The Cobb Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011 Teacher IMPACT Grants! The foundation received a record 117 grant applications from teachers, administrators and specialists from across the Cobb County School District. This year, the foundation was able to fund 14 grants totaling more than $20,000 in cash and gifts! The 2011 Teacher IMPACT Grant winners are:

• Vicki Mudd, Campbell HS, “Trout in the Classroom”
• Michelle Kormos, Fair Oaks ES, “Promoting Math & Literacy Skills through Art & Technology Integration”
• Lisa Collins, Floyd MS, “Guitar Heroes in the Art Room”
• J. Bailey & J. Mason, HAVEN, “Implementing Therapeutic Interventions Using iPADS”
• Michael Devault, Osborne HS, “Osborne High School Volunteer Tax Assistance Center”
• Kim Barker, Chalker ES, “Sunday Scholars”
• Lisa McCormick, Hillgrove HS, “Increasing SAT Scores & Participation through School Counseling Program”
• Veronica Crafton, Chalker ES, “Sensory Integration Project”
• Wendy Rouse, Pine Mountain MS, “The DEAFology Project”
• Shawn Hadley, Riverside Intermediate, “Boys-Honor Youth Program of Excellence”
• Lisa Gipson, South Cobb HS, “Money Matters”
• Amy Johnson, Cooper MS, “Articulating Foundational Math Concepts Through Animation”
• Sandra Null, McEachern HS, “EKG – An Advanced Skill for Advanced Students”
• Laura Layde, Lewis ES, “Keeping It Green the Rain Barrel Way”

The Cobb Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, rewarding and enhancing the schools, staff and students of Cobb County School District. Grants are only made possible through fund raising efforts and generous contributions to the Foundation. For more information, or to make a donation, please visit www.cobbschoolsfoundation.org.

Classified Employees of the Year Deborah Buckley, David Hugg, Tony Conner and Sandra Collins were honored during a special luncheon.

The Cobb County School District and the Cobb Schools Foundation announced the 2010 Classified Employee of the Year awards during the 6th annual celebratory luncheon Sept. 14. The awards honor three school professionals at each academic level, as well as a support professional from one of the District’s operational divisions, that have made significant contributions to his or her school.

Honorees from each school and facility joined members of the Board of Education and District officials at NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, where Superintendent Fred Sanderson announced the District-level award winners. The 2010 School Professional of the Year winners are Deborah Buckley, media paraprofessional at Shallowford Falls Elementary; David Hugg, head custodian at McClure Middle, and Sandra Collins, school secretary at Harrison High. The 2010 Support Professional of the Year is Tony Conner, technology services specialist for Food & Nutrition Services.

All four Classified Employees of the Year were welcomed at the ceremony by the Board of Education, Superintendent Fred Sanderson, and representatives from the Cobb Schools Foundation. Each winner receives a commemorative crystal bowl, as well as a cash award from the Foundation.

Cobb Teachers of the Year Chris James of Osborne High, Lisa Tatum of Lost Mountain Middle, and Kathy O’Hara-Rosa of Clarkdale Elementary, were honored between halves at the Atlanta Beat’s August 28 match in Kennesaw!  The three honorees and their families were the guests of honor during the game, enjoying the soccer match from the Ed Voyles Automotive suite!  Ed Voyles Automotive Group is a member of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and an active sponsor of the Give Our Schools a Hand! program. During next month’s community pep rally, each of the three District Teachers of the Year will draw to learn which Ed Voyles car they’ll drive for the next year!  A special allotment of tickets were provided to benefit the Cobb Schools Foundation, which provides scholarships for Cobb students and grants to Cobb teachers.

The Cobb Schools Foundation and Barnes and Noble are teaming up to present “Cobb Schools Bookapalooza!” The weeklong event held at all three Cobb County Barnes and Noble locations, kicks off June 14-18 and benefits Cobb schools, students and teachers.

Exciting storytimes, special events and daily door prizes are planned each day throughout the week at all three Barnes and Noble locations. Events and sponsors include story time with The Atlanta Opera, mini SAT Prep classes presented by The Princeton Review, “Ballerinas and Buccaneers” High Tea on the High Seas presented by Georgia Ballet and Theatre in the Square, storytime and player greeting with the Atlanta Beat soccer team, visit from the Atlanta Thrashers mascot “Thrash,” author visits and Friday night Music and Mayhem with rock bands and Twilight Trivia! Other sponsors include Credit Union of Georgia, World of Coca Cola and Scarlett on the Square. All events are free of charge.

“We are excited to be partnering up with Barnes and Noble and all our many sponsors to promote summer reading for our students in Cobb County. We hope everyone will come out with their families, enjoy the many events and activities planned during the week and support our schools,” stated Sheri Brante, Foundation Executive Director.

A portion of the sales during the week benefits the Foundation. Simply mention you are shopping to support Cobb Schools at the register. You can also support Cobb Schools by shopping online at www.barnesandnoble.com during the week and enter Bookfair ID #10204428 at checkout.

The Cobb Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, rewarding and enhancing the schools, staff and students of Cobb County School District. Proceeds from the event will help to fund Foundation programs including grants to teachers, scholarships to graduating seniors, After School Program scholarships to kids in need and so much more.

For more information about the Foundation and to view an updated list of Bookapalooza events scheduled at your local Barnes and Noble, please visit www.cobbschoolsfoundation.org.

View the Bookapalooza! event schedule in Adobe PDF format.

The Wachovia bank at Merchants Walk in east Cobb celebrated its grand re-opening Apr. 13, with a crowd of community supporters on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. During the ceremony, Wachovia awarded $20,000 grant to the Cobb Schools Foundation to support the District’s successful Project 2400 SAT test preparation program! Superintendent Fred Sanderson, Board of Education members David Banks and Dr. John Crooks, foundation executive director Sheri Brante and Walton High School student Lawton Willingham accepted the grant from Wachovia community bank president Mindy Mercaldo shortly after the bank honored its first customer in the newly-remodeled facility.

Project 2400, a strategic partnership between the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Cobb County and Marietta City school districts, was created in 2006 to provide an intensive SAT preparation course for students during their junior year of high school.

Leaders from Cobb’s business and government sectors were on hand for the festivities, including Cobb Chamber of Commerce chair Rob Garcia (pictured above left), Walton High principal Judy McNeill, Cobb County commissioner Bob Ott and former commissioner Sam Olens. Garcia discussed the importance of community investment into education and praised the continued development of the Merchants Walk shopping center as a hub for commerce and community.

Walton student Lawton Willingham helped cut the ribbon marking the grand re-opening of the Wachovia branch. Willingham is one of 751 Cobb students that participated in Project 2400 in 2009, at no cost to them or their families.  Of the students who took both the initial diagnostic test and the SAT, 90 percent scored higher by 10-750 points. The average score increase from the first diagnostic test to the SAT was 166 points, with an average score for all participants of 1517.

The Cobb Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the 2010 Foundation Scholarship recipients! The following individuals will each receive a $1,000 college scholarship to the institution of their choice. These students will be recognized at the Cobb County Board of Education meeting on Thursday, April 22.

Allatoona High – Brittany Alfieri & Samuel Ward
Campbell High – Nisha Raj Bhat & Sallie Lu
Harrison High – Elizabeth Bickley & Margaret Bickley
Hillgrove High – Zachary Siwik & Claire Wilkins
Kell High – Anya Skomorokhova & Hema Patel
Kennesaw Mt High – Jessica Wright & Corinne Coogan
Lassiter High – Zachary Morgan & Rebecca Bowden
McEachern High – Omorinsola Ashiru
North Cobb High – Caley Trujillo & Matthew Atkinson
Oakwood High – Shaniece Young
Osborne High – Maria Rios & Breyon Phillips
Pebblebrook High – Kori Burrell & Chandler Converse
Pope High – Yuqian Xie & Rebecca Pope
South Cobb High – Jessica York & Orayne Mullings
Sprayberry High – Sara Blevins & Robert Bailey, Jr.
Walton High – Abhijeeth Ramesh & Matthew Gotschall
Wheeler High – Taylor Revere & Pranay Udutha

Established in 1999, the Cobb County Public Schools Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing enhanced educational opportunities to students & educators in Cobb County’s public schools and centers. Recognized as a supporting organization to the Cobb County School District, the Foundation is overseen by a Board of Trustees approved by the Board of Education. The Foundation works closely with community leaders from the public and private sector to secure financial support for a variety of programs that strengthen the quality of public education and build a partnership for education.

Project 2400, a strategic partnership between the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Cobb County and Marietta City school districts, continues to help Cobb students improve their SAT test performance! Project 2400 was created in 2006 by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, providing an intensive SAT preparation course for students during their junior year of high school.

In 2009, 751 Cobb students participated in Project 2400 at no cost to them or their families. Of the students who took both the initial diagnostic test and the SAT, 90 percent scored higher by 10-750 points. The average score increase from the first diagnostic test to the SAT was 166 points, with an average score for all participants of 1517.

The Board of Education and Cobb Schools Foundation welcomed and recognized some of the program’s most improved students during the Oct. 22 Board meeting, including:

Rebecca Sellmann, Allatoona
Susan Lee, Campbell
Casey Hofmann, Campbell
Caitlin Dunnington, Harrison
Bradley Clements, Harrison
Lauren Bovard, Hillgrove
Ian Ritter, Kell
Jhanna Garcia, Kell
Dianna Nord, Kennesaw Mountain
Rachelle Eljazzar, Lassiter
Alex Kinnebrew, McEachern
Sarahi Zaldumbide, North Cobb
Johanna Blakeslee, North cobb
Cory Spears, Osborne
Ashlee Allen, Osborne
Gloria Oduyoye, Pebblebrook
Kori Burrell, Pebblebrook
Jonathan Klein, Pope
Natalie Bronner, Pope
Chelseay Parks, South Cobb
Rebecca Orfe, Sprayberry
Jinsol Hwang, Sprayberry
Lawton Willingham, Walton
Jonathan Gopel, Wheeler
Nowa Ajayi,Wheeler

WXIA ‘11 Alive’ and The School Box brought truckloads of school supplies donated by the Atlanta-area community to Ewing Road Baptist Church Sept 29. Families in the Austell area displaced by last week’s record rains and flooding were welcomed with smiling faces and brand new folders, backpacks, pencils, paper and other school materials for students. Superintendent Fred Sanderson and WXIA president and general manager Bob Walker were both on hand, greeting parents, students, teachers and volunteers. The outpouring of care and concern for students at Clarkdale Elementary and other Cobb schools has been tremendous, with thousands of pounds of donated supplies collected over the past week.

WXIA had full coverage of the event on their evening broadcast, available for viewing below:

The Cobb Schools Foundation continues to accept monetary and gift card donations to benefit schools affected by the floods. The foundation’s secure donation Web site accepts credit/debit cards. Cash, check or gift card donations may be mailed to: Cobb Schools Foundation, 514 Glover St. Marietta, GA 30060. All contributions are tax-deductible. The biggest needs for Clarkdale classrooms can be met through donations of gift cards from retailers such as:

• The School Box
• Walmart, Target, Kmart
• OfficeMax, Staples, Office Depot

The foundation asks that donations of household goods, clothing bedding, etc. be made at MUST Ministries in Marietta.

The Cobb Schools Foundation announced the winners of the 2009 Foundation Academic Scholarships at the April 23 meeting of the Board of Education. The Foundation annually awards two $1,000 scholarships to recipients at each of the 15 high schools in the Cobb County School District. The winners are:

Campbell High School – Priya Patel, Asia Ellington
Harrison High School – Lauren O’Connor, Hannah King
Hillgrove High School – Kelton Buchanan, Abigail Keifer
Kell High School – Robert Arp, Nicole Caruso
Kennesaw Mt High School – Karl Celeste, Jenna Lattanzi
Lassiter High School – Justin Molinaro, Heather Dunham
McEachern High School – Victoria Jackson, Jessica Cayce
North Cobb High School – Rashaida Melvin, Toni Dawkins
Osborne High School - Catherine Bioc, An Hoang Vo
Pebblebrook High School – Kimberly Tobar, Taylor Crouch
Pope High School – Derek Ponticelli, Brenna Humphries
South Cobb High School – Chelsea Smith, Courtney Whitmire
Sprayberry High School – Matthew Saylor, John Mezzanotte
Walton High School – Yida Gao, Andy Zhang
Wheeler High School – Hena Haines, Michael Delvin

The foundation also announced the winners of the Tippins Scholarship, a $1,500 scholarship for outstanding seniors in each Board Post 1 high school. The scholarship is funded by former Post 1 Board member Lindsey Tippins, who served Cobb for more than a decade. The winners are:

Harrison High School – Jared Ciervo
Hillgrove High School – Mir Isaamullah
Kennesaw Mountain High School – Sharon Pae
McEachern High School – Shayla Appleby
North Cobb High School – Jay Lad