Picture Perfect Gwinnett - The Gwinnett Citizen

School spirit is alive in Gwinnett...

After suffering through the “so hot you feel dry cleaned” days of summer, Gwinnett High Schools schedule Swim team in…January. Some of the meets are all day and into the evening affairs where the athletes sit around the indoor pool in damp bathing suits marking time till their personal events which may last under 20 seconds or as long as a couple of minutes. However Central Gwinnett swimmers, Karissa Oyola, Laura McKenzie, Vanessa Oyola and Lilibeth Nieves used the down time to take pictures themselves on a cell phone, an option that wasn’t available in the old days when we would scarf down packs of uncooked jell powder to pass time. When asked what makes the sport special, Lilbeth spoke for the girls saying “We love swim team because we can make new friends and cheer them on”.
We later on had a chance to photograph the Mill Creek Senior swimmers on dry land and in street clothes. Over at Brookwood High School, the 6 basketball Seniors: Wade Brogdon, Sean Capps, Clint Cooper, Brady Heilig, Lauren Fincher and Shaina Mussman did the traditional Senior Basketball picture—dresses, shirts, ties and basketballs. The four boys trace their basketball ties back to elementary school days in Brookwood Basketball Association.

When it comes to the best of the best, we can look to school superlatives: Over at Grayson High School, I had my annual photo shoot with the Superlative Senior students. We all want to be that person that when someone says, “Who will climb a tree for this next picture?” dashes forward. In this case it was Ally Wood. Ally, whose father Richard Wood is an AP Biology teacher at GHS, shines in sports—she is Senior Captain of the track team as well as Chorus and Academics. Her outside school interests range from church group leadership to volunteering at a soup kitchen to cooking for the family.
This year at Central Gwinnett High school, Most Athletic winners, Taiwo Adeshigbin and Ben Tayi are respectively multi year Captains of the Girls and Boys Soccer teams. Both were on All-county Soccer teams and Taiwo also was selected as All County in Volleyball. In the picture they are been hugged by Friendliest Honorees. Josh Pulley, a “great debater” and Meghan Jackson, who is not only SGA President but lettered in Tennis, Swimming and Volleyball.

	Holiday photography always leaves me with one memory I can’t shake off. In this case it was photographing Emily and Amanda Rand—ages 11 and 9—holding their pet chicken Baby Bots. The Rand sisters from Dacula are home schooled and Mom Lori allows them to have so many pets that in her words, “I can’t keep track—7 horses, 8 cats, 4 dog, too many chickens to count”. Featured pet chicken Baby Bots was the first and only chicken they’ve had hatched from one of their own chickens and she is a fastidious bird who never gets herself dirty. The girls enjoy taking their pet chicken out on the swing set with them. The escorts at the Miss South Gwinnett High School pageant were outstandingly dapper and reminded me that while most women take great care to prepare for a dress up occasion—nails, hair, dress shopping, make up--a gentleman simply hops in the shower, and put on his tux. So much for gender equality in 2009…..