Thomas County Central High School Future Georgia Educators Club members recently attended the Future Georgia Educators Conference.

TCCHS Early Childhood Education teacher Cindy Carnes, club sponsor, took 28 students to Rome, Ga., Feb 3-5. This is the school’s second year of participation in a row, and several TCCHS FGE members placed in competition categories.

Students were in divisions based on the study of Early Childhood Education area they were interested in.

“We competed in the Essay contest, Speech or FGE Moment contest, Public Service Announcement Video contest and the Teacher Code of Ethics Bowl,” Carnes said. “We had about 15 students competing overall.”

Antonio Green placed in the top two within the Speech contest. He shared his “ah ha” moment when he knew he wanted to become a teacher and why.

“I didn’t think – at all – that I would place,” Green, who plans to become a social studies teacher, said.

In his speech, Green talked about being raised by a single mom and how he connected with his teachers, how they, like his mother, were positive role models and motivated him. He also spoke about how he wants to do the same thing for future generations.

“My mission is to let people know, if I can do it, you can do it,” Green said.

In Public Service Announcement about the impact that teachers have on their students, the team of Christina Sellars, Porsha Palmer, Saleen Beckett, Mckayla Smith, Georgia Smith, and Brandi Copeland won their division.

"Teachers have not only helped me with my high school work, but also in preparation for my future," McKayla Smith said.

Also, Abby Hurst competed in the Essay contest. Brittany Salmons, Tiffany Salmons, Chesya Caroline, Jada Sparrow, Olivia Rountree, and Melinda Hurst competed in the Teacher Ethics Bowl.

Abby Hurst wrote in her competitive essay, "By my eighth grade year I started to think about what it was I really wanted to do in life. I knew that children had my heart and that I wanted to help them in so many ways."

Hurst is involved in the TCCHS Early Childhood Education Practicum program and the Early Childhood focused Work-Based Learning Program, where she works four hours per day preparing for her ECE career.

“This internship has given me the opportunity to have hands on experience in the early childhood field,” Hurst said. “It has also allowed me to gain knowledge and skills that will hopefully stick with me as I continue to pursue an early childhood education degree.”

Carnes said the students “worked hard” to attend the trip by selling donuts in order to afford the conference fees.  

“I am also so proud of their dedication to compete with other students across the state,” she said.

While on the trip, club members also got to tour the Georgia School for the Deaf located in Cave Spring.

“I hoped that by exposing our students to the deaf culture that they would gain a greater appreciation for deaf students and that they would possibly be inspired to one day work among them,” Carnes said.

Green even got the opportunity to interview one of the school’s student athletes through sign language and interpretation.

``We’re like brothers now,” Green said. “We text and video chat, and he’s teaching me how to sign.”  

Student Brittany Salmons said the visit was her favorite part of the trip.

“It was interesting to see how they learned and interacted with each other,” she said.

Carnes said, overall, it was “an amazing trip” and one the club hopes to repeat next year.