GA HS Sports: Avondale & Blessed Trinity HS

Avondale & Blessed Trinity HS

Beyond the Game

Friday night is Football night for most Georgia high schools. Georgia Public Broadcasting and Score Atlanta are collaborating to cover the 2009 high school football season from the first game to the season championships at the Georgia Dome. Check out the Football Fridays in Georgia website for stats, interviews and live streaming of the game. We are all proud of our student athletes and their accomplishments on the field each week. Here are some facts and programs you might not know about our featured schools.

Avondale High School

1192 Clarendon Road

Avondale Estates, GA 30002

www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/Avondalehs

The origins of Avondale High School predate its current community of Avondale Estates. Avondale High School began in 1906 as The Ingleside School, located near DeKalb County's Scottdale community. The faculty numbered 7. Today's 2009 high school is a DeKalb County school with a student body of over 1,000 and faculty and staff of 77.

The mission of Avondale High School posted on the school's website is to prepare all students for college by blending rigourous academic and vocational studies, providing numerous opportunities for Advanced Placement courses, and creating a culture of high expectations.

Avondale students can participate in a long list of clubs and afterschool activities including the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (AFJROTC). Cadets in this program participate in Aerospace Science Instruction as well as Leadership and Fitness training.

The Avondale High School Touchdown Club, a 501 (c) (3) Private Foundation, has been form

ed to honor the rich history of excellence displayed by the Avondale High School football teams between 1951-1989 and to ensure that the legacy comes alive in today's teams and young football players at Avondale High School.

Bob Burgess, an Avondale alum and former Blue Devils football team member, recalls his grandfather's story of attending The Ingleside School and his father's experience of playing football before it was an 11-man team. Mr. Burgess got his start playing football in the Midway community. Students as young as the 5th grade could start learning the game and earn the experience that would ultimatley create a "feeder" system for AHS. With these deep community roots, Mr. Burgess remembers Avondale's state championship teams, 6,000 fans in the stands every Friday night, scholarships for the players and young student athletes who grew into successful

adults.

This is the legacy that he and the current leadership of the Touchdown Club (Billy Bourn, Bruce Brown, Rick Brown, Calvin Lott, Flemm Mitchell, John Plagman, Johnny Lawson, Perry Stringer and Stacy Burnette) wants to to make sure is available to this new generation of of Blue Devils football teams. Whether it is football socks and shoes, helmets and uniforms, pre-games meals, field equipment along with any other of the many items a team needs, or a cheering fan in the stands, these young players will know what it means to be part of this new community of supports.

Mr. Burgess describes the new Blue Devils team as young men who want to play football, become winners on the field and in the classroom, and who need community help to reach those goals. Visit the website for the Avondale High School Return to Excellence Campaign to learn more about the 2009-2010 team and the efforts of the Touchdown Club to support it.

Blessed Trinity Catholic High School

11320 Woodstock Road

Roswell, GA 30075

www.btcatholic.org

The Class of 2003 was the Charter Class for Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, a co-educational college preparatory institution of Catholic Education of North Georgia, Inc. In the 2007-2008 school year, 8 houses were created at Blessed Trinity to create smaller communities for and to foster a sense of belonging for students. The 40 elected student leaders from each of the 8 houses make up Blessed Trinity's Student Government.

Frank Moore, Blessed Trinity Principal and faculty member, Kathy Hoffman wanted to share the story of Blessed Trinity's Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter. Blessed Trinity's Campus Chapter was initiated 6 years ago through the efforts of a Blessed Trinity Junior and her dad. Now Chapter Advisor Kathy Hoffman reports that over 200 students sign up on Club Day each year to be eligible to participate in the organized "builds" that take place on 3 Saturdays throughout the school year.

A special building project was held on March 21, 2009 when the moms and students from Blessed Trinity and Marist came together for Habit for Humanity Women Build. The group of volunteers were asigned the task of begininng construction on TWO homes in South Atlanta. Beginning with bare slabs of concrete, their efforts by the end of the day had the structures ready for roof construction.

These are just two examples of why Blessed Trinity's Habitat for Humity Campus Chapter has been named one of the top 5 Campus Chapter in the country for 2009. Ms. Hoffman explained that the "Campus" designation refers to more than 400 college and high schools, increasing the competition but also increasing the prestiqe of the award. Criteria for the award include education, advocating, building and fundraising. Ms. Hoffman and Emily Hogan, Student Body President, will accept the award in Chicago at the Habitat for Humanity Annual Youth Conference.

Blessed Trinity has received a $5,000 Matching Grant from State Farm as well as a $2,000 Sta

te Grant towards the school's goalof participating in the Habitat for Humanity Global Village Program.

Visit the website for more information on Habitat for Humanity International.

Remember, visit GPB's Football Fridays in Georgia website as your source for half-time interviews in the Press Box and streaming of the game.

Registration Opens for GPEE Bus Trip #17

Applications Currently Being Accepted

Visiting a classroom in a Georgia school keeps you informed of some of the best practices that are happening in our state to effect student success. The 17th Bus Trip Across Georgia, sponsored by the Georgia Parntership for Excellence in Education, provides the opportunity for those kind of thoughtful school visits.

On-line registration is now open for indivduals interested in applying for the trip scheduled for Oct. 27-29, 2009. School visits include:

*Amana Academy, Alpharetta, Fulton Co. Schools

*Centennial Arts Academy, Gainesville, Gainesville City Schools

*Georgia College Early College, Middedgeville, Georgia College and State University, and the Oconee Regional Educational Service Agency

*Morgan County High School, Madison, Morgan County

*Unity Elemenatry School, LaGrange, Troup County

*Parks Middle School, Atlanta, Atlanta Public Schools

Application deadline: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Day of Discovery for GA Education Leaders

Georgia Students Invited to Join State Advisory Council

Superintendent Cox Seeks Student Advisors

Are you able to describe the biggest issue confronting students in your school? Do you have ideas as to how to address the issue?
What do you think a world-class education for you and your peers should be?

If these are questions that matter to you, and you think you have something to contribute to this discussion, then consider applying for membership in Superintendent Cox's Student Advisory Council.

Georgia High School Students are invited to apply for a state level leadership opportunity. State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox is accepting applications for her 2009-2010 Student Advisory Council.

The members of the Student Advisory Council meet three times during the school year with Superintendent Cox to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Georgia. Members are advisors and act as liaisons between the Department of Education and the students of Georgia.

All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to apply. Meeting dates are:
November 9, 2009
January 25, 2010
March 8, 2010
(dates are subject to change.)
Applicants should be able to attend all three meetings.

To be eligible for the Council, applications must be received by September
30, 2009.

Interested students should contact:
Courtney Burnett, External Affairs
(404) 657-1340
cburnett@gadoe.org

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20 Fellows Complete National Program Focused on Georgia

Education Policy Fellowship Class Honored

First Participants Add to State's Expertise in Education

The Education Policy Fellowship Program is an professional development initiative of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) and co-sponsored by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia.

View a list of the first class of graduates and a presentation on the Education Policy Fellowship program. The charge given to the graduates was to "do the difficult work, ask the tough questions, and say what needs to be said".

Press Announcement from GPEE
The inaugural class of the Education Policy Fellowship Program graduated 20 participants June 18 with an observance held at Georgia Power headquarters. The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education brought the national program to the state last October and the first group of Fellows began their 10 month course of instruction.

Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Public Policy and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service & Outreach at the University of Georgia are co-sponsors. Georgia is one of 13 states and the District of Columbia to offer the unique program designed to build education policy expertise.

The Georgia Partnership has long recognized the need to develop leaders across the state who have a clear understanding of how education policy is made. The organization collaborated with The Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington DC, which oversees the national operation.

Speaking at the program were Dr. Art Dunning and Dr. David Sjoquist representing the University of Georgia and Georgia State University respectively. Both men underlined the importance of the program and encouraged the graduates to use what they had learned to make a difference in education in Georgia.

The program was composed of eight monthly colloquiums, attendance at a national leadership conference in Arizona, and a participation in a National Washington Policy Seminar. Speakers included leaders in a wide variety of subjects including funding, higher education, school choice, early education, politics, the demographic landscape and more.

For more information, contact Kelley Dean (kdean@gpee.org)

View complete press announcement.

Thank you to GPEE's Bill Maddox and Kelley Dean for providing the press announcement about the Education Policy Fellowship Program.


View Slide Show of Graduation Event

Picturing America to Picture Success in Muscogee Co. School District

Muscogee County School District & the Picturing America Best Practices Institute

When students leave school for the summer vacation, teachers and administrators can be found still hard at work, refreshing their skills and learning new approaches to support student success. On June 3 and 4, 2009, teachers from Muscogee County School District gathered for a two day workshop inspired by Picturing America, a program of the National Endowment of the Humanities. The group included K-12 teachers in music, visual arts, Spanish, social studies, language arts and media specialists and was organized by Robbie Holt (Director of Arts & Humanities) and her team.

Muscogee County School District, an award recipient from the Picturing America Program, had portfolios of posters on great American art. Many teachers have been using these poster sets as tools to introduce students to the best of American arts and humanities. An example is pictured here: Thomas Hart Benton's The Sources of Country Music. The art work was a catalyst for a robust discussion among the teachers that led in directions as diverse as American History, history of American song, origin of musical instruments, transportation, social & economic influences, etc.

The skills teacher's used for this type of responsive and creative analysis were honed by the presentations, demonstrations and activities offered to the group by the three guest instructors. Object-based learning, literature and music as a focus for a sense of place, art and artifacts for increasing observational skills are some examples of the work the group undertook over the two day period.

The major assignment for all the educators attending the Best Practices Institute was to assemble a piece of art or personal artifact that told a family story. The collection of objects created an instant cultural museum and allowed the whole group to become deeply engaged in the applied lessons from two days of intensive work.

The W.C. Bradley Co. in Columbus, Georgia served as the host and location for the Institute. The building that began as a cotton warehouse in 1885 is now a whole block on the National Historic Register and in the second century of adaptive re-use. Susan Wiggins, Vice President for Stakeholder Relations, gave the group of teachers an overview of the history of the company and the buildings. She pointed out the historic photographs on the walls and artifacts (including Mr. Bradley's desk) throughout the building. The highlight of her presentation was the background and guided tour of the W.C. Bradley Co. Centennial Art Collection. After an extensive national search, 21 artists were commissioned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the company by using their art to "document a company, a place, a people, and a place in time." With the historic structures, artifacts and art collection, the W.C. Bradley Co. was the living symbol of the work teachers were undertaking in the Picturing America Best Practices Institute.

About the Instructors

David Johnson is Professor Emeritus from Columbus State University in creative writing and American literature. He is know as a poet and storyteller . His work has been published nationally in juried periodicals and journals.


Kristen S. Hansen is Associate Professor of Music in the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. Dr. Hansen holds the DMA and the MM in Horn Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. She previously received the degree of Bachelor of Music summa cum lunde from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. She plays second horn in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. At Columbus State, Dr. Hansen is an active teacher and site director with study abroad programs in Paris and Oxford. She is currently engaged in writing a music theory text for undergrduate music majors.

Anne R. King is a veteran museum educator, who most recently has focused on developing interpretive guides and web-based interactive learning sites for museum collections and exhibitions. Her interest in American art and culture and in interdisciplinary learning grew through years of programming and interpretive work at the Columbus Museum.


View Slide Show

Resources for Science Education

ADDRESSING GEORGIA'S NEEDS IN THE STEM FIELDS

Ask a Georgia school administrator where they would like support in resources or staffing and the most likely reply will be Science or Math. It has been reported that Georgia will need to produce more than 2,000 middle and high school teachers of life sciences, chemistry, earth science and physics by 2010 to meet the demand in those fields. These subjects reflect the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.According to the Board of Regents statistics for the 2008 academic year, only 90 teachers were prepared as Georgia teachers in these areas.

Here is information on programs and resources that address that need.

TRAINING FOR FUTURE SCIENCE TEACHERS
The National Sciences Foundation recently awarded a grant to Georgia State University to increase the number of science teachers in metro Atlanta schools. The almost $900,000 grant will be used to recruit, prepare and support 36 high quality science educators over the next five years under a program called Impacting Metro-Atlanta Science Teaching (I-MAST). Scholarships will be offered both to undergraduate majors studying in the STEM fields and to graduates who hold degrees in the STEM fields and want to go into teaching the sciences on the secondary level.
The I-MAST program is a collaboration between Georgia State's College of Education, College of Arts and Sciences, Georgia Tech and four Metro-Atlanta public school districts.

GRANT TARGETS STEM TEACHERS
NASA awarded a $3 million grant to Georgia Tech to support a program that will allow Georgia teachers to strengthen their teachings skills in the STEM fields. Georgia Tech's Distance Learning and Professional Education (DLPE) Center for Education Integrating Science, Math and Computing (CEISMC) will take the lead on The Electronic Professional Development Network Grant. The purpose of the program will be to prepare, produce, deliver and evaluate NASA-related online courses, workshops and experiences for the benefit of STEM educators in Georgia and across the nation.

GPB CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS COURSES FOR THE CLASSROOM

Chemistry & Physics consists of two series teaching high school college preparatory chemistry and physics. Chemistry: A Study of Matter and Physics Fundamentals provide instructional content delivered through thirty-minute episodes and integrated classroom materials. Episodes provide content while giving cues for the classroom teacher to pause the program and interact with students, engaging them in discussions, problem-solving, and laboratory activities. Chemistry: A Study of Matter and Physics Fundamentals can be streamed from this site or GPB Education Streaming.

For each unit, daily lesson plans will be provided to help teachers prepare for and pace the lessons. Classroom materials, including note-taking guides to accompany the episodes, worksheets, classroom activities, quizzes, and tests, are available in electronic format. Teachers should call GPB Education at 1.888.501.8960 or email education@gpb.org to request teacher materials.

Opportunity to Apply to the Education Policy Fellowship Program

DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, 2009

The Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) began in 2008 as an initiative of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. EPFP is a professional development program that provides potential leaders with the knowledge and networks to advance the core issues of education policy. Fellows commit to a series of monthly colloquiums, independent study and research and rigourous peer discussions. They use the work environment of their current full-time positions as the context for examining important leadership and policy issues in Georgia.

The EPFP Program is co-sponsored by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia.

View Program Details.

For more information, contact:
Kelley Dean, GA EPFP Coordinator
kdean@gpee.org
404.223.2492

Creating Great Schools: NW Georgia RESA Leadership Conference

Conference Urges Administrators to Take Schools from Good to Great

School is not out for many of the administrators who work in the school systems located in the Northwest corner of Georgia. On June 10 and 11, 2009, the NW Georgia RESA held the 5th Annual Leadership Conference. Superintendents were joined by principals, assistant principals and curriculum staff from the area's K-12 schools, participating in lectures, panel discussions and breakout sessions.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Phil Schlecty (founder - Center for Leadership in School Reform) introduced the topic of Creating Great Schools. He got the audience thinking about trends in educations such as the way technology is making students independent learners, teachers becoming facilitators and designers of instructional experiences rather than just delivering facts, and the shift away from pushing information on to students but rather creating an array of resources that will allow the students to pull what they need and what they are looking for to solve learning challenges.

The second day began with a presentation given by a panel of distinguished principals who spoke to the Leadership Conference theme based upon their career experiences. Panel Members included: Dr. Molly Howard ( NASSP/Met-Life National POY 2008 - Jefferson Co. HS), Dr. Mark Wilson (NASSP/Met-Life National POY 2009 - Morgan Co. HS), Mr. Chuck Bell (Commerce MS, Commerce City Schools), Mr. Kip McLeod (Hahira MS, Lowndes County), Dr. Jolie Harden (Matt Arthur ES, Huston Co.), and Mrs. Diana Mills (Hickory Hills ES, Marietta City).

With 10-12 Break Out Topics per scheduled session, everyone kept moving, studying and networking. There was not much time to enjoy the hospitality of Rome High School's signature benches.

Georgia Public Broadcasting was honored to be included in the list of presenters for the Break Out Sessions. Conference participants attending the two sessions got an overview of GPB's broadcast, web and new media resources designed to support Georgia's learning community.

Rome High School served as the host for the NW Georgia RESA's 5th Annual Leadership Conference.

Colquitt County Teacher Recognized

2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Gwen Desselle was named 2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year at an event held at the Georgia Aquarium on May 15, 2009. Mrs. Desselle is a high school social studies teacher from Colquitt County and a 32-year veteran educator. Her duties during her term will include speaking to the public about the teaching profession, conducting workshops and programs for educators, and serving as an advisor to Superintendent Cox and the Georgia Department of Education.

The Teacher of the Year Award is a competitive process that begins at the level of the individual school and moves to the district then state competition. Nominees are observed in their classroom as part of the application process. The state winner is eligible to compete at the national level.

2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalists

Tiffany Todd, Southeast Bulloch High School, Bulloch County
Dr. Mark Lang, Camden Middle School, Camden County
Michelle Rigsby, BelAir Elementary School, Columbia County
Suzy Besson-Martilotta, Chattahoochee Elementary School
Merrill Boynton-Cheyne, Harris County Carver Middle School, Harris County
Sandy Akin, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, Jackson County
Krista Pearson, Lowndes High School, Lowndes County
Kathie Wood, Marietta Middle School, Marietta City
Jennifer Beckum Irvin, Toombs County High School

Visit the Georgia Department of Education website for the Office of Communications to view more information about Gwen Desselle and Georgia's Teacher of the Year Program.

What Does Success in Schools Look Like?

Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement

At the first Quarterly Board Meeting of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) in Febuary, the topic was school improvement. The tone of the meeting was set by GPEE President Dr. Stephen Dolinger when he asked the opening questions:
*What Does Success Look Like?
*What Are Your Metrics?
*What Are You Measuring?

The presentation, Evidence of Impact: Seeing Bottom Line Results was offered by the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) and three representative school systems in response to the theme raised by Dr. Dolinger's opening questions. Deb Page, GLISI's Senior Executive Director and Senior Practice Leader, provided a history and overview of the organization along with a compelling example of why a connected, sustained leadership training model makes a difference in the success of students and of the entire school community.

Dr. Wendy Ruona from the University of Georgia, spoke next on the research method, Success Case Methodology. In this part of the presentation, Dr. Ruona talked about the factors that make a difference towards change, capturing ways of doing the work, and providing evidence of and stories that point to change.

Three Georgia Superintendents who have worked with GLISI shared stories from their school systems and served on the panel that concluded the GPEE meeting.

View Opening Remarks and Presentations by Deb Page and Wendy Ruona

View Dade County's Definition of Leadership, Dade County Schools, Ms. Patty Priest, Superintendent

View Hancock County's Team-based Improvement of Student Achievement, Hancock County Schools, Dr. Awanna Leslie, Superintendent

View Implementing GLISI Initiatives to Increase the Graduation Rate in Jones County, Jones County Schools, Dr. Jim LeBrun, Superintendent

View Panel and Closing Remarks


Contact the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE)regarding details of the May 5, 2009 Quarterly Board Meeting.



Production Assistance was provided by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).