Tech in Cobb’s Schools

Watch This! Video Production in Our Schools

You may remember your dad taping a white sheet on the wall and threading the 8 mm film to the reel on the projector so your family could watch excerpts from your first birthday party. Or maybe you grew up in the age of VHS and you remember your mom nearly dislocating her shoulder trying to hold the bulky camera long enough to record your 50 meter freestyle at the regional swim meet. Fast forward to now: When our children want to capture an important moment in their lives, they record it on their phone, upload it to the Internet and share it with their friends in a matter of minutes.

Video usage has exploded in the last few years, fueled partly by the advances in recording equipment and partly by the expansion of the Internet. In response to this surge in video technology, many high schools in Cobb County offer video production education as part of their curriculum.

Keeping Up with IT

Educators and IT specialists alike know how quickly technology can change. “The problem in [the early] days was the bandwidth. The Internet just wasn’t stout enough to play much video and what little you could play was tiny,” says Carleton Holt, president of Granite Digital Imaging in Marietta. “Now the bandwidth has changed and more video content is watched on the Internet than any other deliverable.”

This is especially true of the younger generation. According to Nielson, YouTube reaches more young adults between the ages of 18–34 than any cable television network. It’s not just youngsters watching. YouTube.com has 1 billion unique visitors each month from all over the world. And the videos just keep coming. Every minute, 100 hours of video are uploaded to the site.

Companies are also discovering the value in video communications. “Five years ago, a video on the Internet was a luxury, whereas today, it’s almost a necessity,” Holt says. A significant portion of his business comes from producing marketing video presentations for company websites.

Ian Feinberg, instructor of television production at Chattahoochee Technical College, tells his students that working at a television studio is just one of many possibilities for careers. “There are production companies that do wedding videos, music videos, corporate communications and programming for cable TV,” he says. Several of his students have gone on to work in Atlanta’s burgeoning movie and television industry, including one who works on the television show “The Walking Dead.”

The implications for this changing technology expand beyond the classroom. “The video market continues to grow as technology expands. There are going to be quite a few job opportunities in this field for students who graduate from our schools. The sooner they’re exposed to it and experience it, the more prepared they’ll be for a potential career in video production,” says Jay Dillon, director of communications for Cobb County Schools.

Tech in Cobb’s Schools

High schools in the Cobb County School District offer a series of classes in broadcast and video production through the career and technology department. Joshua Dempsey is the instructor at North Cobb High School, where he teaches 118 students each day about camera angles, lighting, audio equipment, script writing and editing. His broadcast team produces “Tomahawk Today,” a weekly entertainment and news show, which Dempsey calls infoentertainment. They also produce a daily news update and cover some of the school’s sporting events. Dempsey believes that video production is a valuable skill. “There are a lot of opportunities in the fact that everything is media driven. There’s definitely a demand for creating videos for churches, corporate video and even working in home security.”

Whitefield Academy in Mableton includes video production as part of the theater arts program. Taught by Kayla Marsh and the school’s technical director, Brian Coski, the program gives students an understanding of the total process, including how to compose shots, storytelling and how to integrate lighting and sound. “The ability to craft a video that tells an impactful story is useful for any student pursuing any field,” Marsh says.

While most video production programs are taught at the collegiate or high school level, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy in Marietta believes that younger children can benefit from video training as well. The academy recently added a complete production studio with all of the latest video and audio equipment, including a green screen wall and teleprompter. The students produce two live morning segments each day, one for the lower school (grades K–5) and one for the middle school (grades 6–8).

In addition to the news shows, video production is used as an educational tool. Students in the Latin class wore costumes depicting important Latin characters and stood in front of the green screen. An appropriate background was added and a video created. “Kids are visual learners,” says Chip Barber, director of technology at Mt. Bethel. “Video brings it to life in a way that a textbook can’t. We’re trying to provide technology in a way that they get some educational value out of it.”

Mt. Bethel’s morning announcements and other videos are streamed live on their website. That works well for them because their target audience is limited to their students and students’ families. However, some schools hope to reach a much broader audience, especially when broadcasting sporting events.

A Global Reach

Several Cobb County high schools—North Cobb, Lassiter, Allatoona, Pebblebrook and Pope—have joined nfhsnetwork.com in order to have the ability to stream live video through a dedicated portal. A joint venture between the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and PlayOn! Sports, the NFHS Network School Broadcast Program provides schools with the platform, software and resources to capture and broadcast live video of football games, basketball games, baseball games, graduation ceremonies or other school events.

Broadcasting via the Internet allows fans from all over the country to view games that would never merit a spot on a television sports show. “Television has a finite number of channels. Streaming video on the Internet has no barriers. Any school can get on and broadcast all the great stuff going on at their school,” says Mark Rothberg, director of the NFHS School Broadcast Program. As long as they have access to the Internet, grandparents in Santa Fe, N.M., can watch their granddaughter’s volleyball game in Marietta, Ga., in real time, or access the archives when it’s more convenient.

“The School Broadcast program takes the same technology that PlayOn! Sports uses to produce sporting events, and we offer that technology to the schools. We actually go and train the students,” explains Rothberg. “What’s great about this is that it gives the students real world production skills in live broadcast.”

Building career skills is only one reason for teaching video production. The creative process is empowering as well as educational, and students naturally gravitate to the most technically advanced medium. There is also the need to enlighten children to the truth about media. By creating their own videos, students learn how easy it is to manipulate the facts. They learn very quickly that not everything they see on the Internet is real. “I try to get the kids to understand media on a different level.” Dempsey says. “What I teach is relevant.”

Beyond the Classroom

Jacqueline Frasca

Connecting Cobb business leaders and students.

When you consider your community, what aspects of it are the most important to you? If you’re a parent, education is bound to be near the top of your list. But it’s more than just parents who care about the quality and opportunities their local education system brings to the table—anyone concerned with the economic development of an area cares about education and strives to make it better for everyone in the community.

In Cobb County, local businesses thrive year after year as business leaders and entrepreneurs alike take on leadership roles within the community. One thing Cobb businesses excel at is getting involved with students in ways that benefit both the schools and Cobb’s economic climate. With the Marietta Reads! and Partners in Education initiatives connecting school and businesses, the supporting link between business and education is working to further improve the quality of Cobb’s education.

Marietta Reads!

When Dr. Emily Lembeck, superintendent of Marietta City Schools, saw that a reading initiative in St. Paul, Minn., was having great success, she began to investigate. What she discovered was that a similar project in Marietta was not only possible, but much needed. “With the influx of technology, it was becoming more apparent that student achievement and reading comprehension needed to improve,” says Lembeck. “I saw what [St. Paul was] doing and really felt that this would be something that would be really good, not just for our students and school system, but for our city.”

Marietta Reads! is a citywide effort to foster literacy and reading in Marietta and all of Cobb County. Students earn Accelerated Reader points based on the difficulty of books they’re reading and their performance on Accelerated Reader tests. Students share book reviews and recommend books to each other, which encourages their classmates and friends to read. The Student Incentives section of mariettareads.org makes it easy for students of all grade levels to use the system and gain not only verbal praise and reinforcement but awards, certificates and prizes as well. As recorded by Accelerated Reader, the Marietta City School District’s students have read 45,333 books.

Lembeck and her team of supporters began Marietta Reads! with three goals. “First, to get our students to read better, more widely and more critically,” says Lembeck. “To engage the community in supporting us, and there were many ways—as volunteers, helping us to purchase books, helping us to purchase and provide motivators to get students who want to read, to hook them on reading. Thirdly, we really wanted our adults and community leaders to serve as literacy leaders, to model the joy and the importance of literacy and reading.”

Marietta Reads! has many business partnerships and many Cobb businesses promote the program in the workplace, encouraging staff to get involved and volunteer. Because of Marietta Reads!, Marietta was named an All-America City in 2006, as judges recognized the effort to foster reading and literacy in the community. Other area partnerships include Barnes and Noble, Scholastic Books, Zaxby’s, the Marietta Schools Foundation, Marietta Power, Cobb EMC, the Credit Union of Georgia, Chick-fil-A, the Kiwanis Club of Marietta and the Rotary Club of Marietta. “We’ve sustained partnerships and interest for 11 years and that often does not happen,” says Lembeck, “but I think the reason to have this focus is so compelling.”

In many ways, Marietta Reads! has had powerful influence outside the city. Their partnership with the Cobb County Library was the impetus behind the One Book Cobb focus, and Lembeck has gone to South Korea on economic development trips where the Marietta Reads! mascot, Mary Etta, was a huge hit at their libraries and schools. One of the most rewarding aspects of the program’s success is the increase in the number of books in students’ at-home libraries, as more than 30,000 books have been given to students who otherwise would not have had them. “I do believe that we have helped to establish the joy of reading,” says Lembeck, “and I hope that is a lifelong joy for the students that we serve in the school district and for others in our community.”

Partners in Education

The Partners in Education program was started by the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Cobb County and Marietta City school systems in 1986 when a group of educators and local business leaders saw the need for community involvement in schools. Designed to meet the needs of local schools through the resources of community partners, these support systems benefit both organizations and the entire community. At its inception, the program began with four businesses working with a school, and has grown to include more than 1,300 partnerships in the past 27 years.

Education and Workforce Development Coordinator Hannah Orr says there’s a myriad of ways local businesses can get involved with schools in the area. “Either a school can approach a business in their community to begin the partnership, or a business will approach the Cobb Chamber to find local schools in their area in which to get involved and support,” says Orr. “The school and business then meet to discuss their needs and resources available. The activities that businesses participate in with schools range from mentoring to school supply donations and providing lunch for teachers.”

Once a business and school have outlined a partnership plan highlighting the activities the business will be participating in, the Chamber processes it and sends certificates and seals to the school to plan a signing ceremony with the business. Each school in Cobb County and Marietta City is involved. Collaboration from the community in accomplishing goals of annual school improvement plans, as well as business expertise and technical support, helps to provide a more complete education for students. According to Orr, the schools have benefitted from “a total estimated value of more than $8.1 million of time, money, goods and services from businesses.”

But the partnership is mutually beneficial, as businesses have the opportunity to present firsthand the expectations of the business world to students. Heightening the awareness of present and future job needs and understanding the quality and requirements of the public school system, whose health is vital to the economic well-being of the community, benefits both employer and employees. Boosting company morale and adding to public relations efforts are two other perks of being recognized as a community-involved company.

“The Partners in Education program brings community involvement and development, support of public education and resources that enrich and extend educational opportunities,” says Orr. “This program helps to enhance and maintain academic achievement and student success in Cobb.” Whether you can donate your time to reading with local students or you and your employees can help put more books in students’ homes, the benefits of getting involved with local education are plentiful in Cobb.

Taking Care of Cobb

Jacqueline Frasca

In a world that’s ever growing and expanding, the need to create more sustainable lifestyles is imperative. Cobb County is well looked-after, with several organizations and programs that go above and beyond giving back to their community. These initiatives thrive on volunteer and community resident participation to make a more sustainable Cobb, so read on for some of the county’s major programs and get involved in beautifying your own backyard.

Keep Cobb Beautiful

In 2012, Keep Cobb Beautiful, Inc., an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a national, non-profit public education organization dedicated to improving waste handling practices in American communities, contributed a total of $1,119,074.81 to the county in volunteer hours, in-kind donations and implementations of cost-avoidance measures. The KCB program gives back to Cobb by hosting events, programs and services that promote environmental stewardship in the county.

“The ultimate goal of the KCB Program’s offerings is to promote an individual change of behavior towards the environment,” says Terrilyn Hannah, executive director of KCB. Education and advocacy for waste reduction and recycling, litter prevention, community greening and beautification are the goals of the program. “Keep Cobb Beautiful is fortunate to have an abundance of resources,” says Hannah. “Of these resources, our volunteers are the most vital and appreciated. In 2012, KCB utilized volunteers for more than 30,000 hours in our many programs. It is through their time, energy, enthusiasm and areas of expertise that Keep Cobb Beautiful has been able to reach the community for almost 30 years.”

The program has a full calendar of scheduled events and outreach cleanups planned for 2014, including tree plantings starting as early as January, a Christmas tree recycling event, the Great American Cleanup, Neighborhood Sweeps and the Rivers Alive fall stream cleanup. “As the program enters 30 years strong, the board and staff of KCB will be challenged with sustaining existing programs, and expanding and introducing new/other ones to meet needs of the Cobb County community,” says Hannah. “Some near future goals include, but are not limited to, implementing the new ‘Cool Business’ shade tree program, increasing the number of recycle drop-off spots and providing at least one Community Recycling Center event per County Commission district each year.”

Cobb County Watershed Stewardship Program

Offering free outreach programs for classrooms and community groups in Cobb County, the Watershed Stewardship Program’s hands-on programs promote respect for the environment by educating participants about the connections between behavior and water quality. “Our focus is on ecological literacy, including topics such as pollution prevention, biodiversity and environmental health,” says Environmental Programs Specialist Mike Kahle. “We provide education on issues impacting local water quality, [in order to] foster good habits and responsible behavior and cultivate an appreciation and a connection to our natural environment.”

During the 2012–2013 reporting year, 15,911 community members participated in the Watershed Stewardship Program, logging 4,144 hours of volunteer service. These community programs reached 3,603 participants, and 10,761 students took part in free school programs. “We provide the tools and training for our service projects, which focus on preventing non-point source pollution from entering our waterways, and eventually our sources of drinking water,” says Kahle. “These projects include storm drain marking, waterway cleanups, stream bank stabilization and maintaining a demonstration rain garden. We also coordinate the Georgia Adopt-a-Stream programs here in Cobb County, and work in partnership with more than 30 local and regional programs, businesses and government agencies to better serve the population.”

In 2014, the Watershed Stewardship Program plans to focus largely on bacteria reduction education. They plan to undergo a partner project with the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District to launch a PSA video contest to increase awareness among high school students, particularly on the consequences of pouring kitchen grease down sink drains. They will also ramp up their Pick It Up program to help reduce pet waste litter. “Both stewardship practices are quick, easy ways to help ensure our streams and neighborhoods are healthy,” says Kahle.

Smyrna’s Biodiesel Plant

In 2012, Smyrna opened a biodiesel plant with the goal of fueling the city’s fleet of vehicles with used cooking oil. The plant was paid for by a $208,000 grant from the $3.2 billion Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Energy. The grant is meant to “deploy the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable energy technologies we have,” according to the department’s website, and that is just what Smyrna has begun to accomplish.

The program’s goals were to first reduce the city’s consumption of fossil fuels (diesel), reduce the city’s fuel cost and keep the air cleaner by reducing greenhouse fossil fuel emissions in Smyrna. Their objective is to reduce diesel consumption and emissions by 25 percent by 2025 while saving approximately $25,000 a year in fuel costs.

The city has a hefty supply of raw materials after the program’s second Thanksgiving. Residents and restaurants can donate used cooking oil at six collection stations around the city, which also provide empty plastic jugs. Prior to Thanksgiving 2012, the city notified residents of the collection efforts by social media and its online newsletter, which helped them to stockpile 400 gallons of oil before the plant went live Nov. 28. For 2013, donations from the holiday are still coming in.

The advantages of this program for the city are numerous: reducing fossil fuel consumption costs and emissions, enhancing the maintenance and extending the life of city service vehicles, reducing the city’s purchase of diesel and providing an alternate fuel source, as well as giving the city a way to self-sufficiently produce fuel during shortages and helping to keep the sewers cleaner and free of improperly disposed cooking oil.

Ann Kirk, director of Keep Smyrna Beautiful, says they are just getting ready to make a new batch of biodiesel, but they’ve processed 600 gallons so far, with 800 more ready to process. They want to start with one city vehicle to better test how the project would go, and that one truck is already running off the biodiesel at B100, or 100 percent biodiesel. Kirk and the Keep Smyrna Beautiful team hope to soon get restaurants involved by allowing them to donate their used cooking oil.

Collection areas around the city as well as jugs at the recycling center keep residents from pouring oil down their drains. When residents use large quantities of oil, such as for frying turkeys, it’s cumbersome to dispose of it properly. The service the city can offer willing restaurants is a barrel for oil at restaurant or institutions that will be picked up at no charge. “There are some people actually paying for removal of waste oil and we would love to service those people,” says Kirk. “I think a lot of the positive effect has just been raising awareness, but it has created a source for us to get rid of what would have otherwise have been a pollutant. We don’t want this going down the drains in homes and apartment buildings because it clogs up the sewers. It helps keep us energy-independent and is much more environmentally-friendly than tetro diesel.”

They hope eventually to have all the city’s service vehicles running on biodiesel and to have all of Cobb County involved in the eco-friendly fuel process. “I’m not sure that [residents of Cobb are] all that aware of it,” says Kirk. “I know that our residents and citizens in Smyrna are happy with it. We will accept oil from all over the county. We would hope that people all over the county would feel free to bring their oil to us. We would love to have it.”

Good Word of Mouth

Margaret Price

National Children’s Dental Health Month keeps smiles brighter through education

February is a busy month across the United States, with Punxsutawney Phil predicting the arrival of spring, honoring our nation’s leaders on President’s Day and celebrating our loved ones on Valentine’s Day. But you may not know this month contains another important message: Getting an early start on oral health can prepare children for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

The American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) each February to raise awareness among parents and children about the importance of good oral health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tooth decay remains the No. 1 most common childhood disease, a disease that is five times more common than asthma in the United States. Proper oral health in children is important because if children take care of their teeth from an early age, they are less likely to encounter dental disease such as cavities, gum disease and plaque build-up in the future.

To commemorate NCDHM, now in its 63rd year, a number of Cobb pediatric dentistry and orthodontic practices are offering educational programs and free teeth cleanings in addition to advice on how to keep your children’s teeth in biting shape.

Making Learning Fun

For John H. Taylor, D.M.D., P.C., education is a fundamental part of his practice, Children’s Dentistry of Marietta. An East Cobb native who has been practicing in the area since 1987, he received his undergraduate degree at Mercer University and his dental degree at the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry. Taylor is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and has professional affiliations with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry and the Georgia and American Dental Association.

“For the past 20 plus years, our practice has celebrated February and National Children’s Dental Health Month with community outreach in our local schools for dental education,” says Taylor. “‘Miss Judy,’ as everyone calls her, takes time out of the practice to visit area schools and provide a fun and entertaining program to teach good nutritional habits and good oral health to kids from 3 to 5 years of age. She is so popular that area schools call months in advance to schedule her program for their school.” According to Taylor, Miss Judy typically educates between 1,000 and 1,300 kids a year in the East Cobb area, which means more than 23,000 children in the East Cobb area have been taught good oral habits over the years.

In Taylor’s office, parental involvement is also an important part of the overall dental experience, as parents can become comfortable with how their child reacts to teeth cleaning and dental hygiene instruction in the office. “We have mom or dad escort the child into the tooth brushing area where we give the child a new toothbrush and have the child brush at the sink,” he says. “This allows us to answer any questions the parents have about their child’s teeth or hygiene issues at this time and suggest any improvement needed. The parents are there to observe our dental hygienists clean their child’s teeth and can be informed of any areas of concern we may have.”

High-Quality Care

Born and raised in Winston-Salem, N.C., Michael A. Rossitch, D.D.S., M.S., P.C., pediatric dentist and owner of Rossitch Pediatric Dentistry in Marietta, received his undergraduate degree, master’s degree and dental degree from The University of North Carolina. He is a founding member of the 1998 Society at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “I always enjoyed working with kids, but it was my experiences volunteering in orphanages in Mexico and Honduras while in dental school that really solidified my desire to work in pediatrics,” says Rossitch.

Rossitch says that NCDHM is a busy time in the office, as his staff provides educational programs for preschools and daycares around the area. “Our office is a revolving door of staff members coming and going from these school visits all month,” he says. “Our goal is to provide education to these children and provide supplies so that they can take these things home and start on a good oral hygiene regimen.”

More than anything, Rossitch Pediatric Dentistry is focused on providing the highest quality dental care in an environment that helps kids have positive experiences and maintain a happy and healthy smile for life. “My staff and I are prepared for any situation and committed to providing the best oral health care possible,” says Rossitch.

Bracing for the Future

Capps and Iaculli Orthodontics in Marietta is a dental office that specializes in the practice of orthodontics. In October 2013, John D. Iaculli, D.D.S., M.S., purchased the practice from W. Jerry Capps, D.D.S., M.S.D. Iaculli attended Bucknell University, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, and received a dental degree from State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago with a specialty certificate in orthodontics. “We are celebrating Children’s Dental Health Month by visiting local schools and providing oral hygiene instruction,” says Iaculli. “We will also be giving out goody bags full of free toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss.”

As a provider of braces, Capps and Iaculli Orthodontics sees children every six to eight weeks, compared to the typical six month cleanings provided at a general dentist office, allowing them to establish a close relationship with a child, which gives them a unique opportunity to monitor and shape a child’s overall oral health. If poor oral hygiene or a problem is noticed, the practice can intervene sooner and make recommendations to visit a dentist for a cleaning or restorative appointment.

Many positive changes can take place in the time kids spend going through the orthodontic experience, says Iaculli. “It is common to focus only on the aesthetics of straight teeth and the oral health is an afterthought in the developing adolescent,” he says. “This is actually the perfect opportunity to start educating children about their oral health. When a smile is corrected with braces, a child will often start taking pride in their mouth. They begin to gain confidence in themselves and look for ways to improve their oral hygiene. It is a wonderful transformation that we, as orthodontists, get to actively participate in and follow the progression of a child into young adulthood.”

Know the Drill

The ADA provides the following tips to make certain that parents are doing all they can to ensure proper oral health in their children:

Start children out early with good oral care. Wipe the gums of infants with a soft washcloth before the first tooth appears.
Brush with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day for two minutes (for children 2 years or older).
Floss daily.
Get enough fluoride through drinking water, fluoride products and fluoride supplements, if necessary.
Visit the dentist regularly through biannual exams and cleanings.
Prevent cavities with a nutritious diet, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, instead of processed foods.

As far as diet and dental health is concerned, parents face a bewildering array of food choices for the little ones, says Taylor. Maintaining a nutritious diet in children is essential to promoting oral health and preventing tooth decay. “What kids eat and when they eat it may affect not only their general health, but also their oral health,” he says. “Children are consuming more and more processed foods high in sugars and starches. Junk food and drinks gradually have replaced nutritious foods for many children. For example, the average teenage boy in the U.S. consumes more than 80 gallons of sugary drinks a year.”

Alarmingly, a steady diet of sugary foods and drinks can ruin teeth, especially among those who snack throughout the day. “Grazing with small meals all day maybe good for overall health, but not for your teeth,” says Taylor. “When sugar and starches are consumed over and over again, often in hidden amounts, the harmful effect on teeth can be dramatic. Sugar on teeth provides food for bacteria, which produce acid and this acid in turn can eat away the enamel on teeth, causing tooth decay.” Starches and sugars can be found in almost everything from bread to pretzels to salad dressing, so reading labels and planning carefully is important for a balanced, nutritious diet for kids, which in turn promotes good oral health.

Aside from diet and prevention, education is key to keeping a child’s teeth and gums strong and healthy, says Iaculli. “The path to developing healthy dental habits results from proper education,” he says. “By educating themselves and their children, parents will allow their children to smile for a lifetime.”

The Power of Parenting

Gwyn Herbein

The stack of reading materials on my nightstand is fairly predictable—the latest issue of Atlanta magazine. A paperback bestseller. My Kindle. But lately, those items have been crowded out by books and magazines covering a single topic: parenting. Since the impending birth of my daughter has consumed my every waking moment for the past nine months, I am particularly attuned to parenting issues that crop up in the media.

I know how easy it is to judge someone, especially for his or her reaction to a situation in which you have been fortunate to never find yourself. Parenting is one of those areas in which everyone has an opinion, even those who have sworn off ever reproducing. I have tried very hard during the course of my pregnancy to smile (and subsequently ignore) the childless people, however well-intentioned, who offer me parenting advice. Given all of these caveats, a recent case in the state of Texas made this soon-to-be parent sick to her stomach.

Attorneys for 16-year-old Ethan Couch successfully argued an “affluenza” defense for a teen who stole beer from a convenience store, drank excessively, got behind the wheel of his pick-up truck with more passengers than seatbelts and killed four pedestrians. In case you are not familiar with it, “affluenza” is a horrendous affliction whereby the children of wealthy parents never know discipline, limit-setting—you know, parenting. (Note that this diagnosis does not appear in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” the “bible” for the psychiatric profession.) But Couch’s lawyers want you to believe that absentee parents and a lifetime of free reign to do whatever he wanted means he is unable to differentiate between right and wrong.

This poor, neglected teen will be spending the next 10 years on probation. Not in prison, not in a juvenile facility of any sort, but on probation, while the families of the people he killed are left to mourn their loved ones. The rest of us are left with the debate that inevitably follows such controversial cases over whether or not this is a real affliction, or yet another way for spoiled children to avoid suffering the consequences of their actions (spoiled children who grow up to be spoiled adults). You can probably guess which side of the fence I reside on. Mark my words: No child of mine will grow up without knowing the power of a timeout, a grounding, an apology note to someone wronged.

The terrifying part of this to me is to wonder how Couch would have turned out if his parents had been more present. Was he doomed to fail because of their actions (nurture), or is there something in him that makes him more likely to disregard others (nature)? After all, you probably know someone who was a wonderful, engaged, loving parent whose kids didn’t turn out so well for one reason or another. Scientists have debated this for centuries, with few clear-cut answers. An article in the Sept. 16 issue of the Wall Street Journal quotes a study that found that some people, due to their genetic makeup and life experiences, are more sensitive to outside influences than others. Granted, there is still no surefire way to know how children will respond until later in life, but my gut tells me that it is hard for any parent to go wrong with a strong and consistent message about courtesy and respect for others.

Feel free to check in with me in a few years, but I am pretty sure that I have found the cure for this so-called “affluenza”: good old-fashioned parenting.

Small Business, Big World

Marietta.com

Marietta Square is the focus of the pilot episode of Small Business, Big World – a web-based documentary all about Small businesses, their owners, and the meaning of shopping local. Hosted by Edward DeGruy and Jevocas Green, the show takes you around to various businesses to show what truly makes them unique. In this episode, we hear the stories from the owners and employees as they tell us about the struggles they went through to make their business successful. Locations include Doodlebugz, Cool Beans Coffee Roasters, Lizards & Lollipopz, Church Street Market/The Keeping Room, Rhinos and Rhinestonez, Ye Olde Christmas and Candy Shoppe, and the Marietta Pizza Company. Check out the video below:

For more information, you can visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/smallbusinessbigworld, follow them on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SB_BW, or check out their fundraiser at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/small-business-big-world-season-one

Sports In Cobb

Marietta.com

The Cobb Sports Alliance released a video promoting all the great sports available in Cobb County. According to the video, Cobb County benefits include:

100+ million square feet of space dedicated to sports.
115+ hotels with 13,000+ guest rooms.
More than 31,000 hospitality partners.
10 minutes from Downtown Atlanta.
211 East Cobb baseball alumni are playing professional ball. 44 play in the majors.
146+ collegiate championships.
1.4 trillion gallons of h2o available for water sports.
Other sports destinations just don’t compete.
Home of the Atlanta Braves in 2017.

You can view the full video below:

A Merry Marietta Christmas

Camie Williams

As a child, Katie Peterson would mark the beginning of the Christmas season with the arrival of Santa Claus on the Marietta Square.

When you need a little Christmas, Marietta knows how to deliver, from the Thanksgiving Gobble Jog, the perfect way to begin the season of giving, to the tinsel and treasure of the Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Tour of Homes.

Like so many Cobb County natives and new residents alike, Peterson, the newly appointed director of the Marietta Visitors Bureau, can’t wait for the traditions to come back in 2013, especially in a city rife with history. Here are just a few of the events she is looking forward to this year.

Giving Thanks

In Cobb County, Thanksgiving isn’t about spending the day in the kitchen. On a day set aside for family, fun and a heart full of thanks, the feast can wait until later in the day. Instead, thousands of Mariettans begin the day with an event that celebrates not only what you have to be thankful for, but helps those less fortunate. In its 11th year, the Gobble Jog has become not only a family festivity, but a tradition in the heart of Cobb County.

“The story goes that a lot of people were very skeptical” that first year, Kaye Cagle says of when volunteers decided that a Thanksgiving Day race would be a fun fundraiser for MUST Ministries, an organization that helps thousands of families with needs from shelter to clothing to food. “No one will come. Everybody is busy,” the non-profit’s marketing director recounted of the worries from the first holiday plan. “People go out of town; people are cooking.”

Instead, though, the ministry found people were thankful for the opportunity to give back and get into the spirit with their families alongside them. That first holiday in 2003, 1,400 runners came to the Marietta Square, and the organization raised $29,000.

After more than a decade of tradition, MUST Ministries expects nearly 10 times that number this year, when the event joins with other Thanksgiving Day races across the country in an attempt to beat the Guinness Book of World Records record of people participating in races at multi-venue events.

And it isn’t just the runners who come out for some fun, Cagle says. People like to line the race route or watch from the historic homes along the Square. One man even makes a tradition of playing the tuba for the runners. “It’s just so much fun,” Cagle says. “It’s about really being thankful, and they are helping people in need.”

With about $400,000 in revenues expected, the fundraiser is the biggest of the year for MUST Ministries, although that is only a fraction of the $5 million needed to provide services for 34,000 people a year. Even the lowest level of registration, an early-bird special of $15, is enough to feed a child for 10 days through MUST Ministries’ summer lunch program. “It’s certainly a tremendous boost for us,” Cagle says.

With offerings for the entire family and for any level of runner, including a Tot Trot for kids as young as 5, see gobblejog.org for race start times and registration information.

Historical Holiday Tour

After Santa’s arrival in the square on Dec. 5, when the city is draped in the green and red and the Christmas trees are twinkling, the annual Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour begins with a glamorous, black-tie gala on Friday, Dec. 6, and tours for the following two days.

This year, the 27th for the tour, the pilgrimage features six homes in the Northwest Marietta/Kennesaw Avenue historic district. The oldest is the Malone-Harrison Hines House, built in about 1885 on Kennesaw Avenue, and the youngest is the Cole-Piotrowski House, a 1942 abode on Cleburne Avenue. Also along the route are public venues such as Brumby Hall and Gardens, the Marietta-Cobb Museum of Art and three churches: First Presbyterian Church, Old Zion Baptist Church and St. James Episcopal Church.

The Pilgrimage can be viewed during the day, or enjoyed by candlelight. Advance tickets begin at $15 for a candlelight tour of three homes, $20 for the day tour, which includes a shuttle and $25 for a combination ticket. The price of each rises by $5 at the door.

For more information on the Marietta Christmas Home Tour and other holiday activities, visit mariettapilgrimage.com or call the Marietta Visitors Bureau at (770) 429-1115 or (800) 835-0445.

Atlanta Braves Moving to Cobb County in 2017

Marietta.com

Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz announced that the Braves plan to celebrate opening day 2017 at a new Cobb County location. The new stadium will be built on 60 acres of land near the intersection of I-75 and I-285.

Schuerholz said, “Today I would like to announce that the Atlanta Braves will build a new ballpark which will open for the 2017 major league baseball season. The new location is a short distance from Downtown Atlanta, at the intersection of I-75 and I-285.”

“Our lease at Turner Field expires in three short years, but in addition to that we wanted to find a location that is great for our fans, makes getting to and from the stadium much easier, and provides a first rate game day experience in and around the stadium.”

“Turner Field, which we do not own, is in need of hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades. Unfortunately, that massive investment would not do anything to improve access or the fan experience. These are issues we simply cannot overcome.”

“Our vision for the future is grand. The new stadium site will be one of the most magnificent in all of baseball. It will thrive with action 365 days a year. We plan to transform the surrounding area of the new ballpark into a mixed use destination. It will serve our fans from Atlanta, the southeast, and beyond in the finest of fashions.”

“This new ballpark will be in the heart of Braves country, and we look forward to creating memories and sharing championships together on this exciting journey.”

“Please visit homeofthebraves.com for more information.”

site-plan-zoom-large — The new stadium will have an Atlanta address at the intersection of I-75 and I-285. It will feature increased access to major roadways, a variety of transportation options and additional parking close to the stadium. Credit: Atlanta Braves

Press Release:

Atlanta Braves Secure Land for New Stadium and Integrated Mixed-Use Community
Will be Ready for Opening Day 2017

ATLANTA, November 11, 2013 – The Atlanta Braves organization has secured a large tract of property at the northwest intersection of I-75 and I‐285 and is working with Cobb County leaders to build a new world class Major League Baseball stadium and integrated mixed‐use development. The Braves will not extend their lease at Turner Field upon its expiration at the end of 2016.

“We believe the new stadium location is easy to access while also giving our fans a first-rate game day experience in and around the ballpark and making it a 365 day a year destination,” said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz.

The property, which has an Atlanta address and is located in Cobb County, has easy access to I-75, I‐285, U.S. 41/Cobb Parkway and a variety of other transportation options. The stadium will occupy a portion of the site, with the balance being used for parking, mixed-use development and green space.

The estimated cost of the stadium, parking and related infrastructure is roughly $672 million. The Braves will be a significant investor, along with Cobb County, in the project.

During construction of the stadium, more than 5,227 jobs will be supported, with a total payroll of more than $235 million.

The Braves’ lease at Turner Field, which is owned by the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, ends at the conclusion of 2016. Since the facility opened in 1997, the Braves have invested nearly $125 million in Turner Field.

Turner Field currently needs $150 million in infrastructure work (including seat replacement, upgrades to the lighting, etc.), none of which would significantly enhance the fan experience. If the Braves were to pay for additional projects focused on improving the fan experience, the additional costs could exceed $200 million.

Even with a significant capital investment in Turner Field, there are several issues that cannot be overcome – lack of consistent mass transit to the facility, lack of adequate parking, lack of access to major roadways and lack of control over the development of the surrounding area.

Construction on the new stadium is scheduled to start in the second half of 2014 and will be completed by Opening Day 2017. The Braves will develop the remaining parcels surrounding the stadium, crafting a world-‐class entertainment district featuring retail, restaurants and hotel options.

Fact Sheet:

Why are the Braves moving?

The Braves’ lease at Turner Field, which is owned by the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, ends at the conclusion of 2016. The Braves have decided to not extend the lease beyond its expiration.
Since the facility opened in 1997, the Braves have invested nearly $125 million in Turner Field.
The facility needs $150 million in infrastructure work (replacing the seats, repairing and upgrading lighting, etc.), none of which would significantly enhance the fan experience. If the Braves were to pay for additional projects focused on improving the fan experience, the additional costs could exceed $200 million.
Even with a significant capital investment in Turner Field, there are several issues that cannot be overcome – lack of consistent mass transit to the facility, lack of adequate parking and lack of access to major roadways.
The Braves also do not have control over the development of the area surrounding Turner Field.

New Facility Information:

The Atlanta Braves have secured property to build a world-‐class Major League Baseball stadium and integrated mixed-‐use development on 60 acres at the northwest intersection of I-75 and I-285.
The property has an Atlanta address and is located in Cobb County with easy access to I-75, I‐285, U.S. 41/Cobb Parkway and a variety of other transportation options.
The new stadium will be located near the geographic center of the Braves’ fan base.
The stadium will occupy a portion of the site, with the balance being used for parking, a mixed-‐use development and green space.
The estimated cost of the stadium, parking and related infrastructure is roughly $672 million. The Braves will be a significant investor, along with Cobb County, in the project. In addition, the Braves will cover all cost overruns for the construction of the stadium.
During construction of the stadium, more than 5,227 jobs will be supported, with a total payroll of more than $235 million.
The project is scheduled to start in the second half of 2014 and will be completed by Opening Day 2017.
The Braves will develop the remaining parcels surrounding the stadium, crafting a world-‐class entertainment district featuring retail, restaurants and hotel options.
Plans call for the stadium to be owned by the Cobb‐Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority, which also owns the Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Two Local Non-Profits Join Forces

Marietta.com

Christian Aid Mission Partnership (C.A.M.P.) and Our Father’s Hands (OFH) recently announced that the two organizations have merged to serve their clients and communities more efficiently. “In these difficult economic times we have to work more creatively in order to effectively meet the growing needs,” said Darlene Duke, executive director of C.A.M.P.

Both agencies work hard to serve the most needy in our communities and felt that by working together they could have a greater impact. “We respect each other and just felt that we could do more if we put our organizations together,” said Duke.

Under the terms of the merger, Our Father’s Hands will become a program of C.A.M.P. OFH Executive Director Linda Oviatt will be Director of Outreach and remain as the OFH program director of the shop. Together they will continue to build relationships with other ministries sharing valuable resources and making their impact in the community even greater.

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