Patch Politics

Obama Rocks Morehouse in the Rain

The live coverage is over, but replay the live blog to see what all the hype was about.

President Barack Obama gave the 129th commencement address speech on a wet and rainy Sunday afternoon, May 19th, at Morehouse College. Obama began his remarks to an excited yet wet crowd,most of whom had been seated as early as 6 am. at approximately 11:30 am. The sky opened just before the speech began, and the crowd was treated to a steady downpour throughout. Obama quipped that, “I would be out there with you, but the Secret Service gets nervous.” Obama was greeted with a big cheer when he emerged from a building adjacent to the stage with Morehouse College president John Silvanus Wilson, a former White House aide. The invocation was given by Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous church. …

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Holy Innocents' Holds Graduation Ceremony, Saturday

Valedictorian of the class, which includes 97 members, is Kendall Rose Jackson of Marietta. The Sandy Springs graduate will attend Harvard University in the fall.

Four Riverwood Students Selected for Governor’s Honors Program

The Sandy Springs students will participate in a four-week summer program from June 23 – July 20.

  Four students Riverwood International Charter School have been selected for Georgia’s 2013 Governor’s Honors Program - Jonah Blumenthal for Visual Arts Cailin Kellum for Chemistry, Sun Young (David) Kim for Mathematics and Kimia Shahrokhi for Visual Arts. Of the 3,000 students interviewed or auditioned across the state this year, nearly 700 have been selected as finalists. Riverwood’s finalists will participate in a four-week summer program from June 23 – July 20. The remaining semi-finalists are designated as alternates for the program. The Governor’s Honors Program, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is a residential summer program for intellectually gifted and artistically talented high school juniors and seniors. A function …

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Sandy Springs Schools to Benefit From $224,550 Award for Breakfast Program

Using grant funds, Woodland and Mimosa will offer ‘Breakfast in the Classroom,’ a program where students pick up a bagged breakfast from the cafeteria and take it to their classroom to eat before the school day begins.

  Woodland and Mimosa Elementary, in Sandy Springs and Roswell, are among schools that will directly benefit from a grant for breakfast programs in schools with a high need. Fulton County Schools will receive more than $224,500 in grant funding from the American Association of School Administrators. Fulton is one of only six school systems in the nation to receive the grants. Using grant funds, Woodland and Mimosa will offer ‘Breakfast in the Classroom,’ a program where students pick up a bagged breakfast from the cafeteria and take it to their classroom to eat before the school day begins.  Six middle schools – Holcomb Bridge, McNair, Paul D. West, Ridgeview, Sandtown and Woodland Middle – as well as four high schools – Creekside, …

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With Land in Demand There Are Few Options for New Heards Ferry Elementary Site

Fulton School officials search for a new school site reveal Sandy Springs land is in demand and there’s not much available for interested buyers.

  School officials’ search for a new Heards Ferry Elementary location has revealed what builders have already locked in on. Sandy Springs land is in demand and there’s not much available for interested buyers. During a Fulton school board work session, last week, Patrick Burke, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, told members that even undeveloped commercial properties are limited.  “Sandy Springs has been rapidly growing,” Burke explained. Since 2007, there has been an increase of nearly 3,000 students in the K-12 populations, he said.  “We’re seeing families moving to Sandy Springs and going to both public and private schools at high rates,” Burke said. Fulton School officials say they’ve considered 20 sites for possibly rebuilding …

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North Springs Athletes Enjoy College Signing Party

Several students at the Sandy Springs school have signed with colleges.

  North Springs Athletic Director Tommy Amoroso recently hosted a college signing party in the school's media center for seven Spartan athletes who have committed to competing at the collegiate level. Still considering their offers from Kennesaw State, Brenau, LSU, Clayton State and Shorter are members of the state-bound women's track team Diaja Oliver, DeJane Oliver and Cheynne Wells. The Oliver twins and Wells are competing this weekend in the State track meet in Albany.

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State has New Report Card for Sandy Springs and Fulton Schools

The Georgia Department of Education released a new performance indicator.

  On Tuesday the Georgia Department of Education released its first Georgia College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) that measures elementary, middle and high schools on a 100-point scale. Fulton County Schools received an overall score of 85.7. The Department of Education stated that the average score for Georgia’s elementary schools is 83.4, middle schools is 81.4 and high schools is 72.6. CCRPI is the new accountability system that replaces the No Child Left Behind and Adequate Yearly Progress measurement in Georgia, a media statement said. Click here to see how Sandy Springs schools fared on the tests or check out our accompanying PDF. State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said in the statement, “We are no longer bound …

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C-SPAN Bus Tour Includes Recognition of Davis Academy Video Winner

Zachary Cohen won second prize in C-SPAN’s StudentCam 2013 documentary competition.

The C-SPAN Bus will make a stop May 9 at the Alfred and Adele Davis Academy to recognize student Zachary Cohen, who won second prize in C-SPAN’s StudentCam 2013 documentary competition, the public affairs channel has announced. Students who tour the bus will also learn about C-SPAN's new First Ladies feature series, StudentCam and other programming. The bus tour and student recognition event are not open to the public. In C-SPAN's documentary competition, middle and high school students created short videos about what they thought was the most important issue the President should address this year. Cohen's video was "Education: Take A Spin." Read more about his winning video.

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