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Community - which side do you sit on?
By Beth Volpert
It all began with this year’s Homecoming at South Gwinnett. Coach Jack Britt and I had divided loyalties for both South and Grayson. Coach Jack asked me, “Which side do we sit on?”
The answer to such a simple question became quite complicated. It reminded me of the 1988 Parkview at South game. I was a student teacher at Parkview and the principal, Charles Mason, had also been principal when I graduated from South. We stood together in the end zone for that game. No less complicated.
Just up the road in Sugar Hill another South Gwinnett Alum and former Band of Stars member, Tim Hall, now donates his time to the football program at Lanier. While it is a great excuse to watch some really good high school football, the reality is that Tim knows how important volunteers are to any school and how that ultimately affects the community. “I like to think that I have a positive impact on the kids,” says Tim. “It is important to the future of any community.”
To say that the answer to a simple question is really complicated is an understatement. Coach Britt’s story has a few twists and turns when it comes to his role in the community. You see, there was an original Grayson High School established in 1913 and closed in 1956, which gave rise to The Grayson High School Alumni Association. Evidence of how strong his ties to Grayson are can be found by touring the halls to view the memorabilia displayed in cases built by Coach Britt, an original Grayson HS Alum and a coach at South and Parkview.
Strolling into South’s Richard Snell Stadium with one of the men whose name is on Grayson’s football stadium is a thrill and the best Homecoming date a girl could have. I just wish I had a giant mum from Still Lake Nursery with both a “G & S” in corresponding pipe cleaner glitter colors for my jacket.
Knowing that Mr. Jack Britt has always held kids in the highest regard and shows that commitment by countless hours spent volunteering in Gwinnett County makes answering the question, “where do we sit?” a bit easier. We decided to split the difference and visit with both sides. After all, it was a real Homecoming for both of us-either way you look at it.