The Foundation is proud to highlight the numerous GCPS alumni that are making headlines from around the world. Nominate a GCPS alumni that you find making news, making a difference, or making it big!
If you’d like to help support the great schools that either you, someone you know, or someone from this list attended, simply select the school from the dropdown below and donate today! Your donation will go directly to the school/cluster you select to help provide scholarships, resources, and other opportunities to help support students and teachers.
 Daniel Luckett, Norcross HS ‘02Capt. Daniel Luckett, won the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Awards program, honoring officers who demonstrate the MacArthur ideals of “duty, honor, country.” A 2002 graduate of Norcross High, Luckett graduated from Auburn University, where he received his ROTC commission as an officer. He served a tour of duty in Iraq, where on May 11, 2008; Luckett was wounded when his patrol came under attack in Baghdad. On that day, he would become a double amputee (lower left leg and half of right foot) but his drive to lead soldiers only grew stronger. He returned to unit in March, 2009, to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky. Since returning to the Strike Brigade in February 2009, Luckett has taken on a great deal of responsibility, where he served as the executive officer for his company and for more than a year has helped prepare his company for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. He and his unit left for Afghanistan in May. |
 Lorenzo Washington, Grayson HSStandout Crimson Tide defensive lineman Lorenzo Washington, #97 in photo, signed with the Dallas Cowboys in April 2010. Washington graduated high school early and is called a football “smart player” by NFL recruiting sites. www.dallascowboys.com |
| Michael Palmer, Parkview HS Clemson tight end Michael Palmer was signed as a college free agent by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Palmer, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, started all 13 games last season and caught 43 passes for 507 yards and four touchdowns. www.atlantafalcons.com |
 Ida Neal, Central Gwinnett HSNominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Tech’s all-ACC first team, 1995 inductee GA Tech Hall of Fame, second in Tech history with 508 career assists averaged 19.2 points per game and 7.1 assists as a senior in 1989. http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/ot/fame/halloffame.html |
 Matt Stinchcomb, Parkview HSNominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Matt is an All-American offensive tackle for UGA 1997-1998, 1998 William V. Campbell Winner as the top member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete, first round pick of Oakland Raiders, 2003 Super Bowl, ESPN Studio analyst, and 2010 Nominee College Hall of Fame. www.collegefootball.org |
 Terry Harvey, Dacula HSNominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Terry was a standout at Dacula. He finished his high school career with 7,100 total yards and 82 TDs, was among the top passers in NC State history with 5,925 yards and three bowl games to his credit, also a two sport star while at NC State, named to ACC’s 50th Anniversary baseball team. |
 Maya Moore, Collins Hill HSNominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Maya was a 2010 NCAA Championship standout at UConn. She is also a three-time All-American and two-time national player of the year. She is expected to become UConn’s scoring leader (male or female) early next season. Four state championships while at Collins Hill, ESPN First Team Academic All-American. www.uconn.edu |
 Chandler Massey, Norcross HSThe newest cast member of NBC’s Days of Our Lives based in NYC, Norcross native Chandler Massey is remembered as the lead in many Norcross HS plays. Chandler arrived in LA to begin classes at UCLA in international business and was approached by an agent to consider reading for a key part. A multi year contract soon followed. www.daysofourlives.com |
| Brian McCann, Duluth HS A national standout at catcher with the Atlanta Braves, Brian bats left and throws right. At 6-foot-3 and 230lbs., Brian continues to heat up the sports pages. www.braves.mlb.com |
 Amy Robach, Brookwood HSIn June 2009, Amy became a co-host and national correspondent on NBC’s Today Show. A former Miss Gwinnett County and 4th runner-up to Miss Georgia in 1994, Amy headed to UGA where she majored in journalism and began broadcasting in Athens. After graduation she spent four years at WCBD-TV in Charleston as a reporter and then headed for Washington, DC, where she was the early morning and noon anchor for WTTG-TV and covered stories such as the aftermath of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Amy earned local kudos by returning to Brookwood HS 2010 to film a special segment from the halls of her alma mater. www.today.msnbc.msn.com |
| Dallas Stovall, Dacula HS Having signed with IMG, one of the largest entertainment management companies in the nation, Dallas is now considered among the top male models in the world. Based out of NYC, Dallas travels the world and can be seen in countless publications. www.imgworld.com |
 Steve Whitmire, Berkmar HSWhile at Berkmar High School, Steve Whitmire swore to his classmates that he would one day be Kermit the Frog. In 1993, he joined the Sesame Street cast and that dream came true. Steve considers the Muppets Christmas Carol to be his first real production as Kermit. A list of impressive credits and awards can be found on the Muppet Wiki website as Steve continues to be the voice of Kermit heard in homes throughout the world. www.imdb.com/name/nm0926209/ |
| Jeff Francouer, Parkview HS Currently, Jeff is an Outfielder for the New York Mets. A National League Gold Glove winner, Jeff was offered a two sport scholarship with Clemson but accepted the allure of the big leagues and signed with the Atlanta Braves as a first round pick out of high school. www.mets.com |
| Drew Butler, Peachtree Ridge HS University of Georgia punter Drew Butler earned First Team All-America, All-SEC First Team, ESPN Magazine Academic All-District Team, and received a team Most Valuable Special Team Player award. He appeared in 2009 in all 13 games punting 56 times with a national-best 48.1 yards per punt. He is on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and was a Recipient of William C. Hartman, Jr., Scholarship. www.georgiadawgs.com |
| Ted Roof, Central Gwinnett HS A football standout at Central Gwinnett HS and all ACC linebacker at GA Tech (and inducted into the GA Tech Hall of Fame), Ted began his coaching career as a defensive back coach at Alabama, advancing throughout his career to a number of strong schools, among them Duke University. In 2009 Roof was named defensive coordinator for Auburn University. www.auburn.edu |
 David Chandley, Parkview HSIn the metro Atlanta area, Gwinnett residents can see this smooth-talking hometown weatherman on WSB-TV. Having won his third Emmy, David is considered the region’s top weatherman. www.wsbtv.com |
| Louis Williams, South Gwinnett HS A standout at South Gwinnett, Louis was a four time All-State designee and frequently profiled on ESPN while at the high school level. Louis is currently making news with the 76ers, having signed professionally with the NBA out of high school. www.nba.com/sixers |
| Kevin Anderson, Peachtree Ridge HS University of Richmond Point Guard Kevin Anderson was named Second-Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference, two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, and the fourth Spider sophomore to reach 800 points. He finished the season with 930 points, leading the team, and was seventh in the Atlantic 10 scoring at 16.6 points per game. He led the Spiders to a Top 25 National ranking with their best regular season in years, winning 26 games. Candidate for the Atlantic Ten Conference Player of the Year and led the team in scoring, assists, and steals. Named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and selected to the league’s All-Rookie Team and named Virginia Collegiate Rookie of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors. Kevin has declared for the NBA draft in the spring of 2010. www.thecollegianur.com/sports/mens-basketball/ |
| Jason Elam, Brookwood HS Jason Elam, retiring in 2010 from the Denver Broncos, also having played for the Atlanta Falcons, is remembered for among other things, making the longest field goal in NFL history. Elam was also named to the Pro Bowl three times and earned two super bowl rings. In retirement, he will continue to write novels and work in the ministry from his home in Anchorage, Alaska. www.kdvr.com/sports/kdvr-elam-retires-033110,0,5995878.story |
| Steven Lau, Duluth HS The 2007 Duluth grad is a member of Ivy Insiders, a college test prep initiatives funded at Harvard in 2003 and run by Ivy League undergraduates. Gwinnett students were the lucky recipients of his knowledge as he has returned to the district in 2009 to prepare another GCPS generation to best the SAT and ACT. www.ivyinsiders.com |
| Daniel Hwang, South Gwinnett HS Captain Daniel Hwang graduated in the top 3 percent of his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point having served as Battalion Commander of the corp while on campus. His work at West Point and in the military earned him the rank of captain for Charlie Company while serving in Samarra, Iraq. With deep ties to Gwinnett, Captain Hwang reached out to his home community for help in providing learning materials for children. Over 520 boxes of educational supplies were shipped in 2010 from Gwinnett to re-establish schools in Iraq thanks to Captain Hwang’s efforts. |
| Amber Holt, Meadowcreek HS A standout at Middle Tennessee State University and two times All-American, Kodak All-American, Amber was drafted in the first round to the WNBA and currently plays for the Tulsa Shocks. www.wnba.com |
| Jocylyn Penn, Meadowcreek HS A basketball standout as a South Carolina Gamecock, Jocelyn continues to hold the SEC and USC record for number of steals, 353. Named to the US Basketball Writers Assoc. All-American Team, Jocylyn was the first woman in the NCAA in 13 yrs to score two 50+ point performances during a career. www.wnba.com |
| Eric Shanteau, Parkview HS A member of the 2008 Beijing US Olympic team, this swimmer shattered the American record twice in the 200 breaststroke twice in the national U.S. Championships. Diagnosed with testicular cancer just months for Olympic competition, Shanteau delayed treatment and went on to represent the US. Over his career, Shanteau has earned 11 All-American Honors and four NCAA championships, not to mention four team state titles while at Parkview. www.ericshanteau.net |
 Rhea Taylor, Peachtree Ridge HSUniversity of Missouri Outfielder Rhea Taylor earned All-Midwest Region First Team, All-Big 12 Tournament Team, All-Big 12 First Team, and Big 12 Player of the Week. Notching a squad best .404 batting average in 51 starts and 52 appearances, Rhea Taylor’s mark stood third best in the Big 12 Conference and 47th in the nation. In Big 12 games alone, Taylor hit .354. Missouri’s starting centerfielder, Taylor led the conference in stolen bases (36), ranked 10th best in the country, and was second in hits (72), triples (three) and runs scored (54). Additionally, her 1.04 runs per game stood 15th best in the nation. Over the course of the year, Taylor managed a squad best 21 multi-hit games and recorded the longest Tiger hitting streak, 15 games, from April 19-May 24. www.mutigers.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/taylor_rhea00.html |
 Diana DeGarmo, Shiloh HSAuditioning as the youngest American Idol contestant at age 16, DeGarmo became nationally known for her powerful voice and charming stage presence. Never shy to give positive praise to Gwinnett or Shiloh HS in interviews, Diana signed with RCA, traveled with American Idol productions, and later performed in theatre and off Broadway productions. DeGarmo continues to work in the entertainment field. www.americanidoldianadegarmo.com |