2009 Georgia Schools of Excellence Named

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox named the 2009 Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student Achievement today, honoring 27 schools that have shown the greatest improvement or highest achievement across the state.

"These schools are getting great results from all students in many different areas," Superintendent Cox said. "The teachers, students and administrators at these schools truly represent excellence. Congratulations to our 2009 Georgia Schools of Excellence."

The Georgia Schools of Excellence are honored in two categories. Qualifying schools are chosen from each Congressional District in the following categories (see the full criteria):
- Top 10%: Schools that are in the top 10 percent in Georgia as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics.
- Greatest Gains: Schools that demonstrated greatest continuous gains in student achievement for the past five years as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics.
The Georgia Schools of Excellence will be honored at a banquet on February 5 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.

2009 GEORGIA SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE

GREATEST GAINS
Congressional District, School, System
1 - Waycross Middle School, Ware County
2 - J.S. Pate Elementary, Crisp County
2 - Lake Park Elementary, Lowndes County
3 - Pike County Elementary Pike County
5 - Renfroe Middle School, Decatur City
6 - Dogden Middle School, Cobb County
7 - Peachtree Ridge High, Gwinnett County
7 - Frank Osborne Middle, Gwinnett County
8 - Jasper County Primary, Jasper County
9 - West Hall High School, Hall County
10 - Oglethorpe County Middle School, Oglethorpe County
11 - Rome Middle School, Rome City
13 - Mableton Elementary School, Cobb County
13 - Teasley Elementary, Cobb County


TOP 10%
Congressional District, School, System
1 - Appling County Primary, Appling County
2 - Lincoln Elementary Magnet, Dougherty County
3 - Whitewater Middle School, Fayette County
4 - Honey Creek Elementary, Rockdale County
5 - West Manor Elementary School, Atlanta Public Schools
6 - Pope High School, Cobb County
6 - Chattahoochee High, Fulton County
7 - Daves Creek Elementary, Forsyth County
8 - Bonaire Elementary, Houston County
9 - Riverwatch Middle, Forsyth County
10 - Oconee County Elementary, Oconee County
11 - Ford Elementary, Cobb County
12 - Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah-Chatham County

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Top Southern High Schools Receive Prestigious College Counseling Award

/24-7/ -- The 2009/2010 Standards Medal has been awarded to The Baylor School (http://www.baylorschool.org/) of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Northview High School (http://www.northviewhigh.com/) of Johns Creek, Georgia. This award for online excellence in secondary school college counseling is given annually to the top public and private high school in the southeast regional United States. Award sponsor Southern College Tour's VP and Director of Communications Shelley Conklin stated, "We are pleased to announce The Baylor School (Private) and Northview High School (Public) as our 2009/2010 winners. Well over one-thousand school websites were analyzed and evaluated AND as The Standards Medal description states, 'The selection process identified superior content, organization and programs contained within the college counseling section of a school's website. These criteria strongly reflect the overall quality of a school's commitment to assisting college-bound students with college planning, selection, and application.'."

To see a detailed description of The Standards Medal, the Finalists and Honorable Mentions, visit http://www.southerncollegetours.com/community.php. Southern College Tours is a leading educational consulting firm providing schools, students and their families all-inclusive southern region college tours and college preparation expertise.

Private Finalists: Ravenscroft School (NC), Forsyth Country Day (NC), The Walker School (GA), St Joseph's Catholic School (SC), and The Westminster Schools (GA). Public Finalists: Pope High School (GA), Kennesaw Mountain High School (GA), Riverside High School (NC), Spain Park High School (AL), and Green Hope High School (NC). There were ten honorable mentions per category. Private Honorable Mentions: Greater Atlanta Christian (GA), Charlotte Latin School (NC), Marist School (GA), Randolph School (AL), Pinewood Preparatory School (SC), Memphis University School (TN), Girls Preparatory School (TN), Providence Day School (NC), McCallie School (TN), and Lausanne Collegiate School (TN). Public Honorable Mentions: East Chapel H.S. (NC), Alpharetta H.S. (GA), Bearden H.S. (TN), Kell H.S. (GA), Virgil Grissom H.S. (AL), Crescent H.S. (SC), Spring Valley H.S. (SC), North Forsyth H.S. (NC), Scotts Hill H.S. (TN), and Maryville H.S. (TN).

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Superintendent Cox and SBOE Recognize Excellence in Education

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox and the State Board of Education (SBOE) recognized several schools and educators yesterday for their outstanding performance in Media Programs and World Languages.

Every other month, the SBOE and the Superintendent recognize students, teachers, administrators, schools and school systems for a variety of awards.

"It's important that we recognize people for their accomplishments and hard work," said Superintendent Cox. "Recognition is a motivator for people to continue doing everything they can to help us lead the nation in improving student achievement."

This month's honorees were for Exemplary Library Media Programs and World Language Programs.

For a list of names and details for each award, please go to the following link: http://tinyurl.com/ExcellenceRecognition-08-2009
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