News You Can Use
Buice Center swim champion returns from European tour with five medals
The Buice Center honored one of its students for being a World Champion swimmer. Katya Vazhenin recently earned Gold and Silver medals at the Virtus Gold Games in Vichy, France; she also earned Gold and Bronze medals at the European Open in Berlin, Germany, and a Gold medal at OceanMan in Lago D’Orta, Italy. Katya will compete in Thailand’s OceanMan World Championship in December 2023.
Two Gwinnett schools earn sportsmanship award
Six local high schools in Georgia earned the Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award, presented by Jackson EMC. Of the six, GCPS' Dacula High School and Duluth High School were recognized. "This award acknowledges the positive character of student-athletes, coaches, and fans demonstrated at competitive events," said Karen Ewing, community relations representative for Jackson EMC.
Image courtesy of Jackson EMC
Keeping Gwinnett County Beautiful: School Police and Community Partnership in Road Cleanup
Gwinnett County School Police are partnering with Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful to keep county roads clean. The department is taking part in the Adopt-A-Road initiative, which entails cleaning one mile of an assigned roadway four times a year. Sergeant Jennifer Gardner has led the initiative for the police department since 2019, organizing volunteer efforts to clean up Sever Road. The collaboration between Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful fosters community engagement and teamwork among officers. The officers clean the road during non-student school days like Digital Learning Days or student holidays. Officers typically collect approximately 80 pounds of litter and illegal signs during each cleanup. The overarching goal for Gwinnett County School Police is to strengthen relationships with communities, GCPS students, and fellow officers.
Shiloh High School student-led non-profit organization creates scholarship for graduating seniors
Current and former Shiloh High School students are giving back to their school. Nardose Mekonnen, Class of 2024, and Samrawit Solomon, Class of 2022, have started a college scholarship fund at the school. Nardose and Samrawit plan to use proceeds from Relief N’ Restore, a student-led community service club non-profit they founded two years ago, to support college tuition for graduating seniors. The non-profit recently secured a $7,500 District CIET Innovation Grant to establish the scholarship fund. The grant covers production costs, marking the first time a Shiloh cluster club or organization has received the CIET Innovation grant.
Norcross Coach leads the way to a healthier community through running
Norcross High School Coach Ken Almon has found a way to bring his students, faculty, and staff together through physical activities. Coach Almon says he saw an opportunity to “get my parents up from their chairs instead of just watching their kids during our cross country training sessions'' by encouraging and training them for a 5K race. Norcross Running, as the team is known, is an extension of the Summerour Middle School Cross Country team and is open to anyone interested in joining. So far, the parents have completed the Duluth Donut Dash 5K, and are training for the Fast Pace Race 5K in Alpharetta at the end of this month.
Lilburn Elementary School and Sprouts Foundation team up for gardening
Lilburn Elementary School recently established a new garden space on its campus in collaboration with the "24 Gardens in 24 Cities in 24 Hours" initiative led by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. Sprouts employees, school staff, and local volunteers worked with the school to complete the garden project within a day. This project aims to promote children's well-being through educational programs centered around school gardening and culinary skills, effectively translating nutrition concepts into real-life experiences. The funds from the grant will be used to install new garden beds, shade structures, and picnic tables, further enhancing the educational and community aspects of the school's garden program.
Dyer Elementary School teacher takes the Big Jump for Special Education
Dyer Elementary School Special Education teachers Kati Day (SID/PID K-2) and Dr. Sarah Vaughan (SID/PID 3-5) held a fundraiser for the 2023 ESP BIG Jump Festival. Proceeds raised from the event will be used to send children with special needs to summer camp. Ms. Day became a first-time skydiver, fulfilling a dream to jump for ESP and benefit their programs. “I am constantly amazed by the unwavering commitment our educators display in supporting our students,” Dyer Elementary Principal Mike DiFilippo shares. “Ms. Day’s and Ms. Vaughan’s efforts exemplify the extraordinary lengths all of our educators go to for our students.” You can view a video of Ms. Day’s jump here.
Shiloh High School Alumnus and professional Basketball player returns for fun-filled community day
Shiloh High School 2016 alumnus and Phoenix Suns basketball player Josh Okogie recently hosted a free community event at the Shiloh football stadium, featuring carnival games, food trucks, and prizes for his alma mater and local community. The Phoenix Suns mascot, “Go,” also joined the festivities.
Buice Center opens its Portrait of a Graduate Studio
The Buice Center recently opened a Portrait of a Graduate Studio designed to help all students in the ADAPT, BRIDGE, and STRIVE programs from all 20 clusters transition from High School and learn future-ready skills. The studio will serve as an employment resource center for students to work on their employability skills and gain valuable practice with interviews, applications, and resume work.
Save the date: Food Waste Reduction event at Lovin Elementary
Lovin Elementary School will host a Food Waste Reduction School Activation Event on November 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in partnership with The World Wildlife Fund, Root Local, and GCPS Green and Healthy Schools Program. Metro Atlanta lawmakers and community partners are scheduled to visit the school’s cafeteria to see students in action collecting food waste for their composting program. The event will enable Lovin Elementary to showcase its composting and other food waste reduction initiatives and serve as a lead-in to the “Global to Local Panel Discussion” that will take place in Atlanta the following day.
Save the Date: Brookwood High School's 32nd Annual Arts and Crafts Fair
The Brookwood High School Basketball Tip-Off Club is hosting its 32nd Annual Arts and Crafts Fair on November 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Brookwood High School to support the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs and promote small businesses. The free-to-attend event will showcase local, homemade items like soaps, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, and many more, just in time for holiday shopping. The event will also feature food trucks, music, and lots of giveaways for the entire family’s entertainment. Interested vendors can register online.
Save the date: Shiloh High School hosts Green Cell Youth Sustainability conference
Shiloh High School is proud to host the first annual Green Cell Georgia Youth Sustainability Conference (GYSC) on Saturday, November 4. The event will be held in the Shiloh High School Auxiliary Gym from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Registration is open to all middle and high school students in Gwinnett County and the surrounding areas. Students from Shiloh High's clubs and organizations are volunteering with Green Cell to provide a day filled with learning, keynote presentations, art, music, and fun designed to amplify youth voice as it relates to climate and environmental matters. The GYSC is a platform for middle and high school students in Georgia to take action on climate change in their schools and communities.
Stripling Elementary School seeks community support towards STEM Certification
Stripling Elementary School has embarked on its first year of a STEM initiative focused on nurturing responsible, empathetic, and driven world-class leaders. Stripling Elementary hopes to establish community partnerships to accomplish its STEM certification. The school’s mission focuses on collaboration with the community to develop literate student citizens skilled in communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and productive social contributions. In pursuing STEM certification, Stripling Elementary has integrated STEM project-based learning (PBL) into its curriculum, aligning with its core beliefs. A central question driving this initiative is how to enhance community cohesion through STEM projects. One idea is creating a community garden where students engage in grade-specific STEM PBL units, addressing sustainability and food insecurity. Community partners like the Rotary Club of Peachtree Corners, the Norcross Garden Club, and Gardens for Growing Community are already on board to help Stripling Elementary achieve its STEM objectives. The school aims to start garden construction in the spring of 2024, ultimately opening it to the community in the fall.
