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Health & Fitness

Good News from the Woodstock Zone!

Check out the latest good news from schools in the Woodstock Innovation Zone (Woodstock High, Freedom and Woodstock Middle Schools and Carmel, Sixes and Woodstock Elementary Schools)…

Woodstock High School

Woodstock High School senior Jessica Riley has won the Kennesaw State University Outstanding Dual Enrollment Honors Student Award.

 

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Each year, the Dual Enrollment Honors Program at KSU selects one student as the recipient of its Outstanding Dual Enrollment Honors Student award.  The award is given to the student with the highest GPA in the largest number of KSU credit hours and honors sections. 

 

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Jessica was selected based on her cumulative 4.0 GPA in 19 credit hours of KSU  coursework and three honors courses.  As the award recipient, she will be recognized at KSU's University Scholars awards ceremony in April.

 

“Jessica’s personal success is surely a glimpse of significant things to come in her academic future,” said Dr. Katherine N. Kinnick, Director of the Dual Enrollment Honors Program for KSU. “Her family and high school have every reason to be very proud!”

 

A Cherokee County School District student has won this award for seven of the past nine years it has been offered; Jessica is the first winner from Woodstock High School. 

 

She will be recognized by the Cherokee County School Board and Superintendent of Schools at the Jan. 16, 2014 School Board Meeting.

 

Woodstock high School senior Rachel Steppe has earned a National Merit Scholarship Corporation Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship from The UPS Foundation.


The NMSC Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarships are supported by about 240 corporations, company foundations and businesses, and by NMSC's own funds.  Sponsors may offer renewable awards that cover as long as four years of undergraduate study or one-time scholarships that provide a single payment upon enrollment.   

 

Committees of NMSC professional staff choose winners by reviewing each eligible candidate’s: academic record, essay, demonstrated leadership in school and community activities, and a high school official's recommendation.  Students become eligible for NMSC scholarships by taking the PSAT; of the 1.5 million students who take the test, some 50,000 with the highest scores qualify for possible recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program… 15,000 are named semi-finalists and 8,000 are named finalists and earn a Merit Scholarship, which include Corporate-Sponsored, College-Sponsored or National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.

 

Rachel also has earned a perfect score on the ACT college-entrance exam, which is a remarkable feat… achieved by only one Cherokee County School District student last school year. 

 

A perfect score on the ACT is a 36; and only about 700 of the 1.6 million high school seniors who take the ACT annually earn a perfect score, according to the testing company.  The ACT exam, along with the SAT, is one of the most commonly recognized measures of achievement for high school students.

 

Woodstock High School’s Elves Club raises money throughout the year to provide special memories for the community’s children including an annual holiday party and gifts including toys, clothing and boxes of food donated by teachers, students and partners.

 

Sponsor teacher Henry Oglesby Jr. said the club’s activities are possible due to the support of the school’s administration, all of its students and staff and partner businesses and churches.

 

The school’s softball team also conducts an annual holiday “give back” program, which this year included providing and wrapping gifts for Cherokee County’s “Adopt A Senior” program.  The gifts for each senior included a blanket, hat, gloves, scarf and hand-written card.

 

Freedom Middle School

Freedom Middle School this school year has launched “It Begins with One,” a new school-wide program that started with providing holiday gifts for students in need.  “Our students have shopped for and donated both wanted and needed items for families in the community… this gives the students the opportunity to see the impact individual contributions can make when we work together for a common goal,” Principal Sheila Grimes said, adding that more events are planned “to extend the spirit of giving way beyond this one season.”

 

Woodstock Middle School

The Woodstock Middle School Orchestra performed on Tuesday at the Governor’s Mansion.  Jefferson Doyle is the school’s director of bands and orchestra, and orchestra members who performed included: Emily Gregory, Michele Belikova, Amy Vickrey, Isabella Vahle, Emma Cook, Shayla Newman, Erin Jensen, Julia Litrel, Haley Holston, Caroline Gilbert, Carissa Pangilinan and Regan Childree.

 

Carmel Elementary School

Carmel Elementary School was recognized at the December meeting of the Cherokee County School Board for its recent National honor.

 

Carmel Elementary was named a National School of Character for its commitment to character education and for fostering a positive environment for social and academic learning.

 

The honor, bestowed by the Character Education Partnership, was awarded to only 29 schools and school districts nationwide.  Schools are selected for using character education to increase academic achievement, reduce student disciplinary action and create an atmosphere viewed as caring and supportive by students, parents and the community.  Recipients were recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in October.

 

Carmel Elementary was praised by the Partnership for its innovative practices to promote character education even in times of budget shortfalls, especially through its relationships with community organizations to provide programs for students and parents at no cost.  Carmel Elementary’s focus on character education has previously earned it other top honors, including being designated as the Georgia State School of Character for 2011-2013 and as a State School of Character in 2010. 

 

Sixes Elementary School

Sixes Elementary School’s holiday charitable efforts have included collecting coats and canned food for MUST Ministries, filling stockings with gifts for local children in need and raising $1,500 for children served by the county’s Division of Family and Children Services.

“The giving spirit is alive and well at Sixes.  The community recognizes their many blessings and is more than willing to share with others less fortunate,” Principal Deborah Kelly said, adding that lessons about the importance of service happen not just at school.  “Parents are truly teaching their children well.”

 

Sixes Elementary School’s Golden Voices choruses have been spreading holiday cheer throughout the community.  The 40-member Golden Voices Fifth Grade Chorus performed its annual Partners in Education Holiday Music Tour this month.  They sang at Primrose Preschool, Shane's BBQ, The Lodge at BridgeMill and BridgeMill Publix.  The 50-member Golden Voices Fourth Grade Chorus also performed carols at the BridgeMill Publix.  The two choruses together recently sang at the school’s Veterans Day Breakfast, the November PTA Meeting and with the Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy Chorus in the City of Holly Springs’ Christmas Parade.  The Sixes ES choruses are under the direction of music teacher, Margaret Swarts.

 

Sixes Elementary School won the Spirit Award and $1,000 prize for the highest participation among Cherokee County School District schools in the Service League of Cherokee County’s Reindeer Run for the Children 5K/1-Mile Fun Run on Dec. 7 in downtown Canton.  The run raises money for the needy children throughout Cherokee County who the League serves.  The school with the second-highest participation was Cherokee High School followed by Woodstock Elementary School.

 

Sixes Elementary’s running club, Stars and Stripes, is in its second year and has 85 participants.  Led by PTA President Amy Krumrey and PE teachers Brandon English and Shona Roberts, the club meets every Thursday afternoon, and students learn proper running technique and the discipline of pacing yourself.  Mileage is charted each week, and incentives are offered to runners for consistent effort.  So far this school year, students have run more than 1,600 miles and participated in 10 local races.

 

“Looking ahead, Sixes will host its second annual Run for the Stars 5K in the spring, where the turnout is expected to be great, given the success of the running club and its spread of the ‘Be fit’ message,” Coach English said.  “Among the goals for the Stars and Strides Running Club, one of the greatest is to turn as many friends, family, and community members as possible onto the benefits of consistent exercise.  Having had so many successes to report in just a little over a year, it’s obvious that the message is being received ‘loud and clear.’” 

 

Participants in the Reindeer Run from Sixes included: for the 5K, Mila Balboa, Julia Bass, Brad Bohannan, Cal Breitbart, Nicholas Cerasoli, Julia Clark, Garrison Coleman, Sophie Cordaro, Caden English - (third-place male 10 and under), Cullen English, Reece English, Bethany Floyd, Hannah Forbes, Jackson Fountain, Bradley Fuchs, Allie Greene, Adam Hall, Skyler Harrelson, Elizabeth Heber, Jack Hodges, Emily Jones, Katy Krumrey, Sarah Macomber, Carly Major, Keeli Mantooth, Reece Morrish (third-place female 10 and under), Lauren Morrison, Ethan Neeley, Lindsey Nichols, Caitlyn Odum, Caroline Olvin, Veronica Olvin (first-place female 10 and under), Lauren Orick, Blake Pelkey, Rachel Rogers, Lindsey Saladrigas, Presley Schneider, Matthew Senack, Portia Simpson, Emma Staley, Will Sumner, Reese Surratt, Nicholas Terrell, Maddie Trousse, Bridget Utberg (second-place female 10 and under) and Coach Brandon English and teachers Jennifer Spain and Jeannie Cordaro; and for the Fun Run, Will Bohannan, Landon Broaded, Dan Comeau (second-place overall, time 7:07), Brooke Hodges, Alyssa Harrelson, Jordan Roberts, Andie Spain, Abby Stickle, Hannah Stickle, Nathan Stickle, Trent Stickle and Coach Shona Roberts.

 

Woodstock Elementary School

Woodstock Elementary School for the second consecutive year has been named a Georgia Reward School - Highest Performing School.

 

This designation from the Georgia Department of Education recognizes Woodstock Elementary School for being among the top 5% of Title I schools in Georgia with the highest performance on statewide assessments for the past three years.  This is the second year for the designation, which Woodstock ES has achieved both years.  A Title I school has a high percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

 

Woodstock Elementary also was one of only four schools statewide honored earlier this year by the GDOE as a 2013 Georgia Family Friendly Partnership School Award winner based on factors including its student and parent engagement, staff friendliness and community partnerships. 

Woodstock Elementary School recently partnered with Walmart on Bells Ferry Road to provide holiday treats for the Woodstock Nursing Home.  The Student Council collected the items and hand-delivered them to the seniors.  “The fifth-grade teacher sponsors, Erica Morrie and Justine Smith, feel that it is important to teach children to give back to the community and be involved in community service,” Principal Kim Montalbano said. 

 

The Barnes & Noble bookstore on Barrett Parkway asked its customers over the holidays to donate books to a local elementary school through its annual “Holiday Book Drive.”  At the checkout, customers gave very generously, and 1,132 books were collected for Woodstock Elementary School students.  “The students are excited to be receiving the gift of literacy from our Partner in Education,” Principal Kim Montalbano said.  “Woodstock Elementary School is fortunate to have a business partner who has reached out to help promote the love of reading for children.”

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