Meria J.Carstarphen, Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools.
Cool Girls Inc. will honor Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen as its Cool Woman of the Year at the “Cool Girls become Cool Women” Hot Pink Party, 7p.m., Saturday, April 23, 2016. The annual event celebrates 27 years of service to more than 6,000 girls in the Atlanta community at the Lowes Atlanta Hotel, 1065 Peachtree St., NE Atlanta 30303.
“To be seen as a role model for our beautiful young women of Atlanta is one of the highest honors I can imagine, and it’s an honor I take seriously and strive to earn every single day,” Superintendent Carstarphen said. “And I think it’s cool to do everything we can to help our girls to rise up and break free of whatever social, educational or economic barriers they have to become the Cool Women of their Generation.”
Cool Girls provides after-school programming for more than 400 girls at nine Title I schools in Atlanta, Fulton County and DeKalb County schools. The organization currently serves students at APS’ Hope Hill and Parkside elementary schools and has worked with students at Eastlake and Whitefoord elementary schools and Coan and King middle schools in the past.
Other honorees this Saturday include Cool Volunteer of the Year, Terra Washington and Cool Girl of the Year, Linda Lowe at the fundraising event that supports Cool Girls Inc.’s after-school clubs, mentoring, field trips and college preparatory programs that are offered free of charge to girls in need.
Carstarphen joins a distinguished group of past honorees that include Brooke Baldwin, Kathy Betty, Johnetta B. Cole, Barbarella Diaz, Shirley Franklin, CeCe Winans, Antoinette Tuff and Alfre Woodard.
