Woodward Academy was recently named the 2013 Prestigious Partner of the Year by the Fulton Education Foundation. The school was recognized for its Horizons National program partnership with Mt. Olive Elementary School in East Point. Horizons National is an award-winning summer program aimed at closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students on private school and university campuses across the country. Horizons at Woodward Academy had its first class of kindergartners from Mt. Olive in the summer of 2012. The students return each summer and a new class will be added until it is a full capacity K-8 six-week, full-day educational enrichment program.
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Gwinnett’s Knight Elementary has been named a Captain Planet Foundation Learning Gardens School. The Lilburn school will receive a grant valued at $3,500. The program will run through September 2015. Knight Elementary will receive a garden , professional development conferences and workshops, six interdisciplinary, standards-based garden lessons for each grades — including materials — and a fully-equipped mobile kitchen cart for preparing and taste-testing foods from the garden. The program supplies assistance with summer garden management. Teachers at Knight will collaborate with colleagues at other Learning Gardens schools.
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Elementary school students in Cherokee County are learning to play golf in physical education classes thanks to a partnership with Fairways of Canton. Golf pro Stan Moore is working with P.E. teachers on how to teach golf fundamentals to their students. He is using the SNAG program, which uses oversized clubs, and different sizes of tennis balls and Velcro targets - making golf easier to learn.
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Fernbank Science Center will be all about fossils Saturday as the center hosts its annual National Fossil from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. There will plenty of fossil displays and fun activities for all ages, including the popular shark tooth dig. Fernbank geologist Bill Witherspoon will make a presentation, and there will be samples of Georgia fossils for sale. National Fossil Day is organized by the National Park Service to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils.
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There is life after high school and the Fulton County schools counseling department is encouraging Fulton County parents to learn more about options for students at the 2013 Future Focus Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Georgia Tech’s Student Center. The event is free and organizers and speakers will share information about a multitude of post-secondary options. Representatives from several of metro Atlanta’s top colleges and universities will explain the college admissions process and other entry requirements. Middle and high students are not excluded from the fair, but the information is targeted to Fulton County parents and guardians. The event is free but registration is encouraged through www.futurefocusfair.eventbrite.com. Increased parking fees will apply because there is a football game on campus.
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