🌱 Family Ties To U.S. Air Force Academy + Dacula Natives Receive Nods

Hey, neighbors! It's Friday in Dacula and I'm back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening locally.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: A stray afternoon shower. High: 67 Low: 56.
• Saturday: Cloudy with showers around. High: 74 Low: 58.

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Here are the top three stories in Dacula today:

1. Dacula Senior Dallen Rawson will officially be following in his family's footsteps as he is preparing to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado this coming June. Dallen will be joining his brother Payton and sister Brinley at the academy, both of whom will be upperclassmen by the time he arrives in Colorado. Dallen will be reporting for six weeks of basic training in late June and beginning his classwork in August; currently, he is mentally and physically preparing himself for the challenging road ahead. (Gwinnett Daily Post)
2. Earlier this week, five members of the University of Illinois's men's golf team — including a Dacula graduate — were recognized by the Big Ten Conference and received post-season awards. Jackson Buchanan of Dacula received first-team honors, finishing third on the team in stroke average and receiving his first career win in April at the Tiger Collegiate Invitational. Buchanan and his team now await the NCAA Regionals that are set to take place from May 15-17. (Fighting Illini)
3. A Dacula native was among four Kennesaw State University (KSU) student-athletes to receive season awards from the ASUN. Dacula's own Lauren Dobbs, a mid-fielder for the KSU women's lacrosse team, was named to the conference's All-Freshmen team for her stellar performances put on all season. Dobbs, who started all 16 games as a freshman, was responsible for causing the most turnovers on the team and for scooping the most ground balls. (Kennesaw State Athletics)

Today and tomorrow in and around Dacula:

Friday, May 5

• Pop-Up Park Picnic: Couple Date Night - Harbins Park (7:00 AM)
• The Musical ANASTASIA - Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville (7:00 PM)

Saturday, May 6

• The Musical ANASTASIA - Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Gwinnett County Public Schools and Board of Education are inviting students, staff, and community members to complete a brief survey sharing their feedback within the community. The 2023 Community Board Governance Survey is currently open now until May 24; all responses will be shared with the Board of Education Governance team at the next meeting. (Gwinnett County Public Schools via Facebook)
• A special shout-out and congratulations to Dacula High School's April Athletes and Coaches of the Month for the time and dedication they put into their craft in the month of April. If you see any of these stellar Falcons, be sure to take a moment and congratulate them on their achievement. (Dacula High School via Facebook)
• Stop by the Gwinnett County Public Library's Snellville branch this coming Thursday to learn how to make your very own comics with the Comics Club. This lesson will be focused on drawing your characters in different poses. (Gwinnett County Public Library via Instagram)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Neighborhood Prayer: A Service of Light and Life (May 7)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday. See you all soon for another update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.