CrossRoadsNews, May 21, 2011 - Section B

Salute to the Class of 2011 May 21, 2011

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Section B

Reach as High as You Can 6,130 DeKalb seniors up for graduation

Stephenson High School senior Shaunda Johnson poses for a self-portrait with her aunt Letitia Owens after the school’s pre-commencement exercise on May 15.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

An exuberant Towers High senior strikes a pose. May 20 was graduation day.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Redan High seniors participate in a pre-commencement service at the school gym on May 15. Graduation day is May 21 at the Georgia Dome.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Jennifer ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Southwest DeKalb’s seniors attended pre-commencement at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Graduation is May 22 at the Lithonia church.

Members of Stone Mountain High’s graduating class attend a service at St. Philip AME Church in Atlanta. They graduated May 19 at the Georgia Dome.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

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Graduation

CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

Pomp and Circumstance Established 1995 2346 Candler Road Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

The 2011 Graduation Special Section is a publication of CrossRoadsNews Inc., South DeKalb’s award-winning weekly newspaper.

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Graphic Design Curtis Parker WizArt by Sharif Reporters Carla Parker Jennifer Ffrench Parker The content, design and concept for CrossRoads­News is copyrighted and no parts of it should be copied, reproduced or duplicated without the expressed permission of the publisher.

Circulation Audited By

Countywide, 6,130 DeKalb County seniors have been picking up diplomas and certificates of attendance at commencement exercises.

2011 Graduations High School Arabia Mountain Avondale Cedar Grove Chamblee Clarkston Columbia Cross Keys DeKalb Alternative/ Elizabeth Andrews DECA DeKalb School of the Arts Destiny Academy Druid Hills Dunwoody Lakeside Lithonia Margaret Harris Martin L. King, Jr. McNair Miller Grove Redan Southwest DeKalb Stephenson Stone Mountain Towers Tucker

Date Sunday, May 22 Thursday, May 19 Saturday, May 21 Friday, May 20 Friday, May 20 Friday, May 20 Friday, May 20 Thursday, May 19

Time 7:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

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7 p.m.

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Location New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Ray of Hope Church Panthersville Stadium North DeKalb Stadium Hallford Stadium Georgia State University Sports Arena Adams Stadium New Beginning Full Gospel Bapt Church

Saturday, May 21 Friday, May 20 Sunday, May 15 Friday, May 20 Friday, May 20 Saturday, May 21 Saturday, May 21 Friday, May 13 Saturday, May 21 Thursday, May 19 Saturday, May 21 Saturday, May 21 Sunday, May 22 Friday, May 20 Thursday, May 19 Friday, May 20 Saturday, May 21

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DeKalb Schools AIC Auditorium Avondale Baptist Church DeKalb Schools AIC Auditorium World Congress Center First Baptist Church of Atlanta New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Greater Traveler’s Rest Bapt. Church School Cafeteria Georgia Dome New Birth Missionary Baptist Church New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Georgia Dome New Birth Missionary Baptist Church New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Georgia Dome Greater Traveler’s Rest Bapt. Church New Birth Missionary Baptist Church

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Salutes

The Class of 2011

We Wish You Good Luck as You Continue Life’s Journey!

May 21, 2011

Graduation

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CrossRoadsNews

“No matter the circumstance you are forced into, you can still find success in life.”

Class of 2011 breaks 6,000 mark to become DeKalb’s largest This year, the DeKalb County School System is graduating its largest senior class ever – 6,130 students.

In 2008, the senior class numbered 3,695 students. By 2010, it had grown to 5,997 seniors. School system statistics show this is the first year that the graduating class has broken the 6,000 mark.

The seniors, who hail from 32 high schools and centers across the county, will receive diplomas and, for those who failed the state’s High School Graduation Test, certificates of attendance.

Final numbers were not available at press time Thursday.

The 2011 class will march into graduation ceremonies to the strains of Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance.” Some students already have been through the ritual at ceremonies that began on May 13, but more than half of the schools are hosting ceremonies between Friday and Sunday in stadiums, churches, sports arenas, the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

In preparation for their big day, the 2011 class has spent the past two weeks taking senior trips and picnics and attending luncheons and pre-commencement exer-

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Cedar Grove High seniors attend pre-commencement at Greenforest Baptist Church on May 15.

cises where they have thanked their teachers and parents – sometimes with emotional speeches that left adults reaching for napkins to wipe tears away.

They also have listened to inspirational speeches from pastors, business leaders and elected officials who have exhorted them to use this milestone as the foundation for

more education and for making a difference in their community.

South DeKalb-based schools dominate the list of graduates, accounting for the bulk.

More than 70 percent, or 4,306, of the seniors are from South DeKalb schools.

But before they can get that well-earned piece of paper and shake the hands of their

principals and DeKalb School Board members, the graduates will listen to the top students of their class expound on their years together, what they will miss when they leave, and the road ahead.

Over the past week, valedictorians and salutatorians have written draft after draft of speeches in search of the right words and tone to inspire their classmates to seize the moment and reach for the stars.

Vonciel Bryant, who nailed a 3.9 GPA to become Columbia High School’s magnet program valedictorian, says she will talk to her classmates about using their gifts and talents to craft a better future.

“Those same gifts and talents they use to help them get this far can help them in the future,” she said.

Avondale’s Jada Henderson, who is getting a full ride to Hampton University with a Gates Millennium Scholarship, said she worked really hard for her 4.1 grade-point average.

Her valedictorian speech will explore the theme of triumphing over trials and tribulations. “No matter the circumstance you are forced into, you can still find success in life,” she said.

Nine DECA seniors awarded high school diplomas, associate degrees While most of the Class of 2011 will be headed to college in the fall with only their grade-point averages, nine of their classmates will be armed with associate degrees and enrolling as juniors.

The seniors from the DeKalb Early College Academy – Tyana Baker, Dezsarae Gill, Kaitlyn Hackett, Aaron Klaft, Zakery Mizell, Patience Shepard, Simone Thompson, Eric Williams and Amber Worthy – were able

to accomplish this feat through a joint enrollment program with Georgia Perimeter College, and more than a week before they got their high school diploma, they were among 1,000 GPC students who got associate degrees on May 13.

The students, who were part of DECA’s senior class of 25, completed their high school work while receiving up to 60 hours of college credits toward the degree.

With two years’ worth of college credits, they are entering college this fall as juniors.

They attended GPC’s Clarkston campus for both their high school and college credits.

They are the second set of graduates to leave DeKalb Schools with associate degrees.

In 2010, the alternative high school academy, based in the DeKalb School System’s Mountain Industrial complex in Stone Mountain, graduated 10 students who also had associate

degrees.

DECA enrolled its first set of ninthgraders in fall 2006 and had 254 students for the 2010-2011 school year.

The academy is funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the national “Jobs for the Future” initiative. It targets students who will be the first in their families to attend college and/or who meet income requirements.

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Graduation “The world is waiting for you to take your place in society.... I do not know where destiny will lead, but I know greatness is calling for you.”

Ramona Tyson, Interim superintendent

Congratulations, Class of 2011

By Ramona Tyson

It is an honor to congratulate the Class of 2011 for completing DeKalb Board of Education requirements for earning a high school diploma. Reaching this milestone in your educational career is a wonderful accomplishment for which you are to be commended.

Within this group, there are students who have been in our school system since pre-kindergarten. Others joined in points along the way from places as close as the next county and as far away as countries throughout the world.

Regardless of when you came to DeKalb, I am proud of the rich diversity that permeates through the Class of 2011 and how you have embraced the cultural differences of your peers to form bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime.

Your competitive spirit has enabled you to perform mightily in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the community. The number of awards and scholarships earned in each of those arenas are a testament to the diligence and stamina of the seniors in our high schools.

You are a remarkable group of students who has set high expectations for those who follow. Indeed, you are leaving a legacy of success in our schools.

The world is waiting for you to take your place in society. The question is who will emerge from this talented group to become the next giant of business and industry, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, or an American military hero? I do not know where destiny will lead, but I know greatness is calling for you.

I challenge you to set goals that will cause you to reach higher than you thought possible. Don’t quit when, without warning, life’s journey changes course. Stay focused on achieving the dreams and fueling the passion that feeds your soul. For it is then you will experience joy and contentment in knowing that you found the purpose for which you were born.

Congratulations, Class of 2011. You have done well, and I know much more is to come.

Ramona Tyson is the interim superintendent of the DeKalb County School System.

CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

“Thanks to the quality of our faculty and staff, they will be well-equipped to have great careers.”

Lithonia High seniors get memorial scholarship Thornton Lithonia High School graduates Rodny Joseph, Erin Scholarship Levering and Andrae Phillips are going to college in the fall recipients with $4,800 in scholarships from the James L. Thornton are (from Memorial Scholarship Fund. left) Andrae Rodny got a $2,100 scholarship; Erin, $1,600; and Andrae, Phillips, Erin $1,100. They are exploring a number of college options and Levering had not made final choices at press time. and Rodny The scholarship fund celebrates the memory of James Joseph.

Thornton, a 2002 Lithonia rising senior who was killed in a car accident in August 2002. The scholarships are awarded higher GPA, and be in good academic standing. If the student annually to Lithonia High seniors. has a driver’s license, he or she must not have had a moving Applicants must write an essay on safety, have a 3.0 or violation in the past 12 months.

Six DeKalb students awarded AKA scholarships Ten metro Atlanta high school graduates, including six from DeKalb schools, are going to college this fall with $6,000 in scholarships from the Stone Mountain/Lithonia Graduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

The scholarships were awarded at a May 1 reception.

Recipients include Shelby Ashley of Southwest DeKalb, who is going to Virginia Commonwealth University; Brianna Brooks of Southwest DeKalb, who will attend the University of Georgia; Evonne Bazemore of Miller Grove, who is

heading to Georgia State University; Caambridge Horton of Southwest DeKalb; Julia Guinyard of Southwest DeKalb, who is going to Georgia Southern University; and Janae Jackson of Stephenson, who is going to Ohio State University.

To win the scholarships, the seniors had to demonstrate high scholastic achievement, extensive community service, and strong leadership skills.

During its 18 years, the AKA chapter has awarded more than $104,000 in scholarships to seniors.

ODE awards $18,250 Twenty-nine DeKalb graduating seniors got $18,250 in scholarships from the Organization of DeKalb Educators at its May 6 Annual Scholarship Banquet at the Holiday InnDecatur.

The scholarships are administered annually in collaboration with the Family Support Center Inc. in Decatur.

Vasselina Kotzeva of Cross Keys High School got the $1,000 grand prize. Scholarships for $750 were awarded to Southwest DeKalb seniors Shelby Ashley, Brianna Brooks, Imani LaShay Handy, and Fadhal Anthony Moore; Redan’s Alexandra M. Coleman and Quinton Porter; DeKalb Early College Academy’s Amber Simone Worthy and Phillip Holder; Tucker’s Dana Johnson and Samantha Lee; Stephenson’s DeBria West and Taryn Griffin; Miller Grove’s Mason R. Moon and Antoinette Marie Stevens; DeKalb School of the Arts’ Morgan Graynerd; Clarkston’s Rashida Sheffield; Avondale’s Samantha Thomas; and John T. Lewis II of Salem High School.

Recipients of $500 scholarships were Christopher Brown of Southwest DeKalb; Cierra Lanique Thompson, DeKalb School of the Arts; Lenika Warren, Cedar Grove; Robert Robinson, Redan; and Ronald Grisham, Grady. Scholarships for $250 were awarded to Ryan Lemoine and Leonard Taylor of Miller Grove; Toni-Ann Plowright, Redan; Donald B Sellers, Stephenson; and Naquiesha Saunders Brantley, McNair.

DeKalb Tech graduates 24 in Law Enforcement DeKalb Technical College’s Law Enforcement Academy graduated 24 police officers, deputies and law enforcement pre-service candidates on May 12.

It was its seventh class to graduate and its largest since the academy opened in January 2009. The first class had 11 graduates.

The graduates went through a 17-week, paramilitary-structured program that exposed them to the complex issues of law enforcement. Graduates got Peace Officer Standards and Training, Basic Law Enforcement certification, and 59 college credits toward an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

DeKalb Tech’s Law Enforcement Academy, which is located in Covington, is one of the state’s first P.O.S.T.certified Basic Mandate programs on a college campus with college credit.

Beverly Thomas, the academy’s director, said she is excited about the graduates “who are going out to serve where we live and work.”

“Thanks to the quality of our faculty and staff, they will be well-equipped to have great careers and make our communities a safer place,” she said.

May 21, 2011

Graduation

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CrossRoadsNews

“There is a lot of compassion among this group. They care about each other and they are very focused.”

Arabia Mountain High’s inaugural class of 125 to get plaques

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Arabia Mountain High School may have one of the smallest graduating classes this year, but don’t let that fool you.

These graduates – all 125 of them – will go down in history.

The 2011 class, which includes Candice McCoy, who survived a brutal attack on her family in April, is the first to graduate from DeKalb’s only high school with an Academy of Engineering, Medicine and Environmental Studies.

At their May 22 graduation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, all members of the class will get an inaugural graduation plaque during a 7:30 p.m. ceremony.

Principal Angela Pringle said that a cap-andgown class photo also will be taken before the ceremony, and it will be permanently displayed in the front of the Lithonia school.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews The inaugural class Members of the first graduating class of Arabia Mountain High attend the pre-commencement Angela Pringle that is graduating this year exercise at the Lithonia school on May 15. They will graduate on May 22 at New Birth. was fashioned a mere two years ago.

On Aug. 10, 2009, when the $48 million school opened with 1,076 students, its 140 11th-graders were mostly strangers, lured started a trust fund for her.

After more than a month in from high schools like Stephenson, MLK While Candice was not at the the hospital, Arabia Mountain Jr., Miller Grove, Tucker, Redan, Southwest pre-commencement exercise at High School senior Candice McDeKalb and DeKalb School for the Arts. the Lithonia school on May 15, Coy will join her classmates for Some even came from Heritage High School she was not far from her classher school’s historic graduation. in Rockdale County. mates’ minds.

Seventeen-year-old Candice But they quickly united around the new In his welcome address to – ­ the lone survivor of brutal Rams mascot and embraced the school’s classmates and family members, stabbings on April 3 on Rockgreen and white colors. class president Tyrone Hankerland Road in Lithonia in which Pringle, who oversaw the school’s openCandice McCoy son mentioned her name among her mother, Sheila Irons, and ing and picked its staff and leadership team, younger brother Zion and sister Chasity high achievers he hoped to run into in the said the students quickly became a caring were slain – is a member of the Lithonia future. cohesive group.

“I would not be too shaken up to see school’s first graduating class.

“Perhaps, it’s the size of the class,” she said Candice McCoy after we graduate from Her troubled 21-year-old brother, this week. “They all know each other.”

Howard University – she with a degree in Eugene McCoy, was arrested and charged The class also faced tragedy when classpsychology helping save lives, one person with killing them. mate Candice was thrust into danger and the at a time.”

Dr. Angela Pringle, school principal, headlines on April 3 when her mother and His classmates erupted in applause. said Candice was released from the hospitwo younger siblings were stabbed to death, Tyrone, who took newspaper journaltal on May 5 and is recuperating with her allegedly by her elder brother. ism class with Candice and says she is a grandmother, Althea Irons-Voyd, and unCandice was severely injured and spent good friend, spearheaded fund-raising afdergoing physical therapy in New York. days in intensive care.

She will attend Howard University in ter the shocking news shook the school.

“It was really sad,” he said. “I know the fall, and on May 22, she will walk to Rigorous curriculum her family well. I had just seen them all a the podium to get her graduation plaque In their two years at the school, nestled couple of weeks before. I was at her house during the school’s graduation ceremony on 80 acres in the Arabia Mountain National at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. on March 22 for my birthday.”

Heritage Area, the seniors went through a For three weeks, he took up residence “She will be able to walk with her class. curriculum designed to support them to in front of concession machines in the cafShe has her cap and gown and will be back become engineers, soil conservationists, eteria, persuading students to forfeit treats for graduation,” Pringle said. microbiologists and other environmentaland donate.

Along with donations from Throughout the ordeal and her hosrelated professionals. teachers, staff, parents and the community pitalization, her classmates were never The school at 6610 Browns Mill Road and the proceeds of a fashion show they far away. was placed in the heritage area so that its held, students raised $5,000 for Candice.

Pringle said they visited her daily in curriculum could draw on the rich environs, the hospital when it was possible and they including wetlands, rock outcrops, wildflowers, mosses, lichen and historton University on a Gates Millennium help you if you need it.’” ical agricultural terraces.

At the school’s May 15 pre-commenceScholarship, said that just last week she and The work was tough, her mother, Julia, sat down to assess which ment service, class president Tyrone Hankerand even students who schools had the biggest impact on her life. son spoke of Pringle’s penchant for “raising relocated from other “Was it DSA, which I had gone to from the bar higher, and higher, and higher each DeKalb magnet schools kindergarten, or Arabia Mountain? It was day.” said they didn’t expect “The pressure was placed on us from Arabia Mountain,” she said. “Everything here the academic rigor thrust Leticha Heflin was so focused on you. I had good relation- every angle,” he said during his address to upon them. ships with my teachers at other schools, but his class and family members. “Mrs. Davis Leticha Heflin, who is headed to Hamp- here, from every teacher, it’s ‘I am here to wouldn’t cut us any slack. Ms. Malcolm

Survivor of family tragedy to march

found our willingness to complain funny. We were all pulling our hair out learning physics, and Mr. Canney just wouldn’t let up on that literature.”

Despite the challenges, Tyrone, who is going to Howard University in the fall on a full academic scholarship, pronounced his classmates ready to take their next steps.

“We are here fully prepared to conquer all that Tyrone Hankerson this world has to offer,” he said.

Nearly two years ago when the $48 million state-of-the-art school opened as Georgia’s first green or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-certified school, its science, math and engineering magnet curriculum was unmatched nationally.

Pringle said they searched but could not find another high school with a schoolwide focus on those subjects.

Then a principal for 14 years, Pringle, who had joined DeKalb Schools in 2007, was tapped to leave Stephenson High School to open the 240,000-square-foot campus.

When Arabia Mountain opened, it offered one of county’s most challenging high school magnet programs with mandatory research papers every semester. Sports, band practice and other extracurricular activities are not allowed at the school after 6:30 p.m.

“Students have to go home and study and do their homework,” Pringle said. “Here we were able to build a culture focused on academic achievement.”

The students, who wear uniforms to school, also were required to join academic societies and complete 20 hours of servicelearning directly linked to their academic curriculum.

“We had higher expectations of our students,” Pringle said.

Parental involvement is also a key component, and Pringle said parents routinely give more than the 10 hours of mandatory volunteer service.

“They offer SAT prep classes,” she said.

“They are here on Saturdays to work. They understand the focus.”

Arabia Mountain High holds tutorials on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and Pringle says more than 500 students attend weekly.

It is no surprise to them that members of the 2011 class are headed to many of the nation’s top colleges and universities.

“It could not have happened without a great staff and the support of our parents,” said Pringle, who is hanging up her principal’s hat at the end of this school year to concentrate on being area assistant superintendent for Region II. Appointed assistant superintendent in September 2010, Pringle has been doing double duty managing 26 schools as well as being principal at Arabia Mountain.

She said that she started her principal career opening a school in Virginia and finishes it opening the new Arabia Mountain.

She is very proud of the school’s first graduates.

“There is a lot of compassion among this group,” she said Monday. “They care about each other and they are very focused.”

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Graduation

CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

“It’s unbelievable. You feel accomplished because all of your hard work is being recognized.”

The 2011 Va Most of DeKalb’s 6.1130 seniors will receive their diplomas this weekend at graduation ceremonies in stadiums, churches, a university arena, the World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome. On the next four pages, we feature the valedictorians of the 2011 class. These are the students who rose to the top

Arabia Mountain (Magnet) Arabia Mountain (Resident)

Avondale

Cedar Grove

Ononuju Ume

Kelcie Willis

Jada Henderson

Chanice Oliver

Ononuju Ume is no stranger to hard work. Graduating with a 4.167 grade point average, Ononuju said it was encouragement that got her this far.

“It feels great to know all of my hard work paid off,” she said. “And my parents always encouraging me to go above and beyond.”

As a member of the GAMA Club and the Teen Advisory Board, Ononuju sets a great example for her peers daily. However, the greatest example she sets is for her siblings. As the oldest of five, she will be the first to go to college.

“It gives me a lot of responsibility,” Ononuju said. “To make sure I set the example for my siblings as they go along their academic life.”

She will study biology on a full academic scholarship at Georgia Tech.

– Erica Baker

Kelcie Willis said her road to being valedictorian was a natural experience.

“High school was easy; I just do the work,” she said. “I’m naturally good with writing.”

It was writing that led this 4.09 grade point average student to being in several extracurricular activities. Kelcie participated in yearbook and Sierra Club and as a staff writer at Vox Teen Communications.

She said that being the valedictorian of the school’s first graduating class is special.

“It’s rewarding. It came at a good time. I came as a new person and I’m still making history at the school.”

Kelcie is continuing her education at the University of Georgia. She will major in pre-journalism/broadcast news.

– Erica Baker

Jada Henderson is not your average student. She is senior class president at Avondale High School and in many other clubs such as the Future Business Leaders of America. Jada is also the valedictorian with a 4.1 grade point average.

“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “You feel accomplished because all of your hard work is being recognized.”

Now the Gates Millennium Scholar will move on to Hampton University to major in biochemistry.

She said she will encourage her classmates to look beyond their circumstance.

“I plan to write [my speech] about how your trials and tribulations don’t have to become you,” she said. “And, no matter the circumstance you are forced into, you can still find success in life.”

– Erica Baker

Chanice Oliver’s ninth-grade teacher, Ms. Thompson, made the comment that pushed her to become valedictorian.

“She looked at my report card and thought I would be the valedictorian of my class,” she said.

Since then, Chanice has strived for the top, and it has paid off. She obtained a 4.052 grade point average.

“It feels great,” she said. “It’s a great accomplishment and I can only do better.”

Chanice was an active student, participating in volleyball all four years, and was Student Council president, the National Honor Society vice president and on the yearbook staff.

Chanice is going to Georgia Southern University to double major in mathematics and business management.

– Erica Baker

Congratulations, Sharif Williams Your hard work, talent & dedication will take you a long, long way. Keep up the good work!

Love, Mom, Dad, Jami, Kelli & Taryn

Graduation

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CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

“We take college courses along with the high school courses. So to take on that load and to have this outcome is great.”

aledictorians by earning the highest grade point average in their graduating class.

They will speak to their classmates, teachers, parents, relatives and friends during their graduation ceremonies. This fall, they will be headed to Ivy League schools, private universities and state colleges.

Clarkston

Columbia (Magnet)

Columbia (Resident)

DECA

Hoang-Dung Nguyen

Vonciel Bryant

India Jones

Keanna Sion

Hoang-Dung Nguyen believes that becoming a valedictorian should be something every student should experience.

“We all achieved great things in high school and it’s an opportunity that everyone should experience,” she said.

Hoang-Dung nabbed the 2011 valedictorian title at Clarkston High School with a 4.08 GPA. A native of Vietnam, Hoang-Dung came to America when she was 4. She is heading to Georgia Tech to major in biomedical engineering on a premedical path.

She wants to become an oncologist to help find a cure for cancer.

– Carla Parker

Vonciel Bryant said it was support that led her to the top spot of Columbia High School’s magnet program.

“My family is very supportive,” she said. “They taught me to always work hard in whatever I do.”

With a 3.9 grade point average, Vonciel also holds membership in the Beta Club and National Honor Society. She danced in her church’s dance ministry and participated with Vox Newspaper.

She said became valedictorian by working hard.

“It feels like an honor and a privilege to be at the top of my class,” she said.

Vonciel will now go on to Southeastern University and major in public policy.

She is the recipient of the Southeastern President’s Scholarship and the Southeastern Academic Scholarship.

– Carla Parker

India Jones knew her lifelong dream of being a veterinarian is what pushed her to the top.

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a vet,” she said. “Great people have encouraged me and helped get me to the right path.”

She is a member of the Beta Club, NHS, the National Arts Honor Society, Anime Club, and SADD. All of her extra activities did not block her achievement of a 3.9 grade point average.

India said constant encouragement from others helped spur her to the top.

“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have gotten as far,” she said. “People have been my motivation and encouragement.”

India will go to Emory University to major in biology/pre-medicine.

– Erica Baker

For Keanna Sion, becoming DeKalb Early College Academy’s 2011 valedictorian was extra special and a very proud moment for her.

“It shows how hard I’ve worked,” she said. “We take college courses along with the high school courses. So to take on that load and to have this outcome is great.” Keanna nabbed the title with a 3.8 GPA and is headed to Georgia Tech to study architecture. She wants to travel around the world and build houses, schools, malls and skyscrapers.

“I’ve always been into building,” she said. “I played with Legos when I was younger and I really like to play Sims now.”

Keanna was a recipient of the Georgia Tech Promise Scholarship, the HOPE scholarship and the PELL Grant.

– Carla Parker

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Graduation

CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

“I want to be a psychiatrist for the Army because I like working with people. The Army has a lot of issues with post-traumatic syndrome.”

The 2011 Valedictorians DeKalb School of the Arts

Lithonia

Martin Luther King Jr.

Miller Grove

Anna Fredendall

Predita Lundy

Gabrielle Williams

Lauren Flanigan

Anna Fredendall studied creative writing and stage-managing at DeKalb School of the Arts, but she will be majoring in anthropology at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., in the fall.

“I’ve always been interested in medical anthropology,” she said.

Anna, who has a 4.155 GPA, said it feels awesome to be DSA’s 2011 valedictorian.

“It’s nice to be recognized for all of my hard work,” she said.

Besides being stage manager, Anna was also president of the National Honor Society and a member of the student government and Students of the Performing Arts.

Anna will attend Willamette University on a $165,000 scholarship.

– Carla Parker

Predita Lundy said becoming valedictorian of Lithonia High School was a pleasure.

“Lithonia is a hard school academically and I worked hard to get it and I think I deserved it,” she said.

Predita rose to the top of her class with a 4.09 GPA. The 18-year-old will enroll in the University of Georgia this fall and will study sports management.

“I really love sports and I like business and law,” she said. “That’s a perfect combination for a sports agent.”

Predita, a Marching Bull Dogs drum major, is heading to UGA on a full music scholarship. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, the Beta Club and Future Business Leaders of America.

– Carla Parker

Gabrielle Williams worked hard to be at the top of her class, and a 4.093 GPA helped her become the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. High School valedictorian.

“I feel accomplished,” she said. “I feel like everything I worked for has paid off.”

The 18-year-old, who loves to write poetry, will head to Kennesaw State University in the fall. Gabrielle plans to study early childhood education to become a kindergarten teacher.

“Kindergarten is the foundation of education and I want to inspire kids at an early age,” she said.

Gabrielle is a member of the National Honor Society, the Beta Club, the Spanish Honor Society and the North Star Yearbook staff.

– Carla Parker

Lauren Flanigan plans to enter politics in the future and she knows attending an Ivy League school like the University of Pennsylvania will give her a good head start into politics.

“The University of Pennsylvania is a very prestigious school and has one of the top business schools in the nation,” she said.

Lauren, who is Miller Grove High School’s 2011 valedictorian, has a $35,000 scholarship and will major in international business. She plans to become a lawyer and enter the world of politics.

Lauren, who has a 4.1 GPA, said it felt good to be valedictorian of her class.

“I’ve worked hard for it and to get it is a relief and overwhelming.”

– Carla Parker

Redan

Ronald McNair Sr.

SW DeKalb (Resident*)

SW DeKalb (Resident*)

Seantel Williams

Tiara Marshall

Trellis Hicks For Seantel Williams, becoming valeTiara Marshall worked hard to get For Trellis Hicks, becoming Southwest dictorian proves that you can achieve to the top of the class at McNair High DeKalb High’s resident co-valedictorian something if you put your mind to it.

School. Her 3.98 GPA earned her a was a big accomplishment.

“It feels really great because it shows place among the 2011 valedictorians.

“I feel honored to be co-valedictorian when you work toward something you “I felt like I deserved it,” she said. at a school like Southwest DeKalb that can achieve it,” she said.

Tiara chose to attend Alabama has a lot of rich history,” she said.

Seantel, 18, earned the title of State University, which offered her a full Trellis and her 3.9 GPA are headed Redan High School’s valedictorian with academic scholarship, over Benedict to St. Johns University in Queens, N.Y., a 4.0 GPA. She will attend the University College. She plans to study biology and this fall. of Georgia to study biology and psychol- wants to become a dentist.

St. Johns offered her a $135,000 ogy.

“I always wanted to be a dentist,” academic scholarship that will cover her “I want to be a psychiatrist or a she said. “It was more interesting to me four years on campus. psychologist for the Army because I like than other careers.”

She plans to major in management working with people,” she said. “The Tiara is a member of the National information system to become a manArmy has a lot of issues with post-trauHonor Society, the Beta Club, Future ager in the information technology field. matic syndrome.”

Business Leaders of America, the StuTrellis was very active in school with With the help of the Ronald Simon dent Government Association, the tennis memberships in Beta Club and Future Scholarship and HOPE scholarship, Se- team and cheerleading squad.

Business Leaders of America and presiantel is getting a full ride to college.

– Carla Parker dent of the National Honor Society, – Carla Parker

– Carla Parker

Zachary Fitch Zachary Fitch was not expecting to be named Southwest DeKalb High’s resident co-valedictorian, but he was very excited when he heard the news.

“I feel honored,” he said. “Everything I worked for paid off.”

Zachary, 18, finished high school with a 3.9 GPA and will be at Morehouse College this fall majoring in a dual-degree computer engineering program at Morehouse and Georgia Tech.

“I’ve always been interested in building computers and I want to help people who have technical problems,” he said.

Zachary, who also runs track, is waiting to see if he will get a track scholarship to Morehouse but said it doesn’t matter because he already has a full academic scholarship.

– Carla Parker

* Southwest DeKalb High School’s resident student population had co-valedictorians in 2011.

Graduation

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CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

Shana Baldwin will tell her classmates to follow their dream and make good choices when she gives her valedictorian speech.

The 2011 Valedictorians SW DeKalb (Magnet)

Stephenson

Stone Mountain

Towers

Brianna Brooks

Paul Calhoun III

Alycia Edwards

Shana Baldwin

Brianna Brooks said she was shocked to learn she was named Southwest DeKalb’s magnet valedictorian.

“I didn’t know I was that far up in the class,” she said. “I knew I was in the top 10 percent, but not head of the class.”

Brianna, who has a 4.117 GPA, plans to double major in biological science and health promotion at the University of Georgia. Her goal is to become a doctor, a general practitioner specializing humanology. She said her mom, Carolyn, inspired her to study medicine.

“She inspired me from how much she has been sick,” she said.

Brianna has received nearly $40,000 in scholarships to help pay for school.

– Carla Parker

Paul Calhoun III admits that he wasn’t bouncing off the walls when he was named Stephenson High School’s valedictorian, but he was still happy to achieve that milestone.

“I was appreciative of it but I didn’t aim for it,” he said. “I am grateful to get it.” Paul is taking his 4.15 GPA to the University of Pennsylvania in the fall to major in business.

Paul, who is a member of the Stephenson band and his own band, TraVerse, will major in finance but will continue to do what he loves, music.

“Finance will be like the means to what I really want to do, which is music,” he said.

– Carla Parker

Alycia Edwards, 18, has been working on computers for as long as she can remember, so it was no surprise that she chose computer engineering as her future career.

“I’ve been working on computers all my life,” she said.

She also did an internship with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in 2010.

Alycia, the Stone Mountain High 2011 valedictorian, is heading to Georgia Tech on a full academic scholarship.

Alycia, who has a 4.06 GPA, said it feels “really special” to be valedictorian.

“I’m at the top of my class,” she said. “I’m excited and my family is very excited for me.”

– Carla Parker

Rising to the top of her class made Towers valedictorian Shana Baldwin both “excited and honored.”

She nabbed the title with a 4.0 GPA and is headed to Kennesaw State University to study nursing.

“I like medicine and dealing with people,” she said.

Shana said she will tell her fellow classmates to follow their dream and make good choices when she gives her valedictorian speech on May 20.

Shana is a member of the National Honor Society, Health Occupations Students of America, and Young Ladies With a Purpose.

– Carla Parker

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Graduation

CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

“She has the ability to face up and shoot the ball very well. She is a strong rebounder and has great footwork. She has great potential.”

Harvard-bound SWD senior setting bar high for siblings

By Carla Parker

Fadhal Moore was in awe as he walked the campus of Harvard University on April 29.

“It’s a beautiful campus,” said the 17-yearold, who visited the prestigious school with his parents, Anthony and Selentia, to “get a feel of it” before he begins taking classes on Aug. 25. “It has an old-world feel with the old buildings.”

The Southwest DeKalb High School senior said he always dreamed of attending a school like Harvard University. That dream became a reality when he found out on March 30 that his application was accepted.

Fadhal, who will graduate from Southwest DeKalb on May 22, said the atmosphere seemed very supportive. “The people are really friendly and nice.”

Harvard awarded Fadhal, who has a 4.0 GPA, a need-based scholarship.

Then at the end of April, he found out that he had landed a Gates Millennium Scholarship that will see him through a Ph.D. if he wants to go that far.

It was a very emotional day for him when he got his acceptance letter from Harvard.

“On that same day I found out that I didn’t get into Columbia and Princeton,” he said. “When I got the letter from Harvard, I couldn’t believe it.”

Fadhal, who is the oldest of five children, also received acceptance letters from Brown,

Southwest DeKalb STAR student Fadhal Moore, flanked by mom Selentia and dad Anthony, was awarded a scholarship to Harvard and a Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Notre Dame, Emory, St John’s and Cornell universities.

“I chose Harvard because it was the best ranked school for my major, which is government,” he said. “You always want to get the best training and experience for your field of study.”

Selentia Moore, his mother, said she wasn’t surprised when he got accepted into Harvard.

“When he was in kindergarten, I considered him Harvard material,” she said.

“He had an awesome kindergarten teacher

who really got him on the right foot with his education.”

Selentia, who is an educator, said her son was always focused on his schoolwork.

“I never had to tell him to do his work,” she said. “I haven’t helped him with his homework since he was in the fourth grade.”

Fadhal was also named the STAR Student at Southwest DeKalb High for having the highest SAT score – 1980 – in the school’s 2011 class.

Fadhal said his parents always encour-

aged him to do to his best in school.

“They always told me that ‘there is nothing on earth that someone can do that I can’t,’” he said.

But it was not all work and no play with Fadhal. When he wasn’t hitting the books, he was leading the Southwest DeKalb Marching Panthers on the field as co-drum major. The trumpet player said being in the band helped him get to this point in his life.

“The band taught me time management and discipline,” he said. “I had to learn to balance my time between band and school.”

With his acceptance into Harvard, Fadhal says he knows he is setting the bar high for his siblings who are 15 to 4 years old.

“It is more pressure on them,” he said.

“But they are all intelligent.”

His mother said her eldest son’s achievements will help her younger children, who are being home-schooled, understand the opportunities they have. “We’ve always been very careful to make sure every child has their own individuality,” she said.

Fadhal plans to become an attorney after college and then work his way into politics.

He hopes his accomplishments and success will be an encouragement to his underclassmen at his Decatur school.

“There is nothing that you can’t do,” he said. “A lot of kids give up on something because they feel they can’t do it. I don’t want to see them stop at achieving their goals.”

Greenforest-McCalep hoops star to play for Southern Polytechnic Next school year, Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy’s Taylor Singleton will be driving to the basket for the Running Hornets of Southern Polytechnic State University.

The 6-foot center was offered a full athletic scholarship and signed her name on the dotted line on May 5 to play for the school in Marietta in the fall.

Taylor, 17, said she is looking forward to playing on a team with great athletes and coaches.

“I’m extremely excited,” the Decatur native said. “It’s a really big milestone for my basketball career.”

Taylor, who played on the Greenforest Eagles varsity team for three years, averaged 12 points per game and 10 rebounds this past season. Allison Prather, the school’s head coach, said Taylor will be a great asset to Southern Polytechnic women’s basketball team.

“She is a very good player who understands the game very well,” Prather said. “She has a very high basketball IQ.” Southern Polytechnic head coach Laquanda Dawkins said she was very impressed with Taylor’s basketball skills

after watching her play during an exposure camp at the school in April.

“She has the ability to face up and shoot the ball very well,” Dawkins said. “She is a strong rebounder and has great footwork. She has great potential.”

The coaches also were impressed with her character.

Taylor said the university is not only getting a good player, but a leader as well. “I have very good leadership qualities and have a desire to win. I just have that fire and energy that will help the team succeed.”

Taylor is not only a talent on the basketball court. She is an honor student and will graduate on May 20 with a 3.71 GPA. She and 17 others will be the academy’s final high school graduates. Greenforest Regents voted May 10 to terminate 9-12 grades at the school.

Taylor plans to become a pharmacist and major in chemistry. She said she can’t wait to set foot on campus in the fall.

“I feel like [Southern Polytechnic] is a great school with a great atmosphere. It’s not too big, not too small, and it’s a Taylor Singleton, one of Greenforest-McCalep Christian new campus. Everything is nice and new.”

Academy’s final high school graduates, will major in chemistry.

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Graduation

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CrossRoadsNews

May 21, 2011

“The Gates Millennium Scholarship is a pathway to a college degree and the opportunities that come with it.”

Gates Scholarships to pay for college for 20 DeKalb students For years, Ryan Starks had dreamed of going to the New School in Manhattan, N.Y., to study business and fashion design.

The price tag­– $55,000 a year.

There was no way he could afford it, but on a wing and a prayer, he applied.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go if I didn’t Ryan Starks get scholarships, so I started praying,” said Ryan, who is graduating from Southwest DeKalb High School on Sunday.

Fadhal Moore, a classmate, was in a similar boat. He wants to study government at Harvard University, but he too knew that without a great financial aid package, the $56,000-a-year price tag was going to be steep for Fadhal Moore his family.

For Ryan, Fadhal and Mickhale Green, also from SWD, and 17 other 2011 graduates from 14 DeKalb County schools, the cost of attending college will no longer be a worry after they all landed Gates Millennium Scholarships that will pay their way through college, including doctorates if that is their desire.

The 20 DeKalb Gates Scholars include Avondale’s valedictorian, Jada Henderson, and Cedar Grove salutatorian Chardé Acie. Together, they make up one of the largest DeKalb groups in a single Chardé Acie year to secure full scholarships from the Gates Millennium Scholars Program since Microsoft founder Bill Gates launched it in 1999.

Each year, the program awards 1,000 “good-through-graduation” college scholarships to students from low-income families who might not otherwise be able make it to college. The scholarship pays all their expenses to attend college.

Cross Keys Mpaza Kapembwa said the Gates scholarship is making college very affordable.

“Having the Gates will enable me to study abroad,” he said. “It will pay for my graduate school. and the networking is priceless.”

Scholarship winners 20 DeKalb students were awarded 2011 Gates Millennium Scholarships.

Student Leticha Heflin Jada Henderson (V) Chardé Acie (S) Yared Aklilu Ram Siwakoti Mpaza Kapembwa Natalie Cook Aisha Davis Jaisa Gooden Darrius Hamilton Terence Gipson Jasmyne Jackson Raven Smith Jeffrey-Michael Holiday RéKieya Ward Fadhal Moore Mickhale Green Ryan Starks Brianna Crittenden Shannon Williams

High School Arabia Mountain Avondale Cedar Grove Cedar Grove Clarkston Cross Keys DSA DSA Druid Hills Dunwoody Lakeside MLK Jr. MLK Jr. Redan Redan SW DeKalb SW DeKalb SW DeKalb Stephenson Towers

Leticha Heflin of Arabia Mountain High is glad that she won a Gates Scholarship to pay her way through Hampton University to study politics and English.

Without it, she might not have been able to go because since Christmas her father,

Donald, has been out work.

Leticha and her family were on their way to visit family in Orlando, Fla., on Christmas Day when their car flipped five times on black ice in Valdosta, trapping her inside the car. Her father punched Leticha Heflin through the windshield with his right fist to free her from the car and broke every finger on his hand.

“He has been out of work ever since,” she said.

Avondale High valedictorian Jada Henderson also is headed to Hampton Jada Henderson University on a Gates Millennium Scholarship. She will major in biochemistry.

Towers High senior Shannon Williams, who is the lone 2011 Gates Millennium Scholar from her school, is also an athlete.

She captured a silver medal in the shot and a bronze in the discus to lead Towers to fourth place in the Region 5-AAA girls track championship at Woodward Academy on May 2.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initially funded the scholarship program with $1.6 billion.

Scholarships can be used to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of the recipients’ choice. To date, more than 15,000 students have received scholarships. They

attend more than 1,500 schools, including Ivy League colleges, flagship state universities, and historically black colleges and universities.

Scholarships are renewable annually as long as the scholar maintains satisfactory academic progress.

The 2011 DeKalb students are among 94 Gates Scholars in Georgia. Nationwide, the Class of 2011 comes from 44 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories – American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They will be attending 334 colleges and universities.

The scholarship program provides funding for graduate school in computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and science.

The program, which is managed by the United Negro College Fund, has a six-year graduation rate of 90 percent, which is 45 percent higher than the national graduation rates for all students.

Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO, said the success of Gates Scholars proves that given the financial, academic and social support, low-income minority students can not only succeed in college, but excel.

“For these students, the Gates Millennium Scholarship is a pathway to a college degree and the opportunities that come with it. And for the country, it is a blueprint for how we can produce the college graduates the U.S. needs to remain competitive in the global economy.”

Congratulations, Lee Brandon Parker

We are so proud of you!

Love, Samantha, Shawn, Ryleigh, Mia & Kaden

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CrossRoadsNews

Graduation

May 21, 2011

More scenes from pre-commencement exercises for the Class of 2011

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Columbia High School seniors line up in the school gym for the May 12 pre-commencement service. Graduation was scheduled for May 20 at the Georgia State University Sports Arena.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

DeKalb School of the Arts students perform at the school on May 13. Graduation was scheduled for May 20 at Avondale Baptist Church.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Cedar Grove students listen to speakers during their pre-commencement at Greenforest Baptist Church.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Seniors from McNair High are all smiles at a service at Beulah Baptist Church on May 15. Graduation was May 19 at New Birth.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Stone Mountain High seniors file into St. Philip AME on May 15; graduation was May 19.

Jennifer ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

A Southwest DeKalb senior gets help with her gown at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Graduation is May 22.

Jami Ffrench-Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Clarkston’s cultural diversity is captured in some of its students’ colorful head coverings.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Stephenson salutatorian Babajide Oluwadare (left) and valedictorian Paul Calhoun III share a light moment.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Martin Luther King Jr. High seniors pose for a memory at Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church on May 15.