Every day, the schools of the DeKalb County School District are bursting with activities that support college and career readiness. We’ll share that news in TRUST in the Schoolhouse. Below are some examples of that work. Got an idea? Please share it here.

January 2019

Champion Theme Middle
Congratulations to Champion’s robotics team, the Circuit Breakers, for claiming first place in the Robotics Design category at the FLL Robotics Regional Qualifier tournament, held at Georgia Piedmont Technical College.

Chapel Hill Middle
Congratulations to the Chapel Hill Middle Beta Club, whose members placed second in Songfest, second in Service Learning, fourth in Poetry, and fourth in Performance. The students will compete in the National Beta Club Convention scheduled to be held Summer 2019 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Clarkston High
Congratulations to Clarkston High’s Future Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter, who claimed second place and $75 in the Georgia National Fair FCCLA Brochure Competition. The club’s brochure was chosen out of more than 12,000 entries throughout the state of Georgia.

DeKalb Alternative
DeKalb Alternative recently took part in WSBTV’s celebration of teachers returning to campus. On January 4, reporter Mark Arum donated a variety of fruit and pastries to the school and provided words of encouragement to teachers and staff.

DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA)
DSA’s chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions organized a holiday gift collection this winter season to benefit students at Rowland Elementary. Graduate and current Rowland teacher, Brittany Myers, helped organize the effort with DSA teachers Donna Howard and Denise Brisco to garner donations.

Dunwoody High
Congratulations to student Katherine Cole, who claimed second place in a statewide peanut recipe competition. Cole was honored for her “Peanut Pinwheel Salad,” that featured a tasty peanut-butter based dressing.

Congratulations to the Dunwoody High Speech & Debate Team who performed well a recent competition held at Cherokee High School. Aarah Griever and Morgan Underhill claimed first place in Duo Interpretation, while Alexander Torjak placed first in Humorous Interpretation. Students Ballint Torjak, Emma Tallent, Daniel Maslisa, Oskar Schindler, Aden Trussell, and Millie Kitchin also placed well.

Congratulations to the Dunwoody High Fencing Team, who performed well at a recent competition at Roswell High School. Student Sam James claimed a gold medal, while student Sarah Gelber earned a bronze medal.

Druid Hills High
Congratulations to the Druid Hills High’s Saga Yearbook team, who claimed two superior awards from the Georgia Scholastic Press Association for its 2018 edition. The publication was honored for its Theme Development as well as its Cover Design.

Druid Hills Middle
Druid Hills Middle welcomed The Indigo Girls on December 15 as part of a fundraising effort for the school library. The Grammy-winning folk rock duo shared memories of attending Shamrock High School—once housed at Druid Hills Middle—as well as singing in the choir. Druid Hills Middle chorus students joined the duo on stage to sing certain songs. A video of the event has been viewed more than 100,000 times.

Edward L. Bouie Theme
Congratulations to students Skye Wilson, Cherish Jackson, Imani Kyles, Marissa Bethea and Alyssia Chestnut, who all brought home third place awards from the most recent National Junior Beta Club competition held in Savannah, GA.

Elizabeth Andrews High
Congratulations to the staff at Elizabeth Andrews High, who successfully hosted a recent College Fair event. The event attracted more than 30 college, university, and military representatives to interact and engage with students. The DeKalb Fire Department was also on hand to issue employment information.

Freedom Middle
Congratulations to the Freedom Middle robotics team for claiming the Champion’s Award at the FIRST Lego League Competition held Saturday, December 15.

Lithonia Middle
Congratulations to Lithonia Middle, who saw double-digit growth on mid-year MAP testing data. The school’s sixth grade students grew by 10.5 points, while seventh grade grew 13.6 points, and eighth grade students grew 13.7 points.

Peachtree Charter Middle
Congratulations to Peachtree Charter eighth grade students, who will soon have their artwork displayed at the Lookingood Hair Design Studio in Dunwoody. Students, with the guidance of art teacher Margaret Newton, created watercolor paintings in the style of Friedensrecih Hunderwasser, an Austrian artist.

Congratulations to Peachtree Charter principal Dr. Donnie Davis for being named one of Georgia State University’s “40 Under 40” for 2019. Dr. Davis was selected based on demonstrating outstanding achievement and an unwavering commitment to lead by example. Dr. Davis will take part in a celebratory luncheon and awards ceremony on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

Redan Middle
Redan Middle recently hosted New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone, author of Dear Martin and former DCSD educator. Ms. Stone spoke with 8th grade students one-on-one and en masse about her new book as well as themes explored therein.

Rock Chapel Elementary
Congratulations to Rock Chapel students D’Laila Aikens and Madisen Walker, who will compete in the regional Social Studies Fair. Aikens’ presentation is titled, “What are the Similarities and Differences of the Historians of Indian and African Music?” while Walker’s is titled, “What is the History of Rock Chapel Elementary?”

Rockbridge Elementary
Congratulations to Rockbridge fifth grader Carolyn Settles and TriAstan Diarra for their recent wins at the DeKalb Social Science Fair, held December 1. Settles won the Geography Award for her project on the differences between Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. Diarra’s project, “Are We Fulfilling Dr. Kings’ Dream,” was also a regional winner. Both will represent Rockbridge in future competitions beginning in March.

Shadow Rock Center
Congratulations to the teachers and staff at Shadow Rock Center, who recently hosted a “Turkeys & Toys” event for families in the community. Each family received toys provided by Toys For Tots, as well as a turkey for the holidays. In total, the schools served more than 20 local families.

Stone Mountain High
Congratulations to Stone Mountain High student Bawi Par for being named a member of George Washington University’s Posse 4 for Atlanta. The Posse Scholarship is a four-year, full tuition, leadership award that includes an extensive selection process. Par took part in an official awards ceremony on Jan. 10 at the Fox Theatre.

Stoneview Elementary
Congratulations to Stoneview for being the first school at DCSD to receive the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement Grant for Early Literacy for $72,000. Grant writers include Cassandra Davis, Christopher Mostiller, Glennis Jackson, and Kimberly Myers.

Towers High
Congratulations to Towers students Jonathan Adams and Cristina Cruz, who shined brightly in the most recent Kennesaw State University Mathematics competition. More than 1,800 students representing 142 Georgia public and private high schools competed at the event.

Woodward Elementary
Woodward Elementary took part in DCSD’s School Nutrition Services Holiday Giving program December 26, 27, 28 and 31, as well as January 2 and 3. The program provided families uninterrupted food service during the holiday season.