M a r c h 2 3 , 2 0 2 3 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 1 8 , N o . 1 2
FROM COP TO COACH
Athletic director leaves his mark on Eagles sports
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Gary Sylvestri, Milton High School athletic director, stands by an image of the high school’s football field in his office March 15. Sylvestri is set to retire in June.
MILTON, Ga. — Gary Sylvestri, a family man with a strong faith in God, is winding down after more than a decade as athletic director at Milton High School, where he oversees one of Fulton County’s largest sports departments. Sylvestri, aka Coach Sly, started coaching football at Milton in 2010. Two years later, he was promoted to athletic director. Along the way, Sylvestri also helped brand the school. “We made it the ‘M,’ and the empire,” he said.
“Everyone knows us for that now.” Milton’s athletics department, which has 23 varsity sports, 90 coaches and around 1,050 athletes, has racked up major milestones during Sylvestri’s tenure. In 2018, the Eagles won their first football state championship when they defeated the Colquitt County Packers in the finals. That game was also the first time since 1995 that a team outside of South Georgia and Gwinnett County won in the state’s highest classification.
See COACH, Page 18
Milton Farmers Market to operate on Saturdays MILTON, Ga. — The Milton Farmers Market returns next month on a new day and with some new vendors, and it’s open for a few more. After taking place on Wednesdays the past two years, the farmers market will now run between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays starting April
22 and through October. The change is intended to draw more people, including more families, to downtown Crabapple on their offdays when they no longer have to deal with school pick-ups, rush hour traffic and other weekday responsibilities. The shift means that the exact
make-up of vendors may change from last year, though there should still be a great variety of people selling fresh produce, homemade products and other special custom must-haves for the home and beyond. For those interested in staffing a booth or with interest as a potential
vendor, email Judy Hall at miltonmarket@comcast.net. The market will be in the City Hall plaza between Council Chambers and Community Place at 2006 Heritage Walk. It’s once again being run by Hall and vendors in partnership with the City of Milton.