The Lassiter High dance team performed at the opening ceremonies for the Cobb Special Olympics Jan. 16. The event took place at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta.

This year’s theme was: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

The Georgia Department of Education recently named 13 Cobb schools Title I Distinguished Schools for 2008-09. These schools are considered models for schools identified for improvement with similar demographics. Recognition is based on the number of years a school makes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under federal No Child Left Behind guidelines. Schools that have made AYP for three consecutive years receive a certificate of recognition. Schools that have made AYP for four or more years will receive the certificate, as well as a monetary award.

Cobb’s Title I Distinguished Schools are: Austell Intermediate, Austell Primary, Birney Elementary, Brown Elementary, Clarkdale Elementary, Garrett Middle, Harmony-Leland Elementary, Mableton Elementary, Powers Ferry Elementary, Russell Elementary, Sanders Elementary, Sedalia Park Elementary and Sky View Elementary.

Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students at these schools for their exemplary work.

On Friday, Jan. 16, students in Mrs. Riggins’s and Mrs. Rann’s classes at Pickett’s Mill Elementary were treated to story time with some special guest readers. Superintendent Fred Sanderson, Board of Education Post 1 member Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, and Acworth mayor Tommy Allegood each shared exciting books with the two fourth grade classes.

Longtime Wheeler High School baseball coach David McDonald has been elected to the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. His induction will take place at the BCA National Convention in Tucson, AZ on Dec. 9, 2009.

Coach McDonald is in his 30th year at the helm of the Wildcats baseball team, with a spectacular 480-286 record. His teams have made six state playoff appearances and have won seven regional championships. McDonald has also been involved with USA Baseball, coaching the Gold Medal-winning team in 2000 and serving as trials coach from 1997-1999.

More information about the BOA Hall of Fame and Coach McDonald is available at www.baseballcoaches.org.

The South Cobb High School Blue Eagle Marching Band braved bitterly cold temperatures in Washington, D.C. and a delay that lasted several hours to deliver a memorable performance in the inaugural parade for President Barack Obama. Click on the links below to read further media coverage of the band’s involvement.

South Cobb Students Return Home (WXIA-TV)

South Cobb Students Return From Inauguration (Fox 5 Atlanta)

WSB-TV Reporter Eric Phillips blogs about his experience with the band

Atlanta Journal-Constitution photo gallery

More links and photos will be added throughout the week.

A variety of media sources, both local and national, are covering the involvement of the South Cobb High School Marching Band in the Inaguration of President Barack Obama. Click on the links below to read the coverage:

New York Times photo essay by David Banks

WSB-TV Channel 2, with reporter and photographer embedded with the SCHS band

Marietta Daily Journal, with reporter Talia Mollett embedded with the SCHS band

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, photo gallery

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, feature story

Congratulations to Lovinggood Middle School and Belmont Hills Elementary School, winners of $200 environmental mini-grants from Keep Cobb Beautiful. The purpose of the mini-grant project is to increase awareness about the environment through hands-on learning activities to improve and beautify the outdoor environment and increase recycling in Cobb County.

Both schools will use the funds for outdoor environmental improvement projects such as outdoor classrooms, discovery trails, National Wildlife Federation habitat certification, sensory or educational gardens, beautification projects or recycling programs.

Jasaes Hardaway was a student in Shannon Young and Carol Burrow’s kindergarten class at Powder Springs Elementary School during the 2007 – 2008 school year.  He was a quiet boy, but he became particularly withdrawn around the holidays.  When asked what was wrong, he said that his father was in the Army and would be deployed to Iraq soon for a very long time.  The students in Ms. Young and Mrs. Burrow’s class sent Jasaes’ father going away cards.  Sergeant 1^st Class Hardaway was very moved by the students’ well-wishes. On Friday, January 9, 2009, Sergeant 1^st Class Timothy Hardaway of the 10^th Mount Division presented Powder Springs Elementary School with an American flag that was flown over the Headquarters of the Multi-National Corps in Baghdad, Iraq on October 20, 2008.What started as a small gesture to help one student has resulted in a huge honor for an entire school community.

Mrs. Darlene H. Mitchell, principal of Powder Springs Elementary school introduced Sergeant 1^st Class Timothy Hardaway to the student body and staff of the school.  She stated that Sergeant Hardaway would like to make a special presentation to our school. Although Sergeant Hardaway was being deployed to Baghdad on the same day, he still took time out of his schedule to present the flag to Powder Springs Elementary School.

Sergeant Hardaway told of how he put the cards on his wall in Iraq and would read them everyday.  The cards helped him to make it through all the tough times in Iraq.  He presented the flag and certificate to the school.  He ended by expressing his appreciation of the small gesture and thanked all the students.

Jasaes took the stage and thanked his fellow classmates for thinking of his dad and making the cards for him last year.  He told the crowd that his dad was leaving for Iraq today and presented his dad with cards from his current 1^st grade class.  Sergeant Hardaway will add these to his wall of cards.

Mrs. Darlene H. Mitchell ended the ceremony by thanking Sergeant Hardaway for his service and dedication to our country and reminded us all that the little things in life we do can make a huge impact on others.

BusinessWeek.com included Wheeler High School in its recent list of ‘America’s Best High Schools’ for the state of Georgia. Wheeler was listed as the GreatSchools’s Parent’s Choice school for public schools, based on parent ratings and recommendation from the GreatSchools.net Web site.

GreatSchools is a nonprofit organization that rates schools and provides an online community for parents. BusinessWeek.com partnered with the group to develop the list, which also identifies schools with the Best Overall Academic Performance, the Best Improved school and Best Low-Income school.

During the holidays, Varner Elementary collected money and care package items from students and staff members to send to the military members of our Varner families serving our country far from home. The students and staff sent four overstuffed cartons to four soldiers that included cards, pictures and letters from Varner students.

One solider wrote back to Varner, thanking the school for remembering them during the holidays.

Lt. Col. William J. Sprayberry, USAFR, wrote:

I was totally surprised when my guys made a mail run and came back with a large box for me. We were overwhelmed with the box of food, hygiene items, and cards and letters. Many of these items cannot be obtained over here. My Counterintelligence unit is not very large, so I shared our bounty with our Iraqi Arabic linguists and the soldiers in our sister unit in Camp Habbaniyah on the Euphrates River. All were very grateful for the items the Varner students sent us. Please convey our sincere appreciation to the students that wrote to us and let me know which class they are in.

Sincerely,
William J. Sprayberry, Lt Col USAFR (ret)
Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq