Posts filed under ‘Media’
First Lady Michelle Obama celebrates health and wellness efforts at Burgess-Peterson Academy
First Lady Michelle Obama marked the first anniversary of her Let’s Move initiative with a visit to Burgess-Peterson Academy on Wednesday afternoon. The school is one of the leaders in Atlanta Public Schools when it comes to health, wellness and nutrition efforts thanks to hard work among faculty, staff, students, parents and its network of community partners. (Check out a mini-photo gallery above, or the big one here.)
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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Riley Lindley | Football Scholarship – Valdosta State |
| Karnorris Benson | Football Scholarship – Western Carolina |
National Signing Day set for Wednesday, Feb. 2
What: National Signing Day
Who: All APS senior student-athletes accepting athletic scholarships
Where: Frederick Douglass High School, 225 H.E. Holmes Drive., NW, Atlanta 30318
When: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2
Additional: APS high school seniors sign letters of intent for athletic scholarships at colleges and universities around the country. Both female and male student-athletics will be participating in this annual event. A select group of APS student-athletes will participate in a signing event for metro Atlanta student-athletes at Andretti’s in Roswell from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Grady High art student is driving force behind Atlanta Art Throwdown 2011
Is it Atlanta’s next great sporting event — or outstanding education? Judging from the response to the first-ever Atlanta Art Throwdown, the answer is both. Although the competition is serious, camaraderie, fun and learning from each other are the real winners. The brainchild of Grady High senior Perrin Turner, the Art Throwdown brings students from high schools across Atlanta to engage in a different kind of art competition.
Similar to a competitive reality show on television, each young artist is faced with a challenge: drawing when you can’t see your hands or the paper; drawing from live models; and working with a group of artists to construct a sculpture in 30 minutes or less. Student artists worked in front of an appreciative audience for the entire evening. Nationally recognized Atlanta artist Fahamu Pecou served as the official Art Throwdown judge.
APS student-athletes welcome Atlanta Braves for ‘Caravan’ stop at The New Schools at Carver
Several schools from APS were in the audience at The New Schools at Carver as players from the Atlanta Braves players fielded questions about life in the Major Leagues. Pitchers Peter Moylan and Scott Linebrink were joined by center fielder Jordan Schafer, with WXIA/11Alive sports anchor Sam Crenshaw serving as moderator. (Crenshaw is a familiar face around APS, previously serving as keynote speaker at the 2009 Monk Jones Lecture Series.)
APS was selected as one of the sites for the annual “Braves Caravan.” Students asked questions such as the difference between playing and baseball in high school and the Major Leagues. The players also stressed the importance of being professional and consistent with everything they do.
Grady High’s ‘Doggies on the Catwalk’ fashion show rescheduled for Friday
UPDATE: Watch Georgia Public Broadcasting’s coverage of “Doggies on the Catwalk” last year here.
We’re excited to announce that Grady High‘s annual “Doggies on the Catwalk” fashion show, which showcases the senior fashion students of Vincent Martinez‘s Urban Couture program, has been rescheduled after all that snow last week. As Atlanta magazine columnist Richard Eldredge notes in his ATL Intel blog, Martinez “didn’t want it to turn into Doggies on Ice,” but the show will go on at 7 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 21, at the Grady gym. Read the full blog post here. (Tickets are $25.)
Martinez didn’t give up easily, Eldridge noted:
Up until Wednesday night, Martinez had remained hopeful that the show would go on Friday night. He was in contact daily with his designing students, offering support as they finished their frocks from home this week. But when the city’s icy side streets and sidewalks failed to melt by Thursday and the city of Atlanta cancelled school for the fifth consecutive day, Martinez and school officials put the fashion show on ice.
The fashion show, which features local celebrites, will benefit Pets Are Loving Support (PALS), a nonprofit that provides food and veterinary care to companion animals for the elderly and terminally ill Atlantans. Click the PALS link for ticket info.
‘Doggies’ give Falcons a chance to fly on schedule
UPDATE: “Doggies on the Catwalk” has been rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 21, at the Grady High gym. Also, watch Georgia Public Broadcasting’s coverage of last year’s event here.
There’s a hilarious and fun piece in today’s AJC by “The Buzz” columnist Jennifer Brett, reporting on a key schedule change that should help both Grady High‘s annual “Doggies on the Catwalk” fashion show (Jan. 14) and the Atlanta Falcons‘ first-round playoff game (Jan. 15) go off without a hitch. Seems the Falcons were kind enough to allow wide receiver Brian Finneran and linebacker Coy Wire participate in the fashion show, which features guest models wearing clothes from the school’s acclaimed Urban Couture design program.
But the Falcons clinched home-field advantage in the upcoming playoffs, meaning Finneran and Wire need to observe the team’s curfew the previous night — same night as the fashion show! So instead of letting these Falcons flock to bed without getting their moment of fame, the school moved showtime up one hour to 7 p.m., in the gymnasium. The curfew is 7:30 p.m., so needless to say the Falcons will hit the runway first.
Proceeds from the show, coordinated by Grady design teacher Vincent Martinez, will go to Pets Are Loving Support (PALS), which helps give vet care and other services to pets of critically ill and disabled residents. For more info on ”Doggies on the Catwalk,” visit this link. Come back to Talk Up APS for more coverage leading up to and through the event! (Read more from Martinez on his Fashionado blog here.)
Inside The Atlanta Educator: Our talented student artists
What better way to show how creative and artistically inclined our Atlanta Public Schools students can be than by showing their work? Well, in the latest issue of The Atlanta Educator, we did just that. If you haven’t picked up your copy before the break, you can view and print individual articles here, or you can read it online at www.issuu.com/atlantaeducator. The above work is by Decorey Bailey, a seventh-grader at Parks Middle School. For more click here.
The Atlanta Educator‘s Winter 2010 edition hits the streets
The Winter 2010 issue of the award-winning Atlanta Educator, a product of the Atlanta Public Schools’ Office of Communications, hits the streets this week to celebrate the many business and community partnerships that help our students in their journey to excellence.
In this issue, read all about the collaboration with KaBOOM!, which helps schools and community partners build a playground in one memorable day. Read about author and former Atlanta Brave Brian Jordan’s commitment to the students of APS and his recent visit to Centennial Place Elementary. Walk with Karen Riggins-Taylor, middle school principal at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, as she tours Graphic Packaging International with CEO David Scheible. And you’ll visit Turkey with Bolton Academy kindergarten teacher Claudine Curry as she shares her experiences with the global social-media group ePals.
