East Cobb Schools Archives

Cobb school board adopts spending resolution for July

June 26, 2020 6:29 PMJune 26, 2020 12:18 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday adopted a spending resolution to fund Cobb County School District operations during the month of July.

The resolution, passed on the board’s consent agenda at its voting meeting, was necessary since the board hasn’t been able to adopt a fiscal year 2021 budget.

The Cobb school district’s fiscal year begins in July, but the board was awaiting passage of the Georgia state budget, which was delayed when the legislative session was suspended in March due to COVID-19. Nearly half of Cobb’s school budget comes from state funding.

The Georgia Senate passed a budget resolution later on Thursday that included nearly $1 billion in public education spending cuts. The House was scheduled to vote on the budget on Friday, the last day of its resumed session.

The Cobb school district’s current fiscal year 2020 budget of $1.17 billion included $589 million from the state under the Quality Basic Education Act.

Under state law, public school districts that cannot adopt a budget must adopt a spending resolution in the interim.

A monthly spending resolution also cannot total more than one-twelfth of a district’s current adopted annual budget.

According to an agenda item from Thursday’s meeting, the Cobb school district is estimating revenues of $107,899 million for July, and expenses of $111,231 million.

The district will release a proposed budget once the state budget is finalized. The district also is awaiting word on the size of the Cobb tax digest, which is revealed in early July.

Initially state budget reductions were projected to be around 14 percent, which would have left Cobb schools with an $80 million deficit.

The district has received $16 million in federal CARES Act spending through the Georgia Department of Education.

The district also could receive CARES Act funding through the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which has around $80 million and is holding a special meeting on that topic July 13.

At the board’s work session Thursday morning, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said he would not be including any furlough days or pay cuts for full-time staff in his fiscal year 2021 budget proposal.

Cobb schools will be returning for a new academic year on Aug. 3, with a mix of classroom instruction and students learning from home whose parents choose a remote option.

Georgia law requires public school districts to hold public hearings on the proposed millage rate and budget.

Cobb schools have scheduled several “virtual” sessions in the month of July:

July 9, 11:30 a.m.: Virtual tax digest public hearing
July 9, 6:05 p.m.: Virtual budget public forum
July 16, 9 a.m.: Virtual budget public forum
July 16, 9:30 a.m.: Virtual tax digest hearing

The school board is scheduled to adopt a budget at its July 16 voting meeting.

More Cobb school budget information can be found here.

Cobb school board delays action on anti-racism resolution

June 25, 2020 6:10 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school board anti-racism resolution delayed

After a lengthy discussion on Thursday, the Cobb Board of Education agreed to delay consideration of a proposed anti-racism resolution to work out a compromise.

During a work session, board members Randy Scamihorn and Jaha Howard jostled over their differing versions of the resolution (see previous ECN story here).

Ultimately, the board agreed the two of them should sit down and develop a measure ideally to garner a unanimous 7-0 vote.

“I’m excited about what the two of you are going to craft,” said board member David Morgan of South Cobb, who repeatedly pushed for a resolution that he said would get the Cobb County School District “to a greater good.”

He’s one of three black Democrats on a Cobb school board that has split along partisan lines on a number of matters in recent months, including racial diversity and equity issues.

Charisse Davis, Cobb Board of Edcucation — *Charisse Davis*

The two other black Democrats, Howard and Charisse Davis of the Walton and Wheeler clusters, were most resistant during the board’s discussion Thursday to support Scamihorn’s resolution.

They were upset they weren’t asked for their input in the drafting of the resolution, and said the language Scamihorn proposed didn’t go far enough to acknowledge, much less to address, what they said was “systemic racism” in Cobb schools.

Scamihorn touted Cobb schools as a “fantastic school system” that has made substantial racial progress over the decades. “We’re doing something right.”

When Howard pressed him about whether Cobb’s had a history of systemic racism in its school system, Scamihorn, one of four white male Republicans on the board, said “I see no evidence of that.”

Howard’s alternate resolution also named black citizens, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, who’ve died recently at the hands of police, as well as Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Ga. Three white males have been indicted for shooting him to death while jogging in February.

Scamihorn didn’t name anybody by name, but led his resolution by saying that all associated with the Cobb school district “are saddened by the tragic events that have recently occurred across the country.”

Randy Scamihorn, Cobb school board member — *Randy Scamihorn*

Davis said that language was too vague. She also cited figures showing higher rates of serious levels of discipline for black students as evidence of lingering racial disparities in the Cobb school district, which has nearly 115,00 students, 30 percent of them white and 22 percent black.

“When you say there’s no evidence, you’re ignoring the evidence,” Davis told Scamihorn. “I can’t support a resolution that just checks a box but that doesn’t direct us how we can do better.”

She accused him of “making stuff up” about the level of communication between board members on such matters, and Scamihorn snapped that he didn’t appreciate being “called a liar. It’s outrageous and unprofessional.”

Scamihorn said his resolution was meant as a starting point for the board and district.

“We need a common spot to build from,” said board chairman Brad Wheeler, another Republican. The other Republicans on the board, David Chastain and David Banks of East Cobb, didn’t offer their thoughts during the work session.

During an earlier sequence in the work session, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale addressed the resolution and related issues, saying “we have to come together. We have to stop the hate.

Chris Ragsdale, Cobb school superintendent — *Chris Ragsdale*

When Howard asked him if he thinks black lives matter, Ragsdale reiterated a previous mention of The Golden Rule.

“When I say to treat people right, that’s how I try to live my life,” he said.

Davis said she’s heard from many parents and students who say the district hasn’t properly handled their concerns about racial mistreatment or inequities.

“We’re not going to golden rule our way out of this,” she said.

Ragsdale responded that when such issues “are brought to us, we’re going to address those situations as we have always addressed them.”

He said every issue is addressed in the same manner, following formal rules of procedure.

“We have a culture problem,” Davis said, “that are not just one-off issues” and said the current approach “doesn’t address what so many of us are feeling.”

The board agreed to table the resolution until its next meeting on July 16.

Cobb schools to begin Aug. 3, offer remote instructional option

June 25, 2020 11:42 AMJune 25, 2020 11:03 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school superintendent honored

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that the 2020-21 school year will start on time, on Aug. 3, on an in-person basis.

But those parents who don’t feel comfortable sending their children to school will be allowed to choose a remote instructional option.

At a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday, Ragsdale said while plans to return to school are still in the works and are always subject to change, “currently there is no calendar modification.”

He said there would be no “hybrid schedule,” where students would come to class for a week, do remote learning at home for a week, and then return to school after that.

“It’s not going to be the same as the last six to eight weeks” of the recently completed school year, referring to when the district began distance learning in March.

The remote option, which Ragsdale said would be detailed and released soon, will require a registration. That option also will have grades, tests and schedules.

Also, Ragsdale said, parents choosing a remote option will be required to commit to that plan for at least one semester.

Ragsdale said that “there are a lot of changes that could potentially be coming” to alter plans in progress to begin the school year, including extracurricular activities.

He said that for now, students will not be eating lunch in their classrooms. Wearing face masks will be “encouraged,” but not required.

Public health guidance “can change in the blink of an eye,” Ragsdale said.

“At the same time, we’ve got to have school.”

Here’s the Cobb schools calendar for 20-21.

What follows below is a message the district sent out Thursday to the “Cobb Schools Family:”

After months of planning and understanding how student and staff needs have changed as a result of COVID-19 closures, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced that Cobb Schools will open for face-to-face instruction with parents being able to choose a traditional classroom or a remote learning classroom.

This format represents the best solution which balances our two most important priorities: the health and safety of our students and staff and flexibility for each student and family.

In preparation for our “face-to-face plus choice” model, we will be asking you to choose the classroom environment which is best for you and your family. If your student is new to the District for the upcoming school year, they must first be registered as a CCSD student, which can be completed here. Once the school approves your registration, your ParentVUE account will automatically be activated. If you already have a student enrolled in the District but do not have an active ParentVUE account, you will need to contact your student’s school for activation.

You will be able to submit your choice beginning on July 2nd but no later than July 10 through ParentVue. Both face-to-face and remote learning options will be available for all students, in all grades K-12. If you choose remote learning, you will be asked to certify that you have access to a device, the internet, and are committed to the remote learning environment for the semester. If you choose face-to-face learning, you will also be asked if you intend for your student(s) to ride the bus.

We also will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our staff and our students.

Social Distancing will be enforced whenever possible.

Hand sanitizer will be provided in multiple locations throughout schools.

Masks are encouraged on buses and in school buildings.

Daily and rigorous cleaning protocols will be followed.

Nutritious meals will continue to be served daily.

We will continue to be in regular discussion with state and public health officials as their guidance is updated. We look forward to your input and appreciate your support as we support learning for every student in Cobb County during these unpredictable times.

Cobb schools to hold graduation ceremonies starting July 13

June 25, 2020 12:01 PMJune 25, 2020 10:43 AM by Wendy Parker

Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule

Cobb County School District superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that individual graduation ceremonies for each of the district’s 16 high schools will take place starting the week of July 13.

All of the graduations will take place at the McEachern High School football stadium, and there will be two commencement exercises each day, at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The schedule for East Cobb high schools is as follows:

Sprayberry: Wednesday, July 15, 7:30 p.m.
Kell: Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Walton: Monday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.
Pope: Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.
Lassiter: Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
Wheeler: Friday, July 24, 9 a.m.

Speaking at a Cobb Board of Education work session, Ragsdale said that each student will be allotted four tickets for family members to attend. The district also will be livestreaming each graduation.

Initial graduation plans announced earlier this month called for student-only graduations at Wheeler and Harrison high schools.

But in response to criticisms about excluding family members, the district said it would be working on a new plan to include families. The district also cited changing public health guidance in reworking its graduation planning.

Ragsdale said Thursday the decision to relocate all graduations to McEachern was because its stadium has the largest capacity in the school district.

More info can be found at the CCSD’s graduation page.

Cobb schools student meal program extends through July

June 24, 2020 11:26 AMJune 24, 2020 8:25 AM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District announced Tuesday that it would continue providing student meals for those who need them through the month of July. Cobb schools student meal program

The CCSD has partnered with MUST Ministries since COVID-19 closed schools in March, and the program has been extended into the summer months.

Starting Monday, June 29, the schedule for picking up a five-days’ worth supply of food will change, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

East Cobb Middle School remains one of those pickup spots.

The district estimates it has provided 400,000 meals, funded by the federal school lunch program, with MUST volunteers manning the pickup sites. Cobb schools nutritional staff have been preparing the breakfasts and lunches.

Anyone 18 and under is eligible for the food, and the student must be present to receive it. Those students include pre-K students, rising kindergartners, recent graduates under 18, and those students new to Cobb County.

Cobb school board to consider anti-racism resolution Thursday

June 23, 2020 1:36 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Education could approve an anti-racism resolution Thursday that some board members think doesn’t go far enough to address racial issues and inequalities in the Cobb County School District.

Jaha Howard, Cobb school board member — *Jaha Howard*

Board member Randy Scamihorn will propose a resolution (see below) to state that the district, board, superintendent and employees “are saddened by the tragic events that have recently occurred across the country.”

His resolution also states that “racism, prejudice and hate have no place in our county” and pledges that the district will “continue our commitment to stand up for racial justice and support civil rights for all.”

Scamihorn anti-racism resolution

But Jaha Howard, one of three black members of the seven-member school board, said Tuesday that wording “has some good portions but is critically insufficient.”

Instead, Howard posted on his board member’s Facebook page his own draft resolution that he says “is more precise in conveying our acknowledgement and commitment to action against systemic racism.”

Howard specifically mentions the recent deaths of black citizens George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks—three of them by police—and said that “systemic racism and racial prejudice, especially against Black and Brown people, has a complicated history and devastating legacy in Georgia and Cobb County.”

Howard calls for the district to undertake “district-wide listening, district-wide learning, and targeted anti-racist programs and policy” and to “stand steadfast against systemic racism in all its forms and commit to racial justice, civil rights, inclusivity and equity for all.”

Scamihorn’s resolution will be discussed at the board’s work session that begins at 10 a.m. Thursday. Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale, under fire from Howard (of the Osborne and Campbell clusters) and board member Charisse Davis (who represents Walton and Wheeler) has said he will make his own statement on Thursday.

On June 12 Howard and Davis sent Ragsdale a letter requesting the Cobb school district undergo several actions to address racial concerns, including anti-bias training for employees and non-traditional methods to increase teacher diversity.

Davis and Howard have been pressing the district and other board members on diversity issues for several months, including asking for the designation of a chief equity officer.

They have openly clashed with board members on related matters, and last year claimed the Republican majority was censoring them by banishing board member comments during meetings.

The anti-racism resolution comes as online petitions have been started to rename Walton and Wheeler high schools in East Cobb, due to the racial backgrounds of their namesakes.

Davis has signed the petition regarding Wheeler, which is named after Joseph A. Wheeler, a general in the Confederate army during the Civil War.

After the work session on Thursday, the school board will go into executive session, and when it returns, will hold its regular voting meeting.

The meeting is virtual and no public comments will be accepted. You can view the work session and regular meeting online by clicking here.

The agendas for both meetings can be seen by clicking here.

Petitions demand name changes for Walton, Wheeler high schools

June 18, 2020 6:50 PMJune 16, 2020 10:01 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb school lockdowns

Online petitions have been circulating in recent days demanding that the Cobb County School District change the names of Walton High School and Wheeler High School in East Cobb because of their namesakes.

The petitions, created at change.org, say that the names should be changed because of the racism of George Walton and Joseph Wheeler.

Walton was one of Georgia’s signatories to the Declaration of Independence and Wheeler was a Confederate general in the Civil War.

The Walton petition was created Monday by Joseph Fisher, who identified himself as a Walton student, and is titled “Rename Walton High School, Break the Cycle of White Supremacy.”

Despite George Walton’s historical significance, the petition states that:

“No one ever talks about how George Walton was a white supremacist, belonged to a slave owning family, and spent his political career championing white supremacy in Georgia by stripping Native Americans time and time again of their land. For a school well known on the national stage, it is sickening that they choose to carry themselves using a man who represents one thing: continuing white supremacy in the American South.”

Fisher said as a Walton student:

“Every day that I am on campus I feel hate and oppression from the student body and the administration. I am constantly gaslighted and singled out for my experiences as a person of color, made fun of or the subject of jokes based on the color of my skin. This year, Walton made the news when a white student followed a black student around the school making whipping noises on their cell phone. I couldn’t even say I was surprised, just because that behavior is so normalized at Walton. I wouldn’t wish that mistreatment on anyone, and I certainly won’t stand for it in my community.”

His petition had 500 signatures as of Tuesday evening.

Georgia Department of Education data last updated on March 5 indicated that Walton, which opened in 1974, had 155 black students out of an enrollment of 2,616.

Wheeler graduation rate, East Cobb graduation rates

The Wheeler petition was created over the weekend by “Wildcats for Change,” and those individuals also have started a private Facebook group.

They identify themselves as “lifelong members of Wildcat Nation” but contend it’s “past time” to remove Wheeler’s name from the school:

“Students do not deserve to attend a school whose namesake celebrates a Confederate history and one that was named for a hateful purpose: to hurt and shame Black youth that were, by court order, integrated into our county’s white school system. It does not go unnoticed that the school was named after the passing of Brown v Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. It does not go unnoticed that the school was named after the state of Georgia finally began to adhere to the ruling, seven years after it passed. It does not go unnoticed that the Cobb County School Board finally voted to desegregate in 1965—the same year they named Joseph Wheeler High School.”

The Wheeler petition—which referenced the deaths of black citizens George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery in recent weeks, sparking nationwide protests—has more than 2,100 signatures.

Wheeler, which opened in 1965, has a black student body of 811 out of a total enrollment of 2,159 as of March 5.

Cobb Board of Education member Charisse Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, said in an interview with The Marietta Daily Journal that she’s heard from some people who wanted to change Wheeler’s name.

“I think that this is just a start in Cobb as these conversations happen all around the country, including among military leaders, who are calling for bases to be renamed,” she was quoted as saying in the MDJ‘s “Around Town” political fodder column to be published Wednesday.

Davis said in response to a request for comment from East Cobb News that “I support community members feeling empowered enough to organize around an issue.”

When asked if she supported the name changes and if so would she propose resolutions, Davis said: “With everything I know about our board majority and district leadership, I do not see this formally being debated anytime soon.”

UPDATED: After this story was published Davis signed the Wheeler petition.

George Walton, who lived from 1749-1804 and served in the Revolutionary War as a colonel in the Georgia Militia, also was twice a Georgia governor and served as a U.S. Senator.

George Walton Academy, a private school in Monroe, Ga., also is named after him.

Joseph Wheeler lived from 1836-1906, grew up in Georgia and Connecticut and was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. He was a cavalry officer for the Confederacy, commanding at campaigns in Shiloh, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Atlanta and against the Union army’s March to the Sea under Gen. William Sherman.

After the war, Wheeler was readmitted to the U.S. Army, represented Alabama in Congress, and served with Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.

He is one of the few Confederate veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A bronze statue of Wheeler is one of 11 honoring Confederate military leaders at the U.S. Capitol.

It’s recently become a subject of efforts to be removed by Congressional Democrats.

Neither of the petitions offer suggestions for new names for Walton and Wheeler.

Cobb school superintendent responds to anti-racism concerns

June 16, 2020 10:30 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school superintendent honored

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale has sent a note to Cobb County School District employees in response to requests by two school board members for anti-racism measures.

Last week board members Charisse Davis and Jaha Howard wrote to Ragsdale, urging him to undertake steps to address racial inequities in the district, including bias training for employees and “nontraditional solutions” to increase teacher diversity.

Ragsdale didn’t address those matters in his e-mailed note, but said that board member Randy Scamihorn is proposing an anti-racism resolution at the board’s June 25 meeting.

“Board member [David] Morgan has also placed an item on the agenda regarding ‘Moving Forward.’ I will be making a statement during the meeting as well,” Ragsdale said.

Davis and Howard have been pressing the district on equity issues for several months, but protests and other events in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis in police custody, have triggered a new wave of efforts to prompt action by Cobb schools.

Cobb is Georgia’s second-largest school district, with nearly 114,000 students, a majority of them from minority groups. According to district data, 30 percent of all students are black, 22 percent are while and six percent are Asian.

“To say that we are hurting is very much an understatement,” Ragsdale wrote, “but it does convey that we all have a part to play in moving forward. Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, made a statement that said ‘You can do your job and still maintain respect for others.’

“We should all take that statement and live by it. As we all work together to move forward, we will continue to maintain and improve upon an environment free from hate of any type. We are very successful as a school district, because we work together as One Team. Let us be the example to others of how to come together and work together for a common goal.”

Some Cobb school parents have wanted Cobb schools to respond in a fashion similar to Marietta City Schools, which in late May issued a lengthy statement from Superintendent Grant Rivera. His “call to action” highlighted steps that district is taking to address diversity issues, including a cultural fluency project at Marietta High School.

A school board candidate from East Cobb has also weighed in on the matter.

Julia Hurtado, who won last week’s Democratic primary for Post 5, wrote to Ragsdale saying “this delayed response sends a message of apathy and indifference to those who have been demanding progress for some time.

“Why did our families have to wait over a month [since Floyd’s death] for CCSD leadership to commit to a mere conversation, let alone solutions?”

She urged that Ragsdale “take steps to address systemic racism that can be found in every school system, including ours.”

In November, Hurtado will be facing Republican incumbent David Banks, who has said the district has adequately handed racial concerns in the schools.

Cobb school board members ask CCSD for anti-racism response

June 12, 2020 4:57 PMJune 12, 2020 3:34 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school board member Charisse Davis

Two of the three black members of the Cobb Board of Education have sent a letter to Superintendent Chris Ragsdale asking for several “action items” to address racial and diversity issues within the Cobb County School District.

Charisse Davis of Post 6, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, and Jaha Howard of Post 2 (Osborne and Campbell) dated the letter on Friday.

On her Facebook page, Davis said Friday afternoon that the other five board members were asked to sign the letter before it was sent to Ragsdale, but “there was no response.”

That includes the other black board member, David Morgan, who is one of three Democrats on the board with Davis and Howard.

The letter (you can read it here) states that “we acknowledge that racial discrimination permeates our courts, housing, employment, healthcare and yes—our schools” and requests the district “commit to the practice of anti-racism” by adopting the following measures, and this is verbatim from the letter:

Provide consistent cultural relevancy and bias training for all employees
Seek nontraditional solutions for increasing teacher diversity in all schools
Examine the discrepancies in disciplinary outcomes by race
Reevaluate the requirements of standardized test scores as criteria for program admittance
Formally speak out against state level policies (such as voucher bills) that redirect public school funding and contribute to inequities.

Davis noted on her Facebook page that “we are weeks into a national conversation on systemic racism in this country and neither the board as a whole nor district leadership has made a statement.”

In response to a message from East Cobb News seeking comment, a district spokeswoman said late Friday afternoon that board member Randy Scamihorn—one of the board’s four Republicans—has requested a resolution condemning racism be included on the board’s agenda for its June 25 meeting.

Davis and Howard have been pressing the district and other board members on diversity issues for several months, including asking for the designation of a chief equity officer.

They have openly clashed with board members on related matters, and last year claimed the Republican majority was censoring them by banishing board member comments during meetings.

Some of those comments centered around racial issues that Howard was addressing at the local, state and federal level, and not just related to Cobb schools.

In late May, Davis and Howard held an anti-racism rally in Smyrna in the wake of the recent killings of black citizens George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery by police in Minneapolis, Louisville, and Brunswick, Ga., respectively.

Their names were included in the letter to Ragsdale, their deaths, Davis and Howard wrote, being “symptoms of this much larger issue.”

Earlier this week the Cobb Board of Commissioners passed an anti-racism resolution, but not after clashing during a work session and behind the scenes over revisions. The cities of Smyrna, Marietta and Acworth also have passed anti-racism resolutions in the last two weeks.

Cobb schools targeting late July for graduation ceremonies

June 5, 2020 5:21 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb seniors caps gowns

Following up an announcement earlier this week from Cobb schools about what had been student-only graduation ceremonies comes this update, with a substantial change reflecting the district’s desire for parents to attend:

As of today, Friday, June 5th, strict guidance from state and local public health officials, which is specific to Cobb County, allows for a ceremony with graduates only in attendance.

Current examples of public health recommendations for Cobb County graduation ceremonies include:

Only allowing graduates to be in attendance

Observing strict social distancing guidelines as defined in the Governor’s most recent Executive Order

Performing temperature checks and symptom screenings of all attendees

Recommending all attendees wear face masks

Providing multiple hand hygiene stations

The District continues to work with state and local public health officials to pursue every option to allow parents and graduates to celebrate together. We are targeting late July for the graduation ceremonies. This will hopefully allow more flexible guidance to be provided by state and local public health officials.

Graduates and parents should monitor communications from their respective high schools and check this page often for updates.

Once confirmed, graduation information for both graduates and parents will be provided which includes:

Schedules

Directions to venues

Graduate arrival, parking, and entry instructions

Video players for the live stream

For the most up-to-date information from the District related to COVID-19, please visit www.cobbk12.org/covid

When the student-only announcement was made earlier this week, that decision was roundly panned on a Facebook page devoted to Cobb schools topics.

If a late July window is enacted for graduation ceremonies, that would run close to the start of a new school year, scheduled to start on Aug. 3.

Candidate spotlight: David Banks, Cobb school board Post 5

June 3, 2020 1:33 PM by Wendy Parker

Near the end of his third term on the Cobb school board, David Banks said he’s seeking another four years because “I just feel like there’s more to be done.” David Banks, Cobb school board candidate

A retired computer and technology consultant and business owner, Banks has lived in East Cobb for 50 years and has represented Post 5, which represents the Pope and Lassiter clusters, since 2009.

He said that kind of experience is vital during a time in which the Cobb County School District, the second-largest in Georgia with 112,000 students, is undergoing rapid change.

“It takes a few years to get acclimated to how the system works,” said Banks, who’s serving as the school board’s vice chairman this year.

(Banks does not have a campaign website; here’s his school board biography page.)

He ran unopposed four years ago, but Banks has drawn a crowd of opposition in both parties, including Matt Harper and Shelley O’Malley, whom he’ll be facing in next Tuesday’s Republican primary.

O’Malley has been openly critical of Banks (as have Democrats Tammy Andress and Julia Hurtado), saying that “I hope voters recognize that when an incumbent is being challenged by other people there ought to be a reason for that.”

National Merit scholars include 16 more East Cobb students

June 3, 2020 7:33 AM by Wendy Parker

The latest round of National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards announced Wednesday include 16 more students from East Cobb high schools.

(Previous recipients were announced here and here.)

They’re among more than 3,300 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities where the students will be attending.

The award amounts range between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. More scholarship recipients will be announced in July.

The following East Cobb students are listed in alphabetical order, with their college and probable career field:

Jordan Bass, Walton, Northwestern University, Computer Science;
Alec Berger, Walton, Emory University, Computer Science;
Ada R. Burris, Pope, Samford University, Ministry;
Patrick G. Chen, Wheeler, University of Georgia, Medicine;
Taylor Chiles, Walton, Wheaton College, Mathematics;
Alessa L. Cullinan, Wheeler, University of Georgia, Undecided;
Julia Dierker, Walton, Northeastern University, Public Health;
Rose Jewel, Wheeler, University of Georgia, Computer Science;
Brian Kent, Wheeler, University of Alabama, Mechanical Engineering;
Gabrielle P. Levitt, Lassiter, University of Georgia, Public Relations;
Emma G. Mason, Wheeler, University of South Carolina, Biochemistry;
Reilly S. Misra, Sprayberry, University of Georgia, Dentistry;
Anna K. Mitchell, Lassiter, Florida State University, Undecided;
Andrew M. Myers, Pope, Vanderbilt University, Economics;
Catherine L. Pereira, Lassiter, Florida State University, Statistics;
Zaim Zibran, Walton, Emory University, Public Health.

Cobb schools releases graduation tribute videos to the Class of 2020

June 2, 2020 2:26 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb seniors caps gowns

As noted on Monday, the Cobb County School District is making plans, to be announced later this week, for limited in-person graduations.

Last week, members of the Class of 202 got a personalized tribute video, tailored for each high school, with messages from Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and their principal, as well as photos of the senior class in action.

Here are the videos for the six high schools in East Cobb:

Kell High School

Lassiter High School

Pope High School

Sprayberry High School

Walton High School

Wheeler High School

Cobb schools to hold graduation ceremonies for students only

June 1, 2020 2:31 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb seniors caps gowns — *Wheeler High School seniors cheer on their classmates at cap-and-gown pickup.*

The Cobb County School District announced Monday that it’s in the process of scheduling in-person graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2020, following new COVID-19 health guidance in Georgia.

But those commencement exercises will be for students only, “with strict Department of Public Health protocols in place,” and at only two venues: Wheeler High School in East Cobb and Harrison High School in West Cobb.

The district said in a release Monday afternoon more details will be announced by Friday, and did not indicate when the graduations will take place. Each ceremony will be livestreamed for parents and the public.

The district said 3,000-seat gyms at Wheeler and Harrison “will allow for proper social distance protocols, predictable weather, and technical ability to livestream.”

Health protocols include temperature checks and symptom screening for all students before they’re allowed entry to the gyms. All attendees will be asked to wear masks and there will be multiple hand hygiene stations.

The district postponed physical graduation in late April, and said it was still hoping to have ceremonies depending on health guidance.

Most Cobb high schools had some sort of cap and gown and diploma pick up event over the last couple of weeks.

Cobb schools has held most of its graduation ceremonies at the KSU Convocation Center. Wheeler has been one of the few schools to hold commencement at its own gym, Wildcat Arena.

Lassiter fireworks conclude Cobb high school diploma parades

May 28, 2020 12:46 PMMay 28, 2020 9:44 AM by Wendy Parker

Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule — *In different times: Lassiter graduates in 2019, at the KSU Convocation Center.*

It’s not officially being called a graduation, but the Cobb high school diploma parades that began last week are wrapping up on Friday, and at Lassiter High School, with a bang.

No, really.

The Class of 2020 at Lassiter will queue up in the school parking lot starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday to pick up diplomas, followed by an aerial fireworks display.

That’s among the last of such events, along with “Friday Night Hoya Lights” at Harrison High School at the same time that also has fireworks.

Lassiter graduates, according to the school district, “are encouraged to decorate their cars to represent the next chapter in their lives.”

On Thursday from 1-3, Pope High School graduates will pick their diplomas, and Wheeler seniors will be doing the same at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Last week, similar events took place for Walton and Sprayberry graduates.

Cobb schools are careful to point out that the diploma parades are “not intended to be a replacement for an actual graduation ceremony.”

Officially, commencement exercises have been postponed, not cancelled, as the district seeks to find an alternative, possibly in the summer, although nothing has been worked out for the moment.

East Cobb senior salute: Raegan Keane-Dawes, Pope High School

May 23, 2020 2:19 PM by Wendy Parker

Raegan Keane-Dawes, Pope High School, East Cobb senior

With just a couple of AP classes to complete before she could officially become a Pope High School graduate, senior Raegan Keane-Dawes wasn’t sure at first whether she’d continue on with her classes or take the grade she had when campuses closed on March 13.

She chose to pursue the former, and was glad she did.

“My grades went up,” said Keane-Dawes, who was taking statistics and environmental science classes.

As a senior, she was only on the Pope campus for a couple hours a day, having taken dual enrollment courses at Chattahoochee Tech for the last two years. Raegan Keane-Dawes, Pope High School, East Cobb senior

But she still missed the student camaraderie, especially with cancelled senior class events leading up to what would have been graduation this week.

“It’s been weird, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” she said.

“It’s just the thought that we’re all leaving, and leaving like this.”

She said she and her classmates stay in touch, but “the hardest part” is not being able to enjoy the traditional interactions that come with being a senior.

What was already a surreal experience of not seeing her friends and taking part in high school rituals took an encouraging turn on May 13, when she turned 18.

There was a family event planned, but Keane-Dawes also got to enjoy friends showing up by car for a surprise birthday drive-up in her neighborhood.

During her days at Pope, Keane-Dawes took part in the Interact Club and the French Club, and she participated in club volleyball and soccer.

She’s taking her enthusiasm for sports to Mercer University, where she plans to major in sports marketing and analytics, and is eyeing the possibility of becoming a sports agent.

Keane-Dawes said distance-learning was challenging, and not just because of the subject matter.

“It was tough, but it was manageable,” she said. “But I don’t think I learned as much.”

As she leaves Pope, Keane-Dawes said she’s especially grateful for her teachers, many of whom she finally got to see this week at the school’s graduation drive-through, waving and shouting encouragement.

“I never had a bad teacher experience with any of them,” she said.

Change in Cobb schools meals distribution for Memorial Day

May 21, 2020 2:41 PM by Wendy Parker

Earlier this month the Cobb County School District said it would continue providing weekday student meals through the month of June.

Since the district closed to in-person classes in mid-March, those breakfasts and lunches have been given out each Monday.

But with this Monday being Memorial Day, the district said next week’s food will be distributed on Tuesday, May 26, from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and will be provided for four days, through next Friday.

The joint effort with MUST Ministries has changed some distribution points, but East Cobb Middle School will continue to be one of those venues, as it has from the beginning.

The Cobb school district food and nutrition staff prepares the meals, which have been sent to eight schools for pickup.

The CCSD says it has provided 141,000 breakfasts and 176,00 lunches since the week of March 16, and anticipates serving 225,000 more meals through the end of June.

Funding has come through the federal school lunch program and MUST volunteers have been at the schools to make the deliveries.

Each student who needs meals (pre-K through recent graduates under 18, and newcomers) must be present for the food to be distributed via a drive-thru pickup, with participants and volunteers observing social distancing guidelines.

Wheeler senior named LGE Credit Union scholarship winner

May 21, 2020 1:53 PMMay 21, 2020 8:52 AM by Wendy Parker

Samuel Luong, Wheeler senior LGE scholarship — 2020 Cobb County School District LGE Community Service Scholarship Winner

Samuel Luong, a senior at Wheeler High School, has been named the winner of a $5,000 scholarship from the Lockheed Georgia Employees Community Credit Union.

Luong (pictured second from right in the submitted photo above) was greeted in a surprise visit at the Wheeler campus with credit union officials and school leaders as he came to pick up his cap and gown.

During his time at Wheeler, Luong has been involved in robotics, orchestra, Magnet School advisory board, student government and other activities. He’s been accepted to attend Georgia Tech.

The scholarship award was among several public events for the LGE Credit Union in recent weeks. LGE has delivered more than 500 lunches to four local hospitals and has organized a food drive to support MUST Ministries, Warehouse of Hope in Douglasville, and North Fulton Community Charities in Roswell during the COVID-19 pandemic.

East Cobb senior salute: Jared Ryley, Wheeler High School

May 20, 2020 4:40 PM by Wendy Parker

Jared Ryley, Wheeler High School, East Cobb senior

When Jared Ryley started thinking about college, even before he began attending Wheeler High School, his initial favorites were hardly surprising.

The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech topped the list, but as his high school days continued, his list expanded.

As his Eagle Scout application was being reviewed, a member of the selection council encouraged him to consider the U.S. Military Academy.

That person was a graduate of the Army’s service school in New York, and Ryley had mentioned his interests in studying engineering and pre-law.

“He said a great place to do that was West Point,” Ryley said.

“When I visited there, I met the cadets and realized I wanted to be like the people at the academy. You give up a lot, but you gain a lot.”

During the fall semester, Ryley was accepted for admission, after being nominated by U.S. Sen. David Perdue and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath. Jared Ryley, Wheeler High School, East Cobb senior

In late June, Ryley will get an early start, depending on when newcomers will be allowed to arrive for orientation.

He figures there’s going to a strict lockdown, as is being planned now for graduating cadets, since President Donald Trump is scheduled to give a commencement address.

Ryley was to have heard his, on Wednesday, but Cobb schools have at least postponed in-person graduation, with tentative plans for something “memorable,” possibly over the summer.

By then, Ryley will be getting for the next phase of his life.

“All I know is it’s going to be different,” said Ryley, who was a student in Wheeler’s STEM magnet school. His diploma includes a certification in civil engineering, and he was lead engineer for Wheeler’s F1 team.

At Wheeler, he also took four years of Mandarin, founded the school’s recreational ultimate frisbee team and lettered in wrestling.

In the community, he’s been a youth group board advisor at Temple Kol Emeth and worked as a first aid advisor at the Woodruff Boy Scout Camp.

But it was his experience playing for the Roswell Rebels, a youth rugby team, that he found his ultimate connection with West Point.

He liked the discipline of the sport, with 15 players to a side, and said that unlike other sports, in rugby, “every single link across the chain has to be strong, or you will fail.”

In the ethos of the Army, and as a cadet at West Point, he sees a lot of similarities he likes.

“You’re surrounded by a group of people who are motivated to do the same thing,” he said.

Since Cobb schools stopped in-person classes in mid-March, Ryley has closed the books on high school studies.

He’s spent time working out, getting ready for the phyical rigors of being a cadet, and helping around the house with projects.

At time Ryley admits to some boredom, even after polishing off a 600-page book about George Washington.

“There hasn’t been much to do in quarantined America,” he said.

He was looking forward to the graduation ceremony. “Obviously I would have appreciated walking across that stage. . . . It’s kind of disheartening, that it’s something only we [the Class of 2020 ] is going to have to go through.

“But there are so many other people who are going through far worse because of the Coronavirus,” Ryley said.

In the meantime, he’s set a daily alarm with a countdown to the days before he heads to West Point, grateful for his high school days at Wheeler, but eager for what’s to come.

“I’m going to miss my hair,” he joked, acknowledging the cadet haircut to come.

“But I’m excited when my phone goes off at 6 a.m. I’m one day closer” to embarking on his new dream.

East Cobb senior salute: Lindsey Johnson, Lassiter High School

May 16, 2020 1:48 PM by Wendy Parker

Lindsey Johnson, East Cobb senior, Lassiter High School

Lindsey Johnson isn’t quite finished with high school yet. The Lassiter senior has two more final exams to take, and they’re no slouches: Micro- and macroeconomics.

Like others in the Class of 2020, she’s experiencing the surreal feeling of not being able to graduate in a commencement exercise, but she remains hopeful that can happen at a later time.

The planned celebrations also included a family-and-friends party with fellow classmates at her neighborhood’s clubhouse.

“My dad has promised we’ll make up for this somehow,” said Johnson. Lindsey Johnson, Lassiter senior

That’s been called off, but she’s crossing her fingers Cobb County School District officials can carry out possible plans for postponed graduation ceremonies.

“I still have hope we can have some traditional events later in the summer,” she said.

She said she’s seen a few friends since schools closed for in-person classes in mid-March, but at a distance, when going out on walks in her neighborhood, and online.

“Group Face Time is great!” she said.

“The hardest time was at the beginning, because I was thinking about some of the people that I would see every day, but didn’t really know outside of school. You wish perhaps you had spent some more time with them.”

Johnson was very active in a big school, far beyond the classroom. She was a member of Lassiter’s girls state swimming championship team this year, racing in the finals in an individual freestyle event and two relays, and also played lacrosse.

Finishing some substantial classes online took some work, she admitted, and said what she missed above all was in-person contact with teachers.

“AP classes [Advanced Placement] are really different online,” Johnson said. Instead of going over notes daily, as in the classroom, teachers assigned students to reach certain goals.

Before the doors shuttered, Johnson availed herself of the AP Capstone and other advance curriculum as she prepares to study business at Georgia Tech.

She’s unsure of exactly what she wants to do careerwise, but is grateful for having had “an amazing time at Lassiter.”

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As of today, Friday, June 5th, strict guidance from state and local public health officials, which is specific to Cobb County, allows for a ceremony with graduates only in attendance.

Current examples of public health recommendations for Cobb County graduation ceremonies include:

Graduates and parents should monitor communications from their respective high schools and check this page often for updates.

Once confirmed, graduation information for both graduates and parents will be provided which includes:

For the most up-to-date information from the District related to COVID-19, please visit www.cobbk12.org/covid

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Kell High School

Lassiter High School

Pope High School

Sprayberry High School

Walton High School

Wheeler High School

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