Carver Early College
Eight Atlanta Public Schools high school student athletes earned All-State honors in football from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) recently, while seven were named to the AJC’s All-City/South Fulton team.
All-State teams reflect the top players in each one of the state’s six classifications, which are based on student population, while the All-City/South Fulton team is made up of the top players in the Atlanta and South Fulton County area, regardless of classification.
Benjamin E. Mays High School has four players on the Class AAAAA All
-State team and three on the All-City/South Fulton team. Seniors Randrecous Davis (receiver) and Marquez Daniel (defensive lineman) were named to both squads.
Senior Monquavion Brinson (defensive back) and junior B.J. Phillips (quarterback) were named to the Class AAAAA All-State team, while senior Myles
Reid (linebacker) made the All-City/South Fulton team.
George Washington Carver had two players named to the Class AAAAA All-State team, and three on the All-City/South Fulton team.
Senior defensive linemen Jeremiah Abby and Jacoby Hill earned All-State and All-City/South Fulton honors, while senior Gregory Payton (running back) made the
All-City/South Fulton squad.
Henry W. Grady senior defensive back Marlon Character was named to the Class AAAA All-State team and the All-City/South Fulton squad, while B.E.S.T. Academy senior tight end Robert Tucker was named to the Class AA All-State team.
Benjamin E. Mays High School held its winter concert on Monday, Dec. 14, in the school’s auditorium.
‘Tis the season for winter concerts, recitals and plays throughout Atlanta Public Schools.
APS Fine Arts Coordinator Dr. Betsy Eppes said the performances are more than just exhibitions signalling the end of the semester.
“These performances are critical because the fine arts are a performance-based curriculum,” Eppes said. “They must end with some type of presentation so that students can show what they learned during the semester.”
Eppes said she sees great support for the fine arts in APS.
“The APS community really embraces the fine arts,” Eppes said. “They are a community builder, and you can track the great parental involvement. Along with sports participation, the greatest amount of parental involvement in our schools can be found in fine arts.”
Earlier this month, performances were held at Maynard Jackson High School (December 3), Springdale Park Elementary (December 3), Dobbs Elementary (December 8), Grady High (December 8), Brown Middle (December 9), North Atlanta High (December 10), Burgess-Peterson Elementary (December 14) and Mays High (December 14).
Here is the list of performances for the rest of the month (Admission to all events is free of charge):
December 15 Adamsville Primary 9 a.m.
Performance: Pre-K through second grade will perform along with the Adamsville Step Team and Pep Squad.
December 16 Carver High School 7 p.m.
Performance: “Winter Around the World,” a band, chorus and dance collaboration.
December 16 Therrell High School 5 p.m.
Performance: A choral and instrumental musical presentation.
December 17 Douglass High School 6 p.m.
Performance: A band, choral and drama holiday presentation.
December 17 Miles Intermediate 9 a.m.
Performance: Third through fifth grade will perform along with the Miles Orchestra.
December 17 Slater Elementary 6 p.m.
Performance: A holiday concert.
December 17 F.L. Stanton Elementary 9 a.m.
Performance: A presentation by the F.L. Stanton orchestra.
December 18 Morris Brandon Elementary 8 and 10 a.m.
Performance: A music and French presentation.
December 18 Usher-Collier Heights Elementary 9 a.m.
Performance: A holiday concert.
December 19 Cascade Elementary 9 and 10:30 a.m.
Performance: Class and choral presentations.
In light of the incident that occurred in the parking lot at Lakewood Stadium during the varsity football game between Carver High School and Mays High School Oct. 24, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Department of Athletics has rescheduled the following events for this week:
Carver vs. Mays Football Game –
Carver and Mays high schools will resume playing the last quarter of their varsity football game Monday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m. at Grady Stadium.
Middle School Football Games –
The first-round middle school football playoff games originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25 at Lakewood Stadium have been rescheduled:
Wednesday, Oct. 29 – 6:00 p.m. -Inman vs. Young @ Grady Stadium
Wednesday, Oct. 29 – 6:00 p.m. – Sutton vs. Long @ Lakewood Stadium
The middle school football semi-finals will take place Saturday, Nov. 1 with a 10:00 a.m. and a 12:00 p.m. start time at Lakewood Stadium.
Fifty Atlanta Public School (APS) sites have been approved to participate in the Bright from the Start Supper Meal Program for the 2014-2015 school year. A collaborative effort between the APS Nutrition Department and the Expanded Day/Special Projects Department, the “Supper on Site” Program provides students with a free afterschool supper while attending their participating school’s traditional afterschool program or athletic activities.
The program started September 15, and students enrolled in traditional afterschool extra-curricular and sports programs at the 50 participating schools receive a nutritious meal after the school day. These activities may include band, football, volleyball, robotics club, yearbook club, dance team, as well as academic programs such as After School All-Stars program and afterschool care. Earlier this month, the program was piloted with 58 students receiving meals at Long Middle School, 300 students at Mays High School and 150 students at Douglass High School. The supper menus range from oven baked cheese pizza with celery, carrot sticks and a ripe banana to slow cooked spaghetti with meat sauce, steamed broccoli and an orange.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at the national level. The program is administered by Bright From The Start Georgia. The Bright From The Start Supper Meal component offers federal funding to afterschool programs that serve supper meals to children in low-income areas. The following 50 APS schools are eligible to offer the supper program based on more than 60 percent of their students qualifying for federal free-and-reduced meals program and the schools administering an after-school activity or program:
- Adamsville Elementary
- Beecher Hills Elementary
- Benteen Elementary
- Bethune Elementary
- Bolton Academy
- Boyd Elementary
- Brown Middle School
- Bunche Middle School
- Carver High School
- Cascade Elementary
- Centennial Academy
- Cleveland Avenue Elementary
- Connally Elementary
- Continental Colony Elementary
- H. Stanton Elementary
- Deerwood Academy
- Dobbs Elementary
- Drew Charter School
- Dunbar Elementary
- L. Stanton Elementary
- Fain Elementary
- Fickett Elementary
- Finch Elementary
- Forrest Hill Academy
- Gideons Elementary
- Harper-Archer Middle School
- Hope-Hill Elementary
- Hutchinson Elementary
- A. Jones Elementary
- Kimberly Elementary
- Long Middle School
- Maynard Jackson High School
- Benjamin E. Mays High School
- Miles Elementary
- Parkside Elementary
- Perkerson Elementary
- Peyton Forest Elementary
- Price Middle School
- Scott Elementary
- Slater Elementary
- South Atlanta High School
- M. Therrell High School
- Toomer Elementary
- Usher Elementary
- Venetian Hills Elementary
- Booker T. Washington High School
- West Manor Elementary
- Whitefoord Elementary
- Woodson Elementary
- Young Middle School
While APS students are savoring the final days of summer vacation, APS social workers are knocking on doors reminding families about the first day of school. They make the rounds every year but this time they are carrying blue and white yard signs and fliers promoting the district’s Day One: Be There back-to-school attendance campaign. Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen announced the initiative during her first board meeting in July.
This week, the district’s 28 social workers are canvassing communities with help from local police, parent liaisons and other volunteers. Working in teams, the groups are visiting area businesses, local boys and girls clubs and neighborhoods. Specific home visits are made to addresses where mail has been returned. The main focus is on school zones for Carver High School, Washington High School and Young Middle School. Denise Revels, Coordinator of Social Work Services, created a plan to ensure a strong presence in communities shown to have higher student absences.
A group of six social workers, with more than 70 years combined experience among them, engaged residents at three different locations before noon on Thursday. At the Villages at Carver Family YMCA they encountered a Pre-K teacher. “I’m ready,” said Antoinette Johnson, who teaches at another YMCA location.
“It’s all about meeting the people wherever they are.” said Louis Childers. He made the transition to APS 22 years ago after working as a Social Worker Officer with the Air Force. His focus has always been children and families even at clinics on bases around the world.
The social workers know they are making an impact, especially in areas that are often forgotten. Emerson Jones has been at APS 28 years, all of them as a social worker. He partnered with a program that delivers lunches to children in an area known for its drug activities. Jones says many in that community were not aware that school resumes August 4. Jones stressed the importance of going into communities. “We really have to build relationships and build trust,” Jones said.
Lisa Jamison has been with APS 14 years. She says nothing beats the personal touch of canvassing neighborhoods like this. “I think it’s effective because it brings us to the community… we are an extension of the schools.”
APS social workers wrap up their canvassing efforts on Friday. The district will partner with local organizations to host registration events Saturday, July 26. Open houses will take place at all APS schools Friday, August 1.
Day One for Atlanta Public Schools is Monday, August 4. Be There.
Albert James Seymour is Valedictorian at Carver School of the Arts
Albert James Seymour’s four years at Carver School of the Arts have been filled with great opportunities and remarkable people.
George Washington Carver High School offers college preparatory courses in an environment that infuses academic rigor with artistic excellence.
Albert’s relationships with teachers and peers have enabled him to be successful throughout his high school career. His educational experiences have challenged him to go above and beyond the average. These experiences have also provided him with the necessary tools to succeed in his postsecondary education journey.
After high school, Albert plans to pursue a degree in chemistry at Drexel University. He hopes to become a pharmacologist.
All APS commencement exercises will be available for online viewing via live stream by visiting http://atlantapublicschools.us/graduation2014 and clicking on a specific school.
Abel A. Belete is a first-generation American who was born in Atlanta, GA to parents who immigrated from Ethiopia. He has made an indelible footprint at Carver School of the Arts by pioneering a school-wide math tutorial program to service freshman matriculating into the school each year each year.
George Washington Carver High School offers college preparatory courses in an environment that infuses academic rigor with artistic excellence.
In addition to working part-time, Abel is a well-respected musician and athlete; he has played trumpet since second grade, and he learned to play guitar in high school. He has participated in concert band, marching band and he even started a jazz ensemble. Abel has performed for many special events ranging from school related functions to TV One’s Trumpet Awards.
Abel plans to major in electrical engineering at University of Georgia. His career goal is to become an engineer.
All APS commencement exercises will be available for online viewing via live stream by visiting http://atlantapublicschools.us/graduation2014 and clicking on a specific school.
Carver Early College’s Jason Gresham is Giving Back through Sports
Jason Gresham, a sophomore at Carver Early College, initially started playing baseball at age 5 because he liked playing outside and “getting dirty”. Now, he plays because he loves the sport, is good at it, and it gives him a platform to mentor younger students. Through a non-profit organization called L.E.A.D (Launch, Expose, Advise and Direct), headed by C.J. and Kelli Stewart, Jason has discovered that baseball can take him down very exciting paths. As a response to the low percentage (about 2%) of African-Americans represented in professional baseball, L.E.A.D was established to help at-risk, inner city males achieve success through civic engagement, solid baseball skills and access to higher education through baseball (i. e. baseball scholarships, etc.).
Jason says that L.E.A.D has helped him to become a better student because he has to have the required grade point average to continue membership in the organization. He says that through L.E.A.D, he has met many baseball professionals and that he has developed his baseball skill set to the position of a utility player. A utility player is one that can play any position on the field. As a L.E.A.D Ambassador, he goes to middle schools two or three times a month and on Saturdays and mentors younger students in baseball. Jason has logged more than 200 service hours with L.E.A.D. This impressive community work, coupled with an outstanding essay, helped him to be selected as a recipient of the 2012-13 WXIA 11 Alive Kids Who Care Award. When he’s not playing baseball, Jason enjoys playing music. He’s a trombonist who is a drum-major-in-training. Next year, he will be leading the Carver High School Band as a Drum Major. Jason’s aspiration is to land a band/baseball scholarship and attend Florida A & M University. He plans to study computer engineering. Congratulations Jason!
written by Linda J. Green, Media Specialist at Carver Early College