With an optimistic outlook that changed her life, this Savannah sensation is the epitome of presence beyond the stage.

It’s nearing 5:00 on a Tuesday afternoon. Sitting on a shaded park bench in Lafayette Square, Kim Polote is surrounded by memories that bubble out of her as beautifully as her voice. “My mother would wait for me after school in this square; this is where I played with my friends, grew up in Savannah, and where I waited for my own children when they attended school here,” says Polote. “It all happened right here and I will never forget those memories.

Even today, more than 20 years later, this former choir teacher still has students, now grown adults, lovingly say, “Hi, Miss Polote!” when they see her. In fact, in the midst of this conversation, a student from years past drives by and shouts that same excited hello from her car window, and Polote waves back as if seeing a long-lost friend.

“People connect through music; it makes us all the same and in that moment, we forget our differences. I love that my students still remember me. It means I made a difference and that’s what I hope my music will always do,” comments Polote.

Hoping to inspire change, a global film festival celebrating everything ocean arrives in Savannah.

An international celebration of the world’s oceans is landing in the Creative Coast, and conservation is at center stage. The BLUE Ocean Film Festival, which showcases movies devoted to ocean life, will attract dozens of the planet’s top ocean filmmakers to Savannah in hopes of inspiring their peers and the public.

Yet what is now a global event began with a simple lunch between three people: a legendary filmmaker, his wife and a woman with an inkling of an idea for a film festival like no other.

If walls could talk, the hallowed halls of this historic building would tell of four prominent owners: three that helped to shape Savannah’s history and one helping to shape the city’s future.

Genteelly positioned at the mouth of Forsyth Park, Armstrong House’s sprawling structure instantly attracts the attention of any passerby. In a town of architectural marvels, the home is competitive in its scale, relevance and intricate appointments. Standing sturdy for nearly 100 years, the building has flourished through a variety of owners and even more reincarnations. It served as a private home, a college campus, a property of Savannah’s famous Jim Williams and, presently, the residence of Bouhan, Williams & Levy, LLP—a historical law firm that is premier in the region.

Designed by Henrick Wallin, Armstrong House was constructed between 1916 and 19 under the watchful eye of general contractor Olaf Otto to serve as the home of Guyton, Georgia, native George Ferguson Armstrong, his wife, Lucy Camp Armstrong and their daughter. A member of the Cotton Exchange and Oglethorpe Club, George Armstrong made his money in shipping with the Strachan Shipping Company.

Want to build a soldier’s body without the fatigues? Follow these tips supplied by two of Fort Stewart’s finest.

Fitness and health are often the primary lines of defense for Fort Stewart’s 3rd Infantry Division combat soldiers. Peak levels of strength and endurance can mean the difference between life and death, success or failure. It’s no surprise then that Sergeants 1st class Jeremy St. Julian and Robert Frankforter take their training very seriously. “Physical fitness is our second highest priority,” said Frankforter. “Second only to training.”

Early every morning, St. Julian and Frankforter motivate and move hundreds of soldiers through rigorous exercise regimens specially designed to keep the world’s toughest troopers in peak physical condition. Luckily for those of us with less fight in us than flab, these two soldiers took a break from their rigorous regimes to let The South in on some if their training sessions’ best exercising secrets. Follow these tips and you’ll be in combat condition in no time.