Banks County High School

Final Transcripts
If your BCHS senior is going to College or Technical College, the college will need his/her final transcript. The schools of choice have only tentatively accepted them. Without this final transcript showing a date of graduation and all classes completed, he/she cannot be officially accepted. Seniors are provided with one final official transcript at no cost; any additional final transcripts are $3.00 each. There will be a special sign up sheet for final transcripts available during graduation practice. However, students can sign up now for final transcripts on the special sign up sheet in Mrs. Walker’s door. Students should sign up now to keep from forgetting it later!

BCHS Faculty loses 464 lbs in 12 weeks!

Congrats to Tony Bowen for winning the faculty Biggest Loser and Hagen Ferguson for winning the student Biggest Loser competition.

Faculty/Staff Weight Loss
Week 1: 102.5 lbs
Week 2: 84.5 lbs
Week 3: 35 lbs
Week 4: 22 lbs
Week 5: No weigh in
Week 6: 51.5 lbs
Week 7: 22 lbs
Week 8: 26 lbs
Week 9: 2 lbs
Week 10: 14 lbs
Week 11: no weigh in
Week 12: 104.5

Total as of 4/3: 464

Sarah Wolf is Named STAR Student

Sarah Wolf, a senior, has been named 2009 PAGE STAR Student for Banks County High School. The announcement was made Tuesday morning at the school by Mr. Art Wheaton, principal of Banks County High School. Wolf, the daughter of Richard and Pon Sung Wolf, selected Chuck Smith, technology teacher, as the STAR teacher.

The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program, in its 51st year, is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education. Since its inception, the STAR program has honored more than 20,000 students and the teachers they have selected as having had the most influence on their academic achievement. Students are selected on the basis of their SAT scores and class standing/scholastic averages. Wolf scored 1280 (verbal and math).

STAR begins each year in participating high schools throughout Georgia when the STAR student is named and chooses a STAR teacher to share in this recognition. The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from more than 200 statewide civic organizations and businesses that sponsor local programs. Students then compete for school system titles, and those winners compete for region honors.

“Sarah is not only a scholar student, but she is also very active in the school where she plays soccer and basketball. We are very proud of Sarah and Mr. Smith and the academic excellence they exemplify at Banks County High School,” stated Erwin.

Sarah will receive a dual seal and is planning to attend UGA and will major in history with the intent of being a lawyer. Mr. Smith is planning to retire at the end of this year.

The Banks County FFA won the state Senior Poultry Judging Contest. 47 teams competed in this State competition. The students' are required to evaluate live birds, processed parts, eggs, and compete in a team activity and written test. Many hours went into studying and preparing for this event. The team will represent Georgia at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, in October. Team members are Kolton Pendley, Caiti Brown, Daniel Anderson, and Brittani Wilson.
The Junior Poultry Judging team placed 4th out of 47 teams. Team members are Abby Patterson, Kayla Boswell, Jody Hart, and Cody Hart.
Please congratulate all of these students for their achievements.

Check out our new student ran BCHS newsletter
http://www.bankscountyleopards.net/newsletter/

Please visit our new Leopard Band web page. Click Band to visit the new site.

FBLA competed in Region Competition on Monday February 2, 2009 and eight students advanced to the state competition:

Geno Albright 1st Place Business Calculations
Sefali Patel 1st Place Intro to Business Communication
Chelsea Kelley 2nd Place Business Presentation
Savannah Stokes 2nd Place Business Presentation
Josh Brock 2nd Place Personal Finance
Tyler Ford/Sefali Patel 2nd Place Web Site Development
Logan Walterhouse 5th Place Business Math
Joseph Denton 6th Place Business Math
Savannah Stokes 7th Place Spreadsheet Applications

Ruby Tuesday will begin having Banks County night on the 1st Tuesday of each month. BC schools will receive 10% of the total sales

Banks County High School awarded its attendance winners Tuesday, December 16. We had 75% of our school who had perfect attendance for at least half of Semester 1! Twelve students were chosen to win the following prizes:

* Stevi Woods -- laptop computer
* Leanna Wright -- Digital Camera
* Andy Ford -- MP3 Player
* Emily Angel -- Cell phone
* Bill Redmon, Yer Moua, Jacob Bolton, Melissa Hicks -- Leopard Lunch (Up to a $10 lunch order from a restaurant at Banks Crossing)
* Casey Wilson, Eli Autry, Kayla Garrison, Tiffany Sims -- Jump drive

The program works this way: For every week a student has perfect attendance (all day), their name is entered in a drawing that occurs at the end of the semester. The more a student is present, the more times his/her name is entered in the drawing. Ultimately, the more a student is at school, the better opportunity he/she has to be successful in classes. The funds for the prizes come from the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education (GACHE) grant the school received earlier this school year. We will be running the same program for 2nd Semester, so please encourage your high school children to be her daily! If you would like to donate prizes for next semester, please contact Lynn Suggs, Graduation Coach at (706)677-4662 or lsuggs@banks.k12.ga.us.

Picture:
(Back Row, L to R) Eli Autry, Jacob Bolton, Andy Ford, Tiffany Sims, Leanna Wright
(Front Row, L to R) Kayla Garrison, Bill Redmon, Stevi Woods, Yer Moua, Emily Angel, Lynn Suggs

BCHS Senior Available Scholarship List

The Band traveled to Rockdale County High School in Conyers Saturday Oct. 18, to compete in the 31st Annual Greater Atlanta Area Marching Band Festival.
The score was as followed.
Drum Major --Excellent score
Percussion--Excellent score
Color Guard--Superior score--1st place in their class.
Majorettes--Superior score--1st place in their class.
Band -- Excellent score and 1st Over-All Place in their class!

Congratulations to BCHS Marching Band for their success at the Marching Band Showcase at Lassiter High School. The results were as follows:
Color Guard 2nd in Class
Majorettes 2nd in Class
Percussion 3rd in Class
Drum Major 3rd in Class
Band 3rd in Class
Musical Effect 3rd in Class
Visual Effect 3rd in Class
General Effect 3rd in Class

Congratulations to the BCHS Employees of the Year:

Teacher of the Year: Gary Goodson
Paraprofessional of the Year: Teresa Rogers
Classified Employee of the Year: Traci Banks

The after school program is up and running this semester, the program is called SWAP (Students with a Purpose) and runs Monday through Thursday from 3:15-5:45pm. The SWAP program provides opportunities for homework help, tutoring as well as credit recovery. Snacks and transportation are provided. Please contact Lynn Suggs, (706)677-4662, lsuggs@banks.k12.ga.us, or Stacey Morgan, (706)677-1708, smorgan@banks.k12.ga.us for more information.

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR
The Banks County High School FFA won the 2007-2008 North Region Area II FFA Chapter of the Year. This award was announced at the North Region Rally in Covington on September 6th with over 45 chapters competing for chapter of the year. The award is determined by the number of Gold Emblem winners, total student participation in CDEs (Career Development Events), and the different number of students participating in CDEs.

ATTENTION BCHS ALUMNI: Click on the below to fill out a survey about future class reunions!!!!!!!!!!
Alumni Survey

If you have access to the internet, you can review your child's grades and attendance at any time. You may also sign up to receive email updates on grades and attendance. Simply log on to the site and click on the Email Notification icon at the top of the screen. You can elect to get updates on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Teachers will update grades on a weekly basis. Attendance is updated daily. You may also email your child's teachers. School announcements may be viewed from this site as well. If you need your password or have any questions concerning access to PowerSchool Parent, please contact Mrs. Allen or Mrs. Walker at 706-677-2221.

Banks County’s SAT Score Second Highest in Area

Banks County High School SAT Scores averaged second among the region only following Dawson County’s scores. The average verbal score for Banks County students was 493 and 503 for math. The most recent writing scores averaged at 484. The composite total of 1480 was shy of last year’s high mark of 1,528 but above the 2007 state average of 1,427. Like the entire nation, Georgia saw a drop in its SAT scores in 2007. Georgia's score dropped 5 points from the previous year, while the nation fell 7 points to 1,511.
This is the second year that the SAT featured the rigorous writing section. Previously, the highest score yielded on the test was 1600 with 800 possible points in each of the two areas (verbal and mathematics). The writing component added another 800 total points to the test for a possible 2,400 high score.
“The SAT is a prerequisite for college entrance. Our students can only benefit from having more opportunities to attend college and receive scholarships. The staff and students of Banks County School System are working hard to increase the college and post secondary learning rate,” said Art Wheaton, principal of Banks County High School.
Those counties considered to be in the same surrounding region as Banks County are Dawson, Hall, Lumpkin, White, Habersham, Gainesville, Union, Rabun, Towns, Franklin, Stephens, and Hart. Other local area systems that Banks County’s SAT scores faired better than include Commerce City, Madison County, and Barrow County.

Congratulations to Banks County High School!!!!! BCHS is the regional winner for the Governor's Cup. BCHS has shown significant three year average gains in reading and math on the SAT. BCHS finished 2nd among AA schools and 9th in the state.

CLICK FOR SAT/ACT RESULTS AND COMPARSIONS
BCHS SAT Article

Work Permits
Work Permit forms are now available on the Department of Labor website. Applicants may access the work permit system via the following website: www.dol.state.ga.us. Instructions for accessing the site are listed below:
1.Select the Child Labor Quick Link.
2.Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Online Work Permit then select Minor.
3.Enter personal information, verify accuracy and click submit.
4.Print a copy of the Work Permit Data Sheet to give employers.

Certificate of Attendance
To get a certificate of attendance for obtaining a drivers license it is the students' responsibility to obtain the form from the attendance office, fill it out, return it to the Attendance Clerk, and pick it up two days later. Students will not be called from class to obtain that form. Students are to come by on their own time to obtain it.

Parents:
The next PALS meeting will be April 28th at 6:00PM in the BCHS cafeteria. Summer school information will be discussed and Steve Blackwell from the GBI will be doing the Internet Safety presentation. /b>

FBLA Annual Powder Puff game will be Tuesday, April 28, at 6:30pm.
T-shirts will be sold beginning April 14, during lunches. T-shirts with numbers are $12, while T-shirts without numbers are $10.
Admission to the game will be $2 for students, $3 for non-students.
Contact Jim McKinney at (706) 677-2221 x1615 for further details.

EOCT are just around the corner. They are May 11th-13th. Subjects that will be tested are Algebra 1, Geometry, Math 1, Economics, US History, Biology, 9th grade lit, and American Lit.

BCHS April Students of the Month:
12th Brittany Redden
11th Travis Betts
10th Savannah Stokes
9th Joseph Denton

BCHS Faculty loses 464 lbs in 12 weeks!

Congrats to Tony Bowen for winning the faculty Biggest Loser and Hagen Ferguson for winning the student Biggest Loser competition.

Faculty/Staff Weight Loss
Week 1: 102.5 lbs
Week 2: 84.5 lbs
Week 3: 35 lbs
Week 4: 22 lbs
Week 5: No weigh in
Week 6: 51.5 lbs
Week 7: 22 lbs
Week 8: 26 lbs
Week 9: 2 lbs
Week 10: 14 lbs
Week 11: no weigh in
Week 12: 104.5

Total as of 4/3: 464

FBLA Annual Powder Puff game will be Tuesday, April 28, at 6:30pm.
T-shirts will be sold beginning April 14, during lunches. T-shirts with numbers are $12, while T-shirts without numbers are $10.
Admission to the game will be $2 for students, $3 for non-students.
Contact Jim McKinney at (706) 677-2221 x1615 for further details.

Sarah Wolf is Named STAR Student

Sarah Wolf, a senior, has been named 2009 PAGE STAR Student for Banks County High School. The announcement was made Tuesday morning at the school by Mr. Art Wheaton, principal of Banks County High School. Wolf, the daughter of Richard and Pon Sung Wolf, selected Chuck Smith, technology teacher, as the STAR teacher.

The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program, in its 51st year, is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education. Since its inception, the STAR program has honored more than 20,000 students and the teachers they have selected as having had the most influence on their academic achievement. Students are selected on the basis of their SAT scores and class standing/scholastic averages. Wolf scored 1280 (verbal and math).

STAR begins each year in participating high schools throughout Georgia when the STAR student is named and chooses a STAR teacher to share in this recognition. The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from more than 200 statewide civic organizations and businesses that sponsor local programs. Students then compete for school system titles, and those winners compete for region honors.

“Sarah is not only a scholar student, but she is also very active in the school where she plays soccer and basketball. We are very proud of Sarah and Mr. Smith and the academic excellence they exemplify at Banks County High School,” stated Erwin.

Sarah will receive a dual seal and is planning to attend UGA and will major in history with the intent of being a lawyer. Mr. Smith is planning to retire at the end of this year.

The Banks County FFA won the state Senior Poultry Judging Contest. 47 teams competed in this State competition. The students' are required to evaluate live birds, processed parts, eggs, and compete in a team activity and written test. Many hours went into studying and preparing for this event. The team will represent Georgia at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, in October. Team members are Kolton Pendley, Caiti Brown, Daniel Anderson, and Brittani Wilson.
The Junior Poultry Judging team placed 4th out of 47 teams. Team members are Abby Patterson, Kayla Boswell, Jody Hart, and Cody Hart.
Please congratulate all of these students for their achievements.

Are you interested in Rehabilitation and/or Physical Therapy as a career? We will be taking a trip to Northeast Georgia Medical Center on Monday, March 30 and Tuesday, April 14. Please sign up in Ms. Suggs' room (203) by March 18!

Georgia Work Ready Certificates
Seniors at BCHS are getting on opportunity to earn a Georgia Work Ready Certificate. This Certificate gives specific information about a student's ability to perform common tasks that all employers require. Career Readiness Certificates (CRC) have become popular nationwide as a system for certifying the basic skills necessary for success in typical jobs. The Career Readiness Certificate focuses on three targeted skills: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.
The assessment is free for seniors and will be administered by representatives from Lanier Technical College. Testing dates are March 23rd, 24th, and 25th.
There are four skill levels that students can achieve:
• Bronze – 3’s and above
• Silver – 4’s and above
• Gold – 5’s and above
• Platinum – 6’s and above

BCHS Seniors who obtain a Bronze level certificate or higher, will be recognized at graduation for their academic achievement. These certificates are a great opportunity for students to show that they are ready to join today’s 21 Century work force.
Students can sign-up to take a pre-test and use the results to improve their skills through the KeyTrain program offered at the school. For questions or comments please contact Mrs. Warren at 706-677-2221 ex. 1609

Prom will be held at Cateechee Golf Club in Hartwell, Georgia on Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 7:00 – 11:00 PM. Purchase of a prom ticket constitutes your agreement to abide by the following policies. Click here to read the policies

Check out our new student ran BCHS newsletter
http://www.bankscountyleopards.net/newsletter/

Parent access to PowerSchool has been temporarily denied due to the registration process for the 2009-2010 school year. If you have any questions or concerns about your student's grades or attendance, please contact the teacher by email or the front office. Please have your ID and Password to confirm your identity. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please visit our new Leopard Band web page. Click Band to visit the new site.

FBLA competed in Region Competition on Monday February 2, 2009 and eight students advanced to the state competition:

Geno Albright 1st Place Business Calculations
Sefali Patel 1st Place Intro to Business Communication
Chelsea Kelley 2nd Place Business Presentation
Savannah Stokes 2nd Place Business Presentation
Josh Brock 2nd Place Personal Finance
Tyler Ford/Sefali Patel 2nd Place Web Site Development
Logan Walterhouse 5th Place Business Math
Joseph Denton 6th Place Business Math
Savannah Stokes 7th Place Spreadsheet Applications

Ruby Tuesday will begin having Banks County night on the 1st Tuesday of each month. BC schools will receive 10% of the total sales

Parents:
The next PALS meeting will be April 28th at 6:00PM in the BCHS cafeteria. Summer school information will be discussed and Steve Blackwell from the GBI will be doing the Internet Safety presentation. /b>

FBLA Annual Powder Puff game will be Tuesday, April 28, at 6:30pm.
T-shirts will be sold beginning April 14, during lunches. T-shirts with numbers are $12, while T-shirts without numbers are $10.
Admission to the game will be $2 for students, $3 for non-students.
Contact Jim McKinney at (706) 677-2221 x1615 for further details.

EOCT are just around the corner. They are May 11th-13th. Subjects that will be tested are Algebra 1, Geometry, Math 1, Economics, US History, Biology, 9th grade lit, and American Lit.

BCHS April Students of the Month:
12th Brittany Redden
11th Travis Betts
10th Savannah Stokes
9th Joseph Denton

BCHS Faculty loses 464 lbs in 12 weeks!

Congrats to Tony Bowen for winning the faculty Biggest Loser and Hagen Ferguson for winning the student Biggest Loser competition.

Faculty/Staff Weight Loss
Week 1: 102.5 lbs
Week 2: 84.5 lbs
Week 3: 35 lbs
Week 4: 22 lbs
Week 5: No weigh in
Week 6: 51.5 lbs
Week 7: 22 lbs
Week 8: 26 lbs
Week 9: 2 lbs
Week 10: 14 lbs
Week 11: no weigh in
Week 12: 104.5

Total as of 4/3: 464

FBLA Annual Powder Puff game will be Tuesday, April 28, at 6:30pm.
T-shirts will be sold beginning April 14, during lunches. T-shirts with numbers are $12, while T-shirts without numbers are $10.
Admission to the game will be $2 for students, $3 for non-students.
Contact Jim McKinney at (706) 677-2221 x1615 for further details.

Sarah Wolf is Named STAR Student

Sarah Wolf, a senior, has been named 2009 PAGE STAR Student for Banks County High School. The announcement was made Tuesday morning at the school by Mr. Art Wheaton, principal of Banks County High School. Wolf, the daughter of Richard and Pon Sung Wolf, selected Chuck Smith, technology teacher, as the STAR teacher.

The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program, in its 51st year, is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education. Since its inception, the STAR program has honored more than 20,000 students and the teachers they have selected as having had the most influence on their academic achievement. Students are selected on the basis of their SAT scores and class standing/scholastic averages. Wolf scored 1280 (verbal and math).

STAR begins each year in participating high schools throughout Georgia when the STAR student is named and chooses a STAR teacher to share in this recognition. The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from more than 200 statewide civic organizations and businesses that sponsor local programs. Students then compete for school system titles, and those winners compete for region honors.

“Sarah is not only a scholar student, but she is also very active in the school where she plays soccer and basketball. We are very proud of Sarah and Mr. Smith and the academic excellence they exemplify at Banks County High School,” stated Erwin.

Sarah will receive a dual seal and is planning to attend UGA and will major in history with the intent of being a lawyer. Mr. Smith is planning to retire at the end of this year.

The Banks County FFA won the state Senior Poultry Judging Contest. 47 teams competed in this State competition. The students' are required to evaluate live birds, processed parts, eggs, and compete in a team activity and written test. Many hours went into studying and preparing for this event. The team will represent Georgia at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, in October. Team members are Kolton Pendley, Caiti Brown, Daniel Anderson, and Brittani Wilson.
The Junior Poultry Judging team placed 4th out of 47 teams. Team members are Abby Patterson, Kayla Boswell, Jody Hart, and Cody Hart.
Please congratulate all of these students for their achievements.

Are you interested in Rehabilitation and/or Physical Therapy as a career? We will be taking a trip to Northeast Georgia Medical Center on Monday, March 30 and Tuesday, April 14. Please sign up in Ms. Suggs' room (203) by March 18!

Georgia Work Ready Certificates
Seniors at BCHS are getting on opportunity to earn a Georgia Work Ready Certificate. This Certificate gives specific information about a student's ability to perform common tasks that all employers require. Career Readiness Certificates (CRC) have become popular nationwide as a system for certifying the basic skills necessary for success in typical jobs. The Career Readiness Certificate focuses on three targeted skills: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.
The assessment is free for seniors and will be administered by representatives from Lanier Technical College. Testing dates are March 23rd, 24th, and 25th.
There are four skill levels that students can achieve:
• Bronze – 3’s and above
• Silver – 4’s and above
• Gold – 5’s and above
• Platinum – 6’s and above

BCHS Seniors who obtain a Bronze level certificate or higher, will be recognized at graduation for their academic achievement. These certificates are a great opportunity for students to show that they are ready to join today’s 21 Century work force.
Students can sign-up to take a pre-test and use the results to improve their skills through the KeyTrain program offered at the school. For questions or comments please contact Mrs. Warren at 706-677-2221 ex. 1609

Prom will be held at Cateechee Golf Club in Hartwell, Georgia on Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 7:00 – 11:00 PM. Purchase of a prom ticket constitutes your agreement to abide by the following policies. Click here to read the policies

Check out our new student ran BCHS newsletter
http://www.bankscountyleopards.net/newsletter/

Parent access to PowerSchool has been temporarily denied due to the registration process for the 2009-2010 school year. If you have any questions or concerns about your student's grades or attendance, please contact the teacher by email or the front office. Please have your ID and Password to confirm your identity. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please visit our new Leopard Band web page. Click Band to visit the new site.

FBLA competed in Region Competition on Monday February 2, 2009 and eight students advanced to the state competition:

Geno Albright 1st Place Business Calculations
Sefali Patel 1st Place Intro to Business Communication
Chelsea Kelley 2nd Place Business Presentation
Savannah Stokes 2nd Place Business Presentation
Josh Brock 2nd Place Personal Finance
Tyler Ford/Sefali Patel 2nd Place Web Site Development
Logan Walterhouse 5th Place Business Math
Joseph Denton 6th Place Business Math
Savannah Stokes 7th Place Spreadsheet Applications

Ruby Tuesday will begin having Banks County night on the 1st Tuesday of each month. BC schools will receive 10% of the total sales