05.17 Weekly News Tip Sheet (Week of May 16, 2022)

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Communications and Public Engagement
130 Trinity Avenue SW | Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Seth Coleman, Director of Media Relations & Television Broadcast
404-802-2891, office
404-406-5570, cell
seth.coleman@atlanta.k12.ga.us   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          May 17, 2022

Atlanta Public Schools Weekly News Tip Sheet
(May 16 - 21)

Editors/Producers/Reporters: The following is a list of events, programs, accomplishments and/or initiatives occurring in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) this week. Please use it as a guide as you develop your coverage plans.

Members of the media are invited to attend all events on the Weekly APS News Tip Sheet. If you have an interest in these stories, please contact Seth Coleman, Media Relations Director. Thank you for your interest in Atlanta Public Schools!


(Tuesday, 9 AM) APS to Host Annual Special Olympics Track & Field Meet for First Time in Three Years

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Atlanta Public Schools Special Olympics is BACK!

On Tuesday (9 a.m.), more than 300 special education students representing 45 schools will participate and compete in various events at Lakewood Stadium (70 Claire Drive, SW), including the 25- and 50-meter walk, dash and wheelchair races, the bean-bag toss and the tennis ball throw.

The APS Special Olympics is one of the district’s longest-running initiatives, having launched with the inaugural event in 1981.

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(Wednesday, 1 PM) APS to Celebrate Ed Farm Innovation Fellows,
Now Equipped to Better Engage Students Using Technology

Atlanta Public Schools will showcase its commitment to innovation in the classroom when the district celebrates 100 educators who have completed a unique program designed to equip them with tools, skills, and strategies specifically related to the integration of technology and personalized learning in both virtual and physical classrooms.

In August, APS partnered with Ed Farm – a non-profit organization focused on increasing educational equity, improving learning outcomes through technology, and preparing the nation’s future workforce for careers in the 21st Century – for the establishment of the Innovation Fellows Program. The overall goals of the partnership and program are to design and facilitate future-focused learning experiences that prepare both teachers and students to thrive in and positively impact our ever-changing world. 

The Fellows will be honored at a Celebration of Learning event, Wednesday, 1 p.m., at the Coan Middle School building (1550 Hosea Williams Drive, NE).

The EdFarm Innovation Fellows program is the first in the United States.  APS identified 100 Innovation Fellows that met monthly with EdFarm coaches to learn various skills including topics such as equity, digital citizenship, innovation, professional learning, etc.

The Fellows earned badges for the completion of Learning Experience Designs (LEDs) every month. All Fellows are Apple Certified Teachers and have earned 16 Apple Teacher badges through the Apple Teacher Center, including Swift Coding and various Macbook and iPad badges that familiarized IFs with how to incorporate Apple tools (Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iMovie and Garageband) into their teaching practice.

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(Thursday, 6:30 PM) APS to Celebrate Dedication, Accomplishment of Adult Education Graduates

APS will honor a group of individuals determined to complete their high school education, despite various obstacles they had to overcome, at the district’s High School Equivalency celebration, Thursday (6:30 p.m.) at Daniel M. Therrell High School (3099 Panther Trail, SW).

Next week, hundreds of Atlanta Public Schools seniors will graduate from the district’s  traditional and charter high schools during APS Operation Grad Nation 2022, at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Tuesday, May 24
4 p.m.:  B.E.S.T. Academy/Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy
7 p.m.:  KIPP Atlanta Collegiate

Wednesday, May 25
11 a.m.:  Midtown High School
3 p.m.:  Frederick Douglass High School
7 p.m.:  Booker T. Washington High School

Thursday, May 26
11 a.m.:  Benjamin E. Mays High School
3 p.m.:  Carver Early College Academy/Carver STEAM Academy
7 p.m.:  South Atlanta High School

Friday, May 27
11 a.m.:  North Atlanta High School
3 p.m.:  Maynard H. Jackson High School
7 p.m.:  Daniel M. Therrell High School

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Maynard H. Jackson Girls Track, North Atlanta High School Girls Tennis Teams Win State Titles

Two Atlanta Public Schools high school teams won state titles in dominating fashion over the weekend.

The Maynard H. Jackson High School girls track and field team won the Class AAAAA state title while the North Atlanta High School girls tennis team won the Class AAAAAA state championship.

The Jackson squad piled up 84 points, easily outdistancing second-place Woodward Academy (56). It is the Jaguars’ third state championship as they won titles in 2015 and 2016.

En route to winning North Atlanta’s first tennis state championship, the Warriors lost just one match, defeating Glynn Academy (5-0) in the first round, Allatoona (3-1) in Round 2, nationally-ranked Cambridge (3-0) in Round 3, Lassiter (3-0) in the semifinals and Centennial (3-0) in the finals.

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About Atlanta Public Schools

Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving approximately 50,000 students across 87 schools and five programs. The District is organized into nine K-12 clusters with 64 traditional schools, 19 charter schools, six partner schools, two alternative schools and five alternative programs. To learn more about Atlanta Public Schools, follow us on social media – Twitter (@apsupdate), Facebook (Atlanta Public Schools), and Instagram (apsupdate) – or visit us online at www.atlantapublicschools.us.