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Zenishba, an 8th-grade student at Hull Middle School, was one of the winners of the North Georgia Water Planning District's 22nd annual middle school essay contest. Zenishba is one of a select group of winners representing 13 counties and the city of Atlanta. The winning essays were selected from more than 700 student submissions from around the region. This year's contestants were asked to craft 300-500-word essays on the intricacies of local river basins. This annual tradition, spanning over two decades, serves as a cornerstone education and outreach initiative, inspiring thousands of middle schoolers to think critically about protecting the region's vital water resources.

Photo: Zenishba Naz of Hull Middle School in Duluth among the 14 students recognized in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. Image courtesy of Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

Grayson Cluster School Principals planned a "One Team-One Goal" Midyear Kick-off event to celebrate reaching the school year's halfway point and ignite collective passion. Teachers and staff at all the cluster schools were invited to join Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts and several special guest speakers, including Grayson Mayor Allison Wilkerson and Gwinnett County Board of Education District 1 representative Karen Watkins for a morning of motivation and inspiration. The Grayson Schools Foundation funded the event's breakfast and "One Team" t-shirts, designed by Couch Middle School Principal Cappy Douglas, solidifying the united effort towards raising student achievement, collaboration, and graduation rates across all schools. The event successfully fueled the staff's purpose and passion for the second semester.

Gwinnett County Public Schools embraced the power of computing during Computer Science Education Week (CSedWeek) through exciting encounters with Google. South Gwinnett High School’s STEM Academy students took a field trip to Google HQ, immersing themselves in STEM careers and exploring the iconic facilities. Meanwhile, the International Newcomer Welcome Center welcomed a Google expert for a digital literacy class, empowering newcomer families to navigate the tech landscape. Roberts Elementary School received Google Cloud engineer feedback on students' Scratch coding projects, igniting young minds with valuable insights. These visits, alongside countless others organized throughout the district, solidified Gwinnett County's commitment to fostering tech-savvy citizens and future innovators. This collaborative spirit exemplifies the impact of CSedWeek: sparking curiosity, building skills, and bridging the gap between education and real-world applications.

Norcross Cluster schools kicked off Pedal Norcross, a 2.8-mile journey through Historic Norcross, in collaboration with Sustainable Norcross. This family-friendly event aimed to ignite community passion for safe and sustainable biking. The event also featured a free bike giveaway, enabling kids without bikes to take part in the ride, a pop-up market from Farm Fresh Days stocked with fresh produce, and an art poster contest with the winning work of art slated to be displayed by the Norcross Library. Bearings Bike Works, a local business, also appeared, setting up a bike recycling station, encouraging sustainability and giving pre-loved gear a second life. For the safety-conscious, a Bike Law 101 Clinic provided helpful tips on navigating the road.

Alcova Elementary School roared to life with dinosaurs for their Jurassic-themed Literacy/STEM night, welcoming students and community members for an evening of interactive fun. Young paleontologists, alongside their parents, explored various literacy, math, and robotics activities tailored to each grade level, all wrapped around the dino theme. From holding real fossils and fossilized stones to coding robots through a dinosaur maze, unearthing treasures in a dino dig, striking a pose in themed photo booths, and delving into the mysteries of energy, the hallways buzzed with the thrill of discovery. Student-created dinosaur decorations and games adorned the hallways, completing the immersive prehistoric experience. The night promoted an engaging blend of literacy, STEM, and community spirit, leaving both young and old with dino-sized memories.

Eagle Takeover Episode: Shoes have become an important part of our lives, but have you ever thought about how they came to be? Join us in an extra special edition of Teaching Gwinnett, where we team up with McKendree Elementary School's "Eagle Talk" to discuss the origins of the shoe! Produced by McKendree's very own Nicole Duque and Mary Hulon, Eagle Talk is a podcast that is put together by students! Along with our discussion on fancy footwear, we'll hear from the students and producers about their experiences in podcasting! As always, stay tuned in until the end of the episode for another edition of "Pop Quiz!"

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• The next regular Board Meeting is January 18. (Online, find links to sign up for the public comment sections of the meeting.)