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School News
Mount Paran Recognized Nationally
During the 2020-2021 academic year, Mount Paran Christian School (MPCS) won several prestigious honors in recognition of its diversity initiatives, as well as its digital publishing campaign for COVIDresponse tactics.
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The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District III/Southeast Awards presented Mount Paran with the top honor in the Diversity and Talent Management: DEI Initiatives category. MPCS won the gold award for its Campaign for CommUNITY: Building Equity On Campus. Auburn University earned the silver award, while the University of Florida got bronze.
The 2021 CASE District III Institutional awards represent the best in advancement across the Southeast. More than 700 entries were submitted in the 70-plus awards categories. MPCS was one of only eight independent schools in the district to win a CASE award — the majority of the awards were presented to colleges and universities.
The focused CommUNITY campaign has assisted the school with its goal of being a more diverse school family. Since the formation of the CommUNITY Task Force in 2012, MPCS has seen a 100% increase in diverse enrollment, doubling diversity within the student body.
MPCS also won three awards from the 36th annual Educational Advertising Awards: • Gold award — COVID Response Materials for family reunion plan. • Gold award — Equality and Diversity Promotion for Campaign for
CommUNITY. • Merit award — COVID Response Materials for “What to Expect:
A Return to Campus After COVID” video.
The awards, which are sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report, are the largest, oldest and most respected educational advertising awards in the country. This year, more than 2,000 entries were received from more than 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries. Gold awards were granted to 313 institutions. Judges for the Educational Advertising Awards consisted of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, and marketing and advertising professionals.
Mount Paran class of 2021 graduates Sophie Passantino, Caroline Pugh, Audrey Weaver, Kennedy Crenshaw, Jada Crowell, Rainey Hill, Gracie Dinsmore and Logan Watson are part of the school’s strong community. Josy Johnson with her horse, Bubbles.
Riders Compete at Regional 4-H Championships
In August, three Cobb County 4-H horse and pony members, Emma Bayer, Josy Johnson and Avery Henard, competed at the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships in Perry, Georgia. They joined other 4-H’ers from 13 different states, who all qualified at their state 4-H horse show to compete at regionals.
Bayer is a sophomore, attending the Cobb County Online Academy. She placed fifth out of 107 in hunt seat equitation, 13th out of 39 in hunter type geldings, 14th out of 110 in hunter under saddle and 10th out of 59 in dressage training Level Test 3. Johnson, a seventh-grader at Durham Middle School, competed with her horse, Bubbles, and Henard, a seventh-grader attending Griffin Middle School, placed 15th out of 87 in hunter showmanship with her horse, Hershey.
4-H’ers Win Top Honors at State Congress
It was a record breaking year for Cobb 4-H in project achievement. This summer, eight high school 4-H’ers won first place in the district competition to earn their spot to compete at the next level, State 4-H Congress.
The competition at the state level includes judging a portfolio of the 4-H’ers work, a professional interview and a presentation. At the State 4-H Congress in late July, two Cobb 4-H’ers, Gunjal and Kajale, placed first in their category, earning the status of Master 4-H’er in project achievement.
Gunjal, Quadriyah Williams and Harriss mastered in the Georgia 4-H Food Challenge competition, and Bayer mastered by earning the Senior Hunt Seat Champion scholarship.
Congratulations to the State Congress delegates! These students advance to the National 4-H Congress in November.
Kennesaw Mountain High School class of 2021 graduate Destiny Kluck won the national Distinguished Young Women of America Contest. She competed against young girls from every state to win a $30,000 scholarship and a gold medal.
Kluck began preparing for the contest during her junior year of high school after learning about the contest through a close family friend. The scholarship program encourages women to do their best, and it gives opportunities to women to further their success.
Kluck shared that being part of the magnet program at Kennesaw Mountain High helped her in the scholastic part of the competition, as well as her involvement with clubs; the speech club helped her with the self-expression part of the competition.
“Speech club really prepared me to have a quick mindset and respond in a fashionable way that helped me convey my point across eloquently,” Kluck said.
Kluck is attending Brandeis University in Boston on a full-tuition ride. She plans to study medicine with the goal of becoming a vascular surgeon.
While juggling her academic pursuits, Kluck focuses on her passions, including community service, dancing, research and fashion. She also runs a nonprofit, Foster4Love-Adopt4Life. During the pandemic, she sewed more than 200 masks for foster youth.
As students settle into the 2021-22 school year at Kennesaw Mountain, and other high schools in the area, Kluck has some advice for juniors and seniors.
“Choose the things you want to do by being passionate about it, because it leads you to the direction of happiness,” Kluck said. “I know I got my accomplishments because I didn’t try to fit a mold. I found myself thinking about what I really want, and enjoy in life. I ran Key Club and National Honors Society because of my passion for volunteering. So, I focused on the clubs I participated in with my passions in life.”
Cobb Kicks Off Football Season with Coaches Luncheon
The Cobb Schools Athletic Department celebrated the return of high school football with its regular Cobb Football Kickoff Luncheon last month. The event was hosted by Roswell Street Baptist Church, with all 16 Cobb County public high schools represented by coaches and administrators, as well as representatives from Marietta Schools.
“The Kickoff Luncheon always brings excitement for not only football but all interscholastic sports that we offer,” Cobb Director of Athletics Don Baker said.
The guest speaker, Assistant Coach Brent Key, serves as Georgia Tech’s run game coordinator and offensive line coach, and spoke about success and setbacks. Baker recognized Cobb’s student-athlete accomplishments in light of the pandemic.
“In 2020-21, the Cobb County School District saw more studentathletes sign letters of intent to play in college than we did pre-pandemic. This speaks to the quality education and coaching our student-athletes are receiving, both on and off the field,” Baker said.
State Congress competitors: • Swami Kajale, North Cobb
High, international project. • Venya Gunjal, Wheeler High, environmental science project. • EL-Adonis Williams, Marietta
High, food for health and sport project. • CG Chukwuezi, Pebblebrook
High, communications project. • Laura Harriss, Hillgrove High, physical, biological and Earth science project. • Emma Bayer, Cobb Online
Learning Academy, horse project. • Quadriyah Williams, Marietta
High, food safety and preservation project. • Isaiah Farrow, Georgia
Connections Academy, food fare project.
State Congress participants, from left, Cobb 4-H Program Assistant Cassie McCollum, EL-Adonis Williams, CG Chukwuezi, Venya Gunjal, Laura Harriss, Emma Bayer, Quadriyah Williams, Isaiah Farrow, Swami Kajale, Cobb 4-H Program Assistant Kathleen McElroy and Kennedy Deveaux of Georgia State University.
