“The 12 winning students each received a cash prize, and their photos were turned into notecards to be distributed throughout the county,” according to Cobb County government, and their entries will be displayed April 9—May 15 at the Mable House Arts Center in Mableton.
Six of the students are from Lassiter: Alex Hood, Dayton Davis, Katelyn Garrow, Sarah Joseph, Marissa Meyer and Rushna Ahsan. The others are Ashleigh Lafferty and Neyla Lamont from Sprayberry and Charlie Sayler and Jonah Suarez from Wheeler.
The contest invited students from the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools submit a photograph in one of six categories: Water at Play, Water at Work, Water in Nature, Water and People, Protecting Water, and Conserving Water.
Click the link below to view a slideshow of all of the winning photos from the East Cobb students.
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On Thursday all current, former and future Dodgen Middle School students, parents and teachers are invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the school’s opening on Wednesday.
“Dodgen Through the Decades” takes place from 6-8 p.m. at the school (1725 Bill Murdock Road).
The festivities include a student-led STEM Night to “highlight innovations through the years. Our fine arts programs will be featured with an art exhibit and musical vignettes,” according to social media messages posted by the school.
Dodgen opened in the fall of 1975, just as Walton High School did down the street, as residential growth in East Cobb was skyrocketing.
It’s one of two middle schools that feed into Walton, and has been honored various times for its combination of academic and extracurricular achievements.
Dodgen was named a Georgia School of Excellence in 2013 by the Georgia Department of Education and in 2017 was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
Dodgen students won state Science Olympiad competitions between 2015-18 and the Dodgen Orchestra won the National Orchestra Festival’s middle school competition in 2017.
The school also has had several Cobb County School District teachers of the year, most recently the late Fred Veeder in 2018.
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He and other Cobb students and teachers were honored recently by Metro Marietta Kiwanis Club. STAR is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
According to the Cobb County School District, “the STAR program recognizes high school seniors with the highest SAT scores and grade point averages at their school. Each student selects a teacher who made a significant impact on their academic journey to be honored alongside them.”
East Cobb schools have done well in recent STAR competition. In 2025, Wheeler student Fiona Peterson and Latin teacher Cameron Ward were named the Georgia STAR runners-up. In 2024, Walton’s Omer Mustafa Inan and Tamara Hollingsworth earned top STAR honors.
The Cobb County School District announced on Friday all of the 2026 STAR students and teachers, respectively, and here they are for high schools in East Cobb:
Kell High School — Juan Diego Jimenez “JD” Ramirez and Danielle LeBrun
Lassiter High School — Carter Kopp and Catherine Mardis
Pope High School — Ishaan Marwaha and Briana Ransom; Lucy Nichols and Angela Chapin
Sprayberry High School — Eli Suddeth and Chris Shields
Walton High School — Sean Joseph Dalton and Allen Hubbard
Wheeler High School — Arpit Rajkumar Ramani and Andrew Avizbakiyev
Sean Dalton at the Walton table at the STAR banquet.
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Ashley Culley, the director of orchestras at Dodgen Middle School, has been named the 2026 Educator of the Year by the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA).
According to a release from the Cobb County School District, the award “recognizes her commitment to music education and the lasting impact she has made on students across Cobb Schools.”
Culley is in her 21st season at Dodgen, and before that taught three years at Kell High School. In addition to her classroom and Dodgen orchestra duties, she is a co-director of the Upbeat! String Camp summer program for middle- and high school students and that is based at Dodgen and Awtrey Middle School.
“I love seeing when students have their ‘a-ha’ moment, and things start to click,” Culley said in the Cobb school district release. “When something that might have seemed overwhelmingly difficult at first becomes second nature to them, it is always exciting to see.”
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Kell senior Kennedy Deese scored 10 points in the Class 4A state title game. Photos via Cobb County School District.
The Kell girls were aiming for their second Georgia High School Association basketball championship on Thursday, but fell short in the Class 4A finals in a 58-50 win by Marist.
The Kell Lady L0nghorns were the underdog on Thursday against Marist, which had been No. 1 in Class 4A and features high school All-American Kate Harpring, the national high school player of the year.
At the Macon Coliseum, Kell fell behind in the first quarter but stayed close, trailing 26-21 at halftime, then took the lead in the third quarter.
But that was the only lead they would have, as Harpring helped close out Marist’s third title in five years with 12 points in the fourth quarter. She finished with 40 points and 16 rebounds, becoming the all-time girls basketball scoring leader in Georgia high school basketball history, with 3,399 points.
“It’s been a great season, but I’m super proud that we even got here,” Kell coach Kandra Bailey said in a Cobb County School District release after the game. “I’m proud of the effort we put on the floor tonight.”
Bailey, who gave birth to a baby boy less than two weeks ago, said that “obviously, I’m going to finish this season with my girls, because they’re my first kids! But now I’m going to get back home with my baby tonight.”
Kell coach Kandra Bailey accepts the state runner-up trophy.
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Anna Griffin, mother of Walton High School freshman E.N. Griffin, writes in to say that her son is a published author, and has more volumes in mind of a fantasy novel series.
“A Bond Through Time,” volume 1 of what he’s calling the Wyrmborm Saga, is available in hardcover, paperback and electronically via Amazon.
E.N. is 14 and is already studying advanced classes at Walton, and which informed his book, which is aimed at readers between the ages of 13-18.
It’s a tale of The Wymborm Prophecy, which vows to “bring an era back to the world that has been lost. . . . And all it will take is events that shape what one person has to do. Time shall pass, but eventually, peace will rule over the lands anew.”
The novel tells about a massive war “so catastrophic that all of the species vowed never to go to war again. Those vows, however, were easily forgotten over millennia,” and “darkness is beginning to brew once more all around the world of Amphiria.”
E.N. has populated his novel with a rich collection of “praesens characteres” in both military and civilian roles.
“He created an original world full of rich lore, maps, and unique characters. We are beyond proud of the discipline and creativity it took for him to achieve this literacy milestone,” Anna writes.
“It took him over two years to accomplish this. He has been an avid reader since age eight, and we never imagined he would be motivated to take on the goal of writing and publishing his own book!”
She said E.N. is already working on the second book while maintaining A’s and a rigorous class schedule at Walton.
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A fourth-grade teacher at Rocky Mount Elementary School in East Cobb is being held without bond after being arrested Sunday for a sex act with a child.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Mareno Danielle Smith, 37, of Acworth was charged by Cobb Police with a single felony count of incest and is in custody at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
Smith’s arrest warrant states that a witness reported walking in on an incident involving him and a female minor between 2:45 a.m. and 3:45 a.m. Sunday.
Smith also is an assistant football coach at Allatoona High School. Principal Dr. Lexie Bostick sent a message to the Allatoona school community saying that “while disturbing, the allegations are strictly personal and are not connected to any activities, programs, or facilities.”
She said that in addition to a police investigation, the Cobb County School District’s human resources office will be conducting an investigation.
“The employee will not be on any Cobb County school campus during the investigation,” Bostick said.
She did not identify Smith by name, and he is not listed on the Allatoona and Rocky Mount school websites.
The Cobb school district on Tuesday afternoon told East Cobb News it “cannot comment on Smith’s employment status. A message was sent to Rocky Mount families addressing the matter.”
A district spokesperson issued the following statement:
“Over the weekend, the District became aware of the arrest of an employee and these disturbing allegations. We are aware of the alleged personal, off-campus activity and have confirmed it is not connected to any school activities or programs. As the police investigation and legal process unfolds, all applicable law and District policy will be applied.”
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Teachers, children and their families at Primrose School of East Cobb at Sprayberry came together to support one of their own, raising $750 and an outpouring of encouragement for a beloved teacher during her breast cancer treatment.
Now, the school is celebrating a meaningful milestone: Ms. Megan, an older infant classroom teacher who has taught at the school for two years, has officially completed her radiation treatment
How the school community stepped up:
Organized a fundraiser among teachers, children and families to support Megan
Sent daily messages and encouragement while she recovered
Welcomed her back with hugs and celebrations after she completed radiation
“My Primrose family rallied around me and immediately asked how they could help,” said Megan. “I received daily hugs, prayers, messages and calls checking on me and my family. When I rang the bell to mark the end of radiation, I could hear the cheers from my leadership team, coworkers and our children all the way at the hospital.”
Send Us Your News!
Let East Cobb News know what’s going on with your organization, or about any recognitions, to share with the community. We love to get photos and stories like the above, as well as calendar event listings and more.
We want to be the go-to source for all the many ways people in East Cobb are involved in the community.
It’s what we call The Power of Local, and we’d love for you to take part!
Pass along your details/photos/videos/information to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.
Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.
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Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.
Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to hearing from you!
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Students from the Lassiter–Pope–Kell Naval Junior ROTC made a visit to Parris Island, S.C., to the U.S. Marine Corps training center during a busy winter break period that included other activities.
According to Liam Carrilho, the organization’s public affairs officer, the LPK cadets “were taught how to make their racks (beds) in a proper military manner, how to request permission to use the head (bathroom), how to secure their bags and the proper procedure for firewatch.”
And that’s just for starters; here’s more from his dispatch provided to East Cobb News, which has been edited for style and clarity:
“Cadets performed Firewatch each night, where two cadets would take two-hour long shifts and patrol the barracks with a flashlight, keeping on the alert for fire. When their shift was done cadets would go wake someone else up to take their shift. In the morning cadets woke up to a session of physical training being instructed by the Drill instructor in a variety of exercises.
“The day went on with cadets eating chow, making sure to eat silent and at attention. Cadets went to where Marine recruits are first dropped off at Parris Island; they stepped on the same yellow footprints and heard the same speech that recruits do. Cadets trained on one of the obstacle courses, specifically ones that emphasized teamwork between them to succeed, they even went inside the gas chamber, while the cadets were not tear-gassed like a recruit would be. The remaining particles were still in the chamber which did cause mild discomfort.
“Cadets also visited a virtual gun range where they got to shoot gas operated training pistols in a simulated gun range. Cadets also met with former LPK NJROTC cadet Sgt. McLaughlin, a former commanding officer of the unit who had become an air mechanic in the Marine Corps and Staff Sgt. Murphy, who had become a drill instructor, martial arts instructor and swim instructor. They talked about what they did in the Marines and JROTC.
“During the stay at Parris Island, several cadets also received Special First sergeant coins from the naval science instructor of the LPK NJROTC, First Sgt. Lorenzo Cox USMC (Ret.). Cadets Meranda, Belawske, Scott and Rorberg all received coins for outstanding performance and leadership during the basic leadership training.
“I was very appreciative to be recognized for my many efforts within just one year of JROTC,” said Cadet Rorberg. Their next stop was Tybee Island, Ga., and to a light station museum where Cadets received a tour of the lighthouse facilities. Following this cadets visited a 19th century fort known as Fort Screven, where they also visited the museum within it. Cadets also took part in a beach clean up on Tybee Island, and they visited the national museum of the 8th U.S. Air Force.
“The cadets received a tour of the museum and even got a demonstration of how to pack a parachute. After that the cadets made their way home on Friday the 20th. Overall the cadets enjoyed the trip very much.
“It was all very fun and if possible I would go again” said Cadet Chandrasekar.
“Leadership Academy Training began on Feb. 25, with a select group of cadets from Lassiter, Pope and Kell who are handpicked for their prowess and leadership potential. The training is designed to prepare the cadets for Leadership Academy over the summer, a week-long program where select cadets who graduate LAT are sent, and experience an environment with military discipline where cadets take classes, drill, PT and practice the skills necessary to become leaders in JROTC.
“On top of that, cadets also physically train to build their endurance and prepare them for the physical fitness test they will have to take at leadership academy itself.
“It isn’t all lessons and grinding though, we still have a lot of fun” said Cadet Sofia Jones, the head Cadre at LAT. “Every lesson is taught with humor by our amazing instructor.
“It’s nice to be apart of something bigger than yourself,” said Cadet Seguin ,a cadet at LAT. “I would like to add as a cadre myself I am very pleased with the cadets this year they have shown amazing prowess and potential and I cannot wait to see where they go from here.”
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The Walton High School community is rallying around a teacher who is facing a late-stage cancer diagnosis.
Josh Williams, a social studies teacher, is battling stage 4 colon cancer. His department chairman, Anthony Foti, and fellow social studies teachers Haley Bond and Jessica Ewalt have set up a fundraiser to help the family as Williams goes through treatment.
Thus far more than $57,000 has been raised in just a few days to help Williams and his wife Lauren, and their children Ava and Ben.
“While Josh plans to continue teaching and has health benefits to offset some costs, medical treatments, time away from work, and everyday expenses can add up quickly,” Foti’s message states. “Your generosity will allow Lauren to focus on caring for Josh and their children, and will give Josh the ability to focus on healing and spending meaningful time with Ava and Ben.”
The fundraising goal is $60,000, and donors left comments along with their pledges.
“Mr. Williams is one of the best history and economics teachers I’ve ever had,” Walton student Aster Cheung wrote. “His classes inspired my curiosity and love of learning. Sending prayers and strength to Mr. Williams and his family!”
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The Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) has partnered with the University System of Georgia (USG), the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), and private institutions to provide application fee waivers to Georgia high school seniors in March to more than 60 Georgia colleges and universities.
“We want every Georgia student to know there is a path to a great future here in their home state,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “By giving students the opportunity to apply to college without paying application fees, we’re making it even easier for students to find their MATCH and launch successful careers in the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”
This is the 9th time the Georgia Student Finance Commission has promoted application fee waivers since the initiative started in 2022. There is no limit on the number of schools a student may apply to using the application fee waivers. While application fees may vary by institution, the cost savings to high school seniors applying to multiple colleges are significant.
Students can apply to state institutions through GEORGIA MATCH on the GAfutures.org portal and directly at the participating independent colleges.
“Georgia high school seniors should go to GAfutures.org and take advantage of having their application fees waived,” said Georgia Student Finance Commission President Chris Green. “This allows families to save money in the college admissions process. Whether its free college applications or over $1 billion in HOPE scholarships and other state financial aid programs, the state’s investment has made Georgia the Top State for Talent.”
Students who claim their spot at a college or university through the GEORGIA MATCH dashboard will automatically have their application fees waived. The full list of participating schools and information on how to access the application fee waivers may be found at GAfutures.org.
The mission of the Georgia Student Finance Commission is to help students pursue higher education with the least out-of-pocket costs possible. Students interested in learning more about application fee waivers, GEORGIA MATCH, scholarships, and grants may connect with their regional GSFC Outreach Representative by visiting GAfutures.org/Outreach.
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Story and photo submitted by the Georgia Department of Education:
Mrs. Amanda Dillard, an interrelated special education teacher at Pope High School in Cobb County, is one of the 10 finalists for 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year!
Superintendent Woods surprised Mrs. Dillard this morning with the news that she’s been selected as a finalist. Along with the other nine finalists, she will participate in formal interviews and speeches before a panel of judges, who will select the 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year.
With 18 years of experience, Mrs. Dillard teaches special education with a focus on math and is passionate about helping students discover their purpose and potential. She founded Pope High School’s esports program and serves as head coach, creating meaningful opportunities for students of all abilities that build confidence, collaboration, and belonging.
Mrs. Dillard is a three-time graduate of the University of West Georgia, holding a bachelor’s degree in collaborative special education, a master’s degree in special education, and a specialist degree in instructional technology. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in school improvement and was named the 2025–2026 Cobb County School District Teacher of the Year.
Throughout the month, we’ll be visiting each finalist’s school to surprise them with the news that they’re in Georgia’s top ten. Stay tuned as we celebrate every finalist along the way.
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Both of the Wheeler High School FTC teams have officially qualified for the 2025 FIRST World Championship this April in Houston. At the state level, FTC Team 11347 earned the 1st Place Inspire Award, and FTC Team 1002 earned the 2nd Place Inspire Award, the top two honors presented at the competition.
The Inspire Award is the most prestigious award in the FIRST Tech Challenge program. It recognizes the team that best embodies excellence in engineering design, innovation, programming, outreach, leadership, and overall impact. Unlike awards that focus solely on robot performance, the Inspire Award represents the highest overall achievement in the program and is the primary qualification path to the World Championship.
Having both Wheeler teams earn the top Inspire placements at the state level is an extraordinary milestone for our program and for Cobb County STEM education.
However, qualifying for the World Championship comes with significant travel, registration, and equipment expenses. We are urgently working to raise the necessary funds to ensure every student can attend and represent Georgia on the international stage. We have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover costs, and community support will directly determine whether our students are able to compete.
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McCleskey Middle School volunteers Kim and Adam Heck and principal Dr. Andrea Jenkins-Mann draw a crowd. CCSD photo.
The Cobb County School District and the Cobb Schools Foundation this week honored volunteer of the year recipients for their dedication to their schools and students.
They include PTA and school foundation leaders, mentors, lunchroom and hall monitors and booster club members
At a luncheon at Jim Miller Park, the 112 honorees were thanked by district officials, including Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who told them that “when over 8,000 seniors walk across our stages each year, every single team member has had an impact on their success. And that includes you.”
The honorees include Kim and Adam Heck, McCleskey Middle School parents. The Cobb school district said in a release that the “dynamic volunteer duo” is involved in many school activities, and “from PTSA leadership to serving on the grill team at school events, their shared commitment has become part of the school’s culture.”
Here are the volunteers of the year at each school in East Cobb:
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Dr. Kevin Carpenter, an assistant superintendent with the Cobb County School District, said in his message on Monday that “Principal Spiva has resigned and will not be returning to Addison.”
Her successor for the rest of the current school year, according to Carpenter, is Brett Ward, formerly a principal at Brown, Smyrna and Kennesaw elementary schools in the Cobb school district.
Ward, an educator with more 40 years of experience in Cobb, is already included on the Addison website as the interim principal.
“He is deeply committed to students and families,” Carpenter’s message states. “He believes in strong relationships, open communication, and supporting your child with whatever they need to learn.
“Mr. Ward’s experience and calm presence will help our school continue moving forward. He is truly excited to serve your children. You will hear directly from Principal Ward and see him at school on Tuesday for his first day.”
The Cobb school district returned to session Monday after its winter break last week.
Spiva was arrested by Cobb Police Jan. 8 and charged with one misdemeanor count of DUI and separate counts of an open container violation and failure to maintain a lane, also misdemeanors.
The arrest took place at Ebenezer Road and Sandy Plains Road, close to the school, according to Spiva’s booking report. Police said at the time that officers discovered a plastic bag with vodka near a console when they approached her vehicle. When she refused a blood test, according to the report, a judge signed a search warrant ordering her to give blood.
Spiva was released from custody a day later, according to the booking report. The Cobb school district has said only that an investigation into the incident was ongoing and it could not comment further.
In response to a message for more information from East Cobb News, a district spokesperson said Tuesday morning that “We can confirm that Jill Spiva resigned from her position as principal of Addison Elementary School. Our focus remains on what is best for our students, and we are moving forward to ensure continued stability and success for the Addison community.”
Spiva had been the Addison principal for the last four years, and had been an educator in Cobb for more than 20 years. She is a Lassiter High School graduate and previously had been an assistant principal at Shallowford Falls Elementary School and Davis Elementary School.
In his Monday message, Carpenter told Addison families that “additionally, as we look to the next school year, Addison’s Principal Advisory Council will have the chance to give input on the leadership traits and qualities that are important to you! This input will help hire the best principal for your children.”
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Two of Wheeler High School’s CircuitRunners Robotics teams, the FTC Team 1002 Surge and FTC Team 11347 Blackout, have officially qualified for the Georgia FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship, which will be held on February 21, 2026, at Riverside Preparatory Academy in Gainesville, GA.
This season, FTC 1002 earned 2nd Place Inspire Award and was part of the Winning Alliance, 1st Team Selected, while FTC 11347 earned the 1st Place Inspire Award. These awards reflect not just on-field success, but excellence in engineering, design, outreach, and leadership. Both teams are among the top FIRST Tech Challenge programs in Georgia this season.
CircuitRunners Robotics is a 23-year student-led STEM program that has built a sustainable pipeline for students in Marietta, reaching over 18,000 people this year through competitions, outreach, and mentorship. We are proud of our students’ achievements and the community impact they continue to create.
For more information on the CircuitRunners, click here.
Send Us Your News!
East Cobb News wants to be your go-to source for events, recognitions and other information for citizens to share with the community.
It’s part of what we call The Power of Local, and we’d love for you to take part!
Pass along your details/photos/videos/information to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.
Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.
We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file, but d0 send them as attachments to your email.
Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.
Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to hearing from you!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb County School District announced last week that one of its longest-serving educators is retiring.
Debbie Tennyson, who is in her ninth year as principal of Kincaid Elementary School in East Cobb, will be retiring as of July 1.
Her retirement was announced Thursday at a Cobb Board of Education meeting following an executive session.
According to her Kincaid biography Tennyson hails from Michigan and earned a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University.
She came to the Cobb school district in 1998 and she has been an elementary teacher, instructional lead teacher, technology integration specialist and an assistant principal.
Tennyson also earned a master’s degree and a specialist in education degree from Georgia State University.
East Cobb Middle School assistant principal Kevin Triebsch announced his retirement in January, also effective July 1. He has been the 7th grade assistant principal for four years and has been in the Cobb school district for 29 years.
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“Public schools are—and must be—places for learning, not battlegrounds for ideology,” Cobb superintendent Chris Ragsdale said.
Moments after getting a contract extension, Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale on Thursday spoke out about the student walkouts last week at several district high schools.
They included Sprayberry and Wheeler high schools as part of coordinated protests against federal immigration activities that supporters said were student-run.
But in remarks at a Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday night, Ragsdale disputed that claim, and accused those behind the walkouts of trying to indoctrinate public school students.
He said that the Georgia Emergency Management Administration identified some of the groups as Liberation Atlanta and the Party for Socialism, and that they “want schools to use their access and authority to advance their political agendas.
“And once again in Cobb, we say no.”
He said that parents have the right to make decisions for their children, “a right we recognize.
“They do not, however, have the right to force the children of other families to sacrifice their learning to advance that parent’s political goals,” Ragsdale said, reading from prepared remarks, as he has done frequently on a variety of controversial topics in recent years.
“In what is far from the first time I’m having to say this and unfortunately unlikely not the last, our schools must be politically neutral. ”
Before the walkouts took place, the district said that students violating its student code of conduct—which includes disruptions to the school day—would be subject to disciplinary matters including out-0f-school suspensions and bans from extracurricular activities.
In his remarks, Ragsdale did not indicate what, if any, disciplinary measures have taken place. He said that unspecified property damage during walkouts could cost between $150,000 to $200,000.
Nor did he mention an incident at Campbell High School during the walkouts in which a student allegedly was attacked by Principal Paul Gillihan—formerly of Wheeler.
Ragsdale also called out Cobb Democratic legislators who supported and encouraged the walkouts and who said the district’s threatened punishments violated students’ First Amendment rights.
“They know that minors do not have the same rights in schools that adults have in society,” Ragsdale said, adding that “the First Amendment ends when schools are disrupted.
“These people knew that, but they did not care.”
At some schools students were driving around on campus, while at Sprayberry, several dozen students left the school grounds and held up signs at the intersection of Sandy Plains and Piedmont roads.
“Public schools are—and must be—places for learning, not battlegrounds for ideology,” Ragsdale said, adding that the district will ensure that classrooms remain “free of political games.”
The Cobb school board voted 5-2 to extend Ragsdale’s contract into 2029. It’s a three-year deal that has been routinely extended by a year by the board, which has a 4-3 Republican majority.
There was no discussion of the extension by the board, which voted after coming out of an executive session. Board members Becky Sayler and Nichelle Davis, Democrats, from the Smyrna area, voted against the extension, also without making any comment.
No details of Ragsdale’s current contract were presented; his base salary has been at $350,000 but with bonuses and other incentives his total package is estimated to be near $500,000 a year.
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A Code Red alert was issued at Sprayberry High School Thursday following a report that a student had a weapon in a backpack.
In an e-mail message that went out to the school community, Principal David Church said that the lockdown was issued “out of an abundance of caution” and that “there is a significant police presence on campus as they investigate.”
The message said that a 911 call was made Thursday morning but provided few other details.
Church said that “students and staff are safe and secure and procedures are being followed carefully and calmly.”
In response to a request for information from East Cobb News, the Cobb County School District issued the following response:
“Earlier today, a report was made of a weapon at Sprayberry High School. Law enforcement responded immediately, and the school was placed on a brief Code Red lockdown while police investigated. All students and staff are safe. No weapon was found and police are investigating the report as a hoax 911 call. We are grateful for the swift response and continued support of our law enforcement partners.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Thanks to Jianfeng Jiang and the parents of the First Lego League Team 71595 Brick Storm from East Cobb for the following information, photos and video:
We are excited to share wonderful news about a group of outstanding Cobb County elementary students (names listed below) living in East Cobb. These students formed a robotics team, FLL Team 71595 Brick Storm, and registered to compete in the 2025–2026 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Challenge, a global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program for students ages 4–16.
Under the guidance of their coaches, Ms. Yuan Zhuang and Ms. Jane Yang, the team devoted a tremendous amount of extracurricular time to collaborative learning and problem-solving. Their work included studying archaeological sites, researching archaeological technologies, designing educational board games to teach archaeology concepts to the public, performing robot missions, visiting archaeological museums, and much more. Through these activities, the students developed creativity, persistence, teamwork, and mutual respect—while learning how to apply STEM skills to help improve the world around them.
Their hard work has been consistently rewarded. The team won the Robot Best Performance Award at the regional tournament held at Walton High School on December 6, 2025. They then earned both the Robot Best Performance Award and the Champion’s Award at the super-regional tournament held at Wheeler High School on January 17, 2026. Winning the Champion’s Award advanced the team to the Georgia State Championship at Georgia Tech on February 7, 2026, where 60 top teams competed for just two Champion’s 1st Place Awards and the opportunity to advance to the World Championship.
At the State Championship, the team exceeded all expectations. They won the Robot Performance 2nd Place Award and the Champion’s 1st Place Award, becoming one of only two teams in the entire state of Georgia selected to represent Georgia at the FIRST LEGO League World Championship, scheduled for April 29–May 2, 2026, in Houston, Texas.
Considering that more than 4,000 students and over 470 teams across Georgia participated in the FLL Challenge this year—and only two teams advanced to the World Championship—this achievement is truly exceptional. The team will now compete against top teams from more than 60 countries around the world.
We are incredibly proud of these young students and would like to share this exciting news with East Cobb News in celebration of their dedication, teamwork, and success.
The team’s success highlights the strength of East Cobb’s academic and extracurricular community, the commitment of supportive parents, and the boundless creativity of youth. Their advancement to the world tournament has not only brought pride to East Cobb—it has inspired the community as a whole.
Students (alphabetically by first name): Alexander Sun, Mt. Bethel Elementary School, 4th Grade Boyan Jiang, East Side Elementary School, 5th Grade Carrie Chen, Mt. Bethel Elementary School, 4th Grade Edward Tang, Mt. Bethel Elementary School, 4th Grade Eric Jiang, Mt. Bethel Elementary School, 3rd Grade Ethan Zhou, Tritt Elementary School, 5th Grade Janie Luo, Sope Creek Elementary School, 4th Grade Krithik Tadimarri, Rocky Mount Elementary School, 4th Grade Peter Alan Niculescu, Mt. Bethel Elementary School, 4th Grade Rishaan Ranjan, Mt. Bethel Elementary School, 5th Grade
First Lego League Team 71595 students and their parents.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
“He created an original world full of rich lore, maps, and unique characters. We are beyond proud of the discipline and creativity it took for him to achieve this literacy milestone,” Anna writes.
