The 800 Club at the Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Math, and Technology at Wheeler High School has just welcomed its 100th member! The 800 club is comprised of students who have scored a perfect 800 on one or more sections of the SAT . The club started with the Class of 2004, and its most recent members come from the class of 2014. Anirudh Udutha’s perfect 800 scores on Critical Reading and Math made him the 100th student to join the club. Approximately 10% of all Wheeler Magnet students make it into the 800 Club.

Wheeler also has a Club 36 for students who have scored a perfect 36 on one or more sections of the ACT. Club 36 currently has 34 members.

The 800 Club is advised by Magnet Coordinator Dr. Tiffany Stark and includes the following members for 2012-2013:

Class of 2013
Matthew Alber – Math
Haley Booker-Lauridson – Critical Reading
Mina Ezikpe – Critical Reading
Jenny Guo – Math
Daniel Grey – Math
Kevin Han – Critical Reading & Writing
Andrew Johnson – Critical Reading & Math
Josue Luna – Math
John Mains – Critical Reading
Kaitlyn Murdock – Math & Writing
Alan Peters – Math
Sneha Sareddy – Math & Writing
Pranav Shenoy – Critical Reading
Snehitha Reddy – Math
Lucy Zhang – Critical Reading & Math

Class of 2014
Anirudh Udutha – Critical Reading & Math
Emily Maloney – Math
Sina Monfared – Math

Twenty-five Cobb County schools are among 824 Georgia Title I Distinguished Schools recognized by the Georgia Department of Education during its January meeting. The program is designed to honor high-performing Title I schools that receive additional federal funding and services to support economically disadvantaged students. To earn the Title I Distinguished School designation a school must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for three consecutive school years. Schools that make AYP four or more consecutive years receive a monetary award, paid from federal Title I funds.

The Cobb 2012 Title I Distinguished Schools are as follows:
Argyle Elementary
Austell Primary
Austell Intermediate
Birney Elementary
Brown Elementary
Brumby Elementary
Bryant Elementary
Clarkdale Elementary
Clay Elementary
Cooper Middle
Dowell Elementary
Griffin MIddle
Harmony-Leland Elementary
LaBelle Elementary
Lindley Middle
Mableton Elementary
McCall Primary
Milford Elementary
Norton Park Elementary
Powers Ferry Elementary
Riverside Primary
Sanders Elementary
Sedalia Park Elementary
Sky View Elementary
Tapp Middle

Alice Rue Yea Yeh has been chosen as the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) to represent the Cobb County School District Adult Education Center at the EAGLE Leadership Institute, February 13-15, 2012. The Leadership Institute recognizes and honors those students who have demonstrated superior achievement in adult education classes and programs.

EAGLE is the first statewide program in the nation that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in adult education programs. This student recognition program is designed to create greater awareness of educational opportunities that are available in local communities across the state and to foster greater involvement in lifelong learning pursuits.

The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), through its Office of Adult Education (OAE), sponsors the annual Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Leadership Institute. The Cobb/Paudling Adult Education Center provides Adult Basic Education Pre-GED classes, Adult High School, General Education Development (GED) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for students 16 and older not enrolled a conventional high school program.

Fifty-three students from nine Cobb high schools are among the 16,000 semifinalists for the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program! These seniors now have an opportunity to compete for the 8,400 National Merit Scholarships that will be offered in Spring 2011. Cobb’s National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are:

Allatoona High School
Jason S. Johnston

Campbell High School
Joan K. Bedinger
Gabriel D. Denis
Connie M. Lu
Jiwon Park

Harrison High School
Emily A. Nedvidek
Glenn T. Shrum

Kell High School
Haley G. Huang
John M. Williams

Kennesaw Mountain High School
Stephen V. Camp
Joseph A. Celeste
Bailey E. Ernstes
Jennifer M. Hwang
Daniel P. Valdez

Lassiter High School
Jeffrey S. Allen
Guido Bacce
Christopher R. Hauser
John W. Landers

Pope High School

Elizabeth N. Aslinger
Warren S. Ma
John J. Shula
Sarah E. Waye

Walton High School
Abubakar Abid
Varija Agarwal
Ryan D. Barr
Jonathan R. Bauer
Jay V. Dasigi
Meghan K. Davenport
Lirong Fu
Manasa Gummadi
Nolan M. Hackett
Andrew M. Hallacy
Zenas Y. Han
Lauren T. Heffelfinger
Emily A. Hornberger
Michael H. Joh
Alexander V. Letov
Alex M. Li
Kameel Mir
Allen S. Park
Jack C. Roberts
Jason Yu

Wheeler High School
Anthony E. Altshul
Katherine A. Burlas
Matthew J. Hagerty
Michelle Lee
Cara E. Mayberry
Alexander D. McIntyre
Jacob C. Moxley
Robert J. O’Neal
Jason J. Rodencal
Conrad J. Rybka
Ethan C. Seville

The number of semifinalists named in each state is in proportion to its percentage of the national total of high school graduating seniors and is based on performance on the 2009 Preliminary SAT (PSAT). To be considered for a Merit Scholarship, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. To become a finalist, the student must have a record of high performance during high school, earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance and receive a recommendation from his or her principal. The semifinalist and a school counselor work together to submit a detailed scholarship application, which also requires a written essay and details about the student’s involvement in school and the community.

The non-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) will announce the program finalists in April 2011. Approximately half of the finalists will go on to win one 8,400 National Merit Scholarship awards, earning the Merit Scholar title.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship, visit www.nationalmerit.org.

Brienne Gordon, student at the Cobb County Performance Learning Center (PLC) was one of just nine students recognized in the statewide Student Achievement Month (SAM) contest from Communites in Schools! Brienne competed against more than 300 students from 17 Georgia counties for scholarships and prizes valued up to $1,000. Gordon and the other winners were recognized by parents, educators and elected officials during a special luncheon Mar. 11.

Student Achievement Month provides an opportunity for at-risk youth to excel through a month-long contest in four competitive categories (public speaking, written expression, computer technology, and creative expression). The contest helps students set and achieve new goals, gain confidence, and understand the importance of succeeding in school. SAM is a multi-level competition. Community leaders judge local entries. Georgia college representatives decide regional winners and Atlanta business leaders and media choose state winners.

Gordon’s creative expression entry depicted how she has gone from a troubled youth who was failing and on her way to dropping out of school to a senior who can’t wait to graduate and enter the Savannah College of Art and Design. “My grade point average is not where it should be but I’ve made a tremendous amount of progress. Without my graduation coach and CIS/PLC, I would never have thought that graduating would even be a possibility,” Gordon commented. According to Gordon, it was the small non-traditional school and caring environment of the PLC that helped her realize that graduating and continuing her education will allow her to have a successful future.

Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization. CIS partners with local school districts to unify community resources that empower at-risk youth to compete in a global workforce. The CIS model promotes student achievement by meeting the unique needs of each youth, which might entail providing social services, mentoring, after-school tutoring, and other activities. Third-party experts validated that the CIS model is one of only a few programs that reduces dropout rates and increases student achievement, which leads to stronger economies and communities.

Lucero Alejandra Garcia has been chosen to represent the Adult Education Center at the EAGLE Leadership Institute February 10-12, 2010.  The Leadership Institute recognizes and honors those students who have demonstrated superior achievement in adult education classes and programs.

EAGLE is the first statewide program in the nation that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in adult education programs.  This student recognition program is designed to create greater awareness of educational opportunities that are available in local communities across the state and to foster greater involvement in lifelong learning pursuits.

The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), through its Office of Adult Education (OAE), sponsors the annual Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Leadership Institute.

Grace Tiao, 23, a graduate of the Wheeler High School Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, and Technology, was named one of 32 Rhodes Scholars. Ms. Tiao will receive a scholarship to study math and statistics at the University of Oxford in England. According to her bio, Ms. Tiao graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 2008 with concentrations in English and American literature and language, and history and science. An environmental scientist, she was manager of a 2008-2009 expedition on ecosystem biodiversity in Antarctica, working with a New Zealand university. Grace also was features editor for The Harvard Advocate, Harvard’s literary magazine, an editor and a staff writer for the Harvard Science Review, and is first violin in the Harvard Baroque Chamber orchestra. She has also interned for The Paris Review.

More information about Ms. Tiao’s Rhodes Scholarship is available in coverage from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

More information about the Wheeler High School Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, and Technology is available on the District Web site.

Wheeler High School senior Darpan Patel was recently highlighted on ajc.com’s ‘Get Schooled’ blog. Patel is a student at Wheeler’s magnet program, the Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, and Technology and is active in many extracurricular activities at the school.

Patel is one of only three regional finalists from Georgia in the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. The competition recognizes remarkable talent early on, fostering individual growth for high school students who are willing to challenge themselves through science research. Through this competition, students have an opportunity to achieve national recognition for science research projects that they complete in high school.

Floyd Middle School’s students, staff, and community celebrated two years of academic success with a pep rally Oct. 16! Board of Education member Holli Cash and Area Assistant Superintendent Ed Thayer praised students for their past success and encouraged their continued effort. South Cobb High School Principal Ashley Hosey and the SCHS senior class and student council presidents spoke to the Floyd student body about continuing what they’ve started as they move closer to high school. The Osborne Cardinal drumline, directed by Michael Reid, gave an outstanding performance that brought students to their feet!

After the pep rally, students were provided with treats, courtesy of the PTSA and Publix. Floyd has good reason to celebrate the success and continued growth at the school, a result of the hard work and dedication of the entire community.

Principal David Chiprany and several Wheeler faculty members enjoyed the student achievement celebration cookout Oct. 2.

Wheeler High School celebrated outstanding student achievement at a faculty cookout October 2. SAT scores jumped 66 points from the year prior; Juniors met AYP and raised the bar with percentage of students passing at 96.7 percent in English, 89.9 percent in Math, 94 percent in Science, and 95 percent in Social Studies. AP Test statistics were also impressive with 304 more AP tests taken than the year prior, not to mention an increase of passing students by 5.7 percent.