Bibb County School District hosts Lunch & Learn at Appling Middle School as a part of Attendance Awareness Week

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s Attendance Awareness Week and Bibb County School District hosted a Lunch and Learn at Appling Middle School in an effort to battle chronic absenteeism.

Students enjoyed their lunch while listening to music and learning from local religious leaders and elected officials, along with a few student athletes from Mercer University’s basketball and football teams who spoke stressing the importance of attendance and the impact it has not just in school, but also in daily life, and beyond.

Brady Shoulders (Dark Gray Jacket), PF, SG, Mercer University Basketball (Photo Credit: Godfrey Hall/41NBC)

We caught up with Brady Shoulders, PF, SG, for Mercer University Basketball and asked him about how he arrived to where he is today.

“Definitely wasn’t overnight, it was a lot of years of putting in work, just getting up day and night, just keep grinding,” said Shoulders. “Some days you are going to have an off day or sometimes you are not going to want to get up. You just got to get up and keep going, be 1% better than you were yesterday, it will take you a long ways in life.”

Takeysha Lewis, District Attendance & Transfer Coordinator for Bibb County School District tells us that the nation saw an increase in chronic absenteeism after COVID especially here in the County.

“We are being strategic and intentional in making sure we have resources and programs in place so we can support our families, support our students, in order to eliminate any barriers,” said Lewis. “To educate our families and educate our students on the importance of school attendance and how it doesn’t just impact them in school, but as they grow and become adults into the workforce and into college, how important attendance and showing up matters.”

Myrtice Johnson, District 1, Board Member, Bibb County School District (Photo Credit: Godfrey Hall/41NBC)

Myrtice Johnson, District 1, Board Member for Bibb County School District, was also in attendance as Appling Middle is in her district and she shared the various and sometimes dangerous challenges she faced going to school when she was younger.

“We didn’t have nice schools, we didn’t have heat and air conditioning,” said Johnson. “We had to pick up chips, cut wood, bring it in the school, build a fire, by the time we got the classroom warm, it was about time to go home.”

Belvin Ware, Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church (Photo Credit: Godfrey Hall/41NBC)

Belvin Ware, Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church gave an emotional in depth speech about the impact education has on students’ future.

“That’s 60 years,” said Pastor Ware, speaking to the students. “You got 60 years to turn up, you got 60 years to be lit, you got 60 years to go to the party, you got 60 years to have fun and all we are asking you to do is dedicate 12 years of your life, so that you can get everything you want out there.”

Appling Middle School is located at 1646B Upper River Road.