School Briefs

Atlanta Public Schools (atlanta. k12.ga.us) and City Schools of Decatur (csdecatur.net) were slated to resume classes for the 2014-15 academic year on Monday, Aug. 4, while Fulton County Schools (fultonschools.org) and DeKalb County Schools (dekalb.k12.ga.us) will begin on Aug. 11. Be sure to check the school’s website for start times, open houses and calendars.

Drew Charter School Junior and Senior Academy held a grand opening preview last month at the Charlie Yates Campus in East Lake. The new 200,000 square-foot campus completes the East Lake Foundation’s vision of a cradle-to-college education. The LEEDcertified building includes: flexible learning suites to nurture collaboration, seven project learning labs and seven state-of-the-art science labs, integrated arts studios, 500-seat performing arts center serving the school and community, two gymnasiums and a fullsize track and field.

Noletha High will serve as the new principal of Atlanta Heights Charter School for the 2014-2015 school year. She previously served as a principal of an elementary school in Atlanta, model teacher leader, instructional support specialist, and mathematics consultant. High also has experience teaching at the elementary, high school and college levels. She holds a master’s degree in mathematics education and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership from Albany State University. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Georgia State University.

Renfroe Middle School in Decatur has been selected as Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center’s Partner of the Year for the Metro Atlanta Area. Winners of this award are chosen based on the progress of their SRTS programs during the past year in getting more students to walk and bike to school and increasing the awareness of SRTS within its community. The Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center has recognized outstanding partners with the Partner of the Year Award since 2011.

Sixteen rising seniors from The Lovett School took part in a summer medical program/externship over the summer. The students learned about coordinated care and corporate medicine at Kaiser Permanente, shadowed three specialties, observed surgery, and visited Emory Medical School. The students also observed brain surgery performed on a 12-year-old boy to remove a tumor.