Monday, September 08, 2008
Published Tuesday, August 05, 2008 in Local
First-grader Hinely follows family footsteps at Atkinson
By News Staff
The Times-Herald
As the Coweta County School System was preparing for opening day, one Newnan family was making preparations to send their oldest daughter to Atkinson Elementary School by drawing upon the experiences of previous generations.
Georgia Wynn Carter attended Atkinson as a seventh-grader in 1936. Her grandson, Stephen Carter Hinely, started first grade at Atkinson in 1973. His daughter, Sarah Geraldine Hinely, will start first grade at Atkinson when the new term begins today.
It was not too long ago that Kim Lavoie Hinely let the principal know she would be suspending her career as the REACH teacher at Atkinson to stay at home with her infant daughter, Sarah. It will be a proud day for the whole family when this shy 6-year-old opens the doors to Atkinson School and her future.
Atkinson Elementary is a neighborhood school situated in the middle of an established residential neighborhood. The school has served Coweta County families since 1903, when Mrs. Nimmons began accepting students into her home. By 1909, the privately run school had become part of the public school system, serving children of the surrounding neighborhood.
Much has changed in the physical appearance of the school, but it still retains its mission to serve neighborhood children. Sarah will ride her bike to school just as her great grandmother and father did.
Sarah and her daddy recently visited with Steve's 85-year-old grandmother, who fondly remembers her first day of first grade. Miss Maggie Brown, who taught at the Temple Avenue Elementary School, was her teacher. Not thrilled with the notion of being in school, Mrs. Carter remembered excusing herself from school before dismissal and walking home.
Miss Maggie Brown called her mother, and back to school she went. Steve told his daughter, "This better not happen with you."
Steve fondly remembers his years at Atkinson. At first, his mom dropped him off at school. As he grew older, his bike became his favorite way to make the trek from his home on College Street to school. He remembers being taken to the office -- not because he was in trouble, he quickly added for his daughter's benefit.
At that time, Steve's hair had a grey patch and his teacher, Mrs. Shirley Widner, wanted Mrs. Virginia Sharp, the school secretary, and the others in the office to see this wonder boy. The thing that stands out in his mind about Atkinson is that it was a place where everyone seemed happy -- "just what an elementary school should have been like. There was not a lot of pressure and we had a lot of fun, especially on the playground."
Sarah is not too much aware of the legacy that is being passed to her by going to Atkinson. Her first-grade mindset is focused on her new lunchbox, clothes and school supplies. Her parents are thankful to live in a neighborhood with an elementary school tucked in among the houses where their daughter will go to school with friends she has known since birth.
Recently, Sarah's mom visited with the Atkinson principal, Melissa Wimbush. After greeting Kim with a smile and a hug, the principal promised a nurturing learning environment for Sarah -- just what the older generations recall.