May 28, 2026
Superintendent Beverley Levine smiles as she prepares for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new elementary school. (Landen Todd/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
When asked what she would miss most, Beverley Levine said the answer was simple. “The kids,” she said. “That’s why you do the job. I’ve tried to never lose sight of that.” Levine, superintendent of the Oglethorpe County School System, is set to retire, effective June 30.
About 35 people attended the Board of Commissioners meeting at the courthouse in March. There’s room for about 150 people there. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Several people take a look at the damage to Emerald Green Drive caused by heavy rains in the county the past week. About 30 people were stranded on one side of the dead-end road. (Photo/Submitted)
The Oglethorpe Echo
What happens when a public university partners with a community newspaper? A beautiful collaboration and a reminder of all the things local news is meant to be: personal, rewarding and impactful.
To those who serve The Echo.
To those who read The Echo.
To those who believe in local news.
This documentary was directed by Julianna Duennes Russ and produced by Leighton Dancy, in collaboration with the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication and The Oglethorpe Echo Legacy, Inc.
Special thank you to: Ralph Maxwell, Dink NeSmith, Amanda Bright, Andy Johnston, Lori Johnston, Trisha Bearden, Lourdes Tompkins, Blake Campbell, Kathleen deMarrais, Jamie Lewis, Barbara Cabaniss, Delbra Kendrick, Zachary Leggio, Adriana Cascio, Libby Hobbs, Jesse Wood. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.
New Oglethorpe County High School boys basketball coach Dayon Toomer, shown with his fiancé Antorya and children Carson and Cionni, was hired on April 28. Toomer's eldest children, Chassity and Mason, aren’t pictured. (Ethan Greene/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Defensive back Nicah Pass reaches for the ball during football practice on May 15. Pass, a senior, plays alongside his brother, Zion, a sophomore. (Ethan Greene/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Oglethorpe County’s Nicah Pass competes in the high jump at the Class A Division I meet at UGA on Tuesday. Pass finished 11th and the OCHS boys were 23rd. (Ethan Greene/The Oglethorpe Echo)
