Best in class for Sept. 7

Fulton County Schools' contracting department received an Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award. This marks the second year in a row and the ninth time overall that the Fulton system has been recognized by the National Purchasing Institute for dedication and commitment to excellence in procurement.

Brody Wright, a third grader at Knox Elementary School in Cherokee County, won two gold medals in the 2012 Georgia Special Olympics Horse Show in Perry. More than 300 athletes competed to be Georgia's best in showmanship, dressage, English and Western riding, and riding trails. Entering three events in his first-ever competition, Brody, who rode the horse Phantom, brought home two gold medals for the BEATS (Bethany's Equine & Aquatic Therapy Services, Inc.) team from Mariposa Farms in Cherokee County.

Deirdre Pierce, a Georgia PTA district director, has been recognized by the White House for her advocacy work. Pierce pushed for the renovation of her neighborhood high school in DeKalb County and as a result, the school board allocated money for that school and others, according to www.whitehouse.gov. Pierce was named as one of a dozen "Champions of Change," an annual honor that notes achievements by PTA parents.

Six Cherokee County teachers have been selected by the Georgia Department of Education as Advanced Placement (AP) "master teachers" to lead regional workshops for AP instructors across the state. The teachers were selected based on consistently high AP exam scores earned by their students. The teachers and their subject areas are: Creekview High School's Michael Sinco, AP World History; Etowah High's Mary Shell, AP World History; Sequoyah High's Elaine Dasher, AP English Literature; Woodstock High's Erin Hall, AP Psychology; Woodstock High's Josh Sailers, AP Economics; and Woodstock High's Krista Webb, AP World History.

Three Wheeler High School students outpaced most of their peers at the recent American Mathematical Competition 12. In the contest, students are asked a series of pre-calculus questions and may not use calculators. Wheeler's Sina Monfared, Sneha Sareddy and Lucy Zhang received 325.5 points, one of the highest scores in the Region 3. The region includes schools from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The school was awarded an "Undergrad E-Membership" to the Mathematical Association of America.

Gwinnett County Public Schools had 81 men serving as mentors to middle school students last year. Mentors, who work one-on-one and in small groups with at-risk students, were saluted by the Gwinnett School Board in August. The mentors include Darrell Creedon and Darren Providence. Creedon describes his work with eighth graders at Duluth Middle as the most rewarding and challenging of his life. "It is rewarding to see my mentee follow some of my guidance and see that it is helping him. I enjoy seeing him realize the rewards and fruits of his labor," said Creedon, who has worked with his mentee for nearly two years. Providence, who lives in the south Gwinnett cluster, was a volunteer mentor in his home state of New Jersey for 13 years and has been mentoring a Snellville Middle School eight grader for two years. "They're not bad kids. They make bad choices," Providence said. "They want to do good. They just don't have the tools to do it. Our job is to help them get those tools." Launched in early 2009, Gwinnett's Community-Based Mentoring Program pairs students with both an at-school advisor and a mentor in the community.