Five hundred Jazzercisers from the Jazzercise and JazzerKids Fitness Center of Gainesville raised more than $170,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation by holding a benefit dance-fitness class on Feb. 15.
The seventh annual Jazzercise benefit was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead. Local Jazzercise instructor Brittany Holtzclaw was one of the instructors. The featured instructor was Jazzercise founder and C.E.O., Judi Sheppard Missett.
Kai De Blasio, son of Mary and Stephan De Blasio, has obtained the rank of Eagle Scout.
Blasio is from Troop 534 located in Flowery Branch. Adair Martin is his Scoutmaster.
For his eagle project, Blasio organized a shore cleanup for Deer Island on Lake Lanier, focusing on Styrofoam blocks that had broken free from docks, leaving granular debris along the shoreline.
Blasio is a senior at West Hall High School and participates in chorus and played the part of Harry in the musical "Bye Bye Birdie." He has been accepted to Georgia State University.
The Gainesville Evening Optimist Club held its annual Oratorical Competition on March 4 at Lakeview Academy. Speakers wrote and delivered a four- to five-minute speech. Students from Lakeview Academy Middle and Upper Schools, North Hall Middle and High Schools and Chestatee Middle School competed. The topic was "For Me, Optimism Is ..."
Boy's division winners: Nathan Zottnick, first, Lakeview Academy; Chance Bloomer, second, Lakeview Academy; Isaac Jackson, third, North Hall Middle School.
Girl's division winners: Rachel Glazer, first, North Hall High School; Marissa Baer, second, Lakeview Academy; Marett Peets, third, Lakeview Academy.
First place winners compete at the zone, area and district levels. District winners receive $1,500 scholarships.
The Blackshear Place Branch of the Hall County Library System won second place in a nationwide video contest sponsored by Demco, a library supplier.
The idea for the video was conceived by library staff member Whitney Teal and the video was produced, filmed and directed by library staff member Lara Wrightson. It was edited by Daniel Bentley. All branch staff participated in the filming.
The library will receive a $250 gift certificate for Demco products. Videos can be seen at www.demco.com; scroll down to "Winners."
Allyson Lusco, 9, a fourth-grader at World Language Academy, is the winner of its Dr. Seuss Poetry Contest sponsored by Sylvan Learning Centers.
The theme of the contest, which celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday and the National Education Association's Read Across America week, was to write a poem about "why I love to read," and to write the poem in the Dr. Seuss-style rhyming cadence.
Allyson also appeared on WXIA-Channel 11 to read her poem and won family tickets to see the King Tut Exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center.