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.

The Adult Education Center was the recipient of the Golden Opportunity Grant offered through the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development. This grant will make it possible for the Center to offer more students core job skills training by preparing them for the job market. Debra Lyons, director, Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, stated,
“These grants will help Georgians reach their career goals, by helping more people improve their core job skills, we can help them get to work and achieve job success.” Janet Edmunds at the Adult Education Center spearheaded the grant application process.

Supt. Fred Sanderson and Classified Employees of the Year Sherryl Harvey, Sandra Bowden, Allan Nash and June Wolfenbarger.

The Cobb County School District and the Cobb Schools Foundation announced the 2009 Classified Employee of the Year awards during the 5th annual celebratory luncheon Sept. 22. 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 Roswell Street Baptist Church, where Superintendent Fred Sanderson announced the District-level award winners. The 2009 School Professional of the Year winners are Sandra Bowden of Shallowford Falls Elementary, Allan “Doc” Nash of McCleskey Middle, and Sherryl Harvey of Sprayberry High. The 2009 Support Professional of the Year is June Wolfenbarger of 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.

Dr. Patti Agatston, prevention specialist for the District’s Prevention/Intervention Center, has been asked to present to the National Telecommunications and Administration’s Online Safety and Technology Working Group in Washington D.C. on September 24th, 2009. Dr. Agatston will be presenting on “Applying a Model of Prevention for At-Risk Youth to Online Safety Education.”

Dr. Agatston co-authored Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age with two colleagues to help combat the growing problem of bullying via the Internet and mobile phone, issues that most parents never had to deal with growing up.

Gary Markham, the District’s music supervisor, is the first recipient of the ‘Excellence in Marching Music Education’ award from the Music Educator’s National Conference and Drum Corps International! The two organizations created the joint award to recognize people who have made a significant contribution to marching music education. Gary was presented with the award this summer at a ceremony in Washington, DC.

The award will be presented twice a year – once during music Education Week in Washington, DC and again at the Drum Corps International Championships in Indianapolis, IN.

Steve Miletto, principal of Osborne High School, has been named one of three finalists for the 2009 National High School Principal of the Year award! Sponsored by MetLife and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the award recognizes principals that excel in educational leadership, resolving complex problems, developing self and others, and community service.

Mr. Miletto and the other program finalists each receive a $1,500 grant, which will be used to promote the advancement of learning opportunities for Osborne students or other related investments such as capital improvements, the purchase of technology-related equipment, or funding specific educational programs. The national winner will receive an additional grant of $3,500.

Mr. Miletto has been at the helm of Osborne High since 2003. A former high school history teacher, Miletto has been in school administration since 1995 having served in Rockdale, Walton, and in Cobb. At Osborne, he has been instrumental in changing the culture of one of the most diverse student populations in Georgia. His accomplishments have gained recognition at both state and national levels.

The CCSD Transportation Department is working fast and furiously to make final adjustments to bus routes for the 2009-10 school year! Officials have communicated with neighborhood representatives and received input via phone calls and e-mail, all of which help maximize the efficiency of the process. With the Aug. 10 start date just a little over a week away, more than 1,300 bus stops have been reinstated since the discussion of the initial routes took place during the July 23 Board of Education meeting. The District expects to reinstate or improve approximately 2,500 stops, based on input from the public. Elementary routes are expected to be final by Friday, July 31. Parents can use the WebQuery system to determine their students’ bus routes.

On Thursday, Jul. 30, Board members David Banks and Lynnda Crowder-Eagle surprised the Transportation Dept. employees with a pizza luncheon to thank them for their hard work on the bus routing.

Both Board members got a chance to talk with CCSD employees and see the facility and equipment firsthand. CCSD Director of Transportation Rick Grisham (pictured above, left) introduced the Board members to his staff.

Sally Vandenbos, Area 1 Consulting Nurse, has been named 2009 School Nurse Administrator of the Year by the Georgia Association of School Nurses. The honor was announced during a surprise ceremony during the Business Meeting of GASN July 13 at the Anderson Conference Center in Macon, GA. The School Nurse Administrator of the Year award recognizes school nurse administrators who excel in clinical practice leadership, administrative leadership, professional development, professional advocacy activities, community involvement and research. Mrs. Vandenbos will represent the state in the competition for the National Award for the National Association of School Nurses.

Mrs. Vandenbos has been with School Health Services since 2002. A former school nurse with Ford Elementary and a former itinerant nurse, Vandenbos is the consulting nurse for Area 1 serving Pebblebrook and South Cobb cluster schools. She is responsible for the supervision, administration and coordination of school health services in her area. Her accomplishments have gained recognition at the state level and she has been a member of NASN for over 5 years.

Jennifer Gates, third grade teacher at Powers Ferry Elementary, is among 200 teachers nationwide selected to attend the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy. The summer academy will be held in Jersey City, NJ and includes teachers from all 50 states. The program allows teachers to expand their math and science skills during a week-long, all-expenses paid professional development program. Gates is a former national journalist and university instructor and is entering her third year at Powers Ferry Elementary, a Title 1 school in Marietta. “Hands-on instruction is the only way to effectively teach subjects like Math and Science; that’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to take part in the Academy. It will allow me to bring back new skills and even more strategies to engage my students.”

Gates is a graduate student at Kennesaw State University’s Bagwell College of Education. In 2005, PGA golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy joined forces with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Math Solutions to create ways for teachers to engage young students in Math and Science. More information is available from ExxonMobil.

Several Cobb teachers took part in a unique professional development exercise June 15-18 as they participated in the District’s Model Teaching Week at Sope Creek Elementary. Essentially a ‘classroom in a classroom,’ Cobb teachers observed a team of expert teachers as they engaged a classroom of Cobb students. Participants alternated between observing in the classroom and attending sessions that expand their professional knowledge base, along with their capacity to provide performance-based learning opportunities. This training supports the district’s focus on differentiated standards based instruction, professional learning communities, and embedded formative assessment.

Three multi-age groups (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) focused on integrated thematic performance based activities, driven by the Georgia Performance Standards for Science. Specific content for the week emphasized using community locations as the starting point for creating curriculum that is naturally integrated. Skills that are often the target of standardized measures are taught in relation to the real-life location and topic under study.

The Model Teaching Week partnership began in 2007 between Clarkdale, Kennesaw Primary, and Varner elementary schools and has grown to include Sope Creek, Acworth Intermediate, Still, and Bryant elementary schools and East Cobb, Lindley, Cooper, and Floyd middle schools.