Columbia County newsmakers
Army Pfc. Bronson L. Hamby has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, Hamby studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in drill and ceremony, marching, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, the military justice system, first aid and field tactical and training exercises. Hamby is the son of Barry and Deb Hamby of Martinez.
Lindsay Davis, a senior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., was named to the school's Summer 2003 Dean's List.
Davis is a 1999 graduate of Lakeside High School and is majoring in vocal performance at Belmont.
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She is an active member of Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity and has appeared in the Belmont University Opera productions of "Trouble in Tahiti," "Die Fledermaus," "L'enfant Et Les Sortileges" and the Nashville Opera production of "Rigoletto." She was selected to participate in the University of Kentucky's Opera Worship and has also been selected from auditions for The Belmont Classical Singers Recital for two years in a row.
Davis is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. James B. Davis of Evans.
Army Sgt. Bryan K. Thomas has deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, to support the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The soldier is regularly assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Giessen, Germany.
Operation Iraqi Freedom is the official name given to military operations involving U.S. and coalition forces efforts to disarm and end the current Iraqi regime. Active duty, reserve and national guard members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces are participating in the operation.
Thomas, a cannoneer, is the son of Mike and Mildred D. Thomas of Grovetown. In 1998, he graduated from Harlem High School.
Elizabeth Harris is the winner of the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) competition for Columbia County. The Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Office of Adult Literacy sponsors the EAGLE program statewide. Locally, Augusta Technical College sponsors the program.
EAGLE is the first statewide program in the nation that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in adult literacy programs. Leola Bouchard is the nominating instructor.
Jane Wiggins, the Columbia County School System's director of nutrition, and Jo Marie Lombard, the system's nutrition coordinator, recently attended the Georgia Department of Education School and Nutrition Program's Annual Conference for school nutrition directors.
Held at the University of Georgia in Athens, the conference's theme was Fiscal Fitness to stress the importance of building and maintaining a financially strong nutrition program. The conference addressed other important school nutrition issues including the latest national food trends, business plans and preventing theft within a program.
"The annual school nutrition directors' conference is always eagerly anticipated, and this year was no exception," Lombard said. "The areas of business plans and marketing were particularly timely as tight budgets and rising expenses challenge school nutrition programs across the nation.
Vandna Jerath, a Johns Hopkins University neuroscience major from Martinez, has been selected to receive research support to pursue an independent research project.
Vandna Jerath, who is a junior in the in the university's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences this fall, is one of 34 students selected to receive research support under a Johns Hopkins program called the Provost's Undergraduate Awards for Research and Excellence.
"The awards are intended to encourage undergraduate involvement in original research," said Steven Knapp, the university's provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Jerath will be working this fall on a project titled "Autism Netverse: A Literary Journey for the Autistic Mind" with faculty adviser Tristan Davies.
Jerath is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ravinder Jerath and attended Augusta Preparatory School.
Davis Branch of Martinez entered Liberty University as a freshman this fall. Branch graduated from Lakeside High School.
Liberty University is a private, Christian liberal arts university in Lynchburg, Va.
George Tommy II Rosema of Evans has been accepted to the Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix where he will train to become a professional automotive technician.
Freshman Rebecca Koger of Evans has been chosen as a pledge of the Wofford College Gamma Psi Chapter of Delta Delta Delta.
Koger, a 2003 graduate of Augusta Preparatory School, is the daughter of Marion and Susan Koger of Evans.