Crabapple Middle School Band Performs at Legacy Awards Crabapple MS band was invited to perform at this years Fulton County Legacy of Excellence Awards. The Crabapple Middle School Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Gus Melton, performed before 1300 guests at the World Congress Center.
Literacy Week Brings Authors to North Fulton Students from Sweet Apple Elementary, Hembree Springs Elementary as well as 41 other schools across metro Atlanta recently received visits from eleven award-winning childrens book authors during Literacy Week, a weeklong celebration of reading and writing hosted by Cobb EMC and Gas South. Throughout the week, authors challenged 24,000 students to expand their creativity through writing and illustration and to build life-long reading habits. Guest authors included several Georgia writers, as well as NASA author, speaker and space historian Andrew Chaiken and New York Times bestselling author Brian Lies.
Milton Teen Honored for Her Work with Seniors While many teens are focused on writing language arts essays, Milton resident Anuhya Tadepalli and her childhood friend Poojita Chinmay were focused on a writing a strategic plan for a new nonprofit, Chess for a Cause. That nonprofit would ultimately serve as many as 100 seniors across the metro-Atlanta area, and the number served continues to grow.Inspired while volunteering one summer at a local memory care facility, these young students, Anuhya a senior at Milton High School and Poojita a junior at Gwinnett Countys School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, set out to create Chess for a Cause. Both students immersed themselves in researching age-related dementia and learning how chess might be used to reverse the effects of dementia in adults.Chess allows the exercise of both the left and right hemispheres, said Anuhya. We learned that it helps with the growth of dendrites, which are extensions of brain neurons, and these neurons help improve the overall performance of the brain.Since launching the nonprofit in 2016, Chess for a Cause has been featured in Georgia Chess News, received an award from the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services as part of a statewide completion to recognize innovative ways to support and engage adults who are older or have disabilities, and most recently, Anuhya was personally recognized by her hometown, the city of Milton, with a proclamation honoring her work with Milton senior citizens.Anuhyas initiative and her dedication are an inspiration to all of us, said Miltons Mayor Joe Lockwood. Her work with seniors not only has medical and physical benefits, but the social and psychological benefits of those interactions with seniors are undeniable.Chess for a Cause currently serves fourteen senior facilities across several cities including Milton, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, Sandy Springs and Suwanee. Volunteers visit senior care, memory care, and assisted living facilities, introducing residents to the game of chess.To learn more about how to volunteer or how your senior facility can receive services, visit ChessForACause.com. As the need for services continues to grow, the nonprofit is currently collecting lightly used or new chess sets, as well as $10-dollar cash donations toward the purchase of additional chess sets.
Northview Teacher Gets Back to School and Back in Shape All it took was one look at the photo of herself holding her Teacher of the Year Award to convince 37-year-old Jordan Kohanim she needed to make a change. Exhausted from working two jobs as a teacher and debate coach at Northview High School, most nights, Jordan would find herself crashing on the couch buzzing with stress. Mortified with how unhealthy she looked, Jordan turned to her father for advice. Jordans father told her about the fifteen-minute rule: Go to the gym, and work out for fifteen minutes. If you still feel like not working out, go home. Youre not allowed to beat yourself up about it. You tried; you werent feeling it; try again tomorrow. So, Jordan tried out the fifteen-minute rule. Soon, her workouts went from once or twice a week to five days a week. Nowadays, Jordan works out six days a week, greeting her workout buddies, who she affectionately calls the Dawn Patrol, as the doors open at Onelife Fitness every morning. Eighteen months later, thanks to her newfound love of fitness, Jordan got her life back, lost 65 pounds, and now has more energy and time for her students and loved ones.
Fashion Speaks on the Creek Featured Models with Special Needs The 2nd Annual Fashion Speaks on the Creek special needs fashion show, presented by Jonny and Xenas Spread the Words Foundation and the Johns Creek Civitan Club, was recently held at Johns Creek High School. Male and female models with special needs walked the runway with members of the Johns Creek Police Department. The events Star Wars theme, The Force Awakens, paired the exceptional with Johns Creeks Finest and Star Wars heroes and villains.In addition to the fashion show, there was a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction. Local television news anchor, Karyn Greer, served as the events emcee. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness and funding for the special needs community. The Jonny and Xenas Spread the Words Foundation is a 501 (c)3 non-profit benefiting animal rescue and autism awareness. The president of the Foundation, Linda Hickey, and Xena, her rescue dog, meet with civic organizations within the community to further educate, spread autism awareness, and lend support to local families. For more information about the Jonny and Xenas Spread the Words Foundation, visit Facebook.com/xenaandjonny, or call 770-851-1266.
Fulton County School System Names Top Employees of 2017 Allison Kerley of Barnwell Elementary School was announced as Fulton County Schools Teacher of the Year while Dr. Ritu Ahuja of Northwood Elementary School was announced as the districts Principal of the Year. Rebecca Myers of Holcomb Bridge Middle School is the School Professional of the Year, and Yolander Heard of the Administrative Center is the Support Professional of the Year.Special recognition banners and other gifts of appreciation were presented to the honorees by their principal or supervisor. Superintendent Jeff Rose, Deputy Superintendent of Academics Rob Anderson, school board members Julia Bernath and Katha Stuart joined in for the surprise as well as family members and other special guests. The announcements were the result of the school systems efforts to recognize exceptional employees who contribute to the success and mission of the school system. Each year, every school and administrative support building is invited to nominate outstanding employees based on teacher, staff and parent input. These employees are then evaluated a second time through an application/essay review and interview, and one finalist is announced from each of Fultons geographic Learning Communities central, northeast, northwest and south. The Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year nominees also undergo a school visit to demonstrate their leadership and classroom skills.
Many Fulton County Schools Serving Meals During the Summer The Summer Food Service Program ensures children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. During June, Fulton County Schools served over 3,000 meals a day at over forty approved sites across the county as part of its annual Summer Feeding Program. Any child under age eighteen is eligible to come and eat a summer meal. The program is part of the U.S. Department of Agricultures efforts to curb child hunger. Each summer, the USDA partners with local organizations like Fulton County Schools to provide free meals to children when school is out for the summer. In 2016, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provided meals to 2.8 million children each day at 47,981 sites during the programs peak month of July.The Fulton County School Nutrition Program recognizes the important role school meals play in combating childhood hunger, said Alyssia Wright, executive director of the districts School Nutrition Program. For many families, schools are the one place their children can get a nutritious meal. Our summer feeding program allows communities to continue feeding children when school is not in session. In addition to serving summer meals at school locations, the Fulton County School Nutrition Program has also partnered with Action Ministries to help deliver and serve summer meals to eight additional community locations. To locate summer feeding sites in your neighborhood, please visit FNS.USDA.gov/summerfoodrocks. A listing for Fulton County School Nutrition Summer Feeding locations and serving times is also available at www.FCSNutrition.com.
Pittsburgh Steelers Josh Dobbs Visits Creek View ESs Career Week Josh Dobbs, former Creek View ES and Alpharetta HS student, visited students during Creek View Elementary Schools career week to talk about his journey as a collegiate athlete and newly drafted professional football player. Dobbs, who played high school football at Alpharetta High School, attended the University of Tennessee. He majored in aerospace engineering and played quarterback for the UT Volunteers from 2013 2016. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round, 135th overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft.
1st Annual Bat Festival The kindergarten grade level at New Prospect Elementary School recently hosted its 1st Annual Kindergarten Bat Festival. The students have been focusing on an in-depth research project regarding the endangered Georgia Grey Bat. The students wanted to do whatever they could to help this endangered animal, so they put lots of effort, planning and creativity into developing a plan. They created carnival-style, bat-themed games, which were played by the New Prospect school community members for voluntary donations to raise money for their Georgia Bat Conservation groups. In addition, the students built and painted twenty bat houses (with donations of wood from Lowes, which were pre-cut and drilled by the woodshop students at Gwinnett Technical College). Eight of the bat houses were auctioned to raise money, and some of the remaining bat houses will be donated to local nature centers and the National Park in Alpharetta. Each of the four classes intends to keep one bat house, which will be mounted on the school campus, so students will be able to observe the bats going and coming for years to come.
Alpharetta HS Student Completes Eagle Scout Project Chris Natale, who currently attends Alpharetta High School, did his final Eagle Scout service project on the grounds of his former Creek View Elementary School. He drew and painted a map of the United States on the schools play pad to use as an interactive resource for teachers and students. In addition to the map, Chris created a packet of activities for teachers to use for instructional purposes. The administration and staff appreciate the many hours that Chris put into this project. The teachers and students enjoy exploring the map and making discoveries.