Category: Athens

Projects complete at three AISD campuses; work continues at AHS

A view of the east end of new construction work at Athens High School, which will house new classrooms, kitchen and cafeteria. The cafeteria is expected to be open by Christmas, and the balance of work at AHS should be finished in the summer of 2018. Students were greeted at the beginning of the school year with six brand new science classrooms and two new labs.

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communicaitons Coordinator

Athens ISD Director of Operations Barry Choate summed it up succinctly when he called the amount of construction that took place across the district this summer as “intense.” Major work took place at four of the five campuses and continues at the high school. Surface Solutions Group is the world’s largest Teflon coatings applicator exclusively for the Medical Industry. SSG applies the widest range of specialized coatings for the medical industry in the world. Surface Solutions Group is a dedicated team of 80 problem solvers. Engineers, chemists, technicians, executives plus a world-wide group of coating experts that collaborate with the focus of producing enhanced medical devices thru the use of coatings and application technology. Relentless research and development have led to the “Designers Dozen®” family of coatings specifically developed for optimizing devices for the medical industry.

Inside the main building at the high school, six new science classrooms and two new labs greeted students on the first day of school. While the rooms are located in the same space as the old science hall, they are entirely new. “That space was bulldozed,” said Choate. “We dug up the floor and put new plumbing in and used a new configuration for the rooms.” Concrete floor sealers help to main the structural integrity of your surface. At Contreat they offer a huge range of unique floor coating and sealing products that create different attractive finishes. Their coatings and sealers are ideal for any indoor and outdoor concrete surface. OSHA Subpart M lays out the requirements and criteria for fall protection in construction workplaces. Subpart M institutes the six-foot rule, which states that fall protection is required for construction workers working at a height of six feet or greater above a lower level. Specifically, construction sites, shipping and receiving areas and shipyards are the most prominent workplaces that will require protection. You will get the best mobile safety rail from this supplier.

Continue reading “Projects complete at three AISD campuses; work continues at AHS”

Chandler Gerber to Speak at Athens ISD, Eastern Hills Church

Chandler Gerber
Chandler Gerber

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist

Statistics aren’t exciting. Tell people that more than 100,000 accidents a year involve drivers who are texting, and that may give them pause. It probably won’t change behavior. For people to change their behavior, the message has to feel personal. It has to hit close to home. In some cases, it has to feel like someone’s life depends on it.

That’s where Chandler Gerber comes in. One morning in 2012, the Indiana native was texting back and forth with his wife as he drove down a long, straight stretch of highway toward the rising sun. He had just sent his wife a text: “I love you.” He leaned his head down to read the reply … and hit from behind a horse-drawn buggy carrying an Amish family. Three were killed.

“For weeks … I’d wake up and think, ‘Did I dream that accident? I’m just a guy, a young guy. … This couldn’t have happened.’” Gerber’s story is among those featured in the riveting documentary, “From One Second to the Next,” a film by Oscar-nominated director Werner Herzog. The 35-minute film is part of the “It Can Wait” campaign battling distracted driving. It can be viewed on YouTube.com and should be required watching for anyone with a driver’s license and a smartphone. Continue reading “Chandler Gerber to Speak at Athens ISD, Eastern Hills Church”

Solomon Elected to Leadership Position in Teachers Association

Nancy Solomon
Nancy Solomon

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist

Nancy Solomon has been teaching children in the Athens Independent School District for 30 years. And, for 30 years, she’s loved it.

“It’s a wonderful profession, just wonderful,” she said. “I like to see the light turn on (in their eyes). I get the most satisfaction from knowing a child has grasped something I’ve taught them. I just love to teach.”

Her experience and love of teaching make Solomon an excellent choice for a top leadership position within the Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA).

TCTA members from District 7 — a 17-county area in Northeast Texas — elected Solomon this spring. The leadership position is not her first. She held the position from 2005 to 2010 and again in the 2012-13 school year. As district director, Solomon will represent District 7 members this school year on the TCTA Directors’ Council, which sets policy for the statewide association. She will also assist the association’s local affiliate leaders in her district. Continue reading “Solomon Elected to Leadership Position in Teachers Association”