Gwinnett County plans to acquire two parcels of land and create a new park at the Promised Land community off Georgia Highway 124 south of Snellville.
Gwinnett County already owns four adjacent parcels of land, including the historic Maguire-Livsey Big House at the Promised Land.
The acquisition of these remaining parcels will be the culmination of years of work with the Livsey family, and in particular, Thomas Livsey Sr., to restore and preserve the area in and around the Maguire-Livsey Big House. Gwinnett County purchased the house from the Livsey family in 2017, followed over the next two years by the purchase of three adjacent properties necessary for the park.
When combined with the properties already owned by the County, the two additional parcels will allow Gwinnett County to develop a park to preserve the Big House and adjacent land along with its 200-year history. The past century of the property’s history represents a time when descendants of slaves from the plantation that once occupied the area purchased land and created a thriving African American community.
Criterium 2023 Bike Race is April 16 in Peachtree Corners
The Curiosity Lab Criterium 2023 bike race will be held in Peachtree Corners on April 26. Professional cyclists will descend on Technology Parkway as part of “Speed Week” and participate in a series of races on the streets of Peachtree Corners within the living laboratory environment of Curiosity Lab. The six-race series will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the women’s amateur division and conclude with the men’s professional division beginning at 8:10 p.m.
The Speed Week Series is a premier week-long event on the USA Cycling professional circuit that draws cyclists from around the world, including Olympic Medalists as well as world and national champions. In 2022, the professional men’s and women’s events drew cyclists from 36 states and 19 countries.
Bring the whole family and enjoy the racing, the food trucks, and the exhibits featuring new cycling and safety technologies. Bring a bike for your little ones as we will hold kids’ races at 5:45 p.m. (in three age categories of 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8) along a 100-yard flat course in front of city hall.
Library Foundation gains four board members
Gordon
McCormick
McCurdy
Four people have been named to the Gwinnett County Public Library Foundation board of directors, Chair Erica McCurdy announces.
They are Erin McCormick, general manager, Gwinnett Stripers; Claire Gordon, vice president and senior relationship manager for commercial banking at Bank of America; Paul Oh, director of public policy and community affairs for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce; and Aysha Treadwell, author and business consultant.
Treadwell
Oh
The foundation is a separate legal entity formed for the purpose of enhancing and expanding library programs and services. Its primary function is to secure financial and in-kind donations for programs, services, collections, and capital projects.
Mercer Pharmacy and GGC enter into transfer agreement
Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) recently signed a transfer admission agreement that will enable GGC students to receive priority applicant status for the College of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy program.
Under the terms of the agreement, students in this pathway program will complete their prerequisites and part of their bachelor’s degree requirements at GGC before enrolling in Mercer’s Pharm.D. program. They will then be able to transfer back the first year of Mercer’s Pharm.D. program credits to fulfill the requirements for their bachelor’s degree at GGC. An advantage of the program is that it will save GGC students a year in earning their bachelor’s degrees. The program also provides enhanced advising from a Mercer pre-pharmacy adviser each year of their undergraduate studies.
Dr. Chavonda Mills, dean of GGC’s School of Science and Technology, says: “With this agreement, our students now have a guided and accelerated pathway to Mercer University’s Pharm.D. program, saving them both time and tuition dollars.”
Spring brings plenty of shows to Aurora Theatre
Spring has officially sprung, and Aurora Theatre invites the community to join in for a month filled with fun! Children’s Playhouse shows include The Princess and the Pea, Y’all and Digger’s Dino Show. Brenda Nicole Moorer and the Sistas of Soul are set to bring the house down with concerts this month, while comedian David Perdue is sure to have audiences in stitches. Teatro Aurora has a busy month ahead with an outdoor extravaganza in honor of Día de los Niños y Niñas and a comedy show, Comedia: Ni De Aquí, Ni de Allá. Aurora Academy will give families a preview of what’s to come this summer at the Summer Camp Open House & One-Day Sale. To see the schedule, visit this link.
Gwinnett Tech wins $25,000 Ellucian Impact Award
Gwinnett Technical College has been awarded the Ellucian Impact Award for Staff Empowerment at the 2023 Ellucian Live Conference in New Orleans, La. The award recognized Gwinnett Tech for its work utilizing technology to retain and grow staff and enabling staff to be change agents for student success. Aside from the physical award received at the conference, winning means Gwinnett Tech will receive a $25,000 prize. The College will use the prize money for the Student Affairs team’s training and professional development opportunities and celebrate their accomplishments and hard work. Felicia Ailster accepted the award for Gwinnett Tech at this conference. The Ellucian Impact Award recognizes institutions using technology to solve challenges, operate more efficiently, and offer a better student experience.
GGC introduces autism endorsement program
Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) School of Education has introduced an autism endorsement program for licensed teachers and other certified professionals. An autism endorsement program increases one’s knowledge in the area of teaching students with autism spectrum disorders. The program consists of nine hours of training that will be delivered online. GGC is one of nine USG institutions offering the Autism endorsement.
Dr. Matthew Boggan, professor of special education at GGC, said the program was created to respond to an increase in the number of students with autism in Gwinnett County K-12 students.
He adds: “Working closely with Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), we learned there has been a rapid rise in students enrolling in GCPS who have autism – an increase of about 1,400 students with autism from 2013 to 2020, according to the school systems data,” he said. “Knowing that these numbers were rising at a fast pace in the local area and the emergent need for expanded teacher training, we modified our curriculum to include more training in autism for GCPS and other Georgia school districts.”
Boggan said GGC students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in special education will earn both a special education teaching license in the general curriculum, along with the autism endorsement, which was approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. He said the standalone nine-hour autism endorsement program for licensed educators and other certified professionals will be available in the summer.
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