"Christmasfest" This Weekend in Toccoa

Tonight is the annual "Christmasfest" in downtown Toccoa.  Main Street Toccoa Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby said there will be some new activities during "Christmasfest" for people to enjoy.  “New this year is a Christmas Sage Market and that will be located at 56 Doyle Street and so we invite people to come and do a little bit of their Christmas shopping while they are downtown,” said Crosby. “We will also be having a church walk. Our three historic churches downtown will be open and be having entertainment there. We invite people to come and just stroll down Tugalo Street, see the beauty of the lights, and just visit our churches and hear some beautiful Christmas music as well.”  Christmasfest will also include many familiar activities, such as carriage rides, a live nativity, and Santa himself.

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Toccoa Welcomes New Harmonies in December

The city of Toccoa is preparing to welcome the “New Harmonies” exhibit next month.  The Currahee Military Museum and Toccoa Main Street, in cooperation with the Georgia Humanities Council, are bringing the “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music” exhibit.  Main Street Toccoa Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby said it covers the history of American music.  “You see a history of American music throughout the display,” said Crosby. “It is a very interactive display with a lot of spots where you can stop and listen. It has a lot of pictures. It is a really interesting exhibit. It is something that is appropriate for children as well as adults.”  “New Harmonies” is a traveling exhibition of the Smithsonian Institution.

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Preliminary Unemployment Rate Released for October

According to figures released last week from the Georgia Department of Labor, the preliminary unemployment rate in Stephens County is 8.9 percent.  This figure represents a 0.4% increase from the revised September rate of 8.5 percent.  The October 2012 preliminary unemployment rate is 0.9% of a percentage point lower than the revised October 2011 rate of 9.8 percent.

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Toccoa to Convert Five Vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas

Monday, Toccoa City Commissioners approved a motion to convert five vehicles to compressed natural gas and purchase and install a compressed natural gas fueling station through CNG Technology Systems of Atlanta at a cost of $54,800.  Toccoa city Manager Mike Jackson said the city would convert the vehicles as a test to get an idea of savings on fuel costs and possibly expand the conversion effort in the future if the trial period goes well and produces savings.  Jackson says that the city should have the vehicles converted and compressed natural gas fueling station up and running by or at the beginning of the New Year.

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Congratulations Sage Automotive Interiors!

SCDA congratulates Sage Automotive Interiors for winning 3rd Place in the 2012 Stephens County Scarecrow Contest.  Over 37 businesses and organizations participated in the judged event.  Sage Automotive Interiors develops and manufactures innovative automotive bodycloth and headliners preferred by automotive manufacturers around the world.  They are located at 7786 Hwy 17 South in Toccoa.

Harvest Festival This Weekend in Toccoa

The 36th annual Toccoa Harvest Festival takes places this Saturday and Sunday in downtown Toccoa. 
Main Street Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby said that everything gets started at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“We have two different stages for entertainment, one at Tugalo and Sage streets and one on Doyle Street in front of Kay Royal’s office,” said Crosby. “There will be solid entertainment throughout the day. Of course, we have vendors with hand-made, homemade, home-baked, and homegrown products. We have the food vendors. That is always a popular part of the festival as well as the games and activities for the children.” 
The Festival runs 10a.m.- 5p.m. on Saturday and 10a.m.-4p.m. on Sunday.

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Congratulations Stephens County Schools

On Wednesday, the Georgia Department of Education released the list of REWARD SCHOOLS.  As part of Georgia’s accountability waiver to the US Department of Education,  Georgia must identify Reward, Priority, Focus, and Alert schools. There are 2 categories of Reward schools: Highest Performing and High Progress. These calculations are based on three years of data including the following years: 08-09, 09-10, and 10-11. These designations are given to Title I schools,  which all of our schools were during the time period. (next year the only schools that will be eligible to be named REWARD will be TES, LES, and EES)

78 Title I schools were named Reward Schools: Highest Performing.  Among the 78 named were Big A Elementary, Eastanollee Elementary, Liberty Elementary, Toccoa Elementary, and Stephens County Middle School.  These 78 were the top 5% of the state’s Title I schools for highest performance. 156 Title I schools were named Reward Schools: High Progress.  Among the 156 named was Stephens County High School.  These 156 were the top 10% of the state’s Title I schools for highest progress in performance.

"Congratulations!   We have seen improvement in almost every area,  from CRCT, EOCT,  AP, and our Milestones.   You are to be greatly commended for all you do and for always putting our students first.  We have so much to be proud of!" said Sherrie Whiten, Superintendent of the Stephens County School System.  

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