Sydney-Alyce Bourget, a 10th grader at the Elite Scholars Academy in Clayton County, is among 25 winners of the Ford Freedom Unsung Award, which celebrates people who have made significant contributions to their communities. The program is funded by a grant from Ford Motor Co. Sydney-Alyce has been recognized in the youth category, which has five winners.
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Jamee Douglas, a fifth grade teacher at Big Shanty Elementary in Cobb has been named 2012 Champion of the Year by the Georgia Clean Air Campaign. In the last three years, Douglas has gotten her students involved in reducing idling. This fall she worked with students and parent volunteers to place scarecrows on school grounds that hold 'No Idling' signs to remind visitors to turn off their engines. During Clean Commute Week, she led the commute logging charge for Big Shanty, which resulted in the school having more participants than any other school in Georgia, according to a Cobb schools news release. She has also created lesson plans and worked with the school nurse to help students learn more about the harmful effects of air pollution.
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Students and staff at Crabapple Crossing Elementary School received a visit from State School Superintendent John Barge this week. The Fulton school has been named a 2012 National School of Excellence for its high academic achievement. This is the second time the school has won the award. The National Blue Ribbon Schools award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements have been made in achievement levels.
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Lily Pham, a junior at Clayton County's Jonesboro High School, was awarded $500 for winning the art category of a national contest that challenges students to create messages for their peers about the dangers of driving while distracted and reckless decision making. The contest was sponsored by California Casualty, a insurance company based in San Mateo, Calif. Students entered work in several categories including art, music and creative writing.
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