Spring has sprung and so have the beautiful red tulips planted by Bullard Elementary School in for the national PTA’s Red Ribbon Week. In October 2012, Bullard students, teachers and administrators planted 1,000 red tulips on the school grounds, symbolizing their commitment to “Say No to Drugs.” Each student had an opportunity to dig a hole in the prepared soil and plant their bulb as they reflected on their pledge. Months went by and the long anticipated spring has brought new life to the campus.

“My students pass the tulips every day,” said Kindergarten teacher Bonnie Adams. “They have been so excited to see their flowers bloom and are so proud.”

Bullard Elementary, located on Old Stilesboro Rd., marks its 10th year anniversary this year.

The staff and students of Mableton Elementary invites the Cobb County community to attend the building dedication ceremony Sunday, April 21, from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. The new Mableton Elementary building replaced the former school that existed on the same site from 1952 to spring 2012. One of the many capital projects funded by SPLOST III, the new Mableton Elementary is a state-of-the-art, contemporary school facility that nearly doubled the capacity of the previous building.

Check out videos from the Timber Ridge Elementary READioactive challenge, a month-long program encouraging students to read for fun! Timber Ridge students spent almost 4,000 hours reading during the month of March, in advance of the school book fair.

The Marietta Daily Journal also covered the READioactive event [subscription required].

UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS!

Cobb County schools joined in the fun of Read Across America Day on Friday, March 1. For 16 years, this nationwide celebration of literacy has taken place on or around March 2, the birthday of famed children’s author Dr. Seuss. The National Education Association launched Read Across America to foster a love of reading in our nation’s youth.

Many Cobb schools welcomed special guest readers from the community and held special, literacy-focused events. We’ll update the gallery of images from Read Across America in Cobb as we receive them!

International Baccalaureate French teacher Mrs. Svetoslava Dimova coordinated a week-long visit between Campbell High School students and French visitors from Charles Jully High School in Lorraine, France. Mrs. Dimova was one of seven teachers in metro Atlanta selected for the collaborative project as part of a Georgia Department of Education exchange program. In 2010, Campbell High School hosted a French student ambassador and signed an official Memorandum of Understanding. Initial collaboration began between a 2010-2011 junior IB class and an English language class in Saint-Avold, France.

Since that time, junior and senior International Baccalaureate French classes from Campbell High School have exchanged e-mails, done cultural and linguistic research, produced Power Point presentations, and created films. Projects were shared between groups during videoconferences.

During spring 2012, Campbell students were hosted by their French counterparts where they were immersed in French culture and language. They attended the Charles Jully High School and stayed with French families in the Lorraine area.

In return for their hospitality, twenty-two French students from the Academy of Nancy-Metz visited Campbell High School for a week and stayed with local families. They spent time in classrooms and participated in extracurricular activities.

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, a luncheon was held in the Campbell High School Media Center welcoming the visitors and their special guests. Dignitaries attending the event were (from left to right): Dr. Cheryl Hungerford, Cobb County Deputy Superintendent for Leadership and Learning, Mme. Stephanie Dehove, Assistant Principal of the Charles Jully High School in France, Dr. Greg Barfield, Georgia Department of Education Program Specialist for International Affairs, Dr. Denise Magee, Principal of Campbell High School, Susan Wilkinson, City of Smyrna Councilwoman for Ward 5, and Max Bacon, Mayor of the City of Smyrna. Also attending the event with Mrs. Dimova was Mr. Dan Penick, Director of the Campbell High School International Baccalaureate Program.

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, the French students and their chaperones toured downtown Atlanta, visited the Martin Luther King Center, and went to the Lockheed Martin plant. On Thursday, French and American students shared film presentations that they had created for the visit.

Friday afternoon, the guests had dinner in the Smyrna Village, followed by a theater show presented by the Campbell High School Drama Department. Other weekend activities included sightseeing with parent volunteers and enjoying a Potluck Supper.

Submitted by Becky Robinson, Campbell High School

The Hillgrove High School Foundation will host the third annual Performing for the Dream benefit Feb. 22, featuring legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley as guest speaker.

In addition to hearing inspiring words from Coach Dooley, attendees will enjoy feature performances from the visual and performing arts students of Hillgrove High School’s Fine Arts Department. General Admission tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the door or by visiting the Hillgrove Foundation website.

A limited number of 50 VIP tickets will be available, which include an hour long meet-and-greet with Coach Dooley and light hors d’oeuvres starting at 6 p.m. VIP Tickets must be reserved at Hillgrove High School at 4165 Luther Ward Rd. Powder Springs GA 30127, or by contacting 678-331-3961.

The Hillgrove Foundation is a philanthropic organization of Hillgrove High School dedicated to raising funds to support the students of Hillgrove High School in Academics, Arts, and Athletics.

The Cobb School Counselor Association, in conjunction with the Prevention/Intervention Center,  hosted its annual mini-conference on Friday, Feb. 8 with the theme Extreme Makeover: School Counselor Edition. More than 250 school counselors participated in the professional development conference, which included topics ranging from Helping Students with ADHD to Bullying in the Digital Age.

A number of exhibitors were on hand with booths set up to provide counselors with extra resources. The mini-conference concluded the District’s celebration of National School Counseling Week Feb. 4-8.

Submitted by Laquita Hardimon, Professional School Counselor, Cheatham Hill Elementary

Lassiter students Abbi Ferrier, Nik Green, and Catherine Pizza participated in the 'Red Out.'

Lassiter High School’s Sports Information Department recently teamed up with The American Heart Association to promote healthy heart awareness and to raise money in the fight against heart disease with a “Red Out” for the Feb. 1 varsity basketball games vs. Woodstock. Lassiter students showed up at the Lassiter gym wearing “Rock the Beat” t-shirts and raised more than $600 for the American Heart Association.

For updates on Lassiter athletics schedules, scores, insider information, and a recap of the Red Out – please follow @LassiterSports on Twitter.

The Kennesaw Mountain High School PTSA is hosting a job fair Friday, Feb. 22 to connect local businesses with KHMS students for summer employment, year-round jobs or internships.

The job fair will take place in the KMHS courtyard from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 22. Interested businesses may reserve a presentation spot at the job fair by visiting http://www.tinyurl.com/kmhsjobfair.

Download a flyer for the KHMS Job Fair.

CCSD 2013 Elementary Science Fair Winners

The competition was fierce at the third annual Cobb County School District Elementary Science Fair, held Saturday, Feb. 2 at Kennesaw Mountain High School. More than 140 students entered projects in the fair; 16 went home winners, including Grand Prize Winner, 9-year-old Oliver Long, fourth grader at Murdock Elementary.
Three times the number of students entered the fair this year over last year, showing that word is getting out about the quality and importance of science at the elementary level, as well as the interest of students in hands-on learning.

Submitted by Jennifer Gates, Academic Coach, Norton Park Elementary School