Trailblazer Newsletter

2022 GCPS Graduations -- View the livestream!

View graduation ceremonies online

If one of your favorite seniors is graduating from a GCPS school, but you don’t have a ticket, make plans to watch a live stream of the ceremony. Ceremonies scheduled for Gas South Arena can be viewed at the scheduled date and time online. For graduation ceremonies planned for the Convention Center Exhibit Halls, find event info and a live stream link on the Gas South website. A handful of other schools hold graduations in another location. A few schools planning on-campus ceremonies will live stream their events as well, including Brookwood HS, Central Gwinnett HS, Gwinnett Online Campus, Mill Creek HS, and Parkview HS. Find dates, times, and locations for graduation ceremonies online.

Help us celebrate our seniors with this special issue of Communiqué, featuring written and spoken-word reflections, performances, photography, and visual art pieces representing each of our high schools. In the issue, you’ll meet our valedictorians and salutatorians and other high-achieving students. We’ve pulled together just a few of the scholarships and awards garnered by members of the outstanding group of students that make up GCPS’ Class of 2022. (With more than 13,000 seniors on-track for graduation, just a list of names would take more than 89 pages!) Of course, many more students earned prestigious honors and scholarships that are not part of this issue. They are being celebrated in their school communities.

We wish our graduating seniors the very best as they head into their future!

Click on the image or this link to open the senior issue of Communiqué.

Gwinnett County Publics Schools will once again pay for up to two summer school classes for high school students needing to retake a class they previously failed. There are three summer school sites – Archer High School, Berkmar High School, and Lanier High School. For more information on this incredible opportunity, please visit https://www.gcpsk12.org/SummerSchool .

Paul Duke STEM High School would like to thank our PTSA for providing lunch to our students during finals.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK THIS SCHOOL YEAR!!!!

Juniors and parents!

The year is coming to an end, which means you need to start preparing for your senior year! The first step is to have your senior pictures taken this summer.

You have two options - an appointment at the studio OR an appointment on campus.

THESE DIRECTIONS will explain both.

MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY! APPOINTMENTS GO FAST!

In the next couple of weeks, you should receive a flier in the mail. GET A SNEAK PEEK HERE. It will explain everything you need to know.

If you have quesitons or concerns, please reach out to Lauren O'Connor at Lauren.OConnor@gcpsk12.org

As a means of improving results for children with disabilities, the Georgia Department of Education is required to survey parents of students receiving special education services. You are receiving this notice as the Parent/Guardian of a student receiving services in Gwinnett County and therefore, you are able to participate in this year’s survey process. This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard. The feedback you share will help guide local schools’ efforts to improve Special Education services and results for children and families. The survey is available on-line and can be accessed on the Georgia Department of Education website. You may enter the following direct link into your browser - https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey or you may utilize the QR Code provided below: Survey responses must be submitted by May 31, 2022. If you do not have access to a computer or smart phone, you may contact the Georgia Department of Education, Special Education Help Desk at 404-657-9968 in order to complete the survey by telephone. We look forward to your responses, Dr. Nicole White Executive Director of Special Education and Psychological Services If you have any questions, please contact the GCPS Parent Mentor as indicated below. GCPS Special Education Parent Mentor: Dawn Albanese Dawn.Albanese@gcpsk12.org

We will be having our softball camp

July 19-22 from 9:30-12:30

This year we will be focusing more on small group instruction. Your camper will be a part of a team for the whole week that will have 1-2 leaders that will be in charge. These will include the current players of the program and alumni that presently play in college that will also be there helping. There will be a current softball pitcher present and will be able to break down catcher's drills as well. We are very excited about this!

Please fill out the form below and let me know if you have any questions.

**Note, the last day of camp may go a half hour longer.

Norcross Softball Registration Form

Thank you and can't wait to see you all July 19th!

Behind every successful PTA, there is a school principal who is supportive,

helpful, and personally involved in the PTA activities. Dr. Wetherington is our Outstanding Principal of the Year of the Area 2 Gwinnett County Council of PTA!

Congratulations!

We are so proud to announce that Paul Duke STEM HS earned STEM Certification from the Georgia Department of Education.

Achieving Georgia DOE STEM certification, Paul Duke STEM is now.....

• the LARGEST whole school STEM certified High School in Georgia
• the FIRST Title I whole school STEM High School in Georgia
• the FIRST majority Latino STEM High School in Georgia
• the FIRST and ONLY non-criteria admission STEM High School in Georgia!

Thanks to the @gadoe_stem_steam for the support and recognition! #TeamGCPS Gwinnett Schools

A team composed of students from across the Norcross cluster placed first at State in all Categories: Longterm, Style, and Spontaneous. The students received their highest score to date for their skit (192.36/200) and a perfect score for Style! For more information or to Donate to support their journey to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, please see the links below:

Link for our website:

https://www.performance-pc.info/Sponsor

Link for GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/PaulDukeHS-OdysseyWorldFinals-2022?member=18759755&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

"She's literally the best teacher ever. She has been there when I needed her the most, she supports me in every way. She deserves the world. She supports and helps her students do well not only in her class but in all their classes."

"She is a wealth of information and always so helpful. Whenever I have questions or want to learn something new in Synergy, I know I can ask her for help and brainstorm ideas. She is always willing to help out when an extra set of hands are needed. She is helpful, organized, and pays attention to details, so I nominate her as staff member of the month!"

Lunches for Teacher and Staff of the Month (April) are generously provided by the Abouchar Family and the Cutler Family.

Congratulations Trailblazers!

GADOE released graduation rates for 2021, and the Paul Duke STEM grad rate is 92.5%, which is well above state and Gwinnett averages. We are so proud of our Trailblazers! #LearnTogetherLeadTomorrow

If you are interested in pursuing a degree through Gwinnett Tech's Automotive program, please attend one of the information sessions. Their program FILLS UP very quickly!

Diploma programs are completely free through the HOPE Grant and no GPA requirement. Associates degrees are not free but can be covered through Financial Aid.

Have questions about how to prepare for senior year, applying for college, scholarships, etc? Here is your one stop guide to making sure you are prepared for both your senior year and life beyond high school!

Please click here to view the booklet

Need a recommendation for college admissions or a scholarship? Click here for the Counselor Recommendation form (please allow two weeks to complete)

• Henderson - A - Gon
• Percy - Goo - N
• Patel - O - Z

The Paul Duke Care Team would like to extend a sincere thank you for the many generous donations that we have received throughout the year! The toiletries have been appreciated by our students and other schools have now started similar initiatives!

Please congratulate this year’s PTSA Senior Scholarship recipients: Noah Budnitz: one of the top ten seniors this year and Founder and CEO of the Gwinnett Drone Club. He is also the Founder of the Paul Duke STEM Launchpad and a member of the Climbing Team. Noah receives a $750 scholarship. Candace Cang: receives a $1000 scholarship as the first place winner. She is also one of the top ten students in this year’s senior class. She has served on the Gwinnett Student Leadership Team, DECA, and the Paul Duke Chamber Orchestra. In addition, she is the Founder and President of Paul Duke’s first Asian American Association.

This year we have two winners of The Trailblazer Award. They are both very active in TSA and have participated in underclassmen orientation, club fairs and school tours. They participate in DECA and TSA. Each of these students will get a $250 scholarship. Congratulations to Ali Akbar and Rohan Pai.

The Paul Duke STEM PTSA Staff Member of the Year Award was awarded to Mr. Andrew Wright because “he makes challenging math courses, easy to understand and FUN” (yes, fun!). We would like to acknowledge two honorable mentions, Leslie Patel for arranging a dental day for students and families and Ashley Getz for supporting PTSA Reflections.

Are you interested in volunteering just an hour or two here and there or do you want a big project, there are plenty of ways to get involved in person or from home. Click here to sign up and receive volunteer opportunities as they arise.

If you're taking an AP class during the 22-23 year, you may have a summer assignment. If you don't see your course, please check back soon our school website.

Click here for assignments

Click here for details and class descriptions. Ages 7-16

In-person Camps: https://www.kids4coding.com/inperson-techcamps4kids

Remote Camps: https://www.kids4coding.com/remote-springtechcourses

Do you like making money?

Would you like to earn school credit while making said money?

Will you be a senior during the 2022-2023 school year?

A Certificate of Enrollment is required to test for both driver's permit and driver's license. Students must submit a request form to receive this document. The request forms are available in the front office. The cost for this document is $3.

If you lost your ADAP certificate, you may get a replacement from the front office. ADAP certificates can be replaced for $5.

Please note there is a 48-hour turnaround for Certificate of Enrollment and replacement ADAP certificate requests.

Eligible licensed student drivers must provide proof of insurance, a valid driver's license, and a completed parking application. Click here for an application. Additionally, students must pay $35 (Spring semester) for their parking pass. Click here to pay through MyPaymentsPlus. Students parking without a valid parking pass will be subject to disciplinary consequences including a boot on their car.

If you are 15 years of age or younger, your employer may require a work permit. Work permits are all done online and must be completed by the student and the employer first before receiving the permit. Once both parties have completed their online portions, the student must bring in the confirmation, or MSK code, to the main office for their work permit.

Click here for INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINORS

Are you planning on doing some community services but don't know where to start?

Contact Ms. Dobbs in the Parent Center or email at olaya.liranzo@gcpsk12.org

We need students who:

*Love their community

*Have a passion helping others

*Bilingual preferred but not required

Email: olaya.liranzo@gcpsk12.org
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/PaulDukeStemHS
Location: 5850 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Norcross, GA, USA
Phone: 470-323-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulDukeSTEM