EDUCATION BRIEFS

Students in the Charles R. Drew Charter School junior academy (middle grades) won a total of 17 awards and honors at this year’s State BETA Club Convention in Savannah. Projects created by Drew students won first place in the following categories: Painting, Woodworking, Marketing and Communication, Campaign Skit, Portfolio, Color Photography, Living Literature and Recyclable Art. Additionally, seventh grader Melvin Hodges was named State BETA president, the third consecutive year a Drew Eagle has won that honor, and the school earned five invitations for students to attend the National BETA Convention, scheduled to be held in Texas in the summer of 2020. Also, Drew placed projects in the top five in Service Learning Showcase, Sculpture, TwoDimensional Design, Jewelry, Performing Art Group, Digital Art, Mixed Media and Drawing.

Grady High School in Midtown is set for a nearly $40 million renovation and expansion after the Atlanta School Board approved a $34.9 million construction management contract with Parrish Construction Group.

According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the total project will cost $39.5 million, including design, construction and other costs.

Grady, located just across from Piedemont Park at the corner of 10th Street and Monroe Drive, was last renovated in 2005. The original building that faces Charles Allen Drive dates back to 1924 when the school was known as Boys High School.

Atlanta Public Schools officials said some of the main overcrowding issues are in the media center and cafeteria during peak hours.

The expansion will add new classroom space, while renovations will be made to the gym, auditorium, media center and cafeteria.

The project will be paid for by money from the one-cent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) approved by voters in 2017. Work is expected to be complete on the expansion and renovations by summer 2021 in time for the next school year.

As work it set to begin at Grady, it continues on time at the former David T. Howard School in Old Fourth Ward, which is set to open next August. The more than $50 million project, also funded by the SPLOST, will revive Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater more than four decades after it closed.

Atlanta Public Schools will begin accepting Pre-K lottery applications for the 20202021 school year on Jan. 6 through Feb. 12. For more information, visit the Teaching and Learning page on the District’s website at atlantapublicschools.us.

Georgia Treasurer Lynne Riley is reminding residents to give the gift of learning by making a college savings contribution. Anyone can make a contribution to a beneficiary’s account in the state of Georgia’s Path2College 529 Plan. Gift givers can click on the “Give a Gift” section on Path2College529.com and download the certificate to show that you’ve made a contribution.

Business Engineering Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.) Academy has become the only all-male, grades 6-12 public school in the state of Georgia to earn a certification in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) or Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum. BEST Academy was accredited by Cognia, which cited the school for creating a family-like STEM environment for its students.

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Atlanta–based nonprofit Leap Year was recently received the ascena Foundation’s Roslyn S. Jaffe Award of $100,000 for its innovative two-generation approach to education. High school graduates who are low-income or first in their family to pursue post-secondary education spend a gap year tutoring 2nd grade readers in the morning and preparing for college in the afternoon.

“I was on my honeymoon when I found out that we were the grand prize winner! We want to use it to build the foundation so we can expand in the future,” said Leap Year Founder and Executive Director Amber Scott.

Scott drew her inspiration for Leap Year from her family. Her maternal grandfather had 3rd grade education, but her mother was first in her family to go to college.

“My parents instilled in us the value of education where it was expected that my brother and I were going to college. I went on to grad school, then work in the nonprofit space. It kept bothering me that some 40 years later my parents’ story is still the anomaly,” Scott said.

One in four metro Atlanta high school graduates attain a postsecondary degree, while 60% of the jobs in Georgia will require one by 2025. And 40% of Atlanta Public School (APS) third graders read on grade level, which is a predictor for high school graduation.

“If you haven’t started out with strong reading, you’re less likely to take the ACT, to graduate high school and go onto college,” Scott said. She decided to tackle both literacy and college readiness.

“That’s how we put the model together – knowing that we wanted to help our Leap Year Fellows get into college but also see if we could try to change the path for the next generation so it’s not as hard,” Scott said.

In the fall, Fellows focus on the ACT and the ACCUPLACER to assess their readiness for a spring college course.

“We use the ACT as a tool. We are reviewing English, Math and Reading skills. How to take notes, how to listen actively, how to stay organized, and how to study for an exam,” Scott said.

On average, Leap Year students have increased their ACT score by three points.

“It helps boost their self esteem and academic growth. They know ‘if I grind, I’ll see results’,“ Scott said.

In the spring, Leap Year Fellows earn their first college credits at the Georgia State University Perimeter campus, while supported by a program manager to help with course content and time management.

“We are hoping to add a math class next year with GSU so our students experience English 1101 and Math 1101 with Leap Year so that it’s not as scary when they are on their own,” Scott said.

This is just half the story of Leap Year. Fellows spend their mornings tutoring 2nd graders at Deerwood Academy to