School News

Kennesaw State Alumnus Takes Second Place

Kennesaw State University (KSU) alumnus Raymond Goslow finished in second place in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship” and took home $100,000. Crowds gathered for watch parties on KSU’s Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, and when the show ended, the contestant let everyone know how much he appreciated the support. Goslow, who works for the Cobb County Library System, graduated from KSU in December with a bachelor’s degree in geographic information science and plans to earn a master’s degree in library science to become a librarian. He is a veteran Rubik’s Cube competitor and an adult spelling bee champion.

Kennesaw State graduate Raymond Goslow competes in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship,” where he finished second.

Mount Paran Hosts Rock Your School Week

For the second consecutive year, Mount Paran Christian School hosted its Rock Your School event, part of a nationwide initiative sponsored by Get Your Teach On, in March.

The game-themed week, designed to bring learning to life through play and educational games for preschool and lower-school students, included the fifth-grade classes participating in a basketball tournament; a Cereal Box Domino Challenge, where students arranged hundreds of cereal boxes benefiting MUST Ministries in a 70-yard domino train in the stadium; book character dress-up day and guest readers for national Read Across America Day; a faculty kickball game and students dressing according to board-game themes; and a Fun Run that raised more than $4,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Jerry Hardee and Charmaine Herman at the SABCA Black History Month Gala.

Life University Hosts Conference, Gala

More than 40 students from Kaiser University College of Chiropractic Medicine, Sherman College of Chiropractic and Life University, along with five doctors of chiropractic, attended the annual American Black Chiropractic Association (ABCA) Eastern Regional Conference hosted by Life’s SABCA chapter in February.

The weekend conference featured presentations, a meet and greet, technique seminars and panel discussions and concluded with the 15th annual Black History Month Gala, a yearly tradition at Life University. More than 115 students, alumni, faculty and administrators gathered to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans.

The evening included dinner, entertainment by the Voices of Life choir, spoken word by Telesa Hart, a dance performance by Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta, two selections from harpist Lyrika Holmes and a keynote address by Johnny Brown. A special award was presented to minority recruiter Mackel Harris, for his 30-plus years of dedication to recruiting Black students. Sherman President Jerry Hardee, former dean of the College of Undergraduates Studies at Life, also attended.

Cobb Schools Celebrate Read Across America

In March, Cobb County students joined their peers across the country in celebrating Read Across America. While some read from their favorite books or picked new ones from their school’s media center, other students took a seat for storytime with guest readers. Students at Chalker Elementary listened to Cobb School Board Chairman David Chastain read “The Koala Who Could.”

Photo provided by Cobb Schools.

Mount Paran Wins Second Black History Bowl Title

The Mount Paran Christian School Black History Bowl team claims the championship trophy for a second time after beating a field of 32 teams.

After 20 rounds of competition, the Mount Paran Christian School (MPCS) Black History Bowl team claimed its second championship trophy by defeating four other middle schools during the quiz-bowl-style tournament, which began with a field of 32 teams. The contingent from MPCS consecutively placed as the No. 1 seed. Congratulations to the 2022 championship team: eighth-graders Luke Broggi (captain) and Julienne Geffrard; seventh-graders Easton George (Most Valuable Player) and A.J. Rivers; and sixth-graders Sam Harris, Scarlett Jones and Jackson Lim. Team coaches are Hasani George, Tangye Watson, Beth Parsons and Tamareeshi Geffrard.

PHOTO BY RED BARYL PORTRAITS

Kristen Lipscomb using Wilson Reading materials with student, McKenna Cook.

Grades 1-12 accredited by Georgia Accrediting Commission.

Accepts the sb10 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship and the Apogee Tax Credit Scholarship.

Curriculum includes the Wilson Reading System for dyslexia, and other computer-based programs for reading, math and auditory processing.

Students improve 2.6 grade levels per year, on average, in reading.

Brookwood Christian School 4728 Wood St., Acworth 678-401-5855 BrookwoodChristian.com | E

Brookwood Christian Students Find a Path to

SUCCESS

As a private academy dedicated to helping students who need extra attention, the staff of Brookwood Christian School has the opportunity to make a life-changing difference for those children.

The little red schoolhouse on the north side of Main Street in Acworth is a beacon of hope for children who have language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and auditory processing disorder. Founder Kim Wigington shares a success story that sums up the difference Brookwood Christian School (BCS) can make.

“Charlotte began attending Brookwood Christian School in the sixth grade. She was barely reading at a first-grade level and had no confidence in herself. The teachers provided intensive Wilson Reading instruction and by the time Charlotte graduated, she was reading on level.

BCS also provided extensive college prep instruction in math, science and history. Charlotte excelled and gained confidence due to the instruction the teachers were giving. While at BCS, Charlotte began dual enrollment, attending Chattahoochee Technical College. Again, she excelled and once she received her associates degree in computer and electrical engineering, she enrolled at Kennesaw State University. Charlotte recently graduated cum laude from KSU, with her bachelor’s degree in science in electrical engineering technology and is preparing to take the FE and PE tests to join the workforce as an engineer.

Without the care of the teachers and the focus on teaching her to read at BCS, Charlotte would have been lost in the public school system. BCS promoted her confidence and realization that she can achieve anything she wishes.”

The director has her own personal testimony to share, the impetus for starting BCS in 2004. Her daughter, Kristen, wasn’t reading at age 8, despite having an IQ in the gifted range. After trying private schools, resource classrooms, tutoring, vision and occupational therapy to no avail, Kim created a program that worked for Kristen. Now Kristen is teaching at BCS, along with her dad, Kevin.

Brookwood students enjoy smaller classes of eight or less, a specialized reading program called Wilson Reading, a math program that is computer based and reads the textbook to the students, and instruction based on their achievement level, not their grade level. The students are normal kids who have IQs that fall in the normal range, but haven’t succeeded in traditional schools. To date, the school has graduated 41 students, with 75% attending college. Wigington leads the 21-member staff with many degrees and years of experience. She has a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education from Kennesaw State University, a master’s degree in school counseling, an educational specialist degree in school leadership and 32 years of experience in public and private schools.

Truly a part of the Acworth community, students can be seen walking around Lake Allatoona, down Main Street, or shopping at the Farmers Market on Friday mornings. “Our location allows us to be part of the historic downtown area,” Wigington said. “This community has embraced our school family.”