Lisa Johnson, Principal of Lawrenceville Elementary School, spoke to the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on September 14 about the successes and challenges at her school.  She thanked the group for their help in maintaining the courtyard at the school and in reading to students.  Population at LES remains constant near 700, but each week finds ten leaving and ten coming in, a fact which presents challenges to her teachers.  She described the population of the student body (51% African American, 2% Asian, 10% White, 35% multi-racial) and some of the special programs (30% are English learners and 95% are on free/reduced meals).  Most of her talk focused on the community support that helps the school so much:  along with Rotary other individuals and groups which help are Mayor Johnson, Kohl’s Cares, a Level Creek student project with books, Read Across America Day, the Fall Festival, Kids Hope USA Mentor Program, Bags of Hope Food Pantry, and an Eagle Scout project.  She emphasized the need for family involvement and listed several events designed to encourage that involvement:  a Candlelight Luncheon, the Kindergarten Harvest, Intern Night, Literacy Night, STEM Night, and Parent Training Classes.  Organizations in the school encourage leadership development, including the 5th Grade Beta Club, Our Girls Are Pearls Club, and Young Knights.  She praises her teachers for “beating the odds” when students score much higher than expected on test scores.   She credits the “Positive Behavior Interventions and Support” program for a dramatic decrease in discipline problems.

District Governor Alan Smith opened his comments to the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on August 31 with his personal Rotary history.  He commended the Club on its willingness to make changes to improve retention and to energize the Club and its policy of sending new members to Rotary leadership workshops.  He recommended more publicity and encouraged the group to be the group where people went “to make a difference in the community.”  He focused on the efforts of Rotary’s 1.2 million members to eradicate polio from the world and brought the group up to date on the few lingering places where polio exists (Pakistan and Afghanistan).  He ended his comments by having the group chant, “I am a Rotarian and I will make a difference.”

This year’s 46-member class of the Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) entertained Rotarians at the 2015 GRSP Conclave on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College on August 29.  The Rotary Club of Lawrenceville was one of the Gwinnett County clubs sponsoring the event on August 28-29.  At the Saturday night Cabaret students sang, lip-synced, danced, and recited poetry to the delight of a large audience in the Cisco Auditorium.  The students, who are enrolled at colleges and universities throughout Georgia, talked about their home countries.  Some wore colorful ethnic costumes and performed native songs and dances.  This group of young people thoroughly delighted their audience with their talents and charm.

Below are some outtakes from this past weekend’s event for your enjoyment.  The young man at the podium and in the cowboy hat is Juan Londonos from Colombia, whom the club is sponsoring this year. In the first picture he is introducing his host family, the Gibbs; in the second he is lip-syncing a Spanish number along with other GGC GRSP students.

Art Kleve and Jeff Lainez with Rotary International Director Jennifer Jones at the Pillars of Success seminar.

Rotary International Director Jennifer Jones pours an ice bucket on District 6910 Governor Alan Smith after Pillars for Success to support the fight against ALS

At the August 17, 2015, meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville, Dr. John Harvey, a trauma care surgeon with Gwinnett Medical Center, spoke to the group. Dr. Harvey, a pioneer in laproscopic surgery with over thirty years experience, described the trauma care system in Georgia. He reported that at GMC over 140,000 people are served each year and that trauma is the leading cause of death in the 1-44 age group and fourth in ALL age groups. The most frequent trauma events are falls, motor vehicle crashes, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian versus auto accidents, and gunshot wounds. He maintained that the survival rate of victims is much improved by being served at a designated trauma care hospital. He listed the various levels (I-IV), gave a brief history of such units, and outlined the requirements of the American College of Surgeons and the state. Units are scattered throughout the state, with weak spots of service in the southeast part of the state. The Georgia Trauma Commission was instituted by the Legislature with funding coming from the super speeder fund. The Georgia Trauma Foundation welcomes supporting donations to meet the needs of the future.

Pay It Forward from Rotary International on Vimeo.