King Middle School has a personal connection with the situation that has taken place in Haiti — eighth-grade team leader and physical science teacher Patricia Dunac is a native of Port Au Prince. In fact, her mother was home visiting family when the earthquake took place last month, and Ms. Dunac went days without knowing whereabouts of her mother (who is now safe in Miami). In honor of Ms. Dunac, King Middle is supporting the efforts to provide relief to Haiti in many ways.
Students from King Middle School gathered in the auditorium Thursday for a momentous assembly to honor the school’s namesake: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Co-organized by Bevin Carpenter of Communities In Schools (CIS) of Atlanta, the metro area’s leading dropout-prevention organization, the event was designed to educate students, parents and school staff about the importance of believing in dreams, achieving goals and succeeding in life.
Atlanta Board of Education member Brenda Muhammad (District 1) served as emcee for the program, which included two keynote speakers: State Sen. Donzella James (pictured, at right) and Pastor Olujimi Brown. The ceremony also recognized the first- and second-place winners of the King Middle School Poetry Contest held in conjunction with the legacy celebration.
Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School continues its commitment to improving teaching and learning. Just recently, State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox announced the winners of the second annual Superintendent’s Distinguished Achievement Awards. These awards honor schools for high achievement and the greatest improvement on state curriculum tests.
“We are honoring schools that showed the greatest improvement and highest achievement on our state tests,” said Cox. “These awards are just a small way of saying ‘thank you’ for the hard work put in by our teachers, students and school communities.”
More than 300 parents, community members and APS employees packed the gymnasium of Inman Middle School on Monday to hear Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall’s report on SRT-3 schools. Atlanta Board of Education members Emmett D. Johnson, Cecily Harsch-Kinnane (vice chair), Brenda Muhammad and Mark Riley were present.
The superintendent talked about the district’s work to position students on their journey to college, and she answered questions on topics ranging from testing to school closures. In addition, Dr. Hall shared SRT-3’s academic highlights, some of which are listed below:
Georgia AmeriCorps and Georgia Recovery Corps members from all over the state met at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School on Saturday, Oct. 10 to kick off their 2009-2010 service year. Georgia AmeriCorps members were joined with AmeriCorps VISTA members and AmeriCorps Alums for a fun filled day of service, learning and fellowship. With approximately 450 participants, King Middle was over flowing with individuals with a desire to serve.
Members and volunteers spent the day painting murals, beautifying the school on the inside and out and meeting fellow AmeriCorps members from around the state. The event was organized by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, and members of the staff were overwhelmed by the passion and desire to serve felt throughout the entire day.
A HUGE “thank you” to King Middle for hosting the event, what a wonderful place to serve!
Check out the cool photo gallery from the event on Flickr here.
