Jackson County and Jefferson High Schools Win First Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award

For Immediate Release August 28 , 2006 Jefferson, Ga. — Jackson County High School and Jefferson High School, along with 19 other schools around the state, have been awarded the first Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award.

Sponsored by Jackson EMC and 31 other Georgia EMCs, the awards recognize Georgia High School Association (GHSA) member schools that exhibit exemplary sportsmanship-particularly fairness, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Selected by GHSA region secretaries, the awards honor not only sportsmanship demonstrated by athletes but by fellow students, coaches and spectators alike, making the award a tribute to the entire school community.

The first Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Awards cover the 2005-06 school year and will be presented by local EMC representatives during halftime ceremonies at football games across the state this fall.

Continuing their sponsorship of GHSA championship events for the eighth year, Georgia's electric cooperatives are expanding their support with efforts to improve sportsmanship.

Approached by GHSA to take part in its pledge to promote sportsmanship, the EMCs agreed to partner with them by sponsoring an awards program aimed at spotlighting GHSA's stance on sportsmanship:&nb

"Student athletes, coaches, spectators and all others associated with high school activities programs should adhere to the fundamental values of respect, fairness, honesty and responsibility."

Noting that the attributes of good sportsmanship parallel the cooperative principles, which promote commitment to community and cooperation, it was an easy decision for the electric co-ops to take the lead in promoting sportsmanship, according to Randall Pugh, Jackson EMC president and CEO.

"Cooperative principles stress important values, such as cooperation and teamwork, that are just as relevant on the high school playing field as they are to co-op employees in the workplace," said Pugh.

Up to 40 Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Awards will be presented annually, one for each of the five classifications within GHSA' s eight regions, to GHSA-member high schools singled out for good sportsmanship.

"The co-ops and GHSA believe working together to make sportsmanship a predominant focus at all competitions will serve as a reminder to exhibit good sportsmanship," said Pugh. "We at Jackson EMC are excited for this opportunity to increase the value of our sponsorship of Georgia high school athletics."

Jackson EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to more than 196,000 meters in 10 northeast Georgia counties.

Through a statewide network, Georgia's EMCs provide electricity and related services to four million people, nearly half of Georgia's population, across 73 percent of the state's land area.  Georgia's 42 electric membership cooperatives serve more customers than any other state network of EMCs in the nation.

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