By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

The JV Diamond Dogs went to Rockdale County Saturday for their season-ending tournament match-up where they defeated East Jackson 10-1 to finish up with an 11-7 record on the year.
The Dogs jumped on top early with a lead-off homer from Drew Stapleton on their way to the 10-1 rout. They also capitalized on a good pitching effort from Wesley Barrett.
JV Dogs Head Coach Josh Reeves said it was good to get the win and that his team put together a good season.
"A lot of our guys did a very good job this year at various positions," Reeves said. "JV baseball is all about preparing players for the varsity level. Some of our guys got called up this year and made a smooth transition to varsity ball. That is the definition of a successful JV season."
The team went into Saturday's win coming off a win last Tuesday, where they beat Alcovy 9-6.
The team was down 5-1 going into the fourth inning when they mounted a comeback, capped off by a Tim Azar double driving home to runs to put the Dogs ahead for good. Azar also picked up the win on the mound.

Plan could be funded by increase in millage or rise in motel/ hotel tax

By Greg Sullivan
Staff

    Not exactly a fish out of water, a conservative Republican from Harlem..., the suburb of heavily-conservative Augusta, visited Madison Thursday afternoon during his week-long tour of the 10th Congressional District as his campaign for US Congress picks up steam.
    Barry Fleming, currently Majority Whip of the Georgia House of Representatives, said he believes he's got what it takes to unseat incumbent Paul Broun from his spot on the congressional aisle in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Broun has barely had time to get his seat warm, having fairly recently won a special congressional election last summer following the death of Congressman Charlie Norwood.
    The conditions of the current congressional race became a very predictable scenario once Broun shocked political talking heads across the country by winning last year's special election over heavily-favored fellow Republican candidate Jim Whitehead. Many who backed Broun in that election were from Athens, a heavily Democratic part of the district. Since both candidates in the run-off were Republicans, it is assumed by many that some Democratic voters helped sway the election in Broun's favor.
    In a traditional election, though, like this time around, Democrats and Republicans will have a July primary to choose a party nominee which should take out at least some variables present in last year's special election. So since the last election the thinking has been that a Republican would come along and paint themselves as more conservative than Broun in order to edge Broun in the primary and take the conservative-leaning district.

During the March Intercession, Morgan County students contined their education  

By Kathryn Purcell
Managing Editor

Photos Special
And not by the
Morgan County Citizen’s foreign bureau

The break for intersession, which occurred last month, is used by Morgan County students to accomplish a variety of things. Some use the break in their semester to catch up on school work; some use it to prepare for upcoming tests, from the CRCT to the SAT; some use it to simply take a break. Three Morgan County school groups, however, chose to use Intersession as a time to educate themselves on the workings of the nation, and of the world. A group from Morgan County Middle School traveled to Washington, D.C., while one group from Morgan County High School went to Spain, Morocco and Portugal and another went to Italy and Greece. Despite their various destinations, all received a first-hand look at history, both already made and currently in the making.

By Meg Ferrante
Staff Writer

Where once the curtains were drawn and the stage was dark (and a pile of lost-and-found items lay forlornly), the stage in the cafeteria of Morgan County Primary School is now alive and alight with laughing lunchers. Welcome to the new Panda Café.
The setting is decidedly essence of Asian tea house—paper lanterns, long tables low to the ground and diners sitting on big square cushions over oriental rugs. The ambiance is elegant. And the prices? Outrageous. It costs a whopping 50 Panda Paws just to get seat in this joint.
Panda Paws aren’t an ancient Chinese coin but rather currency of a modern Morganian sort. Students at the Primary School collect small, laminated paper panda bears in exchange for positive behavior and get to spend them on many different incentives, the newest of which is the Panda Café. Depending on how hard a student works on their behavior, it can take several weeks to several months—and lots of willpower—to save 50 Panda Paws.
Some kids spend their paws on things like school supplies, candy or toys the day they get them, but for many, they’ve got their eyes on the big prize now. Lunch in the café with a friend of their choosing.
“I don't think the ‘cost’ fazes them,” said second grade teacher Monica Semrad, whose class has spearheaded the café organization and decoration effort. “They are really good at saving those Panda Paws when they want something. The Cafe will be open whenever school is open and we hope it will just keep motivating great behavior among our students. The children love earning and ‘buying’ that privilege.”

By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

Morgan County Middle School wasn't welcoming below-average NBA teams to their gym last Thursday despite the fact that they allowed hawks, bucks and bobcats to enter their facility.
And just because raccoons, skunks and foxes were there too, doesn't necessarily mean parents should be alarmed.
It was all part of the show as naturalist speaker Steve Scruggs used the taxidermied critters to teach students about wildlife as part of his "Let's Get Wild" program.
"We had three great sessions," said Scruggs of his interaction with local middle school students, following his final presentation Thursday afternoon. "They were just wonderful."
"If they understand hunting," the Watkinsville resident said, "we've done a good job."
During his presentations to the kids, Scruggs' message was that hunters play a major role in wildlife conservation. He also talked to students about safety and what precautions to take in the wild.
All of the animals on display for the students can be seen locally in the wild, according to Scruggs, also known as "The Snakemaster." Scruggs didn't bring any of his live snakes for this particular presentation.
Seventh grade life sciences teacher Heather Hawk, who helped book Scruggs at the suggestion of local parent Sutton Trulock, said the presentation helped bring her curriculum to life for her students.
"We study biomes and habitats and things like that," Hawk said. "So it's nice to make it local."