Crawford County families and friends,

I want to share something that made my week. After Friday night's game against Schley County, we received a wonderful email from Dr. Mark Laughlin, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Music at Georgia Southwestern State University. Dr. Laughlin was in the stands that night to watch his son, who plays in the Schley County band, and he took the time to write to us about our halftime show.

He called our students exceptionally talented. He also offered to connect our band members with GSW's music faculty to explore scholarship opportunities, which are available to music majors and non-music majors alike. He invited our students to visit campus for a Preview Day and offered to bring GSW faculty to our school. His full email is below:

Dear Mrs. Hudson and Ms. Gonzalez,

I hope this email finds you well.

My name is Mark Laughlin, and I serve as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Music at Georgia Southwestern State University. I had the opportunity to attend Friday night’s football game against Schley County (my son plays euphonium in the Schley County band), and I wanted to share how much I enjoyed your halftime performance.

As someone who came through a rural band program myself, I am a strong supporter of rural music education and understand the dedication and hard work required for these programs to thrive. You have an exceptionally talented group of students, and I would love to connect you with our music faculty to discuss scholarship opportunities available at Georgia Southwestern.

We offer a variety of ensemble experiences, including Concert Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band, Concert Choir, and Civic Chorus. We offer scholarships for both music majors and non-music majors, and we would be delighted to welcome your students to campus for a Preview Day, or we would be happy to visit your school to discuss scholarship opportunities and the programs available at Georgia Southwestern. I have copied Mr. Lenard Martin and Dr. Jared Register from the Department of Music and Emerging Media on this email. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free to contact me, Mr. Martin, or Dr. Register.

Thank you again for the outstanding performance Friday evening. It was a pleasure watching your students perform, and I appreciate the dedication you bring to music education. 

I can't tell you how grateful I am for this. Dr. Laughlin came up through a rural band program himself, and he understands what it takes for programs like ours to thrive. To have someone with his experience notice our kids and reach out on his own means a great deal to me and to all of us at Crawford County Schools.

It means even more because our band director, Ms. Ivy Gonzalez, is in her very first year with our program. She has poured her heart into these students, and this recognition belongs to her as much as to them.

Band matters. It teaches discipline, teamwork, and commitment. It gives students a place to belong and a reason to show up and work hard every day. And as Dr. Laughlin's email shows, it can open doors to college and to futures our students may not have imagined.

To our band students: you earned this. To our band parents and boosters: thank you for everything you do behind the scenes. And to our community: come out on Friday nights and cheer for these students. They are worth watching.

With pride and gratitude,

Anthony Aikens

Superintendent, Crawford County Schools