Crim’s Jarrell Lofton celebrates graduation

UPDATE: Check out photo gallery of Crim Open Campus and North Atlanta graduation ceremonies.

With some 40 friends and family gathered outside the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center after attending Crim’s graduation ceremonies, Crim Open Campus graduate Jarrell Lofton spoke glowingly of moving forward for college and career in filmmaking. You could sense the relief in his voice; Lofton worked hard throughout his time in Atlanta Public Schools, starting out at D.H. Stanton Elementary and continuing through Kennedy Middle. And now Crim.

“It feels like two big boulders have been lifted off my shoulders,” Lofton said afterward. “All the stress I’ve been through, it was tough. But it was worth it. This is how you get to the next level of your life.”

For Lofton, that means attending Georgia Perimeter College and then the University of Georgia, followed by a career in filmmaking thanks to the inspiration of such blockbuster directors as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and the Hughes brothers — and Spike Lee. “I can’t forget Spike!” he said.

Lofton was especially grateful for his math teacher, Rodney Finkley, who has helped him navigate how to manage his money as he proceeds to college. “He’s been through a lot,” Finkley said. “You wouldn’t know he’s been through anything, because his disposition is so positive.”

Coretta Scott King YWLA students get ‘pearls of wisdom’

Students at Coretta School King Young Women’s Leadership Academy wore evening dresses this morning as the staff presented them with “pearls of wisdom” necklaces in recognition of their transition to high school.  While not a traditional graduation ceremony per se, it was a colorful event on this last day of the school year for most Atlanta Public Schools students. SCLC President the Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King, served as keynote speaker, while APS  Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall also spoke to students. Hall thanked the Atlanta Board of Education members in attendance, as well as community partners including the Atlanta cluster of The Links Inc. and Spelman College, and CSKYWLA Principal Melody Morgan and SRT-4 Executive Director Tamara Cotman.

“It’s hard to believe that we’re already celebrating the first class of students to complete their middle school studies and ‘step up’ to high school,” Dr. Hall said. “What a difference three years can make!”

Fund for Teachers: What they’re doing this summer

Not to get all nostalgic or anything, but when we started Talk Up APS toward the end of last summer, one of the first things we did was serve up a series of essays from the Atlanta Fund for Teachers  (through the Atlanta Education Fund) winners who wrote about their summer experiences. The essays were a huge hit, and underscored how our APS teachers are at their best when they’re in a constant state of professional development.

So we’re excited to end the 2009-10 school year and look toward the summer with this look at what this year’s crop of Atlanta Fund for Teachers recipients will be doing this summer. We’ll check back in with them from time to time, and get their impressions on what we’re sure will be enriching and fun adventures. (Check out this link for a sampling of those essays.)

Read about the teachers and their plans at the jump…

College freshman and first-time author Noni Carter inspires Coretta Scott King YWLA students

Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy welcomed Noni Carter (pictured, above center), a metro Atlanta native, Harvard freshman and first-time published author of the novel Good Fortune. CSKYWLA’s Pen-Pal Club Project hosted the visit. In two morning sessions, Carter met with students who have scored in the 70% in ELA/Reading Comprehension. It is the school’s hope that by sharing her story, students are encouraged and inspired to continue to explore the world around them through literature, and to express their ideas and to tell their stories through writing.

Pen-Pal Club Project members, and the two top students who have shown the greatest improvement in ELA/Reading this year, received an autograph copy of Good Fortune. Hat tip to Zola Mullen for sharing the news!