Thomas County Central High School Future Georgia Educators chapter members took part in the recent 2019 Future Georgia Educators State Competition. Several students and teams placed in their respective events.

“These students definitely rise above,” TCCHS FGE adviser Cindy Carnes said. “They are so dedicated to their work with children and went out of their way to spend personal time preparing for these competitions. I would be proud to see any of them come back and teach in our schools.”

The competition took place March 12 at Valdosta State University. Winners include Edjenee’ Corbin, first place in essay, and Brooke Kilgore, third place in prepared speech.

“The results of my essay were shocking to me,” junior Edjenee’ Corbin, 17, said. “Writing is something I enjoy to do, but placing first at a state competition with many other great writers is something I thought was only a dream. For the essay competition, I had to draft my essay of 1,000 words and submit it to Mrs. Carnes. We were only able to submit one essay from our school, so after mine was selected, I worked with Mrs. [Amy] Smith and Mrs. Carnes to edit my essay and prepare it for competition. The essays were due in advance, so when we arrived at the competition, the winners had already been decided.”

Two TCCHS teams placed second and third in the knowledge bowl: Colleen Folsom, Taylor Willoughby and Corbin’s team earned second; the team of Bailey Allen, Maggie Simmons and Simran Patel took third.

“We teach teacher ethics from the introductory course on throughout the program,” Carnes said. “Being able to answer competitive questions on teacher ethics, child development and curriculum shows us that our content is impactful and relevant to their current internships and future careers.”

Event contestant Bailey Allen describes the bowl as a Kahoot! that covers the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators and several educational philosophers.

Teammate Maggie Simmons thinks their group winning third place is excellent.

“I will admit, I was a little surprised we won third place due to all of the other teams that were there,” she said. “Winning third place in a bowl, competing with teams all across Georgia, was an experience I will never forget. It means a lot to me!”

Taylor Willoughby admits surprise at her team’s second-place finish. Nine teams competed.

“I studied and worked very hard to know as much as I could for this competition, but I did not expect to be in the top three,” she said. “I was very happy and proud of my team for obtaining our trophy and medal!”

The following day was the 2019 FGE region event, FGE Day. Twenty-seven TCCHS students attended seminars, visited a college fair and toured the VSU campus. Also, Rachell Hopkins served as an FGE ambassador and emceed the opening session. Colleen Folsom presented the “FGE Moment,” an essay she prepared describing her participation in FGE and early childhood education programs as deciding factors in her choice to become an educator.

“I received a gold medal for my FGE Moment, which was such a wonderful experience and opportunity for me to share my story and love of children,” Colleen Folsom, 17, said.

The Early Childhood Education Pathway prepares students for first-hand teaching experience via internship, TCCHS FGE adviser Amy Smith explains.

“Our classes focus on fueling the love for teaching, but I feel that our students’ experience across the curriculum supports their ability to problem-solve, research, and creatively present their passion for teaching,” she said.

FGE offers career and leadership experience, Smith continues. FGE Days are sponsored by education programs at Georgia’s post-secondary institutions and allow members an opportunity to interact with students already pursuing education degrees and learn more about continuing education options.

“I'm an FGE member because I enjoy working with young children and learning about their behavior,” Allen said. “I love that I'm able to visit different universities and explore my options for my future career.  I think what I enjoy the most is getting to go on trips and be exposed to people that share the same interest as me.”

Willoughby also enjoys partaking in FGE Day.

“The trip is so much fun, and we learn so much about our paths as future educators,” she said.

Corbin says becoming a teacher has always been one of her goals. Joining FGE helps her work with educators, tour colleges with education programs and participate in education competitions.

“These competitions are important not only because we get a shiny medal or trophy, but they bring awareness to many issues that need to be discussed in the education system,” she said. “I wrote my essay about wrap-around services, and it is imperative these services are provided to students because it gives all students a fair chance at academic excellence.”

This essay also demonstrates the TCCHS ECE program is keeping up with current education issues, Carnes adds.

The students who take part in TCCHS FGE and participate in events like FGE Day stand out because of their interest in the field and passion for being future educators, Smith concludes.

“I am very proud of the time and effort our students put into preparing for these contests,” she said.