East Cobb Schools Archives

Budget, Critical Race Theory on Cobb school board agenda

June 9, 2021 by Wendy Parker

*Randy Scamihorn, Cobb school board chairman*

The Cobb Board of Education will tackle the controversial topic of Critical Race Theory during a work session on Thursday.

Board chairman Randy Scamihorn placed the item on the agenda with the wording “for potential action” but declined to elaborate, telling East Cobb News he’s doing this “for the board to have a discussion.”

The work session begins at 1 p.m. Thursday, the first of the board’s monthly meetings for June.

The board also will hold a public budget forum at 6:30 p.m., preceding a 7 p.m. business meeting at which it is expected to adopt a fiscal year 2022 operating budget.

You can view the agendas for all the meetings by clicking here.

The meetings will be livestreamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

After the work session there is a scheduled executive session.

But it’s at the afternoon meeting that figures to draw the most attention, especially the Critical Race Theory item.

Last month, Cobb superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced that he has no intention of introducing the subject into the Cobb County School District curriculum.

At the same time, the Cherokee County Board of Education voted to ban the teaching of CRT during a packed meeting.

The Georgia Board of Education, at the behest of Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, voted last week to do the same.

Some Cobb parents have been using the public comment period at board meetings to denounce CRT, with one telling the school board last month that “we need an honest conversation about race, this isn’t it. This is indoctrination.”

Critical Race Theory has come up recently in Georgia and other states, but the concept was developed in the 1970s by academics and legal scholars who argued that racism in America is systemic and structural.

Several books have been published on the topic advancing CRT, but the current wave of political action is being taken up by Republican elected officials.

The Cobb school board has a 4-3 Republican majority and has clashed on a number of topics over the last two years, including an anti-racism resolution last summer.

The four school board Republicans also voted to abolish a newly-approved committee in November to examine naming policies for Cobb school district schools and buildings.

Among those facilities targeted for a name change is Wheeler High School, named after a Confederate Civil War general.

After the Cobb CRT comments last month, Charisse Davis, one of the three black Democratic board members, noted that “the Critical Race Theory (CRT) debate has been bizarre…mainly how it became a scripted conservative talking point 40+ years after its inception.”

A group calling itself Concerned in Cobb County School District is gathering outside the district office before the Thursday school board meetings “to to challenge the Superintendent’s harmful position on Critical Race Theory and talking about race/racism at all. We also aim to demonstrate support for the three board members who are attempting to ensure an equitable education for ALL students.”

The school board will consider a proposed FY 2022 budget of $1.5 billion that includes an employee pay raise.

The budget proposal proposes holding the line on the school district’s property tax rate of 18.9 mills and using $51 million in reserve funding to reach a balance (budget summary here).

Also projected for FY 2022, which begins on July 1, is a 5.54 percent growth in the Cobb tax digest.

More Cobb school district budget and financial data can be found by clicking here.

Timber Ridge Crystal Growing Competition announces winners

June 9, 2021June 9, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Timber Ridge Crystal Growing Competition

Back in March we posted about some East Cobb students who had created a virtual contest for Cobb students in the scientific endeavor of crystal growing.

The group is called STARS (for Structural Nucleic Acid Anticancer Research Society), which formed in 2019 in conjunction with students at Timber Ridge Elementary School.

STARS parent Susanna Huang got in touch to announce the winners of the 2021 Timber Ridge Crystal Growing Competition that the groups hosted together.

The group created introductory videos to share various effective crystal growing methods with students as well as to teach the principles of crystallography. Toward the end of the crystal growing competition season, the STARS Team created another series of videos that explained the crystal submission steps, further facilitating the submission process for students.

The winners are:

Brooke Bloxom for the title of Most Exciting Experiment
Most Elaborate Experiment
Elliott Neveln for the title of Clearest Crystal
Jahnavi Bhargava for the titles of Most Natural-Looking crystal and the Best Quality Crystal
Johnny Dickerson for the title of Best Crystal Shape
Ms. Judy Osborne for the title of Most Inspiring Crystal
Michael Duke for the title of the Most Innovative Crystal
Steven Huang for the title of Most Impressive Notebook Entries
Ryoma Takagi for the titles of Most Detailed Lab Notebook and Largest Creative Crystals

Medals of Scientific Excellence:

Elliott Neveln for winning the Best Salt Crystal Award for the K-2nd grade division because his salt crystal alone had the highest clarity and his salt crystal alone had an almost perfect cubical shape.
Steven Huang for winning the Best Salt Crystal Award for the K-2nd grade division because his hand-written lab notebook was the most detailed and reflected much thoughtfulness and intuition.

Some other award winners:

Best Creative Crystal Award for the K-2nd division because his creative crystal looked like a real, natural crystal, with colors of blues and glints of shiny specks.

Michael Duke for winning the Best Creative Crystal Award for the 3rd-5th grade division because his creative crystal was the largest in his grade division and because his lab report was very thorough with detailed observations and conclusions.Ms. Judy Osborne for winning the Best Creative Crystal Award for the teacher division because her crystal was beautifully cultivated, and the quality of this crystal was very evident.

Ryoma Takagi for winning the Championship of the entire 2021 Timber Ridge Crystal Growing Competition for his solid mastery of growing aluminum potassium sulfate, exceptional observation and note-taking skills, and immense diligence, creating a 15 paged lab notebook with 176 data points, tracking the growth of 10 massive alum crystals before putting the data points into Excel graphs and charts to make the crystal growth trends even the more so evident.

The STARS team wrote in to say that over the summer they’re having a free, virtual summer camp to provide students with hands-on experiments and to teach students important note-taking and observational skills to further prepare them for the fall crystal growing competition.

Check their website for further details by clicking here.

Cobb schools to continue summer meal kit distribution service

June 5, 2021June 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

School may be out for the summer, but Cobb Schools will continue to dish out food for students through July 21. Just as they did during the school year, Cobb’s Food & Nutrition Services (FNS) team will provide meal kits for students at no charge, thanks to waivers from the USDA.

Families will be able to pick up the meal kits for children ages 0-18 on Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. at one of six school locations. Check here on pick-up day to verify the location and time and make sure your location is still available.

Cobb Schools Summer Meal Kit Pick Up Locations, which are subject to change:

Clarkdale Elementary School

Clay Harmony Leland Elementary School

Daniell Middle School

King Springs Elementary School

North Cobb High School

Smitha Middle School

Meal kits will include food for breakfast and lunch to help fuel student success on the go. When families arrive at one of the six designated school locations, they will tell the Cobb Schools FNS team member how many meal kits are needed, and the team member will place the meal kits in the trunk or backseat of the car. The FNS team is proud to offer meal kits with items that can be reheated at home. Reheating instructions and a menu will be provided in meal kits for appropriate consumption of meals.

Summer Meal Kit Reminders:

Meal Kits are available at no charge to all children ages 0-18.

Children do not need to be enrolled in the Cobb County School District, Summer School, or Summer Learning Quest to receive Meal Kits at no charge.

Check back here on pickup day to ensure your location is still available as a pickup location.

The last day of the Cobb Schools Summer Meal Kits pickups will be July 21st.

Families may pick up meal kits for children at one location.

Children do not need to be present in the car.

For students that are enrolled in Summer School:

Meals will be provided on-site at no charge.

Additional drink and snack items will be available for purchase in school cafés.

Families with additional questions can email [email protected] or call the Cobb Schools FNS team at 770-426-3380.

Golden K Kiwanis honors 2021 Silver Pen Award winners

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information and photo:

May of 2021 was the month to honor fourth graders from three elementary schools in Cobb County. Talented fourth grade students from Rocky Mount, Acworth, and Tritt Elementary Schools received the now prestigious Silver Pen Award.

The Silver Pen Awards, now statewide programs, were presented by Jim Perry, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K and Co-Chair of the Silver Pen program as the officers of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K were in attendance for the presentations.

As explained by Jim Perry, “Over 25 years ago, Jack Boone started what was called ‘The Silver Pen Award for fourth graders and all the elementary schools could participate. We gave the kids either a story or an essay question to write about. Each classroom had a winner, and the winning entries were sent to the administration. The administration would then forward them to the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K, where a panel of judges, including educators, made the final selection for the school-wide winner.” Each Silver Pen Award winner received a bag containing: a Silver Pen, a roll of 25 one dollar golden coins, and a special engraved plaque that reads: Silver Pen Writing Award presented by The Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K.

This year’s Silver Pen writing winners are: Aubrey Smothers from Acworth Elementary School, Anna Raciborski from Rocky Mount Elementary School, and Adriana Fernandez from Tritt Elementary School.

Each school as well as parents are very proud of this year’s Silver Pen Award winners, since many exceptional entries were submitted and competition was tough!

Congratulations to all the winners and everyone sincerely hopes that the winning students will continue on with their writing skills.

12 more East Cobb students earn National Merit Scholarships

June 2, 2021June 2, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The following students from East Cobb high schools have been named recipients of National Merit Scholarships that are financed by the colleges and universities of their choice.

Criteria for the scholarships is explained by the NMSC:

To compete for Merit Scholarship awards, Semifinalists first had to advance to the Finalist level of the competition by fulfilling additional requirements. Each Semifinalist was asked to submit a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, and be endorsed and recommended by a high school official. From the Semifinalist group, some 16,000 met requirements for Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will be Merit Scholarship winners in 2021.

The recipients listed below include their high schools, college destinations and likely career fields indicated on their scholarship applications:

Sai Anoop Avunuri, Walton, University of Georgia, computer science;
Eric Brewster, Walton, University of Florida, finance;
Caroline G. Brooks, Walton, University of Georgia, criminology;
Matthew L. House, Wheeler, University of Georgia, computer programming;
Caroline K. Hugh, Wheeler, University of Chicago, urban/city planning;
Anushka Jain, Wheeler, Emory University, quantitative analysis;
Alexander W. Krupp, Walton, Arizona State University, computer science;
Samuel A. Maloney, Wheeler, University of South Carolina, political science;
Allison D. Mawn, Sprayberry, University of Georgia, journalism;
Aniketh S. Tadepalli, Wheeler, University of Alabama-Birmingham, medicine;
Charles M. Yu, Wheeler, Purdue University, aerospace engineering;
Aidan C. Payne, Lassiter, University of Alabama, applied mathematics.

Masks optional in Cobb schools for summer, 2021-22 year

June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District on Monday updated its COVID-19 health guidelines to make face masks optional starting June 7.

That’s the start of the district’s summer schedule, and a release issued Monday afternoon said the masks-optional policy will continue for students and employees for the 2021-22 academic year, which begins Aug. 2.

“Any individual wishing to continue wearing a mask while attending school and/or school events should feel free to do so,” the district said.

The district’s decision came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Monday announced new guidelines saying that fully vaccinated people could go without masks both indoors and outdoors.

On May 13 Cobb schools dropped the mask mandate for vaccinated staff and students for the last two weeks of the 2020-21 school year, and also did not specify any proof of vaccination procedures.

“Fully vaccinated” status applies to individuals two weeks after they receive the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after the sole dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Cobb school district opened the 2020-21 school year online-only until October, then imposed a mask mandate for all students and staff on campuses, as well as for extracurricular activities, including outdoor sporting events.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, the Cobb school district has reported a total of 5,224 cases of the virus among students and staff.

The weekly figures have been dropping sharply since the first of the year. For the week of Jan. 15, that total was 470, the highest for any week in the district.

During that time, three Cobb school teachers and classroom staffers died, including a paraprofessional at Sedalia Park Elementary School on the day of a Cobb Board of Education meeting.

Public commenters urged the district to go back to online-only classes and some admonished Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and board members David Chastain and David Banks of East Cobb for not wearing masks at meetings.

But the district did not change its hybrid learning options.

By the first of March, the weekly case count figures had dropped roughly in half. By late April, they were under 100 a week, and in the final week of the school year in late May a low of 44 new cases was reported.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, one-third of all Georgians are considered fully vaccinated (7.368 million doses) against COVID-19.

In Cobb County, 35 percent are fully vaccinated (264K with second doses) and 42 percent haved received one dose (317K).

Some Cobb parents filed a lawsuit against the district for its mask mandate, saying it was negatively affecting the breathing of their children and was creating “separate but unequal” learning environments.

A federal judge in Atlanta rejected their request for a temporary restraining order for the rest of the 2020-21 school year, and last week the parents dropped the lawsuit after Ragsdale said he expected the coming school year to be masks-optional.

The district will offer virtual learning for students for the coming school year but has not indicated how many of them have chosen that option.

For the spring semester, nearly two-thirds of the district’s 107,000 students attended classes in person.

Pope transgender student granted graduation wish

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Updating our story last week about Soren Tucker, a transgender student at Pope High School who wanted his preferred name announced at Wednesday’s graduation:

Soren Tucker

His wish was granted.

Lily Smith, a fellow Pope senior who started an online petition that has gathered more than 21,000 signatures, announced that the Cobb County School District had agreed to the request.

“It is unclear if there will be changes that affect the future and county policies, but we won this victory!” Smith wrote on Tuesday.

Tucker, who has identified as male for the last two years, will still have his legal female birth name on his diploma, as is the protocol for the Cobb County School District.

A Cobb County School District spokeswoman said Wednesday, shortly before the commencement ceremony, that Pope principal Thomas Flugum met with Tucker and his family for the first time on Tuesday.

“They had a great conversation and the student and parent’s preferences were taken into account during Pope’s graduation ceremony,” the spokeswoman said. “While official school business requires the use of a student’s legal name, all of our schools take student and family preference into account during informal school activities.”

Cobb school parents fighting mask mandate to drop lawsuit

May 27, 2021May 26, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The attorney for Cobb school parents fighting the Cobb County School District’s mask mandate said Wednesday they’re dropping their lawsuit.

Rob Madayag, Cobb school board candidate — *Rob Madayag*

Rod Madayag told East Cobb News he’s filed a notice to dismiss a federal lawsuit because “the school district indicated that it was going to be mask optional next year, which is all our clients wanted in the first place.”

The dismissal notice comes three weeks after a federal judge denied the suing parents their request for a temporary restraining order to end the mandate during the Cobb school district academic year that concluded Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, the district said it was relaxing its mask mandate for the “fully vaccinated” and announced that “we fully expect to start the 2021-2022 school year with masks as optional.”

Five parents filed a lawsuit in April in Cobb Superior Court, but it was remanded to federal court (you can read that notice and the suit by clicking here).

In their suit, the parents claimed the Cobb school district’s mask mandate—which applied to students, teachers and other staff—has effectively created two “separate, but unequal” learning environments, one in-person, and one virtual.

In addition, the plaintiffs alleged that the district’s contract tracing procedures violate students’ right to privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as well as the equal protection provisions of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

They also claimed CDC guidance for students wasn’t based on scientific data showing mask-wearing is safe for them because there isn’t any.

“People are surprised to learn that there are zero studies cited or conducted by the CDC that show that it is safe for a child to wear a mask for 8 hours a day, every day,” Madayag said.

“It is a shame that people were so flippant about putting kids in masks for 8 hours without making sure it was safe. What kind of message does that send to our kids?”

Some of the plaintiffs alleged in their lawsuit that their children have suffered from constricted breathing, including a Walton High School student with ADHD.

Madayag said he will be working with parents to press for state legislation to prohibit policies along those lines in the future.

Gov. Brian Kemp also is expected to sign an executive order prohibiting local school districts from imposing mask mandates when the 2021-22 school year begins. The order would not prohibit staff and students from wearing masks if they choose.

A Cobb school district spokeswoman told East Cobb News there are no further updates for now on a final decision about masks for the next school year, which begins Aug. 2.

As for the lawsuit, she said in a statement that “when this lawsuit began, we said we looked forward to the facts of this case being argued in court, not social or traditional media. As the case being dropped shows, our comments from one year ago are as true as they are today.”

Cobb school district expands summer enrichment schedule

May 26, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

Cobb Schools has traditionally made several summer learning options available to students and parents through its Summer Link program. While Link is still available, the Cobb Academic Department has also been busily working behind the scenes to bring many other programs to life in 2021.

Learning gaps have become a national concern during the COVID pandemic. Many students have not been able to get the attention and help they need while learning online. “The COVID-19 pandemic is unique,” said Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Lawson recently in a presentation to the Board of Education. “This means there are no historical events which directly parallel it, and the research indicators we would use to guide our response to it are limited.”

The Student Learning and Recovery Plan is Cobb’s answer to helping fill these learning gaps. Consisting of many different programs based on individual needs and grade level, the Learning and Recovery Plan is designed to help both students and parents utilize a portion of their summer break to get caught up in various areas.

Our district also offers the Cobb Course Refresher, which allows high school students to gain a greater comfort level with certain course content. The Cobb Course Refresher allows students to review course lessons online. This includes content for courses taken in 2020-2021 or for classes they will take during the 2021-2022 school year.

While every school has its own academic response and will vary, the District has created five major areas for local schools to implement and make available to its learning community. Up-to-date information on District summer programs can always be found on the Summer Programs page of the District website.

In addition to traditional summer school for high schoolers to make up missing credits, Cobb continues to offer its Virtual Academy (CVA) as an option over the summer. CVA and the Summer Link programs are open to Cobb’s Middle and Elementary students.

Cobb is also offering several programs by “Invite Only,” such as the Summer Enrichment Academy (for certain Elementary-aged students) and the Summer Learning Quest (for certain Middle and High School students) which are both making their debut this year.

Parents should consult their local schools’ website and newsletter for more specific information and schedules. For example, Riverside Elementary is offering “Building Bridges for Success” over the summer, which includes reading, writing, and math, as well as hands-on activities like photography, art, and robotics.

3 Wheeler students named National Cyber Scholarship winners

May 26, 2021May 26, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information: Wheeler students Cyber Scholarship winners

After a rigorous 48-hour online competition sponsored by The National Cyber Scholarship Foundation (NCSF), three Wheeler High School students were named Scholars in the National Cyber Scholarship Competition (NCSC). Jenna Bond, Archishma Goli, and Christina Nikolova were among the top 540 highest scoring students who met the eligibility criteria for a $2,500 Scholarship to a U.S. college of their choice.

A fourth Wheeler student, Natalie Ajemian, was named a finalist in the competition. The Cobb students are all members of Wheeler’s Girls In Cyber Security Club, which is sponsored by teacher Jennifer Callison-Bliss.

In recognition of their achievement, all four Wheeler students earned an invitation to participate in the Cyber Foundations Academy –a multi-week online program based on the nationally recognized SANS Foundations training course and certification –valued at more than $3,000.

The Wheeler students competed against 5,000 high school students in a cybersecurity competition designed to challenge its participants to solve computer security problems and/or capture and defend computer systems. Only 10% percent of the 50,000 students nationwide who sought to qualify for the NCSC met the requirements.

“The National Cyber Scholarship Competition recognizes high school students who have demonstrated exceptional cybersecurity prowess and who wish to pursue a career in a growing field in critical need of their talent,” noted David Brown, executive director, National Cyber Scholarship Foundation. “The NCSF mission is to identify and develop the next generation of cyber professionals. Each and every student who participated in this competition has the potential to develop their skills and build a successful career in cybersecurity.”

There are several qualification pathways for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, including CyberStart America, a free online program that helps students discover their interest in cybersecurity and develop their talent and skills. The NCSC offers 600 college scholarships to top-ranking competitors. Additionally, National Cyber Scholars, along with competition 1,000 finalists, are invited to participate in the Cyber Foundations Academy. To learn more, visit: National Cyber Scholarship Foundation.

The National Cyber Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) is a national nonprofit whose mission is to identify, nurture and empower the next generation of cybersecurity experts; and eliminate the cybersecurity skills gap in the United States. NCSF aims to support the entry of thousands of talented students into the cybersecurity industry by providing enrichment opportunities, world-class training, and scholarships to fund the degree-level study.

CyberStart America is a free national program for high school students, aiming to uncover hidden cyber talents and to identify and develop the next generation of cyber superstars. CyberStart’s immersive gamified learning platform can take students from zero cybersecurity knowledge to possessing the skills necessary to compete in a national-level Capture the Flag challenge in a matter of weeks. Students new to the field with a strong aptitude and students with an existing interest in the field can use the platform to train and qualify for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, allowing them to compete for life-changing college scholarship opportunities.

Cobb schools announce 2021 valedictorians and salutatorians

May 25, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Madeline Maurer, Pope, 2021 Cobb vals and sals — *Madeline Maurer, Pope High School*

The Cobb County School District on Tuesday announced the Class of 2021 valedictorians and salutatorians, and students from East Cobb schools had some of the highest grade-point averages in the county.

Overall, graduating seniors in the Cobb school district combined for an average GPA of about 4.7. Cobb salutatorians are very close with a 4.63 average.

Three valedictorians and one salutatorian from Cobb high schools posted GPAs higher than 4.8. In total, 12 valedictorians and nine salutatorians earned GPAs above 4.7.

Madeleine Maurer of Pope High School tallied a GPA of 4.845, second-highest in Cobb, and will be attending the University of Pennsylvania.

Mehul Kalia, Wheeler, 2021 Cobb vals and sals — *Mehul Kalia, Wheeler High School*

Not far behind her is Mehul Kalia of Wheeler High School, who has a GPA of 4.797. He’s headed to Georgia Tech to study computer science

All graduations are taking place this year at Cantrell Stadium at McEachern High School over the next two weeks. Dates and times for the East Cobb schools are listed below with their vals and sals:

Kell (Wednesday, June 2, 7 p.m)
Valedictorian —Alaina Westee, 4.563, Kennesaw State, biochemistry
Salutatorian—Riley McClure, 4.484, U of Georgia, psychology

Lassiter (Tuesday, May 25, 7 p.m.)
Valedictorian—Gloria Wu, 4.768, Georgia Tech, business administration;
Salutatorian—Malia Trask, 4.741, Georgia Tech, aerospace engineering

Grace Yan, Walton, 2021 Cobb vals and sals — *Grace Yan, Walton High School*

Pope (Wednesday, May 26, 7 p.m.)
Valedictorian—Madeleine Maurer, 4.845, U of Pennsylvania, tbd
Salutatorian—Gregory Park, 4.786, Georgia Tech, tbd

Sprayberry (Friday, June 4, 7 p.m.)
Valedictorian—Olivia Sternagle, 4.719, U of Georgia Honors College, biology
Salutatorian—Yousuf Azeem, 4.625, Georgia Tech, computer science

Walton (Friday, May 28, 9 a.m.)
Valedictorian—Grace Yan, 4.769, MIT, computer science and brain and cognitive science
Salutatorian—Sheena Lai, 4.767, Stanford, undecided

Wheeler (Saturday, May 29, 7 p.m.)
Valedictorian—Mehul Kalia, 4.797, Georgia Tech, computer science
Salutatorian—Manav Shah, 4.773, Stanford, humanities

The entire group of East Cobb valedictorians and salutatorians is shown in the slideshow below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Cobb County high school graduations stretch over two weeks

May 25, 2021May 22, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule

Because all 17 high school graduations in the Cobb County School District are being held in a single location, those commencement exercises will take place over the next two weeks.

The Cobb school district announced in February that due to COVID-19 considerations, Cantrell Stadium at McEachern High School will be the venue for all schools.

That’s the largest-capacity stadium in the Cobb school district, and where delayed 2020 graduations took place last July.

Here’s what the Cobb school district posted earlier this month about how those graduations will be taking place:

“Ceremonies are scheduled Monday, May 24, through Friday, June 4, with Saturday, June 5, reserved for making up ceremonies postponed due to inclement weather. Ceremonies are not scheduled on Sunday, May 30, or Memorial Day, Monday, May 31. Ceremonies are only scheduled for mornings and afternoons to avoid the heat of the afternoon.

“Tickets will be limited due to public health guidance. Specifics about ticket allocations and distribution will be provided by the individual high schools in late March. To accommodate family and friends who are unable to attend, each ceremony will be streamed live.”

And here’s the graduation schedule for the six high schools in East Cobb:

Tuesday, May 25: Lassiter High School, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 26: Pope High School, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 28: Walton High School, 9 a.m.
Saturday, May 29: Wheeler High School, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 2: Kell High School, 7 p.m.
Friday, June 4: Sprayberry High School, 7 p.m.

More graduation details, including links to livestreams of commencement exercises, can be found by clicking here.

Earlier this week Cobb school officials unveiled a draft list for what would be a Cobb Education SPLOST VI sales-tax referendum that calls for the construction of a special events facility.

Until the pandemic, most Cobb high school graduations took place at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center. Some schools have had graduations on their own campuses, including Wheeler, as well as large church sanctuaries in the county.

Transgender Pope senior asks for preferred name at graduation

May 21, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Soren Tucker, transgender Pope senior — *Soren Tucker posted a Hamlet-like photo on his Instagram page on his 18th birthday.*

Since changing his first name as a sophomore at Pope High School, Soren Tucker says he hasn’t encountered many issues with identifying as transgender since then.

Born female, Tucker for the last two-plus years has gone by a family name from his mother’s side of the family, which is of Norwegian ancestry. He says he has largely been supported by other students and teachers at Pope.

Soren Tucker is the name listed under his senior photo in his yearbook, and as an active member of Pope Theatre He even performed in a male role last fall in the club’s presentation of a one-act play entitled “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”

But when Pope holds its commencement exercise Wednesday, Tucker’s birth name will be on his diploma, and more than likely will be uttered during Pope’s roll-call of graduating seniors.

That’s because Cobb County School District policy requires diplomas and graduation call-lists to include a student’s legal name.

Tucker, who turned 18 last fall, has not yet begun the process of legally changing his name, and is just now beginning to explore that process.

He said “I do plan on walking [to receive his diploma], but I’m not sure what I will do” if he does not hear his preferred name.

Tucker, who declined to reveal his birth name in an interview with East Cobb News, said he’s still hoping to have Soren listed on the call list, if not the diploma.

Lily Smith, a friend of Tucker’s, has begun an online petition that in just a few days has generated more than 13,000 signatures.

“Despite being fully supported and correctly recognized by students and staff, the administration refuses to recognize Soren by his name,” Smith wrote in her appeal. “This is a BLATANT act of transphobia, and the students of Pope High School do not and will not stand for hate, prejudice, and discrimination against their students. PLEASE sign and help us right this wrong.”

Soren Tucker A spokeswoman for the Cobb County School District reiterated the naming policy in response to a request for comment from East Cobb News, saying legal names are used for all official school business.

“If any student or family changes a student’s legal name, we update that student’s official record which impacts, among other examples, their schedules, transcripts, and diplomas,” the spokeswoman said.

When asked how he came to identify as transgender, Tucker said that for many people like him, “you just always know something’s not right.”

He said he’s trying to be happier in his life, and making a name change is “the easiest thing” he says he can do to become more comfortable at this point in his transition.

When asked if he’s planning on hormone treatment or surgery in the future, Tucker said that “generally, I prefer to live in the present.”

Tucker’s near-future includes enrolling as a freshman this fall at Kennesaw State University, where he plans to major in theatre performance and where he can use his preferred name.

Tucker says undergoing a name change is more than symbolic.

“It comes from knowing that something isn’t right,” he said. “It holds a lot more meaning than just a name. Transgender people just want to be regarded for who they really are.”

Cobb school superintendent spurns ‘Critical Race Theory’

May 21, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Cobb school superintendent Critical Race Theory — *Cobb school board members heard plenty from parents Thursday about Critical Race Theory, masks and an upcoming accreditation review.*

After highly-charged comments from parents Thursday and a response from a school board member on the subject of Critical Race Theory, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale weighed in on the increasingly controversial topic.

At Thursday’s Cobb Board of Education meetings, Ragsdale said that “as long as I am Superintendent, I will commit to keeping any theory or curriculum, which is not part of Georgia’s standards, out of every Cobb County classroom.”

Those comments were included in a statement the Cobb County School District issued Friday morning, prefaced by asserting that “Ragsdale made it clear that the staff in Cobb Schools will continue to focus on keeping Cobb’s schools, schools.”

The statement included links from the Cobb school district’s performances in standardized tests and other academic indicators.

“District data clearly indicates that the Superintendent’s laser-like focus on success for each Cobb student is working for our students, families, and county,” the CCSD statement reads.

A number of parents addressed the Cobb school board at Thursday’s meetings about Critical Race Theory, which asserts that racism is a social construct and has led to “systemic racism” that pervades law, policy, culture and other aspects of American society.

At Thursday night’s board meeting, parent Jeff Clark said that while “we need an honest conversation about race, this isn’t it. This is indoctrination.”

He said that “radical members of this committee [school board] are holding our children hostage. . . . Let us teach Dr. King’s message, not Mao’s.”

At a Thursday afternoon work session, East Cobb parent Amy Henry called Critical Race Theory “child abuse. . . . You’ve awokened Mama Bears all across Cobb. But we’re not woke, we’re just awake.”

“Woke” is a slang term used by racial and social justice activists in making references to social awareness.

Earlier Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr wrote a letter to the Georgia Board of Education asking that it “take immediate steps to ensure that Critical Race Theory and its dangerous ideology do not take root in our state standards or curriculum.”

Kemp and Carr are among the latest Republican office-holders and conservative political activists to blast Critical Race Theory, and there are bills in some state legislatures to prohibit teaching it in public schools.

On Thursday, the Cherokee County School Board voted to ban the teaching of CRT in a packed meeting in which some attendees chanted “no CRT.”

Some Cobb parents making critical comments of CRT also accused the three Democrats on the school board for threatening to undermine the academic quality of the school district with their request for a special review by its accreditation agency.

Two of those Democrats, Jaha Howard and Charisse Davis, have been pressing for the Cobb school district to create the position of Chief Equity Officer to oversee, among other things, diversity issues.

No such position has been suggested by Ragsdale or the four Republicans who make up the school board majority.

The Cherokee school board also voted Thursday not to proceed with a “diversity, equity and inclusion” program that is being adopted by corporations, non-profits as well as K-12 and higher education institutions, including Georgia State University.

Cobb school board members didn’t respond to the public comments about CRT during their meetings.

But late Thursday night, Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, wrote on her Facebook page that “the Critical Race Theory (CRT) debate has been bizarre…mainly how it became a scripted conservative talking point 40+ years after its inception.”

She said in response to comments from Cobb school parents that “I would struggle to give you a complete definition of all that CRT entails and let’s admit that three people on a board of seven would not be responsible for CRT (OR the mask decision you don’t like for that matter). And please stop sharing MLK quotes in the arguments against CRT. MLK was considered a radical and paid for it with his life.”

In her post, Davis also linked to a story in Boston Review called “The War on Critical Race Theory” that was shared by Maureen Downey, an education journalist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“This week’s discussion of critical race theory, prompted by the crowds showing up at local school board meetings decrying what they consider the application of CRT in their schools, has led to comments by folks who only show up when we are discussing racial issues,” Downey wrote.

Over the last two years, Cobb school board members have openly clashed on racial topics. They couldn’t come to a consensus on an anti-racism resolution last summer in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minneapolis.

School board member David Banks of East Cobb said during his re-election campaign last fall that he considered “white flight” the biggest long-term challenge facing the Cobb school district, leading to accusations by Davis that he was “spewing racist trash.”

After the November elections, the four school board Republicans voted to abolish a newly-approved committee to examine naming policies for Cobb school district schools and buildings.

Among those facilities targeted for a name change is Wheeler High School, named after a Confederate Civil War general.

Howard accused his GOP colleagues of “systemic racism” for that vote and for requiring a board majority to place items on the board’s meeting agendas.

Sprayberry rebuild, East Cobb ES annexes on SPLOST VI list

May 20, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Cobb schools SPLOST VI draft list

A rebuild of Sprayberry High School and annexes for several elementary schools in East Cobb are among the possible projects on a draft list for the proposed Cobb Education SPLOST VI draft list that was revealed Thursday.

During a Cobb Board of Education work session, Dr. James Wilson, a planning consultant for the Cobb County School District, outlined the major projects (as seen in the graphic above).

Referring to Sprayberry, he said that “a rebuild of major portions of that school” are needed for a 38-year-old campus whose last upgrade was a decade ago with a new auditorium.

A new career and technology building is earmarked at Sprayberry in the current SPLOST V period, but a construction timeline hasn’t been announced.

Wilson said the school board will be asked in September to approve a construction project for a new Sprayberry gym, which is included in the current SPLOST V collection period.

A parents group has been publicly pushing for a Sprayberry rebuild this spring, pointing out that other high schools in East Cobb have been recently getting rebuilds and major facilities improvements.

New annexes are proposed at Kincaid, Mt. Bethel, Murdock, Sope Creek and Tritt elementary schools in East Cobb, and an addition and modifications are being proposed for Bells Ferry Elementary School.

The draft list includes a commencement and special events center for the 112,000-student school district, a second career academy in the north Cobb area, athletic facility improvements, security and technology upgrades and the ability to build “undesignated classrooms,” where they’re needed but whose exact locations aren’t known now.

Wilson said a major emphasis of SPLOST VI—if it’s approved by Cobb voters in November—would be major infrastructure improvements at many schools and including 18 areas of work.

Details of the draft list were to be posted on the Cobb school district’s website. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the draft list won’t be modified much before a final list is presented in June to the Cobb school board, which will be asked to pass a resolution calling for a November referendum.

SPLOST VI would begin in 2024 and would collect a one-percent sales tax for five years, generating nearly $900 million for school facility, maintenance and technology expenses.

The draft list calls for a rebuild for the main building at Sprayberry, which relocated to the northwest intersection of Sandy Plains Road and East Piedmont Road in 1973.

“It’s not going to be the entire school,” superintendent Chris Ragsdale said, adding that language that was consistent with recent projects at Walton, Osborne, Pebblebrook and Campbell high schools.

“It’s something that at least a couple people are pleased to hear it,” said school board member David Chastain, who represents the Sprayberry attendance zone, noting the lobbying by the parents’ group that has included several rallies on campus to bring attention to their efforts.

That group has started a Facebook page called Rebuild Sprayberry High School.

When school board member David Banks asked whether possible land purchases might be considered for Sprayberry, Ragsdale said that specifics won’t be discussed publicly (acquisitions are allowed to be discussed in executive session) and that “we’re always looking” for land for school facilities throughout the county.

Rebuilds of the main buildings on the campuses of Walton and Wheeler High School in East Cobb have taken place in recent years.

Ragsdale said the Walton project was the most challenging because it has the smallest land area of any high school in the Cobb school district.

He said the district was fortunate that land adjacent to the Walton campus was available for recent purchases for a new sports complex.

Cobb school board to hold public hearing on FY 2022 budget

May 19, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Education’s monthly meetings on Thursday include a required public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2022 operating budget.

The public hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, before the scheduled 7 p.m. voting meeting. The school board also will hold a public work session starting at 1 p.m.

All the meetings take place in the board’s meeting room at the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.

All of the public meetings will be livestreamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24An executive session is scheduled between the work session and budget hearing.

You can view the agendas for the meetings by clicking here.

Public admission in the meeting room will be limited to those individuals who have signed up for public comment.

The school board will consider a proposed FY 2022 budget of $1.5 billion that includes an employee pay raise.

The budget proposal proposes holding the line on the school district’s property tax rate of 18.9 mills and using $51 million in reserve funding to reach a balance (budget summary here).

Also projected for FY 2022, which begins on July 1, is a 5.54 percent growth in the Cobb tax digest.

The school board tentatively adopted the budget in April for the purpose of advertising public hearings.

The final public hearing and formal budget adoption is scheduled for June 10.

More Cobb school district budget and financial data can be found by clicking here, including general fund and other fund overviews and line-item details, and video presentations of previous budget presentations to the school board.

Cobb schools drop mask mandate for the fully vaccinated

May 24, 2021May 13, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District announced late Thursday afternoon that fully vaccinated students and staff no longer have to wear masks or practice social distancing.

The district announcement came after the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated.

The Cobb schools announcement states the following:

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance;

Fully vaccinated people can refrain from testing following a known exposure unless they are residents or employees of a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter.

The announcement didn’t state whether people not wearing masks on Cobb school campuses or for related activities would have to show a proof of vaccination.

The current academic year ends in the Cobb school district on May 26.

This week the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use for the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12-15.

The Cobb school district said that students and staff who wish to continue wearing masks may still do so, and that as “our cases are continuing to trend down and vaccinations are trending up, we fully expect to start the 2021-2022 school year with masks as optional.”

The first day of school is Aug. 2.

The Cobb school district imposed a mask mandate for all students and staff when in-person instruction began in October.

In March, several parents sued the district to drop the mask mandate, but their request for a temporary restraining order was denied last week in federal court. The lawsuit remains pending, according to Robert Madayag, one of the parent group’s attorneys.

Hightower Trail MS named Georgia winner of Vocabulary Bowl

May 13, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Hightower Trail MS Vocabulary Bowl

Hightower Trail Middle School was recently crowned Georgia champion of the 7th annual Vocabulary Bowl, which tested more than 1.3 million students across the country.

The contest is sponsored by Vocabulary.com, which will recognize all 50 U.S. state and 9 Canadian provincial winners with championship banners.

Hightower Trail, which came in 35th in the overall competition, was fourth last year in Georgia.

This year Pope High School of East Cobb was the Georgia runner-up after being the 2019-20 state champion.

Hightower Trail also finished 10th overall among middle schools. Here’s principal Laura Montgomery on how her students improved their Vocabulary Bowl prowess while improving their literacy skills:

“Increasing vocabulary, which aids in effective communication, is part of our daily goal of addressing 21st Century Skills as a STEM school. The students at HTMS worked hard this year to practice their vocabulary using Vocabulary.com. Throughout the year, teachers assigned practice lists related to the books we read and things we study in other classes. Students answered a variety of questions for practices involving context, definitions, and even pictures. Some students even explored and practiced additional lists related to their interests—astronomy, civil rights, and even baseball. In the end, HTMS students mastered over 113,000 words on the program! It’s impressive, mind-boggling, staggering, and awesome!”

Here’s more about the 2020-2021 Vocabulary Bowl:

Total students participating: 1,300,000+ million students
Total schools participating: 43,500+
Total words mastered: 36,600,000+
K-12 students from 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories and 9 Canadian provinces participated
Students earn points for their school by mastering words on Vocabulary.com
See the full results of this season’s Vocabulary Bowl here.

National Merit $2,500 scholarships go to 7 East Cobb students

May 12, 2021 by Wendy Parker

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced winners of its $2,500 Merit Scholar program, part of a continuing series of announcements this spring.

The recipients included seven high school seniors from East Cobb, and the winners from each state are judged to have “the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.”

According to the NMSC, “the number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.”

They were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who examined academic records, including difficulty level of subjects studied

and grades earned, scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, contributions and leadership in school and community activities, an essay written by the Finalist, and a recommendation from a high school official.

The East Cobb recipients have each been awarded $2,500 scholarships from the organization’s funds:

Avi Balakirsky, Walton HS. Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering;
Shourya Jasti, Fulton Science Academy. Probable career field: Business;
David P. MacDonald, Wheeler HS. Probable career field: International Relations;
Ryan J. Meredith, Pope HS. Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering;
Cecelia E. Pumpelly, Campbell HS. Probable career field: Public Health;
William M. Shutt, Lassiter HS. Probable career field: Engineering;
Sanjay Srihari, Wheeler HS. Probable career field: Computer Science.

16 students from East Cobb schools named Georgia Scholars

May 12, 2021May 5, 2021 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

State School Superintendent Richard Woods recently announced the names of the 2021 Georgia Scholars, which includes 20 students from Cobb Schools. In total, there were only 323 graduating seniors recognized as 2021 Georgia Scholars statewide.

The Georgia Scholars from Cobb represent the following schools: Campbell High School, Harrison High School, Hillgrove High School, Kell High School, Pope High School, Sprayberry High School, Walton High School, and Wheeler High School.

Through the Georgia Scholar program, the Georgia Department of Education identifies and honors high school seniors who have achieved excellence in school and community life. Students eligible for Georgia Scholar recognition are high school seniors who exhibit excellence in all phases of school life, in community activities, and the home. Each Georgia Scholar receives a seal for their diploma.

These students have carried exemplary course loads during their four years of high school; performed excellently in all courses; successfully participated in interscholastic events at their schools and their communities; and have assumed roles in extracurricular activities sponsored by their schools. Click here for a full list of Georgia Scholar program requirements. Note that the SAT and ACT score requirement was waived this year, as some students could not take or retake these exams due to the pandemic.

“As a state, we can all draw inspiration from the resilience and determination of the class of 2021,” Superintendent Woods said. “Like their counterparts in the class of 2020, they dealt with the sudden shutdown of in-person schooling in March of last year. Then they persevered through a school year that was, of necessity, unlike any we have ever seen before – and still, they found a way to excel. I am extremely proud of each 2021 Georgia Scholar and can’t wait to see what this outstanding group of students accomplishes.”

The Georgia Scholar program is managed by GaDOE’s Excellence Recognition Office and local coordinators in each public school system and private schools throughout the state.

2021 Georgia Scholars from Cobb Schools:

Campbell High School	Ana Herndon
Harrison High School	Zoey Weir
Hillgrove High School	Erin Seagraves
Hillgrove High School	Mekai Brown
Kell High School	Meghan Hamilton
Pope High School	Madison Winston
Sprayberry High School	Allison Mawn
Walton High School	Aryn Wright
Walton High School	Ajay Nathan
Walton High School	Aden Cobb
Walton High School	Lindsay Jenson
Walton High School	Kaitlyn Talsky
Walton High School	Sheena Lai
Wheeler High School	Kaylyn Ferguson
Wheeler High School	Okezie Eze
Wheeler High School	Caroline Hugh
Wheeler High School	Matthew Norman
Wheeler High School	Aryaman Mukherji
Wheeler High School	Ishaan Chaubey
Wheeler High School	Anmol Prakash

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