• The North Cobb/Harrison High School NJROTC team became the first ever to repeat, back-to-back, as national champions in the Academic Brain Brawl, in a competition May 2 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. Twenty–three other teams from around the country participated. The Brain Brawl is a College Bowl-style competition based on the NJROTC course curriculum, geography, world history, science, math, English, sports, entertainment and trivia. Team captain Alex Birchler won first place in individual “Brawl Star” competition. Head Coach is retired Navy Cmdr. Joel Reaves and other team members are Andrew Kelly, Tomas King, Skyler Brier and Dawson Bowman.
• Twelve metro Atlanta high school students won awards in the 10th annual AIA Atlanta High School Student Design Competition sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of the American Institute of Architects. This year, an introductory competition was design of a shelter for the Appalachian Trail at its Augerhole Gap site near Suches, Ga., and an advanced competition was a visitor center for the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail. Introductory winners were: first place, Tehilla Immanuel, Parkview High School; second place, Sami Reed, North Cobb High School; third place, Daiyun Li, McIntosh High School; honorable mentions, Jackson Randolph, Locust Grove High School and Jason Doering, McIntosh. Advanced winners were: first place, Montana Ray, Union Grove High School; second place, Neil Isaiah Capangpangan, Allatoona High School; third place, Michael Thomas, North Cobb High School; and honorable mentions, Anthony Spencer, Union Grove; Arianne Perez, Chattahoochee High School; Christian Ladefoged, McIntosh; and Michael Ditto, Chattahoochee High School.
• These seventeen students at Marietta Middle School will be recognized at the Duke University Talent Identification Program state award ceremony: Kailyn Askins, Kieran Holton, Marcos Rios, Addison Corn, Emily Howard, David Rubury, Ian Chevalier, Kaylie Lewis, Devanshu Tiwari, Eryn Earley, Thomas Lewis, Logan Vigdorov, Austin Fletcher, William Martin, Jaleisa Wiley, Kameron Herrero and Pranav Nedumpurath. In addition, 28 Lockheed Elementary and nine Park Street Elementary fourth- and fifth-graders reached the qualifying status of the program.
• Three Gwinnett schools, Annistown Elementary School and Shiloh High School in Snellville and Summerour Middle School in Norcross, have been awarded the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation by the American School Counselor Association. The designation is for schools committed to comprehensive data-driven school counseling programs. Dianne Thompson, Gwinnett schools’ director of advisement and counseling, said the RAMP designation “signifies that these programs are the best of the best. It is a rigorous process, to say the least, and it takes commitment to earn and maintain the designation.”
• The Georgia Department of Education recently allowed local school systems to again provide algebra 1 and geometry courses for students in grades 9-12. Fulton County Schools, a longtime proponent of more traditional math instruction rather than the “integrated” approach, will offer traditional math courses in all high schools next year. Parents are invited to review the proposed materials and provide feedback for these courses through June 5 at each Fulton County high school and the North Learning Center (450 Northridge Parkway in Sandy Springs). Materials selected will go into effect for the 2015-2016 school year.