Students at Deerwood Academy marched around their campus recently to bring awareness to poverty during the school’s third annual iCare Walk initiative, which they dubbed the “March Against Poverty.”
Even before the holiday season started, students at Deerwood Academy already had the spirit of giving.
Last month they took to the streets – or at least the driveways and walkways around the school campus – to raise awareness to the plight of the less fortunate among them in the community. For the third consecutive year, Deerwood Academy students staged their iCare Walk, an initiative designed to bring attention to a community issue of concern, and then raise money to combat the issue.
In the two previous years, the themes were breast cancer awareness and bullying. This year, students targeted poverty as the theme after being inspired by the story of Terrence and Cecilia Lester, whose “Love Beyond Walls” organization works to mobilize communities to move past the walls that divide people through creative community service projects.
Earlier this fall, Terence Lester spent two months walking 650 miles from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for poverty, which inspired the students at Deerwood Academy to hold their “March Against Poverty.” Nearly all of the 744 students participated, collecting pledges from donors based on the number of steps they took. Students will host several more fundraising events throughout the remainder of the school year. All proceeds will be combined and given to “Love Beyond Walls.”
Fifth graders Ella Loyo and Layla McReynolds were two of the event’s main organizers.
“I was with my dad one day and we saw two women and both of them had two little kids and they were just walking around in the road,” Layla said. “People like that need help and we thought this was a good way to do that.”
Ella agreed. “There are too many people with children who are struggling,” she said. “They are not able to take care of themselves and so we want to be able to help them.”
Students and parents at Deerwood Academy and several other Atlanta Public Schools ate lunch together on Thursday for Family Engagement Day.
Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, but students and parents throughout the Atlanta Public School system already have eaten a Thanksgiving meal together.
Scores of schools in the district – including Deerwood Academy, F.L. Stanton Elementary, Fain Elementary and Sylvan Hills Middle – celebrated National Family Engagement Day last week, with a Thanksgiving-style lunch for students and their parents, grandparents and siblings.
Cafeteria staffs prepared turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, collard greens, green beans, macaroni and cheese, dinner rolls and sweet tea.
One school, Deerwood Academy, had to call in an extra cafeteria worker to help speed hungry students and parents through the line.
“We always have a really good turnout,” said Deerwood school counselor Aleah Brown.
Mays has advanced to the third round of the state playoffs, thanks in large part to junior kicker Chloe Robinson. She successfully converted four of five extra point attempts (one was blocked) in the Raiders’ 35-22 victory over Lee County last week.
FOOTBALL
Mays advanced to the third round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Football Playoffs on Friday evening.
The Raiders (11-1), the No. 1 seed from Class AAAAAA-Region 5, rallied from a 22-8 deficit to defeat Lee County (9-3), 35-22. Mays shut out the Trojans in the second half, while the Raiders responded with two touchdown passes from quarterback B.J. Phillips, one each to Amir Abdul-Rahman and Jamarcus McCoy, a touchdown run by Phillips and an interception return for a touchdown by Ferlando Jordan. Junior place kicker Chloe Robinson was successful on four of her five extra point kick attempts (one was blocked). The Raiders will host Tucker (11-1), the No. 1 seed from Region 4, Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Lakewood Stadium.
Douglass was eliminated from the playoffs, 28-20, by Screven County, the Class AA-Region 4 champions. The Astros fought hard and threatened to score in the game’s final seconds, but their drive was snuffed out by the Gamecock defense. Douglass finished the season 8-4 as head coach Rodney Cofield has brought the winning tradition back to the Astro program.
Grady was eliminated from the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion, 24-21, by Woodland-Stockbridge of Henry County when the Wolfpack kicked the game-winning field goal with just three seconds left in the game. The Grey Knights were led by senior quarterback Caylin Newton, who ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Jacquez Sloan, and Jeffrey Black ran for a touchdown as well. Grady finished the season 10-2 and won the region championship for the first time since 2010.
BASKETBALL
Two Atlanta Public Schools teams cracked the first Atlanta Journal Constitution top 10 poll of the season, released on
Mays has advanced to the third round of the state playoffs, thanks in large part to junior kicker Chloe Robinson. She successfully converted four of five extra point attempts (one was blocked) in the Raiders’ 35-22 victory over Lee County last week.
Sunday.
The South Atlanta boys team debuts at No. 2 in the Class AA rankings. The Hornets won their first game of the season last week, 94-56, over Drew of Clayton County. Last season, South Atlanta finished 25-7 and advanced to the state finals.
Mays’ girls are No. 3 in the Class AAAAA rankings. The Lady Raiders will open the season Friday at the Tennessee Turkey Jam in Germantown, TN. They finished last season with a record of 22-8 and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
Douglass advanced to this weekend’s second round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Football Playoffs.
FOOTBALL
Douglass, Grady and Mays will play in the second round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Football Playoffs on Friday evening.
Douglass (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Class AA-Region 6, will travel to south Georgia to face Screven County (10-1), the No. 1 seed from Region 4, Friday, 7:30 p.m., at Kelly Memorial Stadium in Sylvania. Douglass advanced to the second round of the playoffs by way of a 28-7 win over Elbert County last week. It was the first win in the playoffs for the Astros since 2007. Douglass has not advanced past the second round since 2004.
Grady will host Woodland-Stockbridge in the second round of the state playoffs.
Grady (10-1), the No. 1 seed from Class AAAAA-Region 6, will host Woodland-Stockbridge (9-2) of Henry County, 7:30 p.m., Friday at Grady Stadium. Grady won its first-round playoff game last week, 42-8, over Walnut Grove of Walton County. The Grey Knights have advanced to the second round for the second year in a row. The last time Grady won a second round playoff game was in 2010.
Mays has advanced to the second round of the playoffs for four consecutive years.
Mays (10-1), the No. 1 seed from Class AAAAAA-Region 5, will host Lee County (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Friday at Lakewood Stadium. Mays defeated Cambridge of north Fulton County, 42-14, in last week’s first round. This is the fourth consecutive year the Raiders have advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. They last won a second round game in 2014, the same season they advanced to the state title game.
Douglass picked up its first playoff win since 2007 over the weekend, while Mays and Grady also advanced to this weekend’s second round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Football Playoffs.
FOOTBALL
Three Atlanta Public Schools teams advanced to the second round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Football Playoffs, with wins over the weekend.
Douglass (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Class AA-Region 6, dominated Elbert County (7-4), 28-7, Saturday at Lakewood Stadium. It was the first win in the playoffs for the Astros since a 35-21 win over Mundy’s Mill (Clayton County) in 2007.
Grady (10-1), the Class AAAAA-Region 6 champions, pounded Walnut Grove (4-7) of Walton County, 42-8, Friday at Grady Stadium. The Grey Knights, the top-seeded team from Region 6, have won eight consecutive games and are in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Mays (10-1), the Class AAAAAA-Region 5 champions, blasted Cambridge (6-5) of north Fulton County, 42-14, Friday at Lakewood Stadium. The Raiders, the No. 1 seeded team from Region 5, are in the second round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Head coach Maliki Battle was named “Coach of the Week” by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta.
B.E.S.T. Academy (2-9), the No. 4 seed from Class AA-Region 6, was eliminated from the playoffs by Region 8 champion Rabun County, 55-20, Friday at Frank Snyder Stadium in Tiger, Ga.
Carver (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Class AAAAA-Region 6, lost a close game to Clarke Central (7-4) of Athens-Clarke County, 35-32, Saturday at Lakewood Stadium. The Panthers have been in the state playoffs for the past five years in a row.
CHEERLEADING
Mays advanced to the finals of the state cheerleading championships, and placed ninth out of 53 teams.
Mays became the first APS squad to advance to the finals of the GHSA State Cheerleading Championships this weekend in Columbus at the Columbus Civic Center. The Raiders competed in the first round on Friday and advanced to Saturday’s finals, where they finished ninth out of 53 teams.
The 2016-2017 class of JROTC Superintendent’s Young Ambassadors was honored this week with a breakfast reception in the offices of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLC in Atlantic Station.
Atlanta Public Schools honored students who are among its best and brightest leaders this week, as a new class of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Superintendent’s Young Ambassadors was announced during a breakfast at the offices of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLC in Atlantic Station.
Atlanta Public Schools began the JROTC Superintendent’s Young Ambassadors program three years ago to recognize the best citizens from every APS school with a JROTC program. JROTC Superintendent’s Young Ambassadors are chosen by a variety of factors and must pass a rigorous interview board composed of college, military, and professional panel members.
As part of their duties, they help plan the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Atlanta — where more than 300 cadets participate – as well as parts of JROTC Summer Camp, and more than 200 participated in last year’s APS Special Olympics.
This year’s ambassadors are:
Melina Alferoff Carver High School
Chrisshara D. Barnes Therrell High School
Yatzari Bartolon Douglass High School
Jesus Bibiano-Hernandez North Atlanta High School
Ketarra L. Billingsley Douglass High School
Zachary Bracknell North Atlanta High School
Samaria R. Campbell Grady High School
Nykera Dixon South Atlanta High School
Ruben Duarte North Atlanta High School
Erin D. Golden Therrell High School
Eric Hollis Washington High School
Victoria A. Hood Coretta Scott King High School
Enrico Jones Maynard Jackson High School
Shandrea Lockhart Therrell High School
Cenia Lopez-Gutierrez Mays High School
Jasmine May Mays High School
Luke A. Pengelly Grady High School
Eric Ponder South Atlanta High School
DeSean D. Portis BEST High School
Jameshia Stafford Washington High School
Sade S. Suggs Coretta Scott King High School
Adrian Terrell Carver High School
Jasmain Tinsley Carver High School
Joshua M. Torrance BEST High School
Tashe Troutman Maynard Jackson High School
Zyon Watkins Maynard Jackson High School
Kayla Williams Mays High School
Grady (left) and Carver will battle for first place in their region, Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) at Lakewood Stadium.
There is a variety of sports action to choose from this weekend, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, involving Atlanta Public Schools.
FOOTBALL
Grady and Carver will face off on Saturday, 3 p.m., at Grady Stadium, in a game that will more than likely determine the Class AAAAA-Region 6 champion. Both teams are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in region play. Carver won last year’s meeting, 24-7. Grady is ranked No. 8 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution/Georgia High School Football Daily Class AAAAA Top 10 poll.
All 11 APS high schools with football teams will be in action this weekend. Here’s the rundown (all games on Friday, unless otherwise noted):
Mays (3-1, 2-0 in Class AAAAAA-Region 5) at Tri-Cities (Fulton County) (0-4, 0-2), 7:30 p.m., The Doghouse in East Point
South Atlanta (2-4, 0-2 in Class AA-Region 6) at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (4-1, 1-0), 5:30 p.m., Lakewood Stadium
Therrell (2-3, 0-1 in Class AA-Region 6) at B.E.S.T. Academy (1-5, 1-1), 8 p.m., Lakewood Stadium
North Springs (Fulton County) (2-2, 1-1 in Class AAAAA-Region 6) at Maynard Jackson (1-4, 0-2), 5:30 p.m., Grady Stadium
Alpharetta (Fulton County) (2-2, 1-1 in Class AAAAAA-Region 7) at North Atlanta (1-4, 0-3), 8 p.m., Grady Stadium
Douglass (2-2, 1-1 in Class AA-Region 6) at Washington (2-3, 1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Lakewood Stadium
VOLLEYBALL
The district’s champion will be crowned Saturday at the Fourth Annual APS Volleyball Tournament, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Defending champion North Atlanta will host the event. Last year, the Warriors defeated Therrell in the finals.
WATER POLO
The APS water polo team, the APS Knights, will be participate in state tournaments this weekend. The B-Team will compete in the Division III tournament, Saturday at the Cumming Aquatic Center in Cumming (Forsyth County). The team’s first match is scheduled for 8 a.m., against the Lakeside (DeKalb County) C-Team.
The APS Knights girls team, the reigning state champion, will attempt to defend its title on Sunday at the West Gwinnett Park and Aquatic Center. The team’s first match of the tournament is scheduled for 11 a.m., against the winner of the match between Lakeside’s A and B girls teams.
Rapper and Louisiana State University graduate David “Dee-1” Augustine performed before a packed house at the South Atlanta High School auditorium. Dee-1 and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP have teamed up to spread a message of financial literacy to high school students across the nation.
David “Dee-1” Augustine wants young people to be what he calls “The 3 R’s”: Real, Righteous and Relevant. But he also wants them to be financially aware and astute.
That is why the math teacher turned rapper has hooked up with one of the world’s leading financial firms – PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) – to spread the word to high school students about the importance of financial literacy and wealth management. Dee-1 stopped by South Atlanta High School on Thursday to talk to students about living a positive lifestyle and being smart with their money, once they earn it.
“As a society, we always stress, get the money, get the money, get the money,” said Dee-1, who graduated from Louisiana State University in 2009 with a degree in business management/marketing. “But we don’t talk about the proper way to manage money.”
Dee-1 has lived his message. He made regular payments on his student loans while working as a teacher in Baton Rouge, while continuing to pursue his dream of being a performer. When he signed a record deal in 2014, he paid off his loans in full and still drives a 1998 Honda Accord. This is the premise for his first single “Sallie Mae Back.” Watch the video here.
Dee-1’s performance at South Atlanta is part of a five-year, $200 million PwC initiative, designed to help young people across America become more financially literate. The project includes a full classroom curriculum focused on helping young people manage their finances.
“We are committed to youth education and financial literacy,” said PwC executive Shelley Giberson. “We see so many kids graduating from college without any knowledge of financial literacy, and so we want to address that. Dee-1 is able to connect with students in such a compelling and entertaining way.”
Dee-1, who was born in New Orleans but plans to relocate to Atlanta soon, is scheduled to release his first album in February 2017, “Slingshot David.” He said it will feature more positive and conscientious songs like “Sallie Mae Back.”
“I’m a very spiritual person, and I know God put us all here for a purpose,” he said. “I started rapping in college because I saw a need for positive young, black, male role models. I want to use this platform to wake our young people up and help them.”
After an 0-2 start, Washington has won two of its last three games, including a 7-0 shutout of B.E.S.T. Academy last Friday.
Washington and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (KAC) shut out their fellow Atlanta Public Schools opponents this weekend and are now tied for first place in their region.
Washington (2-3, 1-0 in Class AA-Region 6) defeated B.E.S.T. Academy (1-5, 1-1), 7-0, in a hard-fought defensive battle Friday night at Lakewood Stadium. Earlier that evening at Lakewood, KAC (4-1, 1-0) continued its best start in school history when the Warriors blanked Therrell (2-3, 0-1), 15-0.
Here’s how the other APS teams faired over the weekend:
Carver 32, North Springs (Fulton County) 21
The Panthers (4-1, 2-0 in Class AAAAA-Region 6) warmed up for their big showdown with Grady next week by defeating North Springs (2-2, 1-1) in the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Grady 54, Decatur 0
The Grey Knights (4-1, 2-0 in Class AAAAA-Region 6) flexed their muscles on offense once again by routing the Bulldogs (1-4, 0-2). Grady has scored at least 50 points in three of its five games thus far this season.
Douglass 52, Osborne (Cobb County) 7
In a rare Thursday night varsity game at Lakewood, the Astros (2-2, 1-1 in Class AA-Region 6) blasted the Cardinals (0-5).
Hapeville Charter (Fulton County) 35, South Atlanta 13
In a battle between two Hornets, South Atlanta (2-4, 0-2 in Class AA-Region 6) had its two-game winning streak snapped.
Pope (Cobb County) 48, North Atlanta 7
The Warriors (1-4, 0-3 in Class AAAAAA-Region 7) lost their third consecutive game, while the win for the Greyhounds (1-4, 1-2) snapped a 16-game losing streak.
Banneker (Fulton County) 53, Maynard Jackson 12
The Jaguars (1-4, 0-2 in Class AAAAA-Region 6) dropped their first ever meeting with the Trojans (3-2, 2-0) from College Park.