Georgia State University's Office of Intercultural Relations awarded Kennesaw State University professor Jesse Benjamin with its annual Hosea Williams award for Community Activism, recognizing his role in organizing a public lecture series last year on noted international rights activist Walter Rodney. The award was one of two - one to an individual and one to an organization - named in honor of Hosea Williams, the civil rights activist and associate of Martin Luther King Jr. It was presented in January during Georgia State's 31st anniversary MLK convocation.
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Walt Disney World Resort has announced the 100 teens selected for the next Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and ESSENCE Magazine. The teens, six of which are from the Atlanta area, will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the Walt Disney World Resort March 6-9, but instead of vacationing, they will be participating in an innovative and educational mentoring program. This year's 100 students were selected from nearly 10,000 applicants, who had to answer a series of essay questions about their personal stories and life dreams. The six teens from the Atlanta area are Kiara Davis, Diamond Stewart, Keza Kasende, Justin Bell, Jordan Fisher and Christina Lucas.
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Creekview High School senior band student Jacob Morgan recently won a music composition contest sponsored by the Georgia Music Educators Association. This past fall, Morgan composed a multi-movement work for brass ensemble and submitted it to GMEA. His piece, "The Immigrant," was chosen as a winner along with 12 other works written by students across Georgia. More than 50 pieces were submitted for consideration, and the 13 winning pieces were performed at the GMEA In-Service Conference as part of a recital session.
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Woodstock High School junior Parth Patel has been selected as one of 50 to present at the annual Georgia Junior Science and Humanities Symposium to be held Feb. 23-25 at the University of Georgia. The program offers high school students in Georgia the opportunity to present original scientific research orally in front of judges and observers. If selected as one of the top 12 finalists, he will make his presentation to a larger panel of judges for a chance to present at the National Symposium in May.
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Hickory Flat Elementary School has received a $12,000 grant from the Hickory Flat Foundation, which was founded in the 1950s to serve the interests and needs of students, teachers and families of the elementary school. The grant will be used to purchase additional technology for the school including 20 iPads with charging carts and protective covers.
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Woodward Academy senior C.J. Nicholson was recently recognized by the American Association of Teachers of German for her outstanding efforts on behalf of the German language and program. Two years ago, Nicholson collected student signatures and contributed to Woodward's decision to offer German as a foreign language option.
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