Price Middle School’s French program caps a year of learning with a trip to Nancy – Metz, France

Price’s Madame Shamita Johnson teaching French via Skype with College de Haut Penoy’s Madame Deborah Keeton

Atlanta Public Schools is proud to announce that the French program at Price Middle School has been active throughout the school year. The French program at Price has collaborated with The French Consulate of Atlanta, The Carter Center, The Georgia Department of Education’s Global Languages and Initiatives Division, Alliance Francais, Theater du Reve, and The Woodruff Arts Center and has been invited to Nancy – Metz, France to visit their sister school College de Haut Penoy. We at Price Middle School have been a part of France – Atlanta since its inception. Because of our participation with France – Atlanta, Former United States President Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center recognizes Price Middle School students for their acknowledgments and contributions to French cultural and French speaking programs worldwide. According to the Georgia Department of Education, Price is the only middle school in the Atlanta Public School system and the state of Georgia with such an intensive French foreign language sister school program. Madame Shamita Johnson has formed a strong alliance with her French counter part Madame Deborah Keeton as they have taught their class via Skype and Madame Keeton has traveled to Price to meet the Price French students and teach French classes at Price.

Attached is a letter from the Mayor of Ville de Vandoeuvre – lès – Nancy. He is expressing his anticipation and gratitude in welcoming Luther Judson Price Middle School to Ville de Vandoeuvre – lès - Nancy for a ceremony celebrating the partnership between Luther Judson Price Middle School and College de Haut Penoy as well as an official dinner. Price Middle School is organizing an 11 day educational trip to our sister school College de Haut Penoy in Nancy–Metz, France. The departure date is June 7, 2013. The purpose of traveling to France is to further enhance students’ knowledge and skills to become active global citizens of our 21st century society. In addition, it will allow Luther Judson Price Middle School Students to meet their French classmates from College de Haut Penoy and experience going to school in another country. The following video captures Mme. Keeton’s, French instructor at the College de Haut Penoy, visit to Price Middle School along with guests from the Georgia Department of Education Division of Global Languages and Initiatives, Alliance Francaise, the Fulbright Program, the French Consulate of Atlanta and the Atlanta Board of Education:

Here are some additional links on the French language program at Price:     http://youtu.be/b9UdF8uq5-o

http://youtu.be/iAX8dLA04xY  start @ 13:19

Madame Shamita Johnson and her Price French program students.

Please click here to see more on the planned Price Middle School French trip. We appreciate your support for this inspirational and ambitious endeavor. Thank you so much for your time.

Parks Middle School receives top honors for giving

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walter Leonard Parks Middle School embraced the holiday spirit of “giving back to the community that has supported them”.   Parks Middle School’s Graduation Coach, Mr. MacArthur Randolph, facilitated and motivated the students during the Holiday Can Food Drive to benefit the Atlanta Food Bank. Over 1, 500 cans were collected during this annual drive.  Based on the number of cans collected, Atlanta Food Bank stated that it will provide at least 1, 213 meals to needy families. Every year many schools within the Atlanta Public Schools district participate in this event.  This year, Parks Middle School received top honors for collecting the most can goods by a school for the Atlanta Food Bank. Mrs. Natascha Hampton’s 7^th grade homeroom was recognized with a holiday meal for collecting over 500 cans.   Mrs. Patrice Mapson’s 8^th grade homeroom was also recognized for collecting over 280 cans.

Great job, Parks Middle School!

written by Yashica Green, Media Specialist, Parks Middle School

Grady High competes in state mock trial competition

You may recall our intern, Grady High junior Elizabeth McGlamry, who in her spare time is a championship competitor for Grady’s vaunted mock trial team. (See video above for refresher!) Here she writes about the ongoing state championship this weekend. She’ll have an update next week, with a personal perspective on the competition. Good luck to Elizabeth and Grady. Here’s her take:

With exhibits and examinations in hand, 18 of the state’s most talented mock trial teams prepare to head to the Gwinnett County Courthouse for Georgia’s High School Mock Trial State competition. Sixteen regional champions and two wild card picks will go to face-off in mock trials for the state champion title. The case is a liability case over a wrongful termination because of a violation of civil rights set in the fictional city of Miltonville. Two police officers – a former detective and the chief of police – battle to prove who was right: the detective, who believes he was fired for a comment he posted on a social networking site called “MiltFace” and the chief, who vehemently denies such accusations.

Teams provide 14 competing members two provide for two sides of the case, defense and plaintiff, and each side has three attorneys, three witness roles and one time keeper. Sides go against the opposite of another school for roughly two and a half hours, creating a law-and-order-type atmosphere as they conduct an entire trial from preliminary matters to closing arguments. With two rounds on Saturday and the semifinal and final rounds on Sunday, the competition spans the whole weekend and ends with the crowning of a new state championship and the passing of the giant, state-champion gavel.

Harper-Archer Middle girls’ basketball team wins APS Middle School title

The Harper-Archer Middle School girls basketball team does it again. The Lady Jaguars defeated the Young Middle Wolves for the APS Middle School Championship. The Lady Jaguars had an undefeated season (10-0). This is the team’s second year winning the title. Not only are the girls powerful on the court, but in the classroom as well.

Coach Guy Brown has instilled in these girls the motto, “No Challenge is Too Great,” and they have proved that once again. This is a team that continues beat the odds. And hat tip to media specialist Keisha Robinson for sharing the news!

Forrest Hill Academy debate team makes strong showing

The Forrest Hill Academy debate team competed in its third tournament this year on Feb. 12 at Tri-Cities High School. This is the first tournament for the students this semester since the students last semester all transitioned. For their first tournament, these students did a phenomenal job and won many accolades. The following students have been recognized for their fabulous speaking and argumentative skills. Out of 30 high school speakers, the following team members were ranked in the top-20 best speakers:
Michael Watkins (Community B)
Darryl Momon (Community C)*
Alvin Manuel (Community C)*
Joshua Cash (Community C)

(* Darryl Momon and Alvin Manuel won awards for placing in the top 10 teams.)

The Forrest Hill Academy debate team also placed third in the Community Award for having a committed and respectful team that participated and helped other teams at the tournament.

“None of these students have any experience in debate, but they practiced hard the past two weeks to be prepared for the tournament,” said social studies teacher Huong K. Vo, “and it showed through their success this past weekend.”

The next tournament will be Saturday, March 5, at Emory University. Hat tip to Forrest Hill Academy Principal Tricia Rock for sharing the news.

South Atlanta High’s School of Law & Social Justice plays the Stock Market Game — and plays it well

You might recall Jill Beracki for the wonderful work she did at Washington High, where she led a strong performance by the team in the Stock Market Game. Well, guess what? She’s up to her old tricks, but this time at another school. She tells us the South Atlanta School of Law & Social Justice is the Regional Winner (City of Atlanta) for the Stock Market Game (first semester 2010-2011). This is the version played statewide and is sponsored by the Georgia Council on Economic Education (Georgia State University).

The game is played once per semester each school term, and more than 3,500 teams compete across Georgia, Beracki tells us. The state winner was Parkview High School in Gwinnett County.

“I believe this is the first time that South Atlanta High has ever had a winner,” Beracki says, giving credit to South Atlanta School of Law & Social Justice Peter McKnight.

The students will attend an awards ceremony in May at the Georgia Depot. The team features Donta Smith (captain) and teammates Amario Zachary and Brandon Jones.

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.)

Principal Robin Robbins led the first lady on a tour of the school, which included a visit to Megan Kiser‘s second-grade class, munching on blueberries — the snack of the day. Students and master gardeners Adam Waterson and Michelle Rice – just some of the school’s community partners — took her on a tour of the outdoor garden the school built with support from Georgia Organics. “Coach” Betty Jackson, the school’s physical education instructor, has been instrumental in helping lead these efforts, and was excited about the visit.

W.T. Jackson Elementary earns 2010 Georgia Schools of Excellence recognition

Warren T.  Jackson Elementary School is one of only 22 schools in the state to be recognized as a 2010 Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student Achievement award winner. Jackson earned the recognition for being among the top 10 percent of schools in Georgia, as determined by the results of state standardized tests in reading and mathematics.

“I am extremely proud of the students, teachers, principal and staff at Jackson Elementary School for their performance that resulted in this very special recognition from the state,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall.  “To be one of only 22 schools in the state to be singled out is a tremendous achievement and is something everyone should celebrate.”

To be considered for the recognition, schools must also meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for a minimum of three consecutive years; meet or exceed state testing scores in science and social studies; and be established for five or more years.

Each school will receive $1,000 from Georgia Natural Gas.

Schools from APS advance in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl

Congratulations to Morris Brandon, Centennial Place, Garden Hills, Parkside, D.H. Stanton, Toomer, Beecher Hills, and Drew Charter elementary schools for their outstanding performance in the fourth-annual APS Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl this last weekend. As the highest-scoring teams, Parkside and Morris Brandon will proceed to the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Parkside and Morris Brandon will be accompanied by a team from Sutton and Parks middle schools and a team from The New Schools at Carver and Douglass high schools.

Thanks to all the coaches, parents, and volunteers for their hard work and dedication to the students, and best of luck at the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. For more information on the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, please visit here. Hat tip to APS Media Coordinator Warren Goetzel.

Inman Middle has room to GROW on Earth Day

Inman’s GROW Club won a $1,700 grant from the Students Taking Charge Foundation. The organization supports healthy eating habits in teens and preteens. Inman students and sponsors pitched an idea called “Taste the Earth Day.”

Look for an exciting Earth Day event to come in April, thanks to sixth-grade science teacher Melissa Nunnink, who leads the GROW Club. Hat tip to Principal Dr. Betsy Bockman for the head’s up!