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Trivia teams are organizing and signing up for the 23rd annual Howard Center Carnival of Knowledge to benefit Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County.

The event will be held at the Tifton campus of Southern Regional Technical College at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, with food and fun provided in observation of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

Trivia master David Holmes will conduct the competition, and teams of four to six players will compete against each other simultaneously throughout the event, answering trivia questions. The team sponsorship fee is a donation of $200 to benefit Literacy Volunteers.

As in the past, anyone may sign up to play on sponsored teams by contacting Literacy Volunteers at tiftlv@gmail.com, said Bonnie Sayles, president of the Literacy Volunteers board. Creative team names are encouraged.

“Businesses, civic groups, organizations, or individuals may sponsor teams,” she said. “As always, first-, second-, and third-place teams will receive exceptional prizes.”

Support of this event allows Literacy Volunteers to recruit and train tutors to work with  individuals wanting to improve their reading, writing, math, and English speaking abilities. Volunteers are especially needed to tutor adults in a classroom at the Anthony Bateman Youth Development Center.

Literacy Volunteers also provides transportation to some students attending GED classes at Southern Regional Technical College.

Those wanting to play, sponsor a team, donate a prize, or volunteer may call Literacy Volunteers at 229-391-2527. Registration forms and fees may be mailed to Literacy Volunteers, 52 Tech Drive, Tifton, GA 31794.

Source: https://www.tiftongrapevine.com/ 

Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) announced Monday it had achieved historic, record student enrollment for the 2023 fall term with 5,070 students.

The number represents a 7.6% increase in total enrollment and a 6.7% increase in full time equivalency when compared with SRTC’s fall 2022 figures.

The last time the college’s enrollment reached over 5,000 was in fall 2019 before the pandemic. President Jim Glass said the rebounding numbers are because of an extraordinary team effort.

“SRTC’s teamwork has been phenomenal,” Glass said. “This extraordinary pattern of growth is a direct result of the dedication of our hardworking and devoted faculty and staff. When students walk through the doors at SRTC, they are met by our compassionate team who are focused on every student’s success. This team comes to work to serve students, and it shows.”

Glass said the college’s positive local and regional reputation has further supported growth. “Our No. 1 goal is outstanding workforce development. It is what we promise our communities, and it is what we deliver. I am so proud of our reputation among our business and industry partners of producing high-quality graduates who are ready to go to work the moment they graduate. Our 99% job placement rate is proof that we are earning that trust every single semester.”

The college’s associate of science (ASN) nursing program was recently recognized for producing the highest ASN graduation rate in the Technical College System of Georgia and the fourth highest among all ASN programs offered at colleges and universities throughout Georgia.

“Graduating well-trained, qualified nurses is mission-critical for us here in South Georgia,” said SRTC Nursing Chair Athalena Benton. “Hospitals, clinics, and physicians’ offices across our service-delivery area depend on us to provide them with a steady stream of capable nurses who graduate prepared to care for patients.”

SRTC also continues to maintain one of the largest dual enrollment programs in the state, with more than 2,000 students taking advantage of the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school during the 2023 academic year. With recent changes to the program, any student enrolled in a Georgia high school that meets SRTC dual enrollment and admission requirements is eligible at no cost to students or their families up to 30 credit hours.

Source: https://www.tiftongrapevine.com/

The Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) is offering new tutoring resources to students in grades K-12 during the 2023-2024 school year as part of its strategy to continue addressing lost learning opportunities.

Tutoring in grades K-8 will be provided through a partnership with the AmeriCorps tutoring programs Reading Corps and Math Corps. Trained tutors will be placed at select schools to deliver evidence-based tutoring. In grades 9-12, GDOE will launch the GaTutor program, available through Georgia Virtual Learning.

“We are committed to investing in our state's academic recovery and addressing lost learning opportunities as a result of the pandemic by providing direct academic interventions to our students," said state School Superintendent Richard Woods. “We know it is possible for our students to regain lost ground and will continue to make investments as a state to ensure they do so."

Using a combination of state and federal funds, GDOE will partner with AmeriCorps' Math Corps and Reading Corps programs to provide tutoring for up to 5,000 students in grades K-8.

GDOE's School and District Improvement and Teaching and Learning teams have worked with Reading Corps/Math Corps to identify schools for tutor placement.

Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, the GaTutor program will be available through Georgia Virtual Learning. GDOE is hiring 100 Georgia-certified teachers to serve as tutors for the program, which will be available in all Georgia Milestones End of Course subjects and free to public high-school students. GaTutor is prepared to provide approximately 60,000 individual tutoring sessions this school year.

Source: https://www.tiftongrapevine.com/

Tifton, GA – The Georgia Peanut Commission is hosting a photo contest through Oct. 1, 2023, featuring peanut farms from across the state to fill the pages of the 2024 Georgia Peanut Calendar. Photos will also be selected to be used in various promotional projects by GPC throughout the year. Georgia farmers are encouraged to submit their best high-resolution photo from throughout the growing season. Winning entries will be selected for each month of the calendar, as well as the cover page. Below are tips to consider when selecting a photo to enter:

Make sure the photo is not offensive and avoid photos with large, easy to read corporate logos.  Think about the months of the year and select photos that represent them. For example, land prep work in the winter, planting in the spring, irrigation in the summer and harvest in the fall.  Make sure photos are taken in horizontal format, so they will fill the entire page of the calendar.
Showcase your family (young and old) and what being a Georgia peanut farmer means to you.  Choose a photo you feel helps others understand more about how you care for the crop they love.

Photo entries must be taken during the 2021, 2022 or 2023 peanut crop year and feature peanut production. Entries must also be high resolution (300 dpi), horizontal and not taken with a phone; otherwise, they may be disqualified. Please submit photos in .jpg format and submit them with the online entry form provided on www.gapeanuts.com by Oct. 1, 2023, for consideration. Winning entries will be entered for a chance to win a Visa gift card. Visit www.gapeanuts.com for complete details.