Fickett Elementary School staff and students walk in support of those impacted by Breast Cancer.
Fickett Elementary School students, staff, and community members came together on Thursday, Oct.9 to show their support for survivors and fighters at the school’s second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk.
Students at every grade level rallied in the gym and proudly raised their decorated signs with messages of encouragement as they prepared for the awareness walk. Led by the Fickett Elementary School cheerleaders, the entire school walked, danced, and cheered down Rux Road and back to campus.
“We’ve had several members of our team be affected by this awful, horrible disease, as well as community members,” Fickett Elementary School principal Benita Grant said. “We’re really trying to get our kids to understand the ramifications of breast cancer, so in hopes one day, they’ll grow up to find a cure.”
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the school spent an entire week educating its students about the disease, showing videos where survivors and fighters shared their experience, and talking students through the impact the disease has had on people.
“The energy for the Breast Cancer Walk starts with educating our kids on what breast cancer is,” Grant said. “The students are rallying now, but one day they could be the scientist that finds the cure and that motivation would’ve started right here at Fickett.”
An outstanding group of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) educators and schools were recently honored during the inaugural Alonzo A. Crim Award Celebration for their unwavering commitment to advancing equity across the district. Known affectionately as Equity Champions, this year’s honorees were selected by peers, supervisors, and district leaders for their outstanding commitment to actively modeling the APS Equity Commitments.
Held on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the APS Student and Family Support Hub, the celebration is named after Dr. Alonzo A. Crim, who became the district’s first Black superintendent in 1973, and was widely known for raising the standards for educational excellence throughout APS.
“As superintendent, Dr. Crim coined the term, ‘community of believers,’ based on the belief that every child in the Atlanta community could learn,” said Dr. Carina Windom, director of the Office of Equity + Social Justice (OESJ). “More than 50 years later, our district is still guided by Dr. Crim’s philosophy. It is evident in our tagline, One District. One Goal. Every Child.”
Hosted and sponsored by the Office of Equity + Social Justice, this year’s program honored seven individuals and three schools as the newest equity ambassadors. Recipients will serve one-year terms, gain access to professional learning grants, and partner with the OESJ as they carry the mantle of equity forward into their school communities, departments, and teams.
This year’s individual honorees are:
- Sugel Cruz, Sutton Middle School
- Samuel Davis, D.M. Therrell High School
- Kassandra Dixon, KIPP WAYS Academy
- Sean Freeman, Booker T. Washington High Shool
- Tonya Holmes, Fickett Elementary School
- Angela Marshall, Midtown High School
- Dr. Terriyln Rivers-Cannon, West Manor Elementary School
School Honorees are as follows:
- The B.E.S.T. Academy at The Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Institute
- Ralph J. Bunche Middle School
- Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School
The event featured an inspiring keynote address by Mawuli Mel Davis, an Atlanta civil rights attorney and founding partner with Davis Bozeman Johnson Law. Dr. Andrew Lovett, Jr., Human Resources strategic staffing director and former principal of Benteen Elementary School, shared his experience and reflections as a 2024 Equity Champion award recipient.
APS Student Advisory Council (SAC) members Kaili Stith, a senior at Midtown High School, and Emory Arnold, 12th-grader at Booker T. Washington High School, served as the evening’s emcees.
Dr. Crim’s grandchildren, Brandon McClendon and Dionn Wright, were also in attendance.
The South Atlanta High School Hornet Records provided musical entertainment, and students with Therrell High School’s Advanced Repertory Dance Company performed a stirring lyrical dance routine.
Atlanta Board of Education member Cynthia Briscoe Brown, who was instrumental in helping establish the district’s equity policy, shared how proud she was of this year’s recipients.
“I share my gratitude and appreciation for all that you do to champion our students, ensure their educational needs are met, and work tirelessly to make sure they feel seen, heard, and valued,” Briscoe Brown told the audience. “I look forward to seeing you expand the work you’re doing in our schools and communities.”
During his keynote address, Davis encouraged each recipient to be competent, courageous, and contagious. He reiterated Dr. Crim’s commitment to building community and shared that his mother first taught at Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago, the same school where Dr. Crim served as principal.
“Be students of this work and be committed to this work,” he said. “That’s how we win and how we build a community of believers.”
We salute the 2025 Alonzo A. Crim Award recipients and all they do to advance equity in Atlanta Public Schools!
Learn more about this year’s recipients here.
Bearing a large presentation check, glass trophy, and personalized certificates, members of the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Office of Equity + Social Justice traveled across the district in May to surprise and thank the newest cohort of Alonzo A. Crim Award recipients — staff and schools that demonstrate significant impact in our school communities.
The Office of Equity + Social Justice received over 60 nominations this past spring, with each finalist being nominated by a peer or colleague for their commitment and dedication to advancing educational equity in Atlanta Public Schools. Finalists were selected based on qualities that include:
- Championing a culture of belonging and inclusion.
- Amplifying diverse voices by cultivating self-love, appreciation, and respect for others.
- Modeling asset-based views of the APS community by acting with cultural competence in interactions, decision-making, and practice.
- Demonstrating critical self-reflection about identity, beliefs, and biases.
This year’s Alonzo A. Crim Award recipients include three teachers, three social workers, one school psychologist, and three schools. All were recognized for their unyielding commitment and efforts to help all APS students thrive and succeed.
Sean Freeman, a performing arts and dance teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, was lauded for including students with disabilities in the learning experience and ensuring that those with special needs feel valued and supported. His nominator, Sachi Richardson, an art teacher at Washington High School, described Freeman as “a firm believer in cultural representation and rigorous learning,” who has worked hard to ensure that his students are exposed to dance forms from all over the world, helping them understand and appreciate different cultures.”
Richardson also praised her colleague for showcasing various dance styles and collaborating with the World History department to ensure that students learned the historical significance of their performances. She proudly noted that Freeman also helped secure SPLOST funds for major theater upgrades for Washington and four additional schools in the district.
“When we talk about equity in education, we’re talking about making sure that every student — regardless of their background — gets the opportunities, resources, and support they need to succeed,” Richardson said. “And if there’s one person who embodies this mission, it’s Sean Freeman. His tireless dedication to ensuring that all students have access to high-quality arts education, mentorship, and resources makes him the perfect nominee.”
Dr. Terriyln Rivers-Cannon, a social worker at West Manor Elementary School, national president of the School Social Work Association of America, and 2019 National School Social Worker of the Year by the School Social Workers Association of America, was awarded for her leadership, mentorship, and extraordinary commitment to advancing equity across Atlanta Public Schools and the state of Georgia. One nominator praised Dr. Rivers-Cannon for bringing marginalized voices into spaces where decisions are made and mentoring others to do the same.
“She advocates for trauma-informed care, mental health support, and multi-tiered interventions to ensure that every student has a pathway to success. Through her podcast and public speaking, she creates platforms for equity conversations that reach beyond district lines,” assistant principal Angela Thomas wrote in her nomination letter. “Dr. Rivers-Cannon doesn’t just work in equity—she lives it. She brings marginalized voices into spaces where decisions are made, and she mentors others to do the same.”
“Her leadership has made a lasting impact in APS and beyond, influencing policy, practice, and hearts. Her work fully aligns with the APS Equity Commitments, particularly those focused on eliminating practices that produce disparate outcomes and building the capacity of equity-minded leaders,” Thomas concluded.
Alonzo A. Crim Award recipients serve one-year terms as ambassadors for advancing equity across the district, participate in equity-focused professional learning opportunities to expand capacity, and collaborate with the APS Office of Equity + Social Justice on key initiatives.
In addition to district recognition, Alonzo A. Crim Award recipients are awarded access to microgrants (up to $5,000) to support initiatives and activities that improve APS in the service of students.
Congratulations to the 2025 APS Alonzo A. Crim Award recipients! We appreciate all that you do on behalf of our APS scholars!
Here is the complete list of 2025 APS Alonzo A. Crim Award Recipients:
Dr. Terrilyn Rivers-Cannon, Social Worker, West Manor Elementary School
Sugel Cruz, Social Worker, Sutton Middle School
Samuel Davis, Music Teacher, Therrell High School
Kassandra Dixon, School Psychologist, KIPP West Atlanta
Sean Freeman, Performing Arts Teacher, Booker T. Washington High School
Tonya Holmes, Social Worker, Fickett Elementary School
Angela Marshall, Math Teacher, Midtown High School
School Awards:
B.E.S.T. Academy
Bunche Middle School
Dunbar Elementary School
2024 Backpack Bash, sponsored by Perkins and Will. Photo credit: Payton Calhoun. APS ©
On Saturday, July 27, Perkins and Will, a global collective of architect designers and changemakers, hosted their 2024 Backpack Bash at Fickett Elementary School, benefiting Atlanta Public Schools.
Thanks to the generous donation from Perkins and Will, students and teachers were able to secure everything on their supply lists, ensuring they were well-prepared for the entire year.
The event provided teachers and 1,200 students from Fickett Elementary School, Kimberly Elementary School and Continental Colony Elementary School with backpacks, resources and school supplies.
Founded by Lawrence B. Perkins and Philip Will, Jr., Perkins and Will operates with a guiding philosophy that every design decision should honor the broader goals of society, keeping people at the heart of their work.
This commitment to community and their passion for creating an equitable world, through architecture and philanthropy, contributed to the success of the 2024 Backpack Bash.
See what you missed! Enjoy the slideshow below of the 2024 Backpack Bash, sponsored by Perkins and Will. Photo credit: Payton Calhoun. APS ©
The Atlanta Public Schools second annual Picture Book Bowl brought together students from kindergarten through third grade who were excited to showcase their reading skills.
Twenty-two APS schools participated in the virtual team competition over Zoom. Back in March, the Georgia Book Award Committee outlined 20 award-winning picture books for participants to read before the competition.
“This is a competition that celebrates the joy of reading and the love of reading that’s being developed in our youngest readers,” APS director of library media services Jennifer Saunders said. “The students are able to shine. They are able to show that they are readers, that they enjoy reading and are reading for the love of reading.”
Each participating school had a team of 10 students that went head-to-head against another school using an app called Buzz In Live.
The students were excited to answer the questions about the books they read and earn points for their team. They cheered when they got a question right and encouraged their classmates if they got a question wrong.
“The volunteers really liked the excitement from the students,” Saunders said. “They were also impressed by how the students encouraged each other. They said, ‘Way to go! You can do this! Keep going!’ So students were also learning sportsmanship, how to lose, how to win, and how to celebrate each other and encourage each other.”
“The volunteers were very impressed with the confidence that was displayed in the students,” she added. “This was a confidence-building activity as well as risk-taking. We think of the IB characteristics, and being a risk-taker is one of those. This gives students the opportunity to do something they may not otherwise have done before.”
By the end of the competition, it was Usher-Collier Elementary School that finished with a game-high 430 points to win the APS Picture Bowl. M. Agnes Jones Elementary School was a close second place with 420 points, and both Kimberly Elementary and Harper Archer Elementary School tied for third place with 330 points.
“This appeals to students who thrive in competition, and it motivates them and encourages them to want to do more and do better and to hone their reading skills,” Saunders said. “Oftentimes, our readers can be the more quiet students, and they don’t always get recognized. But this is an opportunity for them to really stand out and be among peers that have similar interests.”
For the past three years, Fickett Elementary School has been supporting the Pennies for Patients campaign, a nationwide program that aids thousands of children and adults in their fight against blood cancer. This year, students and staff at Fickett collected over $1,300.00 in donations towards the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The donations will benefit the life-saving cancer research to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.
Students and staff were encouraged to join the campaign by bringing spare change to fill collection boxes in the classrooms. The classes with the most donations were rewarded with a pizza party and tickets to the UniverSoul Circus.
Counselor Mary L. King, who coordinated the program, stated that this effort “was a good way for our students to learn how to give back and share with less fortunate children.”
Students at Fickett Elementary School participated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Day with each grade level engaging in hands-on construction projects.
The focus was on the technology and engineering of STEM. Through class discussions, students learned that technology is anything that helps humans solve problems, whether it is an object, system or process.
In addition, they answered questions such as “What Do Engineers Do?” and “What Are the Steps in the Engineering Design Process?”
Papillion Little, the STEM coordinator at Fickett, stated that “STEM projects help students make science and technology connections to real-life situations.”
STEM Day at Fickett ES Feb. 21 2014 from Veronica Miller on Vimeo.