Gateway to the Okefenokee, Trainwatchers’ Paradise Serving Folkston and all of Charlton County

119th YEAR • ISSUE 49 • FOLKSTON, GEORGIA 31537 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017 • 12 PAGES, ONE SECTION • $1.00 (inc. tax)

w w w. c h a r l t o n c o u n t y h e r a l d . c o m o r f o l l o w u s o n f a c e b o o k a t w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / c h a r l t o n c o u n t y h e r a l d

© 2017 Charlton

County Herald Inc.

MEMBER OF THE GEORGIA

PRESS AND NATIONAL

NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATIONS

Charlton County

High School (CCHS) Se-

nior Cason Howard was

named the STAR Stu-

dent for the Class of 2018

this week. Cason selected

his agricultural science

teacher, Mrs. Audrey

Pickren, to be his STAR

Teacher.

The STAR program

stands for the Student

Teacher Achievement

Recognition. The pro-

gram was founded in

1958 by the Georgia

Chamber of Commerce

and has been sponsored

by the Professional As-

sociation of Georgia Edu-

cators (PAGE) since the

mid-1990’s.

Locally, the STAR

Student and Teacher are

sponsored by the Charl-

ton County STAR Stu-

dent Alumni Association.

To be selected for the

honor, the student has

to have the highest SAT

score in his or her gradu-

ating class and be a mem-

ber of the Top 10 percent

academically. Rigorous

minimum score require-

ments must also be met.

The STAR Teacher is

selected by the student

and is a teacher identi-

fied by the student as be-

ing one who has made a

significant contribution to the student’s scholas-

tic development.

As a local winner, Ca-

son will move on to the

Regional STAR competi-

tion for a chance to com-

pete for the state STAR

honor.

According to Cason,

“Mrs. Pickren convinced

me to join FFA when I

was a freshman, which

convinced me to pursue

a career in agricultural

science. She also nomi-

nated me for the Gover-

nor’s Honors Program

in ag science, a program

that allowed me to make

many connections state-

wide and gain a deeper

knowledge of agriculture.

Mrs. Pickren has pre-

pared me for a successful

life after high school, sup-

ported me tremendously

in all my activities, and

I greatly appreciate her.”

Mrs. Pickren added, “I

am so fortunate to have

had the opportunity to

teach Cason and that

he enjoys agriculture

and the FFA. Cason is

not only intelligent, but

also inquisitive and has

a great sense of humor

and work ethic. I am so

pleased that he earned

the honor of STAR Stu-

dent!”

Cason was recently

accepted to the Univer-

sity of Georgia on early

enrollment decision and

plans to pursue a bach-

elors and masters degree

in poultry science and

avian biology. He is the

son of Josh Howard and

Stacey Harris.

CCHS STAR Student and

STAR Teacher announced

CCHS STAR STUDENT CASON HOWARD AND STAR TEACHER AUDREY PICKREN.

St. George Christmas Parade and Festival this Saturday, Dec. 9

The 2017 St. George Christmas Parade and Festival is scheduled for Sat-

urday, December 9. The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. with festival booths

opening at 9:00 a.m. There will be crafts, food and much more.

After the parade Santa will be at the St. George Community Center tak-

ing pictures and giving out goodie bags to the first 100 children. The theme for this year’s parade is “Christmas In The South”. There will be a first and second place prize for the best floats.

For more information please contact Stacie Rozier at

904-772-5895 or Melissa Sweat at 912-281-1798, email

StGeorgeChristmasParade@gmail.com or look us up on

Facebook by searching “Saint George Christmas Parade”.

By Matt Gardner

On November 11 the

annual Williams Syn-

drome Christmas Party

was held at the Ronnie

Pollock Lodge in Folk-

ston. The annual event

hosted families from

Georgia, including Folk-

ston, Florida and other

surrounding states.

The theme for this

year’s event was Island

Luau. During the event,

those in attendance were

able to enjoy a great meal,

face painting, rides on

a fire truck, the reading

of Rudolf the Red Nose

Reindeer and the sing-

ing of Christmas Carols.

Santa Claus made a vis-

it along with Mrs. Claus,

Rudolph the Red Nose

Reindeer, Frosty the

Snowman and others.

About Williams Syn-

drome

Williams Syndrome

(WS) is a genetic condi-

tion that is present at

birth and can affect an-

yone. It is characterized

by medical problems, in-

cluding cardiovascular

disease, developmental RIDING THE FIRE TRUCK DURING THE PARTY.

A GROUP SHOT OF THOSE IN ATTENDANCE AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT.

Williams Syndrome

Island Luau Party helddelays and learning dis-

abilities. WS affects one

in 10,000 people world-

wide with an estimated

20,000 to 30,000 people

in the United States. It

See ‘Luau’ on 2