Archive for 2015
A New Era at E. Rivers Elementary
The newly rebuilt E. Rivers Elementary School is almost 100 years old! I was honored to participate in their ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning, my first ribbon cutting since arriving in the district – it was a historic moment that was not lost on me. During the ceremony we heard from current students, alumni, staff,…
Read MoreGold Crown, Quill and Scroll and Pacemaker Awards Equal Historic Year for the Grady High School Journalism Department
I am so proud of the up and coming journalists at Grady High School. The school’s newspaper, The Southerner, has received the 2015 Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Crown Award! As the former editor of my high school’s newspaper and former photo journalist for an international publication, my love of reporting runs deep, and I can truly…
Read More‘Shout Out’ to our great students, teachers and schools
There are a lot of GREAT things happening in our district. Each month I give “shout outs” to students, staff and volunteers who are helping us with our mission to have every APS student graduate ready for college and career. There is SO MUCH good happening in APS, this may become a weekly blog post!…
Read MoreTeacher Appreciation Day at the High Museum of Art – Saturday, March 21, 2015
APS Teachers, join fellow educators for Teacher Appreciation Day at the High Museum of Art – Saturday, March 21, 2015! This Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., the High Museum of Art is celebrating educators with their annual Teacher Appreciation Day. Teacher Appreciation Day is the High’s “Thank you!” to all of our APS teachers. I am a new member of the…
Read MoreCrim culinary cooks up a win at the Career and Community Leaders regional competition
I am a true foodie and a little bit of a self-taught chef, which is why I’m giving a five-star shout out to our students in the culinary arts program at Crim Open Campus High School. Under the leadership of Chef Larry Alford, they placed 2nd in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)…
Read MoreThank You to the Sullivan Foundation and the City of Selma!
I cannot begin to express how ecstatic and humble I feel. I keep telling myself, family and friends how undeserving I feel to be the first recipient of the Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson Foundation Phoenix Award. There are so many people – people who paved the path … people who walked across the Edmund…
Read MoreGrady Debaters prove themselves to be best in state
As a former high school debater, I know all too well how hard it is to win big at the state level. I would like to give the students, staff and principal of Grady High School a standing ovation for winning this weekend at the Georgia Forensic Championship tournament. The Grady High School Speech and…
Read MoreA big ‘THANK YOU’ to our APS Social Workers
School social workers play a critical role in creating a positive climate in our schools and developing partnerships between a student’s home, school and community. Atlanta Public Schools joins the School Social Work Association of America, March 2-6, in honoring those committed to empowering and assisting families. There are 30 full-time social workers employed with…
Read MorePositioning the District for a New Direction
In my experiences as a superintendent, I have come to believe that where a district puts its money, speaks volumes about what it values—this is why I take the budgeting process so seriously. I spend a great deal of time getting very hands-on and really knowing where we are going to spend our tax dollars.…
Read More$2.7 Million awarded to APS schools!
We have some big literacy news here in APS! The State Board of Education has awarded the Striving Reader Comprehensive Literacy Grant to Atlanta Public Schools. The system will receive $2.7 million to develop and implement a literacy plan at 10 schools that will address the literacy needs of all students beginning in pre-K through…
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