(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two of the nation’s top high school basketball players - Derrick Favors of Atlanta (Georgia) South Atlanta High School and Skylar Diggins of South Bend (Indiana) Washington High School - headline the four boys teams and four girls teams set to compete in the 2008 T-Mobile Invitational national high school basketball tournament.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the eight-team field for this year’s event, which will be held December 29-30 at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana. The NFHS-member Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) will serve as the tournament’s host state association. As such, two Indiana high schools were invited to participate in the tournament.
Favors, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior forward-center, and Diggins, a 5-9 senior guard, are considered to be among the nation’s top high school boys and girls basketball players, respectively.
South Atlanta High School, which has become a power in Georgia behind the physically imposing and athletic Favors, is expected to contend for the 2009 Georgia High School Association Class AAA state title. The multi-talented Diggins has led South Bend Washington to an IHSAA Class 4A state title and to two runner-up finishes in her first three varsity seasons.
Other boys teams participating are Duncanville (Texas) High School, Seattle (Washington) Garfield High School and Indianapolis (Indiana) Lawrence North High School.
Competing with South Bend Washington for the girls title will be Madison (Alabama) Bob Jones High School, Newark (New Jersey) University High School and Indianola (Mississippi) Gentry High School.
The T-Mobile Invitational is the only basketball tournament sponsored by the NFHS, and the field is composed only of schools from NFHS-member associations.
“We are looking forward to this year’s tournament,” said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. “Not only does this event showcase some of the best teams and individuals in the country, but it also showcases the important role that activity programs play in high school education.”
“T-Mobile is proud to sponsor such a quality event,” said Mike Belcher, vice president of brand communications, T-Mobile USA. “The caliber of play is outstanding. And the caliber of individuals taking part is just as great.”
In addition to the two days of games, all coaches and players of the participating schools will join T-Mobile employees for a T-Mobile Huddle Up℠ community service project on December 28 designed to improve the after-school facilities at a local community-based organization or public school (site to be determined). T-Mobile Huddle Up is T-Mobile USA’s community outreach program connecting kids to positive people, places and programs. T-Mobile Huddle Up focuses on addressing the critical need for safe, high-quality, after-school programs for kids nationwide.
The inaugural T-Mobile Invitational was held in 2006 in Seattle with the nation’s No. 1-ranked girls team, Suwanee (Georgia) Collins Hill High School, and the boys team from Los Angeles (California) Fairfax High School taking home the championship trophies. The scene shifted to Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico’s “The Pit” for the 2007 T-Mobile Invitational. Set against that scenic Land of Enchantment backdrop, Jersey City (New Jersey) St. Anthony High School, ranked No. 1 in the nation, claimed the boys title, while Long Beach (California) Poly High School was the girls winner.
The partnership between T-Mobile and the NFHS, the national leadership organization for high school athletic and fine arts activities, strives to encourage student participation in interscholastic activities and emphasizes the importance of these programs in preparing students for life. In addition to the basketball tournament, the partnership between the NFHS and T-Mobile includes T-Mobile’s sponsorship of the NFHS annual national student leadership conference, plus other initiatives and events. T-Mobile is the Official Telecommunications Partner of the NFHS.
Here’s a closer look at the 2008 T-Mobile Invitational field:
Boys
Atlanta (Georgia) South Atlanta High School
Behind the prodigious play of Favors, South Atlanta compiled a 27-3 record in 2007-08 and was ranked No. 7 in Class AAA. The talented and multi-skilled forward-center averaged 23.7 points, 17.1 rebounds, 9.1 blocks, 3.6 steals and 2.7 assists as a junior last season and had 19 triple-doubles in 30 games. For his efforts, he was named Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Class AAA first-team all-state and second-team Parade All-American. Among the eight players South Atlanta returns in 2008-09 is 5-11 senior point guard Nick Watkins, who is ranked as one of the top guards in the state. The Hornets scored 80 points per game and held opposing teams to 50 points per game in 2007-08, and were ranked 15th in the nation at one point of the season by USA Today.
Duncanville (Texas) High School
The second-largest high school in the nation in terms of physical size, Duncanville (Texas) High School has put up some equally huge numbers on the boys basketball court. Duncanville went 35-2 in 2007-08, including a spotless 14-0 in district play. It lost to eventual state champion North Crowley in the regional final and finished the season ranked No. 5 in Class 5A. The top returning scorers for 2008-09 are 6-7 Shawn Williams (17 ppg) and 6-5 Roger Franklin (14.5 ppg), who both were named to the all-state team last season. The Panthers’ frontline is expected to be bolstered this winter by the addition of 6-10 junior transfer Perry Jones. Coach Phil McNeely, who has compiled a career record of 674-173 and led Duncanville to state titles in 1991, 1999 and 2007, was 2007 EA SPORTS National Coach of the Year and 2008 District 8-5A Basketball Coach of the Year.
Seattle (Washington) Garfield High School
Coming off a strong 17-9 season with a very young team featuring one of the nation’s top underclassmen, Seattle (Washington) Garfield looks to build on that success in 2008-09. The Bulldogs’ top four scorers and top four rebounders all return, led by highly touted 6-5 sophomore point guard Tony Wroten Jr. As a mere freshman, the precocious and well-rounded Wroten averaged 20.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, all team-highs. Six-one senior guard De’andre Taylor, who collected 15.4 points, three assists and two steals per contest, led the squad in three-point field goals in 2007-08. Jaron Cox, a 5-9 senior guard, averaged 6.3 points and provides additional depth to the already talented backcourt, while 6-3 junior Wilson Platt toiled inside with averages of 5.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. The Bulldogs will be led by first-year coach Ed Haskins.
Indianapolis (Indiana) Lawrence North High School
Perennial Hoosier State power Indianapolis (Indiana) Lawrence North High School will field a very tall and talented team in 2008-09. The Wildcats will give opposing teams nightmares as they return a formidable trio of 6-9 players, including senior Stephan Van Treese, who is a four-year varsity player and is verbally committed to Louisville; senior Jeff Robinson, who has verbally committed to Purdue; and junior Dominique Ferguson, who is regarded as one of the nation’s top juniors. Coach Jack Keefer, who has been Lawrence North’s only boys basketball coach since it opened its doors in 1976-77, led the Wildcats to state titles in 1989, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Among the outstanding big men Keefer coached were Eric Montross and Greg Oden, both seven-footers who played in the National Basketball Association.
Girls
Madison (Alabama) Bob Jones High School
Madison (Alabama) Bob Jones defeated Clay-Chalkville, 48-42, to claim the 2008 Alabama High School Athletic Association girls Class 6A state title, the first state basketball championship in school history. In that state title game, Bob Jones (35-2) played seven players, all juniors who will return in 2008-09. Among them is Kylie Cook, who was named tournament MVP. Her twin sister, 5-10 guard-forward Kellie Cook, was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association 2008 All-State Basketball Team Super Five (all enrollment classes combined), as well as to the Class 6A first-team. Their classmate, 5-6 guard Jala Harris, was named Class 6A second-team all-state. Coach Tim Miller, who has compiled a 238-40 career record, also led Montgomery (Alabama) Jeff Davis High School to the 2006 state title and was named 2007-08 Class 6A coach of the year. Sports Illustrated recently named Bob Jones High School’s athletic program as the best in the state of Alabama.
Newark (New Jersey) University High School
Newark (New Jersey) University, which finished the 2007-08 season 27-4, has won back-to-back New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1 state titles. Led by coach Felicia Oliver, University lost only one player from last year’s squad to graduation and returns 14 players for 2008-09. Leading the way is 6-0 junior Laurin Mincy, who was named first-team all-state as both a freshman (the first girl in New Jersey history to do so) and a sophomore and was named New Jersey Player of the Year as a sophomore. That season, the versatile Mincy averaged 19.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.9 blocks per game, and already has scored 1,318 points in her 66-game career. In addition, senior Nadirah McKenith was named both second-team all-state and first-team All-Group 1 last year.
Indianola (Mississippi) Gentry High School
Under the direction of coach Charles Williams, Indianola Gentry won MHSAA Class 4A state titles and MHSAA Grand Slam tournaments in both 2007 and 2008. Gentry defeated Yazoo County, 52-44, for the 2008 MHSAA Class 4A state title, and a week later, topped Class 5A state champion Jackson Murrah, 80-75, in double-overtime for the MHSAA Grand Slam championship. Multi-skilled 5-6 junior guard Brizannai Washington, who averaged 14.7 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals as a sophomore in 2007-08, was named Grand Slam player of the game. Finishing the season an unblemished 40-0, Gentry was ranked No. 7 in the ESPN High Elite 25 high school girls basketball rankings and No. 20 in the USA Today Super 25. Gentry is currently riding an 80-game winning streak, which ties the Mississippi high school state record.
South Bend (Indiana) Washington High School
Led by multi-talented 5-9 senior guard Skylar Diggins, South Bend Washington is expected to be one of the state’s top teams again this year. During her first three seasons, Diggins paced the Panthers to an amazing 76-6 record, an Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title and two runner-up finishes. As a junior, the versatile Diggins averaged 29.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.5 blocked shots. Diggins, who possesses long-range three-point shooting ability, was a Parade Magazine first-team All-American performer in 2007-08, and is expected to contend for national player of the year honors this year. Senior forward Takoia Larry, who scored 24 points in last year’s state championship game, averaged 10.9 points last season when she was named high honorable-mention all-state.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Fayette County BOE Chairwoman Terri Smith Appointed FRN Member
Fayette County Board of Education Chairwoman Terri Smith was among the 1,300 school board members nationwide appointed to participate in the Federal Relations Network (FRN) this year.
FRN is a program of the National School Boards Association that involves local school board members from every congressional district in the country who are committed to grassroots advocacy for public education. State school board associations appoint members to the network, usually up to five local school board members for each congressional district in the state.
Responsibilities as a FRN member are significant. During the course of a year, participants receive vital information concerning federal education legislation and national issues. Collectively, they make their voices heard by responding to calls-to-action that involve phoning, faxing or writing federal legislators on various educational issues. They also keep their fellow board members apprised of issues by distributing background materials to get them and others involved.
Because school board members stand on the front lines of education, they are able to tell members of Congress what will or will not work in local districts. Many senators and representatives have come to rely on FRN members to advise them on the vast array of issues that affect public schoolchildren.
This year, members of the network were able to accomplish the following:
1. Continue Medicaid reimbursement to schools.
2. Restore $1.645 billion for four years in funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.
3. Successfully oppose proposals to cut education funding.
4. Successfully defeated a measure in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 that would have limited local school districts’ abilities to raise tax rates, having a negative impact on school budgets.
5. Intensify the discussion about the flaws in the No Child Left Behind Act and increase the urgency to fix the law.
6. Secure federal support to help districts recruit and retain quality teachers for high-need schools and subjects.
7. Successfully continue the fight against vouchers.
8. Generate awareness about the importance of early education.
9. Secure final passage of Head Start reauthorization.
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FRN is a program of the National School Boards Association that involves local school board members from every congressional district in the country who are committed to grassroots advocacy for public education. State school board associations appoint members to the network, usually up to five local school board members for each congressional district in the state.
Responsibilities as a FRN member are significant. During the course of a year, participants receive vital information concerning federal education legislation and national issues. Collectively, they make their voices heard by responding to calls-to-action that involve phoning, faxing or writing federal legislators on various educational issues. They also keep their fellow board members apprised of issues by distributing background materials to get them and others involved.
Because school board members stand on the front lines of education, they are able to tell members of Congress what will or will not work in local districts. Many senators and representatives have come to rely on FRN members to advise them on the vast array of issues that affect public schoolchildren.
This year, members of the network were able to accomplish the following:
1. Continue Medicaid reimbursement to schools.
2. Restore $1.645 billion for four years in funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.
3. Successfully oppose proposals to cut education funding.
4. Successfully defeated a measure in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 that would have limited local school districts’ abilities to raise tax rates, having a negative impact on school budgets.
5. Intensify the discussion about the flaws in the No Child Left Behind Act and increase the urgency to fix the law.
6. Secure federal support to help districts recruit and retain quality teachers for high-need schools and subjects.
7. Successfully continue the fight against vouchers.
8. Generate awareness about the importance of early education.
9. Secure final passage of Head Start reauthorization.
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Piedmont Hospital Receives Clinical Excellence Award for Cardiac Surgical Care
Piedmont Hospital today announced that it has received the 2009 clinical excellence award for cardiac surgery from HealthGrades®, the healthcare ratings company. The award places Piedmont Hospital’s clinical outcomes in the top 10 percent nationally. In addition, Piedmont was named Best in Atlanta for Overall Cardiac Care and Cardiac Surgery for the second consecutive year.
Piedmont Hospital received five-star ratings in the categories of Coronary Bypass Surgery, Treatment of Heart Attack and Treatment of Heart Failure. Piedmont Hospital’s outcomes place it among the top five hospitals in Georgia for cardiac surgery, cardiology and overall cardiac services.
“Piedmont Hospital is honored to be recognized again by HealthGrades for our commitment to excellence in cardiac care,” said Robert W. Maynard, President and CEO. “As Piedmont increases the services available through its hospitals and the Piedmont Heart Institute, our physicians and staff will continue to provide the highest quality of care for our patients.”
In 2008, Piedmont Hospital celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first open-heart surgery at the hospital and the same anniversary of offering cardiac angioplasty. The Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI) also launched Piedmont Heart Health Advantage, a new program to predict and prevent heart disease that goes beyond standard screening techniques to identify dangerous plaques in the arteries, the kind that can be responsible for sudden death. Piedmont also recently announced the addition of the world’s most advanced imaging technology, the Toshiba Aquilion One Dynamic Volume CT Scanner.
Other programs are available through Piedmont Hospital's Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta – a 162-bed service that offers a full spectrum of integrated cardiovascular care from initial testing to post-surgery recovery, including nationally accredited programs in cardiac rehabilitation, echocardiology, peripheral vascular and congestive heart failure.
The Clinical Excellence Award given to Piedmont Hospital was released in conjunction with the 11th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation’s approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.
While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation’s best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.
Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2009 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
On its Web site, HealthGrades offers, free to consumers, quality ratings of 27 procedures and treatments for virtually every hospital in the country. The site is designed so that consumers can easily compare patient outcomes at their local hospitals for procedures ranging from aortic aneurysm repair to bypass surgery. Each hospital receives a star rating based on its patient outcomes in terms of mortality or complication rates for each procedure or treatment. Hospitals with outcomes that are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating. Because no two hospitals or their patients’ risk profiles are alike, HealthGrades employs extensive risk-adjustment algorithms to ensure that it is making analogous comparisons.
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Piedmont Hospital received five-star ratings in the categories of Coronary Bypass Surgery, Treatment of Heart Attack and Treatment of Heart Failure. Piedmont Hospital’s outcomes place it among the top five hospitals in Georgia for cardiac surgery, cardiology and overall cardiac services.
“Piedmont Hospital is honored to be recognized again by HealthGrades for our commitment to excellence in cardiac care,” said Robert W. Maynard, President and CEO. “As Piedmont increases the services available through its hospitals and the Piedmont Heart Institute, our physicians and staff will continue to provide the highest quality of care for our patients.”
In 2008, Piedmont Hospital celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first open-heart surgery at the hospital and the same anniversary of offering cardiac angioplasty. The Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI) also launched Piedmont Heart Health Advantage, a new program to predict and prevent heart disease that goes beyond standard screening techniques to identify dangerous plaques in the arteries, the kind that can be responsible for sudden death. Piedmont also recently announced the addition of the world’s most advanced imaging technology, the Toshiba Aquilion One Dynamic Volume CT Scanner.
Other programs are available through Piedmont Hospital's Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta – a 162-bed service that offers a full spectrum of integrated cardiovascular care from initial testing to post-surgery recovery, including nationally accredited programs in cardiac rehabilitation, echocardiology, peripheral vascular and congestive heart failure.
The Clinical Excellence Award given to Piedmont Hospital was released in conjunction with the 11th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation’s approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.
While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation’s best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.
Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2009 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
On its Web site, HealthGrades offers, free to consumers, quality ratings of 27 procedures and treatments for virtually every hospital in the country. The site is designed so that consumers can easily compare patient outcomes at their local hospitals for procedures ranging from aortic aneurysm repair to bypass surgery. Each hospital receives a star rating based on its patient outcomes in terms of mortality or complication rates for each procedure or treatment. Hospitals with outcomes that are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating. Because no two hospitals or their patients’ risk profiles are alike, HealthGrades employs extensive risk-adjustment algorithms to ensure that it is making analogous comparisons.
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Monday, November 10, 2008
Beauty Pageant Brings Abuse Into the Light and Enables Women to Come Out of the Shadows and Win Their Life Back
PRNewswire/ -- The Mrs. Globe Pageant crowned a new Ms. North America, Cammie McBrayer of Marietta, Georgia, to help empower women across the nation to say no to abuse. Cammie feels honored that the people of the world voted for her as the "people's choice" to represent North America in the upcoming Mrs. Globe Pageant to become the international spokesperson for the W.I.N. Foundation.
The Mrs. Globe Pageant is an international pageant that is unique; it is a fundraiser for the W.I.N. (Women in Need) Foundation. W.I.N. is a non-profit outreach for abuse recovery and offers a 20-week abuse and self-esteem recovery program for women, men and children called the Right Living Program, which was founded by Dr. Tracy Kemble in 1995 (http://www.womeninneed.org/). As Ms. North America, Cammie will have the opportunity to have a Right Living Program weekend in her area during the upcoming year.
Ms. North America is also hosting "Kids helping Kids, Party with a Purpose" on November 21, 2008. There will be a DJ and a lot of dancing; over 100 12- and 13-year-olds are expected to attend, with a goal of $3,000 to benefit W.I.N.'s International Christmas for Kids Campaign. The kids will have the opportunity to see video from a past Christmas for Kids, so they get a firsthand view of the change that their fundraiser has made in kids' lives throughout the world.
Cammie's goal is to create an organization in the South to assist and empower women that have been through traumatic changes. This would be done through education, image consulting and through the Right Living Principals created by founder Dr. Tracy Kemble: the ultimate connection of mind, body and spirit.
As a national titleholder, Cammie will compete internationally in August 2009 for the coveted title of Mrs. Globe. Her dream is to take this campaign globally to help women reinvent themselves, so they have the power to overcome poverty and provide a strong, safe environment for their families. If you would like more information, please contact cammie@cammiemcbrayermsnorthamerica.com.
Keep track of Cammie's progress in her mission to help women and families overcome abuse; visit her website: http://cammiemcbrayermsnorthamerica.com/.
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The Mrs. Globe Pageant is an international pageant that is unique; it is a fundraiser for the W.I.N. (Women in Need) Foundation. W.I.N. is a non-profit outreach for abuse recovery and offers a 20-week abuse and self-esteem recovery program for women, men and children called the Right Living Program, which was founded by Dr. Tracy Kemble in 1995 (http://www.womeninneed.org/). As Ms. North America, Cammie will have the opportunity to have a Right Living Program weekend in her area during the upcoming year.
Ms. North America is also hosting "Kids helping Kids, Party with a Purpose" on November 21, 2008. There will be a DJ and a lot of dancing; over 100 12- and 13-year-olds are expected to attend, with a goal of $3,000 to benefit W.I.N.'s International Christmas for Kids Campaign. The kids will have the opportunity to see video from a past Christmas for Kids, so they get a firsthand view of the change that their fundraiser has made in kids' lives throughout the world.
Cammie's goal is to create an organization in the South to assist and empower women that have been through traumatic changes. This would be done through education, image consulting and through the Right Living Principals created by founder Dr. Tracy Kemble: the ultimate connection of mind, body and spirit.
As a national titleholder, Cammie will compete internationally in August 2009 for the coveted title of Mrs. Globe. Her dream is to take this campaign globally to help women reinvent themselves, so they have the power to overcome poverty and provide a strong, safe environment for their families. If you would like more information, please contact cammie@cammiemcbrayermsnorthamerica.com.
Keep track of Cammie's progress in her mission to help women and families overcome abuse; visit her website: http://cammiemcbrayermsnorthamerica.com/.
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Students Selected for Top Chorale Group
Photo: (L-R back row) Carolyn Groover, Christopher Greco, David Brewer, Lucas Patelles, Drew Van de Motter, Jennifer Stadelmeyer (L-R front row) Jessica Bell, Abby Israel, Anna Hansen and Elizabeth Jowers. (Not pictured: Camila Cando).Some of the best young singers in the state represented Fayette County at the 25th Annual Georgia Music Educators Association Statewide Elementary Honors Chorus.
Nine students from Peachtree City Elementary and Peeples Elementary performed with other top singers from throughout the state on Saturday at the Clayton Performing Arts Center. The students were Christopher Greco, David Brewer, Lucas Patelles, Drew Van de Motter, Jessica Bell, Abby Israel, Anna Hansen, Elizabeth Jowers and Camila Cando. Music teachers Carolyn Groover, Peachtree City Elementary, and Jennifer Stadelmeyer, Peeples Elementary, accompanied the students.
The students sang under the direction of Cheryl Dupont, director of the New Orleans Children’s Chorus and Youth Chorale and Dr. John E. Simmons, associate professor of choral and sacred music, director of graduate studies and director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Sacred Music Studies at Mercer University.
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Friday, November 7, 2008
Valdosta State Freshman Named National Agriscience Student of the Year
Valdosta State University freshman Nicholas Worley was named National Agriscience Student of the Year at the 81st annual National Future Farmers of America Convention.
The Lowndes FFA member stood before more than 50,000 people as he accepted a $3,000 scholarship from the National FFA Foundation, surpassing seven other finalists for the award. To qualify, finalists presented the findings of their own agriscience-related research projects and were evaluated on their general academic achievements and their involvement in school and community activities.
Advised by James Corbett and sponsored by the Langdale Company, Worley was honored for his research on alternative methods of ethanol production. He used the scientific method to determine that substantial amounts of ethanol could be produced from the biomass of Georgia's forests, specifically clean wood chips and unmerchantable forest biomass.
The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 507,763 student members - all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture - as part of 7,439 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information.
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The Lowndes FFA member stood before more than 50,000 people as he accepted a $3,000 scholarship from the National FFA Foundation, surpassing seven other finalists for the award. To qualify, finalists presented the findings of their own agriscience-related research projects and were evaluated on their general academic achievements and their involvement in school and community activities.
Advised by James Corbett and sponsored by the Langdale Company, Worley was honored for his research on alternative methods of ethanol production. He used the scientific method to determine that substantial amounts of ethanol could be produced from the biomass of Georgia's forests, specifically clean wood chips and unmerchantable forest biomass.
The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 507,763 student members - all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture - as part of 7,439 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information.
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Thursday, November 6, 2008
Aflac Spokeswoman Inducted into PR News Hall of Fame
PRNewswire/ -- Aflac spokeswoman and vice-president of external communications, Laura Kane, was inducted into the PR News Public Relations Hall of Fame at the PR People Awards today. Ms. Kane and four others were honored during an awards luncheon among colleagues, family and friends at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Nominees were judged on specific criteria including professional public relations achievements over their careers, specific campaigns, leadership qualities, innovative thinking, sound judgment, flexibility, and volunteer efforts and other contributions to public relations advocacy. In November PR News will publish an "All-Stars Issue" that will profile the top public relations people of 2008, in which they will salute the class of 2008 Hall of Fame honorees -- a lifetime achievement award for pioneers in the field.
"A Hall of Fame public relations expert is intuitive, has a confident voice, is media savvy, and produces results," Aflac chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Many successful campaigns at Aflac demonstrate that Laura has all of these qualities and more. We are very proud of this recognition which she so richly deserves."
Aflac Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Teresa White said, "We have come to rely on Laura's instincts and expertise in handling our crucial public and media relations challenges. This honor among her peers validates what we at Aflac already know; Laura Kane is a strong woman worthy of the Hall of Fame."
Ms. Kane was also a finalist in the category of Corporate PR Person of the Year for her work in 2007, including communications related to Aflac's historic Say-on-Pay campaign. Her media relations work resulted in positive articles in national publications like Newsweek, front-page stories in the USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, as well as frequent appearances by Aflac executives on network and national cable news programs.
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Nominees were judged on specific criteria including professional public relations achievements over their careers, specific campaigns, leadership qualities, innovative thinking, sound judgment, flexibility, and volunteer efforts and other contributions to public relations advocacy. In November PR News will publish an "All-Stars Issue" that will profile the top public relations people of 2008, in which they will salute the class of 2008 Hall of Fame honorees -- a lifetime achievement award for pioneers in the field.
"A Hall of Fame public relations expert is intuitive, has a confident voice, is media savvy, and produces results," Aflac chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Many successful campaigns at Aflac demonstrate that Laura has all of these qualities and more. We are very proud of this recognition which she so richly deserves."
Aflac Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Teresa White said, "We have come to rely on Laura's instincts and expertise in handling our crucial public and media relations challenges. This honor among her peers validates what we at Aflac already know; Laura Kane is a strong woman worthy of the Hall of Fame."
Ms. Kane was also a finalist in the category of Corporate PR Person of the Year for her work in 2007, including communications related to Aflac's historic Say-on-Pay campaign. Her media relations work resulted in positive articles in national publications like Newsweek, front-page stories in the USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, as well as frequent appearances by Aflac executives on network and national cable news programs.
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