Benteen Elementary honors talented fifth-grade students during ‘90+ Celebration’

Some may consider fifth grade the end of a journey, for others it’s just the beginning.

“We tell our fifth-graders that they are the seniors of our school. It is our job to prepare them for junior high and keep them motivated to excel academically,” said Dr. Diana Quisenberry, principal of Benteen Elementary. “It’s important to do well in life, and it starts at the elementary level.”

To honor students’ academic achievements, Benteen held a “90+ Celebration” on Feb. 2 in collaboration with the W.E.B. DuBois Society. Named in honor of the famous educator and philosopher, the Atlanta-based organization offers programs structured to encourage students and keep them motivated to succeed.

South Atlanta’s Nick Jacobs discusses signing with the University of Alabama

We took a few minutes to interview South Atlanta High’s star center, Nick Jacobs, on National Signing Day, so he could discuss his decision to play for the University of Alabama. South Atlanta’s having a heck of a year and has a shot of returning to the state championship game if it keeps things up. Coach Michael Reddick joined in the discussion.

Scenes from (APS) National Signing Day

Here are some snapshots from Atlanta Public Schools’ National Signing Day activities, held Wednesday morning at Douglass High School.

Pictured above, top row: Julian Moses, South Atlanta High (Albany State); Nick Jacobs, South Atlanta High (Alabama); Darius Caldwell, Mays High (Illinois).

Pictured above, bottom row: Group shot, Mays High; Lorenzo Mauldin, Maynard H. Jackson High (South Carolina); group shot, North Atlanta High.

North Atlanta’s Global Broadcasting and Journalism academy reveals new (student-designed) logo

Students, faculty, staff and parents gathered Wednesday morning for the unveiling of the student-designed logo for North Atlanta High‘s Global Broadcasting and Journalism academy. The academy is a part of North Atlanta and Grady High becoming the final two schools to convert to the newer, smaller-learning model as designed by Atlanta Public Schools’ High School Transformation Initiative.

As Academy Leader Laura Brazil explained in the video interview above, part of the reason to open the academy was due to the overflow of student enrollment that already had filled the other three academies (or “small learning communities”): the Center for the Arts, Center for Business and Marketing and Center for International Studies (home of the International Baccalaureate program). The students in the “GBJ,” as the new academy is called, are freshmen and sophomores whole will matriculate through the system while learning the latest innovations in journalism and broadcasting. (It was kind of cool to see one North Atlanta High parent, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Hank Klibanoff, in the audience!)

The students unveiled the new logo after a reception hosted in the Old Planeterium room (where students interviewed such guests as Atlanta Board of Education members on camera). The logo (below) was designed by Darius Peterson, whose work is well known around North Atlanta High and the community. (We’ll have lots more him later on; keep coming back to Talk Up APS for more info!) We’d also like to thank academy office assistant Amy Durham for the head’s up!

APS student-athletes prepare for next step on National Signing Day

UPDATE: Watch interview with U.S. Naval Academy-bound football players Greg Eason (Mays High) and Marcus Mack (North Atlanta High) here. Watch interview with South Atlanta’s Nick Jacobs here.

We were so proud to watch as student-athletes from around Atlanta Public Schools signed on the dotted line to play for the college of their choice on National Signing Day, in a ceremony held Wednesday at Douglass High School. WXIA (11Alive) was on hand with sports anchor Sam Crenshaw to provide a livestream of the event, in which the student-athletes (mostly football players) signed the national letter of intent that seals their college commitment.

There were such nationally touted football players as Grady High’s Damian Swann (University of Georgia) and Marcus Caffey (Kentucky) as well as South Atlanta High star basketball center Nick Jacobs (Alabama) getting their moment in the sun, as well as other football players who will move on to Division I programs such as Mays High’s Darius Caldwell (Illinois) and North Atlanta’s Eddie Johnson, who made a last-second commitment to play for the University of Miami.

And then there were the feel-good stories of the day. Maynard H. Jackson High’s Lorenzo Mauldin walked onto the auditorium stage with about 15 supporters behind him. Why so many. Because, as  Jackson Coach Eric Williams explained, Mauldin had spent several years in a group home as he tried to work his way through high school. He’ll now play for the University of South Carolina, the runner-up in the Southeastern Conference.

Then there were some impressive athletic and academic success stories. Mays High lineman Greg Eason, for example, will become teammates with North Atlanta’s Marcus Mack at the U.S. Naval Academy. Another North Atlanta player, Zack Wootten, will attend Johns Hopkins University on an academic scholarship, while classmate Jim Russel is a Posse Scholar who will attend Boston University. Classmate Dara DeMateo also will attend Boston University, on a soccer scholarship; Grace Shea, her teammate, will play soccer at the University of Wisconsin (her father’s alma mater!).

It was the first National Signing Day for Jeff Beggs as the newly hired director of athletics for APS; he called National Signing Day one of the most memorable days of the year for him as an administrator.

Check out the complete list below, and come back to Talk Up APS later on for video interviews with some of these outstanding student-athletes!

NEW SCHOOLS AT CARVER
Dequadis Tucker	Football Scholarship – North Carolina Central
Shauntia Cobb	Posse Scholarship – volleyball – Wooster
Christina Wade	Posse Scholarship – soccer – BARD University
SOUTH ATLANTA HIGH
Julius Moses	Football Scholarship – Albany State University
James Roberson	Football Scholarship – Middle Tennessee
Nicholas Jacobs	Basketball Scholarship – Alabama
MAYS HIGH
Douglass Jackson	Academic Scholarship – cross country Fayetteville State
Roderick Thompson	Football Scholarship – Georgia State
Darius Caldwell	Football Scholarship – Illinois
Greg Eason	Football Scholarship – Navy
Timothy McCoy	Football Scholarship – Tusculum
Devonte Bailey	Football Scholarship – Tusculum
MAYNARD H. JACKSON HIGH
Marquise Henderson	Football Scholarship – Tusculum
Maurion Raines	FootballScholarship – Post Universtiy
Lorenzo Mauldin	Football Scholarship – University of South Carolina
NORTH ATLANTA HIGH
Edward Dickey	Football Scholarship – Tusculum
Zack Wootten	Academic Scholarship – John Hopkins
Jim Russel	Posse Scholarship – football – Boston University
John Eagle	Concordia
Joe Swartzmiller	Concordia
Carlton Henry	Tusculum
Brad Brown	Concordia
Marcus Mack	Navy
Chris Henderson	Concordia
Eddie Johnson	University of Miami
Grace Shea	University of Wisconsin – Soccer Scholarship
Dara DeMateo	Boston University – Soccer Scholarship
WASHINGTON HIGH
Courtney Hunter	Johnson C. Smith University
Davanta Rogers	Virginia Union
Zachery Witchett	Hinds Community College
Adonis Lovejoy	Tusculum
Dekeshion Phifer	Tusculum or Tuskegee
GRADY HIGH
Daron Wright	Football Scholarship – UAB
Treveon Albert	Football Scholarship – Fort Hays State University
Eric Brewster	Football Scholarship – Valdosta State University
Dijon Elder	Football Scholarship – Tusculum College
Omari Foreman	Football Scholarship – Valdosta State University
Darius Hawkins	Football Scholarship – Valdosta State University
Hoderick Lowe	Football Scholarship – Tuskegee University
Marcus Caffey	Football Scholarship – Kentucky
Damian Swann	Football Scholarship – University of Georgia
D.M. THERRELL HIGH
Riley Lindley	Football Scholarship –  Valdosta State
Karnorris Benson	Football Scholarship – Western Carolina