01-08-2016 Dunwoody Reporter

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Dunwoody Reporter

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Getting ‘better’ Sen. Isakson talks VA care COMMUNITY 2

The plan man

www.ReporterNewspapers.net

How to ease traffic woes COMMENTARY 12

JAN. 8 — JAN. 21, 2016 • VOL. 7 — NO. 1

COMMUNITY 5

Shortal says he’s ready to serve Dunwoody ‘family’

BY DYANA BAGBY

dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

SPECIAL PHOTOS

For this winter edition of our semi-annual Education Guide, Reporter Newspapers introduces its first “20 Under 20,” a special feature adapted from our sister publication Atlanta INtown. Meet this group of extraordinary young people who are working to improve their communities. The section begins on page 15.

Communication. Respect. Family.

These are the main tenets that Dunwoody’s Mayor Denis Shortal says he wants to follow as he takes the reins of a city he helped found eight years ago.

“Communication is mandatory here. It is key to us being successful,” Shortal said after he was sworn in as the city’s mayor on Jan. 4.

“And respect is a two-way street.”

The first official action of the 2016 council was to vote Councilman Doug Thompson as mayor pro-tempore. The council’s first full meeting of the year is Jan. 11 and Shortal already has his first town hall planned, set for Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. in the Social Hall at All Saints Catholic Church.

Shortal, who resigned his seat on the Dunwoody City Council to challenge incumbent Mike Davis, said his first priority is to pave more city streets.

“One of the things I heard loud and clear as the number one priority is to pave streets.

So I want to up the paving budget and I will work with the council,” he said.

That paving includes the busy Mount Vernon Road, which was originally planned SEE SHORTAL, PAGE 13

Expect political ‘nonsense’ in 2016 Legislature

BY JOE EARLE

joeearle@reporternewspapers.net

Rep. Scott Holcomb says it’s simple. With a presidential primary scheduled for Georgia in March, “there’s likely to be a lot of nonsense” during the coming session of the state General Assembly, the DeKalb Democrat says.

Political posturing is “already out there,” Holcomb said.

His prediction for the 2016 Legislature? “I think it’s going to be a year not terribly impressive in terms of legislative accomplishment,” he said. “The shadow of the presidential primary is going to weigh heavily on the Gold Dome. You’re just going to see a lot of nonsense.”

Still, state lawmakers are bound to do something during the 40 days they meet and debate the state’s business, even if it’s only to approve a state budget. And as legislators prepared for the start of the 2016 Georgia General Assembly,

set to start Jan. 11, there was plenty of new legislation being talked up.

Local lawmakers said they expect to spend much of the session arguing over hot-button statewide issues such as gambling, the state budget, funding for education and merit pay for teachers. “I think it’s going to make for an interesting year,” Rep. Beth Beskin (R-Buckhead) said. “I really think education is going to be one of the big ones this year.”

The proposal to allow casino gambling in Georgia “will be taken seriously,” Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs) said, but he and several other local lawmakers seemed unwilling to predict that it would pass this year. “I don’t see that happening in this session, particularly in an election SEE LAWMAKERS, PAGE 7

PHIL MOSIER

Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal beams as he exchanges glances with City Councilman Terry Nall, after Shortal was sworn in earlier as the new mayor on Jan. 4 at City Hall.

Judge Richard McCully administered the oath of office to Shortal as well as to City Council members Nall, Lynn Deutsch and John Heneghan.

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COMMUNITY

Isakson talks VA care with Vietnam vets

BY DYANA BAGBY

dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

The ongoing overhaul surgery. From a vet’s perof the Veterans Adminspective, it’s not a better istration means service system,” he said. “I don’t is becoming better, but know how you say it is there is still much work better.” to be done, U.S. Sen. The Atlanta VA MedJohnny Isakson said durical Center, located in ing a stop in Dunwoody DeKalb County, “is a to speak to Vietnam vets. mess,” Isakson acknowlIsakson, chair of the edged. “But it is better.

Senate Committee on DYANA BAGBY We are improving. We Veterans’ Affairs, told the have a long way to go.

U.S. Sen. Johnny group gathered for the And I welcome criticism.”

Isakson spoke to Jan. 5 Atlanta Vietnam In 2013, an audit by Vietnam vets during a Veterans Business Associthe Department of Vetluncheon on Jan. 5. ation lunch meeting that eran Affairs’ Inspector significant strides have General found that three been made in fixing the system plagued deaths occurred at the Atlanta VA Mediwith scandal, including a veteran commitcal Center after officials there did not keep ting suicide inside the Atlanta VA Meditrack of mental health patients. cal Center.

Months-long waiting lists for vets seek“I’m proud of what we’re doing with ing medical care and mismanagement the VA. We’re doing better and better evled to a serious overhaul of the VA over ery day,” Isakson told the more than 100 the past several years. In 2014, President people attending the meeting at DunObama brought in Robert McDonald to woody United Methodist Church. serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and But a few of the veterans attending said try to turn the agency around, a decision they are not seeing improvements. One Isakson called a “good one.” told Isakson he had a claim take three Isakson also discussed the war against years before he finally wrote letters to IsakISIL. He explained that the name “ISIL” – son and U.S. Sen. David Perdue, and then not “ISIS” – is used now because the war got immediate help. was first against the Islamic State of Syria, “What I was told is because I got Conbut now is against the Islamic State of Iraq gressional input, my claim was moved to and Levant, which includes Syria, Lebathe top. I got my claim taken care of in less non, Palestine, Israel and Jordan. than 15 days, after taking more than three “We have a strategy. I think it’s lousy. years,” he said.

And it’s to wait it out,” he said. IsakIsakson said Congressional intervenson said if he was president, his response tion should not be needed, “But if that’s would be to “kill them first.” necessary, make sure to call.”

“They are fanatics of a hijacked reliAnother vet said he had been to severgion,” he told the crowd to a roar of apal VA hospitals across the country and “by plause. “We have got to kill every one of far Atlanta is the worst.” them as fast as we can. You can’t negotiate “I was there for six weeks last year after with them.”

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COMMUNITY

CAD-to-CAD dispatch system goes live after four-year wait

BY DYANA BAGBY

dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

Dunwoody residents will no longer go through a third party when calling 911 for fire or ambulance services.

After a four-year wait, the Computer Aided Dispatch service for emergency services was implemented in late December.

Mayor Denis Shortal smiled broadly when asked about CAD-toCAD minutes after he took the oath of office on Jan. 4.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

The city of Dunwoody contracted with ChattComm — or the Chattachoochee River 911 Authority — in 2011 to provide 911 call taking and dispatch services.

As an enhancement to that service, the city engaged in a CAD-to-CAD Interface project to provide for the electronic transfer of fire department and emergency medical services data from

ChattComm 911 to DeKalb County 911.

Ongoing delays in implementing CAD-to-CAD led to debates among city residents and the council, including threats to sever the city’s contract with ChattComm.

But the lack of an alternative dispatch service, other than returning to DeKalb County dispatch, convinced council members to continue with ChattComm.

“I’m delighted this is up and running,” Councilman Terry Nall said at the Jan. 4 city council meeting. “This is a culmination of seven different vendors. It was propriety software, and the reason it was taking so long was getting all seven parties to work together,” Nall explained.

Now, with CAD-to-CAD in place, Dunwoody residents can call the city’s fire and EMS services directly without having to be transferred to DeKalb County.

“This will shave off 90 seconds from response time. That’s a minuteand-a-half. That can make a big difference when you’re talking about life and death,” Nall said.

There is also a convenience factor to having CAD-to-CAD, Nall said. When phoning ChattComm 911, a caller is interrogated twice to get details about their emergency, Nall explained. With the one-button transfer system, the person would then be sent to DeKalb dispatch and interrogated twice more.

“Several times we did one-button transfers, only to be put on hold by DeKalb,” Nall said.

The one-button system will always be available as a backup, he added. And that backup was needed already — just a few days after CAD-to-CAD went live, a drunk driver crashed a car into a Dunwoody resident’s home and the CADto-CAD transmission “didn’t take,” Nall said.

“The one-button transfer will always be a backup protocol when there is a burp in the system,” he said.

Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said in a Dec. 28 press release the new system would provide a safer city.

“Although the one-button transfer of calls is the industry standard for 911 centers, the CAD-to-CAD Interface will

provide an even higher level of service for our community,” he said.

Outgoing mayor Mike Davis also issued a statement before he left office.

“We realized this type of investment was critical to try and further improve

“This will shave off 90 seconds from response time.

That’s a minute-and-a-half.

That can make a big difference when you’re talking about life and death.”

– TERRY NALL DUNWOODY CITY COUNCILMAN

public safety and emergency call responses. I’m especially pleased to see this project come to fruition in order to ensure our citizens receive the fastest response times during a crisis,” Davis said in the Dec. 28 press release.

I BELIEVE The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Monday, January 18, 2016 • 10 AM Sandy Springs City Hall Council Chambers with Keynote Speaker John Eaves Chairman, Fulton County Commission

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Brookhaven MLK event to honor students of desegregation era

BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

Some of the first African-American students to desegregated Cross Keys High School in the 1960s will be honored Jan. 18 at the city of Brookhaven’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.

“It is, to my mind, long overdue,” said Brookhaven City Councilwoman Linley Jones, who is joining with residents to organize the event at Lynwood Park Community Center—the former elementary and high school in Brookhaven’s historic African-American community that the students attended before desegregation.

Jones said the dinner will feature two former students speaking, an informal panel discussion and a city proclamation honoring “their role in the Civil Rights movement in Brookhaven.”

That role at Cross Keys—which became infamous for a massive brawl between black and white students in 1968— could be terrifying and dangerous. Barbara Shaw, one of the first 17 Lynwood Park students to attend formerly all-white DeKalb County schools, said she was “afraid to death” when her father, Peter Scott Sr., decided she would attend Cross Keys for a better education.

“Every day, it was a fight, a racial-type

fight,” recalled Shaw, who still lives in Lynwood Park and will speak at the MLK Day event.

Shaw was 15 years old when she entered Cross Keys as an eighth grader. “It was the time [activists] were saying ‘black power’ and ‘white power’ and all that craziness,” Shaw said.

She recalled white students threatening her and her friends. “Some Caucasian guys came up and said, ‘You guys are talking about black power. We’ll show you white power.’… They had sticks. They came toward us.”

As for the education, “it all depends on who the teachers were,” Shaw said.Shaw witnessed the May 1968 brawl at Cross Keys, which led several African-American parents to sue the school district. DeKalb fully desegregated its schools the following year and the Lynwood Park school was closed.

The MLK Day event will be held at 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Lynwood Community Center, 3360 Osborne Road. Tickets are $10 and are available at the community center. For more information, call 404637-0534.

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‘Maglev’ train once an idea for Perimeter Center

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SPECIAL

American Maglev Technology first pitched a plan for a train connecting Cobb County and Perimeter Mall in 2011. The company built this test train in Powder Springs in 2006. Sandy Springs and Brookhaven are studying monorails and other forms of elevated transportation.

BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

Monorail systems recently proposed by city officials in Brookhaven and Sandy Springs aren’t the first time someone local has pitched alternative, elevated trains. In 2011, a Marietta company presented plans for a “maglev” train connecting Cobb County and Perimeter Mall—and the firm’s president says he’d like to bid on any new Brookhaven and Sandy Springs systems.

“We’d be very interested in both those projects,” said Tony Morris, president and CEO of American Maglev Technology. “Anyone who has been around Perimeter Mall for 30 years at 5 p.m. knows something has to be done…I’d love to see something happen, whether it’s us or somebody else.”

AMT built one of the world’s few maglev test tracks in Powder Springs in 2006 and is planning an Orlando maglev line, but it has yet to build a full system after several unsuccessful projects, some of which cost millions of public and private dollars.

The company’s false starts include the Perimeter Center plan and a proposed maglev line between MARTA’s Georgia State station and Turner Field. Only a few maglev trains—which slightly levitate on a powerful magnetic field rather than riding on wheels—are in commercial operation, all in East Asia.

Such lack of success has made monorails and maglevs the butt of jokes— most famously in a 1993 episode of the TV comedy “The Simpsons,” where a con man sells a used monorail to Homer Simpson’s home town by claiming there’s interest from a rival city.

Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst jokingly quoted a line from that show when asked about a local monorail: “Maybe it’s more of a Shelbyville thing.”

“I look forward to reading what the $10,000 got us,” Ernst said of City Councilman Joe Gebbia’s discretionary fund expenditure for a monorail-oriented transportation study. “We’ll take a look at what it says and all the costs… and see what happens.”

Morris said that monorail-pitching

officials deserve praise rather than jokes.

“I want to give great credit to people who even have the guts” to propose alternative train systems, he said. “This is a very complicated subject. It’s emotional. It’s controversial.”

Elevated monorails and maglevs are both pitched by advocates as less expensive alternatives to normal rail-based mass transit. They can be built on public CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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‘Maglev’ train previously pitched for Perimeter Center CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 About $7 million in state funding was right of way atop pillars; may spent, according to media rehave lower maintenance costs; ports. and some may operate autoAMT now plans its maglev matically without drivers. construction projects entireAMT’s 2011 proposal ly with private funding, Morcalled for a 21.5-mile elevatris said. But, he added, operated maglev train between Kening costs remain a challenge for nesaw State University and the any commuter-focused train Dunwoody MARTA station. system that has to keep fares afIt would have run alongside fordable. AMT’s Cobb/PerimeTony Morris, I-75 and I-285, and includ- AMT president ter train was to have a $4 fare ed proposed stations in Sandy that included a free transfer and CEO Springs on Roswell Road and to MARTA. But that requires at the King and Queen buildsome type of subsidy, he said, ings at the Concourse office park. adding, “That’s going to be the big co“From our standpoint, that was a nundrum for [Brookhaven and Sandy very logical project,” Morris said. “It’s Springs’ monorail ideas].” even gotten better now that the Braves Morris said among AMT’s ideas are have absconded to Cobb County.” tax incentive districts around train staConstruction costs were estimated tions. Another possibility is selling adat $430 million to $645 million. AMT vertising on the trains. “We were going said that was much less expensive than to turn our vehicles into giant Coke botstandard MARTA costs. However, Cobb tles or beer bottles or hot dogs,” he said County officials were not convinced of AMT’s proposed Turner Field train. the math added up and declined to get Morris acknowledged there isn’t a aboard the plan. simple calculation for building alternaFifteen years ago, AMT was unable tive trains, but said that’s why conversato complete a monorail on the campus tions about the Brookhaven and Sandy of Virginia’s Old Dominion UniversiSprings monorail are important. Mass ty amid technology problems and fedtransit, he said, “is our destiny. It’s just eral funding that didn’t come through. not clear what [form] it’s going to be.”

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Rep. Scott Holcomb, a DeKalb Democrat, says he will introduce legislation calling for a vote in 2016 on whether to eliminate the DeKalb CEO position and replace it with a county commission chairman and a county manager.

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Rep. Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody) is again promoting a call for a state constitutional amendment to allow more school districts in Georgia so cities can start new schools.

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MARTA is asking that half of a planned 1-cent transportation tax in Fulton and DeKalb counties be designated for expansion of the transit system’s rail lines into north Fulton and south DeKalb. The agency is asking that the tax be extended for 42 years so it can borrow money on the expected revenues and start work soon.

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Here are some of the local issues lawmakers in Reporter Newspapers communities say they expect will be debated in the state Legislature this year. The 2016 session of the General Assembly begins Jan. 11.

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ern Fulton County and south DeKalb County.

But some lawmakers aren’t so keen on the new tax. Millar says most local Republican lawmakers oppose the idea.

Millar and Taylor argue the state should pay part of the cost of MARTA’s expansion and not rely only on taxpayers in counties MARTA serves directly. “I’m all in for this expansion. It depends on who pays for it,” said Taylor, who chairs the legislative MARTA oversight committee called MARTOC. “It’s a state asset,” he said. “Let’s have the state get some skin in the game.”

Millar agreed: “In DeKalb and Fulton, a lot of us think we’ve done more than our fair share,” he said. “[MARTA’s] not just for people living in DeKalb and Fulton. ... The state needs to get into the game.”

One thing several legislators agreed on was that 2016 will bring a relatively short legislative session. While the March 1 presidential primary may draw a lot of attention, party primaries are scheduled for May 24 this year and lawmakers will want to get back to their own campaigns as quickly as they can, they argue.

“It’s going to be a fast session because it’s an election year,” Wilkinson said.

“It’ll be a much faster-paced session. A lot of people will be anxious to get out and to start campaigning.”

So you can ignore the legislative nonsense. It’ll be over soon.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

year,” said Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody). “I know a lot of legislators are looking at it, but I don’t think this will happen during this [session],” said Rep. Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody). “I think there’s still a lot of the religious right out there that’s still opposed.”

Some said they expect the “Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act” to produce a lot of debate, but not to pass.

“I think it’ll be something we’ll hear about,” said Rep. Taylor Bennett (DBrookhaven), who has been a vocal opponent of the bill and said he expected he would continue to be in the thick of the argument.

There are plenty of other ideas floating around: Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) said he is proposing safeguards against identity theft. Millar proposes allowing special accounts for people with disabilities. And Wilkinson said he plans to push legislation to make “the adoptable dog” the official state dog.

Several legislators plan to propose local changes.

Holcomb plans to introduce legislation calling for a referendum to change the form of government in DeKalb County to eliminate the position of CEO. Instead, he wants to give voters a chance to create a county government with nine commissioners, including a commission chairman who’s elected countywide and a county manager, he said. That would replace the current system, which has seven commissioners and an elected CEO, who has much of the authority of a mayor and a county manager combined.

Holcomb says he wants to hold the referendum this year because the presidential election in November should attract a relatively large number of voters.

He argues the proposal deserves a lot of debate and a lot of voters. “If it passes, great. If it fails, great,” he said. “Let the voters have that decision.”

Taylor plans to again promote his proposal calling for a constitutional amendment allowing cities to start their own school systems. The number of school systems in Georgia is limited by the state Constitution, but Taylor wants a statewide vote on whether to allow more systems so cities could break away from large county districts and start smaller, local school systems. The limit on the number of districts was set in 1945, Taylor said, and is outdated. “I don’t think that in ’45, they envisioned school districts of 100,000, like DeKalb, or 175,000, like Gwinnett,” he said.

Meanwhile, MARTA is asking lawmakers to designate half of a proposed 1-cent transportation sales tax in counties where the transit system operates to pay for future expansion of MARTA train lines. MARTA officials say the tax, which would last for 42 years, is the only way they can raise the billions of dollars needed to extend the lines into north-

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Does your child have a love for books? Do they dream of one day working in a library? If so, then this is the class for you. In this 30-minute training session, children will have the opportunity to learn basic catalog searching skills, locate books in the library from the catalog, and learn about the maintenance that it takes to keep a library running and tidy. Free and open to the first five participants. Advance registration is required. Suitable for kids aged six to 12 years old. Dunwoody Branch Library, 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For more information and to register, go online to dekalblibrary.org or call 770512-4640.

Services offered

» Incontinence Testing & Treatment » Abnormal Bleeding Treatment » Annual Exams & Contraception » Nutrient Deficiency Screening & Counseling » Saliva Testing & Pellet Hormone Therapy » Plus Aesthetic Services

Great News!

For the convenience of our patients, we have a new office location at Northside Hospital Campus. Appointments being accepted now! Call to schedule for either office today: 404-352-2850

portunity to learn first hand by playing a game and dissecting owl pellets. Students can also take home the small bones they find as part of the experience. Blue Heron Nature Preserve, 4055 Roswell Rd. NE, Atlanta, 30342. For additional details, go online to bhnp.org or call 404-3451008.

Teen Volunteer Fair Saturday, Jan. 23, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. – Is

giving back one of your New Year’s resolutions?

This informational session provides volunteer opportunities for kids in middle and high school that introduces them to the inner workings of possible future careers. Representatives from several nonprofits will be on site to discuss teen volunteerism and assist with applications. Free and open to the public. Register by emailing amy.alexander@fultoncountyga.gov. Buckhead Branch Library, 269 Buckhead Ave. NE, Atlanta, 30305. To learn more, visit afpls.org or call 404-814-3500.

Storms A Brewin Monday, Jan. 25, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. –

Birds of Prey Thursday, Jan. 21, 10 - 11 a.m. – In this eco-adventure, students learn about Georgia’s native hawks and owls. Discover their unique features and their importance within local ecological systems. Participants will have the op-

Presented in partnership with Imagine It: Children’s Museum, this interactive musical performance teaches children about the weather and how to stay safe when bad weather arrives. Free and open to the public. Space is limited and registration is required. Suitable for kids aged 4 and up. For more information and to register, email leah.germon@fultoncountyga.gov, call 404-303-6130, or visit afpls.org. Sandy Springs Branch Library, 395 Mount Vernon Hwy., Sandy Springs, 30328.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

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out & about

Free Admission Day

Monday, Jan. 18, all day – In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Atlanta History Center opens their doors for a day of free admission.

Visitors will gain all-inclusive access to the Margaret Mitchell House, exhibitions in the museum, Meet the Past experiences at the 1928 Swan House and the 1860 Smith Family Farm, the Centennial Olympic Games Museum and the Goizueta Gardens. 130 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, 30305. For additional details, go to atlantahistorycenter.com or call 404-814-4000.

Mini Book Sale Wednesday, Jan. 20, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. – On

the third Wednesday of every month, the Friends of the Brookhaven Library present a mini book sale.

Time to stock up on reading materials for an afford-

able price and support your local library branch at the same time. Free to attend and open to the public.

Suitable for families of all ages. Visitors are asked to park behind the library and enter at the lower level.

1242 N. Druid Hills Rd. NE, Brookhaven, 30319.

Questions? Go online to dekalblibrary.org or call 404-848-7140.

‘A Lucky Child’

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 7 - 8 p.m. – Advance Directives for healthcare are an important part of a comprehensive plan for your personal well-being. An advance healthcare directive, also known as a living will, is a legal document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. Georgia’s AD laws are among the best in the country, and in this class you’ll learn why and get the forms needed to file your own AD. Presented by the DeKalb County Public Library and Compassion & Choices, Georgia Chapter. Suitable for adults aged 18 and up.

Free and open to the public. Brookhaven Library, 1242 N. Druid Hills Rd. NE, Brookhaven, 30319.

For more information, go online to dekalblibrary. org or call 404-848-7140.

DivorceCare Wednesday, Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m. – Going

through a separation or divorce? Don’t go it alone.

DivorceCare is a group of caring people who gather to learn about and discuss information on topics such as depression, loneliness, faith, finances, anger and more. DivorceCare for Kids is a 13-week program to help children as they weather the grieving

FREE DENTAL EXAM

Sunday, Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m. – Am Yisra-

el Chai, a holocaust education and awareness nonprofit in Atlanta, holds an event featuring Thomas Buergenthal, one of the youngest child survivors of Auschwitz. Buergenthal is an international and human rights lawyer as well as judge at the International Court of Justice. The event takes place on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and includes a lecture, book signing and coffee. Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel, 7 Concourse Pkwy., Sandy Springs, 30328. To find out more and to preorder a signed copy of Buergenthal’s book, “A Lucky Child,” email amyisraelchaiatlanta@gmail.com. Free to participate, registration is required. Go to courageandcompassion.eventbrite.com to register.

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process of their parents’ divorce. These two classes run concurrently through April 27 every Wednesday evening except Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10) and DeKalb County Spring Break (April 6). Cost for participation is $15. Dunwoody United Methodist Church, Room 240, 1548 Mount Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For more information and to register, go online to dc4k.org or contact Cathy Wright, DivorceCare Leader, by calling 770-3940675.

Journaling with a Purpose Thursday, Jan. 21, 6 - 7:45 p.m. – This

course is designed for the person already comfortable with journaling but seeks to set an intention and create a daily habit. The benefits to daily journaling include opportunities for self-reflection and better relationships with others. The workshop explores how to use your writing to achieve a higher purpose in your life. Free and open to the public. Registration suggested. Suitable for college-aged kids, adults and elders. Questions? To learn more and to register, go online to afpls.org, email comments@co.fulton. ga.us, or call 404-814-3500. Buckhead Branch Library, 269 Buckhead Ave. NE, Atlanta, 30305.

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QuickBites: News You Can Eat

BY COLLIN KELLEY Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant, a landmark on Cheshire Bridge Road for more than 40 years, will close later this year after its building was sold for redevelopment.

Along with the Alfredo’s property, the land where Enat Ethiopia Restaurant, Ghezai Auto Repair and a Georgia Department of Transportation Maintenance facility were also sold to make way for a mixed-use development. A closing date for Alfredo’s has not been announced.

nual event benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Attendees can enjoy an evening of food provided by more than 25 Dunwoody restaurants, a si-

SPECIAL

Jamba Juice has Newk’s Eatery, a fast-casual sandwich, opened five new pizza and salad shop, has opened in stores in the AtlanDunwoody, near Perimeter Mall. ta market, including two franchises owned by former professional football linelent auction, a cash bar and live mubacker Julian Peterson and his wife, sic performed by Band X. Tickets are Aimee. The Atlanta location is at 4279 $100 and can be purchased at giving.

Roswell Road, Suite 201 and the Dechoa.org/tod. catur location is at 2052-B North Decatur Road.

Newk’s Eatery has opened new locations at The Forum on Peachtree If you’re craving a Five Guys burger Parkway and in Dunwoody adjaand fries while shopping, the chain has cent to Perimeter Mall. The fast-casuopened its sixth location inside Lenox al sandwich, pizza and salad shop also Square in Buckhead. The new locahas other locations around metro Attion is also offering Five Guys Milklanta, including Brookhaven. shakes, featuring 10 different mix-ins to the vanilla shake base including baPiccadilly Cafeteria closed its locon, chocolate, Oreos, banana, coffee cation on North Druid Hills Road on and salted caramel.

Jan. 3. The cafeteria, originally a Morrison’s, had been at the spot since the Mark your calendars for Taste of 1960s, according to Tomorrow’s News Dunwoody on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Today. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanthe Westin Perimeter Hotel. The anta will expand into the property.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

t

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Ponce City Market offers plenty of good food selections

ew

DINING OUT

BY MEGAN VOLPERT

There is so much good food at Ponce City Market and I want to tell you all about how to approach that delightful challenge, but first, I feel a moral obligation to warn you about the parking.

Huge urban lifestyle complexes like this often get a rocky start, so I let this market breathe for a full month before checking it out. You can pay for parking in one of two ways, either use the machine

have to say, the more that burger proliferates, the less I like it somehow. But any way you like it, Linton Hopkins is certainly the current champion of fastSPECIAL PHOTOS casual dining in Atlanta.

Amongst the artisans in the Food Hall there are Top right, food and drinks from Simple two gems: Simply Seoul Seoul Kitchen and Lucky Lotus at Ponce Kitchen and 18.21 BitCity Market. Above, the view of the Central ters. Eat at the former and Food Hall from the market’s mezzanine. drink at the latter. The socalled “Kimchi Queen” of or an app. Well, it’s chilly out and I don’t Atlanta, Hannah Chung, is responsible want to stand around messing with my for Simply Seoul and she makes a mean smartphone, so the machine wins – which mushroom bun. 18.21 Bitters is not actumeans I lose a full five minutes repeatedly ally a bar, but I found myself engaged in force-feeding my credit cards into an unan impromptu tasting of tinctures and bitsympathetic box to no avail. ters that included a half dozen of the best We marched inside in a huff, joining a tastes I had at PCM. Took home three lingering crew of complainers similarly besmall bottles of magic and can’t wait to wildered by parking mishaps. A very nice, serve my smug millennial friend. very stressed-out young gentleman carryOne of the best things about PCM is ing a clipboard asked if he could be of serthe overabundance of beverage options: vice. He had suggestions, took notes, tried cold-pressed juices at Lucky Lotus, whisto remember to smile. Ten minutes later, keys at Brezza Cucina, coffees at Dancing we were officially off the hook for paying.

Goats, shakes and floats at H&F BurgA dozen friends of mine have been er, tequilas at Minero, flavored seltzers at to PCM, at 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue W.H. Stiles Fish Camp and even popsiin Atlanta, and all report similar situacles at King of Pops. Whatever your mood tions – except for this one smug millenniat whatever time of day, you have great al I know who just said he hadn’t noticed choices. If wandering through the cavernparking problems because he’d always eious West Elm store for hours is your idea ther walked there from the BeltLine or cyof a good time, you could go from coffee cled his way to the rooftop bike valet. to smoothie to cocktail quite easily.

Anyway, on to the eats. Let us begin I went to Ponce City Market with four by declaring a clear winner of the epic batother people. Each of us ran off in a diftle of cuisine taking place at Ponce City ferent direction and we reconvened a half Market’s Central Food Hall. I’m speaking hour later to assemble a giant potluck of of course of Linton Hopkins versus Linbasically everything in the Central Food ton Hopkins: amazing fried chicken sandHall. All of it was delicious, most of it wiches versus the classic diner burger. If was reasonably priced, and everyone had a you can only get one or the other, go to blast picking at the cornucopia.

Hop’s Chicken instead of H&F Burger.

We really got to know each other betThe chicken on a biscuit was divine and ter by the food we brought back, what the chicken on a bun was almost as great. we tried and what we liked. My personal I’ve eaten the Holeman & Finch burghighlight was Fish Camp’s crab beignets. er many times: when it was offered in limMegan Volpert lives in Decatur, teaches in ited edition on the late night menu, when Roswell and writes books about popular culit was offered in an unlimited supply at ture. Send feedback to TastingIntown@Atbrunch, when it was offered on a maslantaINtownPaper.com. For more on Ponce sive scale at Turner Field, and now this. I City Market: poncecitymarket.com.

Ultimately, it’s your experience that matters.

To be sure, we’re proud of our 27 years of experience in senior living. But, to us, what really matters is your experience at our communities.

We do everything with that idea clearly in mind.

So, go ahead, enjoy yourself with great social opportunities and amenities.

Savor fine dining every day.

And feel assured that assisted living services are always available if needed.

We invite you to experience The Piedmont for yourself at a complimentary lunch and tour.

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Supportive services are available at The Piedmont.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 11

COMMENTARY Reporter Newspapers Our mission is to provide our readers with fresh and engaging information about life in their communities.

Published by Springs Publishing LLC 6065 Roswell Road, Suite 225 Sandy Springs, GA 30328 Phone: 404-917-2200 • Fax: 404-917-2201 Brookhaven Reporter | Buckhead Reporter Dunwoody Reporter | Sandy Springs Reporter www.ReporterNewspapers.net Atlanta INtown www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com

CONTACT US Founder & Publisher Steve Levene stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net Editorial Managing Editor Joe Earle joeearle@reporternewspapers.net Associate Editor: John Ruch Intown Editor: Collin Kelley Staff Writer: Dyana Bagby Copy Editor: Diane L. Wynocker Creative and Production Creative Director: Rico Figliolini Advertising Director of Sales Development Amy Arno amyarno@reporternewspapers.net Senior Account Executives Jeff Kremer Janet Porter Account Executives Susan Lesesne Jim Speakman Office Manager Deborah Davis deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net Contributors Ellen Eldridge, Phil Mosier, Isadora Pennington, Megan Volpert

Free Home Delivery 60,000 copies of Reporter Newspapers are delivered by carriers to homes in ZIP codes 30305, 30319, 30326, 30327, 30328, 30338, 30342 and 30350 and to more than 500 business/retail locations.

For locations, check “Where To Find Us” at www.ReporterNewspapers.net For delivery requests, please email delivery@reporternewspapers.net. © 2016 with all rights reserved Publisher reserves the right to refuse editorial or advertising for any reason. Publisher assumes no responsibility for information contained in advertising. Any opinions expressed in print or online do not necessarily represent the views of Reporter Newspapers or Springs Publishing, LLC.

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Atlanta Region’s Plan provides 25-year road map to move our region forward The Atlanta region is one of the largest, already crowded thoroughAnother key project will most dynamic metropolitan areas in the fares. remake a one-mile stretch country. What will it take to ensure that The Atlanta Region’s Plan of Roswell Road just north we remain competitive in the coming deincludes a number of imof the Chattahoochee Rivcades, with a high quality of life? portant transportation projer. The existing reversible The Atlanta Regional Commission ects that are planned in and lane system will be removed (ARC) and its community partners have around the Sandy Springs, in favor of a median-dividbeen working for more than a year to adBuckhead, Dunwoody and ed, four-lane roadway with a dress this question. The result is the AtlanBrookhaven areas. multi-use path on both sides ta Region’s Plan, a long-range blueprint In what will be one of of the thoroughfare. An adthat incorporates all of ARC’s planning the biggest road projects in ditional northbound turn areas – transportation, community develstate history, the Georgia lane will be built at the Ga. JOHN opment, water resources, aging and health Department of Transporta120 intersection.

ORR services, and workforce development. tion will soon begin reconConstruction on the The 25-year plan focuses on three key struction of the interchange $22.9 million project, exGUEST COLUMN areas: providing world-class infrastrucat Ga. 400 and I-285. The pected to begin by 2024, was ture, building a competitive economy enhancements will improve identified through ARC’s and ensuring the region is comprised of safety and traffic flow in highly acclaimed Livable healthy, livable communities. this highly congested area. Flyover ramps Centers Initiative program.

These are ambitious goals, to be sure – will eliminate unsafe and inefficient leftMeanwhile, MARTA is planning an even more so when you consider that we’ll hand merges, and new collector-distribuextension of the Red Line along Ga. 400. be adding 2.5 million people by 2040, tor lanes will separate through traffic from An initial phase would extend the line the equivalent of metro Charlotte. But we vehicles that are entering and exiting via north to Holcomb Bridge Road with stamust aim high if we are to ensure our furamps on both I-285 and Ga. 400. tions at Northridge and Holcomb Bridge ture success. roads. A second phase This means foswould extend to tering vibrant, walkWindward Parkway able communities in Alpharetta. Unless and improved housadditional funding is ing options, including secured, construction the ability for older will not begin on the adults to age in place. first phase until the It means developing a latter years of the 25highly educated and year plan. skilled workforce that It’s important to is able to meet the note that there’s no needs of 21st centuway we can build our ry employers. And it way out of congesmeans making caretion. Traffic is an inevfully targeted investitable part of a healthy, ments to maintain growing economy. and expand our transThat doesn’t mean portation system. there’s nothing we can The Atlanta Redo to improve mogion’s Plan includes GDOT bility – only that the $86 billion in translong-term solution The planned reconstruction of the I-285 and Ga. 400 interchange portation spending must include a robust, will be one of the biggest road projects in the state’s history. through 2040. About truly regional transit two-thirds is needed network to give comto maintain our existmuters new ways of ing system. Of the rest, the plan commits: Looking a bit further down the road, bypassing the gridlock. $10 billion to widen roads and improve the state DOT plans to build managed These are just some of the highlights of highway interchanges by 2020; $6.5 biltoll lanes along the Ga. 400 and I-285 our new long-range plan. To learn more, lion to build a network of managed toll “top end” perimeter corridors. The Ga. I encourage you to visit www.atlantarelanes, promising a reliable, free-flowing 400 project will build two managed lanes gionsplan.com. ride to commuters willing to carpool, ride in each direction (four total) between Please let us know what you think. a bus or pay a toll; and $12 billion for I-285 and Holcomb Bridge Road, and ARC is accepting public comment about transit expansion projects. one managed lane in each direction (two the plan through Jan. 15. You can send We all know that the north Atlantotal) between Holcomb Bridge and Mcus an email at opinion@atlantaregional. ta communities of Sandy Springs, BuckFarland Parkway in Forsyth County. The com and take an online survey at atlantarhead, Dunwoody and Brookhaven are configuration for the I-285 project is still egionsplan.metroquest.com. home to some of the region’s worst traffic. being evaluated.

New businesses, apartment towers and These projects are programmed for John Orr is the manager of the Atlanta other development flocking to the area the latter portion of the 25-year plan, at a Regional Commission’s transportation and promise to bring even more vehicles to combined cost of $2.4 billion. mobility division.

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

COMMUNITY

Shortal takes office as mayor

PHIL MOSIER

New Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal, left, is sworn in by Judge Richard McCully, right, at Dunwoody City Hall on Jan. 4. City Council members Lynn Deutsch, Terry Nall and John Heneghan also took the oath of office that day.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to be paved last year but was delayed due to bad weather.

While campaigning for office, Shortal stressed many priorities, including restoring open and positive leadership for the council and city; staying true to the city’s long-term core values; working for local control of our schools; using zoning to protect our residential neighborhoods; and expediting the city’s paving schedule.

Shortal said he wants his administration to bring the city “together as a family.”

“We need to talk to each other and keep the lines of communication open.

We’re going to do everything aboveboard,” he said.

“I’m honored to be your mayor. We [the council] did not come to be served; we came to serve,” he said. “We are all part of the Dunwoody family. There’s 47,000 of us and we want to do what is best for all of us.”

Councilmembers Terry Nall, John Heneghan and Lynn Deutsch also took their oaths of office on Jan. 4. All of them were re-elected to the council.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 13

COMMUNITY

More Barfield relatives voice opposition to Mercedes road renaming

BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

Several Barfield family members are name part of Barfield Road, where its opposing Mercedes-Benz USA’s plan to new headquarters will be constructed, as rename part of Barfield Road for itself.

“Mercedes-Benz Drive.” The company The street name, honoring an old has not yet filed a formal request, which farming family, “may not mean much to will involve neighborhood notification other people, and certainly not to Merand a public meeting, said city spokescedes-Benz, but it means a lot to me and woman Sharon Kraun. my family,” Natalie Barfield of GainesThe renaming soon drew opposition ville wrote in a Jan. 3 letter to officials. from Nancy Kite of Hapeville, a descenMeanwhile, there is talk of renamdent of William Monroe Barfield, the ing another street named for MBUSA last owner of the family farm for which —Mercedes Drive in Montvale, N.J., the street is named. She called the rewhere the carmaker was long headquarnaming a “slap in the face.” tered until its surprise move to SanNatalie Barfield said she and six other dy Springs was announced last year. In family members—including her father a reversal of the Sandy Springs situaand grandmother—now also oppose the tion, one option in New Jersey is replacrenaming. Like Kite, they do not live in ing the Mercedes street name with that Sandy Springs and learned of the street’s of an old farming family that previously history through news reports. owned the land, according to Montvale The Barfield Road name should stay, Mayor Roger Fyfe.

Natalie Barfield said, “basically to keep “Admittedly, there were those who my heritage and show my kids that’s wanted to spray-paint the street signs my family’s road.” She added that localthe day [MBUSA] announced they were ly known names are as important as faleaving. (This is New Jersey, after all.),” mous ones, saying, “If it was a Martin Fyfe said in an email.

Luther King Road, no way they would MBUSA informally notified Sandy change it.”

Springs in November of its desire to re“Is our9:18 cityAM andPage state1 government go07-29-15_PerimeterPediatricDentistryFinal_Layout 1 7/27/15

ing to allow big companies to come into our state, give those companies millions of dollars of incentives and tax breaks and also allow them to rename roads and take away Georgia’s history and my

SPECIAL

Descendents of William Monroe Barfield oppose Mercedes’ plan to rename Barfield Road.

heritage?” Natalie asked in her letter to city and state officials.

In emailed responses provided by Natalie Barfield, City Councilman Ken Dishman said her perspective will factor into his vote on the renaming propos-

al, and Mayor Rusty Paul said that “the name change for a portion of the road to reflect our changing history in no way diminishes our recognition of our more distant past.”

MBUSA did not respond to questions. But the company previously said opposition would not stop its proposal and that putting the company’s name on its headquarters street is itself an important “tradition.”

In Montvale, Fyfe said, “there are three ideas being knocked around in terms of a name change” for Mercedes Drive, all relating to various developments over the years.

One is “DePiero Road,” in honor of a family that sold its century-old farm to MBUSA for its headquarters 40 years ago. Another is “Wegmans Way” to recognize a new shopping center anchored by a Wegmans supermarket going up across the street. The third option is keeping the current name because MBUSA will still have a training facility in Montvale.

“Some have suggested Fyfe Road,” the mayor added, “but our ordinance only allows using the name of deceased former mayors and I’m not in any hurry to join that club.”

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Winter 2016 Education Guide COMMUNITY

Haley Hooper, 15 The Lovett School

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Editor’s note: In this issue, Reporter Newspapers presents its first “20 Under 20,” a special feature adapted from our sister publication Atlanta INtown. We asked leaders of local public and private schools to recommend students who have gone above and beyond the norm to improve their communities. We received an impressive list of nominees and selected the 20 profiled on the following pages, young people who strive to make their world a better place.

rowing up with dogs, Haley has always loved animals. When she was 9, Haley decided she wanted to help homeless pets, so she created the Kingswood Fun Run to benefit the Atlanta Humane Society (AHS). With the support of her parents, Tim and Christy Hooper, the sixth annual run was held last August and raised $15,000. She has raised more than $25,000 for AHS since starting the run. When she went to turn in the 2015 event’s donations, she was honored by the AHS staff and told that her contributions had saved 70 dogs from a puppy mill earlier that same week. “Making a difference in an animal’s life is such a rewarding experience,” Haley said.

“I knew, along with my parents, that all the hard work and participation of dozens of people, was paying off to help improve the lives of hundreds of sweet animals. I cannot wait to start planning for next year’s race on August 13, 2016!”

impact-ready leaders

CURIOSITY & PASSION

drive learning. When students explore their questions, passions, and interests they make connections that inspire original ideas

to impact the world. Embraced by a Christian community, Mount Vernon students are the new generation of innovative thinkers, engaged citizens, and compassionate leaders.

DUN

Preschool – 12. Family. Community. mountvernonschool.org 404.252.3448

Group Tours

Preschool – Grade 4 1/13 & 2/17 at 9:30 a.m.

Grades 5 – 6 1/27 & 2/23 at 9:30 a.m.

Grades 7 – 12 1/20 & 2/03 at 8:30 a.m.

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 15

Discovering Everything Except Their Limits.

EDUCATION GUIDE Vajraang Kamat, 18

North Atlanta High School

D In the right atmosphere, students take chances and seek out challenges. With the right mentors, students discover interests and passions they never knew they had.

Learn more and apply online at www.hies.org.

A community of 1,375 students, ages 3-years-old through 12th Grade.

Jan_2016_HIES_Reporter.indd 1

uring the past four years, Vajraang, the son of Samir Kamat and Bindu Balakrishnan, has volunteered more than 2,000 hours in local, national and international projects for Embracing the World, a United Nations-recognized international humanitarian organization. Locally, he volunteers in the Atlanta chapter, participating in park cleanups, shelter kitchens and fundraisers. He’s also the coordinator of the Southeast chapter of Ayudh, the youth wing of Embracing the World.

Nationally, Vajraang tours the U.S. every summer and Thanksgiving break, traveling to 14 cities to participate in various humanitarian activities and fundraisers. Internationally, he shadows Ammachi labs in south India, which focuses on technological humanitarian projects. As chief designer for the North Atlanta Robotics Team, he merged his work in Ayudh with robotics to design and build a tree-planting robot. Vajraange and his teammates shut down their laptops to help clear Standing Peachtree Park along the Chattahoochee River. “Once our robots are built, we hope to bring them to the park and put them to good use here,” he said. “Though what we do is small, we plan to keep it alive. We hope to keep working on and maintaining this park, and, with the help of our robots, show how technology and service can go hand in hand for the betterment of society.” w w

12/3/15 12:19 PM

Bridging Human Interaction

Group Classes ■ Private Tutoring Corporate Classes Transcription Translation & Interpretation Services

www.LinguisticGuru.com

Natalie Peek, 17

I

Riverwood International Charter School

n March, Natalie Peek organized a group of her fellow students to travel to Selma, Ala., to mark the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” a day student Civil Rights activists were beaten by state troopers and police during an attempted march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. That confrontation was part of the campaign that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Natalie put together a program that included a visit to the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, a screening of the movie “Selma,” and the trip to Alabama to take part in the anniversary march across the Pettus bridge. She says she plans to return this year to join the 2016 commemoration.

“The combination of learning, watching and then experiencing civil rights in action was truly amazing,” Natalie said. “To walk with 100,000 other people, 32 out of the multitude from Riverwood, for the same hope of marching closer to equality, empowered the students on the trip.”

Natalie now is raising money to buy works by Rep. John Lewis (D-Atlanta), who led the 1965 march, for ninth grade English classes. Natalie is the daughter of Tim Peek and Helen Ingebritsen.

info@linguisticguru.com 404.444.1945 ■ 404.444.1532

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EDUCATION GUIDE Evan Mercer, 18

The Lovett School

We are Christ-centered.

We are invested in students.

We are academically stimulating.

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van has singlehandedly run Lovett’s six-week Habitat for Humanity build for the past two years - volunteering himself and getting his peers involved. Evan became interested in Habitat for Humanity after going on a Lovett service trip to New Orleans, where he worked on housing restoration projects.

“Habitat has opened my eyes to a lot of things,” Evan said. “I have been able to work with families and help them attain one of the basic necessities of life while gaining exposure to the technicalities of home construction. I have also been able to experience the communities I live around, which has familiarized me with the socioeconomic and racial divisions in Atlanta.” Evan, the son of Claire and Todd Mercer, said the biggest reward is the dedication of the home. “At the end of each build, Habitat for Humanity dedicates the house, and it’s great to see how appreciative the homeowner and his or her family are. It feels good to see our impact and the result of our hard work.”

We are WESLEYAN

Join us for our Family Open House on January 9 at 1:00 p.m.

Our largest admissions event of the year!

BUS SHUTTLE ROUTES 2015-16

Decatur/Stone Mountain, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Roswell, Sandy Springs/Brookhaven, and Suwanee/Duluth

www.wesleyanschool.org/admissions

Ahava Early Learning Center Explore Our Reggio Emilia-Inspired Preschool!

Open Houses:

Saachi Datta, 16

The Galloway School

S

aachi was chosen as a Giving Point Institute member this year because of her work creating an organization called Manāna, which collects donations to throw birthday parties for underprivileged kids. When asked about her most memorable moment giving back, Saachi said, “It is hard to choose just one memorable moment because the last two years with Manāna have been unforgettable. However, there was one event, the memory of which I will always cherish. Walking into the Agape Center to set up for our second celebration, the volunteers and I were excited to surprise the children who did not know that we were returning. When they realized that we had come back, their shrieks of delight were piercing and their enthusiasm was infectious. A little girl, barely 5 years old, came flying up to me, nearly knocking me over, and gave me the tightest hug she could. ‘I remember you! I’m so happy! I just turned five!’ she said. That one large smile on her face went straight to my heart. It made me appreciate that we do have the power to affect others, whether it be one smile or many smiles. I realized then that Manāna’s mission – to celebrate children’s lives – had come to fruition, and my commitment to the cause was sealed.” Saahi is the daughter of Jaydip Datta and Sarita Kansal.

1/25, 2/22, 3/23 & 5/11

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Enrolling NOW for Fall 2016!

Summer Camp Registration begins Jan. 25!

Flexible Schedule Options Open 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Year-Round Program Low Student : Teacher Ratios Scholarships available!

Call or email to schedule your personalized tour!

404.603.5759 hannah@ahavalearning.org Ahava Early Learning Center welcomes all children regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.

Visit our website at www.ahavalearning.org or call 404-603-5759.

Ahavath Achim Synagogue | 600 Peachtree Battle Avenue NW | Atlanta, GA 30327 DUN

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 17

EDUCATION GUIDE Tiffany Wills, 17 Marist School

Which Test: SAT or ACT? As founder of Applerouth Tutoring, I help parents navigate the complicated world of college admissions testing. Parents know the ACT is an alternative to the SAT, but they often do not know how to help their student choose between the two tests. Recently instituted changes to both tests contribute to the uncertainty.

Students tend to feel more comfortable with one test format over the other. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve seen time and again how that extra comfort can translate into a significantly higher score. It’s important to make as informed a decision as possible about your student’s test preparation.

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wide range of volunteer work decorates Tiffany Wills’ resume. She’s volunteered at Marist, at Feldwood Elementary school, at a senior citizens’ community, with Kiwanis International KKids, Hands on Atlanta and Habitat for Humanity. As a Girl Scout, she focused her efforts on helping younger girls feel better about themselves and succeed in life.

As part of a year-long scout project she called “Looking Past Society’s Image,” she worked with a group of fifth graders to discuss the impact of society’s views on their self-images. “One of the most memorable moments was when I had the girls go home and talk to female role models about self-image and self-esteem,” Tiffany said. “When they returned, I could see the impact of our discussion and the work they created to help themselves the next day. I was truly empowering these girls, and I could see that I was making a positive change in their lives.” Tiffany is the daughter of Teresa Dallas-Wills.

Making an Informed Decision Students became familiar with the New SAT format when they took the redesigned PSAT in October, but not all students have taken the ACT equivalent, the Aspire. Parents often ask how they can use just a PSAT score to make this important decision.

The easiest way to make this decision is to have your student take a mock ACT so that you can compare the ACT result with its PSAT counterpart, once scores are released January 2016. Compare your student’s percentile rankings on the two tests, and then put your energy into the test your student feels most comfortable with and excels most naturally at.

A lot of benefit is derived from using meaningful data to inform your decision. When students find out early which test is a best fit, they avoid unnecessary stress and frustration. Junior year is often the most demanding year of high school. There is a way to make at least the standardized testing experience more productive and manageable.

Find Out More

You can speak with me and learn more about these tests at one of our upcoming FREE EVERYTHING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SEMINARS:

January 16th 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Wyndham Powers Ferry Atlanta, GA 30339

January 19th 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

DoubleTree Hotel Roswell, GA 30076

February 6th 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

FLC at Second Ponce Baptist Church Atlanta, GA 30305

February 20th 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Roam Dunwoody Atlanta, GA 30338

To view more information about locations or to preregister, go to applerouth.com/calendar or call 404-728-0661.

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EDUCATION GUIDE Will Epperson, 17

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School

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Type 1 diabetic, Will has not let that define him. Instead, he has worked hard to raise money for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), and to help make HIES the top-grossing school in the nation for seven years in a row in the JDRF Fall Walk.

With Will as captain of this year’s walk, HIES raised $93,000 for JDRF. When HIES began collecting bottles of clean drinking water for victims of flooding in South Carolina, Will was one of a handful of students who not only helped to load two trucks and a bus, but also went to the state and helped unload the water. He also volunteered at Camp Hope, a weeklong camp for the children of those who are incarcerated, and at AYUDA Inc., a nonprofit that delivers diabetes education to those in the Dominican Republic and other countries. Will, the son of Natalie and Tom Epperson, was a volunteer, fundraiser, mentor and camp counselor for AYUDA this past summer for three weeks, raising $7,000 for the program, and being promoted to mentor for the summer of 2016. One of his most memorable moments was spending last summer in Latin America to educate those living with diabetes. “I was thanked by people who I had never seen before nor spoken to,” he recalled. “It really showed me how much it meant to the campers and their families that we were there to teach them about how to live with diabetes.”

With a focus on academics through play, we offer small classes, an experienced staff, and modern classrooms filled with developmentally appropriate resources.

Temple Sinai has a remarkable and exciting educational experience waiting for your child in each of our programs from ages 12 months through Transitional Kindergarten.

For more information or to schedule a tour of the preschool, please call 404.255.6200.

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

To learn more and register for an admissions tour, visit gallowayschool.org/admissions

At Galloway, students (age 3-grade 12) are inspired to be fearless learners, to embrace challenges, and to discover more about themselves and the world around them.

5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30327

www.templesinaiatlanta.org

DUN

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 19

EDUCATION GUIDE

Connecting learning to life at every level.

Sofia Broffman, 18

paceacademy.org/icgl

Atlanta Girls’ School

In October, students explored the 2015 –2016 Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) theme of FOOD during a study tour to California.

Photograph by ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON

S

ofia Broffman began raising funds in 2014 for the Fistula Foundation, after learning more about the long-term effects of obstetric fistula, a birth injury that afflicts women who do not have access to maternal healthcare. Fistula occurs in the world’s most destitute countries and causes permanent incontinence. Fistula surgery is not glamorous, but it can save a young woman from a lifetime of shame. Sofia, the daughter of Neal Broffman and Elisa Gambino, has raised enough money for eight repair surgeries. Last summer, Sofia interned at the nonprofit, youthSpark, and developed a national art competition called stART 2 END, in an effort to inform her peers and address the issue of child sex trafficking. “I have come to realize the injustices that are the hardest to talk about often reflect where the need is greatest,” she says. “I will continue this work because needed change does not evolve from silence.”

Julie Street, 15

I

The Westminster Schools

n seventh grade, Julie found the perfect outlet for her love of serving in the National Charity League (NCL), a mother-daughter service organization committed to community service and leadership. Through NCL, she has volunteered hundreds of hours to help organizations such as Operation Gratitude, Agape, Furkids, Buckhead Christian Ministries, Ronald McDonald House, Hospice Atlanta, Atlanta Food Bank and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Julie, the daughter of Randy and Holly Street, is a particularly devoted volunteer for Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to veterans and active duty military personnel. Over the past 18 months, Julie has devoted over 150 hours serving Operation Gratitude, and has been involved from the beginning of the partnership between NCL Buckhead and Operation Gratitude. Julie researched paracord bracelet materials, determining where they could be sourced most economically, and created hundreds of readyto-assemble paracord kits so that the local members of NCL could weave bracelets for the care boxes. She personally wove over 300 bracelets. Speaking about Operation Gratitude, Julie said, “This organization sends over 150,000 care packages a year to active duty military. Reaching out to them was really meaningful for me because four generations of my family have served the U.S. forces in the past century, including my own uncle who has spent five years in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

JANUARY 31, 2016

www.aischool.org

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EDUCATION GUIDE Zack Leitz, 19

University of Georgia

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isturbed by the homelessness he saw in Athens and Atlanta, Zack, a recent Dunwoody High School graduate and the son of Jane and Barry Leitz, founded a Georgia nonprofit called The Backpack Project. People working with the project fill backpacks with over 40 items of food, clothes and toiletries, and then deliver the backpacks to homeless people, “establishing a personal connection in the process,” he says. So far, he says, the project has delivered more than 350 backpacks. “Every person we meet has a different story to tell, but I will share one that has impacted me the most,” Zack said. “A man named Tony, homeless on the streets of Athens, was the second of many to receive a backpack from us.... As we walked back to the car to pick up another load, we passed by Tony again. By this time, he had had several minutes to look through the backpack and its contents. Tony stopped us, and with tears in his eyes, he thanked us and explained that everything he owned had been stolen from him the previous night. He shared with us that the backpack we gave him replaced almost everything that was taken from him. That experience, along with many others since then, makes me confident about the work that I do with The Backpack Project.”

Haley Todd, 18

A

Mount Vernon Presbyterian School

t Mount Vernon, Haley Todd plans each of the Upper School’s chapels and oversees spiritual organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Young Life. As president of the Creative Writing Club, she led a letter-writing initiative for healthcare workers in impoverished nations. Outside school, Haley volunteers frequently with Families of Children Under Stress (FOCUS), where she works with children who have special needs. “A really cool opportunity I had recently was at a middle school church retreat. Another small-group leader announced that his group had a boy in a wheelchair, and he was seeking advice. Because I also volunteer with children with disabilities, I offered suggestions about the best way to navigate hills and about being comfortable lifting people out of their wheelchairs.” Haley is the daughter of Amy and Russell Todd.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 21

EDUCATION GUIDE Casey Gentry, 16

North Atlanta High School

Words can’t describe it. A visit will.

Join us Wednesday, January 27 from 8:30 - 10:00 am for our Parent Open House!

Tour in Small Groups. Attend Classes. Meet our Faculty.

RSVP by January 18 to Rise Arkin, Director of Admissions · 404-917-2500 ext. 117 · risearkin@weberschool.org

22

C

asey has volunteered for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, cleaned cages for FurKids, prepared and served meals at Ronald McDonald House, made paracord bracelets for military members for Operation Gratitude as well as volunteered at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Chastain Therapeutic Riding Program, City of Refuge and Northside Shepherd Senior Center. Casey also received the President’s Volunteer Service award for National Charity League (NCL), a mother-daughter service or-

ganization. The daughter of Kathy and Boyd Gentry, Casey said one of her cherished memories was one night when she volunteering at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where she met a young patient who spoke no English and whose family had returned to Mexico. “I stayed with him for the rest of the night, learning about how his family went back to their home in Mexico and wouldn’t see him for another month,” she said. “This experience opened my eyes to my affect on others and made me feel more useful than many other days in my life. Volunteering has shaped who I am and given me my identity that today I can be proud of.” |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

EDUCATION GUIDE Samantha Daly, 16

The Westminster Schools www.westminster.net

Dunwoody High School

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From observing sunspots during science labs to seeing the world from a global perspective, our community of vibrant learners never stops exploring.

Picture the possibilities.

ne of Samantha Daly’s passions is reading, her mother says, and when Samantha found out Covenant House, a residence for troubled youth in Atlanta had no library, she decided to pitch in. She created a lending library by renovating and furnishing a room to house it, and collecting and cataloging 1,753 donated books to fill it.

Samantha, daughter of Donna and Jack Daly, has been involved in other charity works – donating her hair to Locks of Love, volunteering to serve meals at a homeless shelter, raising money for Haitian hurricane victims – but says “this was my most memorable moment of volunteerism because having the ability to see first-hand the impact that I made on the young adults’ lives was overwhelmingly rewarding.

“I was able to speak to the youth and staff, and hear them talk about how excited they were about the library. It made all of my hard work worthwhile,” she said. “The purpose of volunteering is to better other peoples’ lives, and being able to see that you have made a significant difference is truly a life-changing experience.”

Prashanth Kumar, 16 Pace Academy

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or the past four years, Prashanth has traveled to Tirunelveli, India, to volunteer at Galaxy Hospital and Kidney Care Center, where he translates for doctors during procedures and helps comfort patients. This work also led to hosting blood drives in the small town and other places in India. He also teaches at a local Tamil school every Sunday, teaching the Tamil language to children and serves as a peer tutor for Pace’s Academic Resource Center. Prashanth, the son of Krishnan Kumar and Sundari Ganesan, is also a counselor for the Middle School MathCounts program and Lower School chess team. He said that his trips to India each summer have inspired his career path. “Going to volunteer in India solidified my aspiration to be a doctor, as it is clearly a job that would immensely change the lives of any community,” he said. “[The trips] nourish my internal drive to help make the world one in which all people, irrespective of what country they are in, have the same chance to thrive.”

Take a

CLOSER LOOK. Parent Information Sessions Available | Learn More Online confidence

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right brain

reading life skills left brain analysis

science

Madeleine Howell, 17

Atlanta International School

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adeleine, daughter of Dean and Janice Howell, takes action against human trafficking. As co-leader of AIS Against Human Trafficking, she’s put together a panel discussion on the issue, helped organize a fashion show that raised $2,000 for the cause, and spoken at an international conference.

“The most memorable moment I’ve had during my time volunteering with Atlanta International School Against Human Trafficking (AISAHT), was when a few of my fellow members and I were invited to speak at a Global Issues Network conference in San Francisco this past fall,” she said. “We presented on human trafficking, the measures that we’ve taken to combat it, and how we’ve helped victims and people at risk of being trafficked. Any time I make a presentation on the issue, it’s always amazing to know that I’m spreading awareness on such an important issue. What made this even more special was presenting to a group of individuals who seemed to be so affected by what we were saying and were inspired to join our efforts in fighting human trafficking.”

Unlocking Potential ROLLING ADMISSION

A WORLD OF WONDER

JAN. 23

JULY 5 - 22

Open House

Summer Explorations

10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

info@theswiftschool.org

Swift School 300 Grimes Bridge Road Roswell, GA 30075 678.205.4988 www.theswiftschool.org

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 23

EDUCATION GUIDE James Pastan, 18

Morgan Robinson, 17

The Westminster Schools

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Riverwood Intl Charter School

ames is the founder of Trading Smiles, a nonprofit organization that seeks to spread happiness and a sense of comfort to homeless kids through trading cards. He collects old trading cards, either from donations from other kids or by buying them in bulk online, and repackages the cards and donates them to the Atlanta Children’s Shelter (ACS). Since the inception of Trading Smiles, James has donated more than 4,000 cards to homeless children in Atlanta. The organization was presented at a Yale Young Global Scholars information session in Vietnam as an example of what Yale Young Global Scholars do in their communities.

Since then, he has received emails from students in Vietnam who are interested in getting involved. James, the son of Stephen and Elizabeth Pastan, hopes to reach 10,000 cards donated before he graduates in May. He is working to establish a relationship with a trading card manufacturer or sports team in order to always have a consistent supply of cards and to expand the organization national and internationally. James said meeting and playing with the kids at ACS is a reminder of why he started the nonprofit. “Every time I drop off a donation at the ACS, I look at the playground and remember why running Trading Smiles is so rewarding: every card is an invitation to play.”

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organ has always given of her time to her community by volunteering with many groups and organizations. Whether it’s helping to build playgrounds with Kaboom, traveling to Birmingham, Ala., for school cleanup projects, planting a community garden for the needy, or holding leadership positions with Sporty Girls, you can always find Morgan giving of her time. Morgan also volunteers with Alive Ministries, an organization whose mission is to eliminate hunger for at-risk students in local schools.

She also participated in the Haiti Care Mission’s “Threads of Love” project, a 2011 initiative to collect and donate 5,000 pillowcases for the purpose of making “pillowcase dresses” for infants and young girls in need in Haiti. The daughter of Scott and Nathalie Brandon-Robinson, Morgan also collected knitted hats for donation to the neo-natal intensive care unit of Children’s Hospital at Egleston as part of the Middle Years Program Project. “As I toured the NICU and saw the precious bundles of joy to whom my hats would help, I believe my heart was warmed most of all,” she recalled.

“Despite being hooked up to countless machines and tubes, the babies had so much life and strength in their little bodies. Ultimately, it was one of the best feelings to know that my actions were possibly adding a sense of comfort to a mother’s life, and most of all, showing them that they were not alone.”

NEW

CARD!

Effective January 9, 2016

MARTA converts to a more secure Breeze Card and the Breeze Ticket returns.

Breeze Card Changes for Regular Fare Customers

The cost of new silver Breeze Card will be $2 and will be valid for 3 years.

SILVER CARDS will be available for FREE with card registration at the RideStores January 2016!* (Mon. the 11th – Fri. the 29th, weekdays only) *BLUE CARDS will no longer be usable after July 9th, 2017 *Breeze Tickets Return! The cost of the Breeze Ticket will be $1

Questions? Visit www.itsmarta.com or 404-848-5000.

Information regarding company, school, or university issued cards will be provided at a later date by your company or school.

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EDUCATION GUIDE

SEIGAKUIN ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Japanese-English Bilingual School

Anna Kibler, 18

Atlanta Girls’ School

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nna has organized and raised more than $6,000 since 2013 for causes such as AID Atlanta and Jerusalem House.

Her efforts have included email campaigns to friends and family, as well as on-campus recruitment of AGS community members. Anna was also selected to be the service club leader at AGS, where she organizes and plans service projects for the school’s student community.

“I chose to volunteer and raise funds for Jerusalem House in the AIDS Walk over the last three years,” she said. “Jerusalem House is the oldest and largest organization providing permanent housing and supportive services for low income and homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS. I am passionate about supporting people living with HIV/AIDS because my family has lost dear friends to this horrific disease. ... In addition to raising money, I have chosen to expand awareness through my school’s community through participation in the annual AIDS Walk and through a neighborhood dining-out benefit to raise additional funds. It gives me immense satisfaction that I am able to help others in need in my community.” Anna is the daughter of Janet Kibler.

   

3 year olds—6th Grade Absolutely no prior knowledge of Japanese needed for children 5 and under Christian Values After School available until 6:00 PM Japanese students are world-renowned for their high test scores, discipline, and level of academic achievement. At Seigakuin, your child will learn more than just a second language. They will be educated according to the curriculum set forth by the Japanese Ministry of Education—the very same curriculum that has led Japan to the top of the world in academic success.

5505 Winters Chapel Rd, Atlanta, GA 30360 TEL: (770) 730-0045 info@seigakuin.us www.seig.ac.jp/english/atlanta Facebook: www.facebook.com/seigakuin.atlanta

At Saint Luke’s Little Saints Preschool we honor the individuality of the child as we prepare each student for elementary school.

■ Fully accredited through AdvancED ■ Award winning Creative Curriculum for Preschool ■ Classes for 12 months old through Pre-K ■ Christian environment

New family registration for the 2016-2017 school year is January 21, 2016.

Call Carol Perry, Director to arrange a private tour 770-393-1424, ext. 240.

Josie Barton, 17

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School

E

ver since she was a young girl, Josie has been a volunteer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In 2012, Josie became part of girlFriends, a volunteer group of ninth-to12th-grade girls dedicated to fundraising throughout the school year for Children’s. She is now co-president of girlFriends, which raised more than $30,600 last school year.

Josie, the daughter of Jim and Diane Barton, also creates cards for sick children through Holy Innocents’ Send-a-Smile Club, tutors at-risk students at Sandy Springs Mission, and serves as an acolyte and vacation Bible school counselor for St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. “One of my most memorable moments was a few years ago while I was volunteering at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart to Heart Christmas party,” she said. “I was running the Build a Bear station, helping the heart patients stuff their animals. There was a little girl and her grandmother having trouble, but none of the other volunteers could help them. None of the other volunteers could help because the girl and her grandmother only spoke Spanish. I was nervous at first, but once I began speaking to them in their native language I could see a wave of relief wash over them.

As I helped the little girl stuff her bear, I spoke to them and learned she had received a heart transplant as an infant and had had multiple surgeries since. I was so grateful I was able to use my Spanish to help her, especially after everything she had been through.”

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 25

se use use

EDUCATION GUIDE Max Rubenstein, 15 The Galloway School

A

CHOOSE COME

VISIT

Joy.

Preschool Open House K-6th Grade Open House 7th-12th Grade Open House Campus tours

January 31 February 8 January 31 Weekly

An independent Catholic school on two campuses near Chastain Park for students age 6 months-12th grade www.holyspiritprep.org/visit

Be Amazed.

By How We Are Different.

At The Davis Academy, learning happens in our classrooms, our state-of-the-art science and idea labs, new outdoor nature sanctuary and through video conferences with students from around the globe. We teach life skills, instill values, and provide diverse experiences so that our students become well-balanced and self-confident individuals.

s well as being active at school – including creating a mentorship program, working on an anti-bullying campaign and working as a teaching assistant in the elementary school music program – Max also serves on the 21st Century Leadership Youth Council and created a charity called Game Givers that delivers video games to sick children at hospitals throughout Georgia. He also mentors youth to host gaming tournaments to raise funds and awareness. In addition, Max is a board member for E.P.I.C Kids Foundation, a nonprofit that provides children with opportunities for personal development.

He also served on the Teen Jam board for the Atlanta Jewish Community Center, leading and implementing community service projects around the city. The son of Ali and David Rubenstein, Max said a special memory is meeting a patient named Davis who had spent 21 months at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as part of Game Givers. “After spending some time with him, I was able to really understand the impact that my charity had,” Max said.

“Davis and I will be getting together soon at one of my upcoming charity video game tournaments, and I look forward to getting to know him better. There are many days I feel grateful that I started Game Givers, but on that day I know I truly lived my mission: helping sick kids in the hospital.”

Marist brings back adult classes

Marist School brings back “The Marist Evening Series,” a program of adult education taught ED UC A T I O N

by Marist faculty and staff. Courses include religion and spirituality; photography; computer apBR I EF S plications; history and culture; college planning; Send your music appreciation; and genealogy. education news to Courses are to be offered at the school, 3790 editor@reporternewspapers.net Ashford-Dunwoody Road, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Jan. 25, Feb. 1 and Feb. 8. Early registration ends Jan. 15. Course tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration. Learn more at marist.com/eveningseries.

But don’t take our word for it. Come see for yourself!

Join us for a Parent Information Session.

Register online at davisacademy.org/events.

General Parent Information Session January 14, 2016 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am Mechina: Kindergarten Prep Parent Information Session January 26, 2016 | 11:45 am – 1:15 pm To schedule a private tour, call 678-527-3300.

8105 Roberts Drive, Atlanta, GA 30350 770-671-0085 | davisacademy.org

26

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A proud partner of:

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Fulton opens hardship transfer applications Applications now are available online for parents who wish to apply for 20162017 hardship transfers to move their children to another Fulton elementary, middle or high school or to renew a current hardship transfer. Hardship transfer requests relate to medical reasons, curriculum differences, childcare situations or for employees’ children. The deadline for submitting requests is Feb. 15. For more information, call 470-254-5550 or visit fultonschools.org.

Schenck School names new Head

Joshua J. Clark will become Head of School at The Schenck School beginning July 1, the school announced. Clark heads the Bodine School, an independent school in Memphis, Tenn., that specializes in teaching students with dyslexia, the Schenck School said.

“The Schenck School has been educating children with dyslexia for over 55 years in Atlanta,” said David P. Higgins, chairman of the school’s board of trustees. “Mr. Clark brings to The Schenck School successful experience in growth, development and community outreach. We are fortunate to have Mr. Clark continue our direct, singular approach of accelerated, dyslexia remediation in the years to come.”

EDUCATION GUIDE

We’re looking for more student interns!

During the school year we offer a paid internship for selected high school students. Interns write our “Standout Student” profiles, work on various editorial assignments and possibly assist in other areas of our publications such as sales. Ideal candidates will be editors or writers with a school publication, have excellent written, verbal and computer skills, be proficient in social media and have their own transportation; juniors and seniors preferred. If you qualify, or know someone who does, please e-mail publisher@reporternewspapers.net.

DEBBIE REAMS

Fifth graders from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School take the measure of a structure at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell.

They’re designing a “destination” treehouse for the center.

Students aim to create a ‘destination’ treehouse

BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

elleneldridge@reporternewspapers.net

Learn by doing. That’s the aim of a project through which a group of fifth graders are working to bring a new treehouse to the Chattahoochee Nature Center.

Not just any treehouse. This one will be special, a destination. Architect Bill Edwards, who is working with the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School students on the project, wants “to stretch their thinking beyond the traditional treehouse.”

“I wanted them to consider the unique site for the project and the fact that this is not necessarily just a treehouse and building for kids, but may well be used and experienced by people of all ages and abilities,” he said.

School officials describe the treehouse project as one dedicated to realworld problem solving while combining science, technology, engineering, art and math.

And the overall project isn’t just about the treehouse itself, HIES Lower School writing specialist Jim Barton said. “The ultimate purpose of the treehouse will be to promote environmental conservation and education along the Chattahoochee River and throughout the region,” Barton said. “Knowing the animals it is designed to protect is a crucial step in being able to credibly advocate for its construction and solicit contributions.”

The project started after Barton found out that the nature center, located on the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, wanted to repair its 40-year-old boardwalk and build a “destination” treehouse.

Barton thought he had a perfect team for the project in his writing students. Everything kind of grew from

there.

“We could write the proposals, design the treehouse, work on the strategic plan and actually present it to the people who would fund it,” Barton said.

“So the idea is, this writing program − which has now spread to science, engineering, math and every discipline − is going to be the proposal that is taken to the funding corporations. I hope to see some of these kids actually presenting to corporations around the area.”

The project touches just about every class the students study. In math class, students learned the skills required to calculate spaces. Science teachers talked about the effects of pollution and how the nature center can help promote health and preservation, Barton said. In art class, students work on illustrations.

In faith studies, they examine myths associated with the environment and spiritual ideas Native American tribes connected to the Chattahoochee River.

The students are “set loose” to work on the different aspects of the projects in different classes, fifth-grade student Chris McDonald said. “Every single class is a different level,” McDonald said.

The class first visited the nature center in October. They started the project by conducting “extensive research on the animals and vegetation” in and around the nature center, Barton said.

The students spoke in November with naturalists from the nature center and with Edwards, the architect, who visited the school. Edwards talked to students about design, engineering, style, materials and construction of a treehouse. He said the students impressed him. “I feel the students were

discover

the possibilities at St. Martin’s Episcopal School

January 20, 2016, 9:30 a.m.

Elementary & Middle School curriculum overview

January 23, 2016, 10:00 a.m.

Super STEAM Saturday (3-year-olds – 1st grade)

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Early Childhood parent open house and chapel

Beginners (3-year-olds) through 8th grade

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Extended-day program available

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3110-A Ashford Dunwoody Rd. Atlanta, GA 30319 404.228.0709 | stmartinschool.org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 27

EDUCATION GUIDE

Treehouse helps students learn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

engaged and interested in the process,” Edwards said.

Edwards said he focused his presentation on the experience, so that the project and its goals would be memorable to the students.

“I also wanted them to begin the project with goals or a program in mind – not just start drawing and see what happens, but to have a plan,” Edwards said.

He said he asked them if they wanted a “fun place,” a “contemplative place” or a little of both, and he asked if the designs would blend into the natural environment or “make a statement.”

“All of these are intentional decisions in design,” Edwards said.

By early December, students started working on a website at hiestreehouseproject.com that features the story, photos and video of the project.

The video will be used to present the project to Treehouse Masters, a TV show on the Animal Planet network that showcases construction of elaborate treehouse s.

“Also, each student will have his or her own webpage, which will feature a summary of his or her proposal, a sketch of the proposed treehouse, a research summary and a video pitch intended for potential donors, corporations and the Treehouse Masters production company,” Barton said.

“I think it’s kind of cool that we’re building a treehouse and trying to work with the Treehouse Masters,” fifth-grader Beth Gilcreast said.

PHOTOS BY DEBBIE REAMS

From left, Alex Aartigue, Beth Gilcreast and Chris McDonald are part of the team working on the project.

Architect Bill Edwards challenged the students to “stretch their thinking” beyond a traditional treehouse.

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Baily International of Atlanta, Inc. Seeks 3 Operations Research Managers to: Be responsible for prvdng. in-depth analysis across the entire bus. ops., fin., mrkting., & strtgc. analysis; rcmmnd. bdgtry. planning process, policies & goals desired, & departmental strtgc. processes; anlyz. client purch. bhvr./trend and dvlp. approp. promotion plans; collab. w/ execs. to solve dept. conflicts & to clrfy. mngmnt. objectives; measure perf. guidelines of competing comps. in similar wholesale busns.; monitor implmtn. of chosen prob. solutions; define data rqrmnts.; gather & validate info., applying judgment and stat. tests. Must have Master’s in Business Administration and 1 year of marketing or promotions experience.

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Astra Financial, Inc. - Seeks Operations Analyst to: Create & implmnt. strat. to max. growth & prfitblty.; impr. effcncy. of org.; mng. ops. & est. frmwrk. for cost-bnft. analysis; adv. & direct on restruct. & prgress’n.; ident. & resolve probs.; perf. mrkt. & comp.oriented rsrch.; collect & intrprt. data; proc. collected data using comp. sims. & stat. models; audit & integr. sustnbility. into bus. ops. Must have Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or its foreign equivalent plus min. 5yrs experience in fin. analysis or mgnt. Please send resume to 1834 Broad Ave., Atlanta, GA 30344

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PUBLIC SAFETY

Dunwoody Police Blotter From police reports dated Dec. 19 to Dec. 31 The following information was pulled from Dunwoody’s Police-to-Citizen Portal Event Search website and is presumed to be accurate.

H O M I CI DE  100

block of Asbury Commons—On Dec. 21 and 23, arrests were made for willful killing with a gun (one arrest on each day).

R O BBERY  5000

block of Winters Chapel Road— On Dec. 18, robbery of a business with a gun was reported.

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BUR G LARY  4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 20, burglary was reported at a non-residence.

 4500

block of Olde Perimeter Way— On Dec. 20, burglary was reported at a residence.

 2200

block of Dunwoody Crossing— On Dec. 23, burglary was reported at a residence.

Phoenix at Dunwoody

 5000

block of Winters Chapel Road— On Dec. 29, burglary was reported.

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was reported.

THEFT/LARCENY  4300

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 19, 20, 21, 24, 26 and 30, arrests were made for shoplifting and/ or larceny; On Dec. 18 and 24, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported.

 4400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 18, 19, 20, 22, 26 and 30, shoplifting and/or larceny was reported and/or arrests were made; On Dec. 21 and 22, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported; On Dec. 22, pocket-picking was reported.

 4500

block of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 18, 19 and 24, reports of larceny were made.

 4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 31, reports and/or arrests were made for shoplifting as well as theft of articles from a vehicle and/or larceny.

 100

block of Perimeter Center Place— On Dec. 18, shoplifting was reported.

 6700

block of Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard—On Dec. 19, larceny was reported.

 4700

block of North Peachtree Road— On Dec. 20, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported.

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 21, motor vehicle theft was reported.

 1200

 4300

 4400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 26, motor vehicle theft

block of Ashford Center Parkway—On Dec. 21, larceny was reported. block of Shelborne Drive—On Dec. 25, theft of parts from a vehicle was

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PUBLIC SAFETY reported.

tery was reported.

 1000

block of Crown Pointe Parkway—On Dec. 27, larceny from a building was reported.

 400

 5000

 5500

block of Winters Chapel Road— On Dec. 29, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported.

 1100

block of Hammond Drive—On Dec. 30, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported.

 1200

block of Hammond Drive—On Dec. 30, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported.

AS S A U LT  4900

block of Winters Chapel Road— On Dec. 19, family battery was reported.

 4300

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 19, simple assault and battery were reported.

 4400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 22, simple assault was reported; On Dec. 24, an arrest was made for assault by intimidation.

 4500

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 20, aggravated assault and battery with a weapon was reported; On Dec. 30, simple assault and bat-

block of Perimeter Center Terraces North—On Dec. 21, aggravated stalking was reported. block of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—On Dec. 22, indecent exposure and simple assault were reported.

 First

block of Perimeter Center—On Dec. 24, family battery was reported.

 4000

block of Dunwoody Park—On Dec. 24, family battery was reported.

 2627

block of Fleur de Lis Place—On Dec. 27, simple assault and battery was reported.

 2100

block of Peachford Road—On Dec. 28, sexual assault offenses were reported.

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FR AUD  1900

block of Winchelsea Court—On Dec. 18, fraud by impersonation was reported.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | 31

Gwinnett Technical College

EDUCATION THAT WORKS

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Alpharetta-North Fulton Mini-mester Begins February 24, 2016

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• Choose from more than 150 of degree, diploma and certificate programs.

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Business • Computer Sciences • General Education Early Childhood Education • Criminal Justice Health Sciences Alpharetta-North Fulton Campus 2875 Old Milton Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30009-2230

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Lawrenceville Campus 5150 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA 30043-5702

Equal Opportunity Institution. Gwinnett Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Gwinnett Technical College. Veterans’ benefits, financial aid options and scholarships available for those who qualify.

To learn more, call 770-962-7580 or visit www.GwinnettTech.edu.

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JAN. 8 – JAN 21, 2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

DUN