Thomas County Central High School Future Georgia Educators organization ended its season with a proud showing at state competition.
Select members, based on their performance at region, participated in the Georgia FGE Competition, held March 14 at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. Three teams and one individual placed in the event.
“We placed in every category, competing with schools all over the state,” advisor Cindy Carnes says. “I was very proud of our students!”
Rondesja Mitchell, Nyah Davenport and Elysia Jefferson won first place in their category, Why Teach? T-shirt Competition. Requirements were to create an appealing shirt design that included the FGE logo and this year’s selected inspirational quote by Nelson Mandela.
Team member Elysia Jefferson wanted to participate in this category because it allowed her to be creative. She says the trio was inspired by a pillow in Carnes’ classroom which depicts a map using the colors of the rainbow.
“We created an eye-catching T-shirt that best stood for what FGE is and what it means,” Jefferson says. “I feel pretty good about our placement because we as a group worked really hard on trying to figure out what would be the best way to make a T-shirt design that captures the true essence of what FGE means. Competing in this competition has taught me that I can achieve great things in life and that getting this award was just the beginning of what things I can accomplish.”
Courtney Robinson, Georgia Smith, Morgan Hurst and Emma Giles earned second place in the Why Teach? Campaign Display Board category. The board had to tell how teachers included felt about teaching and why they teach, explains senior Emma Giles.
“My team used a trifold board to lay out our examples of why teachers chose to teach,” she said. “We also made the board seem very fun and energetic to show how teaching is fun.”
Giles feels her group’s placement is a great way to wrap her senior year.
“The feeling of placing when it is your last year competing is the best feeling to have, when you know that you did not let your teammates down,” she said.
Senior Jada Sparrow wrote her way to third place in the individual competition, Homework Essay.
“I had to give my opinion on the topic of if elementary school children should have homework or not,” she explains. “Even though I expressed my opinion, I still had to have textual evidence from articles and child development experts. I also had to cite my evidence. I chose to participate in this category because it intrigued me. I wanted to be more aware and more knowledgeable of why we have homework and how it either positively or negatively affects the work and developmental process of children.”
In a group event, Sparrow and her teammates Eurica Bush and Ashlan Layton placed third in Ethics Bowl.
Teams study PAGE’s Code of Ethics to answer questions about it during a competitive Kahoot! game. Senior Ashlan Layton, a huge fan of Kahoot!, admits she’s extremely competitive at this type of learning game and thought she’d do well in the category.
“Our team played a round of Kahoot! against a handful of teams from around Georgia,” she said. “We were required to memorize and study different facts about educators and their code of ethics to successfully answer the questions correctly. Competition really helped me get out of my comfort zone and really pursue a new way of showing my knowledge on a subject I’m passionate about.”
Competing in events like this one are positive opportunities for FGE members says Layton.
“Events like this are important for those who plan on pursuing a career in early childhood education because it helps you connect with your peers and creates a way for us to get our name out there with people who can get us jobs and help us with our future careers,” she said.
These competitions allow students to both hone their skills and remind them of their purpose as part of the education system, Carnes adds.
Jefferson says FGE matters to her because it gives her an inside look at what it’s like to work with young children.
“When I first joined this club I already knew that I didn’t want to go to school to be a teacher, so I looked into other career fields to see how I could combine my passion for children with my passion of criminal justice, and I decided that I wanted to be a child’s advocate attorney,” she said. “Getting involved with children has pushed me to want to fight [for] the rights of children who can’t fight for themselves.”
Giles says being involved with FGE makes her feel like she has the courage and confidence to help change future generations in a positive way.
Sparrow feels students don’t realize all the blood, sweat and tears teachers put into their job or their dedication to educate and help others succeed.
“It’s really amazing to see teachers who inspire others to take initiative and become fellow educators and also shape them into responsible and honorable young adults and citizens,” she said.
Sparrow believes this is true with FGE.
“We all worked tremendously hard and our placement in the competition reflects our dedication and love for FGE,” she said. “Without the guidance from our teachers, Mrs. Carnes and Mrs. (Amy) Smith, we would not have gotten to state or even placed.”