Local Students Win Space Camp Scholarships Peyton Dress, a Hickory Flat Elementary School fourth-grader, and Claudia Evans, a Dean Rusk Middle School eighth-grader, have won full scholarships to NASA Space Camp. The students are eligible to attend one Space Camp Aviation Challenge or Robotics six-day camp program during the next year at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. The scholarship covers tuition, room and board. Peyton is in the Chess Club, Drawing Club, Science Olympiad Team and Duke TIP Program at Hickory Flat Elementary School. He is very interested in robotics and plans to participate in Space Camp's Robotics program. Claudia is on the school News Team, Chess Club, Beta Club, Art Club, Jr. Optimist Club and the Academic Bowl Competition Team. She also plays basketball for the Cherokee Youth Basketball Sequoyah Chiefs, which had an undefeated season this school year.
Reinhardt University Launches Writing Institute Reinhardt University will host the inaugural Etowah Valley Young Writers Institute this summer at its Waleska campus. The Young Writers Institute will expose rising 10-12th graders to popular disciplines in creative writing. Held over two week-long sessions, June 16-20 and June 23-27, the Youth Writers Institute will feature four unique workshop-style courses, including personal narrative, poetry, and screen-writing, taught by Reinhardt faculty. Each week will culminate on Friday night with a reading for parents and an award for the week's top writers. An anthology of all students' work will be created and available in e-book or print form.
Sequoyah DECA Students Advance to International Competition Sequoyah High School DECA members recently qualified at the state competition to advance to the International Career Development Conference competitions May 3-6 in Atlanta. DECA's industry-validated competitive events are aligned with national curriculum standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, and hospitality and tourism. Students have the opportunity to compete in several types of competitions, including written events, interviews, role-plays, case studies, and individual and team presentations. Sydney Anderson placed first at state and third at regionals; Sydney Neubert placed first at regionals; and Slade Searcey placed fourth at regionals.
Cherokee Students Win Writing Awards Eight Cherokee High School students placed or received honorable mention in the Booth Western Art Museum's "Writing through Art" literary competition. Teachers Susan Buice and Justin Jones encouraged students to enter the museum's contest, which uses works in the collection as inspiration for creative writing. Winners for the essay competition are: Ashley Holton, second place; Jose Hernandez, third place; and Barbara Valeria Ortega, Alyssa Deaton and MacKenzie Rogers, honorable mention. Winners for the short story competition are: Savanna Morrison, first place; Ansley Key, second place; and Rachel Wilson, honorable mention. In addition, senior Rachel Nipp was chosen as a Silver Key winner in the Scholastic Writing Competition. Her personal essay, "Who Am I to Judge?" was showcased recently at SCAD Atlanta.
CHS Student Wins Music Contest Creekview High School senior and band student Jacob Morgan recently won a music composition contest sponsored by the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA). Jacob had composed a multi-movement work for brass ensemble, which he also submitted to GMEA for consideration. Jacobs composition, The Immigrant, was among 13 works selected by GMEA. Composers of the 13 winning pieces performed their selections recently at the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference as a part of a recital session. Upon graduation, Jacob plans to major in music education and music composition in college.
FMS Students Donate Jeans Freedom Middle Schools Junior Beta Club recently sponsored its first Teens for Jeans, Make a Difference clothing drive. The students collected more than 220 pairs of gently worn, good condition jeans, which were donated to the DoSomething.org nonprofit organization to help homeless teenagers.
CHS Principal Named Georgia High School Principal of the Year Cherokee High School (CHS) Principal Debra Murdock has been named Georgia High School Principal of the Year, which is presented by the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals (GASSP). She is the first principal in the Cherokee County School District (CCSD) to earn the prestigious title. The award recognizes principals who provide high-quality learning opportunities for students and are acknowledged by their peers for making exemplary contributions to the profession. Nominees are judged on selection criteria that include: personal excellence; collaborative leadership; curriculum, instruction and assessment; and personalization. The selection process includes essays and supporting data, as well as interviews with school leaders from across the state. Murdock, a graduate of CHS, is in her 21st year in public education and fourth year as principal of CHS. Im most proud to have come back and to lead Cherokee High School and some of the most exceptional students Ive ever known, she said, thanking her family, her school and CCSD Superintendent Frank Petruzielo. I stand here, thanks to him. Murdock will be recognized formally at the GASSPs fall conference in Savannah, where she will be presented with a Principal of the Year ring, plaque and a financial award for the school. This spring and summer, she will begin the interview process to compete for the title of National Principal of the Year at the National Principal of the Year program in Washington, D.C.
CCA Project Promotes Kindness Against Girl Bullying Families at Cherokee Charter Academy (CCA) in Canton had a special opportunity to learn more about the problem of girl bullying through on-campus screenings of the award-winning film, Finding Kind. The documentary, produced by Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson, serves as a conversation with women and girls across the country. CCA sixth-graders used the movie as the springboard for a day dedicated to anti-bullying discussions, team-building activities and encouraging kindness. Middle school students also created and shared hearts to encourage kindness and respect through their Have Some HeART project. Kara Reeder, who teaches sixth-grade science, said, Im hoping our Kindness Day will be the beginning of a Kind Movement at CCA.