Every day, the schools of the DeKalb County School District are bursting with activities that supports 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.

September 21, 2018

Arabia Mountain High
Congratulations to the Arabia Mountain varsity volleyball team for finishing first in the silver bracket at the Conyers Classic tournament, held on Sept. 8.

Austin Elementary
Students and staff at Austin participated in Walk to School Day on Sept. 5. The school—in partnership with Dunwoody High School’s cheer squad—set a record for the most student participation. Students were accompanied by cheerleaders, who helped the school celebrate.

Browns Mill Elementary
Browns Mill media specialist Janice Jackson has found a new, innovative way to keep the school community informed. Each Friday, Ms. Jackson hosts a news program informing staff and students of events, highlights, and programs going on at the school.

Chamblee Charter High
Congratulations to Chamblee Charter High for the 14 total semi-finalists being considered for the 2019 National Merit Scholarship. This is the highest number of candidates to be considered at the DCSD school in eight years.

Champion Theme Middle
Congratulations to teachers Dr. Cheryl Pappy and A’Drienne Thompson for their selection to present at the 2019 NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego, California. The two teachers will be presenting “MATH: Making a True Habitat in Your Classroom,” which details how to effectively use a classroom. Dr. Pappy will serve as lead speaker at the conference, scheduled to take place in April 2019.

Druid Hills High
Congratulation to Druid Hills English teacher Kendra Radcliff for being named Yale University’s 2018 Yale Educator Award. As the recipient, Radcliff is recognized for her ability to inspire and support students to achieve at the highest level.

Druid Hills seniors Tynan Purdy and Haris Miller recently designed an online voting platform for class officer voting. For the first time, students were able to access an online ballot via the school website and vote electronically.

Congratulations to senior Matthew Dacey-Koo for his participation in the recent 2018 World Junior Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships in Waterloo, Canada. Dacey-Koo played as a member of the Under-20 Team China in their inaugural tournament, competing against Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Dacey-Koo was named the Most Valuable Player for China in five of these nine games.

Fernbank Elementary 
Congratulations to Fernbank Elementary teacher Christina Heda for being featured in this month’s edition of My Intown. Heda was named the No. 2 teacher in the publication’s annual Top Teachers List for all of Atlanta.

Jolly Elementary
Jolly recently kicked off a positive behavior initiative by hosting a schoolwide assembly with the theme, “Dream More, Learn More, Become More.” Teachers read the book Dream by Susan Bozak and assisted students with establishing goals for the 2018-2019 school year. During the assembly, students shared their dreams with classmates and took a pledge to continue being positive throughout the remainder of the year.

John Lewis Elementary
Congratulations to the cafeteria staff at John Lewis for earning a perfect health score three years in a row. By adhering to strict health and safety standards, the Georgia Department of Public Health has awarded the school a 100 over the past three years.

Kingsley Elementary
Kingsley recently announced its distinction as a National Choose to be Nice School. Students, staff, and community members signed a banner that outlines a promise to integrate nine core values on a daily basis: acceptance, honesty, friendship, teamwork, respect, responsibility, kindness, patience, and courage.

Lithonia High
Congratulations to student Shawn Morris Jr. for being named a recent Atlanta Falcons’ Georgia Power Player of the Week. Each week, the Falcons select one varsity football player that embodies commitment and leadership both on and off the field. Morris Jr. received a parking pass, four game tickets, four pregame sideline passes, and the opportunity to lead the Atlanta Falcons team onto the field. Lithonia High also received a $500 grant for the school’s athletic department because of Morris Jr.’s nomination.

Marbut Elementary
Congratulations to principal Andre Mountain for his selection to present at the National ESEA (National Title 1) Conference. Mountain will present his proposal, “The Hip-Hop Principalship: The Rhyme and Reason of New School Leadership”.

Murphy Candler Elementary
Murphy Candler recently took a pledge, titled the Campaign of Kindness, to have students and staff show kindness in 500 different ways. The purpose of the campaign is to improve the overall wellbeing of the school community.

Redan Elementary
Congratulations to Redan Elementary for being named a recipient of a $500 grant courtesy of Atlanta United, MLS WORKS and Univision. The grant will fund Redan Elementary’s physical education program.

Sequoyah Middle
Sequoyah recently partnered with Georgia Tech and the Latin American Association for the purpose of creating a STEM mural. Representatives from the Atlanta university recently hosted two sessions with students, where the mural’s creators discussed their inspiration, the mural’s purpose, and the overall creation process.

Stoneview Elementary
Stoneview faculty and staff have come up with an innovative way to bond as a school community: exercise. Faculty and staff, led by paraprofessional Christopher Parker, work out every Wednesday as part of Stoneview’s Workout Wednesday program. Workout Wednesday works in tandem with HealthMPowers, a nonprofit organization that helps promote a healthy lifestyle.

Stone Mountain Elementary
Stone Mountain Elementary recently joined the efforts of the DeKalb Kids Project, Board of Education member-elect Diijon DaCosta, students, parents, and teachers to construct a community garden on school grounds. More than 35 community members joined in the effort, which took place Sept. 15.

Tucker High
Congratulations to the group of Tucker High School students who represented DCSD at the most recent Secretary of State’s Student Ambassador Celebration, held at the Georgia World Congress Center.