Middle School Life Skills

Students at Carver Middle School, Youth Middle School and Loganville Middle School each had the chance to practice their table manners, common courtesies, handshakes and even their knot-tying skills during their CIS Life Skills events during October and November.

Volunteers taught students at various stations on tying a necktie, writing a proper thank-you note, making eye-contact and shaking hands.  Students then practiced their table manners with step-by-step instruction on dining etiquette.

Georgia Apply to College Day

Students at Walnut Grove High School, Monroe Area High School and Loganville High School were able to open and complete college admissions applications during Georgia Apply to College Days sponsored by their school counselors and CIS during the month of November.

Counselors, college recruiters and CIS volunteers were available to help students complete their applications during appointments set aside for students to use computer labs at their schools.

Hundreds of students took the opportunity to apply, and many colleges waived application fees for the event.

The Choice Bus

State Farm agents Chris Gallman, Patti Souther and Peyton Pettus sponsored The Choice Bus, a mobile exhibit encouraging students to stay in school, at Loganville High School, Monroe Area High School and Walnut Grove High School in October.

The exhibit, housed in a half school bus/half jail bus, features a movie theater where students could hear personal testimony from prison inmates who regretted their choice to drop out of school. Nationally, 7 out of every 10 high school drop outs spends time incarcerated.

At the end of the presentation, which included a discussion about setting goals and making positive choices, the theater was converted to reveal a full-size replica of a jail cell, allowing students to experience the stark reality of poor choices.

More than 1000 9th graders were able to experience The Choice Bus, and sign their pledges to stay in school

Fill the Bus! Donate School Supplies August 1 at Local Walmart Stores

As students all over Walton County return to school, many families will find themselves without the resources to help their children be prepared for class with proper school supplies.  That's why Communities In Schools of Walton County is teaming up with Walmart to Fill the Bus on Saturday, August 1.

Volunteers from the Walmart Distribution Center and the Rotary Clubs will staff  donation drives at the Walmart Supercenters in Monroe and Loganville from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM both days.
Saturday, August 1 is part of the statewide Georgia Sales Tax Holiday, a great day to stock up for your family and pick up a few extra items for kids in need.

Look for the big yellow school buses parked outside of each Walmart store.  Volunteers will be on hand to receive your donations and stuff them onto the bus, where they will be distributed to students who need them via the Communities In Schools Site Coordinators and school counselors.

Wish lists of items that are most needed will be handed out by volunteers at the entrance of each store.

Students in all middle and high schools in the Walton County School District and at Social Circle Elementary School will be able to request supplies directly from their Communities In Schools offices at each school. Supplies will be made available to other public schools via school counselors. Students from all schools will benefit from your donations.

Please help Stuff the Bus at Walmart August 1 and help surround our local students with a community of support to help them stay in school and achieve in life!

Walton County BBQ Festival Named Premiere Contest for North Georgia

Great news! The Walton County BBQ Festival has been named the Premier Contest for North Georgia for the 2015-16 season by the Georgia BBQ Association.

The GBA selected our contest to award double points towards the Team of the Year standings. GBA teams are recognized not only for their placement in each contest, but also collect points based on their participation and placement in contests throughout the year. The 10 teams with the most points at the end of the season are recognized at the annual GBA banquet with banners and prize money.

The GBA expects these designated contests will have lots of additional teams participating because they will want to make sure to collect those double points, which may have a big impact on the final standings.

The individual contests were selected for various reasons, but "yours was chosen because we wanted to reward you for the fantastic job you did last year and to showcase it as an example of how good a GBA contest can be," according to GBA officials.

Our 2016 festival will be March 12. Follow us here on Facebook and at our website at www.wcbbq.com to get the first chance to register when it opens!

Changing the Picture with the Class of '15

Eighty-three percent of Walton County seniors who were in CIS case management graduated this spring, changing the picture for themselves and their families for generations to come.

AFJROTC Visits CMS

AFJROTC students from MAHS, WGHS and LHS visited Loganville Middle and Carver Middle to show their young peers the opportunities they could take advantage of in the JROTC program when they get to high school.

98.5% Attendance for Georgia Milestones at YMS

Youth Middle School student Kyle Jenkins won this bike, the grand prize in the CIS Georgia Milestones attendance promotion. Students who attended every day of testing were entered into a drawing for this and other prizes. Attendance during these important test days averaged 98.5%, up several points from regular daily attendance at YMS.

Hitachi Walton County BBQ Festival

The Hitachi Walton County BBQ Festival will be held Saturday, March 14 at Criswell Park to raise funds to support Communities In Schools of Walton County.

The project began as a charitable outreach of the Walton County Municipal Association and has attracted more than 40 sponsors, 40 vendors, 25 barbecue teams from all over Georgia and a full-day line up of entertainment.

The Georgia Barbecue Association has sanctioned the event, and teams will compete for a $2000 Grand Champion prize and other awards in 10 places in the categories of pork loin, pulled pork and ribs.

The event will feature a People's Choice Contest, where the public can purchase a sample of barbecue from six competitors for $5 and then vote for their favorite.  There will be children's activity area with a free bounce house, face painting and character appearances. Other attractions will be available for a small fee. A food court will have barbecue plates, hamburgers, funnel cakes, popcorn and other treats for sale.

Entertainment will include local favorites, Flow Motion Band and Funky Bluester as well as performances by the Georgia Twirlettes, Kim's Major Tae Kwon Do, Charlotte's School of Dance and others.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, rain or shine.

For more information, see the festival website at www.wcbbq.com and like the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/waltonbbq.

CIS Walton, MAHS Earn National Recognition

Monroe Area High School was recognized as a CIS School of Excellence at the CIS National Town Hall Meeting in New Orleans. Thank you to our board members, volunteers, community partners and staff who are changing the picture for kids in all seven our our school sites all over Walton County.

Read about the award here, and watch the video here.

CIS National President dan Cardinali, CIS Walton Executive Director Angela Yarman, Board Member Rita Dickinson, Board Chair Bill Inabinet, Site Coordinator Ivy Corder, MAHS Principal Bryan Hicks, CIS Founder Bill Milliken and Board Member Jimmy Hogg.