— Preschoolers at the Goddard Schools in metro Atlanta have kicked off a monthlong charity book drive with the goal of collecting 25,000 books for Children Read Atlanta, (http://www.childrenreadatlanta.org/) a nonprofit that provides books to low-income families to support reading skills from a very young age. This will be by far the largest donation this charity has received. Local VIPs will visit Goddard Schools throughout Atlanta to read to children during this book drive. The books will be delivered to the charity during the week of Sept. 28. People are invited to drop off their book donations at the nearest Goddard location.
— Thirty-eight Fayette County students including 26 from Sandy Creek High High School participated in the fourth annual Math Competitions Boot Camp at Morehouse College, with several receiving top honors. Phaidra Buchanan earned the overall award for the high school level, scoring the highest of all competitors. John Suess placed first in ninth grade; Krista Jackson took first in 11th grade; and Heyley Gatewood finished first in 12th grade. Flat Rock Middle School had 12 students at the boot camp, with three students earning placements. Daniel Chapadeau took first place in eighth grade, Isaac Presberg placed second in eighth grade and Emma Bryan finished second in ninth grade.
— An aspiring artist at North Gwinnett High School has been named a 2015 Scholastic Art and Writing Award winner. Lesley Chang, an 11th-grader at North Gwinnett High, earned a National Medal from the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers for her painting, "Beautiful Chaos." Chang's artwork will be displayed at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. She also has been invited to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the nation's capital on Sept. 25.
— Students at Alcova Elementary School in Gwinnett County are learning math inside and outside the classroom. The school has turned a normal stairwell into "multiplication stairs." Multiplication tables have been painted on the steps, reinforcing what students have learned in the classroom. Multiplication tables also have been painted on the sidewalk leading to the playground. Dr. Todd Langley, the principal, says he got the idea from Gregory Tang, a mathematician and educational instructor. After seeing the stairs on social media, comedian D.L. Hughley posted on Facebook, "This school gets it."
— Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology has been honored for promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The Technology Association of Georgia awarded GSMST the STEM Certified School Outreach Award at the STEM Education Awards. This award recognized what GSMST does to promote STEM education and the school's efforts to support schools and districts pursuing STEM certification or STEM curricular development.
— Berkmar High School student Danny Nguyen has been selected to play with the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony after auditioning for the position. Nguyen competed against other bass players from around the county for the right to perform with the elite ensemble. The senior is a student leader and holds a 4.0 grade point average.
— Gwinnett County Public Schools' Department of Purchasing and Property Management is a 2015 winner of the National Procurement Institute Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award, based on criteria designed to measure innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement, and leadership. Last year only 199 awards were issued nationally, including 10 from Georgia, covering public schools, municipal and county governments, state agencies, and higher education. "It is such an honor to receive this award," said Matthew Mills, GCPS director of purchasing and property management. "It is a testament to the hard work our staff puts in each and every day and our commitment to being good stewards of our tax dollars. "
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