Best in class: Emmy Awards honor Alpharetta audio-video students

• The audio-video program at Alpharetta High School received three high school production awards at the 2015 Emmy Awards. Gavin Ng won for best animation and Russell Scarborough won for best editing and best long-form video for his documentary "The Tables Have Turned." Tracy Misner, the instructor for the program, has led his students to win seven awards at the Emmys in two years. "This recognition from the industry is instrumental in getting our students a leg up in the media/entertainment business", said Misner. Alpharetta High School has over 100 students in the Audio-Video, Film & Technology program.

Fayette County School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Barrow is one of four finalists for Georgia's 2016 Superintendent of the Year. Other candidates vying for the award include Dr. Jason Branch, superintendent of Oconee County Schools; Scott Cowart, superintendent of Carroll County Schools; and Dr. Allen McCannon, superintendent of Madison County Schools. The winner will be announced at the Georgia School Superintendents Association/Georgia School Boards Association winter conference in December. The 2016 Georgia Superintendent of the Year will represent the state in the national American Association of School Administrators 2016 Superintendent of the Year competition. Dr. Barrow is the school system's second superintendent to be a finalist in the state competition. The GSSA selection committee named Dr. John DeCotis a finalist in 2009.

• The Berkmar High School baseball team is going to bat for people in need. The team, led by social studies teacher and head coach Adam Newland, collected food and made a donation to the Lilburn Food Co-Op recently. Newland and the team planned to collect food through the end of September.

Gwinnett County Public Schools will host its second annual Career Connections Exhibition for middle school students at the Gwinnett Center on Friday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Career Connections Exhibition is a district initiative to promote career awareness for eighth-grade students who feed into Gwinnett's seven college and career academy high schools. This career day is designed to be a "show and tell" experience that highlights the variety of career opportunities available to students. On the day of the event, students interview exhibitors, based on their career interests. The school system is seeking business people who can provide engaging presentations to eighth-graders about what they do and what it takes to pursue a successful career in their field. It's free for companies to participate as an exhibitor and there is no charge for parking. Each exhibitor will have a 10-by-10-foot booth. More than 200 company exhibitors will provide presentations about career options.

William Lee, who was salutatorian of Weslean School's class of 2015, has been recognized as a National AP Scholar. The Dunwoody teen now studying at the University of Pennsylvania earned the elite recognition by scoring a 4 or 5 on all eight AP exams he took during his high school career – with an impressive overall AP exam average of 4.88.

• The Lord Mayor of the City of Westminster in the United Kingdom, Robert Davis, was scheduled to visit Mill Creek High School on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to personally invite the Pride of Mill Creek Marching Band to play in London's New Year's Day Parade for the second year in a row. The parade, which started in 1987 with 2,000 mostly local performers, now involves up to 10,000 performers from around the world and a live TV audience of several hundred million. Each year in the fall, the Lord Mayor decides upon a select number of groups to visit in the United States in connection with the parade and festival.