Christmas lights in Macon won an international award through ‘vision, tenacity and hard work’

Middle Georgia is filled with people who commit their time and effort to make the community a better place. Here is a list of people and organizations in Middle Georgia who have recently received awards for their work.

Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence

NewTown Macon and Bryan Nichols received the Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence from the International Downtown Association, according to a news release. They were recognized for their efforts in the Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza and initiatives related to the project.

“I am so excited that the Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza has been recognized internationally with this award,” said Bryan Nichols, the founder and organizer of the holiday light show, in the release. “This award is for everyone who has worked so hard to make this event a reality.”

The project was among 17 qualified entries in the category of Events and Programming, which includes programs and events that “improved the image and vitality of downtown,” according to the release.

“The Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza will make anyone believe in Santa— and Macon—again,” said Josh Rogers, president and CEO of NewTown Macon, in the release. “This is a great honor for all of Macon, but most of all for Bryan Nichols’ vision, tenacity and hard work.”

92nd Annual National FFA Convention and Expo

Two Veterans High School Future Farmers of America teams won awards at the 92nd Annual National FFA Convention and Expo held in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to a news release.

The Agricultural Sales Team won fourth placed and had one student score the highest in the nation, and the Meats Evaluation Team won seventh place, according to the release.

America’s 100 Best Hospitals

Coliseum Northside Hospital was named as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals in orthopedic surgery and spine surgery by Healthgrades, which performs an annual study of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide, according to a news release.

“Our hospital is committed to providing quality healthcare to our community. Maintaining our level of quality and patient experience requires a high level of teamwork, and we could not accomplish these achievements without the care provided by our dedicated hospital staff and the excellent physicians who practice here,” said Greg Caples, CEO of Coliseum Northside Hospital.

Coliseum Northside Hospital also received the Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award and the Spine Surgery Excellence Award and was named a Five Star Facility in Spinal Fusion and a Five Star Facility in Hip Fracture Treatment, according to the release.

The findings of the study were released in Healthgrades’ 2020 Report to the Nation, according to the release.

Students of the Month

Channing Byrd, the drum major of the Southwest High School Marching Patriots, and Mykeria Darby, a senior at Southwest High School, were named Bibb County Students of the Month by the 9 Foundation and the Middle Georgia Center for Academic Excellence, according to the Macon Black Pages.

Region One Act Play

Central High School One Act Play won the Region 4-AAA One Act Play Championship for the second year in a row with their performance of “Pippin,” according to an email from the Bibb County school district.

Student Jordan Ray also won best actor for the second year in a row, according to the email.

This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 12:00 AM.