Thursday, September 28, 2023
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Deerwood Academy unveils Out Teach outdoor learning space

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

The students at Deerwood Academy were excited to explore the school’s new outdoor learning space as soon as the opening ribbon was cut.

The new Out Teach outdoor learning space includes a weather station, an outdoor whiteboard, seating for a full class and two raised vegetable beds.

The vegetable beds have already shown signs of life with sprouts of collard greens, thyme and celery already breaking through the topsoil and growing. The outdoor learning space opens up a new opportunity for students and teachers to innovate and expand their learning experiences.

“We want to express our gratitude to Atlanta Public Schools (APS) for being able to bring this opportunity to our school as we partnered with Out Teach, Royal Foods and Atlanta United to build an outdoor classroom for our students,” Deerwood Academy principal Joy Antone said. “We are excited because it definitely brings about a lot of different opportunities. Whether it’s just being able to connect and understand, or coming up with the possibilities of solving real-world problems and issues and looking at how we can use this space and the vegetables that we’re growing to help our community.”

Out Teach is a national educational non-profit organization that builds outdoor learning labs and trains teachers to use them to improve math, science and language arts instruction. They partnered with Royal Foods and Atlanta United to help bring the outdoor learning space to Deerwood Academy.

“We are really built to inspire and prepare tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and scientists. We really believe that the next generation is in our elementary schools and in Atlanta Public Schools,” Out Teach vice president of partnerships and growth Suzannah Koilpillai said. “We know that this space, moving forward, will provide an opportunity for teachers to get their kids inspired and engaged. We know that when they come out here now, there will be an experiment waiting to happen around every corner.”

Deerwood Academy is the fifth APS school to receive an Out Teach learning space within the last year. Dobbs Elementary and Finch Elementary Schools both have learning spaces, while Usher-Collier and Dunbar Elementary School have Out Teach learning labs. Miles Elementary School will be the next APS school to open an outdoor learning lab.

“It’s important for us to ensure that kids have innovative experiences not only inside, but also outside the classroom. This really helps them to focus on experiential learning, as well as learning about their community and how to give back to their community,” APS’ director of innovation and redesign Dione Simon said. “They’ll have an opportunity to not only learn science, math and literacy out here, but also learn how to grow things that can help them and community members.”

After the unveiling of the outdoor learning space, Out Teach led the students through a few educational activities to introduce them to their new outdoor classroom and learn some new facts about the vegetables they will be caring for.

“We created a garden club, and so our staff and students will be caring for those veggie beds as well as coming out to the outdoor classroom and experiencing nature and just being able to relate the world around them to what they are learning in class,” Antone said.

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I am APS: Dr. Cedrick Gilbert

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

I am APS is a special series highlighting students, faculty, alumni, and others in celebration of the rich and diverse experiences, backgrounds and contributions within the Atlanta Public Schools family. Together, we stand in solidarity of our shared admiration of APS and the mission which guides us.

Phoenix Academy assistant principal Dr. Cedrick Gilbert with his Turner High School class of ’89 yearbook photo (photo: Thomas Scott).

APS went down memory lane with a true Atlanta Public Schools lifer.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert, the assistant principal at Phoenix Academy, was raised, educated and employed by the school district that has been his home since he was a kindergarten student at Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School.

As a proud APS alumni, whose varsity letterman jacket still fits, Dr. Gilbert shared how his experiences through APS shaped his career and led him back to leading the scholars in his own community.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert
Assistant Principal at Phoenix Academy, Turner High School class of ‘89

Q: What makes you proud to be an APS alumnus?

A: What makes me extremely proud to be an APS alumnus is that I realize that I’m carrying the torch of great giants. I firmly stand on the shoulders of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Nobel Peace Prize winner, drum major for justice and a Booker T. Washington High School graduate. I stand on the shoulders of Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the first African American woman to attend the University of Georgia and a Turner High School graduate. I stand firmly on the shoulders of Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr., the first African American mayor of Atlanta and David T. Howard High School graduate… But two people that are most important to me that supersede all those great giants, I stand on the shoulders of Phyllis Sherman, my mother and a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, and my father George Richard Gilbert, who attended David T. Howard High School. I stand firmly on the shoulders of all the historic greats that have graduated from this historic school district and I’m trying to carry that torch.

Q: How has APS prepared you for life and helped you reach your goals?
A: I’ve experienced all the intangibles of life by being a student in Atlanta Public Schools. I’ve encountered success, failures, love, heartache, and heartbreak. I’ve encountered caring and loving adults who wanted the best for me. Teachers and coaches pushed me to be great and I’ve also encountered roadblocks, obstacles and challenges, all of which is a great recipe for life.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert spent senior week at Turner High School shadowing then principal Dr. Roy Hadley, and now he’s a school administrator (photo: Turner High 1989 yearbook)

Q: What made Henry McNeal Turner High School special?

A: I’m a life member and officer of the Turner High School Alumni Association. I support the annual scholarship and prayer breakfast, and the Turner High School picnic and tailgate. I constantly wear the Turner HS paraphernalia. One would say that you never experience high school unless you attended Henry McNeal Turner High School.
It was special in the fact that the faculty and staff were caring. They were nurturing. We had a leader in the form of Dr. Roy Hadley, who served as the principal during my years, and he was a phenomenal leader. He cultivated healthy relationships with students. I saw how he interacted with staff. He was not only just excellent in curriculum, instruction and pedagogy, he was a leader of men. I saw how the staff responded to him, and I saw not only the relationship he had with me but with other students. He was vested and it showed.

Q: Was your career in education inspired by your APS experience?
A: I’ve always admired Dr. Hadley because, first of all, he was a doctor. He really inspired me. Dr. Hadley was a major influence on me, and as a result I pursued education, went on to post-secondary education. I was able to earn my doctoral degree and become an administrator. I attribute that to the experience I had in the Atlanta Public Schools system, particularly my high school years under the great leadership of Dr. Roy Hadley.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert is a proud APS alumnus of Henry McNeal Turner High School (photo: Thomas Scott)

Q: Was your career in education inspired by your APS experience?
A: Do you have any memorable APS experiences?
I attended Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School, APS. I attended John F. Kennedy Middle School, APS. I attended Henry McNeal Turner High School, APS. I stayed home and attended Morris Brown College here in Atlanta. Upon graduating from college, I had the opportunity to go back to my former elementary school, Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School on Simpson Rd. to be a teacher. I was able to go back to the community that gave to me as a young child. I was able to go walk down those same halls that I did as a kindergartner. It was a remarkable experience, one that I cherish and hold near and dear to my heart. Anytime you have an opportunity to go back to your old elementary school and have a positive impact on not just students, but students whose parents you grew up with. I was a part of that community.

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APS Celebrates Minority Enterprise Development Week

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

Atlanta Public Schools ignited the spirit of young minds by kicking off Minority Enterprise Development Week (MED) with an enlightening panel discussion for students at Booker T. Washington High School.

Every year, during MED Week, APS highlights and celebrates minority and female-owned businesses, and this year’s kickoff event aimed to empower and uplift students by letting them witness successful entrepreneurs who look just like them.

“It’s very important for students to see successful minority and female-owned businesses. I want students to see successful business owners that look like them,” APS coordinator of supplier diversity Brent Bailey said. “It gives them hope and allows them to set goals for themselves. I’ve learned that a lot of students want to start their own businesses, so it’s important for me to expose students to minority and female-owned businesses that are successful.”

Booker T. Washington students heard from successful local entrepreneurs to kickoff Minority Enterprise Development Week (photo: Thomas Scott.

The “Focusing on Student Success Through Supplier Diversity” seminar gave Washington High School students the opportunity to hear directly from successful entrepreneurs from different industries.

“What we do here at Atlanta Public Schools is plan different events to celebrate MED Week, and we always try to connect students with supplier diversity.”

The panel included Daniel Gillis, president of Young Funeral Services, Aisha Miah-Gordon, photographer and owner of House of Content ATL; Carmen Johnson, owner of Swanky Spa Bus and Swanky Spa Parlor; and Letice Huff, owner of Suite One Eleven Nail Studio.

The panelists shared their journeys to entrepreneurship and provided insights into what it takes to build a business.
Johnson, a former APS teacher, turned her passion for helping kids into a successful business. She went from celebrating her students’ birthdays in the classroom to creating a business that throws spa parties for young girls.

“I wanted the students to know that everything starts with a passion,” Johnson said. “If you have a passion for something, you can actually build a business around that passion.”

Brooke Shelton, a 17-year-old senior at Washington High School, aspires to be a football coach, but still took away some valuable information from listening to the panel.

“This was amazing. We should implement this every year,” Shelton said. “Although they do different things, they were really here to explain to us that if you market yourself and believe in yourself, not matter what you do, you will prevail.”

Students were able to pick the brains of the visiting entrepreneurs about various aspects of their business. This year’s panel was specifically selected in response to student feedback.

“Today’s panel was excellent,” Bailey said. “This year, the students told me who they wanted to speak with. Students wanted to speak to a cosmetologist, someone in the funeral home business and in social media. I listened to what the students wanted, and I brought those businesses here and they were excellent.”

APS staff explore the variety of offerings from minority and female-owned businesses at the MED Week Vendor Fair. (photo: Thomas Scott)

The next day, a handful of local minority and female-owned business displayed their services at the Supplier Diversity Vendor Fair in the Center for Learning and Leadership (CLL) Board Auditorium.

As the coordinator of supplier diversity, Brent Bailey assists minority and female-owned businesses navigate doing business with the district. APS has placed an emphasis on ensuring that the vendors used by the district reflects the diversity of the students it serves.

“It’s important that we do business with the vendors that live in our community,” Bailey said. “Each of the vendors are related in some way because they provide some type of instructional services. Hopefully, in the future, the people in [CLL] will start using the services and the goods that they offer.”

MED Week continued Wednesday evening with a Local Intergovernmental “How to do Business,” seminar with representatives from the Atlanta Housing Authority, City of Atlanta, Fulton County, the State of Georgia and APS.

And finally, the celebration of MED Week concluded with the live virtual conversation with Char Ross of Proof Printing on Thursday morning.

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American Heart Association and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield gift CPR training kits to all APS high schools

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

Atlanta Public Schools was presented with new CPR and First Aid Anytime Training kits from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and the American Heart Association for all 17 high schools (11 traditional, 6 charter or partner schools) to help fulfill the CPR in Schools graduation requirement and create a new generation of lifesavers.

“This is a real skill that many people in the world need to be able to interact or react to dangerous situations or situations that someone may be in that needs some support,” Mays High School principal Ramon Garner said. “I feel really good to have students that I can send out to assist in those types of situations.”

Mays High School health and physical education teacher Natasha Harrigan led a small group of students through a brief CPR class using the tools provided in the new kit. The students were able to watch an instructional video and practice the life-saving technique on mannequins.

“It’s a great opportunity for our students to have a lifelong skillset to be able to try and save someone’s life,” Harrigan said.
Donald Addison, an 11th grade student at Mays, became a lifeguard last summer and was encouraged to know that his classmates will also have access to CPR training.

“The training helps us because if something happens at the school, there will be more people who know how to do CPR,” Addison said. “When a live situation is happening, we can help someone out while 911 is coming.”

Schools that participate in the American Heart Association’s CPR in Schools program are equipped with a CPR in Schools Kit, which includes 10 Mini Anne Plus® inflatable manikins, practice-while-watching training DVDs, AED training simulators, a Facilitator Binder that contains lesson plans, replacement face masks and other materials to help ensure a successful and educational program.

“It is so important for kids to have these skills as they get older,” APS health and physical education coordinator Myss Johnson-Jelks said. “This gives them the skills they need to save a life and gives them the skills necessary to get certain jobs, whether it’s babysitting or being a lifeguard. These skills are super important because you never know when you may need to save a life.”

The power to save lives now rests in the hands of APS scholars, and the significance of this CPR training reverberates beyond the school walls.

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Interim Superintendent Dr. Battle reconnects with APS

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

On her third day as the Interim Superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools (APS), Dr. Danielle S. Battle was on a school bus making the rounds to reconnect with APS schools.

An early morning greeting from the Douglass High School drum line and cheerleaders welcomed her and the new members of the district’s senior leadership team before touring the campus.

“We are super excited about this journey, the school year, especially with her having the foresight, knowledge and all that she beings having been a previous APS employee and now coming back,” Douglass High School principal Forrestella Taylor said.

Dr. Battle also visited the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, E. Rivers Elementary School, Sutton Middle School and Pheonix Academy on her first day of school visits.

During the tours, she introduced herself to students, engaged with them during classroom visits and even joined the Sutton Middle School students for lunch in their cafeteria.

“I’m here because this is what it’s all about,” Dr. Battle said. “I’m going to the schools to see what support they need, what’s going on and how we can impact instruction and student outcomes for our students.”

“There’s a lot of great things happening at our schools,” she added. “It’s not about being in some office. It’s about being in the schools because that’s where it’s happening.”

The four-day, 19-school tour concluded on Monday with a visit to Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy and a media roundtable session.

Dr. Battle has spent 19 years in APS as a Principal and Associate Superintendent. Now as interim superintendent, she has laid out a vision for focusing on what matters most to the district: Literacy, Resources, Transparency, Staffing and Accountability.

“This administration will be grounded in the theme ‘Leading forward with C.A.R.E.’ That stands for Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Empathy,” Dr. Battle said. “As we do the hard work and the heart work of public education, every part of our stakeholder community will hear and feel from us that we are Compassionate, Accountable, Respectful and Empathetic to them.”

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Photos: APS 5K and Character Fun Run

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

APS got active this past Saturday and more than 400 runners participated in the APS 5K and Character Fun Run at Herman J. Russell West End Academy.

The race took the runners on a short 3.1-mile loop in the West End passing through the Atlanta Beltline and returning to the school campus. The Department of Academics and Schools led the way with 33 team members registered, while Brandon Elementary was the school with the most registrants.

Therrell High School had the largest combination of runners and volunteers, and Big Brother & Big Sisters had the largest community team at the race.

Click through the slideshow for photos from the race.

Click here for the final results.

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APS takes on Level Up: Minecraft Student Build Challenge

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

Atlanta Public Schools students have been challenged to solve real issues for the real world by creating their own solutions in a virtual world.

APS has partnered with the city of Atlanta and the mayor’s office to bring the Level Up: Minecraft Student Build Challenge to Atlanta.

In this challenge, which is open to APS students in all grades, students will be charged with designing and constructing solutions to help reimagine, reconfigure and revitalize notable areas around metro Atlanta.

“Our students already know and love Minecraft. In fact, a lot of parents and caregivers probably get really upset that their students spend so much time on Minecraft,” APS director of Instructional Technology Dr. Natasha Rachell said. “There is a blank canvas of a world where they’re able to create and collaborate with their peers and build things you just couldn’t even imagine. To merge something like that within the curriculum is a win-win, no -brainer.”

Players will enter the game and be greeted by Minecraft versions of Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens and former Atlanta news anchor Monica Pearson at the virtual Hartsfield-Jackson airport.

In the challenge, players can visit and explore Centennial Park, the Stitch, the Beltline, Five Points, the Battery in Cobb County, and the Buford Dam in Gwinnett County. They will learn about the different locations, and then design solutions to address issues such as: mobile transportation, affordable housing, food insecurity and environmental sustainability. Contestants will then submit a two-minute video overview explaining the process behind their builds.

John Howard, a fifth-grade student at Fickett Elementary, has been playing Minecraft since he was in second grade. He’s already an experienced Minecraft player and has built houses and entire cities in the game just for fun.

Now, through the Minecraft Student Build Challenge, he can play a game he’s interested, learn about social issues facing his community and work on his project at home or in the classroom.

“I think it’s going to be stimulating to kids’ brains and cognitive thinking and get out their head and learn about more political issues and sustainability and climate change and stuff,” Howard said. “It feels good that I get to work at it during school and after school.”

Atlanta is one of a few cities worldwide that have been selected to participate in the Minecraft Student Build Challenge. While the primary goal of the contest is to engage students with a tool they’re already familiar with, there is a possibility that one of the student-created solutions could inspire real-world decision making.

“This generation of students was born with a cell phone and iPad in their hands. They know how to maneuver these things from the time that they’re able to push buttons,” Rachell said. “We do have a duty to meet them where they are to try to find innovative and creative ways to have them engage in this type of learning and figure out how we can take what they know and love and merge it with the content.”

“It is my hope that students learn not only about the city of Atlanta, but the problems that they face,” she added. “I hope that what students take from this is that they are just a piece in this large world that we live in. They have such a duty and responsibility to make sure that they leave this world better than they found it.”

The Minecraft Student Build Challenge began in September, and students have until November 30 to enter their submissions. Minecraft Education is different than the regular video game and contains a additional features such as a classroom mode and assessment tools. Visit the Minecraft Education page for installation support. Further instructions on how to participate in the challenge are available on the APS Level Up Atlanta website.

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APS unveils first Verizon Innovative Learning Labs in Georgia at Crawford W. Long Middle School and H.J. Russell West End Academy

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

The students at Crawford W. Long Middle School and H.J. Russell West End Academy will be the first in the state of Georgia to have access to the Verizon Innovative Learning Labs, which opened on their respective campuses last Thursday.
Verizon and The Heart of America Foundation partnered with Atlanta Public Schools to help foster digital inclusion through a transformative education initiative called Verizon Innovative Learning.

“Technology and connectivity are incredible enablers for learning, and at Verizon we are committed to digital inclusion and ensuring that students have access to emerging technology and powerful learning opportunities in the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab,” Verizon’s director of community engagement and government affairs said. “This will be an exciting learning experience that will help ignite interest in STEM and an opportunity for everyone to become lifelong learners, creators and problem solvers. We expect this lab will offer opportunities for educators to leverage and integrate emerging technology in the classroom.

What used to be a standard classroom with rows of desks and limited equipment has been completely redesigned and repurposed to introduce the students to a variety of emerging technologies.

“This was about a year and a half transformation process, and this gives our scholars the opportunity to have hands-on engagement lessons and engage with technologies that are beyond the scope of the regular classroom,” Long middle school principal Carla McCall-McCou said.

The students now have access to Ultimates 3D printers, virtual reality (VR) headsets, augmented reality (AR), Spike prime robotics, Sphero RVR dynamic robotic rovers and more in the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab.

“The purpose of this lab is to offer our students real experience with the different resources and technologies that are available,” Long middle school Verizon Innovative Learning instructor Taquoya Portee said. “The new skills, in the STEM world, will allow them to go into different fields and be better equipped and exposed to different areas.”

Long Middle School’s Verizon Innovative Learning Instructor Taquoya Portee and her students work with VR and AR on the new merge cubes in the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab. (photo: Thomas Scott)

Evan Flanigan, an eighth-grade student at Long middle school, had little interest in STEM learning until he walked into the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab at his school for the first time. When the class VR headsets put him face-to-face with a great white shark, the initial shock turned into a fun, immersive learning experience.

“Now, when I come to school and I have STEM, I’m happy to come here,” Flanigan said. “The activities are fun. The experience is fun. What we do is really intriguing and I learn a lot in the process.”

The students at H.J. Russell West End Academy were just as excited to show off their Verizon Innovative Learning Lab. School has been open less than a month and the students were already proficient in coding robots through mazes, setting up virtual reality museum tours and creating designs on their 3D printers.

Long Middle School students learning about the new Ultimates 3D printers in the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab. (photo: Thomas Scott)

Ni-khole Goulding and her brother Nikoh Goulding, eighth-grade students at H.J. Russell West End Academy, were excited to use the technology they have only had limited experience with.
“I was excited about the VR headsets because last year we were introduced to them, but we didn’t really use them much,” Nikoh said. “Seeing the whole lab and how the technology came together was pretty cool to see how much stuff we were open to.”

Having the Verizon Innovative Learning Labs in Atlanta, at APS, and on campus allows students at Crawford W. Long Middle School and H.J. Russell West End Academy to be prepared for a future with jobs and skills that have yet to be imagined.

“Because of great partners like Verizon Innovative Learning and the Heart of America Foundation, our scholars will be equipped to make a better tomorrow, to build a better tomorrow with tools that they may be touching for the very first time,” Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring said.

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North Atlanta Warriors gives APS first win of season at 2023 Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott
  • Lucas England kicks off the 2023 Georgia High School football season at the Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic. (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta’s Xaden Benson gets past the defense for a touchdown. (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta quarterback Ian Reynolds hands the ball to Demeitrus Barnes for the first touchdown of the season. (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta cheerleaders (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta cheerleaders (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta running back Demeitrus Barnes runs up the middle (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta quarterback Ian Reynolds throws a pass. (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta head football coach Jamie Aull (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta quarterback Ian Reynolds drops back to pass.(photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta running back Demeitrus Barnes fights through a tackle.(photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta running back Demeitrus Barnes rushed for three touchdowns in the season opener.(photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta band and dance team (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta band. (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta drum major(photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta band (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta cheerleaders. (photo: Thomas Scott)
  • North Atlanta drummers. (photo: Thomas Scott)

Football season is here, and the North Atlanta Warriors put on a show Wednesday afternoon in the first Georgia high school football game of the season at the 2023 Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic at Kell High School.

The 32nd annual Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic signals the beginning of the Georgia High School football season with a four-day showcase featuring 11 games.

“It’s a great opportunity for our kids, our program, our school and our community to play in front of the whole state kicking the season off,” North Atlanta head football coach Jamie Aull said. “Our group has been working just as hard if not harder this year than we did last off season, so we’re just trying to exceed the bar like we did last year.”

North Atlanta receiver Grant Thompson catches a long pass from Ian Reynolds and scores on the play. (photo: Thomas Scott)

The Warriors, which had their best season in school history in 2022 finishing 8-4, took a big step towards exceeding expectations after defeating Johns Creek 58-14 for its first win of the season.

“That was one of the first goals; to win the opener,” Aull said. “Winning that first game sets the tone for the rest of the year and it was great to see our kids come out, start fast and compete their tails off.”

North Atlanta senior running back Demeitrus Barnes scored the first touchdown of the year on a run up the middle just a few plays after the Warriors defense recovered a forced fumble.

“I think we did great,” Barnes said. “Everybody was locked in.”

The North Atlanta band and dance team. (photo: Thomas Scott)

It was the first of three total touchdowns for Barnes, and North Atlanta filled up the scoreboard in all three phases of the game.

Junior quarterback Ian Reynolds finished the game with both a passing and rushing touchdown while also converting a 2-point conversion.

Senior defensive back Darius Malcolm ran back two kickoffs for touchdowns, senior Xaden Benson had a rushing touchdown and Grant Thompson was on the receiving end of Reynolds passing touchdown.

The defense recovered a forced fumble and was credited with a safety after a bad snap sailed past the punter and out the back of the endzone.

North Atlanta head football coach Jamie Aull leads the team to shake hands after the victory. (photo: Thomas Scott)

North Atlanta was the only APS school featured in this year’s Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic, but they represented the district well getting the first win of the season. More APS schools are slated to have their first games starting Friday and another exciting year of Georgia high school football will be fully underway.

“As far as APS goes, we’ve got a lot of good football programs in our district. I look down at what coach Darren Miles does at Carver, and just admire the way he does things and the way he’s established his program as a perennial state contender,” Aull said. “Mays is doing great things. South Atlanta has had a ton of success the last couple years. We play good football in the city too. There’s always a lot of focus on Gwinnett and South Georgia but we play good football in APS as well.”

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Welcome Back APS!

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

There is nothing like the first day of school in Atlanta Public Schools.

All around the district, teachers, staff and administrators excitedly welcomed all scholars back to school for Day One.

After a summer of preparation, professional development, and some time off in-between, each APS school was ready to receive their students for another school year.

Several schools even received visits from board members and associate superintendents who were eager to greet students and observe the excitement of the first week of school.

The elementary students at West Manor Elementary School were greeted at the front doors with music and smiling staff members ready to welcome them into the building. A Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategy that helps West Manor educators identify any potential issues before class.

West Manor Principal Dr. Reginald Lawrence was especially happy to see his returning students escort their younger siblings to their classrooms.

“This time of the year is always exciting for me. I love to see the kids when they come back. I love to see the excitement on their face,” he said.

The halls of North Atlanta High School were buzzing throughout the day as students reunited with classmates as they navigated through the school to find their classrooms.

“We’re just happy that Day One is here and look forward to a great day,” North Atlanta Principal Curtis Douglass said. “We want to continue what we’ve started throughout the years; academic excellence, students getting into the college of their choices, learning about the careers they want to get into, and just being successful as they matriculate through North Atlanta.”

The start of a new school year is promising and the eagerness to get started was evident throughout the district. APS is eagerly anticipating a year filled with exponential growth, building up the momentum of the progress made last year.

“We’re focused on making sure our students are learning in a loving environment,” Harper-Archer Elementary School Principal Dr. Crystal January said. “Ultimately, we want them to achieve so they’re ready to have all those post-graduate opportunities and be ready for middle school, high school and be a better part of our community.”

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