ng class of Tucker High School!
Congratulations to the 100th graduati
Photos courtesy of DeKalb County Schools District
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Celebrating our Graduates
Towers High students take first international trip in school history
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owers High School senior Michael Elliott ended his last semester on a high note like none other. He was among a group of 18 Towers’ students who traveled to Europe during Spring Break. The trip marked the first-ever international trip in the history of the 52-year-old school, which was founded in 1966. The Towers Titans Band traveled to London and Paris for a week filled with music education and cultural activities from March 28-April 4. The band, band director, parents and school principal visited cultural landmarks and worked with brass band music masters. Elliott called the trip phenomenal. He said the trip would leave a legacy for future classes at Towers High. “I never thought I would be able to go abroad, unless I was in the military or something. The way I was raised, I was never supposed to leave Decatur. I’m still in shock,” Elliott said. “Our prom was themed ‘A night in Paris,’ and we were in Paris. It was amazing. People doubted us, but we left our mark and will continue to leave our mark. You have to be committed. Towers will be going again next year. We’re going to go to Tokyo.” The band received a proclamation from the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners honoring the school’s accomplishment in May. “The trip was phenomenal—it was explosive, it was beyond our wildest dreams,” said Towers band director Shawan Baptiste. “From the day we hit the ground running until we returned, it was great.”
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The Titans visited cultural landmarks including Westminster Abbey, English Parliament and Trafalgar Square during their time in London. The travelers were also able, but not required, to observe the Easter celebration at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a historical landmark originally founded in the year 604. In Paris, the group visited such landmarks as The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Students saw The Mona Lisa and other world-famous artwork, and the Eiffel Tower. “The kids actually climbed all of the Eiffel Tower stairs all the way to the top,” Baptiste said. “And why not? We had gone that far, why not see the peak of Paris?” For Baptiste, a highlight of the trip was when band members took part in a master class with experts from the London Regional Brass
fish fries, car washes, performances, and setting up a GoFundMe campaign. An anonymous benefactor also gifted the group $5,000. Baptiste said the effort to raise money brought the Towers community together. The group raised about $35,000 within six months. Towers junior Jelena Herriott, who baked cupcakes on a daily basis to help fund the trip, said the entire process was a great experience. She said she would always remember the trip. “We went to the museum—that was one of my favorite places,” Herriott said. “The artwork, seeing it in person, physically, made such a big difference.” Sophomore Jermaine Taylor said he enjoyed experiencing a different Band, including an internationallyculture. He said he is proud to be a renowned conductor. The class student at Towers after seeing what included one-on-one lessons, an could be accomplished. advanced music rehearsal and a “I enjoyed everything,” Taylor performance of New Orleans-inspired said. “We believed in ourselves. We jazz music. went out there, didn’t play around, “It was a very true cultural and raised the money for the trip. We exchange,” Baptiste said. “This was made it.” a pivotal point of why we went on Towers principal Vincent Denson the trip in the first place: to conduct also played a key role by purchasing a music exchange and be taught by the passport for each of the 18 professionals.” students selected for travel. Baptiste credits Dunwoody “I’m ecstatic. To be the first High School band director William international trip in school history, Henderson, who also attended, it speaks volumes,” Denson said. for providing guidance and “It gave us a chance to visit cultures ambassadorship throughout the trip. outside of Decatur, DeKalb County She said Henderson helped her plan, and Georgia, period. [Most of] our map out and tour both cities in an kids had never been on a flight, effective manner. much less overseas. There was so The Titans held several much love for the process. It was so fundraisers for the trip including selling cupcakes and popcorn, holding profound.”
DeKalb senior athletes earn top academic awards By Mark Brock, DCSD tudent athletes are performing well on the field and in the classroom as 26 (16 valedictorians, 10 salutatorians) earn top academic honors from 16 of DeKalb County School District’s 19 schools that participate in varsity athletics. The group of 26 represents 13 of the 15 varsity sports offered by the district with three valedictorians and three salutatorians who participated in two sports during their high school careers. The athletes represent 59 percent (59.1) of those receiving the highest honors from the 19 schools with varsity sports. Arabia Mountain’s Resident Valedictorian Odette Nawoue (UGA) was a two sport athlete for the Rams participating in volleyball and soccer. She was in the Top 10 in the county in kills and blocks as a senior on the volleyball team and contributed three goals and one assist from her position as a defender on the soccer squad. McNair’s Skyler Walker-Harris (UGA) played softball (captain) and basketball for the Mustangs while setting the standard in academics as the school’s Valedictorian for 2018. Harris was in DeKalb’s Top 10 in RBI (25) and triples (3) during softball season last fall and was a contributor on the basketball team. Stephenson defensive end/post
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Skyler Walker-Harris
Odette Nawoue
player Frank Smith (UGA) rounds out the two-sport-athlete valedictorians. Smith had two tackles for a loss, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries for the Jaguars’ playoff team this season. He also contributed 3.7 rebounds per game as part of the Region 4-6A champion basketball team. Maya Rajan (GA Tech) was selected as a DeKalb County AllStar Girls’ Soccer participant for her defensive play on the field this past season for the Druid Hills Red Devils. She scored a pair of goals despite being on the defensive end most of the time during matches. Rajan did so while becoming the Druid Hills’ Valedictorian for 2018. Other student-athlete valedictorians include Arabia Mountain Magnet’s Camille Jones (cheerleading; UGA), Columbia Magnet’s Kariyah Muhammad (soccer; GA Southern), Columbia Resident’s Rayeanna Motley (cross country; SCAD), Dunwoody’s Shreya Nainwall (lacrosse; Penn. State or GA Tech), Martin Luther King Jr.’s Jamie Dillard (swimming; already
Maya Rajan
Frank Smith
graduated from Clayton State; GA Tech), Miller Grove’s Imani Morrison (track, 2 years; Emory), Redan’s Liliana Reyes (softball/track, junior year; GA Tech), Southwest DeKalb Magnet’s Morgan Banks (cheerleading; Tuskegee), Southwest DeKalb’s Resident Tea’ White (softball; UGA), Stone Mountain’s Cameron Moore (tennis, GA State), Towers’ Midjina Richard (soccer, 1 year; UGA) and Tucker’s Revaz Sharma (tennis; GA Tech). The 16 valedictorians represent 11 sports with soccer leading the way with four followed by tennis, basketball, track and cheerleading with two each. Thirteen of the top students will be attending college in the state of Georgia. The 2018 Salutatorian class from the 19 schools participating in varsity sports includes 10 individual student athletes representing eight schools and eight sports. Soccer was again the leader with four salutatorians having participated in soccer during high school including
Southwest DeKalb’s Magnet Kayla McKinney (FL A&M), Columbia’s James Karanja (UGA), Arabia Mountain’s Resident Chandler Shaw (GA Southern) and Towers Michael Pollard (Brandeis University). Druid Hills’ twin sisters Lydia (UGA) and Lisa Medford (GA Tech) were both two-sport athletes competing in both cross country and swimming for the Red Devils as the pair were both honored as Salutatorian at their school. They also served as co-captains for both sports. Towers’ Pollard participated in both wrestling (2 years) and soccer while excelling in the classroom to earn Salutatorian honors at Towers. Arabia Mountain’s Magnet honoree Richard Taylor (football; Missouri) and Resident Chandler Shaw (soccer) gave student athletes a clean sweep of all four top honors at the school. Cross Keys’ Salutatorian Yuyan Ke (Emory) led her Indians’ basketball team in scoring with 10.5 points per game in 2018. Lithonia golfer Erys Murchison-Wyche (GA State/UGA) was another of the 10 salutatorians named for 2018. Cheerleading had a pair of salutatorians including Southwest DeKalb’s McKinney and Miller Grove’s Zaniah Dameron (undecided). Six of the salutatorians are making plans to stay in Georgia to work on their college degrees.
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Celebrating our Graduates PRESSING FOR HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT
Over 50 DeKalb high school seniors earn associate’s degrees in Class of 2018 Thanks to a partnership with Onward Academy, more than 50 DeKalb County School District (DCSD) high school graduates earned associate’s degrees in business management this year. Stone Mountain High School led the pack with 19 graduates this year who earned associate’s degrees through the dual enrollment program. Onward Academy is a DCSD dual enrollment program that allows students to earn an associate’s degree or 65 college credits through Georgia Piedmont Technical College while attending high school. DCSD partnered with Georgia Piedmont in August 2016 to offer Onward Academy at four high schools—Clarkston, Cross Keys, McNair and Stone Mountain. Onward Academy reverses the traditional dual enrollment format by having college professors on campus at DCSD schools and removes the transportation barriers that many students face when having to make a decision about taking college classes. This year, Georgia Piedmont Technical College on May 19 awarded the following 52 students their Associate’s Degree. The following week, as part of DCSD’s standard graduation schedule, the students also walked in their respective commencement ceremonies. The following students also were honored by the DeKalb County Board of Education on May 14:
CLARKSTON
McNAIR
Saryah Beard Bao-Long Ho Takiya Lancelin Albert Luai Mang Reena Manger Dmyah Mattox Keisha Mezadieu Deqon Mitchell Vraj Patel Lens Sant-Armand Russell Salih Tlandrea Spence Richard Tran Iradukunda Tresor Rickey Tubbs
Nakiya Brown Adah-Lashay Dawson Keturah Dickey Kendall Fisher Ekove Gaba Hannah Hosley Devin Maximus Amanda Olgetree Ana Salmeron Skyler Walker-Harris
CROSS KEYS Micah Cohn Victor Flores Padierna Da’Jah Harris Marilyn Jimenez Ashby Justo-Servin Abigail Mayo-Reyes Angel Perez
STONE MOUNTAIN Anttwan Alford Aiyana Ali Kyra Chism Diomonay Cole Monnigan Crowell Gissell Duran Kayla Jenkins Jordan Johnson Nyisha Jones Lisa Le Lyndy Le Arletha McClendon Cameron Moore DeMonte Peeples Cristian Reyes Mariama Sheriff Valdina Tchoute Kiara Thomas Mu Nisah Ujima
Congressman Awards Art Scholarships
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Arabia Mountain High students receive $51,500 in art scholarships
tudents at Arabia Mountain High School have received scholarships worth $51,500, thanks to Congressman Hank Johnson. Seniors Arantza Pena Popo and Esther Gibbs participated in the 2018 Congressional Arts Competition, which recognizes and rewards talented high school students nationwide. Selected by Congressman Hank Johnson, the students represents Georgia’s 4th Congressional District in portions of DeKalb, Gwinnett Newton and Rockdale counties. Arantza Pena Popo was awarded a fourCongressman Hank Johnson year scholarship worth $12,000 per year to attend Savannah College of Art & Design. Esther Gibbs received a $3,500 scholarship from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Arantza Peno Popo also was awarded the grand prize for her charcoal piece, “Cultural Portrait,” which she describes as “facial adornment from different cultures.” Esther Gibbs’ pencil drawing, “Picture of Myself in African Adornments,” earned her selection as third runner up. The students joined students from both St. Pius X Catholic High and Brookwood High in being selections. More than 30 high school students from throughout the 4th Congressional District submitted pieces for consideration. Both pieces will sit alongside last year’s selections in an art exhibit debuting on May 19 at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Toney Valley Civic Association to honor scholarship winners, all graduating seniors in their community
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he Toney Valley Civic Association is proud of Columbia High School’s Class of 2018, especially those who live in the Toney Valley community of South DeKalb. The civic association is presenting scholarships to three Columbia High students who live in the Toney Valley community: Jaimesha Calhoun, Janet L. Pierce Book Stipend James Karanja, Toney Valley Civic Association Scholarship Mikeya Jones, Toney Valley Civic Association Scholarship This year marks the second that the civic association has awarded scholarships. The book stipend is named in honor of former longtime resident Janet L. Pierce. All high school seniors and their parents who live in the Toney Valley community are invited to attend the scholarship awards program on June 1, 6:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County South Precinct, 2842 H.F. Shepherd Drive, Decatur. The guest speaker for the program will be Sterling Johnson, MPA, CCA. At the program, scholarship winners will be honored, along with all graduating seniors who live in the Toney Valley community. RSVP at toneyvalleycivicassociation@gmail.com. Include the senior’s name, high school and number of attendees.
Photos by Glenn L. Morgan
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Celebrating our Graduates Cedar Grove High senior and former DeKalb County School District pins 70 certified nursing assistant students intern shares advice for success Now that Cedar Grove High School senior Jamile Ollison has graduated, he is ready for his summer job. Ollison will join 400 youths in DeKalb who will be working at businesses throughout the county as part of the DeKalb Works summer youth employment program. Last summer, Ollison boarded a MARTA bus four days a week to work at Corporate Environmental Risk Management (CERM), an environmental engineering and project management firm located in Tucker. While on the job, he visited work sites and helped with administrative tasks around the office. He was surprised Jamile Ollison at the amount of networking he was able to do when CERM leadership brought him to Chamber of Commerce meetings. “The internship let me experience and get a feel for working,” said Ollison. “It’s a good way to try out different jobs.” Ollison encourages new interns to observe while on the job, but not be afraid to jump in. “Always ask your supervisors what else you can do,” said Ollison. “Be confident and don’t just sit around.” This summer, Ollison will intern with an accounting-focused agency and prepare to attend Clark Atlanta University, where he received a full scholarship. He was accepted to nine universities, including Clark Atlanta, Mercer, George Mason and Brenau. The DeKalb Works internship program has filled all traditional internship slots this year, but 50 spots still exist for youth between 16 and 24 years old who are not enrolled in any school. For more information on the program or for more information on other youth employment opportunities, visit www.worksourcedekalb.org or call 404-687-3400.
DeKalb County School District officials held a pinning ceremony for 70 high school students who have completed its inaugural Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program. The pinning ceremony was held on May 15 at the Robert R. Freeman Administrative Instructional Complex. The students from high schools throughout the district completed the nursing course work, preparing them to enter the medical career field. Upon receiving their certification, the students became immediately employable in nursing career paths. By Spring 2019, the DeKalb School District plans to offer students enrolled in the CNA pathway further opportunities for success. This includes paths to licensed practical nurse (LPN) and registered nurse (RN) degrees at both Georgia Piedmont Technical College and Georgia State University. These students from the following schools completed DeKalb’s 20172018 program:
Arabia Mountain High Jade Stewart Sydney Allen Casey Barnes Dyamond Brown Erin Roberson Cedar Grove High Aniah Rayner Southwest DeKalb Tationna Almond Jaelyn Jefferson Cross Keys High
Dunwoody High Sandibel Cuevas Crinne Sinisgalli Lakeside High Yaadani Abjobir Michelle Camando Diana Gron Maxsuma Shahzodova Jermaine Stokes ChinZhang ML King High
Karina Castillo
Gabriella Besley Kamira Williams
Druid Hills High
Redan High
Cherysh Tisdol
Cari Tolen
Southwest DeKalb High Tationna Almond Aniya Aiken LaRon Anderson Mykia Conyers Coby Ficklin Amber Herrera Makayla Hicks Jade’Jones Evelyn McCoy Jasmine McFarlane Ariel Parker Kennedy Ross Hana Safeeullah Tiffani Seals Breanna Smiley Tiffany Stovall Tierra Thomas Ana’Ya Whitaker Ashonti Williams
Stephenson High Kimberly Cuffie Jada Daniels Catlin Washington Stone Mountain High Kemba Ilham Towers High Nyrobi Piller Rekeishah Sanders Tucker High Marilee Bales Jameka Dilipree
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Celebrating our Graduates
High school graduates earn $2,500 scholarship from Chick-fil-A
The Turner Hill Road Chick-fil-A is celebrating the accomplishments of 14 of its graduating high school seniors. Of the 14 who have worked for Chick-fil-A, 11 of the students are recipients of the 2018 Chickfil-A Leadership Scholarship. The scholarships total $27,500. Each winner received $2,500 for their leadership, influence in the community and outstanding accomplishments academically. “It is our pleasure to offer our congratulations to the Class of 2018. The Chick-fil-A team members receiving the scholarships have played a very important and indispensable role in the restaurant and the community,” said Sam L. West, owner/ operator. The students, West said, have made a positive difference in the lives of others, while building a legacy for future generations. They have been shining lights in their schools, achieving academic success at every level. “We are so proud they are a part of the Chick-fil-A Family,” said West and his wife, Diann. “Many of the students have been a part of the Chick-fil-A family for over three years, and it has been an honor to have them apart of theChick-fil-A family and team. Their generosity, dedication, and hard work has paid off, as each will be attending prestigious universities in the fall.”
Turner Hill Road Chick-fil-A salutes: Amber Dukes, Xavier University Aliyyah Abdul-Latif, Valdosta State Kendall Bessent, Georgia State Leon Guthrie, Kennesaw State Rebecca Kebbeh, Xavier University
Tredarius Lassiter,Tennessee State Akaela Scott, Xavier University Nathaniel Williams Mississippi State Edwin Hicks, Savanna College of Art Design
Tylar Grimes, Tuskegee University Hellenia Grubbs, Alabama State Leroryal King Tuskegee University Janay McBird, West Georgia Jaelen McBrid, West Georgia
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Celebrating our Graduates
Photos by Glenn L. Morgan
Bishop Gary Hawkins, Sr. salutes the young graduates of Voices of Faith’s Christian Daycare No. 2 Georgia Pre-K program. The 22 students in the program, which is under the directorship of Minister Antoniette Woodside, will matriculate to kindergarten in the fall.