Politics & Government

City Council Recognizes Retiring Educator

Local middle school principal retires after 35 years of work in the Cobb County School System.

The retiring principal of a local middle school was awarded a plaque from the during a busy but lighthearted meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen on Thursday night.

Georganne Young, who has been at the helm of for four years, has decided to retire after a 35-year career as an educator and administrator in the Cobb County School System.

After being diagnosed with cancer two years ago and recently losing two friends to the disease, Young felt the time had come to step aside and let others lead the way. In her decades of service to Cobb County's youth, Young was known as an innovator who stressed the importance of the proper use of the latest technology in the classroom.

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“It's been hard getting the teachers up to speed,” she said, “but they have to realize these children don't learn material the same way their teachers did when they were in school.”

As it often turns out in life, Young didn't plan on becoming a teacher at all. While a psychology major at the University of Alabama, a law was passed mandating collaboration between special education efforts and psychology. Young set foot in a classroom and never looked back.

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Young's long career took her from Walton High School to South Cobb, Lassiter and Kell High Schools before ending her career as the principal of Durham Middle School. Young had retired once previously, but returned work in 2005 because she missed the world of education too much. On May 31, Young retired for good. She cited the recent economic difficulties amongst all school systems nationwide as a small factor in her decision. In her 35 years of work in education, this last year was the hardest for her. Despite the difficulties, Young wouldn't change a thing.

“It was never just a job,” she said. “I was touching the future, hopefully in a positive way.”

In recognition for her decades of service, Young was presented with a proclamation from the City of Acworth praising her for her dedication to the city's youth. Mayor Tommy Allegood, who danced with Young at the Dancing With Georgia's Stars fundraising event, said she had been an excellent partner on the dance floor and in the classroom. The proclamation also noted her love of her own two children and her willingness to sing “Sweet Home Alabama” at a moment's notice.

“I think we benefited the most from her,” Allegood said, “because she had many of our children right here in the Acworth area.”

Other notable items from Thursday night's meeting include:

  • Steven Dudley announced the opening of his new seafood restaurant, Fish Thyme. He said it would be a family-friendly restaurant with an adult atmosphere. Dudley feels his restaurant, which will be near , will be a great addition to the downtown community and help funnel more people to the area. The restaurant will be opened in 30 to 45 days. Dudley applied for and was granted a license to serve alcohol at his new restaurant.

  • The portion of School Street between Bell Street and Cherokee Street will be converted to a pedestrian walkway closed to vehicle traffic. This presents a problem for the house at the intersection of School and Cherokee, as this planned conversion will remove their access to the outside world. To resolve this, the city will deed a small portion of the former School Street to the homeowner so he has access from his driveway to Cherokee Street.

  • A moment of levity occurred when Pamela Maximo, a registered nurse, came to the public comment session to inquire about life for senior citizens in the city. She had sent Allegood an e-mail and had heard nothing back from him. When reminded of this, Allegood fell back in his seat and said her e-mail was in his delete folder. “It was really long,” he said. Alderman Bob Weatherford joked that any e-mail longer than two lines should be passed along to him. After the meeting concluded, Allegood sat down with Maximo and helped her get the information she needed.

  • The passage of the consent agenda included the ratification of the new fiscal year budget and the amended previous budget for the city. City Manager Brian Bulthuis announced the city has earned slightly more than it has spent in the last year, owing to the hard work of all the department heads. He credited City Treasurer Sharron Burtz with crafting the new fiscal year budget, which continues the pattern of generating revenue despite increases in fuel costs and decreases in tax receipts. Allegood said there are no property tax increases or cuts in city services in the new budget.

  • After a nine year career, "Bosco" is retiring. He will settle into his new life as the family pet of Officer Jason Larocque. Bosco's replacement will come from Titsuville, FL and be paid for by the drug seizures fund.

  • The remainder of the agenda can be found here.


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