Jennifer Williams and Lauren Holtzer will step into key leadership roles in Cherokee County School District this fall, bringing decades of combined education experience to their new positions.

👩‍💼 Meet The New Leaders: Williams will take over as principal at Oak Grove Elementary STEAM Academy after spending 16 years in education. She most recently worked as an assistant principal in Marietta City Schools and previously served as an English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher and coordinator.

Holtzer, a 17-year education veteran, will become the district’s fine arts coordinator. She currently works as an assistant principal at River Ridge High School and previously taught visual arts and chaired Sequoyah High School’s fine arts department.

🗓️ The Timeline: The Cherokee County School Board approved these appointments during a brief called meeting on May 21. Both educators will begin their new roles for the 2025-26 school year.

How to Read and Understand the News

Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.

Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.

Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.

Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:

  • What evidence backs this?
  • Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
  • What would change my mind?
  • Am I just shooting the messenger?

And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?

Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.

B.T. Clark
Publisher at 

B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.