ners to advanced dancers. $5 per class. For additional information contact Eddie Huffman at 770-412-8838.

Virtual Program Information Sessions. For parents inter-ested in learning about this program, the Griffin-Spalding County School System is holding a series of informational meetings in the Learning Center located at 216 S. 6th St. Meetings will be offered at 6 p.m. May 12 and 22, 3:30 p.m. June 9 and July 29. Re-quired orientation sessions are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. May 29, June 13 and July 31. For additional informa-tion contact Central Office at 770-229-3700.

For more events, visit The Grip's calendar at www.the-grip.net/community-calendar.

GET A GRIP AND GET THE GOOD STUFF THE GRIP APRIL 24 - MAY 8, 2014

6 COMMUNITY

GET A GRIP :::p o l l o f t h e w e e k

calendar :::

Do you believe that the fate of the proposed new airport should be determined by voters? Yes, the people should have a vote on big projects such as this. 62.32%No, we elect officials to make important decisions such as this. 37.68%

Last week's results:

VOTE NOW AT WWW.THE-GRIP.NET

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Do you like the city of Griffin's branding as represented on its new gateway signs?

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Dr. Terry H. Wynne112 W Oak St.

Griffin, GA 30224(770) 227-2924

large selection of jewelrygold dipped roses

sentimental plaquesFaerie Glen gurines

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SUBMITTED ::: The Griffin-Spalding County School System will host four informational sessions for its Virtual Program. Students in grades K through 9 who are not currently enrolled in the district can register for online courses.Information sessions will be held on May 12 at 6 pm and May 22, June 9 and July 29 at 3:30 pm in the Learning Center at 216 South Sixth Street.Required orientation sessions are set for May 29,

June 13 and July 31 at 3:30 pm. Students are expected to work on their lessons 20 hours per week in grades K-3 and 25 hours per week in grades 4-9.The Virtual Program is tuition free for students in Spalding County provided they stay enrolled through October 15. Based on education research, the curriculum packages high-quality lessons with mastery-based assessments that ensure students

achieve success at each and every level.With individualized learning approaches, the Griffin-Spalding Virtual Program provides the tools students need to succeed. “Parents must be involved at all grade levels,” said Deputy Superintendent Denise Burrell. “Some student must increase the amount of time spent on the classes to be successful. But, this is an opportunity for those students who work best in a virtual environment.” Ω

GSCS Announces Virtual Program Info Sessions

SUBMITTED ::: Join the many who have discovered the benefits of line dancing, enjoy the music and the fellowship while getting exercise, having fun and much more. The new line dancing class is open to all age groups, so if you have ever wanted to learn how to line dance, now is the time.Lessons are held at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the Spalding County Senior Center located at 885 Memorial Drive. Sponsored by Spalding County Parks and Recreation, classes are $5 each. For additional information, call Eddie Huffman, the certified instructor, at 770-412-8838. Ω

Introduction to line dancing lessons being offered

770-229-6599 | www.stachestudio.net | 116 S. Sixth Street, Griffin

(after April 31 for June / May 31 for July)

June 16-20 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.July 21-25 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

City to host “Touch-A-Truck” for GA Cities WeekSUBMITTED ::: City of Griffin residents will have the opportunity to “touch a truck” at an event scheduled April 26th in City Park. Between 11AM and 4PM, residents will be able to see, touch, and play in vehicles including a police car from the Griffin Police Department, a fire truck from Griffin Fire Rescue, a bucket truck from Griffin Power, and more. “The event is called ‘Touch-a-Truck,’ but it is much more than that,” said Alvin Huff, Citizen Engagement Specialist for the City of Griffin. “It’s really about getting to understand what the city does and how we do it. It’s a great event for the entire family. The kids can flip switches and play in the police car while we advise the parent how to better secure their homes. We’ll have city staff available, so the public can ask questions.” This event is held in conjunction with the Georgia Municipal Association’s Georgia Cities Week. According to the Georgia Municipal Association website, “Georgia Cities Week gives cities an opportunity to share information about the valuable services cities provide to residents and how cities positively impact their quality of life.” Also in the park that day, the Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the annual “Great Griffin Mayfling,” Griffin’s annual arts and crafts fair. For more information about the City of Griffin, visit www.cityofgriffin.com. Ω

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state left us with no right-of-way, so we changed the plan.”Part of an initiative that was undertaken in 2012, the design was one of several proposed by SkyDesign, the consulting group hired by the Griffin Board of Commissioners to craft a new identifying branding.A committee of resident volunteers was also involved in the process, having met regularly with designers and city officials.The four signs, purchased for $80,000 that was funded in the Fiscal Year 2014 budget, have been met with mixed reactions.While some residents have taken to social media to complain about the price, others have assailed the design,

stating the vertical signs are difficult to read and not representative of the community.Smith, who is aware of some complaints, said the signs are the latest step in the city's plan to move forward with the full implementation of the branding. The city has already started using the new branding on city vehicles, letterhead, business cards and other signage.“We also got t-shirts,” Smith said.Additional projects have been scheduled for the near future, with funding planned for the coming year.“We're budgeting in the Fiscal Year 2015 budget for directional signs and parking signs, primarily for the downtown area. Those signs are varying costs, so we're going to try and get as many as we can,” Smith said. “We're probably going to propose about $50,000 in next year's (Fiscal

Year 2015) budget.”He said those wayfaring signs will be similar to those now located on Hill Street, and will be used to direct motorists to lesser known downtown parking spots such as those behind Slices Pizzeria and the Post Office.To those who are dissatisfied with the overall branding itself, Smith encouraged more timely participation in future city endeavors.“The people complaining about the branding – they're well behind,” he said. “In everything we do, we seek as much input as we can possibly get. The difficulty on our part is trying to get people involved in the decision making process. Unfortunately, we can't please everyone. We welcome everyone's input, but we have to have it before we roll the project out.” Ω

« signs, cont.

SUBMITTED ::: The Spalding County Sheriff's Office along with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Griffin Police Department are participating in the annual Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 26. The Spalding County Sheriff's Office will be at Wynn's Pharmacy located at 566 S. 8th St. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the Griffin Police Department will be at Wal-Mart from 10 a.m to

2 p.m. This program allows residents to properly dispose of prescription medication. Citizens with prescription medication that has reached its expiration date or is no longer needed are encouraged to bring the medication to Wynn's Pharmacy or Wal-Mart. Please do not bring liquid medications or syringes.

The abuse of prescription drugs is increasing and the proper disposal of unneeded medication will help prevent any improper use. Beam said, “I am encouraging all citizens to bring any unneeded prescription medication to Wynn's Pharmacy where agents from the Spalding County Sheriff's Office Special Operations-Narcotics Division will

dispose of the medication. I want to thank Drew Miller and the staff at Wynn's Pharmacy for their participation in this program.” Lt. Mike Richardson, of the GPD, said, “Improper disposal of medications poses a risk to children and to the environment,” and advised marked patrol cars would be located near the Wal-Mart entrance. Ω

Drug Take Back Day set for April 26

City of Griffin Commissioner Dick Morrow on Wednesday accepted a $5,000 donation from Lewis Walton, who in 2013 initiated contact with local officials, expressing a desire to assist in efforts to spotlight Griffin as the birthplace of John Henry "Doc" Holliday. Walton's donation will be used to fund the purchase of three monuments designating Holliday's Solomon Street Dental Office, Final Resting Place, and the grave of Martha Eleanora Holliday, Doc Holliday's sister.The cost of each monument is $2,000, and a total of eight are currently planned. City officials stressed that these monuments will be entirely funded by private donations, not taxpayer funds.

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770-229-2077 | 108 N. Hill Street, Downtown Griffin

(770) 227-2595124 W. SOLOMON ST. | DOWNTOWN GRIFFIN

THURS & FRI: 9am-6pm ||| SATURDAY: 9am-4pm

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324 E. Broad Street

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770.227.2349212 S. 11th Street

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Thursday & Friday 10-6 ::: Sat 10-5 Sunday 12:30 - 4:30

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Watch for “La Petite Boutique”Griffin’s newest Children’s Consignment

ANTIQUE MALLMonday-Saturday 10am-5pm

678-315-3402 ∙ 314 E. SOLOMON STREET

J. William Edwards Pavilionin the Park at Sixth

2014 Free Movie Series

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APRIL 26 4 PM

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116 S. Sixth Street

MAY 1 6 PM

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