Year: 2017

By Rebecca Tyra

Buford High School’s Accountability Report states that, “Excellence is not just an act; it is a habit.” For four students in the school’s Academic Bowl program, that statement rang particularly true as they prepared for their turn in the spotlight. These four team members were selected to represent Buford High School on WSB-TV’s “High Q” TV show on December 10th. The BHS “High Q” team is comprised of seniors Matt Purlee (team captain), Linus Davidson, Alex Shells, and Parth Purani. 

Tim Harris is the advisor for the BHS Academic Bowl program, as well as an English teacher at the school, where he has been employed since 2003. The two Academic Bowl teams at BHS meet weekly and are open to any academically gifted students at the school. 

Though the episode featuring Buford High School was taped on November 1st, Mr. Harris promises that it will be worth the wait to watch it. “It is an exciting contest — a real nail-biter,” he promises. 

Currently hosted by WSB-TV meteorologist Katie Walls, “High Q” premiered in 1978 and is now in its 32nd season. According to the station’s website, each week two teams of four students representing Atlanta-area high schools face off against each other on the show. The teams compete in a game show format to correctly answer questions in the fields of history, math, literature, science, the arts and current events. The winning team advances to the next round. 

The BHS team will go up against Carrollton High School, and the winner from that episode will proceed to the Round 2 of the competition, which will be held on March 10, 2018. After Round 2, there will be a set of semi-finals, before a championship showdown on May 12, 2018. The winning team members will walk away with scholarship money for their post-secondary educations.

The “High Q” episode featuring the BHS Academic Bowl team will air on Sunday, December 10th at 1 p.m.

By Jessica Wilson

The holiday season is officially upon us, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, Christmas morning will be here before we know it. 

Though most of us are full of excitement as the holidays approach us, let us not forget the many families within our community that are full of dread instead of joy this season. For some, the excitement of the season is replaced with anxiousness, as the list of those in need within our community continues to grow. 

Nonprofit organizations throughout the county are sponsoring families in need this holiday season, one of those being the annual Stuff the Bus event, offered by the Buford City School system. The event encourages students to give back to their community by creating a fun way for students to spread Christmas joy to other children in need, by filling a Buford City school bus with unwrapped toys. 

Beginning November 28th a bus, decorated with red ribbons and wreaths, will be seen parked at the different schools within the city to be ‘stuffed’ by students, parents, and staff. The bus will begin its parking route with Buford High School, followed by the middle school on the 29th, Buford Academy on the 30th and will end at Buford Elementary on December 1st. The bus will be accepting donations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at each location. 

The most significant need, according to Sarah McIlvenna, Buford City Schools social worker, are gifts for 5th to 12th grade students. She encourages the community not to forget the older students and gave gift suggestions for them, such as toiletries, spirit wear, books, and winter accessories. She also suggested that parents consider donating a gift that matches your child’s age.

By Rebecca Tyra

On November 14th, the Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett presented school administrators from North Gwinnett High School with a miniature Kiwanis Bell in honor of the school’s academic achievements. 

For the past several years, North Gwinnett High School has consistently achieved exceptional results in academic excellence with a focus on a STEM curriculum. The school’s accountability report indicates that in 2016, NGHS rated 97.9 out of 100 on the State of Georgia’s College and Career Ready Performance Index. In fact, NGHS is one of the top ten high schools in the state of Georgia, where 77 percent of students participate in AP classes and 96 percent of them graduate. SAT and ACT scores at the school are also significantly higher than the national averages. 

North Gwinnett High School promotes leadership as well as academic excellence. There are several leadership programs at the school, and all are written, planned and led by students. The school’s website states that ‘Leadership at all levels is the cornerstone of North Gwinnett’s Culture.’

Nathan Ballantine, who was among those honored at the recent Kiwanis meeting, is the principal of NGHS. Mr. Ballantine is a career educator who earned a bachelor’s degree in science with a major in chemistry from James Madison University in 1998. He began his career at Norcross High School as a science teacher in 2000. After earning his master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Georgia State University in 2004, he transitioned into the position of Assistant Principal at Norcross High School. He served in that role for eight years before taking over leadership of NGHS in 2013.

The Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett sponsors and mentors the Key Club at North Gwinnett High School. Throughout the year, Kiwanis members raise fund through various projects such as the annual Father-Daughter Valentine Dance, the Vidalia Onion Sale & Fun Run, and a golf tournament. Monies raised from these projects are returned locally toward the support of the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, North Gwinnett Co-Op and several other charitable organizations. The KCNG offers several scholarships for local high school seniors each year and sponsors an annual Youth Art Contest. 

The KCNG holds its meetings every Tuesday in the far ballroom on the top floor of the Buford Community Center from 12:00–1:00 p.m.

The public is invited to attend any meeting as a guest to learn more about how to get involved with one of the largest growing service organizations in the area. For a list of local businesses that are involved in Kiwanis, please visit the membership directory page of the NGKC’s website.

By Andrea Runnels

Final exams, reflecting on classic works of literature, college essays, oh my! These are the words that set fear in the hearts of many students this time of year. With the end of first semester coming soon, it’s getting to be “crunch time” for students at Buford High School. However, channeling Hemingway isn’t exactly a top priority for most high school students. In this world of “text talk” and emojis, it’s usually quite the opposite. Writing ends up almost a lost art and students end up frustrated. Class times are short, demands are high, and the workload just keeps increasing. Students often end up feeling overwhelmed. Hiring a private tutor can be costly and free time for students is limited between extra-curricular activities, homework, and after-school jobs. This doesn’t have to be the case if you are a student at Buford High though.

The school has the perfect solution to combat these writing woes — Buford High has its own Writing Center, a free tutoring service for students at the school. The center had a great inaugural year in 2016-2017 and things are in full swing for this school year. The center is conveniently open before school from 7:00-7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2:45-4:00 p.m. The best part about the center is that it is staffed by students. Having the option of getting help from a peer tutor makes students feel more comfortable.  

Have something finished and need a quick second set of eyes to double check for those pesky comma splices or typos? Having trouble organizing your thoughts to get started? The fully-trained staffers offer support with these issues and more. They are ready to help with all your writing and grammar needs. To get started, head to bhswritingcenter.weebly.com. Click on the “Schedule an Appointment” link and you’re off and running. They even take walk-ins if you’re in a jam! Check out the site to learn more.

Families of all sizes stood in line last Tuesday night in front of the North Gwinnett Co-op to receive one of the many Thanksgiving meal boxes being offered to qualifying families in need in the North Gwinnett area.

Cardboard boxes lined the hallway of the Co-Op, each containing items needed for a holiday meal offering a token of hope for those struggling this season. Over 800 boxes were prepared by hundreds of volunteers in the community, including the North Gwinnett Girl Scouts, local businesses and several area churches. 

Food was not the only thing being given out Tuesday. The d irector of the NG Co-op Kim Phillips was loading a box into a car as I approached the end of the hallway. A woman who was assisting with the box began to hug Kim and the other volunteers present. The woman was introduced to me as Stephanie,  a member of the community, whose husband had suffered a stroke this past year. Stephanie shook my hand as she continued to thank the volunteers, “ya’ll will never know how much this means to us.” 

Kim explained that the box they were loading into her car contained medical equipment that the woman’s husband needed for therapy. 

Though the list of those in the community that are facing hardships is long, Kim said the Co-op is very fortunate this year and has no doubts that they will be able to help all of those who have applied for and met the requirements for assistance this holiday season. This year’s Thanksgiving meal boxes fed 586 families — over 1500 individuals.