Bunkley is District Teacher of the Year

By Carrie A. Mizell

A high school student does not have to be the best reader to excel in Brandy Bunkley’s class at Bell High School; they just have to try hard.
Bunkley’s talent as a high school reading teacher was acknowledged on Monday when she was named District Teacher of the Year.
“Brandy is the teacher that 20 years from now a kid will say, ‘I had Mrs. Bunkley and she’s the reason I have this job today,’” said Lisa Barry, assistant principal at Bell High School.
Bunkley was named District Teacher of the Year at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting earlier this week, after being selected Bell High School’s Teacher of the Year. Bunkley was selected as District Teacher of the Year after being interviewed by a panel of out-of-county judges, who also interviewed the teachers of the year from the other three schools in the county. Bell Elementary School was represented by Teacher of the Year Sandra Carawan, who is a 4th grade teacher at BES. According to Linda Gartin, assistant principal at BES, Carawan wears many different hats at the school, including being the safety patrol sponsor and coordinator of the 21st Century program.
“She does not sleep!” Gartin said. “My daughter says she’s the greatest math teacher ever.”

Teachers of the Year from each school were honored on Monday. Pictured back row, l-r: Jay Jolicoeur, TES principal; Lynette Langford, THS principal; Linda Gartin, BES assistant principal; Lisa Barry, BHS assistant principal; and Don Thomas, superintendent. Front row, l-r: Teachers of the Year Krista Perryman, Wanda Clemons, Sandra Carawan and Brandy Bunkley.

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Thomas seeks re-election as County Commissioner

I am Kenrick D. Thomas, the son of the late Shelton “Perk” Thomas of Bell and Audrey Thomas of Bell. I am married to Carolyn Thomas, the daughter of the late Clark and Muriel Cannon of Bell.
For the past 7 plus years I have been blessed and very fortunate to have served and worked with a team of people that share the same goal as I have: to serve the citizens of Gilchrist County. I told the voters of Gilchrist County 7 years ago, “If elected that I would do the best I could.” I have kept that promise. My signs last time I ran for re-election had three words on it--”Because I Care”; that still stands true.

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Former Trenton student dies in I-75 crash at the age of 27

By Carrie A. Mizell

Trenton physician Andrew Nguyen and his wife, Linh, are mourning the loss of their daughter after she was killed in a deadly crash on I-75 Sunday.
A single mother with a 6-year-old son, Christie Diana Nguyen was one of ten travelers along I-75 who died in a series of early morning accidents Sunday. The accients are being blamed on a wall of smoke from a Payne’s Prairie fire that reportedly left drivers with zero visibility along I-75 just before 4 a.m.
Nguyen and her brother, Nelson Nguyen were both students at Trenton Middle-High School prior to transferring to Countryside Christian in Gainesville, where she later graduated in 2007.
Nguyen went on to graduate from Santa Fe College and in 2010 graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Asian studies.
Funeral services for Christie Nguyen are planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Milam Funeral Home in Newberry.