LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY SENIOR KJ HARRIS SIGNS FIRST ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP IN SCHOOL HISTORY

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY SENIOR KJ HARRIS SIGNS FIRST ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Harris Earns Basketball Scholarship at Brewton-Parker College

Greensboro, Ga. (April 17, 2018) – Lake Oconee Academy senior Ka’Jarius “KJ” Harris becomes the first student-athlete in LOA history to sign an athletics scholarship. Harris will attend Brewton-Parker College in the fall on a basketball scholarship. Brewton-Parker Men’s Basketball Head Coach Gavin Chapman visited the LOA campus on Friday, April 13, 2018, for Harris’s official signing.

KJ started attending LOA his freshman year in high school and was a member of the initial JV boys basketball team in the 2014-15 school year.

“KJ is determined, and he wanted to play basketball in college so he went after it with everything he had,” said LOA Athletic Director Chris Ingle. “KJ is always a pleasure to spend time with; he speaks from his heart and has been a bridge builder in our community. This is just the beginning for him and we will be here to support him from here on out.”

“KJ was a leader, the engine, so to speak, laying the foundation for the LOA basketball program going forward,” said LOA Boys Basketball Head Coach Michael Brooker. “Playing at the next level is a very exciting opportunity, and we are extremely excited to watch him grow and extend his playing career beyond LOA.”

The signing ceremony was attended by KJ’s varsity basketball teammates, his parents Freda and Jarrod Harris, LOA teachers, and friends. Speakers included teammates John Fowler, Hunter Lovelace and Ashton Evans who spoke about their friendship and admiration for KJ as a player and a person, and KJ’s father Jarrod.

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Photo: KJ Harris signs the first athletic scholarship in school history alongside his new coach, Brewton-Parker College Men’s basketball Head Coach Gavin Chapman.

LOA Senior Robert Hatfield Accepts Appointment to the US Naval Academy

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY SENIOR ROBERT HATFIELD
ACCEPTS APPOINTMENT TO THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY

Greensboro, Ga. (April 9, 2018) - Lake Oconee Academy senior Robert E. "Bobby" Hatfield III, a member of LOA's first graduating class, has received and accepted an offer of appointment from the U.S. Naval Academy. Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10) visited the LOA campus on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, to conduct an official signing ceremony with Bobby. Students, faculty, friends, and family were on hand to celebrate Bobby's outstanding accomplishment.

Bobby's goal since he was a young child has been to serve his country. "I want to be where I can become the very best version of myself; my country deserves nothing less," Hatfield expressed in an essay written his senior year. "My generation will soon be charged with the awesome responsibility of passing the liberty we inherited to the next generation, and we will not let our country down."

"One of the greatest thrills I have as a member of Congress is getting to be a part of days like this," said Congressman Hice. "It does my heart so much good to see the quality of the men and women that are appointed to service academies to lead our military and country. To earn an appointment, you have to excel scholastically, physically and in leadership roles. This is an incredible honor. I want to thank Bobby for his willingness to serve our country."

Caroline St. John, Bobby's English Literature teacher, spoke about her first interaction with Bobby through Youth Leadership Greene, a group of sophomores from all the high schools in Greene County.

"I had the pleasure of having Bobby in the first Youth Leadership Greene group, and it was important because it was our first group where all the student leaders would come together for the first time as a team," said St. John. "On that first day together, Bobby was the one who walked across the group and shook hands with all the kids from the other schools. He was the one that we followed. I knew at the moment that we would be following Bobby for the rest of his life."

After additional comments from LOA CEO Dr. Otho Tucker, Bobby's grandmother Brenda Pickett, classmate Eli Ramsey, and LOA Upper School Director Jody Worth, Congressman Hice presented Bobby with the certificate of appointment. The certificate, signed by Bobby to heartfelt applause from the large crowd gathered in Community Hall, reads, "With personal strength and upstanding character, I will serve my nation with honor."

Bobby will report to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on June 28, 2018, where he will swear in as a midshipman in the United States Navy.

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LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS HAVE SUCCESSFUL SPRING SEASON

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS HAVE SUCCESSFUL SPRING SEASON
Boys Soccer Wins Third Consecutive CSRA Championship

Greensboro, Ga. (April 9, 2018) – The spring sports season has come and gone for the Middle School programs at Lake Oconee Academy (LOA), but not without some excellent results. LOA’s middle school student-athletes and coaches have produced teams that are both exciting to watch and very competitive within the CSRA Athletic League.

The MS Baseball Titans, led by Coaches Paul Schofield and Tim Stephens, finished the season with an 8-2 record in the league. They came up short in the league semi-finals to a very strong team from Washington County.

The MS Lady Titan soccer team, led by coaches Kris Stevens and Crishandra Perkins, improved throughout the season and earned a spot in the League Championship finals. The team ultimately finished as the league runner-up to Jefferson County.

The MS Titan boys soccer team, led by coaches Evan Minster and Kevin Urrutia, finished the season with a record of 5-3 in the league. After earning a spot in the league championship game, the boys team pulled off a hat trick by winning its third consecutive CSRA League Championship 2-1 over Jefferson County.

“It was very exciting to win the championship three years in a row,” said eighth grader Kyle Beasley. “Several strong players moved up to varsity this year so it was great to see the team work together and continue to play with confidence.”

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Photo: The LOA Middle School boys soccer team wins the 2018 CSRA Championship for the third year in a row. Pictured left to right (front row) Leo Perez, Zach Stephens, Max Jackson, (back row) Coach Kevin Urrutia, Jarod Batson, Tyler Urrutia, Ryan McClendon, Fernando Patino, Tanner Larkin, Jay Beeker, Gavin Minster, Kyle Beasley, Jackson Millwood, Joshua Wilson, Lucas Minton, Kurtis Tran, Coach Evan Minster, Trace Wood.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY STUDENTS ORGANIZE FUNDRAISER

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY STUDENTS ORGANIZE FUNDRAISER FOR MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL VICTIMS' FUND

Greensboro, Ga. (March 19, 2018) - The Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) high school Entrepreneurship class coordinated a Jeans Day on Friday, March 16, 2018, to benefit the official Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School fund to provide relief and financial assistance to the victims and families of the tragic school shooting. Participants received a green "MSD Strong" button in honor of mental health awareness and in support of the students and families in Parkland, Florida.

The Entrepreneurship class was pleased to announce they would be making a $3,000 donation to the MSD Victims' Fund directed by the Broward Education Foundation in conjunction with Broward County Public Schools on behalf of the students and faculty of LOA. Thank you to all of the students, teachers and families for their donations.

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Photo: Members of the LOA Entrepreneurship class announce the total donation of the fundraiser to benefit the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Victims' Fund at $3,000.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY STUDENTS RECORD STRONG PERFORMANCES AT GHSA LITERARY MEET

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY STUDENTS RECORD STRONG PERFORMANCES AT GHSA LITERARY MEET
Pearson Becomes Back-to-Back State Champion

Greensboro, Ga. (March 19, 2018) - Lake Oconee Academy students displayed strong performances at the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Literary Meet on Saturday, March 17, 2018, at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga. After finishing in first place in their region competitions, senior Bobby Hatfield, junior Chandler Pearson and freshman Stu Baker notched a first place win and two second place finishes in the GHSA Region A-Public, Area 5 state competition. The GHSA supports education-based interscholastic sports and activities, facilitating the development of fine arts and critical thinking and speaking skills.

Baker placed second in Boys Solo with his performance of "Santa Fe" from the Broadway musical Newsies and "Alma del core" from Caldara's opera entitled La constanza. Hatfield placed second in Extemporaneous Speaking - International by addressing the question, "How did the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea affect the tensions in the Korean Peninsula?"
Pearson followed up her 2017 state championship title with another first place win in Extemporaneous Speaking - Domestic. This year her speech addressed the question, "Can members of Congress lay politics aside and do what they believe is the right thing for the American people?"

Extemporaneous Speaking is a public speaking contest in which contestants are provided a selection of topics dealing with current national or international issues that have been discussed in periodicals since September 1 of the current year. Each contestant draws three topics and must select one of the three to address in competition. A contestant is then allotted 30 minutes to plan and organize his/her speech and seven minutes to deliver the speech. The criteria for judging the competition includes: (a) analysis of topic (b) organizational skills (c) logical support (d) language skills and (e) delivery skills.

"Congratulations to Stu, Bobby and our back-to-back champion Chandler for their hard work and dedication to the GHSA Literary Meet," said Dr. Otho Tucker, CEO of LOA. "These experiences will benefit their overall academic performance as well as their preparation for life skills outside of the classroom. A heartfelt thank you to the faculty sponsors, Mrs. Colleen Ham and Mrs. Juli Malcom, for inspiring and preparing students to take on these challenges."

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Photo A (left to right): Stu Baker, Chandler Pearson and Bobby Hatfield celebrate their performances at the GHSA Literary Meet on March 17, 2018.
Photo B: Chandler Pearson is the winner of back-to-back state titles at the GHSA Literary Meet in the category of Extemporaneous Speaking - Domestic.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY SPELLING BEE WINNERS ANNOUNCED

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY SPELLING BEE WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Greensboro, Ga. (December 19, 2017) - Lake Oconee Academy recently held its annual Spelling Bee for first through eighth grade students. Students competed in three categories: first through third grade, fourth and fifth grade and sixth through eighth grade. The competition was intense, with spellers receiving such difficult words as pertinacity, rheumatic and habanero. The winner in the first-third grade competition was Shelby Marullo, with Cole Schumacher as runner up. Ashton Leach was announced the winner of the fourth and fifth grade competition, with Jewell Morrison as runner up. Hailey Heinen came out on top as the winner of the middle grade competition, with Keerti Ahluwalia as runner up. Winners in the fourth through eighth grade groups will move on to the county competition at the CBJ Board Office on February 1, 2018. Congratulations to all the winners and participants in this year's spelling bee!

Photo: LOA spelling bee winners include (back row, left to right) Shelby Marullo, Ashton Leach, Jewell Morrison, (front row) Cole Schumacher, Hailey Heinen, and Keerti Ahluwalia.

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LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY CELEBRATES CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS WITH GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY CELEBRATES CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS
WITH GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

Greensboro, Ga. (November 20, 2017) - Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) students, families, teachers, administration, board members, and friends celebrated the start of the construction of the new high school campus with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, November 16, 2017, followed by the annual Titan Bash school-wide event. The high school expansion project features two new buildings that will include seventeen classrooms with two science labs, and a student life center with a cafeteria and a gymnasium.

The LOA Foundation also announced on Thursday that the $2 million "Fulfilling Our Commitment" capital campaign to provide philanthropic support for the expansion of the LOA high school had met its goal with current funds raised at $2.3 million. The capital campaign will fund items such as advanced technologies, furnishings, safety measures, equipment, and green space for the high school campus.

"This is certainly a historical day for LOA and Greene County," said capital campaign co-chairman Rick Wolfert. "Today we have the opportunity to celebrate LOA's remarkable success and growth over the last ten years, but also understanding that this $19 million campus expansion shapes the future of our school. I would like to personally thank the over 200 donors, business partners and parents that made this campaign a success, and acknowledge our teachers and LOA board members who all contributed to the campaign at a 100% level. That is outstanding."

"We sincerely thank the USDA and appreciate everything they do through the Rural Development Loans program which made this project possible," said Dr. Otho Tucker, CEO of LOA. "What it really comes down to is the parents who had the need and desire to have these buildings go up and knew that expanding the school is a good thing for the children. LOA could still be 11 or 15 or 80 students in Lakeside Church, but our dream was to do more than that. We wanted to give this opportunity to more and more children. Without the parents, it would have never been possible."

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Photo: Representatives from JMWilliams Contractors, the LOA Board of Governors and the LOA Foundation participated in the groundbreaking at the site of the new high school campus (left to right): Daniel Hauser, Brad Campbell, Michael York, Jennifer Vaughan, Riezl Baker, Connie Hoyle, David Mapp, Dick Schmidt, Mark Lipscomb, Dr. Otho Tucker, Rick Wolfert, Tommy Jeffords and Allison Evans.

LOA Students Make Impact at GA National Fair Art Awards

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LOA STUDENTS MAKE IMPACT AT THE GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR ART AWARDS

Greensboro, Ga. (November 6, 2017) - Lake Oconee Academy submitted 35 entries to the student art competition at the 2017 Georgia National Fair in Perry, Ga., and 16 of those entries were awarded ribbons.

"Student learning is always the ultimate goal and seeing the entries from schools all over the state is very eye-opening and inspiring to our kids," said LOA art instructor Debbie Vogel. "With 16 ribbons, we are growing and improving among the ranking in the state. It built their confidence and affirmed what we are doing to grow the fine arts program at LOA."

The following students were awarded ribbons at the Georgia National Fair art competition:

8th Grade:

• Isabelle Hodges: Best in Show in Sculpture

• Isabelle Hodges: 1st place in Sculpture

• Shelby Davis: 1st place in Painting

• Ella Chesney: Honorable Mention in Painting

• Willow Manville: Honorable Mention in Sculpture

9th Grade:

• Katie Ciavola: 1st place in Drawing (Mixed Media)

• Katie Ciavola: 1st place in Sculpture

• Marissa Malone: Honorable Mention in Drawing (Colored Pencil)

• Marissa Malone: 2nd place in Sculpture

10th Grade:

• Rachel Bird: Honorable Mention in Drawing (Ink)

• Lane Herndon: Honorable Mention in Drawing (Colored Pencil)

• Savannah Dwyer: Honorable Mention in Drawing (Charcoal)

• Savannah Dwyer: 2nd place in Drawing (Charcoal)

• Rachel Bird: 3rd place in drawing (Mixed Media)

11th Grade:

• Breanna Coffman: Honorable Mention in Drawing (Pencil)

12th Grade:

• Ashlyn Harris 3rd place in sculpture

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Photo: LOA 8th grade student Isabelle Hodges earned the Best in Show and First Place ribbon in the Sculpture category at the 2017 Georgia National Fair art competition.