Roswell High School's Caroline Wu and Andrew Lukman were the only two string students from Georgia chosen to perform in the National Association for Music Education's all-national honor ensemble program. Each year, students from all 50 states audition for a chance to participate in this event, which will take place at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Oct. 26-29.
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Marietta City Schools Superintendent Emely Lembeck is one of 16 recipients of the Boy Scouts of America 2014 Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award. The national recognition honors individuals who play a role in developing scouting programs that serve disadvantaged youth.
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Dawson Ellington, a Woodward Academy 7th-grade football player, made the roster of the 2014 Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl. Ellington was presented with his jersey Oct. 10 and will play in the bowl in December, which occurs in conjunction with the U.S. Army All-American game.
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The marching band from South Gwinnett High School earned several honors at the Dillion High Band Boosters competition, including first-place overall for division AAAA and superior ratings with the second-highest score in the 18-band competition. The band also nabbed the "best music performance" title, with the highest score of the day. The band director is Villie Jones.
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Six teachers were named finalists for Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year. Colette Grodzicki of North Gwinnett High, Randi Hill of Gwinnett Online Campus, Lesley McClendon of Shiloh Middle, Cindy Apley Rose of Couch Middle, Sharon Smith of Brookwood Elementary and Kishina Woolfolk of Harbins Elementary are in the running for the top honor, which will be announced Nov. 11. The winner will represent Gwinnett in the Georgia Teacher of the Year competition and receive an annual award of $1,000 as long as she is employed with the district.
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Canton Elementary School STEM Academy received a $5,000 gift from the Rotary Club of Canton. The donation will be used to develop a "splash lab" at the school to help students to learn about sustainable agriculture by growing plants in water (hydroponics). The school's principal is Beth Long and the Rotary Club of Canton president is Hugh Beavers.
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Riverwood International Charter School art teacher Dana Munson was nominated for the National Art Education Association, National Art Educator of the Year award. She is the Southeast Region Art Educator of the Year.
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Dave Senecal of P.B. Ritch Middle in Paulding County was named Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Georgia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Senecal will receive his award at a ceremony during the 2015 Southern District Shape American Convention in Atlanta on Feb. 18-21.
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