West Manor Elementary fifth-grader becomes a woman of letters

Sydney Ragland, a fifth-grader from West Manor Elementary, fulfilled her goal by being one of the first to win both her school and district spelling bee. Ragland has participated in spelling bees since she was in the third grade, yet wasn’t able to pull out a victory — until now. (Check out the AJC article here.)

All of those years of defeat made Ragland more determined to win her fifth grade spelling bee. She decided that her study process had to intensify to enable her to defeat her school competition. Ragland’s hard work paid off by beating her school and district competition.

“It felt great [to win the competition]. I was so astonished and I couldn’t move,” said Ragland. “I was very excited for myself and school and teachers.”

Ragland is now preparing for the regional spelling bee on Feb. 26. Her study routine includes studying a list of words provided to her; she studies 150 words a night. Her friends and mother help her study and go over the spelling bee words assuring her that she has memorized them to the best of her ability.

R.E.A.L. Men Read volunteers break out their first book

UPDATE: Check out the photo gallery here. Check out D.H. Stanton Elementary report here.

More than 200 men fanned out across Atlanta this morning to participate in the inaugural reading day of the R.E.A.L. Men Read initiative. This six-month program is part of Atlanta Public Schools’ overall effort to foster the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by the time students complete third grade. Studies show that knowing how to read early in a child’s education is an important element in their continued educational development. (Check out previous coverage here.)

West Manor Elementary celebrates students’ academic success

West Manor Elementary held its second annual “Exceeds Luncheon” Wednesday for students who excelled on the 2010 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). To qualify for attending the luncheon at Benihana Restaurant in Buckhead, students in first and second grade had to score in the “exceeds” category in all three areas measured. Students in third through fifth grade had to score in the “exceeds” category in three areas tested, including math or reading.

A total of 113 students qualified to attend the luncheon, which was sponsored by a local business. Eighty-five students attended the event.

“We are so proud of our students,” said Principal Cheryl Twyman. “Some students remarked that they had never been to a restaurant like Benihana.”

West Manor P.E. teacher named a Symetra ‘Hero In the Classroom’

West Manor Elementary physical education teacher and Coach Constance Riley was named a Symetra “Hero in the Classroom” by the Atlanta Falcons and SunTrust Bank during a school wide assembly in the gym Tuesday.

(Check out the photo gallery here.)

Symetra Heroes in the Classroom, presented by SunTrust Bank, is a community program that recognizes 16 Georgia teachers for outstanding leadership and instructional skills during the Falcons season. Coach Riley was the first in the state of Georgia to be presented with this honor.  

Lee Epps of SunTrust Bank, Peyton Gallagher of the Falcons and Jennifer Whitman of Symetra Financial, along with mascot Freddie Falcon and two Falcons cheerleaders presented Coach Riley with a $1,000 donation for West Manor, a $250 gift card from OfficeMax for school supplies, a $100 gift card from SunTrust Bank, a “Heroes” award certificate, and two tickets to the Falcons home opener Sept. 19 against the Arizona Cardinals. She also received a jersey autographed by Falcons running back Michael Turner. In addition, Coach Riley is invited to participate in the pre-game VIP sideline experience for a special on-field presentation and video board recognition in her honor.

West Manor Elementary students receive practical lessons in etiquette courtesy of Sodexo-Jackmont

West Manor third grader D’Anthony Garrett poses with Sodexo-Jackmont’s Executive Chef Desmond Fannin after receiving his etiquette class certificate of completion

Twenty West Manor Elementary students enjoyed a fine-dining experience in the West Manor Café last week following a one-hour etiquette class on Jan. 19 sponsored by Sodexo-Jackmont. Sodexo-Jackmont’s Chef Praylani conducted the class earlier in the week in preparation for the meal. Third- and fourth-graders shared a four-course meal complete with salad, soup, entrée, and dessert, prepared by Chef Praylani and his staff. They also spoke with Sodexo-Jackmont Executive Chef Desmond Fannin about his career as a chef. Each student received a certificate for completion of the etiquette course at the luncheon.

“Most of the students enjoyed their soup bowls and plated dishes, but their favorite item was the warm buttered bread served with the meal,” said West Manor Elementary Principal Cheryl Twyman.

Lots of great APS visuals, courtesy of Scott C. King

Our media marvel Scott C. King just uploaded lots of cool photos of APS-releated events over the past week on our district Web site, showcasing everyone from little students to big-time principals. First up is some awesome middle school football action at Lakewood Stadium. Then there’s the new principals luncheon at the CLL auditorium. (Nice use of black-and-white!) And then there’s the Coretta Scott King Book Fair over at West Manor Elementary (pictured above) in which Scott also ran into a few sets of twins. (Oh, and how cool is it that Principal Cheryl Twyman is herself a West Manor alum?!)