Next week, nearly 10,000 high school seniors will walk across stages in Gwinnett’ s 21 high schools, turning their tassels and beginning a new chapter in their lives. The senior report for the Class of 2012 indicates that 9,843 students are on track to graduate and that many of them will be graduating with honors.

According to CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks, this year’s class, the largest ever, also is one of the most accomplished. He says, “As a community, we can be proud of these students and what they have achieved during their academic careers. We are especially pleased with the number of Gwinnett graduates who earned their place among the country’s most prestigious academic ranks, including 10 National Merit Scholars (and there may be more), 15 National Achievement Scholars, and 26 Georgia Scholars. Full tuition grants were awarded to 11 Gates Millennium Scholars and three Questbridge Scholars. Congratulations to these and all of the graduates in the Class of 2012!”

 The seniors who plan to continue their education have been offered, as of April of 2012, more than $101 million in academic, athletic, and military scholarships. The majority of that amount, more than $67.8 million, was earned for academic achievement (that amount does not include the HOPE, or the 11 Gates Millennium Scholars who each earned full scholarships for undergraduate work and for selected master’s and doctoral programs).

 Close-to-10000-Gwinnett-students-to-receive-high-school-diploma-5-15-2012

 2012 Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame Inductions Raffle Winners  

 RAFFLE PRIZE WINNERS!

Southwest Airline Round Trip Tickets  -  K. McCain

Large Flat Screen TV – P. Arana

Sports Package: TPC Sugarloaf round of golf for four & Sports Authority Gear – C. Stroud

Local Attractions Prize: Tickets to Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta Hawks, Six Flags, Medieval Times, North GA Canopy Tours – B. Herring

Proceeds raised through the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame support the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation Fund. The Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation Fund, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501c3 charitable organization benefiting Gwinnett County Public Schools through academic initiatives, scholarships and grants. 

Thank you to all who participated in the spring 2012 GCPS Foundation grant process! The quality of submissions from the schools was outstanding and judging was a difficult task. The GCPS Foundation is disbursing $58,500 to local schools. The following schools have been awarded and will receive a check by next week. Special recognition is extended to the Lanier Cluster as the only grant to receive 100% funding in recognition of the cluster-wide approach.

• Brookwood HS Creating a 21st Century Collaborative Learning Environment $8000
• Chattahoochee ES Ebook bundle Purchase $2000
• Duluth HS Bringing DHS Media Center into the 21st Century $8000
• Duncan Creek ES Reading and Technology Projects $3000
• Gwinn Oaks ES Gwinn Oaks Connect $2000
• ISC Adapted Sports Program Development $3000
• KE Taylor ES Eagles ADD $2000
• Lanier Cluster Math Vertical Team Development $4500
• Lawrenceville ES Project Fees@ LES: Nourishment for the Mind $1000
• Moore MS MMS Teacher Leadership Professional Learning Cohort $3000
• Norcross ES Literacy in Action @ NES $2000
• Partee ES The Power of 2: Co-Teaching in an Inclusive & Collaborative School $2000
• Peachtree Ridge HS Hands-on Classroom Technology to Enhance Student Performance $8000
• Roberts ES Literacy at Your Fingertips $2000
• Rockbridge ES Technology in Motion $2000
• Shiloh ES Reading Projects $2000
• Trickum MS Outdoor Theater Project $4000

    

See some of Gwinnett’s best athletes inducted into the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 5 at Coolray Field at 6 p.m., then stay for the Gwinnett Braves game at 7.   Proceeds from game tickets ($12) and raffle tickets ($10 for one, $25 for three) benefit the GCPS Foundation Scholarship Fund. Order event tickets or raffle tickets online at www.gcps-foundation.org , or contact the Foundation office at 678-301-7287.

One Raffle Ticket for $10, Three for $25

You do not have to be present to win.  This is a perfect way to help if unable to attend event.

Sports Package Prize  – Round of golf for 4 at Sugarloaf Golf & Country Club, Sports Authority gear and more

Local Attractions Prize – Tickets to Atlanta Hawks 2 tickets , Medieval Times 4 tickets, Stone Mountain Adventure Passes for 4 with parking pass, North GA Canopy Tours, Six Flags Over Georgia 2 passes, and more

Flat Screen Prize – 32” LCD TV, high def, USB photo & PC port 

Grand Prize – 2 Roundtrip Tickets on Southwest Airlines plus Avis rental car vouchers         

Happy 2011 TV Winners

Lf to Rt: Jim Puckett, Operation Round-Up Board Member; Dr. James Rayford, Director of Community Based Mentoring; Randy Dellinger, Jackson EMC Gwinnett District Manager; Kelly Herndon, GCPS Foundation Executive Director

The Community-Based Mentoring program of Gwinnett County Public Schools has received an Operation Round-Up grant awarded from the Jackson EMC Foundation.

Operation Round-Up grants address charitable needs and provide financial assistance within the 10 counties served by Jackson EMC.   Grants go toward improving the lives of others.

The following counties are served by the Operation Round- Up program: Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison and Oglethorpe.

The Community-Based Mentoring program of Gwinnett County Public Schools connects caring adults in the community with middle school boys whose poor attendance and behavior are having an adverse impact on their grades and classroom performance.

Studies show that successful mentoring programs help at-risk students develop social skills, improve their school achievement and graduation rates, and help them develop self-esteem, among many benefits.  

Community-Based Mentoring

Left to Right: Ju Sun (Paul) Yoon/Peachtree Ridge HS; Deanna McReynolds/Peachtree Ridge HS; Tyisha Richardson/Peachtree Ridge HS; Raven Norman/Peachtree Ridge HS; Elana Do/Berkmar HS.

    According to the National College Board, research has shown the rigor of AP courses is an indicator of future college success.   Studies have shown that 45 percent of students who take one AP course and exam in high school graduate on time from college, and 61 percent of students who take two or more AP exams graduate on time.   By way of contrast, only 29 percent of other college students earn a bachelor’s degree within four years.  www.collegeboard.com

     “We are pleased to be able to open doors for students with financial need and see the AP program as providing a strategic advantage that contributes to post-secondary success,” Karen Fine Saltiel, EVP, Primerica Financial Services.  

         The 2011 College Board AP (Advanced Placement) Scholar Report shows that during the 2010-2011 school year, 2,552 Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) high school students earned the AP Scholar honor, a College Board recognition for high performance on college-level work while in high school. That’s an increase from the 2,263 GCPS students who earned the title the previous school year.

Schools receiving funding are:

• Archer High School                      
• Berkmar High School
• Brookwood High School               
• Central Gwinnett High School      
• Collins Hill High School
• Dacula High School                     
• Duluth High School
• GIVE East High School
• GIVE West High School
• Grayson High School
• Gwinnett Online Campus School
• Lanier High School
• Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
• Meadowcreek High School                       
• Mill Creek High School
• Mountain View High School         
• Norcross High School
• North Gwinnett High School         
• Parkview High School
• Peachtree Ridge High School       
• Phoenix High School
• Shiloh High School
• South Gwinnett High School         

Advanced Placement Support 

The Georgia Department of Education has named all Gwinnett high schools as “AP Honor Schools.”  All Gwinnett County school clusters have a reason to celebrate today as each of the school district’s traditional high schools and a system charter school have been named a “2012 AP (Advanced Placement) Honor School” by State Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Barge. In making the announcement, Dr. Barge said, “Georgia has much to be proud of when it comes to the success of Advanced Placement. Much of this success can be attributed to the dedication to rigor and excellence at each of our AP Honor Schools.”

Out of the 367 schools which earned the honor from across the state, 19 of them serve Gwinnett high school students. That number grew from 17 in 2011 and 12 schools in 2010. Additionally, several GCPS schools were recognized in more than one category.

DOE-names-all-Gwinnett-highs-schools-as-AP-Honor-Schools-2-7-2012

2012 GRANT PERIOD Open January 18 – March 1

Requirements:

• A completed and signed cover sheet must accompany the final proposal,and five copies must be returned to the ISC –  GCPS Foundation office on or before March 1, 2012.
• A GCPS educator, team of educators, ISC educator, or a school may submit a grant request. 
• Submissions must have the signed approval of the principal if the grant will benefit a local school. 
• Preference will be given to submissions with academic focus aligned with district or school mission/vision/goals, with a clear measurement for success, and for projects that can affect a large number of students and/or can be duplicated by other grades or schools. Individual scholarships will not be considered through this grant process.

 Grant Application 2012