East Cobb Schools Archives

East Cobb County Council of PTAs honors teachers, classified employees

February 20, 2018 6:04 AM by Wendy Parker

*ECCC PTA Teachers of the Year honorees.*

On Feb. 8 the East Cobb County Council of PTAs held its annual “Story Time Brunch” to honor teachers and classified employees of the year.

The event was held at the Holy Family Catholic Church and was organized by the Wheeler High School cluster. Cobb Board of Education members Scott Sweeney and David Banks were among those in attendance.

Thanks to Hailey Kramer, Kristy Flowers and Kimberly Webb of the ECCC PTA for the photos and information from the event.

Brumby ES Steel Drum Band — *The Brumby Elementary School Steel Drum Band provided entertainment.*

Mt. Bethel ES, ECCC PTA — *Mt. Bethel Elementary School Classified Employee of the Year Shayla Thomas, Principal Jessica Appleyard and Teacher of the Year Cindi Cabral.*

Wheeler HS, ECCC PTA — *Wheeler teacher of the year Vickie Massey, principal Peter Giles, Lisa-Marie Haygood, classified employee of the year Jackie Escott, Gretchen Buchanan, Daniel White, Andrea Jewell, and Nancy Mann.*

Mountain View Elementary School, ECCC PTA — *Mountain View Elementary School teacher of the year Kristin Shildneck, principal Renee Garris and classified employee of the year Barbara Glynn.*

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb Robotics team advances to state-level competition

February 19, 2018 5:26 PM by Wendy Parker

Thanks to Emily Yewell Volin for the above photo and information below about an East Cobb Robotics team that will be spending the winter break week this week getting ready for state competition on Saturday:

East Cobb Robotics FIRST Tech Challenge Team 11096 is excited to announce their advancement to the State level of competition. During a League Championship tournament, the 15-member community team, comprised of middle and high school students, earned the first place Think award, an honor to their engineering design process throughout this season.

The team was also awarded the 2nd-place Inspire award, celebrating them as ambassadors and role models for FIRST, were finalists for the Motivate, Design and Rockwell Collins Innovate awards and were the first pick for the competition’s 3rd alliance finalist round of competition.

ECR FTC 11096 will compete at the state level competition in Georgia on Saturday, February 24. The team is proudly coached by Mrs. Kimberly Clark, 6th grade math teacher at Dodgen Middle School, and Dr. Curtis Volin, Quantum Systems Division Chief at Georgia Tech Research Institute. East Cobb Robotics FTC 11096 is sponsored by General Electric.

All FIRST robotics events are free and open to the public and the State Championship will be broadcast via live feed. For more information visit: http://gafirst.org/ftc/ and http://gafirst.org/ftc/first-tech-challenge-live-stream.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Lassiter Band fundraiser nets $12K for Roses parade trip

February 17, 2018 9:02 AM by Wendy Parker

Lassiter Band students held a mattress sale fundraiser last weekend for their 2019 appearance at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. Band mom volunteer Sharon Renaud sent us this photo, band vice president Richard Stinson hoisting a check for $12,000, the proceeds from the event.

She adds that fundraising efforts will continue throughout the year. Students will be raffling off 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4×4, donated by Ed Voyles, and the drawing will be held Nov. 17.

Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased from Lassiter Band students, parents, or by emailing JeepRaffle@lbba.org. The booster association web page can be found here.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb school choice applications accepted until Feb. 28

February 16, 2018 1:18 PM by Wendy Parker

Press release:

Extending Cobb students’ ability to apply to attend a school outside of their designated school zone, the Cobb County School District opened 5,800 transfer seats this year.

The online application deadline for these transfers is Wednesday, February 28. Available space at a school is based on permanent classroom space, which includes seats at each grade level.

Although parents are not required to provide reasons why they want to transfer their child to a different school, they do have to provide their own transportation if their child does transfer.

Students who are already enrolled in the program are not required to reapply every year. They only have to reapply when advancing from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school. Those students are given priority in the school choice lottery during the reapplication process.

For more information about the school choice application and to see a list of eligible schools, please visit the 2018-19 School Choice webpage: http://www.cobbk12.org/generalinfo/transfers/schoolchoice.aspx.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools safety preparations to include unannounced ‘code red’ drills

February 15, 2018 4:27 PM by Wendy Parker

*Chris Ragsdale, Cobb schools superintendent*

The day after a mass shooting at a south Florida high school left at least 17 people dead, Cobb County School District superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district would be re-evaluating safety protocols and continue plans to better prepare staff and students to respond to emergency situations.

At a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday, Ragsdale updated board members on those efforts, including what he said would be unannounced code red drills to boost preparedness. He said those drills would be “absolutely uncomfortable” for people at the schools that are selected.

Those drills would serve as preparation for the most severe level of emergencies, including active shooter situations.

“Our student and staff safety is our top priority,” Ragsdale said during the lengthy discussion, which was not initially on the board’s agenda. The topic was added after he received e-mails from parents and students in wake of the Florida tragedy, the third-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

Yesterday a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County walked into the building and began shooting with an AR-15 rifle.

The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was taken into custody, and at least 14 other people are hospitalized. Some of the dead include teachers and coaches who shielded students from the gunfire.

Ragsdale said all of Cobb’s 112 schools are required to have at least one code red drill per semester. Principals underwent further training in safety protocols in January.

Ragsdale also said all classroom doors in school buildings are marked from the outside for first responders, and current Cobb Ed-SPLOST V funding has been earmarked to continue efforts to improve access control measures at elementary and middle schools.

“The message to our parents, students, staff, and community is that we are not just saying that safety is our top priority, we mean it,” Ragsdale said.

He later acknowledged that “there’s no way to put parents completely at ease.”

During the presentation, which included questions from board members, Ragsdale showed a video detailing an enhanced security alert system called AlertPoint, which is being demonstrated at two schools this year, including Bells Ferry Elementary School.

That system allows teachers and staff to trigger an alert for emergencies, similar to fire alarms.

Ragsdale said high schools pose the most challenging safety issues because they have multiple points of entry. Several Cobb high schools have “buzz in” requirements, already in place in elementary and middle schools but he did not identify those high schools.

After schools have code red drills, the district’s public safety department conducts an evaluation to provide feedback. Another new “suspicious persons” measure would have plain-clothes staffers from the Cobb schools police department enter a school and see how far they can go before being noticed.

Ragsdale said Cobb schools “are doing more” than any other school district in the state to improve safety.

While it’s “impossible” to completely prevent someone from coming in a school with an attack in mind, he said that “what we have to be able to answer is: Do we have in place all the options that we can possibly have to ensure the safety and security of our staff and students?”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools teacher contracts sent out for 2018-19 year

February 13, 2018 4:57 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District said Tuesday that nearly half of the 8,000 teacher contracts sent out last week for the 2018-19 academic year were signed the very first day.

The district sent out out a release today saying that around 4,000 contracts distributed on Friday had been signed that day.

The decision to send out contract offers a little earlier than usual compared to last year was to reward teachers and get a head start on hiring decisions that need to be made.

Last year was the first in which Cobb schools sent out contracts electronically. Deputy superintendent John Adams said the district also saves around $40,000 in time, printing and distribution costs by making offers this way.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Lassiter Band holding mattress sale fundraiser for Tournament of Roses trip

February 5, 2018 3:56 PM by Wendy Parker

Lassiter Band, Tournament of Roses Parade — *The Lassiter High School band at the 2017 Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C. (submitted photo)*

On Saturday, the Lassiter Band wants to sell you a mattress to help raise money for its participation in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade (previous East Cobb News post here).

The mattress sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the band room at Lassiter (2601 Shallowford Road). They’ll be selling name-brand mattresses at a discount and will deliver. For details text the word “Lassiter” to 678-999-7278.

This will be the 130th Tournament of Roses parade and the fifth appearance for the Lassiter Band, which is sending 250 students, educators and others to Pasadena, Calif. for the New Year’s Day event.

Here’s more about related fundraising efforts for the trip, sent to us by Lassiter Band mom Sharon Renaud, who also submitted the photo above:

The Lassiter Band also is selling raffle tickets for chances to win a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4×4. The drawing will be held Nov. 17. More information is available by emailing JeepRaffle@lbba.org. As a 501(c)(3) organization, the band also accepts tax-deductible donations which may be mailed to LBBA, P.O. Box 670253, Marietta, GA 30066.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Walton High School charter renewal, $40M in construction loans approved by Cobb school board

January 26, 2018 6:04 AM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb school board on Thursday voted 7-0 for a Walton High School charter renewal for another five years.

Recent meetings with staff and parents included 100 and 99 percent approval for the renewal, respectively, according to deputy superintendent Alice Stouder.

Walton opened in 1975, and in 1998 became one of the first charter schools in Georgia. It’s called a conversion charter, which the state no longer allows.

Having charter status means Walton can develop academic and policy changes from certain local and state mandates and rules. In the past Walton has created programs like the International Spanish Academy (2009) and a STEM Academy (2014) to boost academic immersion in those subject areas.

For this charter rewewal, Walton requested eight waivers, including flexibility for scheduling, developing and implementing curriculum and assessment tools, controlling technology funding and acceptance of non-traditional classes toward graduation requirements.

Future plans with the new waivers include the creation of an honors graduate fine arts program, as well as a “Walton Digital Courses” program that would be taught online-only or in a hybrid format for topics “outside the general required curriculum.”

Here’s a full copy of the Walton charter petition, which underwent what East Cobb school board member Scott Sweeney called “an arduous process” to be renewed. The waiver information begins on page 17 of the document.

Also new is a redesigned Walton Governance Board, a five-member panel of parents and community members who work with school officials to oversee charter goals, the school strategic plan and other functions.

The new charter period will run through 2023.

SPLOST loan request approved

The school board will take out a $40 million loan to get ahead of its SPLOST construction schedule for this year and save some money while doing it.

In another 7-0 vote at Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to approve the loans, which must be repaid by the end of the year from later SPLOST revenues.

The loans will be used to continue projects approved in the Cobb Education SPLOST IV, which is in the final year of collection. The penny sales tax that’s collected for school construction and maintenance is expected to generate around $130 million in 2018, but Cobb school officials say construction costs are expected to increase 4-5 percent.

That’s why they want to take out $40 million in short-term borrowing now, instead of waiting for monthly collection monies. That would “allow us to get an acceleration on these projects” and complete them concurrently, Cobb schools superintendent Chris Ragsdale said at a school board work session Thursday afternoon.

He added that the loans are “not going to cover every project.” Bids for the loans are expected to go out in February, with the funding available in March.

Among the SPLOST IV projects still in progress or that will be underway soon include the rebuilds of East Cobb Middle School and Brumby Elementary School and new gyms at Lassiter High School and Walton High School, as well as a new fine arts building at Walton.

The short term construction notes would be sold in $100,000 denominations, primarily to large institutions. School officials say they will save more in construction expenses because of the loans than the estimated $700,000 in interest, fees and other costs to obtain them.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools snow days prompted by winter storms won’t be made up

January 25, 2018 8:24 PMJanuary 25, 2018 6:04 PM by Wendy Parker

A week after Cobb schools were closed for three days due to yet another winter storm, superintendent Chris Ragsdale reiterated the district’s decision not to make up for “snow” days, add to existing class days or reduce planned break weeks to compensate for lost class time.

The Cobb County School District has called off seven class days in the 2017-18 academic year already, including five due to winter weather since mid-December.

Students were in class only one day last week, on Tuesday, since the previous day, Jan. 15, was the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.

Ragsdale said an extended calendar has enabled the district to avoid scheduling makeup days, a course chosen by some school districts in metro Atlanta. He said he has “full confidence” in the ability of teachers “to meet the academic needs of our students.”

A similar message has been posted on the Cobb schools website.

The next break for Cobb students, teachers and staff is the winter break from Feb. 19-23, followed by spring break April 2-6. The state mandates that local school districts schedule 180 instructional delays, but some systems, including Cobb, have received waivers from that requirement.

At a Cobb Board of Education work session on Thursday, Ragsdale was asked by school board member David Banks what would happen if more bad weather forces cancellation of classes.

Ragsdale said while such an event is possible since it’s still January, “We’ll address that as we get there.

“It’s not my intent to modify the schedule at all,” he said. “I’m still looking for the crystal ball in knowing when to close and when not to close.”

Ragsdale said one of the main factors in deciding to close school is the safety of high school student drivers getting on the roads with inclement weather approaching.

When schools are released early for weather reasons, he explained that high schools are dismissed first, followed by middle schools and then elementary school students, so there would be someone waiting at home for the youngest children with school-age siblings.

Ragsdale said there have been some instances when elementary school students have been brought back to school because there was no one at home.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

High Meadows teachers selected for national educators’ workshop

January 24, 2018 7:19 PM by Wendy Parker

Press release:

High Meadows School is pleased to announce two of its faculty, Andy Stephens and Melissa Casorio, have been accepted to attend the National Institute of the Progressive Education Network’s (NIPEN) six-day workshop series. The workshop will be presented in two parts: three days at Wildwood School in Los Angeles in January, and three days at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago in April.

The break between sessions allows participants to apply their learning and action plans with the support of their three-person small group, then return to their workshop for follow-up and evaluation. The program will explore the historical context, ideals, and pedagogy of the Progressive Education movement, which aligns with High Meadows’ objective of inspiring both teachers and students to be globally aware, lifelong learners.

“We are so proud to invest in our teachers, who in turn guide our students, with high-caliber continuing education programs such as NIPEN,” says Jay Underwood, head of school for High Meadows. “Andy and Melissa are highly dedicated teachers who will experience new ways of teaching and responding to the developmental needs of our students. As a beacon for progressive education in this country, High Meadows is dedicated to these educational principles.”

NIPEN provides teachers an opportunity to learn from other educators and experts in the field. The workshop series is limited to a maximum of 24 participants in order to keep the experience focused and personal. NIPEN was held at High Meadows School in 2017.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb high school band fundraisers: Walton garage sale donations; Pope recycling day

January 24, 2018 3:27 PM by Wendy Parker

From the East Cobb high school band front, it’s the season for fundraisers.

The Walton Band Garage Sale is March 10, and earlier this month it began scheduling dropoff periods twice a week at Paper Mill Village

Your can go there each Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Suite 740 of Paper Mill Village (255 Village Parkway).

The dropoff site is near Moxie Burger and across from the Straw Dog boutique, and the items that are acceptable are gently used and able be resold.

If you have large furniture items to be picked up or for other questions and information, e-mail: garagesale@waltonband.org or leave a phone message at 678-719-9267.

There’s also more on the website and Facebook page for the sale.

This Saturday, the Pope Band recycling event takes place from 9-4 at the school (3001 Hembree Road). The cost is a $10 donation per car, and detailed sheet of accepted items can be found here.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Wheeler Hall of Fame inductees include ex-pro golfer, former wrestling coach

January 19, 2018 3:33 PM by Wendy Parker

Five individuals will be inducted into the Wheeler Hall of Fame next weekend, including a former Wildcat state champion golfer who played professionally on the PGA Tour and in Europe.

The inductees will be honored between games of Wheeler’s varsity basketball home doubleheader against East Coweta next Saturday, Jan. 27, and the official ceremony takes place at 3:45 p.m. in the school orchestra room.

The following information and photos were supplied by Wheeler:

Bill Bergin, Class of 1977

Bill Bergin, Wheeler Hall of Fame — *Bill Bergin*

Bergin played on Wheeler’s 1976 state championship team and starred at Auburn University. He played on the PGA and European pro tours, and competed in three U.S. Opens and two British Opens, in the latter finishing in a tie for 14th in 1984 at St. Andrews. Bergin runs Bergin Golf Designs in Atlanta and last year was selected as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative People in Golf by Golf Inc.

Cristina Cabrera Burns, Class of 1989

She was a four-year swimming and diving letterwinner at Wheeler, finishing third in the Georgia state high school diving meet in 1988 and and second in 1989. She competed in college at Florida and the University of Georgia, and earned an interior design degree from Georgia State. She is an interior designer and YMCA personal trainer and lives in Kansas City, Mo., with her husband Greg Burns, also a Wheeler graduate, and their four children.

Margarita Cabrera Nickell, Class of 1984

Maragarita Cabrera Nickell, Wheeler Hall of Fame — *Maragarita Cabrera Nickell*

Margarita was on the Wheeler swimming and diving team and was first in the Georgia high school diving meet in 1983 and 1984. She earned an athletic scholarship at the University of Georgia finishing second in the one-meter springboard event at the SEC championships and third in the three-meter event in 1988. She is married to Wheeler alumnus Jeff Nickell and they have two children. She taught at Tritt Elementary School and currently teaches at Mill Creek Elementary in Woodstock.

Donnie Keener, Class of 1975

At Wheeler, Keener played basketball and baseball, hitting .418 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs and 10 doubles in his senior season in 1975, when the Wildcats won the state championship. He played baseball at Georgia Tech and Chipola Junior College, then transferred and played baseball at UGA. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and was invited to spring by the St. Louis Cardinals. Keener owns a landscape construction company and he and his wife have five adult children.

Gordon Pritz, Wrestling Coach

Gordon Pritz, Wheeler Hall of Fame — *Gordon Pritz*

Pritz was Wheeler’s wrestling coach from 1980 to 1985 before going to McEachern, and also was a football assistant coach for the Wildcats. Thirteen of his Wheeler wrestlers placed in the top four at the state meet, and four became state champions. Pritz also coached Wheeler’s only state wrestling title team in 1985. He was 192-32 in his overall coaching career before becoming a school administrator in Cobb County, Marietta and Paulding County. Pritz is a retired superintendent of schools in Douglas County and with his wife has four grown sons.

The Wheeler Hall of Fame was created in 2008, and inductees include Corky Kell (football coach), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (NBA player and executive), Robby Ginepri (pro tennis), Randy Edwards (Alabama football and NFL Seattle Seahawks), Theresa Gernatt (Georgia Tech basketball), David McDonald (baseball coach), Jeremy Hermida (Major League Baseball), Byron Capers (FSU football, NFL, CFL) and Krista Kilburn (basketball coach).

Here’s more about the other inductees in the Wheeler Hall of Fame.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Library PASS program expands resources to students

January 19, 2018 11:45 AM by Wendy Parker

While another winter storm was brewing this week, the Cobb County Public Library System unveiled a new program to increase access for students at all of its branches. The Cobb Library PASS program is available to all Cobb and Marietta students who show their student IDs, and it’s for print and digital materials.

While it’s the kind of resource that comes in handy when schools are closed, as they have been since Wednesday, the Cobb Library PASS program is available year-round, as well as from remote locations and by physically visiting a branch.

PASS stands for Public Library Access for Student Success, and here’s what the library system has sent along to explain how the program works. Basically, a student ID serves as a library card number that can be used just like a card for any other library patron:

PASS links K-12 student identification numbers to the new PASS accounts for online connections to the Cobb public library from the home, classroom or library.

Lisa Cleary, Community Engagement Manager for Cobb libraries, said expanding access to the Cobb library is a major step for improving educational attainment levels in the county, especially for students with limited opportunities to visit libraries in person. All students have access to school media center resources, yet only about one-fourth have Cobb library cards, she added.

Through Library PASS accounts, area public school students may checkout books and eBooks, and explore online resources like research publications on science, history, technology and more.

Officials with the library system and schools spent several months developing PASS and preparing teachers and school staffs for the PASS launch. The collaboration between the public library and schools is bolstered by the relationships the three organizations developed for annual Summer Reading programs and other joint initiatives throughout the year.

Cobb County Schools Library Media Education Supervisor Holly Frilot said the groundwork for Library Pass involved many local meetings, discussions with library institutions in other states, and the involvement of several departments in the three partner organizations.

“We strive every day to improve and enhance the digital and print literacy skills of our students – skills that are crucial for success in school, career, and life,” Frilot said. “The PASS partnership directly speaks to this goal.”

Here’s more about the PASS program at this FAQ page, including PIN numbers, limits on materials to check out and daily computer usage and downloading library system apps.

Further information can be found here for parents.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools closed on Friday, Jan. 19; other East Cobb openings/closures/updates

January 19, 2018 11:53 AMJanuary 18, 2018 6:15 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb Park, Cobb schools closed Friday — *Sunshine helped melt much of the snow, including at East Cobb Park, but icy roads are expected to freeze over again Thursday night. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)*

The word’s just come down that for the third day in a row, Cobb schools will be closed on Friday.

The Cobb County School District cited “hazardous road and travel conditions throughout the county,” and that includes a number of areas of East Cobb.

The major roads are clear for the most part, but along roads without the direct sunshine that helped the melting process today, there’s still a lot of ice and slush. That’s expected to freeze over again tonight as temperatures drop down into the mid-to-low 20s.

When we went out earlier this afternoon, we noticed this too, especially along Robinson Road near Fullers Park, and along Robinson on either side of Old Canton Road.

That’s one of a couple dozen or so icy patches in East Cobb that remain treacherous. Earlier today, some social media postings included a lot of ice on Hembree Road near Pope High School, and around Walton High School.

This is just a small part of Hembree Rd (Pope) that’s frozen… @CobbSchools pic.twitter.com/EajLS9yQYm

— Kyla Smith (@kyla_smith16) January 18, 2018

Neighborhoods and Roads iced all over Eastern Cobb County.
Walton District is #ICEDOver. #NOTSafe @CobbSchools pic.twitter.com/SFQpJnYcVx

— Peter D. Minetos (@PeterMinetos) January 18, 2018

Other areas where ice has been an issue include:

Sandy Plains Road at Wigley Road and north on Wigley Road;
Several areas along Mabry Road;
Ebenezer Road;
Several spots along Bells Ferry Road;
Barnes Mill Road;
Roswell Road near Barnes Mill;
Post Oak Tritt near Johnson Ferry Road;
Shallowford Road east of Johnson Ferry;
Johnson Ferry Road at Oak Drive;
Sewell Mill Road near Old Canton Road;
Johnson Ferry at the Chattahoochee River;
Several areas along Powers Ferry Road.

Cobb County government will have normal working hours on Friday.

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy will be holding classes as normally scheduled on Friday.

The Walker School also announced it would be trying to make a go of classes on Friday, tweeting out this message not long after the Cobb announcement:

Due to lingering conditions from this week’s winter weather, we will have a delayed school start time of 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 19. Carpool will begin in all divisions at 10 a.m. Middle & Upper School students will report to their E block class at 10:35 a.m.

— The Walker School (@TheWalkerSchool) January 18, 2018

On Friday, warmer weather is expected to stick around longer, with highs into the low 50s and lows in the high 20s, with the chance of ice returning again Friday night.

It’s going to get gradually warmer over the weekend, into the low 60s by Sunday.

It’s also expected to be mostly sunny, with partly cloudy skies on Sunday and rain on Monday.

Send us your weather news and photos, if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them here.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb begins thawing out from winter storm: Thursday mid-day closings, weather, roads, schools update

January 18, 2018 12:58 PM by Wendy Parker

As temperatures climbed toward freezing this morning, Cobb County government offices and libraries opened, and road clean-up continued, aided by some very welcome sunshine.

Late last night, Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said that around 200 accident calls were reported to county 911 dispatchers within the first 24 hours of the storm, including 15 stranded motorists, 10 hit-and-run incidents and two needing fire extrication from their vehicles.

No serious injuries have been reported, but the roads are still icy and slushy in some places.

Earlier this morning Cobb DOT said there were 50 reports of black ice throughout the county overnight:

Most major roads in good shape but side streets, especially those in shade, remain problematic. Be safe if you are venturing out. Fortunately traffic is light.

If you’re a CobbLinc rider, local and paratransit service began at noon, but XPress bus services are cancelled today.

Temperatures could reach the high 30s or even 40 by mid afternoon, with lows tonight and overnight falling back into the mid-to-low 20s.

Then it’s getting warmer starting Friday, and for most of next week. Friday’s highs could get into the low 50s and by Sunday we could get into the high 60s.

Cobb school closed Thursday: East Cobb closings update

We a few updates about openings, closings, cancellations and postponements from East Cobb businesses, faith communities and other organizations beyond what was posted on the link just above, but we’ll keep adding to this list below during the afternoon.

We’ll also update with news about whether Cobb schools will have classes Friday. They’re closed again today, and today’s school board meetings have been postponed to next Thursday.

We’ll also be catching up with some other news that we’ve been wanting to post here the last couple days—and there’s a lot going on to share in East Cobb—starting later today and tomorrow as well.

Thursday openings

Transfiguration Catholic Church
XenGo Fusion Kitchen & Sushi
The Avenue East Cobb
Ted’s Montana Grill
Johnny’s New York Pizza
Book Exchange
St. Andrew UMC, at 1 p.m.
Once and Again Books
The Art Place-Mountain View, at 1 p.m.
East Cobb and NE Cobb YMCA open until 7 p.m.

Thursday closings/cancellations

Tonight’s Walton PTSA open house and general meeting
All practices/activities for East Marietta Basketball
The Cobb Watershed Stewardship program’s Privet Pull Mob for this afternoon at Noonday Creek Park

Send your weather news and photos and we’ll post it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools closed Thursday; latest East Cobb closings, cancellations, delayed openings and more

January 17, 2018 6:47 PMJanuary 17, 2018 4:25 PM by Wendy Parker

With a forecast of more sub-freezing temperatures tonight and overnight, Cobb schools will be closed again on Thursday.

The Cobb County School District said the closure is for students and staff for the second day in a row.

The Cobb Board of Education work session and regular meeting, both scheduled for Thursday, have been postponed to next Thursday, Jan. 25.

A state of emergency declared by Gov. Nathan Deal for 83 counties in Georgia, including Cobb, remains in effect.

Temperatures are expected to dip back into the teens tonight and overnight, as any snow and ice that melted today will refreeze and create black ice.

Weather conditions may not reach above freezing in Cobb until Thursday afternoon. Here’s what Cobb County government posted earlier Wednesday afternoon:

Bill Shelton, Cobb County DOT Road Maintenance Director, says crews are restocking supplies of gravel for what will be a long day and night of treating roads. “I don’t see conditions on the roads changing much overnight,” Shelton said. “Even when the temperature gets above freezing Thursday, shady spots and low-lying areas will not thaw out. So we will keep running routes and treat all those areas to make sure roads are safe.”

Shelton says so far Cobb DOT crews have;
– Put down 3400 gallons of brine before the snow started,
– Used 300 tons of salt and 1200 tons of gravel since the snow fell,
– Eight trucks continuously running routes, with others restocking material.

Mid-day Wednesday winter weather update: Latest East Cobb closings & more

Thursday Closings

The Walker School;
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy;
The Wood Acres School;
Eastside Christian School;
All campuses of Kennesaw State University;
Nobis Works Center;
Gracepoint School;
St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool;

Thursday Cancellations

Morning sessions at Studio 348 for Women cancelled. Afternoon sessions still scheduled;

Thursday Postponements

East Cobb Middle School PTSA meeting and volunteer appreciation scheduled for Thursday will be held Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. in the ECMS Media Center;
Primrose School at East Cobb’s parent information meeting tonight at 6:30, was scheduled for Camps Kitchen & Bar, rescheduled to Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3:30 p.m. at the same venue;

Thursday delayed openings

Cobb County Government, 10 a.m. Thursday; Cobb libraries 11 a.m.;
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, 10 a.m. Thursday;
East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA, 10 a.m. Thursday (tentative);
St. Ann Catholic Church parish office, 10 a.m. Thursday. No 6:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. Mass services;
Mansouri Family Dental Care, noon-5:30 p.m.;
Olde Towne Athletic Club, opening at noon;
Atlanta Swim Academy, opening at 1 p.m., all morning classes cancelled.

We’ll be continuously updating other closings, cancellations, postponements and road and weather news for the rest of your Wednesday afternoon and evening here.

Send your weather news and photos and we’ll post it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Wednesday winter weather update: Cobb government closed; motorists asked not to travel as roads remain icy; closures, delayed openings and more

January 17, 2018 4:34 PMJanuary 17, 2018 11:02 AM by Wendy Parker

Winter Storm, Jan. 17, 2018 — *Many areas of East Cobb got a half-inch to an inch of snow Tuesday; temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until Thursday.*

Here’s your mid-day Wednesday Cobb winter weather update, and we’ll keep adding more information as we get it the rest of the afternoon:

Cobb County government offices will be closed all day today because of the icy road conditions, and with temperatures not expected to rise out of the 20s.

That includes courts, public libraries and all CobbLinc bus service. Late last night county officials had indicated a delayed starting time of 10 a.m., but road conditions have made it hazardous to travel, as ice is packed under snow.

Cobb schools closed Thursday; school board meeting postponed

Accidents are taking place in many areas; Marietta Police said this morning that at least 15 accidents have taken place in the city, and that number is expected to climb. There’s no word yet on major accidents in the East Cobb area, but we will update any information that becomes available.

Any roads with melting ice are expected to refreeze tonight, and crews will be back out treating major routes. The Cobb Commute link has updates on roads that have been treated.

Cobb government sent out this message via social media earlier this morning:

Cobb DOT crews spent the night treating roadways and crews continue to work the roads, now on their second run over their countywide routes. But as the snowfall moves out, the number of accidents in the county has increased, with police reporting some hills and bridges impassable.

County officials will get more updates from the DOT crews and make a determination later today when to resume operations.

Cobb schools closed Wednesday; state of emergency declared for most of Georgia

After Tuesday’s snow, temperatures fell dramatically below freezing. Cobb DOT had work crews out all night and into the morning, but because of icy conditions and sub-freezing temperatures into Thursday afternoon, motorists are advised not to get out on to the roads unless they have to.

As of 11 a.m. Cobb schools have not communicated any new information, including whether there will be classes on Thursday.

As of this writing the temperatures are in the mid teens in East Cobb, with highs projected only in the low to mid-20s. Lows tonight are forecast to fall back into the teens, with highs in the 40s expected on Thursday, but not until the afternoon.

East Cobb News will continue to update this post during the day with the latest information about closures, cancellations, postponements and other weather-related news.

Send your weather news, and photos if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them.

What follows below are the latest closings/delayed openings/cancellations/postponements from this morning, not including those we posted last night on the link above:

Closings

Mass and all activities at Holy Family Catholic Church
Dog City Bakery
Haven, The Dog Spot
Tritt Animal Hospital
Rescued Too
Johnny’s New York Pizza
Ronald Sachs Violins
East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA
All activities at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation
LGE Community Credit Union
All Fidelity Bank branches
Kids’ Zone Daycare and Learning Center
Club Pilates East Cobb
Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant
Montrose Animal Hospital
Studio 348 for Women
Book Nook Marietta
Office and activities at St. Andrew UMC
Peace Love and Pizza
All activities at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
Gigi’s Cupcakes
Once & Again Books Shallowford
Cat Clinic of Cobb
Book Exchange
Chick-fil-A Lassiter
All activities at Eastminster Presbyterian Church
Offices and all acitivities at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
Intrigue Salon
Kids Kuts Salon
Atlanta Swim Academy
Three-13 Salon
Righteous Que
Free-Flite Bicycles
Mansouri Family Dental Care
All activities at Eastside Baptist Church
Parisian Nail Salon
Massage Heights East Cobb

Openings

Zaxby’s Lower Roswell Road, 11 a.m.
Muss & Turner East Cobb, noon
Frankie’s Italian restaurant, Roswell Road
Loyal Q, 11 a.m.
Winston’s Food and Spirits
Terrell Mill Animal Hospital, 10 a.m.
Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square, open until 4 p.m.
Marietta Donuts, open until 5 p.m.
Marietta Fish Market, 4 p.m. depending on road conditions
Chick-fil-A East Lake
The Wing Cafe and Tap House
WellStar East Cobb Health Park
Marietta Ice Center revised schedule for public skating sessions: 1:15-3:15 p.m.; 3:30-6 p.m.; 6:15-8:45 p.m.

Cancellations

East Cobb UMC Wednesday Night Supper

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools closed Wednesday; county included in state of emergency; updated closures/cancellations/delayed openings

January 17, 2018 11:58 AMJanuary 16, 2018 4:55 PM by Wendy Parker

Updated Wednesday story, 12 p.m.

Cobb government closed; roads remain icy; Wednesday East Cobb closings/delayed openings/cancellations

UPDATED, 8:35 P.M. and 10:55 P.M. Tuesday

Shortly before 8:30 tonight, the Cobb County School District announced that Cobb schools will be closed on Wednesday, for students and staff, “due to road and travel conditions.”

Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for 83 counties in Georgia, including Cobb, and non-essential state government offices will be closed Wednesday.

Cobb DOT crews are working in 12-hour shifts, starting at 5 p.m. today, and switching to fresh crews at 5 a.m. Wednesday, to treat major roads with a salt and gravel mix as between a half-inch to an inch of snow is forecast to fall on Cobb, and turn to ice as temperatures reached freezing.

Cobb County government is on a delayed opening Wednesday until 10 a.m., including libraries.

With the wind chill, temperatures in the morning could feel as cold as several degrees below zero. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Cobb and most of north Georgia until 10 a.m. Wednesday and a wind chill advisory is in effect until 7 a.m.

CobbLinc will delay the start of all bus services until 10 a.m.

Snowfall began falling in East Cobb a little after 7 tonight, as temperatures fell to around the freezing mark.

The Walker School also is closed on Wednesday, as are Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, the Wood Acres School, Gracepoint School and Faith Lutheran School.

All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closed on Wednesday, but dining services will continue. All campuses of Chattahoochee Tech also will be closed Wednesday.

The Eastside Christian School open house scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week to Jan 24 at 9:30 a.m. All classes are cancelled Wednesday.

The St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool is closed Wednesday, as is the St. Ann Catholic preschool.

At Transfiguration Catholic Church, preschool, PREP classes and Adult Education classes are cancelled Wednesday, and perpetual adoration will be closed until noon.

The Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon Wednesday has been cancelled.

The East Cobb YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA are delaying opening until 10 a.m.

Olde Towne Athletic Club is opening at noon Wednesday.

More updates will posted here as they become available.

ORIGINAL REPORT, posted 4:55 p.m.:

With public and private schools already having cancelled Tuesday evening events, here’s the latest Cobb winter storm update. We’ll keep posting additional information as we have it, including any news about Cobb schools for Wednesday.

The Cobb County School District has been saying this afternoon that “a decision about school for Wednesday will be made either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.”

Send your news about cancellations/postponements to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll add it here.

Weather Conditions

From the National Weather Service, precipitation is expected to come through a line from Carrollton to Canton and into northeastern Georgia around 6 p.m. tonight (as shown in map above), and as temperatures plunge dramatically.

Temperatures were in the high 40s in the East Cobb area around 4:30 p.m., but dropping temperatures, along with the wind chill, could make it feel a few degrees below zero overnight and into early Wednesday morning.

Closings/cancellations/postponements

Cobb County government, including libraries, is closing at 6 tonight, and programs and events scheduled for tonight are cancelled or rescheduled. All government offices, agencies and facilities are slated to open on a delayed basis on Wednesday at 10 a.m.;
The East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA branches are cancelling all after school activities, as well as paid programming. The branches plan to stay open until 7:30;
Transfiguration Catholic Church is cancelling all evening parish activities and meetings, PREP classes and adult ed classes, and Perpetual Adoration is closed from 6 tonight to noon Wednesday. Tonight’s 7 p.m. Mass will be held “as long as the weather holds up,” according to a social media post from around 1 p.m.;
St. Ann Catholic has cancelled Wednesday Mass services at 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.;
The Walker School is cancelling all after school-activities, including practices and games;
The Wood Acres After School Tree House is closing at 5 p.m.
After-school care at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is closing at 5 p.m. and North campus athletics are cancelled;
All after-school activities at Eastside Christian Academy will conclude at 5:30, and pickup is required by that time. JV basketball games at Mt. Paran are cancelled;
All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closing at 5 p.m., and all night classes after that are cancelled;
The same goes for all campuses at Chattahoochee Tech, closing at 5 p.m.;
The Walton High School wrestling team’s picture day and senior night event scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week, to Jan. 24.

Cobb DOT/Roads

The Cobb DOT road maintenance division has been pretreating roads with brine this morning and is treating roads with salt and gravel mix on designated major routes this afternoon. Between a half-inch and an inch of snow is expected in Cobb. A total of 15 crews will be rolling out by 5 p.m., with another similar number of crews to follow at 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Emergency Information

The Cobb 911 office issued this information around 3 p.m. Tuesday:

Cobb County and much of North Georgia is preparing for the possibility of hazardous weather. Here are some numbers that you might need. Call these numbers instead of 911 if there is not an emergency. Call 911 if you need the fire department, an ambulance or the police. 911 is unable to give time frames on power outages.

Do Not Call 911 unless it is a life-threatening emergency. This would include someone who is utilizing life-sustaining equipment that requires electricity. 911 will not report your outage to any utility company.

Cobb EMC
770-429-2100
CobbEMC.com

Georgia Power
888-660-5890
GeorgiaPower.com

Marietta Power & Water (Marietta City)
770-794-5150
MariettaGA.gov/151/Power-Water

Cobb County Water System
770-423-1000
CobbCounty.org

Cobb County Police (non-emergency)
770-499-3911

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb schools cancel Tuesday evening activities ahead of winter weather

January 16, 2018 11:28 AMJanuary 16, 2018 9:47 AM by Wendy Parker

UPDATED, 11:20 A.M.

From CCSD:

All afternoon and evening activities are canceled for Tuesday, January 16, except for ASP which will operate on a normal schedule. Parents are encouraged to pick up students from ASP as early as possible.

Classes resumed today in the Cobb County School District after Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday, but the system released this statement shortly before 9 a.m. regarding the winter weather advisory issued yesterday about the National Weather Service:

We are monitoring weather forecasts and temps for late Tuesday into Wednesday, January 17, and the impact the weather may have, if any, on Tuesday evening activities and Wednesday classes.

Marietta City Schools have cancelled all Tuesday evening exracurricular activities.

In East Cobb, the only postponement/cancellation we have thus far is Johnson Ferry Christian Academy delaying its scheduled open house tonight to next Monday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in the chapel.

Some school districts in north Georgia, including Bartow County, are releasing early today, but thus far Cobb has not indicated that will be happening here.

Tuesday’s high temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to be in the high 40s.

The snow isn’t expected until late this afternoon, with very cold weather moving in this evening.

That winter weather advisory area includes Cobb and goes into effect from 5 p.m. tonight to 7 a.m. Wednesday. In addition, a wind chill advisory has been issued that also includes Cobb from 9 p.m. tonight to 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The NWS has extended its advisory area to include most of Georgia; the map below was issued earlier this morning.

More updates will be posted here when they become available.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb teachers earn grant money at ‘Cobb Tank’ competition

January 13, 2018 12:01 PM by Wendy Parker

Teachers from three East Cobb schools have been awarded grant money for lab ideas pitched at the Cobb County School District’s annual “Cobb Tank” competition.

A total of $71,00 in grant money was handed out to teachers at 10 schools in the district. They include Zakary Jezequel and Amy Morris at Hightower Trail Middle School (above, all photos submitted by CCSD), who will receive $6,595 to develop a project in which students will race toward a healthy lifestyle using spin bikes.

At Kell High School, English teacher Lauren Forbes’ grant of $1,600 is for an “Escape from the Ordinary Classroom” program, as her students will take a true literary escape in their studies.

Dickerson Middle School teacher Lawton Willingham is receiving a Cobb Tank grant worth nearly $11,000 for a music prototyping and programming program.

The program is modeled after the TV program “Shark Tank.” All recipients pitched their “Cobb Tank” ideas at CCSD headquarters. Per a CCSD release, here’s how the competition went:

Through lively, creative, and effective presentations, many involving their students, the teachers appealed beneath TV camera lights for the sharks to fund their ideas to enhance classroom instruction.

A panel of judges, or “sharks,” included several school district teachers and administrators, including assistant superintendent David Chiprany, a former principal at East Cobb Middle School and Wheeler High School, as well as business and community leaders.

A video presentation of the entire competition will be made available later this month on Cobb edTV, the school district’s cable access channel.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

SPLOST loan request approved

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Bill Bergin, Class of 1977

Cristina Cabrera Burns, Class of 1989

Margarita Cabrera Nickell, Class of 1984

Donnie Keener, Class of 1975

Gordon Pritz, Wrestling Coach

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related story

Thursday openings

Thursday closings/cancellations

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related story

Thursday Closings

Thursday Cancellations

Thursday Postponements

Thursday delayed openings

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related story

Related story

Closings

Openings

Cancellations

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Updated Wednesday story, 12 p.m.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this: