Grady Brag Sheet 2010-2011
As of August 5, 2011
Academics:
Grady’s 2010 average SAT score was 1482, which is higher than the state average of
1453.
Benjamin Gittelson is Grady’s valedictorian and Samuel Weinstock is Grady’s 2011
salutatorian. Ben and Sam are also our STAR Students with both scoring an
impressive 2320 on the SAT. Both named Mr. Andrew Nichols as their STAR
Teacher.
Ashley Brown and Grayson Fuller are Grady High School’s 2011 National
Achievement Scholarship Winners.
The College Board announced that Grady has been named to two honors:
• An AP Access and Support School is one where 30% of the students that are
African American or Hispanic score 3 or higher on all AP exams.
• An AP STEM School is one where students test in at least two AP Math courses
and two AP science courses and where at least 40% percent of the exam scores in
AP math and science are 3 or higher.
Four schools were recognized in APS, but Grady was cited for two areas and the other
schools were cited for one. Many thanks to Mr. Andrew Nichols for his leadership with
the AP Program.
Grady High School is one of only 5 high schools to receive the College Board 2011
Inspiration Honorable Mention Award which carries with it a $1,000 stipend. The
awards are given to those select high schools for improving their academic environments
and helping underserved students achieve equitable access to higher education,
overcoming remarkable obstacles in the process.
2011 Governor’s Honors Program Finalists:
Marcus Jackson and Robert Pierce (Career Education and Technology)
Zoe Hamilton, Isabelle Taft, and Olivia Veira (Communicative Arts)
Julia Rapoport and Justin Williams (Mathematics)
Shaun Kleber and Elizabeth McGlamry (Social Studies).
2011 Alternates: Camille Harris and Katherine Taber (Career Education and
Technology), Debra Harris, Ciena Leshley, and Micah Turpeau (Communicative Arts),
Daniel Baggerman, Eloisa Cleveland, and Olivia Simonton (Foreign Language), Troy
Kleber (Mathematics), Tatiana Johnson, Samuel Moore, and Phillip Suitts (Social
Studies), and Quameecha Grandoit and Caitlin Wade (Theatre).
Governor’s Honors Program 2011 Alternates:
Communicative Arts: Zoe Hamilton
Foreign Language: Vivien Feria
Mathematics: Kelsey Hubbard
Instrumental Music: Raven Davenport, Lance Thomas
Social Studies: Alix Youngblood
Akinbola Richardson has been awarded a Certificate of Accomplishment from the
Princeton Prize in Race Relations for his work using Yoga to unify students of different
races and backgrounds.
Eloisa Cleveland, a junior, has been selected as a Telluride Scholar which makes her
one of only 64 applicants able to attend a six-week seminar entitled “Visions of America
From Abroad” this summer at the University of Michigan.
Andrew Cleveland, a Grady junior, will attend the Meadowmount School of Music this
summer in upstate New York. Andrew will spend seven weeks at the prestigious school
for accomplished young violinists, violists, cellists, and pianists as they train for
professional careers in music.
Social Studies:
Olivia Volkert and Allison Rapoport advanced to the State Social Studies
Competition with a first place finish at Regionals with “Best in Fair” honors. Kudos to
Ms. Susan Salvesen for supporting our students in developing their award-winning
project, Small Change: Big Impact.
Please congratulate Armani Owens and Emma Jackson on a 2nd place finish in Class
IV (11th-12thgrade level) at the Regional Social Studies Fair. Please also congratulate
Jaylin Lucas for a 3rd place finish in Class IV at Regionals.
The National Black Caucus of State Legislatures convened in Atlanta and conducted
the Youth Congress Day for high school students. Our students interacted with State
Legislators from throughout the nation. Congratulations to Ashley Brown and Reginald
Hutchins who were elected “Congressional Leaders for the Day”---Speaker of the House
and Lieutenant Governor, respectively.
Please congratulate Emma Jackson, Jaylin Lucas, and Armani Owens social studies
fair projects have been approved to go to the regional social studies fair! Jaylin’s
psychology project was on Alzheimer’s and Emma & Armani’s was on Schizophrenia.
Also, thanks to Ms. Sabb for facilitating their success by arranging for them to go to the
city social studies fair.
Also congratulate Olivia Volkert, Allison Rapoport, Orli Hendler, and Eliza Renner!
They advanced in the junior class division of the Regional Academic One Fair for
Social Studies. Both teams submitted geography projects.
Foreign Language:
Jessica Alexander is studying in France for the 2011 spring semester. She returns to
Grady High School on March 16.
Under the tutelage of Mr. Scott Allen, great honors were achieved by Grady students at
the 2011 State Latin Convention. In the area of academic exams:
Latin I – Preston Choi, 10th place Latin Derivatives; Rachel Klika, 9th place
Latin Derivatives; and Sam Tomaka, 4th place Latin Derivatives, 6th place Quotes and
Mottos, 9th place Roman Daily Life, and 10th place Latin Derivatives.
Latin II – Lucy Bradley, 8th place Ancient Geography and 10th place Roman
History; Jeffrey Cox, 9th place Latin Derivatives and 10th place Vocabulary; Sammi
Dean, 8th place Latin Derivatives; Deborah Harris, 5th place Latin Derivatives and 6th
place Greek Derivatives; Lyra Morrison, 5th place Greek Derivatives and 8th place Latin
Derivatives; Dominic Romeo, 9th place Latin Derivatives; and Isabelle Taft, 10th place
Roman Daily Life.
Latin III - Danny Baggerman, 6th place Latin Grammar and 8th place Latin
Derivatives.
AP Latin – Ethan Campbell, 4th place Reading Comprehension Prose, 4th place
Reading Comprehension Vergil, 5th place Mythology, 6th place Vocabulary, 6th place
Latin Derivatives, 8th place Roman Daily Life, and 9th place Latin Grammar.
Latin Convention Activities –
*Basketball team (Jahna Howard, Ashley Germany, Deya Bowers, Jeffery Cox,
Anatole, Chandler Organ, and Micah Turpeau) placed 3rd.
*Isabelle Taft placed 4th in the long distance run.
*Lyra Morrison placed 1st in the girl’s costume contest.
*Charles Denton placed 3rd in the boy’s costume contest.
*Preston Choi placed 1st in the impromptu arts contest.
*Latin II Certamen Team (Deborah Harris, Isabelle Taft, Lucy Bradley & Sammi
Dean) placed 5th.
*Latin I Certamen Team (Rachael Klika, Allison Rapoport, Jamie Reid, & Deya
Bowers) placed 10th.
Exemplary results were achieved for Grady’s Latin I students on the challenging forty
question 2011 National Latin Exam. Winning students were:
Gold Medal Winners: Summa Cum Laude (36-40 correct)
Noor Chaudhry (39 of 40 correct), Eli Mansbach (39 of 40 correct), Allison
Rapoport, and Quinn Mulholland.
Silver Medal Winners: Maxima Cum Laude (33-35 correct)
Zoe Schneider, Olivia Volkert, Deya Bowers, JD Capelouto, Declan Farrisee, Orli
Hendler, Micah Turpeau, Eliza Renner, and Isaac Rehg.
Magna Cum Laude (31-32 correct),
Sam Tomaka, Callie Hendrick, Archie Kinnane, Preston Choi, Zachary Davis,
Lamar Benefield, Kathy Zakharova, and Ben Searles.
Cum Laude (29-30 correct)
Axel Olson, Rion Turner, Sebastian DiFrancesco, Maya Baumeister, and Josh
Weinstock.
Honorable Mention
Ryan Switzer, Ashley Germany, Max Dusenberry, Rachel Klika, Alex Cantrell,
Sonny Romeo, and Zac Carter.
Grady High School’s Spring European Tour Participants were: Danny Baggerman,
Ashley Brown, Helen Eifrid, Kiana Colquitt, Becca Daniels, Murphy DeMeglio, Grace
Diehl, Vivian Feria, Briana Fullwood, Shelby Garcia, Savannh Gress, Asha Haki-Tyler,
Reggie Hutchins, Max Kocsisszucs, Tene Lewis, April McFadden, Paige Meade, Chloe
Morris, Sarah Nicholson, Glory Nix, Emma Powers, Kathleen Quillian, Tia Ricks, Janae
Robinson, Mary Sommerville, Jonathan Stone, Zoe Taylor, and Frank Williamson.
2011 Grady High School participants in the State Academic Fair are: Archer Kinnane,
Tucker Lancaster, Jason Lathbury, Quinn Mulholland, Zoe Schneider, and Joshua
Weinstock. Jason, APS’ individual winner, will represent the system at the International
Fair which will take place in Los Angeles.
Congratulations to the 46 Grady High School students who participated for the first time
in the National French Conference “Le Grand Concours”. All performed
exceptionally well in this rigorous competition.
The following students were inducted into the National Honor Society: Taylor Allen,
Abena Amoakuh, Daniel Baggerman, Aja Blair, Carmen Booker, Eve Brown, David
Bufkin, Jasmine-Sky Burnett, Ethan Campbell-Taylor, Minshen Cao, Zoe Cato, Noor-ulain Chaudhry, Holden Choi, Emily Clay, Eloisa Cleveland, Kenneth Cochran, Chantil
Coleman, Larson Collier, Molly Daniel, Benjamin Dean, John Douglas, Christina
Durden=, Kathryn Edge, Brandon Edmondson, Amber Eldridge, Brianna Fairley, Caelan
Fields, Grayson Garrett, Madeleine Girardot, Quameiha Grandoit, Kahlil Griffin\,
Gabrielle Hall, Zoe Hamilton, Lauren Harper, Camille Harris, Alexandra Hazell, Rufus
Huffman, Nathan James, Atiana Johnson, Lee Johnson, Ryan Jones, Marquis Junior,
Madison Keiger, Shaun Kleber, Cecelia Kinnane, Max Kocsis-Szucs , Sydney
Kruszewski, Krysta Lamotte, LeJoi Lane, Lucy Leonard , Margaret McDonald-Smith,
Elizabeth McGlamry, Danielle Miller, Audrey Miller, Kallie Monroe, Cheryn Moore,
Samuel Moore, Hai Nguyen, Lukas Olson, Lora Paine, Kristin Patrick, Julia Rapoport,
Cheyn Shah, Gabrielle Siegel, Jeshua Silvers, Kiah Simmons, Phillip Suitts, Zoe Taylor,
Steve Terry, Nogc Tran, Micah Turpeau, Audrey Vaughn, Caitlin Wade, DyShondra
Walton, John Webster, Elizabeth Westmoreland, Courtney Yancey, Alix Youngblood.
They join current NHS member, Ashley Brown,, Sarah Burke, Grace Diehl, Emily
Drabik Stevens, Allison Duke, Max Erwin, Alexander Fritzinger-Pittman, Grayson
Fuller, Briana Fullwood, Mason Gepp, Asha Haki Tyler, Ferleria Hemingway, Taylor
Jones, Demitria Lyles, Alexandra Mccoll, April McFadden, Triet Nguyen, Glory Nix,
David Olson, Emma Powers, Olivia Roorbach, Adelaide Ruff, Jonathan Stone, Taylor
Walker, Daniel Wilco, Sarah Wingate, and Elise Yancey.
Athletics:
The Grady Cross Country teams (both boys and girls) won 1st place at the APS City
Championship Meet at Grant Park. Juniors Nalley Kinnane and Zane Coburn are the
City Champs having both placed first in their respective championship races.
Congratulations to Grady's XC coaches Jeff Cramer, George Darden and Jacob Hackett
on their teams' successes! Please also congratulate the following students on their
accomplishment: Nalley Kinnane, Alix Youngblood, Alison Rappoport, Ellen Ericison,
Isabell Taft, Molly Daniel, Taylor Allen, Zane Coburn, Alex Pittman, Dominic Romeo,
Sonny Romeo, Austin Burch, Archie Kinnane, and Adrian D'Avanzo.
Both the girls and boys cross country teams qualified for the state championship meet
in Carrollton. The boys finished 4th in the region 5AAA meet, and the girls were 3rd in
their race. The top four schools from each region advance. Of the thirty two AAA
schools at the state meet, the girls cross country team finished 13th overall and the boys
team was 15th in their race. Zane Coburn was 8th individually for the boys, earning a
place on the awards podium.
The Grady football team defeated Cedar Grove Saints 17-6 to become the Region 5 AAA champions! Congratulations go to Grady running backs Marcus Caffey and
Hoderick Lowe who combined for 220 yards and junior safety Quintavious Knight who
picked off a pass from the Saints’ quarterback and ran 35 yards for a touchdown. This is
Grady’s first region championship since 2006.
Congrats to the Grady High School swim team that qualified over 12 swimmers for the
state championships. The following students competed in the Georgia High School State
Championships: Olivia Roorbach, Lily Trapkin, Julia Rapoport, Barri Jones, Ellen
Ericison, Lindsey Leonard, Shaun Kleber, Troy Kleber, Luke Paddok, Tyler Olson, Axl
Olson, Jafa Fielder, and Taylor Allen.
2011 Men’s Basketball Team lost 56-55 in double overtime to Allatoona in the first
round of the state playoffs.
The Men’s Track Team under the direction of Coach Delbert Ellerton recently won the
2011 City of Atlanta Track Championships. Winning their events for the Grey
Knights were: Shomari Gervin – pole vault, Rico Smith – high jump, Zane Coburn – 800
& 1600, Bailey Roth – 3200, and the 4X100 relay team of Hoderick Lowe, Rosi
Stephens, Hughston Leaks, and Damian Swann. In addition, Zane Coburn and Rico
Smith won awards for scoring the most points of any athletes in the meet.
Congratulations to the Grady High School athletes that placed in the State 5-AAA Track
Meet. Zane Coburn received first place in the 800 meter event and then placed third in
the 1600. Grady’s 400 meter relay team placed eighth. Relay runners included Houston
Leaks, Damian Swann, Gray Quiller, Rosi Stevens, Hoderick Lowe, and Akinbola
Richardson.
Grady’s Track Team placed 3rd overall in the 2011 Region 5-AAA Track Meet.
Sharcora Thomas represented Grady High School in the Georgia Women’s Region 5 AAA Golf Tournament at Wolf Creek Golf Club.
The Men’s Tennis Team won its first round of the Region 5-AAA Tennis Tournament
by beating Stone Mountain High School but lost its second round to Riverwood. The
Women’s Tennis Team that had been seeded fourth in the region drew a first round bye
and then lost in the second round to North Springs.
Grady’s Ultimate Team will compete in the National Tournament in Philadelphia.
The team, coached by Susan Mercer, consists of Ollie Aberle-Grasse, Traver Batson,
Rechard Byrd, JD Capelouto, Chris Carson, Larson Collier, Aaron Cooper, Sebastian di
Francesco, Michael Dillard, Jack Douglas, Doran Draluck, Riley Erickson, Alex Glick,
Felix Jaffin, Caleb Shorthouse, Josh Weinstock, Patrick Wise, and Will Staples.
The Ultimate Team placed 1st in the USA Ultimate High School Championships –
Open Division.
Publications/Broadcast Programs:
Grady News Now (GNN) won the prestigious Pacemaker Award at the 2010 National
Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) conference in Kansas City, Missouri, on November
13, 2010. The award signifies that GNN ranks as one the top five scholastic broadcast
programs in the nation. This is GNN’s third Pacemaker Award.
GNN also took first place Best in Show at the NSPA fall convention. In competition
with the very best scholastic broadcast programs from all over the country, GNN is
number one!
Grady students won individual awards at the NSPA fall convention. Ben Gittelson of
the Southerner earned an honorable mention in the 2010 NSPA News Photo of the Year
competition for a November 2009 picture of Kasim Reed celebrating the election results
that sent him into a runoff. Ben was one of only five photographers to win an award in
the news category. In the Journalism Educator’s Association (JEA) Write-Off
Competition, Kathleen Quillian (Southerner) earned a superior rating in the Podcast
competition. Ashley Brown (news writing), Daniel Wilco (feature writing) of
Southerner, Sarah Wingate (newsmagazine design) of Nexus, and Lindsey Ferris
(broadcast public service announcement) of GNN earned excellent ratings. Jonathan
Stone (yearbook clubs copy and captions) of The Orator earned an honorable mention.
The Southerner was recognized an NSPA Pacemaker Award finalist, one of only 56
newspapers so honored.
The 2009-2010 Nexus staff has earned the prestigious Columbia Scholastic Press
Association Gold Medal. It is the first time in the magazine's six-year history that the
Nexus staff has earned CSPA's top evaluation rating. The award is given to outstanding
publications that excel in three categories: organization, content and design. The CSPA
judge praised the magazine’s excellent professionalism and its commitment to accurate
reporting.
For the fifth time in the past six years and for the third year in a row, The Southerner has
earned the George H. Gallup Award, the highest honor presented by the Quill and
Scroll International Society for High School Journalists.
The Orator yearbook at Grady High School has been chosen as one of the select few to
be included in the 2010 edition of Walsworth Publishing Company's prestigious
Possibilities publication. Possibilities is an annual idea book produced by Walsworth
that is designed to showcase some of the best work done by the company's yearbooks
over the previous year and includes examples of outstanding theme development, design,
writing and photography. The Grady High School yearbook was produced under the
direction of Susie Mercer and Paul Nicolson. yearbook adviser.
Seniors Demitria Lyles and Alexandra McColl will hosted the first episode of APS
Today for the 2010-2011 school year. The production was shot Wednesday, September
1, 2010 in Grady Stadium.
As the state high school football playoff action started heating up, Talk Up APS asked
Mason Gepp, a Grady journalist, to provide a bird’s eye view of Grady’s chances against
Gilmer. (Grady won its game 48-0, while Mays fell 52-31. Read Mason’s article at:
http://bit.ly/acR3Bp
A 2009-2010 Nexus page design has been included in Best of the High School Press
Vol. 16, a publication of the National Scholastic Press Association. The page design was
created by Nexus managing editor Murphy DeMeglio and features an illustration by
photo editor Allie Duke and a column by cuisine section editor, Willamae Boling.
Grady News Now (GNN) won the prestigious Pacemaker Award at the 2010 National
Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) conference in Kansas City on Nov. 13, 2010. The
award signifies that GNN ranks as one the top five scholastic broadcast programs in the
nation. This is GNN’s third Pacemaker Award. GNN also took first place Best in Show
at the NSPA fall convention. In competition with the very best scholastic broadcast
programs from all over the country, GNN is No. 1!
Grady students won individual awards at the NSPA fall convention. Ben Gittelson of
the Southerner earned an honorable mention in the 2010 NSPA News Photo of the Year
competition for a November 2009 picture of Kasim Reed celebrating the election results
that sent him into a runoff. Ben was one of only five photographers to win an award in
the news category.
The Southerner was recognized an NSPA Pacemaker Award finalist, one of only 56
newspapers so honored.
A 2009-2010 Nexus page design was included in Best of the High School Press Vol. 16,
a publication of the National Scholastic Press Association. The page design was created
by Nexus managing editor Murphy DeMeglio and features an illustration by photo editor
Allie Duke and a column by cuisine section editor, Willamae Boling.
The following students earned recognition on the 2011 NSPA Honor Roll: Ashley
Brown, Jasmine Burnett, Murphy DeMeglio, Molly Daniel, John Douglas, Grayson
Fuller, Mason Gepp, Benjamin Gittelson, Lauren Harper, Cecilia Kinnane, Shaun
Kleber, Lucy Leonard, April McFadden, Elizabeth McGlamry, Alexander Page,
Emma Powers, Gabrielle Siegal, Phillip Suitts, Steve Terry, Audrey Vaughn,
Samuel Weinstock, Sarah Wingate, and Alix Youngblood.
Journalism Education Association:
In the JEA Write-Off Competition held in Kansas City on Friday Nov. 12, Kathleen
Quillian (Southerner) earned a superior rating in the Podcast competition. Ashley
Brown (news writing), Daniel Wilco (feature writing) of Southerner, Sarah Wingate
(newsmagazine design) of Nexus, and Lindsey Ferris (broadcast public service
announcement) of GNN earned excellent ratings. Jonathan Stone (yearbook clubs copy
and captions) of The Orator earned an honorable mention.
Columbia Scholastic Press Association:
The Southerner was one of only 42 high school newspaper to earn a 2011 Crown
Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. It was the staff’s sixth Crown
Award in the last seven years.
The 2009-2010 Nexus staff earned the prestigious Columbia Scholastic Press
Association Gold Medal. It is the first time in the magazine's history that the Nexus staff
has earned CSPA's top evaluation rating. The award is given to outstanding publications
that excel in three categories: organization, content and design. The CSPA judge praised
the magazine’s excellent professionalism and its commitment to accurate reporting.
The staffs of Nexus and The Southerner also combined to win 15 2010 CSPA Gold
Circle Awards. The Southerner staff earned first place in the nation in page-one design
in the black-and-white tabloid category. Nexus staff members Jake Simonds Malamud
(magazine color information graphic) and Darian Mathews (magazine cartoon) and
Southerner staff member Caroline McKay (newspaper information graphics portfolio)
each won second place in their respective categories. Southerner staff members Emma
Powers (black-and-white newspaper information graphic) and Elliott Erickson (single
black-and-white sports photograph) earned third-place awards. Comment editors Jane
Beal and Shelby Rudd and co-managing editor Madeline Roorbach shared a third-place
award in the op-ed page design category for tabloid newspapers. The Southerner staff
also earned third place for newspaper caption writing. Jake Simonds-Malamud
(magazine non-fiction interview story) and Alexandra McColl (magazine essay) of
Nexus won certificates of merit. Caroline McKay (news writing), Emma Powers
(personal opinion writing, on-campus issues) and Paula Harding (single black-and-white
spot news photograph) of The Southerner also earned certificates of merit. The
Southerner staff earned another certificate of merit in the overall design category for
tabloid format newspapers.
Quill and Scroll Society
For the fifth time in the past six years and for the third year in a row, The Southerner
earned the George H. Gallup Award, the highest honor presented by the Quill and
Scroll International Society for High School Journalists.
The Southerner staff also captured five National Award Gold Key Awards in the 2011
International Writing and Photography Contest, sponsored by Quill and Scroll and the
American Society of News Editors. Sam Weinstock and Alex Page earned Gold Key
Awards in the feature writing category while Emma Powers earned a Gold Key Award
in the editorial cartoon category. Daniel Wilco earned a Gold Key Award in sports
photography, and Sam Weinstock and LeJoi Lane earned a Gold Award in in-depth
team reporting for the stories they wrote for the “Pride and Prejudice” centerspread
feature in the November 2010 issue of The Southerner.
The Orator yearbook at Grady High School has been chosen as one of the select few to
be included in the 2010 edition of Walsworth Publishing Company's prestigious
Possibilities publication. Possibilities is an annual idea book produced by Walsworth
that is designed to showcase some of the best work done by the company's yearbooks
over the previous year and includes examples of outstanding theme development, design,
writing and photography. The yearbook was produced under the direction of Susie
Mercer and Paul Nicolson, yearbook advisers.
APS opportunities
Seniors Demitria Lyles and Alexandra McColl hosted the first episode of APS Today
for the 2010-2011 school year. The production was shot Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 in
Grady Stadium.
As the state high school football playoff action started heating up, Talk Up APS asked
Mason Gepp, a Grady journalist, to provide a bird’s eye view of Grady’s chances against
Gilmer. Grady won 48-0. Read Mason’s article at: http://bit.ly/acR3Bp
Southern Interscholastic Press Association
SIPA awarded its highest evaluation rating, All-Southern, to The Southerner in the fall of
2010. Also, print journalists from The Southerner and Nexus earned awards in the 2011
SIP Mail-In Contest. First-place honors went to Ashley Brown (staff editorial), Steven
Terry and Shaun Kleber (news cutlines) and Mason Gepp (sports cutlines). Secondplace honors went to Elizabeth McGlamry (news story), Amelia Kovacevich (review
story), and Ashley Brown (news cutlines). Nile Kendall earned two third-place awards
(sports story and news cutlines). Murphy DeMeglio (entertainment/feature column),
Phillip Suitts (sports story) and Lauren Scott (personality feature story) earned
honorable mention.
Georgia Scholastic Press Association
Grady News Now and The Southerner earned General Excellence Awards, and
Southerner reporter Shaun Kleber was named the Junior Journalist of the Year at the
2011 Georgia Scholastic Press Association Awards Assembly held April 28 on the
campus of the University of Georgia.
Grady’s publication and broadcast programs combined to win 42 individual awards
including 13 All-Georgia (or Best in State) awards. Senior Ben Gittelson, co-managing
editor of The Southerner was named one of two runners-up as the Georgia Champion
Journalist (or Journalist of the Year).
The Southerner also was recognized for having the Best News Coverage and the Best
Editorial Coverage in the state.
Grady News Now and Gametime swept the broadcast categories entirely as Grady won all
eight individual awards that were announced.
The Southerner staff captured six All-Georgia awards and 20 Superior awards. Nexus
pulled in three All-Georgia awards to go with five Superior awards.
Complete results are listed below.
GSPA Staff Awards
General Excellence
Grady News Now
The Southerner
Superior rating
Grady News Now
The Southerner
Excellent rating
Gametime
Nexus
The Orator
thesoutherneronline.com
The Unmasking
Best News Coverage
The Southerner
Best Editorial Coverage
The Southerner
GSPA Individual Awards
Gerogia Champion Journalist
Ben Gittelson, runner-up
Junior Champion Journalist
Shaun Kleber, winner
All-Georgia (Best in State) - 13
Broadcast News Package
Alexandra McColl, “American Families Award,” Grady News Now
Broadcast Feature Package
Zoe Taylor, “Knight in the Limelight,” Grady News Now
Broadcast Production
Lindsey Ferris, “Important African-American in History (Bad Brains),” Grady News Now
Broadcast Sports Package
Kourtney Outlaw, “The Real Damian Swann Story”
Artwork (Magazine)
Perrin Turner, “Intricate Swirls,” Nexus
Cover Design (Magazine)
Murphy DeMeglio and April McFadden, “Nexus Cultural Cover,” Nexus
Photograph (Magazine)
Allie Duke, “Child Play,” Nexus
News Story
Nile Kendall, “Biology Dissected: 7 weeks, 1 lesson,” The Southerner
In-Depth News Story
Sam Weinstock and Ben Gittelson, “Black and White,” The Southerner
Feature Profile
Lucy Leonard, “Mayor of Adair Says Cameras See What People Can’t,” The Southerner
House Editorials
Ashley Brown and Ben Gittelson, “APS No Honest Abe,” The Southerner
Sports Column
Daniel Wilco, “My Grady Basketball Experience is Really Worth a Sit,” The Southerner
Photo Essay
Lucy Leonard, “Gauntlet Goes 4-2 at Tourney,” The Southerner
Superior - 29
Broadcast News Package
Arleshea Wright and Carmen Booker, “MARTA Cuts,” Grady News Now
Broadcast Feature Package
Arielle Clay and Sefenech Henok, “Best of Atlanta: King of Pop,” Grady News Now
Broadcast Production
Lindsey Ferris, “Candy’s Christmas,” Grady News Now
Artwork (Magazine)
Lindsey Ferris, “Senior’s Lines and Squiggles Convey Much More Meaning than Meets
the Eye,” Nexus
Photograph (Magazine)
Connor Singh, “Nail Art,” The Unmasking
News Story
Sam Weinstock, “Dysfunctional School Board Fractures Over Accountability,” The
Southerner
In-Depth News Story
Shaun Kleber, “Pencil Me Out: Students, Teachers Denounce GHSGT Diagnostics, The
Southerner
Column
Deranda Butler, “Finding a Different Girl in the Mirror,” The Southerner
Opposing Viewpoints Column
Ngoc Vu, “Femininsm Failed Movement,” and
Willamae Boling, “Still Going On and Still Going Strong,” Nexus
House Editorials
Sam Weinstock, “Fair Media Crucial,” The Southerner
Commentary
Grayson Fuller, “Feeling Overwhelmed? Follow a Senior’s Advice: Just Sleep on It,” The
Southerner
Emma Powers, “Education Gimmicks Can’t Fix Schools,” The Southerner
April McFadden, “Awareness on My Mind/Where are the Public Schools in Town,”
Nexus
Elizabeth McGlamry, “New Curriculum Fails Its Students,” The Southerner
Critical Review
Jack Douglas, “Cake Album Takes the Cake for Fans,” Nexus
Sports News Story
Mason Gepp, “Seniors Take Talent to College,” The Southerner
Nally Kinnane, “Court: Riverwood Illegally Recruits APS Students,” The Southerner
Sports Game Coverage
Taylor Jones, “Knights Lose Heartbreaker in State Playoff Opener,” The Southerner
Sports Feature Coverage
Nally Kinnane, “Former Coaches Receive Stadium Nominations,” The Southerner
Headline Writing
Ashley Brown, “Late Buses Drive Tardiness Plague,” The Southerner
Caption Writing
Daniel Wilco, The Southerner
Editorial Cartoon
Emma Powers, “Before Pressing Send...,” The Southerner
Sports Photograph
Lucy Leonard, “Disc Management,” The Southerner
News Photograph
Elliott Erickson, “Assistant Principal Roosevelt Foreman Out on Medical Leave,” The
Southerner
Daniel Wilco, “Can You Feel the Love?” The Southerner
Feature Photograph
Lauren Scott, “Face in the Crowd,” The Southerner
Allie Duke, “Hairspray,” Nexus
Illustration
Rachel Cruz, “My Grady Basketball Experience,” The Southerner
Doubletruck Layout Design
Grayson Fuller, “Pencil Me Out,” The Southerner
Design:
Georgia Tech's School of Architecture and IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of
America) partnered with Grady's Design program to create collaborative lessons
through an inaugural outreach program, the OutReach 2010 Product Challenge:
Designing for Urban Outdoors. The goal was to share educational resources with
students who might be receptive to industrial design as a possible career choice. The
culminating event was a showcase of the collaborative work of Georgia Tech, IDSA
and Grady for the public during Atlanta Design Week, October 23 - 31. Congratulations
to Grady design teacher Trisha Kendall and her students for an innovative, collaborative
initiative.
The following students are the first to qualify as completers within Grady High School’s
Graphic Design Career Pathway: Chloe Morris, Alexander Fritzinger- Pittman,
Megan Estell, Javier Heard, Max Erwin, and Jacob Simonds-Malamud. These students
have completed a minimum of three courses within the Graphic Design Career Tech
Education program (CTE) as designated by the state of Georgia. They have earned a
supplemental certificate/designation along with their diploma and designation as
“industry certified” in this field of study. They were honored at CTE luncheon in April.
Visual Arts:
Kathleen Quillian was a winner in the 2010 International Student Media Festival for
her live action media coverage of arson at The Paideia School's "Mother Goose" building.
Congratulations to Kathleen and her sponsor, Grady radio teacher Joe Hirsch.
This year, Creative Loafing partnered with Atlanta Celebrates Photography for its My
Atlanta exhibit. 2010 was a record-setting year for the annual exhibit, tallying 713
photographs judged in 16 categories. Two Grady students were recognized:
Paula Harding, Atlanta Winner: Best use of black and white, for her photo
“Waiting,” 2009.
Meredith Campis, 3rd place ages 13-18 for her photo "Three Shadows on a Barn
Door," 2010.
Check out Creative Loafing’s photo essay of the event at:
http://clatl.com/gyrobase/atlantans-celebratephotography/Content?oid=2185435&showFullText=true
Jael Pettigrew was accepted into the photography program at SCAD Atlanta
Paula Harding was accepted as Publications Photographer at Idyllwild School of Music
and the Arts in Idyllwild CA.
Students in the UrbanCouture fashion design program took a stand against human
trafficking. Grady students modeled their designs in the Drop Dead Gorgeous (DDG)
fall annual fashion benefit.
Grady High’s Urban Couture program, under the tutelage of art teacher Vincent
Martinez, was able to reschedule its annual “Doggies on the Catwalk” fashion show at
the Grady gym for Jan. 21, 2011. The event originally was scheduled for Jan. 14 but was
postponed because of the inclement weather that closed schools around APS from Jan.
10-14. We’ll have more coverage on the show in next week’s digest, but in the meantime,
enjoy the video inside the link below.
Read more: http://bit.ly/h0oasr
The brainchild of Grady High School senior Perrin Turner, the Art Throwdown
brought students from high schools across Atlanta to engage in a different kind of art
competition. Similar to a competitive reality show on television, each young artist is
faced with a challenge: drawing when you can’t see your hands or the paper; drawing
from live models; and working with a group of artists to construct a sculpture in 30
minutes or less. Student artists worked in front of an appreciative audience for the entire
evening. Nationally-recognized Atlanta artist Fahamou Peccou served as the official Art
Throwdown judge. Hosted by the Janke Glass Studio at StudioPlex on Auburn Avenue,
the Art Throwdown started at 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 29th. Teams from Grady High
School and North Atlanta High School arrived to compete in both the individual and team
contests. After the drilling, hammering, and improvisation was over, Art Throwdown
Judge Peccou announced that the winning school was Grady High.
Please congratulate Chase Maxson, Eve Brown, and Meredith Campis whose work
was accepted into the Dogwood Festival Regional High School Art exhibit.
Students in the UrbanCouture fashion design program took a stand against human
trafficking. Grady students modeled their designs in the Drop Dead Gorgeous (DDG)
fall annual fashion benefit.
The art work of Eve Brown, Meredith Campis, and Chase Maxson have been accepted
for exhibition in the 2011 Dogwood Festival High School Art Competition. Their
work is part of the 15% of the entries that were chosen to hang in the show!
Music and Performing Arts:
The Grady drama department won the Region 5AAA One-act competition for their
play, "All in the Timing." In addition, Grady took home several awards, including Best
Actress (Deya Bowers), Best Tech crew (see below), and All-region cast (Ethan
Campbell-Taylor, Daniel Gilstrap, and Eliza Renner). Please congratulate these students
for a job well done:
Cast: Will Bradley, Eliza Renner, Deya Bowers, Rachel Klika, Daniel Gilstrap,
Cheyn Shah, Lillian Loatman, Briana Slade, Caitlin Wade, Elijah Jordan,
Olatundae Richardson, Olivia Volkert, Orli Hendler, Alec Bruno, Deya Bowers,
Najla Daugherty, Ethan Campbell-Taylor, Krysta Lamotte, Preston Choi
Tech Crew: JD Capelouto (sound), Eli Mansbach (lights), Mariana Elias (TD),
Katie Edge (SM), Aaron Gibbs (ASM), Tucker Lancaster, Maura Elias, Davis
Kennedy, Simon McClane, Suhmer Robinson, Johnathan Holt-Underwood
Congratulate Jeffrey Cox and Jordan Holiman for passing the first audition of District
Five All State Jazz. Jeffrey Cox, trumpet, was selected as 3rd chair in the All-State Jazz
Band.
Please congratulate Jahra Gholston- she placed 2nd in the regional Poetry Out Loud
competition and advanced to the state competition to be held on March 20th.
The following students passed the first auditions to All State in their auditions with the
Georgia Music Educators’ Association: Andrew Cleveland, cello; Ben Gittelson,
violin; Adam Schatz, viola; and Kiah Simons, bass; and Justin Williams, clarinet.
Raven Davenport won a seat at Georgia State Honors Orchestra.
Some members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have provided master classes to
our orchestra music students throughout the year.
Erin Bailie was selected for All-State Band.
James Taylor was selected to sing with the All-State Chorus and All-State Sight
Reading Chorus.
Kiah Simmons won the position of first chair bass with the All-State Orchestra. Kiah
also sang with the All-State Chorus and the All-State Sight-Reading Chorus.
Grady’s Chamber Orchestra won Superior and Excellent in performance at the annual
Georgia Music Educator’s Association (GMEA) annual festival.
Grady’s Philharmonic Orchestra won ratings of superior and excellent at this year’s
GMEA festival.
The Grady Chamber Singers performed with the GSU Singers on Sunday, February 27,
2011 at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in their Kellett Chapel. All proceeds from the
concert will be donated to the Grady Chorus boosters. You may view photos from the
event at http://www.apsk12.org/media/index.html
The Grady concert band achieved a rating of excellent at the GMEA annual festival.
Grady High School will hosted Doug Varone and Dancers in a master class for selected
dancers. Doug Varone and Dancers are a world-class contemporary dance corps
performing at the Ferst Center at Georgia Tech.
Janae Robinson has been awarded a band scholarship valued at $12,000 a year ($6,000
per semester) to attend Alabama A&M University.
The Philharmonic Orchestra won superior ratings in Solo and Ensemble at the GMEA
Festival. Noteworthy performances were achieved by Andre Cleveland (Excellence),
Ben Gittleson (Superior), Grayson Fuller (Superior), Adam Schatz (Excellence), and
Kiah Simmons (Excellence).
Grady High School’s orchestra was profiled in April’s Atlanta Symphony’s Music
Campaign, “When I Play Music”. (http://wheniplay.org/)
Grady’s Orchestra students received high praise in their joint performance with Mays and
North Atlanta on May 5 at the 2011 Atlanta Public Schools Spring Fling.
The Knight’s marching band took 1st place honors for Best Marching Unit at this year’s
Veterans Day Parade.
Mock Trial:
Grady’s Mock Trial Team placed first against 30 national and international schools
at the Empire State Invitational Tournament in New York City. Grady students were
outstanding with Shaun Kleber winning a best attorney and best witness award and
Elizabeth McGlamry winning Best Attorney over the entire competition! Please
congratulate these students: Miller Lansing, Shaun Kleber, Jasmine Burnett, Abena
Amoukuh, Troy Kleber, Egan Allen, Tatiana Johnson, Alix Youngblood, David Bufkin,
Elizabeth McGlamry, Sam Weinstock, and Katherine Sherwood.
Grady Mock Trial Team won their Regional competition against Paidea and the
Atlanta International School at the Fulton County Courthouse. The region champion
team included Elizabeth McGlamry, Jasmine Burnett, Sam Weinstock, Nally Kinane,
Atiana Johnson, Shaun Kleber, Troy Kleber, Kenny Cochran, Alix Youngblood, Ben
Gittleson, Ciena Leshley, Molly Daniel, Konadu Amoakuh, and Archie Kinane. The
following students did not compete but gave their time and energy to help prepare this
years team to compete at their best: Abena Amoakuh, Miller Lansing, Katherine
Sherwood, Anna Fuller, Olivia Kleinman, Olivia Volkert, Josh Weinstock, Quinn
Mullholland, JD Capalutto, Orli Henndler, and Michael Dillard.
Individual awards included:
• Ben Gittleson and Sam Weinstock both received awards for participating
in Mock Trial for all four years of high school.
• Best Attorney Awards went to Nally Kinane , Shaun Kleber , Sam
Weinstock , and Elizabeth McGlamry
• Best Witness Awards went to Ciena Leshley and Alix Youngblood
Grady’s Mock Trial will compete for another Georgia State Title on March 19th in
Lawrenceville, GA.
Under the coaching of Mr. Brian Leahy, Grady’s Mock Trial Team won the 2011
Georgia State Championship on March 19. This is the team’s third straight state title.
The following students won “Best Witness” awards: Alix Youngblood, Ciena Leshley,
Molly Daniel, and Kenny Cochran. Those students winning “Best Attorney” awards
were: Atiana Johnson, Shaun Kleber, Nally Kinane, Elizabeth McGlamry, and Sam
Weinstock. The team’s story can be found at:
http://empiremocktrial.org/public/index.php?page=basic&page_id=125
The team will next represent the state of Georgia at the National Mock Trial Competition
in Phoenix, Arizona on May 4-8, 2011.
Grady’s Mock Trial Team was invited to Georgia’s Senator Saxby Chambliss’ office
on April 22 for a celebratory meeting.
The Mock Trial Team placed a distinguished 4th out of forty-eight teams in the National
Mock Trial Competition that was recently held in Phoenix, Arizona.
Robotics:
The Grady Gearbox Gangstaz Robotics Team brought home the 1st Place BEST
Award from the Georgia BEST Robotics Competition! The BEST Award is presented
to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science, and
Technology. This concept recognizes that inclusiveness, diversity of participation,
exposure to and use of the engineering process, sportsmanship, teamwork, creativity,
positive attitude and enthusiasm, and school and community involvement play significant
roles in a team’s competitive experience and contribute to student success in the
competition beyond winning an award. As a result of winning this award, the team
advances to the South's BEST Robotics Competition to be held at Auburn University,
November 18-20. In addition to winning the general BEST Award, the team also won
BEST Spirit & Sportsmanship.
• Team Captain/Chief Engineer: Danny Baggerman
• Co-captain: Kiah Simmons
• Team members: David Carlock, , Walter Cobb, Grayson Garrett, Chris Gray,
Brandon Hillard, Samone Jackson, Queue Kufalk, Amanda Matthews, Binh
Nguyen, Henry Peteet, Isaiah Phillips-Springman, Isaac Rehg, Patrick Scollard,
Omar Skandari. Faculty support came from , Linda Brasher, Emily Dringenberg,
Jim Campbell, Cadence Harris-Spearman, and Andrew Nichols.
Grady’s Robotics Team, under the direction of Mr. Andrew Nichols, won the Silver
Medal – Finalist Award – at the March 17-18 Robotics Competition that was held at
Atlanta’s World Congress Center. Their winning entry was team designed and
constructed 116 pound robot that moved with agility at speeds up to 8 miles an hour.
The winning Robotics Team members are: Danny Baggerman (Chief Engineer), Kiah
Simmons (Project Manager), Michael Baer, Erin Bailie, Kayla Banes, Will Bradley,
David Carlock, Thomas Denton, Grayson Garrett, Osiris Hassan, Brandson Hillard,
Siddhartha Hughes, Queue Kufalk, Jason Lathbury, Caden Newcomb, Binh Nguyen,
Henry Peteet, Isaiah Phillips-Springman, Iris Schaer, Parick Scollard, Kiah Simmons,
Jordan Troup, and Lisa Waltuck.
Grady’s Robotics Team was a finalist in this year’s Peachtree Regional Robotics
Competition.
Math/Science:
2011 Academic Fair Award winners for math and science include: Archie Kinnane and
Tucker Lancaster – Gold Key winners; Quinn Mulholland, Joshua Weinstock, Fritz
Meinert, and Alan-Michael Goans – Silver Key winners; Jason Lathbury – Gold Key
individual winner and overall APS winner; Zoe Schneider and Ayanna Toomer – Silver
Key individual winners; and Avanti Lemons, Erin Fallon, Perth Silvers, and Hunter
Moore – Bronze Key individual winners.
Volunteerism/Community Engagement:
21st Century Leaders raised money for breast cancer research by participating in the
Breast Cancer Walk in Midtown.
Scholarships:
Class of 2011 earned over $20 million in scholarships.
Erin Grier received the FAMU Presidential Special Scholarship for $4,000.
Erin Bailie received the Georgia Tech Presidential Scholarship covering all college
costs.
The following students are finalists for the Posse Scholarship:
• Morgan Dalton, Brandeis University
• Glory Nix, Bard College
• David Bufkin, Bard College
• Lindy Menefee, Brandeis University
• Alexandra McColl, Brandeis University
• Briana Fullwood, College of Wooster
Rufus Huffman III, Boston University
• Reginald Hutchins, Brandeis University
• Emma Powers, Bard College
• Iris Schaer, Boston University
The following students have been named Posse Scholars in recognition of academic
excellence and leadership. They will receive four year, full tuition scholarships to Bard
College or Boston University. Please congratulate these students on a job well done!
• Shelby Garcia: Bard College
• Alexander Page: Bard College
• Adelaide Ruff; Bard College
• Asha Haki-Tyler: Boston University
• Taylor Walker: Boston University
• Elise Yancey: Boston University
Senior Taylor Walker has been named a semifinalist for the Coca Cola Scholars
Program. The Coca Cola Scholars Foundation received approximately 71,000
applications this year and the semifinalists are truly some of the most accomplished
students in the country. Taylor ranks with high school seniors who are in the running for
3 million in college scholarships that the foundation will award in Spring 2011. The
program select a diverse group of semifinalists based on academic excellence, leadership,
and school/community service. As a semifinalist, Taylor will submit additional
information that will be reviewed in January 2011 by a national committee to advance to
the final stage. There is one additional phase; however, Taylor should be commended for
this achievement.
Ben Gittelson and Sam Weinstock were awarded the Foundation Fellows scholarship
at the University of Georgia. The Foundation only plans to award 8-12 fellowships this
year, so it's wonderful that two GHS students received them.
JROTC:
At the Annual Federal Inspection, Grady’s JROTC unit scored a 98.2 out of 100
points. It was a huge success. Out of a possible 100 points, we scored a 98.2 and placed
1st.
Congratulations are in order for Cadets Rufus Huffman, Christina Durden and Ian
Janke. For the second year in a row a Grady High Cadet (Mr. Rufus Huffman) earned
the Brigade Commander position for all JROTC APS schools. Ian Janke earned the
Brigade Executive Officer’s position and Christina Durden earned the right to wear the
Brigade Command Sergeant Major's Rank. Formal recognition of these winners and
presentation of awards will be made at the 2011 APS AJROTC Awards Ceremony.
Please congratulate Cadet Colonels Barlow and Huffman for winning the DAI
(Director of Army Instruction) Distinguished Cadet Award and the American Legion
Scholastic Excellence Award, respectfully. Grady JROTC wins first place yet again in
two award categories.
At Grady’s Annual JROTC Award Ceremony, Michael Barlow earned the DAI
(Director of Army Instruction) Distinguished Cadet Award and Rufus Huffman
earned the American Legion Scholastic Excellence Award. Other high recognitions
included Ian Janke who earned the Brigade Executive Officer’s position and Christina
Durden who earned the right to wear the Brigade Command Major’s Rank.
Grady’s JROTC took 1st place at this year’s APS JROTC Awards Day and again at
APS’ Saber Day. They were also voted Best Unit - 2011 in APS.
Business and Entrepreneurship Academy:
On Monday, October 18, 2010, Grammy Award Nominated Producer Charles
Harmon (“Chuck Harmony”) spoke with students in the Business and
Entrepreneurship Academy about his own life, career and business. He delineated the
way he moved his ideas from the abstract to the concrete. Charles Harmon is a
professional music producer, musician and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He has
produced tracks, provided instrumentation, composition and songwriting for some of the
hottest artists in the music industry.
Brandon Edmondson and Bria Griffin won the city-wide Hershey’s candy bar
competition in product development and market research. The event was sponsored by
Georgia Pacific and Hershey’s Chocolate Atlanta. They each won a 5 lb. Hershey’s
Candy Bar, $100 American Express Gift Card, a one-day job shadowing opportunity with
Hershey’s, and some additional tokens of appreciation. Additioonally, Carmen Booker
helped produce a 30 second commercial and received a $20 American Express Gift Card
from the Young Entrepreneurs of Atlanta.
Communications and Journalism Academy:
Grady’s Communications and Journalism (C & J) Academy teamed up with WXIA
11 Alive on November 5, 2010 to provide students with an insight into the world of local
broadcast journalism. Nine juniors and seniors in Thaddeus Roberts’s broadcast
journalism program were in the studio for the six a.m. broadcast, and then anchors Jill
Becker and Karyn Greer, meterologist Chesley McNeil, reporters and producers came to
Grady to hold a question and answer forum with ninth graders in the C & J Academy.
Public Policy and Justice:
The following students are currently or will soon be Paging with members of the Georgia
House of Representatives:
• Deja Cook – with Rep. Elly Dobbs on 1/27/11
• Taylor Williams – with Rep. Margaret Kaiser on 1/27/11
• Courtney Peterson – with Rep. Margaret Kaiser on 2/2/11
• Khadijah Patterson – with Rep. Margaret Kaiser on 2/1/11
• Lendarius Farley – with Rep. Simone Bell on 2/10/11
• Kelvisha Canty – with Rep. Simone Bell on 2/10/11
• Jasmin Moon – Rep. Simone Bell
James Brinson – Rep. Kathy Ashe
• Sharod McClendon – Rep. Kathy Ashe
• Kaise Morgan – Rep. Stacey Abrams
• Sam Heller – Rep. Stacey Abrams
The following students spoke on Georgia Government policy issues at the Georgia
PTA’s Student Advocacy Day at the Capitol on February 9, 2011: Devin Brown, Zack
Davis, and Trent Sears.
Amber Eldridge (eleventh grade), Maurice Evans (eleventh grade), Sais Gilkey
(BS&E), Kaise Morgan (PP&J), and Khalid Ransome (BS&E) were accepted to the
Summer Institute on Civil Rights and Social Justice at Morehouse with the King
Collection July 12-15, 2011. In addition to receiving a stipend of $150, these students
will receive free books, supplies, and all other expenses paid as they complete their social
justice projects. These students will visit the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr.
Collection to view original speeches, sermons, correspondence and other writings in Dr.
King's handwriting. They will also attend a field trip to the Birmingham Civil Rights
Museum and 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They will meet with
living Civil Rights Movement veterans to hear about their memories and experiences
under segregation and how they challenged the system.
HOSA:
All of Grady’s HOSA Academic Competition Teams went on to the State HOSA
competition in Athens.
Please congratulate the following HOSA State Leadership Convention winners. Grady
High School students continue to reign in the area of Parliamentary Procedure. This year
we took two teams and both teams placed. There were over 2500 competitors at this
year’s HOSA competitions. This year we took a Freshman team from the Biomedical
and Engineering Academy and they placed third in this year’s competition. Our veteran
team that placed 1st last year defended their title once again this year!
Parliamentary Procedure
1st place team: Rufus Huffman, President; Morgan Dalton, Vice President; Natalie
Anderson, Secretary; Ngoc Tran, Treasurer; Akilah George, Committee Chair; Brian
Walton-Mason, Committee Chair; Reginald Hutchins, Committee Chair.
3rd place team: Amiris Perdue, President; Eric Spencer, Vice President; Shacora
Thomas, Secretary; Cloney-Kay South, Treasurer; Darion Williams, Committee Chair;
Walter Cobb, Committee Chair; Morgan Ukaonu, Committee Chair; Oscar Prioleau,
Committee Chair.
Grady’s HOSA students will be traveling to the HOSA National Leadership Conference
(NLC) in Anaheim, California in June.
HOSA Bowl: Richard Lou, Oscar Prioleau, Parker Routh, Adam Schatz
Parliamentary Procedure Members (Team #1): Natalie Anderson, Morgan Dalton,
Akilah George, Rufus Huffman, Ngoc Tran, Brian Watson-Mason
Parliamentary Procedure Members (Team #2): Kameron King, Amaris Perdue, Eric
Spencer, Brianna Tabor, Shacora Thomas
Creative Problem Solving Team: Walter Cobb, Marie Dollison, Ladaisha Russell
The following HOSA students attended the State Legislative luncheon in March and
visited the Capitol: Reginald Hutchins, Rufus Huffman, Morgan Dalton, Ngoc Tran
The Health Science Academy, HOSA and Morehouse College sponsored a school
wide Health Fair on Friday, February 11, 2011. The Health Fair was in the Grady
practice gymnasium from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. The students were able to get their,
vision, hearing, glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, height and weight screenings
at the fair. We also had healthy snacks for the students such as almond butter
sandwiches, smoothies from Smoothie King and lots of other healthy snacks. The
students participated in exercise activities during the fair. The fair was prompted for a
number of reasons. The students no longer get health screenings in school so we thought
it would be a nice idea to begin to have these screenings on site as so many students don’t
go for regular doctor visits. We are also focused on the First Ladies’ initiative for eating
healthy and getting up to move. We hope that this will be an annual affair.
The following students from Grady’s Healthcare Science Program have successfully
completed their Pathways for Health Sciences: Morgan Dalton, Raven Harris, Rufus
Huffman, Tisha Johnson, Jessica Mahoney, Rebecca Martinez, Courtney Ward, Jade
Waterman, and Kristiuna Woodford.
HOSA is a national organization with over 360,000 members nationwide. The National
Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California had over 6500 competitors. Our Grady
High School Parliamentary Procedure team place in the top 10 in the nation! They were
finalist in their category of Parliamentary Procedure. The students on the finalist team
are Natalie Anderson, Morgan Dalton, Rufus Huffman, Reginald Hutchins, Akilah
George, Ngoc Tran, Brian Walton-Mason.
The freshman team went past the 1st round on their first trip to a National competition.
The freshman team consisted of Walter Cobb, Surrayya Nkosi, Amiris Perdue, Oscar
Prioleau, Eric Spencer, Cloney-Kay South, Hakeem Todd, Morgan Ukaonu.
Parliamentary Procedure Members (Team #1): Natalie Anderson, Morgan Dalton,
Akilah George, Rufus Huffman, Ngoc Tran, Brian Watson-Mason were in the top 10 at
National Competition in Anaheim California June 2011.
Speech and Debate:
Senior Taylor Walker was named National Student of the Year of the National Forensic
League. This prestigious international award carries with it a $1,000 scholarship,
beautiful trophy, and the position of NFL spokesperson for the year. Taylor is the second
student from Grady in three years to be a finalist for National Student of the Year.
Michael Robinson, Class of 2009, was also a finalist at the Birmingham Nationals. Grady
HS is the only school IN THE NATION to have more than one student as a finalist for
this honor.
Michael Barlow, Class of ’11, was honored for being the 3rd Place Speaker at the
National Association of Urban Debate Leagues National Debate Tournament by
touring Congress and The White House, including meeting with President Barack
Obama on Thursday, July 22nd
The Grady Jesters did very well at the Wake Forest University “Earlybird” Speech
and Debate Tournament in Winston-Salem, NC, on Friday, September 10.
• Michael Barlow and Holden Choi- Double-Octo-finalists in Varsity Policy
Debate. Michael Barlow was named 8th place Speaker.
• Tyler Olson and Ashley Brown advanced to the Octo-final round in Public Forum
Debate.
• Lucas Bailey- Double-Octo-finalist in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
• Leith Meador- 3rd place in Impromptu Speaking.
• Isabelle Taft- CHAMPION in Extemporaneous Speaking!
Congratulations to the following students who attended the “Griffin High Bear Classic”
at Griffin HS, GA.:
Impromptu Speaking: Leith Meador*, Champion
Extemporaneous Speaking:
• Leith Meador*, Champion
• Mallory Akard*, 2nd Place
• Cole Bagley, 3rd Place
Lincoln-Douglas Debate:
• Lucas Bailey*, Champion
• Rachel Citrin, 2nd Place
• Tatiana Johnson, 3rd Place
Public Forum Debate:
• Damon Melton* and Dylan Coyle*, 3rd Place
• Tyler Olson and Ashley Brown, Quarterfinalists
Policy Debate: Sam Heller, 3rd Place
Holden Choi and Ben Dean advanced to the final round of Policy Debate at the Johns
Creek Tournament. Both earned their bids to the State Tournament in March.
Additional congratulations to Holden Choi for winning 5th Speaker.
At the St. Andrews School Tournament in Jackson, MS:
• Dylan Coyle and Damon Melton, Semi-finalists in Public Forum Debate
• Rachel Citrin, Semi-Finalist in Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Leith Meador, Semi-finalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
• Isabelle Taft, 2nd Place, Student Congress
• Isabelle Taft, CHAMPION, Extemporaneous Speaking.
The Jesters won the Debate Sweepstakes Award at the “Autumn By The Lake”
Speech and Debate Tournament at Lincoln County HS. Congratulations to the
students who placed and those who won a qualifying bid to the State Speech and Debate
Tournament:
• Varsity Policy Debate- Zoe Hamilton and Samantha Chiang, 2nd place; Zoe
Hamilton, 4th place Speaker, Samantha Chiang, 3rd place Speaker
• Prose/Poetry- Jahra Gholston, 2nd Place *
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate- Rachel Citrin, 4th Place#; Zak Fields, 3rd Place*;
Tatiana Johnson, 2nd Place#; Cheyn Shah, 1st Place
• = One leg to State Tournament obtained
# = Previously Fully Qualified to State Tournament
The Jesters did well Houston County HS Speech and Debate Tournament:
• Prose/Poetry- Taylor Walker*, Champion
• Dramatic Interp- Taylor Walker*, Champion
• Humorous Interp- Brad Jessup*, 4th place
• Duo Interp- Maya Grandoit* and Lukas Olson*, 5th place
• Extemporaneous Speaking- Cole Bagley**, 4th place
• Public Forum Debate- Dylan Coyle# and Damon Melton#, Champions
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate- Rachel Citrin#, 5th place; Jamie Reid**, 4th place;
Jessica Alexander*, 2nd place; Zak Fields**, Champion
* = One of two necessary bids obtained for the GFCA State Varsity
Tournament
** = Second bid obtained for the GFCA State Varsity Tournament
# = Previously fully qualified to GFCA State Varsity Tournament
Congratulations to the members of The Jesters Speech and Debate Team who competed
at the Sequoyah HS “Autumn Argument” Tournament in Canton. Here are the
results:
LEGEND: * = First of two necessary bids to the GFCA State Varsity Speech and
Debate Tournament acquired; ** = Fully qualified to the GFCA State Varsity
Speech and Debate Tournament; # = Previously qualified to GFCA State Varsity
Speech and Debate Tournament
Varsity Policy Debate
Samantha Chiang* and Holden Choi#, Semi-Finalists
Ben Dean, Second Place Speaker
Holden Choi, First Place Speaker
Public Forum Debate
Diana Powers* and Lauren Ogg*, Fifth Place
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Lucas Bailey#, Champion
Impromptu
Mallory Akard*, Champion
Extemporaneous Speaking
Jenny Moody**, Second Place
Mallory Akard#, Champion
Prose/Poetry
Sarah Dillard*, Fifth Place
Jahra Gholston**, Second Place
Taylor Walker**, Champion
Dramatic Interp
Taylor Walker**, Champion
Duo Interp
Rex Peterson* and Raven Ford*, Second Place
Jahra Gholston* and Marius Jackson*, Champions.
The Jesters won the Speech Sweepstakes Awards!
Members of The Jesters Speech and Debate Team competed at the Catholic Forensic
League National Qualifier in Warner Robins, GA. Here are the names of students
qualified to attend the Grand National Tournament over Memorial Day weekend in
Washington, DC. (25 students total)
• Policy Debate: Sam Heller and Zoe Hamilton
• Public Forum Debate: Tyler Olson and Dylan Coyle; Katherine Zaharova and
Salome Kakalashvili; Sammi Dean and Grace Power; Lauren Ogg and Diana
Powers
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Lucas Bailey, Zak Fields, Rachel Citrin, Tatiana
Johnson and Cheyn Shah
• Dramatic Performance: Taylor Walker
• Duo Interpretation: Maya Grandoit and Lukas Olson; Jahra Gholston and Marius
Jackson
• Declamation: Tiger Li
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Isabelle Taft, Leith Meador, Mallory Akard and
Jenny Moody
Congratulations to The Jesters Speech and Debate Team who competed at the Novice/JV
State Speech and Debate Tournament. This was the first tournament of its kind, and
Grady students had a fantastic performance. The finalists and champions include:
• JV Policy Debate- Sam Heller and Reagan Lowring, Octofinalists
• Novice LD Debate- Zoe Schneider, Semi-finalist
• JV LD Debate- Cheyn Shah and Rachel Citrin, Semi-finalists
• Novice Prose/Poetry Interpretation- Khadijah Brown, CHAMPION
• JV Prose/Poetry Interpretation- Sarah Dillard, 2nd Place; Queen White,
CHAMPION
• Novice Extemporaneous Speaking- Jenny Moody, CHAMPION
• JV Extemporaneous Speaking- Mallory Akard, 2nd Place; Isabelle Taft,
CHAMPION
• Novice Impromptu Speaking- Josiah Garrett, CHAMPION
• JV Impromptu Speaking- Isabelle Taft, CHAMPION
• Novice Original Oratory- Josiah Garrett, 3rd Place; Tiger Li, 2nd Place
• JV Original Oratory- Cheyn Shah, 3rd Place
• JV Duo Interpretation- Rex Peterson and Raven Ford, CHAMPIONS
• Public Forum Debate- Mallory Hazell and Ansley Marks, Quarterfinalists
• Sammi Dean and Grace Power, Semifinalists
• Salome Kakalashvili and Katherine Zakharova, 2nd Place
• Rebecca Martin and Mary Condolora, CHAMPIONS!
The Jesters won the State Championship, ahead of Carrollton HS (3rd Place) and Johns
Creek (2nd Place).
Members of the Jesters competed at the Tiger Classic HS Speech and Debate
Tournament at Clemson University. Here are the results:
• Public Forum Debate: 5th Place- Salome Kakashvili and Katherine Zakharova;
3rd place- Lauren Ogg and Becca Martin; Champions- Dylan Coyle and Damon
Melton
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate: 5th Place- Zoe Schneider; 4th Place- Lucas Bailey
• Extemporaneous Speaking: 2nd Place- Isabelle Taft
• Impromptu Speaking: 3rd Place- Isabelle Taft
• Dramatic Interpretation: 2nd Place- Taylor Walker
• Prose Interpretation: 6th Place- Sarah Dillard
• Poetry Interpretation: 6th Place- Khadijah Brown; 5th Place- Sarah Dillard
• Duo Interpretation: 5th Place- Lukas Olson and Quameeha Grandoit
Overall, the team won 2nd Place Sweepstakes Award! The team now heads to the
National Forensic League National Qualifier at Georgia Tech.
Jesters’ successes at the March 2011 National Forensic League District Qualifier at
Georgia Tech: Jahra Gholston and Marius Jackson – Duo Interpretation; Taylor Walker
– Dramatic Interpretation; Michael Barlow and Holden Choi – Policy Debate; Lucas
Bailey – Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Ashley Brown, Tyler Olson, Damon Melton, and
Dylan Coyle – Public Forum; Isabelle Taft and Mallory Akard – International
Extemporaneous Speaking; and Leith Meador and Jenny Moody – United States
Extemporaneous Speaking.
The 2011 Jesters won the Sweepstakes Award.
The 2011 Jesters, under the leadership of Mario Herrera (2011 Coach of the Year) and
Lisa Willoughby, are Georgia State Champions in both Speech and Debate. They
were also awarded the President’s Cup for accumulating the most rounds at the state
tournament.
State results were as follows:
Duo Interpretation - Raven Ford and Rex Peterson, 3rd place and Jahra
Gholston 2nd place.
Dramatic Interpretation - Taylor Walker, 1st place (third in a row in this event)
and Sam Moore, 4th place.
Prose/Poetry – Taylor Walker, 1st place, Jahra Gholston, 3rd place, and Queen
White, 5th place.
Extemporaneous Speaking – Isabelle Taft, 1st place and Jenny Moody, 4th place.
Impromptu Speaking – Isabelle Taft, 1st place.
Lincoln- Douglas Debate – Lucas Bailey, 1st place (second in a row in this
event), Zax Fields, 2nd place and semi-finalist, Rachel Citrin, 5th place and quarterfinalist,
and Tatiana Johnson, 9th place.
Public Forum Debate – Ashley Brown and Tyler Olson - Dylan Coyle and
Damon Melton, Co-State Champions.
National Catholic Forensic League “Grand Nationals,” held in Washington, DC,
over Memorial Day Weekend. This was the largest NCFL ever, with over 2,100
students in attendance:
Lucas Bailey: Top 25 in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
Isabelle Taft: 4th Place, Extemporaneous Speaking
Zak Fields: 3rd Place, Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Winner: Eleanor E. Wright Award of Excellence in Debate (Sweepstakes
Trophy)
National Forensic League National Speech and Debate Tournament, held in Dallas,
TX in June. Largest Academic Competition in the world, with over 3,500
competitors.
Damon Melton and Dylan Coyle: Top 40 in Public Forum
Sam Heller and Ben Dean: Top 40 in Policy Debate
Taylor Walker: Top 40 in Dramatic Interpretation
Isabelle Taft: Top 20, International Extemporaneous Speaking
Michael Barlow and Holden Choi: 8th Place, Policy Debate
DEBATE SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE AWARD (Sweepstakes Trophy)
We are the first team in the state of Georgia to win sweepstakes awards at these
tournaments. It is due to a community of students, parents, teachers and administrators
who constantly push students to excel and to dream big.
Emory's National Debate Institute (ENDI) <http://www.emory.edu/BF/endi.php> , held
on the Emory campus, trains public and private high school students on how to mine
databases, organize mounds of information, construct airtight arguments and work with
people who have different opinions.
A total of 130 students participated in four programs this year, ranging from two to six
weeks. The winners were Ben Dean and Holden Choi, both rising seniors at Grady High
School in Atlanta.
Alumni Updates
2007 Grady Alumnus Emma Dinn has been awarded a Fulbright Grant to teach English
in Colombia next year. Emma is a senior at the University of North Carolina.
Paula Harding (Grady ’10) was recently hired by the Idyllwild School of Music and The
Arts, Idyllwild, California for their summer program. Paula will be producing
photographs for the school’s 2 ½ month long Summer Program Catalogue as well as
images for magazine advertisements, pamphlets, and advertising mail outs.
Each week, the UGA website highlights a current student in a feature called "Amazing
Students.” A spring highlight included 2007 Grady graduate Dyci Manns. Dyci was
selected for her numerous accomplishments that include working with Habitat for
Humanity, the Franklin Study-Abroad Scholarship to study marine science and
anthropology in Belize, a prestigious Emma Bowen Scholarship/Internship with
Comcast's Southern Division Office, recipient of a Gilman Scholarship to study in Costa
Rica, serving as a teaching assistant in an ESOL classroom at Clarke Middle School and
a volunteer at the Classic City High School, the Franklin College Study-Abroad
Scholarship to study in Buenos Aires, a National Student Exchange placement at New
Mexico State University, teaching English classes to Hispanic immigrants at Campus
View Church of Christ and volunteering with Oasis tutors two days a week in Athens,
another summer abroad in Naantali, Finland, an internship. She was two-time recipient
of the Franklin College Undergraduate Scholarship, the Vanguard Scholarship, and the
Pillars of Excellence Scholarship offered by Golden Key International Honor Society.
She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Women’s Fraternity, Golden Key and Delta Epsilon
Iota Honor Society, where she was inducted into the Literary Circle of Honor. Most
recently, she was named to the 2011 Young Futurists list by The Root, which is a list of
25 African Americans under 21 who will change the world. To read more about Dyci’s
accomplishments and see photos of her journeys, please visit
http://www.uga.edu/amazing/manns.html
Matt Westmoreland, Grady Class of 2006, attended Princeton University for his
undergraduate degree, but he returned to APS this year to teach at Carver Early College.
Matt addressed the APS 2011 valedictorians, salutatorians and “STAR” students during
the annual breakfast honoring their work, hosted by Georgia Power and featuring APS
Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall.