SEPTEMBER 2019 - Brookhaven Reporter

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SEPTEMBER 2019 • VOL. 11 — NO. 9

Brookhaven Reporter

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BY DYANA BAGBY

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Atlanta artist Dianna Settles with her mural that was painted in Northeast Plaza in 2017. The mural was one of many painted in Brookhaven as part of the Living Walls/We Love BuHi street art conference to raise awareness of the lives of immigrants, especially those living on Buford Highway.

City Council approves $90K contract for arts and culture master plan

BY DYANA BAGBY

The Brookhaven Reporter is mail delivered to homes on selected carrier routes in ZIP 30319 For information: delivery@reporternewspapers.net

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City officials are banking on the arts enhancing residents’ quality of life -- as well as adding to its coffers -- with the approval of a $90,000 contract for an arts and culture master plan.

The City Council on Aug. 27 unanimous-

MAYORAL RACE

ly approved awarding the contract to Boston-based CivicMoxie, the same planning firm behind such arts master plans for the Atlanta Regional Council, Art on the Atlanta BeltLine and the city of Dunwoody.

In metro Atlanta, Brookhaven has to find a way to distinguish itself from the rest of

Ernst said he welcomes a chance to defend his record as he seeks his second term in office.

“I look forward to having lots of conversations with voters to discuss the success that the city’s had over the past four years and all the promises made and delivered and how we move forward as a city and make Brookhaven even better,” he said.

Heath said she plans to take the ad-

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See MAYORAL on page 14

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Mayor John Ernst will face a challenger in his bid for a second term after neighborhood activist Jennifer Heath threw her hat into the ring to run for the post.

And in a surprise move, Councilmember Bates Mattison, who has served on the City Council since the city was incorporated in 2012, decided at the last minute not to seek another term, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

Two candidates have qualified to run for Mattison’s District 3 seat – attorney and former Planning Commission member Madeleine Simmons and real estate title examiner Dimitrius Owens.

District 1 Councilmember Linley Jones did not pick up a challenger.

Qualifying wrapped up Aug. 23. The city election is Nov. 5.

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Community Briefs NEW D ES I G N FI R M HI R ED FO R PU B LIC S A FETY HEA DQ UA R T ER S

The City Council was forced to hire a new architectural firm to oversee construction of the new $15 million public safety headquarters after the firm originally hired suddenly went out of business, according to officials.

The council voted Aug. 13 to award DRL Group a $248,000 contract to conduct the architectural work during actual construction for the public safety headquarters slated to break ground in September on the Peachtree Creek Greenway at 1793 Briarwood Road.

The city terminated its $800,000 contract with Atlanta-based Rosser International after city officials said they learned in May the company went out of business. The city hired the firm last year to complete engineering and architectural designs for the public safety and municipal court headquarters.

City Manager Christian Sigman said the city received the construction drawings from Rosser it paid for and remains on track to break ground on the building in September. He said the city was not informed by officials at Rosser that the company was going out of business. He added there are no plans to sue the firm because the city received the documents it paid for as part of the contract.

Public Works Director Hari Karikaran told the council that main members of the Rosser team that worked on the public safety building now work with DRL Group and will be able to ensure such items as aesthetics for the new building discussed with Rosser will remain moving forward.

Rosser was involved in such major projects as renovations to Atlanta State Farm Arena and former Turner Field. It was the firm that designed Sandy Springs’ new civic center, City Springs, and its Performing Arts Center.

WEST NANCY CR EEK/A S HFO R D- DUNWO O DY R O A D INTER SECTI O N P R O JEC T C O M P L ETED

The city recently completed intersection work at West Nancy Creek Drive and Ashford-Dunwoody Road in Brookhaven that includes new turn lanes and sidewalks.

The intersection improvements include left-turn lanes in both directions on West Nancy Creek Drive; upgraded traffic signals with left-turn arrows in every direction of traffic; and sidewalks and multiuse paths.

The City Council approved a $250,000 contract to CMEC, LLC last year to do the intersection work. Funding came from the special local option sales tax, or SPLOST, approved by DeKalb voters in 2017.

It is the first major intersection project that was approved by the council in 2017 as part of the Ashford-Dunwoody Corridor Study. The additions are expected to alleviate the severe congestion that occurs at the intersection.

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C IT Y OF F I C IA LS C UT RI BBON O N NEW ‘T R EE H OUS E’ AT BRIA RWOOD PA RK PLAYG R O U ND

City leaders cut the ribbon Aug. 12 to officially open on what has been dubbed the “tree house” playground equipment at Briarwood Park located at 2235 Briarwood Way N.E. The new equipment includes three elevated wooden structures, like tree houses, that are connected by rope ladders to allow children to climb back and forth.

CITY OF BROOKHAVEN “This treehouse Cutting the ribbon on the new tree house playground equipment at Briarwood Park are, from left, Parks and feature is something Recreation Director Brian Borden, Mayor John Ernst, several new and different fans of the playground, and City Councilmember John Park. that engages children and holds their attention, which was what was called for in the master plans that were developed from resident input,” said Mayor John Ernst in a press release.

Cost the new playground equipment was estimated at $314,000.

Coordinated by GreenbergFarrow, the custom-designed treehouses were created by KOMPAN, a leading manufacturer of playground equipment.

“In our park planning, we try to look for ways to shape happier and healthier communities by offering excellent play, sports and fitness solutions for people of all ages and abilities,” said Parks and Recreation Director Brian Borden in the release.

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Long-awaited Briarwood Park nature trails are coming soon

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

Construction of nature trails in Briarwood Park is expected to begin early next month after an approximate two-year wait. The city plans to have the trails completed by the end of the year.

The City Council voted Aug. 27 to award a contract to Steele & Associates for just under $98,000 to complete the trails projects. The contract states the project must begin within 10 days of it being awarded and completed within 120 days. Briarwood Park is located at 2235 Briarwood Way N.E. “This trail has been a long time coming … and it has been a high priority to get it done,” Mayor John Ernst said at the meeting. The use of federal funding for the project slowed its progress, he added.

The project includes installing 3-foot-wide natural surface hiking trails and removal of 5 acres of invasive species that is expected to increase the usable green space by 30%, according to city officials.

Native granite will be used on the trails where necessary for stabilization. The project also includes a cross walk from the parking area to the trailhead. The plans were included in the Briarwood Park master plan approved in 2016.

In 2017, the city received a $100,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to build and restore a one-mile trail in Briarwood Park. As part of the DNR grant, the city agreed to pay the balance of the project with a minimum match of $25,000. At the time, the project was also estimated to cost about $160,000.

But construction costs increased, so the council approved a $72,000 budget amendment to cover costs of the Steele & Associates contract. The money for the budget amendment is coming from special local option sales tax dollars that were planned for pool repairs for next year, according to Assistant City Manager and CFO Steve Chapman.

DNR funding follows federal regulations and special permitting had to be granted by the Army Corps of Engineers last year because some of the work is taking place in the park’s stream buffer. This process slowed the project from getting started.

The Briarwood Park master plan shows the approximate location of new trails along the perimeter of the park.

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Sandy Springs appears on another ‘safest cities’ list an expert calls useless

BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

Sandy Springs has appeared on yet another “safest cities” website list, this time for purportedly “keeping children safe,” and a criminologist is once again saying the ranking is useless.

SafeWise.com is one of two websites that get a lot of free press around the country for publishing “safest cities” lists, on which local cities frequently appear. Last year, Utah-based SafeWise acknowledged to the Reporter that its lists are made by staff members with no expertise in criminology or law enforcement as part of a marketing business that drives customers to security companies and Amazon.com.

Josh Hinkle, an associate professor at Georgia State University’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, said at the time that SafeWise’s ranking method was not an effective way to calculate a resident’s risk for random crime.

Now SafeWise is back with a list of “The 50 Safest Cities to Raise a Child in 2019,” on which Sandy Springs appears at number 36. The list was widely promoted with a press release quoting its author, Kaz Weida, and identifying her as a “security analyst.” The press release already resulted in one uncritical story, featuring a quote from Weida and a local mayor, in a New Jersey newspaper.

However, the report itself describes Weida only as a parent who “spends her time reviewing products,” and SafeWise spokesperson Krystal Rogers said she is a freelance writer who has no degree in criminology or law enforcement.

In written messages sent via Twitter, Weida said she did not write the promotional quote that identified her as a security analyst. She said she has “a degree in education and several years of experience as a journalist writing pieces about home safety, crime, politics, parenting and community policing.”

She also characterized the Reporter’s scrutiny of her qualifications as a “security analyst” as a form of personal criticism that was “despicable” and “truly off-base and irresponsible.”

Weida did not directly respond to Hinkle’s criticisms of the report, but said she was not responsible for the method or the data. “I’m not involved in developing the methodology. I simply receive the data and a creative brief and craft the piece,” she said.

The method SafeWise says it used to create the ranking involved comparing crime rates, graduation rates per capita, and the number of sex offenders per capita who are registered as living in the city.

Hinkle, the GSU criminologist, said that method is based on a false assumption about citywide crime rates and that the sex offender registry is a “poor measure” of

child molestation risk.

“Thus, I see no utility to this list,” said Hinkle.

Rogers, the Safewise spokesperson, made no specific response to Hinkle’s criticisms, instead saying generally that crime is “a complex topic” and that SafeWise writes about “safety trends.”

“The bottom line is that we want people to talk about and think about safety — if we get a conversation started that can help increase that everyday awareness and inspire ‘safety as a lifestyle,’ then we’re on the right track,” Rogers said. “We appreciate the conversation and will continue to evolve our process. We are constantly striving to provide more relevant and helpful information and resources, and we are learning from thoughtful inquiries such as this.”

When asked why SafeWise doesn’t simply hire criminologists to conduct valid studies, and whether the company intends to correct misinformation, Rogers replied, “Thank you for the suggestion. If a mistake is discovered in the data, we are happy to correct it.”

Hinkle said the entire premise of “safe cities” and comparing cities to each other makes no sense in terms of crime rates and risks. That is because street crime is highly localized.

“It’s pretty moot to look at citywide safety when we know crime is highly concentrated at the microplace level… [which

means] street blocks and lots of block-toblock variation in crime even in ‘bad neighborhoods,’” Hinkle said.

Another overall flaw in SafeWise’s method, Hinkle says, is the use of violent crime statistics. That’s because most assaults, rapes and murders are committed by a family member or acquaintance of the victim, not a stranger whom one might randomly encounter in a city.

In the new list, the use of sex offender data has the same problem, Hinkle said, because the majority of child abuse and molestation also is committed by family members and acquaintances. And SafeWise appears to have counted all registered sex offenders, not just those convicted of child molestation, when in fact, “most of those aren’t pedophiles,” Hinkle said.

For useful information on finding a safe place to live in terms of avoiding random crime, Hinkle said, the best places to go are the websites of local police departments, which usually offer a map of recent crimes.

On those maps, anyone can see where there are local concentrations of random crime, such as burglaries and robberies.

The Sandy Springs Police Department uses the site crimereports.com.

“Finding a safe street in a safe neighborhood is what matters, not picking a safe city,” said Hinkle.

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Police raise alarm on guns stolen from cars

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

At a recent Brookhaven City Council meeting, Police Chief Gary Yandura gave a brief report on the department’s activities. A fundraising 5K to benefit a police program was scheduled in the next few days, traffic at Montgomery Elementary School seemed to be running smoothly at the start of the school year with help from the traffic unit.

But one final item stood out to council members. Yandura reported that on Aug. 12, a day before the council meeting, an AR-15-style rifle was reported stolen from the backseat of a person’s pickup truck while it was parked in the driveway of a house on Becket Drive.

The victim, who lives in Alabama, had parked his vehicle at the house on Aug. 7 before he headed to Maryland for a vacation, according to police. When he returned Aug. 12, he noticed the $400 rifle, kept in a military case, was gone. The victim told police his car was unlocked the entire time he was gone, according to a police report.

“Any valuable, especially a firearm, should not be left in an unlocked vehicle,” Brookhaven Deputy Chief Brandon Gurley said in an interview. “We are inviting criminals to come into our community, into our neighborhoods, because we make it easy.”

The Brookhaven victim did not say exactly what kind of firearm was stolen from his car, other than it was a high-caliber rifle that he described as an AR-15-style weapon, Gurley said. He also did not have its serial numbers. The bullets the gun uses can pierce an officer’s body armor. It is the first known high-caliber weapon of that type reported stolen in the city, he said.

“Most of what we see taken are handguns. This was unique and different,” he said.

This year alone, dozens of guns from unlocked cars have been reported stolen in Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and Buckhead, according to spokespersons

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GUNS STOLEN FROM CARS BROOKHAVEN

2017 / 19 2018 / 18 2019 / 22 Numbers from Jan. 1 through July 31 of each year

DUNWOODY

2017 / 16 2018 / 9 SANDY SPRINGS

2017 / 84 2018 / 54

2019 February to Aug. 21 / 3 2019 February to Aug. 21 / 30

ATLANTA ZONE 2

2017 / 284 2018 / 230 2019 January to Aug. 22 / 146 Including firearms or firearm accessories

from each department. But data shows the numbers of weapons stolen from cars are on a downward trend.

Georgia does not require private gun owners to report stolen guns.

The issue is not just occurring in metro Atlanta. In Nashville, 20 guns were stolen from unlocked cars in one week in August, according to WSMV-TV. In Charleston, S.C., 40 of 44 handguns stolen from vehicles between January and July were from unlocked cars, according to an ABC affiliate. In Mobile, Ala., approximately 1,200 guns were stolen from vehicles last year with 80 percent of those being taken from unlocked cars and trucks, according to a report at AL.com.

The prevalence of people leaving high-valuable items in their unlocked cars has essentially put a target on those communities for criminals who see these areas as easy pickings, Gurley said.

None of the guns stolen in Brookhaven have been tracked to any other crimes in metro Atlanta, Gurley said, but the likelihood they end up in another criminal’s hands is significant.

An Aug. 25 New York Times report investigated how firearms stolen in the U.S. end up on the streets of Jamaica, where they are used in killings. In Jamaica, 80 percent of its homicides are committed with firearms and most of the guns come from the U.S. where lax gun laws help facilitate the carnage, according to the report.

Between February and August, there were 23 guns stolen in Brookhaven. Of that total, 18 were stolen from vehicles. The majority of these were from unlocked cars, Gurley said.

In neighboring Dunwoody, seven firearms have been reported stolen in the past six months; three of those being stolen from unlocked vehicles, said Sgt. Robert Parsons, spokesperson for the Dunwoody Police Department.

“We are begging people to stop leaving things in cars that leave you a target for theft,” he said.

“We beg people to not leave firearms in their vehicles,” he said. “Because once they get in the hands of the wrong people, it can result in tragic results.”

Parsons said criminals like to come to Dunwoody because they understand people here tend to leave valuables in their cars and often leave them unlocked. The city and police department have initiated community programs, such as at Perimeter Mall, where signs are posted through the parking lot urging patrons to “Lock, Take, Hide.”

Parsons said people may have a belief that that because they live in a nice neighborhood and city, “it won’t happen to me.”

In Sandy Springs, there have been 412 reported thefts from autos so far in 2019.

Of that total, 30 firearms were stolen from vehicles, with most taken from unlocked

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cars and trucks, according to Sgt. Samuel Worsham, spokesperson for the Sandy Springs Police Department.

“We try to remind everyone to keep their vehicles locked, remove all valuables, and take the keys with them,” Worsham said. “So many of the vehicles are left unlocked and it makes it easy for thieves. Sometimes people get comfortable or complacent and forget that they may be a victim of theft.”

In the Atlanta Police Department’s Zone 2, which includes Buckhead, there have been 146 guns, ammunition or holsters stolen from vehicles so far this year. How many were stolen from unlocked cars was not readily available.

Maj. Barry Shaw, commander of Zone 2, said car break-ins throughout Atlanta are down 11 percent; in Zone 2 they are down 20 percent. But if you are a victim, you don’t always care about those numbers, he said.

Slowing or stopping the stealing takes a partnership, Shaw said: police working areas where crimes are reported to catch the offenders; the courts and judges sentencing the criminals when caught; and residents not rewarding criminals by leaving valuables in their cars.

“It’s like fishing,” he said. “If I go to a lake and I’m not catching anything ... I will go elsewhere.”

Guns being stolen from cars keep officers on edge from the fear they will be used to seriously hurt someone, Shaw said.

Shaw said he knows there are some places people cannot carry their firearm, so they will leave them in their car. They say they want the gun for their protection, but at the same time they are not responsible enough to protect others by ensuring their gun is not stolen, he said.

“If you are going to carry a gun in your car and not take it inside, then you need to secure it in the car,” he said. Lock boxes and other special gun locks are readily available, he said.

Shaw stressed he was not victim-blaming, Even Atlanta Police officers have had guns stolen from their vehicles, he said. And while the APD will continue to pursue criminals, getting help from the citizens would also help, he said.

“Quite frankly, if everyone would stop leaving valuables and guns in their cars, then this problem would go away,” he said.

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In a leap of faith, a new church is born Carol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the Dunwoody-Sandy Springs line and writes about people whose lives inspire others. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com.

In the last 20 years, attendance at American houses of worship has dropped 20 percent, according to Gallup. Last year, the percentage of Americans reporting church or synagogue membership reached an all-time low of 50 percent.

So, why would anyone want to start another church?

That’s what I asked a group of Dunwoodians who five months ago started a Bible study in a private home that is now preparing for its official launch as an independent church in a 70-year-old stone chapel in Sandy Springs. Miracle? You decide.

It all started last March when a popular worship leader left his position at a promiCarol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the DunwoodySandy Springs line and about people whose nent Dunwoody church.

Doug Allen hadwrites followers, but nolives jobinspire prospects. others. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com.

“It was blind faith,” said Allen. “I walked away from my only job not knowing what was next, but my wife and I knew He would provide.”

He joined a small group that started meeting in a private home in Misty Creek, in the Sandy Springs panhandle. The group soon became a nondenominational “house church” with guest preachers.

Meanwhile, Stephen Streett, a popular former Dunwoody church youth minister who had moved to Dalton to head another church, had left that church to become a hospital chaplain. Ironically, Streett and Allen had both served at the same Dunwoody church, though at different times, and had never met.

“One of the people in our home church suggested I meet Stephen. We met at the Dunwoody Starbuck’s. It seemed like a divine appointment,” said Allen.

The next Sunday, Streett drove down from Dalton as guest preacher.

“Not knowing it would become a church, I came down every Sunday,” said Streett.

“After five weeks, they decided to become a church and asked me to become the pastor.

Everything happened very fast.”

He was made official in June.

“We didn’t have much to offer and were asking him to move his family from Dalton,” said Allen. “The fact that he would uproot his family for this little home church didn’t make logical sense.”

Despite the lack of logic, things moved quickly. As word spread that the two popular Dunwoody church leaders were involved, the home church grew.

“The music and preaching are a big part,” said founding member Ragan Defreese.

“But it’s also the genuineness of the people.”

By late spring, the group had grown to more than 40 and needed a real church building. Once again, things that didn’t make sense somehow came together.

Over in Sandy Springs sat the little stone chapel of the First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs. Built between 1938 and 1949, the chapel had gone through many iterations.

Now rented to Orbit Arts Academy during the week, it sat sadly unused on Sundays.

Luckily, Defreese knew a member of First Baptist who told him about it. But would First Baptist be willing to rent it to a “competing” church? Once again, the unexpected happened.

“We’d been praying for a church to occupy that building,” said David Shivers, First Baptist senior pastor.

The deal was struck. The new church, now called Misty Creek Community Church, would become the resident at the old stone chapel.

“It’s a story of God pulling strings to bring us together,” said Shivers.

Though not officially launched, the new church has been meeting in the stone chapel since July and has been growing steadily, with an average weekly attendance of 90. Non-denominational, Biblically based and conservative, it invites people to come as they are, meet after service under a tent on the front lawn for refreshments and fellowship, and join small home groups to explore every week’s message.

The church will launch officially with a meet-and-greet on Sept. 15. On Oct. 6, the two churches - Misty Creek Community Church and First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs will have a joint service featuring bluegrass music and a free barbecue.

“We’re bringing in one of the best bluegrass fiddle players I’ve ever heard,” said Allen, now official worship leader of the new church.

Services at Misty Creek Community Church are Sundays at 10:30 am at 590 Mt. Vernon Highway NE. The joint service on Oct. 6 will be across the street at First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs at 10:30 am at 650 Mt. Vernon Highway NE. For more information, go to facebook.com/mistycreekchurch.

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City paid design firm for dramatic drawings for Amazon HQ2 bid

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

Officials have acknowledged the city paid an architectural design firm to create dramatic drawings as part of a bid to bring the second Amazon headquarters to Brookhaven two years ago. The drawings show the proposal was much larger than was revealed at the time and included part of the city’s Peachtree Creek Greenway trail.

Rosser International was hired to design a cutting-edge campus to try to lure the new Amazon headquarters to the city.

The drawings are still posted to Rosser’s website. However, the company reportedly went out of business in May in a surprise move.

Several requests for how much the city paid for the illustrations were not answered by deadline.

The illustrations show orange, meshlike material that resembles massive safety fencing seemingly connecting separate, sprawling campuses together. Drones can be seen flying in some of the drawings.

One drawing includes a person parachuting amid drones into a food truck area where a “community banana stand” operates alongside a multiuse trail.

Mayor John Ernst said in 2017 the city approached the owners of Northeast Plaza to include its property as part of a proposal to try to lure the new Amazon headquarters to Brookhaven. But when the owners declined, Ernst said the city backed off.

But the city actually went ahead and included Northeast Plaza over its objections and actually submitted a proposal much bigger than originally revealed publicly.

City Manager Christian Sigman said the drawings incorporated the Northeast Plaza site as well as Corporate Square and nearly 20 acres on Briarwood Road that the city purchased for the Greenway.

The city in 2017 tried to use its eminent domain authority to acquire that Briarwood land for the linear park, but a judge ruled against the city, saying it acted in “bad faith.”

The city ended up paying about $2 million for the property where the Greenway is now under construction. The City Council voted last year to build its new $15 million public safety headquarters on the Briarwood property behind Northeast Plaza and overlooking the Greenway.

The city contracted with Rosser for $800,000 to complete the architectural designs for the new public safety building, but was forced to terminate the contract in June when the company abruptly went out of business. Sigman said the city received all of the drawings from Rosser promised as part of the contract.

Amazon set off a competition among 20 cities selected in 2017 as finalists for BK

the new headquarters, or “HQ2,” which was expected to create 50,000 jobs and including a $5 billion investment. Atlanta, one of the finalists, touted transit and its workforce while also offering secret tax incentives to try to lure one of the wealthiest corporations to its soil.

The HQ2 ended up in Virginia. Initially, Amazon said it was splitting up HQ2 further into two campuses in two different cities, but its plan for one of those campus to operate in New York City was driven out by political opposition based on concerns about tax breaks and gentrification.

IMAGES FROM THE WEBSITE OF ROSSER INTERNATIONAL

10 | Commentary

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Commentary: Nicknaming the new 285/400 interchange It’s big. It’s expensive. It already has created controversy and angered drivers and it’s not even going to be finished until next year.

But one thing the rebuilt interchange at I-285 and Ga. 400 doesn’t have is a name.

It needs one, if only to keep up with Spaghetti Junction, the Cobb Cloverleaf, the Downtown Connector and other metro Atlanta highway landmarks.

We came up with a few suggestions of our own and asked our readers on social

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media to suggest more nicknames for the collection of concrete taking form on the Perimeter. And they came through. In a big, big way.

A strong contender: “The Top Knot.”

That kind of says it all. Plus, there’s the source: the Twitter account of North Perimeter Contractors, the folks who are building the thing at the behest of the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Who knew construction contractors had a sense of humor?

The “Perimeter Pretzel” was by far the

readers’ favorite among our own suggestions. Less beloved were “GDOT Knot,” “Traffic Twister” and “Rush-Hour Ramen.”

Here are some of our readers’ suggestions. We couldn’t print them all, of course. Frankly, some were a tad racy.

Others, while apt, seemed less sobriquets than the stuff of protest signs, such as “Welcome to Standing Springs.”

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As the school years pass, so do the backpack fashions In the beginning, there was the diaper bag.

It was made of vinyl, and no matter what any designer did to disguise it, it was still a vinyl diaper bag. Ours was covered with teal-colored elephants, so there was no doubt to anyone that it was not my purse or my weekender travel bag, but that it was there to serve the youngest among us. It contained everything we needed to feed, change, entertain and care for our baby—everything short of an actual nanny, although it was big enough to hold one.

We lugged it around for years until our toddler outgrew it, passed it to his younger sister as a back-up, and promptly replaced it with the preschool tote bag.

It was then I realized that, rather than marking the growth of my children with penciled lines on the wall, I was registering their growth by the size of their bags.

The Preschool Tote Bag phase lasted for three more years. It was launched when my son entered the house with a bright purple bag personalized with his handprint and name — in paint that was still wet -- so this phase was marked on the kitchen cabinets for a while, along with the name of the girl he had a crush on. The smeared purple tote bag took him until first grade and to many a grandma sleepover as well. Soon his sister had one, too. Something about that gloppy gel paint made me smile, and those bags grew on me as they hung around in the closet, signaling the Stage of Carefree Childhood.

When the kids hit primary grades, the Backpack Era began. My son and daughter started wearing backpacks, but they were little adorable ones that came with matching lunch bags covered with fire trucks or daisies, or packs that were fashioned to look like zoo animals.

We had a turtle with a zippered shell, and a ladybug, I believe, but my favorite was a lion with a mane made of yellow tassels.

These were backpacks so cute and lunch boxes so clever that I used to play dress up with them myself.

They were artfully camouflaged so that children were duped into wearing them for fun. Little did we know that these were actually training packs, because our kids would be lugging backpacks to school and beyond for the next 25 years of their lives.

Sure enough, as soon as the children moved from preschool to elementary school, the bags dropped the cute decor, sprouted wheels, and went industrial.

Robin Conte lives with her In middle school, though the bags were heavier, wheels husband in an empty nest were not cool, and my kids would leave for school each day in Dunwoody. To contact looking like they were embarking on a three-month trek her or to buy her column across Europe. collection, “The Best of the When the day came that their backpacks were too large Nest,” see robinconte.com. and heavy to meet the carry-on standards of an airplane, I knew that my kids had arrived in high school.

Once they hit college, they were in fact embarking on a three-month trek across Europe, and their backpacks were fitted accordingly.

Each school year ended with the ripped and tattered remains of nylon, and I retired the remnants, thinking of their increasing size, my kids’ growth, and how far we’ve all come since the smeared purple tote bags and the vinyl diaper bag.

The lion-shaped bag still rests on the top shelf of the twins’ closet, as a reminder of the days when kids and packs alike were small and playful.

Yet even now, bags are still marking rites of passage in our house.

Those would be the bags under my eyes.

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Order the book at bestofthenest.net Follow Robin’s book-related appearances at robinconte.com.

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Oct 5 - 13, 2019 Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at City Springs

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Rosin up the bow: Jamming to old-time tunes in Sandy Springs Libby Lintel played piano, but she decided it was too solitary an instrument. She wanted to tackle music that would allow her more chances to play with other people. So, a little more than six years ago, she took up the banjo.

Learning to play her new open-backed banjo led her to “old-time” music, the slice of American folk music associated with songs and string bands of the Appalachians. “The old tunes are pretty,” the 57-year-old Cobb County resident said. “They’re simple melodies. They’re historic.

It kind of links you with the past.”

It links her with other like-minded musicians, too, which is why one recent Saturday afternoon she joined nine other instrumentalists in the back room at Slope’s BBQ in Sandy Springs to play old tunes. “The reason I picked up banjo was so I could get good enough to come play with a group like this,” Lintel said.

Old-time players gather at Slope’s most Saturday afternoons and many Tuesday nights to perform old tunes that sometimes may sound familiar, but often bear strange names such as “Shove That Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire” or “Camp Meeting on the Fourth of July” or “Floppy-Eared Mule.”

The number of players at Slope’s varies from jam to jam, as does the instrumentation. On this Saturday, the group featured five fiddlers, a mandolin player, a guitarist, a hammered-dulcimer player and two banjo players.

Mandolin-player Don Sinisi of Scottdale said that when he was young, he played what he called “hippie mountain music,” meaning acoustic music by performers such as the Grateful Dead or John Prine. He moved on to bluegrass and old-time music, then stuck with old-time because he enjoyed it more. Bluegrass jams turn into individual players performing solo after solo, he said; old-time musicians play together as a group.

The instrumentalists gathered in a room decorated with wooden and ceramic pigs, a country quilt, lots of Georgia license plates and a serving tray printed with the photo and signature of Elvis Presley. They set their chairs into a circle and sat facing one another as they strummed or hammered or plucked their instruments and took turns calling out songs to play.

The informal old-time jam has been meeting in Sandy Springs for about two years, participants said, but it’s been going for decades. Through the years, the jam has moved around the metro area. Decades ago, the players gathered in Decatur. Then they moved to Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta for a while, until renovation of the tavern force them to move on to Sandy Springs, said Dan Byrd, an 80-year-old fiddler and Buckhead cardiologist who now pulls together the gatherings.

Byrd, known to everyone simply as “Doc,” said he started fiddling about 40 years ago. Before that, he played banjo. “I’ve been playing music all my life,” he said in a telephone interview a couple of days before the jam. “It’s relaxing. There’s no pressure on you and people are learning new songs all the time.”

Now Byrd keeps a mailing list of 86 musicians who show up for the jam at one time or another. Old-time players from all across the metro area take part. On any given Saturday, anywhere from four to 15 may show up, Byrd said. “The jam session is open to anybody,” he said.

“If you want to show up with your instrument, we welcome you.”

Around Town Joe Earle is editor-at-large at Reporter Newspapers and has lived in metro Atlanta for over 30 years. He can be reached at joeearle@reporternewspapers.net

Jeremy Aggers, foreground, plays banjo while, left to right at rear, Libby Lintel, Hal Rabinowitz and Vicki Page play along.

JOE EARLE

And once they start playing, the group draws notice. As they worked their way through tunes such as “Snake River Reel” and “Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine,” diners applauded or wandered over to snap photos with their phones of the musicians. Mary Jacobsen of Marietta said she and her husband, Quen, drop by Slope’s for lunch just about every Saturday in order to hear the music. “They call us their groupies,” she joked.

Tyler Ellis was pleasantly surprised to find the group jam when he stopped by for a barbecue sandwich for lunch. The 29-year-old Sandy Springs resident, who grew up in Simpsonville, S.C., said the music reminded him of home. “It’s awesome,” he said, before snapping a souvenir photo.

On this Saturday afternoon, fiddler Vicki Page of Roswell filled in for Doc as the group’s leader. The 64-year-old said she began playing fiddle after college. She started off playing Celtic music but felt a kinship with the old mountain tunes. “My family is from eastern Kentucky,” she said. “That’s where old time comes from.”

She and the others started discussing what tunes to play next. Before long, it would be time tackle “Nail that Catfish to a Tree.”

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Public Safety | 13

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Scanner helps police capture crime scenes in 3D

CITY OF BROOKHAVEN

FARO 3D scans of the outside of the Brookhaven Police Department and the inside of a courtroom give those viewing on a computer screen a better sense of size and context of the facilities PHOTOS BY DYANA BAGBY

CSI Supervisor Jeff Hightower uses a computer program to create 3D images of images scanned using the FARO 3D laser scanner recently purchased by the department.

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

Crime Scene Investigations Supervisor Jeff Hightower twisted the black U-shaped device into place atop the tripod, inserted a battery and then pressed a red button on a screen to turn the machine on.

The FARO allows users to recreate a “walk-through” of a scene that can be used in A soft whirring sound radiated from the machine as the tiny mirror in the center the courtroom to give jurors a close look, Hightower said. of the device started spinning rapidly. Invisible to the naked eye, an infrared laser was One recent scene scanned by Hightower was in a parking lot on Buford Highway, busy scanning every inch of the room where police officers were working at their desks. where a victim was beaten by unknown suspects. He scanned the scene with FARO in The machine is called the FARO 3D laser scanner, purchased earlier this year by the less than two hours. city for s$62,000 using asset forfeiture funds. Asset forfeiture funds can be criminal or The images offer an aerial view of the scene that Hightower can then click on a keycivil and are items, including cash, that can legally be confiscated by law enforceboard and mouse to zoom in and move through ment if believed to be involved in a crime. the area as if he were there.

Hightower and the police department’s other The FARO can be used at accident scenes CSI investigator, Shelby Little, say the new device when officers are intent on collecting all inputs the Brookhaven Police Department at the formation available, but also clearing the road forefront of crime scene investigations by using to allow traffic to move again. the latest technology.

“What sometimes took us four or five ours “It’s a really slick system,” Hightower said. to record, now can take as little as 45 minutes The portable scanner system works by scanwith the FARO,” he said. “This is tons easier ning a scene up to 70 meters. By using specialthan the older method.” ized software that layers all the images scanned, That older method included using rulers the FARO creates a 3D image and virtual reality and measuring tape and taking sometimes scene onto a computer screen not unlike a fuhundreds of pictures. turistic video game.

So far, none of FARO’s recorded scans have With a few clicks of a mouse using the spebeen used in court, but the District Attorney’s cial software, the viewer can then essentially emoffice is trained on how to use the equipment to bed into a crime scene as if they were standing lead jurors through a scene using the computer there. The images and animations are also avail3D imagery, he said. able to be studied long after the crime scene has Another benefit of the FARO is the ability to been cleared, Hightower said. scan the layouts of buildings, such as schools, The FARO machine can be used in daylight or churches or government facilities, Hightower said. complete darkness to record every detail of a scene as Should an incident like an active shooter or other crime take place in well as measurements from one area to another. It also takes still one of these facilities, police officers would be able to pull up a 3D imphotographs as part of gathering evidence. age of the building on a computer and see exactly where all the turns, That is not quite like the crime shows you might see on television where corners and doors are located before sending in SWAT or other officers, investigators quickly solve a crime with fictional technology, but “this is gethe explained.

The FARO 3D laser ting closer to that,” Hightower said.

“It’s better than a blueprint,” he said. scanner includes “Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s history,” he added.

So far, Brookhaven has not yet completed that exercise, but plans this portable The U-shaped device, or scanner head, records everything it sees as are to do so, he added. camera, mirror data points, Hightower explained. Those data points can then be digiand infrared laser “This machine is really user-friendly. Anyone with basic computer that can scan a tally manipulated to create measurements, diagrams, recreate and anskills can use it,” he said. crime scene. imate scenes for a virtual reality look at a crime or accident scene.

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Ernst gets challenger in mayoral election Continued from page 1 vocacy skills she has learned over the years as a neighborhood advocate to promote “smart development that can benefit all aspects of the city, protect natural resources and preserve neighborhoods while ensuring fiscal responsibility to taxpayers.”

Heath helped organize a vocal group of residents known for wearing red shirts to City Hall to oppose projects such as the failed Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station transit-oriented development as well as the passage of

the Peachtree Overlay District and the Character Area studies of residential communities. She noted she opposed the $40 million parks bond approved last year by voters.

She said she has “a passion for ensuring all residents are informed and have a voice in the direction of their city,” she said in a written statement.

“Brookhaven’s greatest asset is its neighborhoods and sense of community,” she said.

Heath served on the MARTA Citizens Review Board and was a stakeholder in

the Character Area studies. She said she volunteered with the North DeKalb Greenspace Alliance, now known as the Friends of Ashford Park Preserve, in securing 33 acres of forest land adjacent to Peachtree DeKalb Airport.

“With a focus on building community relationships, [I am] determined to make Brookhaven a better place for its residents,” she said.

Heath graduated from Oglethorpe University with a degree in Business Administration. She has 30 years of experience in operations and project management and is currently a senior technical project manager for MaxMedia Digital Agency in Atlanta.

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Mattison said he decided not to run for reelection after talking with family and friends. The decision, however, was a last-minute one.

“I was all in. Even [Aug. 22] I was ready to sign up and run,” he said. “But at dinner I had a heart-to-heart talk with my wife and children and came to the decision that it was best for our family and for me to allow someone else take the reins in District 3.”

Mattison said it has been “one of my greatest honors to help start the city seven years ago working to represent the citizens of Brookhaven, but I truly want to focus on my family before my children reach college age.”

“This has been difficult decision to reach, but I hope you understand my reasoning,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Brookhaven until the end of my term and thank you all for the confidence and support you’ve given me over the past seven years.”

Councilmember Joe Gebbia, who has served alongside Mattison since the inaugural City Council was sworn in, praised Mattison for his dedication to the city.

“As a 2012 inaugural councilman, you are one of the ‘Founding Fathers’ of this great city,” Gebbia said of Mattison in a written statement. “Be reminded that with all of the many phenomenal achievements that have occurred, your fingerprint is on every decision that has been made.You should be very proud of that.”

Simmons announced her candidacy for District 3 in July. She has received endorsements from state Reps. Matthew Wilson and Scott Holcomb. She served nearly two years on the Planning Commission before resigning the seat to run for City Council.

If elected, Simmons has said she plans to find ways to address traffic congestion and overflow parking from businesses on Peachtree Road into nearby residential neighborhoods. She

also said she would focus on “community interest first and foremost” when it comes to the expected redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station.

Owens said he feels “called to serve and will bring a balance of passion and enthusiasm” to the City Council if elected. He said the city needs to embrace its diversity to maximize its vision.

“Brookhaven is a vibrant community and we need to protect and improve what we have here,” he said in a written statement.

“The city has seen exponential growth over the past years, so planning and oversight must be a primary focus going forward,” he added.

Madeleine Simmons

Dimitrius Owens

“From my neighbors, I hear the common themes of wanting more parks and green space, ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support the growth of the city, controlling tax rates and maintaining fiscal responsibility and transparency, and they want to ensure their voices and opinions are heard.” Owens said. “I want to contribute to our city and help us achieve those goals.”

Owens said he has served on the Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention and Awareness Coalition and has volunteered to work with senior citizens on tax appeals. He said he also volunteered with the Atlanta Track Club for more than 25 years.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

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Community | 15

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City Council approves $90K contract for arts and culture master plan Continued from page 1 the pack, Susan Silberberg, founder and principal of CivicMoxie, told the council at a work session before its regular meeting.

“This includes working around branding, defining who you are,” she said. “Arts and culture are part of that.”

The city has already made a splash on the local art scene. The annual Brookhaven Arts Festival attracts thousands to the city each October. Thousands more pack Blackburn Park each March for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival for live music and arts fair.

In 2017, the city worked heavily with organizers of a Living Walls/We Love BuHi street art conference to ensure artists could paint massive murals depicting immigrant experiences on public buildings along Buford Highway, an epicenter of metro Atlanta’s international communities.

The city in 2017 also made international headlines when it agreed to accept a controversial “Young Girl’s Statue of Peace” to honor the so-called comfort women who were sexually trafficked by the Japanese military during World War II. Brookhaven accepted the statue after the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta declined to allow the statue on its property.

An Arts Advisory Committee was formed last year to study the entire arts landscape in Brookhaven to identify and evaluate potential public, performing, visual and cultural art projects. Their first major task will be working with CivicMoxie on coming up with the arts and culture master plan and then be responsible for implementing recommendations when the plan is completed.

Public art is also planned to be installed along the Peachtree Creek Greenway.

“We are looking at arts and culture as

FILE/DYANA BAGBY

A mural of Estrella Sanchez, a transgender Latina activist, is painted in Northeast Plaza in Brookhaven.

The mural was one of several murals that were part of the Living Walls/We Love BuHi street art conference in 2017 dedicated to celebrating public art.

part of the whole picture ... and how it supports everything else in the city,” Silberberg said. “They really do touch everything.”

Creating the city’s arts and master plan is expected to take seven months, Silberberg said. The process includes meeting and interviewing stakeholders, such as business owners, civic groups, individuals, and city staff.

City Councilmember Linley Jones asked whether CivicMoxie would be doing outreach to the city’s Hispanic communities.

Silberberg said they would make sure to do so.

Arts and culture master plans have been cropping up in area cities over the past several years. Josh Phillipson, who heads up arts and culture with the Atlanta Regional Commission, said the driving force for most municipalities is the positive

economic impact.

In metro Atlanta, direct economic impact in metro Atlanta is estimated at $720 million, he said. Each municipality is eager to get a slice of the multimillion-dollar pie.

But other benefits include creating a community identity, he said, and becoming a place where people are proud to live and work.

Arts and culture can also tell the stories of the people who live in a city, especially as gentrification continues to displace residents living in such areas as Buford Highway, Phillipson said.

There are many instances of area where an emphasis is placed on arts and culture increases property values and forcing longtime residents out. Art and culture can be used to preserve their histories, he added, so when new people move in they know

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there was a community before they came.

But with Atlanta so close, why should smaller cities invest much money in the arts and culture when they can take a short trip to the city to visit the High Museum of Art or the Fox Theatre?

“I question if that is a short drive or a long drive in traffic,” Phillipson said.

“Proximity is very important on whether someone decides to go or not to go to an arts and culture event. I would never say a Little Five Points deserves a Horizon Theater and [Brookhaven] doesn’t,” he said.

And public art is not a destination, he added. “It’s something you want to see when you leave your house, when you’re not even trying to have an arts experience because it’s already there.”

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Community Briefs

S H OR T-TERM REN TA L F EES LOWER ED ; F I R M H IRED TO A DMI N I STER PR O CESS

M AN C HA R G ED WIT H TA KI NG ‘ U PSKIR T ’ P HO T O S AT C O S TC O

The cost for a permit to rent out homes or rooms in the city through short-term rental agencies like Airbnb will be cheaper than originally proposed.

The City Council voted July 23 to charge $25 for a one-year permit and $50 for a threeyear permit. The council had previously considered setting the fees at $50 for one year and $100 for three years.

The city also has hired Host Compliance to administer the short-term rental process.

The process includes monitoring rental sites to ensure permits are obtained, to make sure the property owners pay 8% excise taxes, and to ensure that the properties are in compliance with city ordinances.

Total annual price for Host Compliance’s services is $22,416 and is based on the 460 short-term rental listings in the city, according to the contract with the city.

The new Brookhaven Convention & Visitors Bureau will be paying for half of the cost of the firm’s contract, according to Assistant City Manager and CFO Steve Chapman.

In April, the City Council voted to allow short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods after first banning the use as part of its zoning code rewrite. Those living in apartments can also rent out rooms by obtaining a special land use permit and paying the permit fees.

Brookhaven Police arrested a Lithonia man who allegedly took pictures up women’s skirts at the Brookhaven Costco and are asking other possible victims to come forward.

Jesse William Kirk, 45, a registered sex offender, was arrested Aug. 6 and faces two felony charges of use or installation of a device to film underneath or through a person’s clothing, according to a press release.

Police responded July 23 to the Costco in Town Brookhaven on a call about a suspicious person who GBI had left the store. After reviewing surveillance video, Jesse W. Kirk has been charged with allegedly taking officers allegedly spotted Kirk taking pictures with pictures up women’s skirts his cellphone up two women’s skirts, Officer Carlos at the Brookhaven Costco.

Nino said in the release.

Kirk is registered with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as a sex offender after being convicted in 1999 in California of assault with the intent to commit rape.

Other potential victims are asked to contact the Brookhaven Police Department at 404-637-0600.

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Art & Entertainment | 17

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Stage Door Players bringing laughs and drama in its new season

BY JUDITH SCHONBAK The Stage Door Players, Dunwoody’s professional theater company, closed its celebratory 45th season just a few weeks ago. Now it’s heading straight into Season 46, which debuts Sept. 20 with “The Savannah Sipping Society,” the story of four women from different parts of the South, who are thrown together by fate and a hot-yoga class. Plenty of laughs are in store with this opening production and with several more during SPECIAL the season.

Robert Egizio, producing In Novemartistic director at ber “A Nice Stage Door Players.

Family Gathering,” a prequel to last season’s holiday hit, “A Nice Family Christmas,” finds the Lundeen family on Thanksgiving Day and the first family gathering since the patriarch died. Family dynamics and Dad’s return as a ghost keep the laughs coming.

The classic drama “The Glass Menagerie,” a memory play by Tennessee Williams, comes to the stage in January.

The narrator, Tom, leads the audience through the story of his family: his fragile, disabled sister Laura who spends much of her time with her collection of glass animals; his mother Amanda and his own role in their lives.

“The Outsider,” a regional premiere of a sharp satirical, political comedy about an unlikely gubernatorial candidate follows in March.

In May, the musical, “The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee” sees six quirky adolescents compete in the bee, run by three equally quirky grown-ups.

Audience members, take note: You may be tapped to help out in the bee.

The season closes in July with “The Fox on the Fairway,” a madcap farce set in a snobbish, upscale country club. A parody and tribute to man’s love affair with golf, it will be directed by Egizio.

First up on the playbill is “The Savannah Sipping Society.” The humor and one-liners keep the laughs coming throughout the play. And no wonder. The playwrights, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, were the writers for the TV series “The Golden Girls.” The play made its debut in Buford, Ga. in 2016.

“It’s a play for everyone,” said Producing Artistic Director Robert Egizio. “A lot of the women in our audiences may recognize themselves; both women and men will recognize someone they know. And men may get some insight about how women talk about them.”

Stage Door Players has a small theater with 125 seats in a half-round configura-

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tion of low-rise, red, comfy seats. Egizio noted a big plus is that all the seats have great stage views. “The joy of an intimate theater is authenticity,” he said. “Audiences really can feel like they are part of the story rather than watching from a distance, and, at times, they actually become part of the story.”

The size of the stage – 36 feet by 22 feet –dictates what can be performed as does backstage space. Actors and stage crew slip by each other in a narrow corridor behind black curtains surrounding the stage. “In choosing productions, we have a long list of considerations in addition to the physical space of the stage and backstage. Most important are our audiences and the actors who perform here,” said Egizio.

Founded in 1974 as a Community Improvement Project of the Dunwoody Woman’s Club, Stage Door Players performed in various locations until 1988, when it found a permanent home in the North DeKalb Cultural Center in Dunwoody.

The transformation of Stage Door Players from a small community theater in 1974 to an award-winning professional company can be attributed largely to Continued on page 18

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Stage Door Players bringing laughs and drama in its new season Continued from page 17

Egizio’s arrival on the scene in 2004.

Egizio was bitten by the theater bug early on and graduated from Temple University Theater School in Philadelphia. Over the years, he has worked and performed around the country and he has called Atlanta home for more than 20 years. His network is extensive. He was worked as director, choreographer and actor in most of Atlanta’s theaters.

What drew him to Stage Door Players? “I saw so much potential in this theater when I first came here in 2003 as director and choreographer for ’Dames at Sea’ and returned the following year to direct and choreograph ‘Ain’t Misbehavin,’ which won the theater’s annual Woodie award for Best Show of the Year,” he said.

That success led to an invitation to join Stage Door Players as its first full-time pro-

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Stage Door Players 2019-2020 season 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody Info: stagedoorplayers.net

The Savannah Sipping Society Sept. 20 – Oct. 13 A Nice Family Gathering Nov. 22 – Dec. 8

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee May 22 – June 14

The Glass Menagerie Jan. 24 – Feb. 16

The Fox on the Fairway July 17 – Aug. 9

ducing artistic director. “When I signed on, we gave each other a season to see if we were a good fit. And here I am in my 16th season. It’s been a long steady growth,” Egizio said.

“I don’t have a formula, but I love shows that are character-driven, family-driven and friendship-driven. We build our season with a combination of popular, new and lesserknown shows and include comedies, classic dramas, musicals and a premiere,” he said.

When Egizio came on board, the company had a loyal following of about 238 subscribers. By his tenth year, it had grown to more than 1,200. In its 45th anniversary season, the players counted nearly 1,400 season ticket subscribers.

About 10,000 people come to the six-play season, said Debbie Fuse, executive director of Stage Door Players. “Keep in mind that we’re a 125-seat theater, and that number pretty much maxes out our space.” In total some 12,000 visitors come to the theater each year with all events, such as readings, cabarets and special shows.

Stage Door Players is presenting several special events during October for Dunwoody’s Art & Culture Month, orchestrated by Discover Dunwoody. A Playwright Works in Progress Play reading is scheduled for Oct. 2, as part of a series throughout the year, and on Oct. 8, actor Elliot Folds of “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” takes the stage for a one-man show.

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Art & Entertainment | 19

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Inspiring people and imaginations through the kitchen

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Sunday, Sept. 8, 11 a.m.

With tasting competition, vendors, silent auction, live music and children’s activities. Free; tasting tickets $20-$50. The Green at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way. Info: theatlantakosherbbq.com.

Thursday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $30. Studio Theatre at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. Info: citysprings.com/events.

KOSHER BBQ FESTIVAL

TASTE OF BUCKHEAD

Thursday, Sept. 19, 6 p.m.

The Buckhead Business Association hosts a tasting event with top restaurants. The event will also feature a “Spirit Wall” fundraiser to benefit Nicholas House, a nonprofit agency operating an emergency shelter and temporary housing for homeless families. Tickets $75, ASW Distillery, 199 Armour Drive, Buckhead. Info: tobatl.com.

BUCKHEAD FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

Saturday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The two-day arts festival will showcase 100 painters, photographers, sculptors, metalwork, glass artists and jewelers, and also offer artist demonstrations and live acoustic music. Free. Buckhead Village, 200 Buckhead Avenue, Buckhead. Map and other info: buckheadartsfestival.com.

SANDY SPRINGS FESTIVAL

Saturday, Sept. 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday Sept. 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Sandy Springs Festival returns to offer two days of art, live music, cultural performances, children’s programming, classic rides, gourmet and festival food options, and more. Heritage Green, 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs. Info: heritagesandysprings.org.

PERFORMING ARTS MARY POPPINS

Friday, Sept. 13-Sunday, Sept. 22 The City Springs Theatre Company brings the classic Disney film to life. Tickets: $30$65. Byers Theatre at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. Info: citysprings.com/ events/mary-poppins.

12 ANGRY JURORS

Friday, Sept. 13-Sunday, Sept. 29 A drama based on the television movie about jurors arguing the fate of a murder defendant. Tickets: $16-$25. Act 3 Playhouse, 6285R Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Info: act3productions.org.

THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY

Friday, Sept. 20 -Sunday, Oct. 13 The Stage Door Players present a comedy about four Southern women, all needing to escape their day-to-day routines, who find themselves drawn together by fate. Tickets: $34. Stage Door Playhouse, 5539 ChambleeDunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Info: stagedoorplayers.net.

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CONCERTS BY THE SPRINGS

Sunday, Sept. 8, 5-8:30 p.m.

Band X plays rock, R&B, jazz and pop starting at 7 p.m. Food trucks on site. Free. Heritage Sandy Springs. 6110 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs. Info: heritagesandysprings.org.

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Friday, Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m.

The City Green in Sandy Springs wraps up its summer music series with singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins. City Green, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. Free, no tickets required. Tables may be reserved starting at $40. Info: citysprings.com/events.

TOGETHER FOR A CAUSE

YMCA DAY OF SERVICE

Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14, Two days of service projects that serve the Atlanta area, including Chattahoochee River Cleanup, Project Open Hand Meal Delivery, and Peachtree Creek Greenway Cleanup.

Various locations. Info: ymcaofmetroatlanta. regfox.com/days-of-service-2019-individuals

SEPT. 26–28 SCAD ATLANTA

WINE, WOMEN AND SHOES

Sunday, Sept. 15, 1-4 p..m.

Wine-tasting and designer fashion show benefiting the Leukemia and Women’s Cancer Programs at Northside Hospital. With raffle, live and silent auctions, and more. Tickets: $150 and up. The Grand Hyatt Atlanta, 3300 Peachtree Road, Buckhead. Info: give.northside.com/events/wws.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS DEMOS BY PROS FUN FOR ALL

SWAN COACH HOUSE FLEA MARKET

Thursday, Sept. 19-Saturday, Sept. 21 The Forward Arts Foundation hosts its annual Swan Coach House Flea Market with proceeds from the event supporting visual arts in Atlanta. Catch the “Fleur de Flea” Frenchthemed preview party on Sept. 19 6-9 p.m. at $30 a ticket or $100 for four. Otherwise, free to attend. The market runs Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21. Lower level parking lot at the Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead. Info: 404-261-9855.

VISUAL ARTS PAINT THE PARK

Sunday, Sept. 15, 1-4 p.m.

All ages and skills are invited to “Paint the Park.” Completed pieces will be displayed at Blackburn Park pavilion. Winning pieces will be shown at City Hall. Art supplies and paper will be provided. Free. Blackburn Park, 3493 Ashford- Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven, Info: brookhavenga.gov.

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20 | Art & Entertainment

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Atlanta History Center exhibit chronicles women’s fight for right to vote

Atlanta and included floats from groups like the Fulton and DeKalb County Branch and the Atlanta Equal Suffrage League. dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net “She drove in Atlanta’s first suffrage parade … and her mother was a catalyst to the Upstairs at the Swan House on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center are two founding of the Equal Suffrage Party of Georgia,” VanLanduyt said. rooms filled with dozens of historic artifacts, from documents to dresses to a judge’s The passage of the 19th amendment did not mean all women could cast ballots, howrobe and gavel. They all come together to contribute to the story of the women’s votever. Mostly, white women benefited. The law required women voters to be citizens, and ing rights movement in Atlanta and Georgia different states had different definitions. and its impact on women in politics.

African American women still could not The artifacts are part of a new exhibit, vote, nor could Native American or Chinese “Any Great Change: The Centennial of the women.

19th Amendment,” commemorating the As the curator of the exhibit, VanLan100th anniversary of women gaining the duyt said she wanted to acknowledge this right in 1920 to vote in elections. The exhibpiece of history as well. Several women of it about the advocacy for suffrage – a term color are highlighted for their activism for voting rights – remains open through in the women’s suffrage movement, even Jan. 31, 2021. though they knew they would not benefit.

“What we wanted to do was capture a One such woman was Mary A. McCurdy, full year of time … to show people that, over whose portrait is featured on a purple bantime, people have been fighting for their votner in the exhibit. She was an African Amering rights and to take down barriers to the ican journalist who moved to Atlanta in voting booth,” said Jessica VanLanduyt, lead 1886 and then to Rome, Ga., where she becurator for the exhibition and the Atlanta came editor of the “Woman’s World” newsHistory Center’s vice president of guest expaper. periences.

In her 1895 essay “Duty of the State to “And hopefully in an election year [in the Negro,” McCurdy wrote, “Then we dare 2020], people will be inspired to vote or be to insist upon the State doing its duty to the inspired to participate in some way,” she Negro [men], and in the meantime we forget said. not the thousands of women who are pleadThe artifacts on display include dozing to-day for equal franchise.” ens of political buttons, one from the 1963 Another was Dr. Mabel Lee, whose famPHOTOS BY DYANA BAGBY March on Washington by Civil Rights acily moved to New York from China when Political buttons are just some of the artifacts featured in the exhibit. tivists; a vintage purple dress fitted with a she was 4. By the time she was 16, Lee was a gold-and-white sash that reads “Votes for well-known figure in the women’s suffrage Women”; and a banner hanging in a window inked with the portrait of Grace Towns movement. But she wasn’t able to vote until 1943 due to a federal law banning Chinese Hamilton, who in 1965 became the first African American woman elected to the Georimmigrants from becoming citizens. gia General Assembly.

“We really wanted to call out that all types of women participated, and whether they In the center of one room stands a mannequin draped with a black robe that bewere going to get to exercise the right to vote is not any sort of barrier to participating in longed to former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. Sears was the the movement,” VanLanduyt said. first African American woman to serve as a chief justice of a state supreme court.

Barriers to voting have existed since the country’s founding and continue today, VanHer successful election as chief justice is a direct link to the women’s suffrage moveLanduyt said. A goal of the exhibit is get people to not just think as voters but as citizens, ment, VanLanduyt said. The same thing can be said for all women elected to hold office, to think about issues facing their communities and how to find solutions. including the ones who last year made up the largest group of women elected Congress.

“We’re not just talking about voting, but also about community service, attending “This is still so present for us,” she said. “It has not happened in a far-away past.” community meetings, just being informed, registering to vote,” she said.

Lining the top of a wall in one of the rooms is a “Road to Suffrage” timeline. On one And, yes, voter registration forms are available within the exhibit. end is the year 1848, marking the first women’s rights convention, held in Seneca Falls, “When you have access to vote, you should use it,” VanLanduyt said.

N.Y.; at the other end is the year 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify The History Center is located at 130 West Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead. For more inthe 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making it law and giving some women the formation, see atlantahistorycenter.com. right to vote. And just past that 1920 entry is the year 1970, when Georgia belatedly voted to ratify the 19th amendment.

VanLanduyt said the Swan House was specifically chosen to host this exhibit because two of Atlanta’s top women’s suffrage activists were Emily C. MacDougald and her daughter, Emily Inman, who built the house in 1928.

Inman is named on a yellowed piece of paper from 1915 that is labeled “Suffrage Parade Program” by the Equal SufDresses worn by voting rights activists included some that were styled after military Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Sears frage Party of Georgia. uniforms, while others wore “Votes for Women” sashes to rallies and parades. donated her robe and a gavel to the Atlanta History Center, That was the first womwhich are now on display in the “Any Great Change.” en’s suffrage parade in

BY DYANA BAGBY

SEPTEMBER 2019

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| 21

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22 | Public Safety

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Police Blotter / Brookhaven From Brookhaven Police reports dated July 28 through Aug. 11. The following information was pulled from Brookhaven’s Police-2-Citizen website.

July 29, at night, an entering auto incident was reported.

On Aug. 1, in the evening, a man was arrested and accused of robbery.

3600 block of Buford Highway — On

1800 block of Chamdun Place — On

T H E F T A N D B U R G L A RY

July 30, in the morning, a theft was reported.

Aug. 2, in the early morning, a theft by taking auto incident was reported.

1600 block of Northeast Expressway

3800 block of Peachtree Road — On

— On July 30, in the afternoon, items were reported stolen from a car.

Aug. 2, in the afternoon, a shoplifting incident was reported.

3800 block of Peachtree Road — On

1000 block of Fairway Estates — On

July 30, in the afternoon, a theft was reported.

Aug. 2, in the afternoon, an attempted burglary was reported.

1400 block of Dresden Drive — On

2000 block of North Druid Hills Road

July 30, in the evening, items were reported stolen from a car.

— On Aug. 3, at midnight, a forced-entry burglary at a non-residence was reported.

700 block of Town Boulevard — On

3500 block of Buford Highway — On

4200 block of Peachtree Road — On

Aug. 3, in the morning, a theft by taking auto incident.

Aug. 11, in the evening, a woman was arrested and accused of shoplifting.

4100 block of D’Youville Trace — On

July 28, in the evening, a theft by taking auto incident was reported.

3700 block of Buford Highway — On

July 28, at night, a theft by taking auto incident was reported.

3700 block of Buford Highway — On

July 29, in the early morning, items were reported stolen from a car.

1000 block of Pine Grove Avenue —

1700 block of Wayland Circle — On

Aug. 7, in the evening, items were reported missing from a car.

3100 block of Buford Highway — On

Aug. 7, at night, items were reported stolen from a car.

2800 block of Buford Highway — On

Aug. 7, at night, items were reported stolen from a car.

2200 block of North Druid Hills Road

— On Aug. 8, at night, a theft by taking auto incident was reported.

Aug. 9, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and accused of theft by taking.

On July 29, in the early morning, an entering auto attempt was reported. A man was arrested and accused of attempting to commit a crime.

3600

4100 block of D’Youville Trace — On

July 29, in the early morning, items from a car were reported stolen.

July 31, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and accused of theft by taking auto.

3400

2900 block of Clairmont Road — On

100 block of Executive Park Drive —

2100 block of Prestwick Court — On

On July 31, in the afternoon, a theft was reported.

Aug. 3, in the evening, a theft was reported.

2000 block of North Druid Hills Road

100 block of Lincoln Court Avenue —

— On Aug. 1, in the morning, a theft of services incident was reported.

On Aug. 3, at night, a vehicle theft was reported.

July 28, in the early morning, an aggravated assault involving cutting was reported.

1900 block of Wyndale Court — On

1800 block of North Druid Hills Road

3000 block of Clairmont Road — On

Aug. 1, in the evening, items from a car were reported stolen.

— On Aud. 3, at night, a no-forced entry burglary at a residence was reported.

July 28, in the morning, a battery incident was reported.

3300 block of Buford Highway — On

1900 block of North Druid Hills Road

2500 block of Skyland Trail — On July

Aug. 1, in the evening, a shoplifting incident was reported.

— On Aug. 4, in the morning, a wanted person was located and arrested during a shoplifting attempt.

28, at night, a man was arrested and accused of family violence.

3400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On Aug. 4, in the morning, a shoplifting incident was reported.

July 29, in the early morning, an aggravated assault was reported.

2800 block of Peachtree Road — On

Aug. 4, at noon, a theft was reported.

July 29, in the morning, a man was arrested and accused of statutory rape.

1500 block of Northeast Expressway

1600 block of Tullie Circle — On July

July 29, at noon, items from a car were reported stolen.

1800 block of Corporate Boulevard —

On July 29, in the afternoon, a theft was reported.

2800 block of Buford Highway — On

July 29, in the evening, parts were reported stolen from a car.

1000 block of Barone Avenue — On

July 29, in the evening, an entering auto incident was reported.

2900 block of Clairmont Road — On

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 30, at night, a theft by taking auto incident was reported.

2600 block of Buford Highway — On

1800 block of Corporate Boulevard —

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On Aug. 3, in the evening, items were reported stolen.

A S S AU LT 2000 block of Cobblestone Circle —

On July 28, after midnight, an aggravated assault involving cutting was reported.

3500 block of Buford Highway — On

1000 block of Barone Avenue — On

4400 block of Memorial Drive — On

— On Aug. 5, at noon, a theft was reported.

30, in the afternoon, a simple assault was reported.

3000 block of Clairmont Road — On

3300 block of Buford Highway — On

Aug. 5, in the afternoon, items from a car were reported stolen.

July 30, in the evening, a simple assault was reported.

1400 block of Northeast Expressway

3500 block of Buford Highway — On

— On Aug. 5, in the afternoon, a theft was reported.

July 30, at night, a simple battery incident was reported.

3800 block of Buford Highway — On

600 block of Clairmont Road — On

Aug. 5, in the evening, a theft of a vehicle was reported.

July 30, at night, a man was arrested and accused of simple battery

3500 block of Buford Highway — On

3300 block of Buford Higthe after-

Aug. 5, in the morning, a forced-entry burglary at a residence was reported.

noon, a man was arrested and accused of aggravated assault.

BK

SEPTEMBER 2019

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www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Always Be Notified.

Alerts and notifications help inform you on weather, traffic, and other emergencies in your community. When you opt-in for alerts, you will have the option to choose the kind of notifications you prefer to receive.

Sign up at www.BrookhavenGA.gov/BrookhavenAlert

Plan Ahead For Any Emergency Smart911 Download one app to provide 9-1-1 and first responders information in an emergency and receive targeted alerts including from the City of Brookhaven and the National Weather Service.

Information Worth Sharing www.smart911.com

BK

| 23

SEPTEMBER 2019

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| 24

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SEPTEMBER 2019 Sandy Springs Dunwoody Brookhaven Buckhead

WWW.REPORTERNEWSPAPERS.NET

STATE GRADES LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

STANDOUT STUDENT

PAGE 37-42

PAGE 35

SECTION TWO

BUILDS FLIGHT SIMULATOR FOR FLYING CLUB

FALL 2019 | EDUCATION GUIDE

Up for debate

Local schools ride high in speech competitions

Marist School debate coach Jeffery Miller, center, with debate team members Sophie Verska, left, and Will Sjostrom, right, with trophies the team has won. PHOTO BY JOE EARLE

For school districts, is smaller better?

BY KATHY DEAN The Sandy Springs advocacy group Citizens for Local Area School Systems (CLASS) is pushing to create its own city school district. According to an April 2019 study commissioned by the group, Sandy Springs’ taxes would generate sufficient funding to operate the 11 public schools within the city’s borders.

Sandy Springs schools are part of Fulton County Schools (FCS), the fourth largContinued on page 30

BY JOE EARLE Jeffrey Miller portrays his introduction to high school debate as a happy accident. He signed up for his first debate class at his south metro Atlanta high school because he was looking for something that wouldn’t be too demanding. “I heard it was an easy A,” he joked.

But debate turned out to mean a lot more to Miller than just something to fill out his schedule. He was hooked. “I took debate all four years,” he said. “I really caught the fever. It’s all I did in high school.”

And it stuck. Now, he’s director of speech and debate at Marist School and coaches the school’s team, which travels the country for competitions in places spread from New York to New Orleans and Florida to Minnesota.

Dozens of big silver trophies Marist’s team has collected during his tenContinued on page 26

26 | Education

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Up for debate Continued from page 25

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ure now gleam side-by-side in Top, Dunwoody debate team members show trophies they collected in competition.

Miller’s classroom, and he’s savBottom, Jordana Sternberg, debate coach ing room for more. Last year, at the Westminster Schools, hoists her Marist’s debate team placed third Georgia Debate Coach of the Year plaque. in a national competition, he said. They took part in 18 competitions altogether last year, he said, and they will compete in 11 competitions by Thanksgiving this year.

Jordanna Sternberg, director of debate at The Westminster Schools, got her start as a high school freshman in Massachusetts back in the 1980s.

She signed up for junior varsity debate only because a friend wanted company for that first meeting. At the end of the year, Sternberg made the varsity team; her friend didn’t. She, too, was hooked. “I loved it,” she said.

Her affection pays off. Her Westminster students, like the students at Marist, have argued their way to trophies at competitions around the country. In 2017, a pair of Westminster seniors took first place in a national championship competition in Utah. This year, 2018, according to the organization’s Westminster debaters plan to take part website. in about 20 competitions, Sternberg Other north metro schools, such as said.

Dunwoody High School, Pace Academy, Galloway School and Lovett School, Coaches of the year also field debate teams. Last year, about Sternberg and Miller each have been 70 Georgia schools participated in the named “debate coach of the year” by forensic coaches association’s invitathe Georgia Forensics Coaches Associtional tournaments, which drew 4,100 ation, Miller in 2012 and Sternberg in entries, according to Mario Herrera,

Education | 27

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net the organization’s executive chair and the debate teacher and team coach at Grady High School in Atlanta. Three other organizations, Herrera said, also promote debate and speech events: the Atlanta Urban Debate League, the Georgia Independent School Association and the Georgia High School Association.

The forensic coaches association promotes competition in various forms of debate and various kinds of public speaking. It calls itself a “forensics” organization because it includes various public speaking events and the word

meant an argumentative exercise before taking on the more common meaning of applying scientific analysis to police cases.

In debates, competitors go heard-tohead to argue different sides of issues.

In speech contests, individual competitors may present opinions, or they may do other kinds of public speaking, such as giving humorous talks.

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‘Speech is special to me’ Dunwoody High junior Morgan UnContinued on page 28

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The first round is kind of dramatic, but they come back and … get more and more confident and you really get to see the kids grow stronger in their skins. That’s very exciting for a teacher.

DAVID GAY DIRECTOR OF THEATER AND SPEECH AT DUNWOODY HIGH SCHOOL

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Continued from page 26 derhill took part in two different presentations during speech competitions last year. In one, she portrayed the actress Vivien Leigh of “Gone with the Wind” fame in “Vivien Leigh’s Last Press Conference.” In the other, she was one of a pair who took the top award in the state by presenting “Malcom X Jefferson Elementary Proudly Presents a Fifth-Grade production of ‘A Cho-

SPECIAL

Above, Westminster Schools debater Holland Bald, left, and his partner, George Alford, research a topic for debate.

Below, Bald, right, with his partner last year, Chris Rascoe, at left, show awards they won.

rus Line.’” She portrayed five different characters in that one, she said.

She also takes part in school plays, but says “speech is special to me. You’re so nervous, but you get up there and you get to embody somebody else. It’s not you. It’s showing what you can do.”

David Gay, director of theater and speech at Dunwoody, said he takes teams to nine or 10 meets a year and two national competitions. Gay, who has been named the GFCA’s speech coach of the year, says speech teaches students discipline, to be able to think on their feet, to be confident and to be

competitive. “We’re teaching life skills,” he said.

“It’s really exciting to see the kids the first time they go [to a competition],” he said. “They’ve got their tails between their legs. The first round is kind of dramatic, but they come back and … get more and more confident and you really get to see the kids grow stronger in their skins. That’s very exciting for a teacher.”

Debate requires different skills. Herrera argues it requires “critical thinking, empathy, writing, logic, listening, argumentation, introspection, commu-

Education | 29

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net nity engagement and sportsmanship, just to name a few.”

In what are called “policy debates,” two-member teams research a topic and prepare both pro and con positions.

They don’t know which side they’ll argue until just before the debate begins.

Just like in a football game, the side a team attacks or defends is determined by a coin flip. Policy debaters stay with a single topic throughout the year. This year, they’re arguing about U.S. policy on arms sales.

“You’ve got to learn about topics and learn about them in depth,” Sternberg said. “It takes the ability to engage in critical thinking with other students.”

WHOLE HEART

ED

‘You have to think fast’ Debaters also must learn to think on their feet, said Marist debate team members Will Sjostrom and Sophie Verska, both seniors. When an opponent presents a lot of points in favor of a position, your team has to knock them all down in the time allotted.

“If you only have three minutes to prepare … you really have to think fast,” Verska said.

“It helps with your self-confidence,” Sjostrom said. “If you have to give another speech at school or go to a job interview, you’ll know how to talk. It prepares you a lot for the real world.”

Once a competition starts, debaters on one side try to make as many arguments as they can and then their opponents try, in turn, to rebut them all. Debaters learn to speak quickly in order to get in as many points as possible.

Westminster junior Holland Bald, who with his partner ranked 10th in the country last year, according to Sternberg, said his favorite part is the research.

Debaters must know a lot about a subject in order to be prepared to present an array of arguments or to answer any specific argument their opponents may offer.

“It’s a very unique think to try to learn everything about a topic,” Bald said. And he likes being able to see how arguments work when presented to the judges. “I like the immediate payoff, when you prepare and see it pay off.”

To prepare for their debates, students put in hours of extra work. They often miss classes while traveling to distant debates, so they must make up other work, too. Some attend summer camps, usually at colleges, where they learn more about debating skills and research. But it’s worth the extra effort, they say.

“It’s really fun. It’s really rewarding, I guess is the right word,” said Westminster senior Sara Ann Brackett. “There’s a lot of payoff.”

No argument there.

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est school system in the state. FCS employs more than 14,000 people, including 7,500 teachers in 106 schools, serving about 95,000 students.

CLASS formed about three years ago, growing from the effort it took to convince the FCS Board that the North Springs Charter High School building needed to be renovated instead of replaced.

Parents felt the aging facility could no longer meet modern scholastic demands, according to statements submitted

by CLASS members Cheryl Barlow, Sandra Jewell, Betty Klein, Linda Trickey and Sandy Springs City Councilmember Jody Reichel. It is important to note that the city of Sandy Springs has not officially endorsed the idea of a city schools district.

“We wondered why it was so challenging to effect positive change,” the group said in its prepared statement. CLASS studied the state of education in Georgia and Fulton County and found that, despite the good intentions of FCS personnel, the size of the organization, the number of schools and the large geographic area made it difficult to focus on the needs of specific schools and the variety of students.

“Sandy Springs is a very diverse city and has broad diversity in its schools,” CLASS said. “FCS has seven board members that serve 106 schools and 95,000 students.”

This isn’t the first time the issue has been raised.

In 2013, a group of Dunwoody parents organized under the name Georgians for Local Area School Systems (GLASS) to lobby the state Legislature to amend the state Constitution to allow the creation of new city school systems. Schools in Dunwoody are part of the DeKalb County School District, the third largest school system in Georgia, with 140 schools serving nearly 102,000 students and employing about 15,500 people, including 6,600 teachers.

GLASS member Heyward Wescott, a former chair of the Dunwoody Perimeter Chamber of Commerce and current candidate for a seat on the Dunwoody City Council, said the group is not actively pursuing an independent school district.

However, the group still files papers with the state every year to continue to operate. “We’re ready to go at any moment and become be active again,” Wescott said.

“We still want to improve education. We’re keeping an eye on CLASS and waiting to see what happens with our neighbors.”

CLASS said that research shows that smaller school districts typically have better student performance than larger school districts, regardless of the racial makeup and economic status of students. Many of the top public-school systems in Georgia

We believe that a local school system will provide many of the same benefits as cityhood—a more responsive organizational structure with greater accountability, the ability to quickly respond to changes, increased community input for desired outcomes and fiscal responsibility that would allow teachers to be paid more.

CITIZENS FOR LOCAL AREA SCHOOL SYSTEMS (CLASS) are city school systems or smaller county systems with less than 12,000 students, the group said. Sandy Springs has approximately 10,000 public school students.

“We believe that a local school system will provide many of the same benefits as cityhood—a more responsive organizational structure with greater accountability, the ability to quickly respond to changes, increased community input for desired outcomes and fiscal responsibility that would allow teachers to be paid more,” CLASS said. “Sandy Springs is proud to have the highest-paid fire and police forces in the state. Our teachers deserve the same consideration.”

However, advocates for creating new school districts must jump a high bar: the state Constitution prohibits creation of new independent school systems.

“City districts established prior to the incorporation of this language can continue to operate [under the state Constitution], but no new ones can be established unless the law changes,” said Meghan Frick, director of communications for the Georgia Department of Education. “Legislation has been proposed a few times in recent years that would allow cities to create their own school districts, but has not passed.”

CLASS said that the school system cap was first set 70 years ago, when legislators didn’t envision mega school systems with tens of thousands of kids. “While there may have been good reasons then, there are better reasons to eliminate the cap now

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net and allow for new approaches in education,” CLASS said.

State Rep. Tom Taylor, a Dunwoody Republican, introduced legislation that called for a statewide vote to change the constitution to allow school districts to be created in cities, such as Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, that have been created since 2005.

The legislation repeatedly stalled and Taylor is no longer in office. Still, supporters aren’t giving up.

Dunwoody had its own feasibility study done, Westcott said, and found that they have the perfect footprint for a city school district, with one high school, one middle school and five elementary schools that feed into them.

“What it comes down to,” Wescott said, “is that there’s a lot of heavy lifting to be done for the legislation to be changed so city school districts can form. We need more cities to be engaged in this issue.”

When asked about Sandy Springs’ effort to create a city schools district, Fulton officials responded: “Fulton County has great schools in Sandy Springs. Our students are excelling. We have fantastic and talented teachers and staff. We will continue to provide the best education to the children in our jurisdiction. If the jurisdiction changes, we will continue to provide the best learning experience for the students

that remain in our schools.”

CLASS said it has heard concerns from some citizens, including that running a school system is a big job and very different than running a city… “and those concerns are valid,” the group said in its statement. “We know there are major logistical challenges. However, smart people who are motivated can figure this out, just like the other city school systems.”

Another concern is that students in other parts of the county could be affected by separation. The CLASS response is that FCS would receive more state and federal funding for their budget. Any difference in the budget can be substantially or totally offset with changes in spending at the district level.

“We encourage Sandy Springs citizens to look at their tax bills,” CLASS said. “For most property owners, more than 50% of their taxes go to FCS. And 25% of the FCS operating budget—more than a billion dollars a year—comes from Sandy Springs.”

CLASS said that what it wants is to give Sandy Springs citizens the right to choose.

“Ultimately,” the group said, “this is about the students and teachers, and giving the citizens of Sandy Springs the right to decide what is important to them and whether they want a city school system.”

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New Faces

Here are some of the new faces appearing on the campuses of schools in Reporter Newspapers communities this year.

◄WABREK TAKES POST AT LOVETT

Lovett School has a new assistant head of school for academic affairs. Chelle Wabrek had served as head of the middle school at the Episcopal School of Dallas.

She has worked for 25 years as a teacher or administrator in independent schools and has worked at schools in Kentucky and Louisiana.

Heather Kerutis

Kyle Pietrantonio

Dr. Edward Lindekugel

NEW PRINCIPALS LEAD AT HOLY SPIRIT ▲

New principals take the reins at Holy Spirit Preparatory School’s upper and lower school this year, according to the school. Dr. Edward Lindekugel has been named principal at the Upper School. Kyle Pietrantonio takes the new position of principal of the Lower School and also serves as Head of School. Heather Kerutis becomes director of the preschool.

Lindekugel in 2018 founded and led the Catholic School Services division of the Southern Teachers Agency, the nation’s oldest teacher and administrator placement firm, the school said in a press release.

Pietrantonio came to Holy Spirit Prep in 2005, the school said. He has served as the school’s director of community service, principal of the junior high school, principal of the lower school and associate head of school. In 2013, he was named Head of School.

SMITH NAMED PRINCIPAL AT RIVERWOOD INTERNATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL

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ABOUT THE PHOTO: During the summer, Upper School students explored France through an Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) study tour.

Veteran Fulton County educator Kindra Smith took over as Riverwood International Charter School’s new principal in July. She succeeds Charles Gardner, who took a position as chief operations officer for Marietta City Schools.

Smith, a former Fulton County Principal of the Year, was most recently at Elkins Pointe Middle in Roswell for four years. In 2018, Elkins Pointe received the Georgia Department of Education recognition of “Beating the Odds,” which identifies Title 1 schools that outperform schools with similar diverse populations, according to her Fulton County bio. In 2019, Elkins received a five-star school climate rating for its seventh year in a row, along with being chosen as an AVID Showcase School for its work with the college readiness program, her biography said. Smith was previously a teacher at Crabapple Crossing Elementary in Milton for seven years, an assistant principal of Northwestern Middle in Milton for eight years and for five years was principal of Roswell North Elementary, where she was named Fulton County Principal of the Year.

OGLETHORPE HIRES NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Oglethorpe University has named Peter D. Stobie as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Business & Finance. Stobie brings more than 30 years of finance and operational experience in both higher education and the corporate environment, the school said in a press release. He starts his new position on Sept. 16.

“Pete is a vital addition to Oglethorpe’s leadership team,” said Oglethorpe University President Larry Schall. “He has a proven track record of strategically and successfully managing campus finances and operations. Pete’s depth of experience will be invaluable as Oglethorpe plans for continued growth and to reinforce our current position of financial strength.”

Education | 33

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Education Briefs

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS At Galloway, students are inspired to be fearless learners, to embrace challenges, and to discover more about themselves and the world around them.

LO VET T S C H OOL STA RTS BUS S ERV IC E Lovett School cranked up the 201920 school year with the school’s first bus program. School officials said they were looking for a way to try to address Atlanta traffic and reduce carpool congestion around the school’s campus in north Atlanta.

Buses will pick up and drop off students at stops in Brookhaven and North Buckhead or stops in Morningside and Garden Hills, the school says on its website. About 35 students participate, “which eliminates roughly 53 cars from coming to campus both in the mornings and afternoons,” the press release said.

AGE 3-GRADE 12

GALLOWAYSCHOOL.ORG/REPORTER

For more information: lovett.org/campus-life/bus-program-19-20.

AP S L A UN C H ES N EW O NL IN E WAY F OR PA REN TS TO C O N TA C T SC H OOL O F F I C I A LS

Atlanta Public Schools is offering a new online tool intended to make it easier for parents, students, members of the community and school employees to contact district officials. The new tool is named “Let’s Talk” and shows up on the district’s webpage, www.atlantapublicschools.us or through the APS mobile app on a smartphone or other mobile device. It is intended to make it easier for parents, students and others to ask questions, make comments and share ideas with distict officials. The new tool was launched Aug. 12.

Continued on page 34

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Continued from page 33

dollars per year by selling snacks and

ST. M A R T I N ’ S STUDEN T C O UN C I L R A I SES THO US A N D S F O R C H A RI TY

$23,500 for local charities in the past four years.

Comprised of elected representa-

School’s

tives from the fifth through eighth

Student Council has raised a total of

grades, the council raises thousands of

St.

Martin’s

Episcopal

by collecting a $5 contribution from students for a week of non-uniform days during Middle School Spirit Week.

The snack cart brings in 80 percent of the council’s annual profit. It is a popular attraction at break time in the Middle School and features sweet and savory treats sold for 50 cents each. Council members donate their break time to manage the cart.

Last year, the council distributed $5,500 between five organizations: The Good Samaritan Health Center, the Brookhaven

Rotary

Club

Foundation, Episcopal Relief and Development, the Suthers Center for Christian Outreach and Bella Vista Children’s Home.

From left, Dylan Mathis, Marshall Lisenby, Avalana Brock and Amelia Marsh.

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O G L ET HO R P E NA M ES P R ES I DENT IA L S EA R C H C O M M IT TEE

Oglethorpe University is launching the search for its 17th president. The new president will succeed Lawrence M. Schall, who has held the job since 2005 and plans to leave it next June.

Board of Trustees Chair Timothy P. Tassopoulos named a search committee comprised of trustees, faculty, staff, student, and alumni representatives.

The committee, chaired by trustee S. Tammy Pearson and assisted by a national search firm, includes: trustees Jack Guynn, Belle Turner Lynch , Timothy Randall Roberson, John Shelnutt and Jim Winestock; faculty members Mario Chandler, J. Lynn Gieger and Katharine Zakos; Mark W. DeLong, immediate past president of Oglethorpe’s alumni association; Colleen Donaldson, special assistant to the president; and student body president Glenn Kaiser; “Selecting a president is one of the most important responsibilities of any board,” Tassopoulos said in a press release. “Oglethorpe is fortunate to have an engaged and active board that will make a selection during a time of significant growth and positive momentum for the university. Our goal is to select a person who will continue to strengthen Oglethorpe while staying true to our mission.”

Open forums will be held on campus at the start of the fall semester to gather input from students, faculty, and staff.

A presidential search website (presidentialsearch.oglethorpe.edu) also includes an opportunity for alumni and community members to submit nominations, input, and comments.

20-30 minutes from Brookhaven/Buckhead and Dunwoody/Sandy Springs.

Take our WiFi-enabled buses.

The committee plans to conclude the search process in spring 2020, at which time the Board of Trustees will choose the new president

Education | 35

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Riverwood student builds flight simulator for flying club Lucas Daniels, a junior at Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs, has been interested in planes and aviation since he was in middle school. Upon beginning his freshman year, Lucas heard about the school’s flying club and immediately joined.

After just one year, Lucas became the club’s president, when the club’s faculty sponsor, Alan Sohmer, decided that Lucas would be a good fit for the position.

Riverwood’s flying club teaches students about aviation through instructional videos and takes the students to fly around the Gwinnett County Airport at the end of each semester, but the trip is financially difficult for some members. Lucas decided to look into alternatives for students to continue honing their craft.

After finding an old PC at his house that he felt would be good for the club, Lucas was on the hunt for a monitor to attach to the PC for flight simulations so that club members could practice before their discovery flight.

While looking for a monitor, Lucas

Standout Student

Continued on page 36

Open House | December 7, 12:30 - 2:30p.m.

510 Mount Vernon HWY NE | Atlanta, GA | 30328

Lucas Daniels onboard after his discovery flight around the Gwinnett County Airport.

SPECIAL

36 | Education

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Standout Student: Riverwood student builds flight simulator for flying club Continued from page 35

OPEN HOUSE Sunday, December 8, 1– 4 p.m.

Share in the Spirit Serving grades 7–12, Marist School provides an education where achievement exists within a spirit of humility and generosity. Students are challenged by an

space Career Education Academy and was selected as one of 12 participants to attend the solo flight academy. After interviewing “in the style that airline pilots are interviewed,” Lucas was accepted to the solo flight program. He has earned 15 hours towards his private pilot license through the program.

Lucas also received a $1,000 scholarship to attend the National Flight Academy in Pensacola, Fla., which brings students to learn about aviation on a Navy aircraft carrier. The sponsorship is given by Delta Air Lines and OBAP. Outside of school, Lucas enjoys working with computers, taking them apart and seeing how things work. He also keeps “a couple of guppies, some cherry shrimp and some goldfish in a pond outside.”

heard about the PTSA Student MiniGrant process, which awards funding each semester for projects and classroom needs. After some research, Lucas decided to apply for the grant in order to build a “full-blown simulator” that could be used for practice by all members, not just the students attending the field trip.

For the next few months, the team figured out what the costs would be and what they could use the simulator for. With the help of Sohmer, Lucas received the grant and the simulator came to life.

Lucas is mostly self-taught when it comes to planes. With the money the club was awarded, Lucas built a flight simulator called the “202 Lemma Delta.” He said that he purchased and installed software himself.

He built the computer used to run the software by following YouTube tutorials and guides from various PC enthusiast blogs and websites. Lucas had built his own computer in the past, so he had some general knowledge about the technology. “[The club members] flew like experienced pilots due to having much practice in the flight simulator,” Sohmer said.

The simulator helps students learn more about flying before attending the discovery flights. They can decide if they want to pay for the trip or if they want to continue learning on the simulator.

During the summer of 2018, Lucas attended the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals’ (OBAP) Aero-

What’s Next?

Lucas plans to continue to lead Riverwood’s flying club over the next two years. He would like to attend a college for aviation and eventually wants to pursue a career as a commercial pilot.

This article was written by Sloane Warner, graduated from The Weber School and will be attending Northwestern University.

Editor’s Note: Through our “Standout Student” series, Reporter Newspapers showcases some of the outstanding students at our local schools. To recommend a “Standout Student” for our series, please email editor@ReporterNewspapers.net with information about the student and why you think he or she should be featured.

extensive college-preparatory curriculum while an array of extracurricular activities inspire exploration and uncover hidden MARCH 201 8 Vo l . 2 4 N o. 3

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SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

State grades local public schools

BY JOE EARLE AND HANNAH GRECO Each year, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement publishes an annual report giving Georgia public schools a grade of A-F. The grade is based on a numerical score that reflects the performance of the schools.

“This information will encourage parents and community members to understand the strengths and challenges of their local schools and will help focus improvement efforts,” the office’s website says.

The A-F grade is based on the school’s score on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which is calculated by the Georgia Department of Education.

The CCRPI score ranges from 0 to 100 and is based on state test scores, student growth on these tests, graduation rates and other factors.

Source: The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement; schoolgrades.georgia.gov

Atlanta Public Schools Enrollment: 50,847 students

C

Performance Snapshot ■ Atlanta Public Schools’s overall performance is higher than 58% of districts.

■ Its elementary students’ academic growth is higher than 73% of districts.

2018 LETTER GRADE 2018 SCORE ■ Its middle school students’ academic growth is higher than 47% of districts.

■ Its high school students’ academic growth is higher than 46% of districts.

■ 40.2% of its 3rd grade students are reading at or above the grade level target.

■ 55.2% of its 8th grade students are reading at or above the grade level target.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 79.9%, which is higher than 10% of districts.

■ 43.7% of graduates are college and career ready.

73.4

DeKalb County Schools Enrollment: 97,363 students

C

Jump start their futures!

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FREE baby classes * Just You & Me Kid * Preschool Gymnastics * Recreational Gymnastics Team * * J-Sport * J-Fit * Dance Boys Gymnastics * * School’s Out Camps * Acro * Silks * Winter/Spring/Summer Camps Birthday Parties * Parents’ Night Out * Tumbling Clinics * Special Events * * Jump Start Travels 5920 Roswell Rd Suite 208 * Sandy Springs, GA 30328 * WWW.JUMPSTARTGYM.COM * 404-252-JUMP (5867)

Schedule a tour today to experience Epstein for yourself.

At Epstein, students experience an exceptional education led by specialized STEAM and Hebrew language programs. The school prepares confident lifelong learners grounded in their unique Jewish identities.

Performance Snapshot ■ DeKalb County’s overall performance is higher than 41% of districts.

■ Its elementary students’ academic growth is higher than 53% of districts.

2018 LETTER GRADE 2018 SCORE ■ Its middle school students’ academic growth is higher than 35% of districts.

■ Its high school students’ academic growth is higher than 57% of districts.

■ 36.2% of its 3rd grade students are reading at or above the grade level target.

■ 54.1% of its 8th grade students are reading at or above the grade level target.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 75.0%, which is higher than 1% of districts.

■ 50.5% of graduates are college and career ready.

Fulton County Schools Enrollment: 93,448 students

B

70

Performance Snapshot ■ Fulton County’s overall performance is higher than 89% of districts.

■ Its elementary students’ academic growth is higher than 64% of districts.

2018 LETTER GRADE 2018 SCORE ■ Its middle school students’ academic growth is higher than 46% of districts.

■ Its high school students’ academic growth is higher than 82% of districts.

■ 51.7% of its 3rd grade students are reading at or above the grade level target.

■ 65.4% of its 8th grade students are reading at or above the grade level target.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 86.8%, which is higher than 38% of districts.

■ 62.4% of graduates are college and career ready.

81

Continued on page 37

NEW THIS YEAR: Kindergarten–8th graders will also be learning the language of coding.

335 COLEWOOD WAY NW | SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30328-2956 EPSTEINATLANTA.ORG

38 | Education

Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News Continued from page 36

Individual High Schools

Chamblee Charter High School

C

2018 LETTER GRADE

79.4

School grades for past five years: 2018: C 2017: B 2016: B 2015: B 2014: C

2018 SCORE

Performance Snapshot ■ Chamblee Charter High School’s overall performance is higher than 72% of schools in the state and is higher than its district.

■ Its students’ academic growth is higher than 39% of schools in the state and lower than its district.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 82.7%, which is higher than 31% of high schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ 69.7% of graduates are college and career ready.

Cross Keys High School

D

2018 LETTER GRADE

66.6 2018 SCORE

School grades for past five years: 2018: D 2015: C 2017: C 2014: D 2016: B

YOU ARE INVITED!

Blessed Trinity Catholic High School - 11320 Woodstock Rd., Roswell, GA 30075 - (678) 277-9083 - www.btcatholic.org

BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 1 PM TO 3 PM

Blessed Trinity Catholic High School invites prospective students and their families to tour our facilities, meet our students, and speak with our teachers and coaches.

President, Principal, and Director of Enrollment Management will speak at 1 pm and 2 pm.

28 Advanced Placement classes ~ Curriculum delivered on an A/B block schedule that maximizes instructional time ~ The 245 members of the class of 2019 earned more than $32.7 million in college scholarship offers in addition to Georgia’s HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships ~ A fully funded Fine Arts program that includes band, chorus, visual arts, and theater program that performs four first-class productions each year, including a musical, and one of the most highly honored dance programs in the state ~ A student-teacher ratio of 13:1; average class size of 19 ~ A comprehensive community-service program ~ An athletic department that fields more than 50 teams in 22 sports, and has won 44 state championships

Performance Snapshot ■ Cross Keys High School’s overall performance is higher than 32% of schools in the state and is lower than its district.

■ Its students’ academic growth is higher than 74% of schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 64.4%, which is higher than 9% of high schools in the state and lower than its district.

■ 49.3% of graduates are college and career ready.

Dunwoody High School

B

2018 LETTER GRADE

81.5 2018 SCORE

School grades for past five years: 2018: B 2015: B 2017: B 2014: C 2016: A Performance Snapshot ■ Dunwoody High School’s overall performance is higher than 77% of schools in the state and is higher than its district.

■ Its students’ academic growth is higher than 62% of schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 86.4%, which is higher than 45% of high schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ 75.6% of graduates are college and career ready.

Education | 39

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

North Atlanta High School

C

2018 LETTER GRADE

77.1 2018 SCORE

School grades for past five years: 2018: C 2015: C 2017: B 2014: C 2016: C Performance Snapshot ■ North Atlanta High School’s overall performance is higher than 66% of schools in the state and is higher than its district.

■ Its students’ academic growth is higher than 41% of schools in the state and similar to its district.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 92.5%, which is higher than 76% of high schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ 61.0% of graduates are college and career ready.

North Springs Charter High School

B

2018 LETTER GRADE

for college for life forever

82.8 2018 SCORE

Holy Spirit Prep embraces the traditions of Catholic education to form students of deep faith, advanced intellect, and heroic virtue.

School grades for past five years: 2018: B 2015: C 2017: B 2014: C 2016: B Performance Snapshot ■ North Springs Charter High School’s overall performance is higher than 81% of schools in the state and is similar to its district.

■ Its students’ academic growth is higher than 73% of schools in the state and similar to its district.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 90.0%, which is higher than 60% of high schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ 62.7% of graduates are college and career ready.

■ North Springs Charter High School is Beating the Odds, meaning that it performs better than similar schools.

COME VISIT RSVP for a weekly tour at holyspiritprep.org/visit.

An independent Catholic school in Chastain Park, forming students 6 months-12th grade. holyspiritprep.org

40 | Education

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Individual High Schools

Riverwood International Charter School

C

2018 LETTER GRADE

79

School grades for past five years: 2018: C 2017: C 2016: B 2015: F 2014: C

2018 SCORE

Performance Snapshot ■ Riverwood International Charter School’s overall performance is higher than 71% of schools in the state and is similar to its district.

■ Its students’ academic growth is higher than 42% of schools in the state and lower than its district.

■ Its four-year graduation rate is 92.2%, which is higher than 74% of high schools in the state and higher than its district.

■ 60.8% of graduates are college and career ready.

Open House November 17 Monthly Forest to Farm Tours, check website for details

Health care for women by women PremierCareForWomen.com Our team of experienced physicians provides comprehensive gynecologic services, in a compassionate environment, throughout every stage of a woman’s life.

MULTI-LEVEL Atlanta Classical Academy District: Atlanta Public Schools Grades: K-11 Clusters: Elementary, Middle, High Address: 3260 Northside Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30305

School Letter Grade: C

MIDDLE SCHOOLS Chamblee Middle School District: DeKalb County Grades: 6-8 Clusters: Middle Address: 3601 Sexton Woods Dr. Chamblee, GA 30341

School Letter Grade: C Peachtree Charter Middle School District: DeKalb County Grades: 6-8 Clusters: Middle Address: 4664 N Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30338

• Annual Well-Woman Exams • Menopausal Care • Cervical Cancer Screenings • HPV Vaccinations

• Hormone Replacement Therapy • Minimally Invasive Hysterectomies • Contraception Management • Other Gynecological Issues

OUR PHYSICIANS: Dr. Eva Arkin • Dr. Sujatha Reddy • Dr. Laura Cummings Dr. Nadine Becker • Dr. Jennifer Lyman

Call for an appointment: 404-257-0170 960 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30342

School Letter Grade: C Ridgeview Charter Middle School District: Fulton County Grades: 6-8 Clusters: Middle Address: 5340 S Trimble Rd, Sandy Springs, GA 30342

School Letter Grade: C

Sandy Springs Charter Middle School District: Fulton County Grades: 6-8 Clusters: Middle Address: 8750 Pride Place, Sandy Springs, GA 30350

School Letter Grade: C Sutton Middle School District: Atlanta Public Schools Grades: 6-8 Clusters: Middle Address: 2875 Northside Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30305

School Letter Grade: B

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Ashford Park Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 2968 Cravenridge Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30319

School Letter Grade: A Austin Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 5435 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody, GA 30338

School Letter Grade: A

Education | 41

SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

H IGH

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA | HIGH.ORG

Enjoy free admission and special programs on the second Sunday of each month.

Accepting New Patients!

Primary Care of Brookhaven is a full-service primary care practice providing the highest quality care possible to families of the Brookhaven and the Atlanta Metro Area. Our board-certified physicians, Dr. Jennifer Burkmar and Dr. Jeffrey Reznik provide care for the whole patient, and offer a full range of family medicine services, including: • Primary Care for Patients of All Ages Including Newborns • Immunizations for Children and Adults • Acute Illness Care & Chronic Disease Management • School & Sport Physicals • Women’s Health Services • Preventative Health Consultations We take pride in serving each patient with personalized attention and care, accept most insurance plans, and offer same day appointments for sick visits.

SEPT 8 • OCT 13 Designed for little kids, big kids, and the whole family, Second Sundays are for everyone. Visit us each month and experience new interactive, innovative family activities inspired by our collections and ever-changing exhibitions.

Second Sundays are sponsored by the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation.

On Your College Application Alexander Muss High School in Israel: The Ultimate College Prep Study Abroad Adventure Generous grants available for Atlanta students.

Contact Us Today!

amhsi.org recruitment@amhsi.org 800.327.5980

Jennifer Burkmar, MD, MBA, FA AFP

Jeffrey Reznik, MD, FA AFP

Call 404-365-6500 for an appointment • 4062 Peachtree Road, Suite C, Brookhaven, GA 30319 Prim ary C areofBrookhaven.com

42 | Education

We offer multidisciplinary and compassionate cancer care for patients diagnosed with melanoma, other aggressive skin cancers and sarcoma. In partnership with the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, our specialized team consisting of experts in surgical oncology, radiology, pathology, reconstructive surgery, medical and radiation oncology, and nurse navigation are available to support our patients throughout their cancer journey, from prevention and treatment through survivorship.

We are excited to welcome Dr. Nicole Kounalakis, a surgical oncologist with over 10 years of experience that specializes in providing personalized treatment options to her cancer patients. She focuses on the surgical care of conditions including:

Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News Brandon Elementary School District: Atlanta Public Schools Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 2741 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

Kittredge Magnet School District: DeKalb County Grades: 4-6 Clusters: Elementary, Middle Address: 1663 East Nancy Creek Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319

School Letter Grade: A

School Letter Grade: A

Chestnut Charter Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 4576 N Peachtree Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338

School Letter Grade: A

Nicole Kounalakis, M.D. Surgical Oncologist

NorthsideMSOG.com Phone: 404-851-6000 980 Johnson Ferry Road NE Suite 940 Atlanta, GA 30342

• Melanoma • Squamous cell and basal cell skin cancer • Merkel cell cancer • Sarcoma

Dunwoody Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 1923 Womack Road Drive Dunwoody, GA 30338

School Letter Grade: A Dunwoody Springs Elementary School District: Fulton County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 8100 Roberts Dr. Sandy Springs, GA 30350

School Letter Grade: C Garden Hills Elementary School District: Atlanta Public Schools Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 285 Sheridan Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30305

September 20th - October 13th A Comedy... Four Women... Liquid Refreshment... and... Living in the Moment...

StageDoorPlayers.net or 770-396-1726 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody GA

Lake Forest Elementary School District: Fulton County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 5920 Sandy Springs Cir, Sandy Springs, GA 30328

School Letter Grade: D Montgomery Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 3995 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30319

School Letter Grade: B Rivers Elementary School District: Atlanta Public Schools Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 8 Peachtree Battle Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30305

School Letter Grade: C Sarah Smith Elementary School District: Atlanta Public Schools Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 370 Old Ivy Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342

School Letter Grade: C

School Letter Grade: B

Heards Ferry Elementary School District: Fulton County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 6151 Powers Ferry Rd NW, Sandy Springs, GA 30339

Spalding Drive Elementary School District: Fulton County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 130 W Spalding Dr NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328

School Letter Grade: B

School Letter Grade: C

High Point Elementary School District: Fulton County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 520 Greenland Rd NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30342

Vanderlyn Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 1877 Vanderlyn Drive, Dunwoody, GA 30338

School Letter Grade: C

School Letter Grade: A

Kingsley Elementary School District: DeKalb County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 2051 Brendon Dr. Dunwoody, GA 30338

Woodland Elementary School District: Fulton County Grades: K-5 Clusters: Elementary Address: 1130 Spalding Dr, Atlanta, GA 30350

School Letter Grade: C

School Letter Grade: B

SEPTEMBER 2019

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Classifieds | 43

www.ReporterNewspapers.net

CARE GIVER

SERVICES AVAILABLE

Female Caregiver with 20 years exp. seeks to barter domestic services for a room in a nice home in the metro area.

Senior cat coming with. 470-351-7237.

Certified Respite Provider – Caring for Love Ones! Specializes in Alzheimer’s Care. Call Patricia 678-754-1831.

CEMETERY PLOTS Arlington Memorial Park - Three cemetery plots located in the Masonic section - selling for $6995 each. Call 404-403-5676.

Landscaping: Tranquil Waters Lawn Care – Hauling of debris, yard cleanup, aeration, leaf blowing, power washing, etc. Free estimates – No contract necessary – Commercial or Residential.

Senior/Veteran discounts available. Call Mike 678-662-0767.

Masonry: Driveways & Walkways – Replaced or Repaired. Masonry, Grading, Foundations repair, waterproofing and retaining walls. Call Joe 770-616-0576.

Property Home Tending – Regular inspections of your For Sale or unoccupied home. Call Charles 404-229-0490.

Home Services Directory

HELP WANTED

Handyman - Wood rot repairs, roof leaks, deck refinishing/repairs. Interior/ Exterior painting. Excellent references.

404-452-1812.

BOOK FOR SALE Parental Dementia by Keith Galas with Halle Eskew – A Guide Through All the Difficult Questions. The essential book for Dementia families. Order at www. parentaldementia.com use special code word – Mom.

YARD SALE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH, 8:00-3:00 - BROOKHAVEN FIELDS Located behind the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe MARTA station

To Advertise, call 404-917-2200 ext 110 Avoid Costly Roof Replacement *Save 80% compared to a new roof. *Extend shingle life up to 15 years. *100% environmentally friendly. *Roof tune-up included.

Call for your free inspection and no-obligation quote.

ilovehomecleanhome.com

www.preserveroofing.com https://youtu.be/M0hi7LbX03g

No Lock-In Contracts

AT YOUR SERVICE Repairs & New installation

Showroom, Design, Build

SHOWROOM

IN HOME CONSULTATION

404-910-3969

www.RemodelingExpo.com

48 KING STREET ROSWELL, GA 30075

Plumbing Appliances Water Heaters Shower Pan Leaks

404-219-1923 justTRASHit!

SINCE 1986

JUNK REMOVAL & RECYCLING

ROOFING

We Haul Away: We Clean Out:

REMEDIES WINDOWS

REPAIRS LEAKS 404-697-6937

Windows And Doors

Buy with confidence!

Visit our showroom in Chamblee!

770-939-5634 quinnwindows.com 3660 N. Peachtree Rd • Chamblee, GA 30341

*Furniture *Appliances *Construction *Pianos *Hot tubs *Paint cans

*Basements *Garages *Attics *Offices *Storage units *Estate sales

(770) 314-9867 www.justTRASHit.com

Oriental Rug Shop Antique and Decorative Rugs since 1976

Sales, Cleaning, Restorations, Appraisals, Pick-up & Delivery 5548 Peachtree Ind. Blvd Chamblee, GA 30341 770-452-0430

Best Selection & Values 1.5 miles inside 285 in Chamblee Plaza

www.PersianRugParadise.net

40%

Cleaning & Repair of OFF All Rugs

VISIT WEBSITE TODAY!

Preserve Roofing 770-314-9867

Kitchen Bathroom Basement

Georgia Commission on the Holocaust – Volunteer Opportunity. Greeters for Anne Frank in the World Exhibit 1929-45 - 5920 Roswell Rd. Sandy Springs 30328.

Bring the lessons of the Holocaust to life, make A difference, help visitors understand dangers of prejudice, discrimination and hate to make a difference, engage with your community - training provided. A monthly commitment and 2 hour shifts required: Tuesday- Thursday 10- 4pm, Saturday-Sunday 12-4 pm. Call Sandra Craine 770 206-1558.

Sam 770-450-5955

ALL TREES REMOVED OR TRIMMED BIG AND SMALL RELAX WE DO THEM ALL

404-944-0016 FULLY LICENSED and INSURED

Belco Electric

• Family Owned since 1972 • Fast, Dependable Service by Professional, Uniformed Electricians

770-455-4556

Check out our new website www.BelcoInc.com and follow us on

Fall Clean-up Special With two professional in-house polishers, we can make your silver flatware, tea sets, bowls and trays more beautiful than ever before.

Bring it by or call us for an estimate today!

Atlanta’s Premier

• Window Cleaning • Gutter Cleaning • Pressure Washing • Family Owned • Licensed and Insured • Free Estimates

since 1968

404.355.1901

With coupon. One per family.

www.WindowCleanAtl.com “Serving Metro Atlanta Since 1998”

• PAINTING • WINDOWS • SIDING

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED BONDED & INSURED PROFESSIONAL & RELIABLE Serving Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Brookhaven, and Peachtree Corners

MrHandyman.com (770) 852-5453

• GUTTERS

770-971-1577

www.paintingplus.com

• ROOFING

44 |

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SANDY SPRINGS MUSEUM AND PARK

FREE!

FESTIVAL SEPT 28 & 29

5K

SANDY SPRINGS 10K The Heart of Our Community since 1984

sandyspringsfestival.com