A group of Macon Early College and Franklin High Schools students have returned from a nine-day adventure touring Europe. Visiting London, Rome, Italy, and Germany the group of 28 teachers and students explored destinations such as the Alps, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Sistine Chapel.

“The trip was fantastic,” said MEC teacher Meghan Reynolds. “We had a few mishaps after we landed in London, with our flight to Rome being cancelled. It took us two days, and four separate flights to get to Rome, but once we got there, the trip was amazing. The kids saw a lot and learned a lot, and it was awesome to be able to experience that with them.”

Janeka Whitley has been nominated for the “Women in Nontraditional Occupations” and the “Golden Boot Award.”

The purpose of the award is to solicit nominees from the Job Corps Community for the 2013 Better Occupational Opportunities for Tradeswomen (B.O.O.T.) student recognition award and the Paramount Instructor Award.

Nontraditional occupations for women are described by the Department of Labor as those in which women comprise 25 percent or less of those employed.

A large number of educators in Macon County are products of the school system themselves. In a survey sent to all 650 Macon County school system employees, 51 employees responded verifying that while they are currently employed in the district, they also attended school in the district.

The voluntary survey was sent via email to all 650 employees and asked if the employee had attended school in Macon County before becoming employed. In addition to having a love and dedication to educating the future generations, educators who are also products of the school system have an extra invested interest in the community because they are connected here.

Franklin resident Sarah Lowell of Cartoogechaye Elementary School will be honored as the Southern District Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) at its national convention in Charlotte, April 23-27. The Southern District represents 13 states from Virginia to Texas.

The award is given in recognition of outstanding teaching performance at the elementary school level and the ability to motivate today's youth to participate in a lifetime of physical activity.

Lowell believes that, “all students can learn. It is my responsibility as a teacher to know and accommodate the different learning styles of students. I make a conscious effort to incorporate a multitude of teaching styles, organizational techniques, and grouping strategies to maximize student achievement while accommodating individual learning styles.”