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School News
Christina Hulette’s winning photo.
Allatoona Student Wins Photo Contest
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Christina Hulette from Allatoona High School was one of 11 Cobb County students selected as winners of the third annual waterSmart High School Photography Contest, a photography challenge designed to educate residents about water conservation. Students were asked to submit images taken in Cobb County in one of six categories. Winning photos will be made into notecards and distributed throughout the county. See the winning entries at https://tinyurl.com/mtafpbpy.
Cobb High Schools Rank Among the Best
The U.S. News recently released its rankings for the Best High Schools for 2022. Once again, the Cobb County School District stands out for providing learning environments that help students succeed.
A total of eight high schools in the district ranked among the Top 40 high schools in metro Atlanta — including Harrison (26), Allatoona (36) and Kennesaw Mountain (38) — and in the Top 50 for Georgia — including Harrison (31), Allatoona (44) and Kennesaw Mountain (46).
Four additional high schools ranked among the 100 best high schools in Georgia, including North Cobb (73).
Allatoona High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian boasted a GPA above 4.7.
Christina Hulette was named valedictorian, with a GPA of 4.766, and salutatorian David Rodgers wasn’t far behind with a 4.705 GPA. Both scholars will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall, with Hulette majoring in applied physics and Rodgers majoring in aerospace engineering.
Overall, Cobb’s valedictorians had an average GPA of about 4.7, and the salutatorians were only a few tenths of a point behind them. Three valedictorians and two salutatorians from Cobb high schools posted GPAs higher than 4.8, and 12 valedictorians and 11 salutatorians earned GPAs above 4.7.
About 15 valedictorians and salutatorians are planning to attend Georgia Tech, and the rest are attending such prestigious schools as Princeton University, Emory University, the University of Georgia, the California Institute of Technology and Boston University. They plan to study everything from environmental engineering, industrial engineering and aerospace engineering to premedicine, biology, neuroscience and international business.
Chatt Tech Students Complete Leadership Academy
Two Cobb County residents graduated recently from the Student Leadership Academy at Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC) on the North Metro campus.
Lashanda Anderson, a design and media production student, and Latoya Drakeford, a business management student, were among the eight graduates of the academy.
The annual semester-long program prepares students to become effective workforce leaders by allowing them to be mentored by top-level administrators from CTC, as well as local business and community leaders.
Christina Hulette
8,000+ Students Graduate From Cobb High Schools
In May, families, educators and school communities celebrated the graduation of 8,137 Cobb students, a larger number than in 2021. Members of the Class of 2022 spent most of their high school career amid a global pandemic, but they persevered and succeeded.
As they bid farewell to the teachers and schools who prepared them for their future academic pursuits and careers, graduates garnered more than $106 million in scholarship offers, more than a $6 million increase over the Class of 2021. Some of those scholarship offers came from such institutions as the University of Georgia, Harvard University, University of Alabama, Auburn University, Boston University, University of South Carolina and Mercer University.
About 78% of the recent graduates have plans to continue their educational journey at a college or university. Those schools range from universities in their own backyard, like Kennesaw State University, to schools overseas. Some are enrolling in Ivy League schools, while others have been invited to attend military academies, including the U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy.
In addition to their scholarship awards, the Class of 2022 earned a host of accolades during their high school career. There are numerous state and national champions, some who claimed state titles all four years. The class included several published authors, future Olympic hopefuls, a national award recipient for science, technology, engineering and math and a student with a pending patent for biodegradable straws.
So far, at least 10 Cobb students have earned National Merit Scholarships, and other notable scholarships that students received include the QuestBridge Scholarship, REACH Georgia Scholarship, Cobb Schools Foundation Scholarships, full-ride football scholarships and multiple Posse Scholarships. More students in the Class of 2022 earned the title of Georgia Scholar than any other district in the state.
When the Cobb students weren’t earning state and national accolades, they were giving back to their community. Over the course of their four years in high school, this year’s graduates posted about 100,000 in community service hours.
Crossing the Finish Line
Speed for Need and F3 Help Those With Needs Experience 5Ks and More
SUBMITTED BY SPEED FOR NEED
Speed for Need is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and foster inclusion of those with a need through participation in fitness events, such as 5Ks, 10Ks or marathons — experiences that they would not be able to have on their own. Trained drivers push Track Commanders (riders) in customized, fitted racing wheelchairs to help them participate in and complete fitness events. Our impact is measured largely in the number of smiles and amount of laughter coming from the Track Commanders that we push. There is no greater impact than helping others feel included and loved.
Who We Serve
Anyone with a need (child or adult) is eligible to participate as a rider in a Speed for Need event. Examples of needs include physical or cognitive disability, recovering from a disease or older adults, such as military veterans in events honoring our military. We coordinate with organizations that serve potential riders, as well as local race directors. We provide teams and specialized racing wheelchairs to push our Track Commanders in races and running events. This all is done at no cost to the riders.
How We Got Started
Will Farr, from Charlotte, North Carolina, had been an avid runner his entire life but had a hard time sharing his joy of running with his son, Owen, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (a rare genetic disease that causes the muscles in the body to become weak and damaged over time). Farr met Kevin Young after he joined a free men’s workoutfellowship group called F3 (Fitness, Fellowship and Faith — learn more at F3nation.com). The two men saw an opportunity for Owen and others to experience the joy of participating in a race. With the support of F3, the men collected donations to purchase a racing wheelchair they could use to push riders, like Owen, in local running/racing events. On July 4, 2017, Owen got to participate in his first race with his dad, and out of the love of a father, Speed for Need was born.
F3 Cherokee member David Zeh pushes his stepson Nicolas Medina (also an F3 Cherokee member) at the 2021 Next Step Run, Walk or Roll 5K.
Where We Are Now
Since 2017, Speed for Need has grown to nine specialized racing wheelchairs and has run with more than 315 Track Commanders in 95 races, helping raise awareness for more than 40 social causes. After running the Next Step Run, Walk or Roll 5K in October 2021, with the help of F3 Cherokee, Speed for Need officially began expanding into Georgia in January. The positive response has been incredible. Initial fundraising efforts allowed for the purchase of four racing wheelchairs to use for events in Georgia. Speed for Need is run completely by volunteers, and donations are used to purchase and maintain the racing chairs for our riders.
How Can You Get Involved?
Email info@speedforneed.org. You can help by becoming a volunteer,or donating at speedforneed.org. We always are looking to partner with organizations or events where there is a need to help get a Track Commander to the finish line. We recently partnered with the Kennesaw Grand Prix Race Series and are looking for riders to fill our chairs. For the most upto-date information, visit https://kennesawgrandprix. com. For other events, check out our event calendar at https://speedforneed.org/calendar.
