Twenty-Eight APS Scholar Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent

ATLANTA – Twenty-eight scholar athletes from Atlanta Public Schools (APS) signed with colleges and universities throughout the country to receive athletic scholarships in football, baseball, volleyball, basketball, soccer and cheerleading during National Signing Day program held at Mays High School.

Led by the district’s department of athletics program manager for high schools Jasper Jewell, the ceremony featured APS seniors along with their coaches, family, friends and teammates announcing where they will be attending school this fall. Several district officials were in attendance including APS Deputy Superintendent/Chief of Staff Steven A. Smith and Atlanta Board of Education member LaChandra Butler Burks. The 2012 APS National Signing Day scholar athletes are:

New Schools at Carver—Coach Darren Myles
Ari Black	Stillman College	Football Scholarship
DeAndre Hayes	Stillman College	Football Scholarship
Amir Mills	Stillman College	Football Scholarship
Tyler Newton	Stillman College	Football Scholarship
Henry W. Grady High School—Coach Ronnie Millen/Coach Mark Davidson
Aaron Cooper	Lincoln University	Football Scholarship
Dorian Green	Morehouse College	Football Scholarship
Kieno Jones	University of Richmond	Football Scholarship
Quintavious Knight	Georgia Military College	Football Scholarship
John Law	Appalachian State University	Football Scholarship
Mendez Elder	Savannah State University	Baseball Scholarship
Maynard Jackson High School –Coach Eric Williams/Coach Felecia Belcher
Stantavius Brown	Stillman College	Football Scholarship
Quinton Bryant	Tabor College	Football Scholarship
De’Montiez Foster	Post University	Football Scholarship
Ashley Hightower	Bethune-Cookman College	Cheerleading
Trayanna Jackson	University of Alabama	Cheerleading
Markecia Jacobs	Columbus State University	Cheerleading
Benjamin E. Mays High School—Coach Dominic Calloway
Mariah Dean	Tennessee Tech University	Basketball Scholarship
Elmer Moreno	Syracuse University	Posse Scholarship-Soccer
Dominic Stegall	Bard College	Posse Scholarship-Baseball
John T. Blasingame	Rice University	Football Scholarship
Jonathan Williams	Wake Forest University	Football Scholarship

North Atlanta High School—Coach Stanley Pritchett
Leo Jackson III	Tusculum/Shorter College	Football Scholarship
Marcus Lee	Lincoln University	Football Scholarship
Justin Taylor	University of Kentucky	Football Scholarship
Donald Phillips	Tusculum College	Football Scholarship
Booker T. Washington High School –Coach Rodney Hackney
Maya Knight	Bard College	Posse Scholarship-Volleyball
Brandon Richardson	Bard College	Posse Scholarship-Football
Darius Williams	Dean College	Football Scholarship

Several of the coaches acknowledged their athletes’ grade point averages during the program. Booker T. Washington High School’s Brandon Richardson, who received a football scholarship from the Posse Foundation to attend Bard College, has a 4.0 grade point average. Dominic Stegall from Mays High School, who also plans to attend Bard College to play baseball, has a 3.7 GPA. And Mays’ John T. Blasingame, who signed with Rice University to play football, has a 3.5 GPA.

North Atlanta High School’s Justin Taylor, who previously committed to attend University of Alabama, announced his decision to go with the University of Kentucky on a football scholarship. Taylor’s coach and legal guardian Stanley Pritchett supported his decision the two sported University of Kentucky hats after his remarks.

APS’ Athletic Director Jeff Beggs closed the program with words of encouragement to the future collegiate scholars. “This is not the end, only the beginning,” said Beggs. “This experience will make you a better young man or woman. But the bottom line is get that degree. Major in something that you love – something that you have a passion for.”