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School Systems:
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South
Fulton High Schools on the web
Banneker High
School
Creekside High School
McClarin
Alternative High School
Tri-Cities High
School
Langston Hughes High School
Westlake High School
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Private Schools in South Fulton on the web
Chattahoochee Hill Country Neighborhood School offers place-based
Montessori education to students from age 3 through 8th grade. Students
individually explore and grow by using hands-on materials in a multi-age
setting. In partnership with local organizations, students undertake projects
that benefit the community and provide real-life learning opportunities. Our
curriculum emphasizes process, so students learn “how to learn” instead of
merely memorizing facts.
www.chcneighborhoodschool.org
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| Sandtown
Middle School teacher Michelle Bridges receives a visit from
Cartoon Network character, Johnny Bravo, to announce her Atlanta
Braves/BellSouth Excellence In Education award |
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Graduation
ceremony rule affects
Class of 2007
The Fulton County
School System is requiring that students, beginning with the Class of
2007, adhere to system-wide rules that govern graduation ceremony
participation. The requirements do not affect the current Class of 2006.
Beginning next
fall, graduating seniors must earn all appropriate and required credits,
as well as passing scores on all sections of the Georgia High School
Graduation Test, to participate or “walk” in commencement exercises.
Previously,
students who were completing coursework or testing requirements through
summer school were allowed to parade and sit with their fellow students
during the graduation event, although they would not receive a diploma
during the ceremony. Participation is now granted only if all graduation
requirements are met prior to the ceremony.
Similarly, special
education students must complete their special education diploma
requirements to take part in the graduation ceremony.
Questions
regarding this rule should be addressed to the high school’s graduation
counselor.
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Olympian to speak at West MS
Tommie Smith, 1968
Olympic Gold Medalist will serve as guest speaker at Paul D. West
Middle, school wide convocation on February 8, 2006 8:30 AM in school
gym.
Tommie Smith is
known for winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1968 Olympic games for
the 200 meter dash in Mexico City. After Smith took the gold medal and
Juan Carlos took the bronze, they each raised a gloved fist – a symbol
of black power during the Civil Rights Movement.
Tommie Smith will
address the students of Paul West Middle School regarding the Civil
Rights Struggle of 1968 in celebration of African American History
Month.
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2004-2005 AYP Notes from Fulton County Schools
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For the second consecutive year, all
Fulton elementary schools met the state testing targets.
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Six of the seven Fulton middle schools
that did not hit AYP targets in 2003-2004 met the AYP goals this year.
Those six middle schools are Bear Creek, Camp Creek, Holcomb Bridge,
Sandy Springs, Paul D. West and Woodland.
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Riverwood High School, which did not make
AYP in 2003-2004, also met its goals this year.
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Seven Fulton schools did not make AYP for
2004-2005 – McNair Middle School, Sandtown Middle School, Alpharetta High
School, Banneker High School, McClarin High School, Independence High
School, and Tri-Cities High School.
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The school district has appealed the status of Alpharetta High School,
which is listed by the state Department of Education as not making AYP.
The system expects a favorable ruling on the appeal and believes that
Alpharetta HS will be listed as having made AYP
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Moe's teams up with
Mount Olive 5th Graders
Moe’s Southwest Grill has partnered with
the 5th graders at Mount Olive Elementary to do an
“Apprentice” style marketing project. Moe’s Southwest Grill owner,
Steven Walker, has given the 5th grade students the
assignment to divide into teams, select project managers, and create,
name, and market a new menu item for Moe’s. Each team must also
create a 30 second commercial, an ad insert and in-store marketing
advertisement. Marketing professors from Georgia State University’s
College of Business have agreed to make themselves available to answer
any marketing questions the students may have. The project managers
must present their projects to Mr. Steven Walker who will announce a
winner. The winning menu item will be available for the community to
sample on Saturday March 4th,
from 11 am – 5 pm at
Moe’s Southwest Grill at 3752 Cascade Road, Atlanta, GA 30331.
Event: Moe’s Southwest Grill “The
Apprentice” Marketing Project with Mount Olive Elementary School
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2006
Time: 11 am – 5 pm
Location: Moe’s Southwest Grill
3752 Cascade Road
Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30331-2141
404-505-0330
Contact: Makeba Reed-Johnson
404-669-8050, ext. 154
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| Kedeisha Forrester,
daughter of Novella Gaitor, carefully constructs an inspirational mobile
from wire and poster board. Kadeisha is a Fifth Grader in Mr. Gerlach's
class at Oak Knoll Elementary School. |
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Charlotte B. Teagle/Staff |
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Sandtown Middle School principal Sandra McGary-Ervin becomes a hall
monitor as she watches the students line up on Monday, the first day of
school. The no-nonsense McGary-Ervin was beginning her second year as
principal of the south Fulton school. |
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Fulton
County School System Board Meetings
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Board Meetings |
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Date |
Time |
Location |
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August 2005 |
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»8/9/2005 |
4:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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»8/11/2005 |
6:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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September 2005 |
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»9/6/2005 |
4:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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»9/8/2005 |
6:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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October 2005 |
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»10/11/2005 |
4:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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»10/13/2005 |
6:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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November 2005 |
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»11/8/2005 |
4:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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»11/10/2005 |
6:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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December 2005 |
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»12/6/2005 |
4:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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»12/8/2005 |
6:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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January 2006 |
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»1/10/2006 |
4:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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»1/12/2006 |
6:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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February 2006 |
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»2/7/2006 |
4:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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»2/9/2006 |
6:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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March 2006 |
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»3/7/2006 |
4:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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»3/9/2006 |
6:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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April 2006 |
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»4/18/2006 |
4:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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»4/20/2006 |
6:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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May 2006 |
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»5/9/2006 |
4:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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»5/11/2006 |
6:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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June 2006 |
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»6/6/2006 |
4:30 PM |
Dunwoody Springs Charter School |
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»6/8/2006 |
6:30 PM |
Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School |
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Fulton County AYP Status Report (pdf) |
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View 3D rendering of the new Westlake High School.
Click Here
The latest on school construction in Fulton County.
Nearly $180 million in new
construction for South Fulton under the watch of
outside firm.
Full story AJC.
Click
here to read questions and answers from the Fulton County School
System
regarding the new South Fulton County High School...
Some background... Parents, students, and community
members attended an informational meeting
on Tuesday, October 5 to learn
about the new high school planned for South Fulton County. The meeting
was held at Camp Creek Middle School. School system officials and
architects presented information
about the school’s planned construction
schedule, design process, and intended special features.
The day after the meeting with
parents and students South Fulton Living sent a number of questions to
Communications Office of the School Board. Susan Hale was kind enough to get
the answers to those
questions.
Q&A on the new South
Fulton County High School.
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| News From the Fulton
County School System |
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Creekside student
receives Trumpet Award
Creekside High
School student Callie N. Hamilton will be honored at the Salute to Young
Achievers Trumpet Awards. The Salute to Young Achievers is an event of
the Trumpet Awards that features talented Atlanta-area youth from ages
5-18 in various categories. Callie will be saluted for her work as an
entrepreneur. At the age of 10, Callie started Callie Entertainment
Company, affectionately called CalliECO, for Kids Only!©. Her production
company produce fashion entertainment shows that showcase children models,
all of whom Callie train. She has been selected as a recipient for the
award because of her work in modeling training, show and scene
coordination, and dance choreography. The Salute to Young Achievers is
April 24 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The Trumpet Awards
was created by Turner Broadcasting in 1993 to herald accomplishments of
black Americans.
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Fulton wins sixth consecutive music award
The Fulton County
School System has been recognized for a sixth consecutive year in a
nationwide survey of public and private school programs that identify
the top 100 places to live in America for quality music education.
Only three school systems in the nation have been recognized each of
the six years the annual survey has been taken.
The Top 100 list,
which represents an annual snapshot of music education at its best, is
based on a nationwide survey conducted earlier this year by the
American Music Conference and several partner organizations in the
fields of music and education. Additional partnering organizations
include MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the Music
Teachers National Association, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Music
for All Foundation, Perseus Development Corporation, Yamaha
Corporation of America, VH1 Save the Music Foundation, and the
National School Boards Association.
Survey results show
that successful music programs are found in communities that balance
measurable resources, such as budgets and buildings, with less
tangible assets, such as the will to make quality music education a
reality. The top schools for music education are found in urban
communities and rural ones, in wealthy areas and not-so-wealthy ones,
with the common thread being the support of parents, teachers, school
decision-makers and community leaders who highly value music
education.
Thousands of public
school and independent teachers, school and district administrators,
school board members, parents and community leaders participated in
the web-based survey earlier this year. The participants answered
detailed questions about funding, enrollment, student-teacher ratios,
participation in music classes, instruction time, facilities, support
for the music program, participation in private music lessons and
other factors in their communities’ quality of music education.
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Eighth graders have
the "write" stuff
Fulton County
eighth graders have proven once again they have the “write” stuff when
it comes to the state Middle Grades Writing Assessment (MGWA). Results
from the 2005 test administration show 92% of Fulton test-takers met
or exceeded targets set by the state. This is the sixth consecutive
year Fulton has scored above the state and metro average. Fulton
increased its mean scaled score two points over 2004, up to 361. But
more significantly, four schools registered a 10% increase – Bear
Creek Middle, Camp Creek Middle, McNair Middle, and the Fulton Science
Academy – of students scoring in the “On and Exceeding Target” range.
Scaled scores on the assessment range from 300 to 400, with scores
classified within three categories set by the state – “Not on Target,”
“On Target,” and “Exceeds Target.” Scores between 349 and 367 are
identified as "On Target,” which means that student papers are
focused, have a clear beginning, middle and end, and that the writer’s
intent can be determined. Scores show that 71% of Fulton County’s
students scored within this area.
A
score of 368 or higher is identified as “Exceeds Target.” These
student papers are focused and effectively organized with relevant
supporting ideas that demonstrate logical connections. Almost a
quarter, or 21%, of Fulton students scored in this high range, much
higher than the statewide percentile of 12, and 16% for the metro
area.
Scores ranging from 300 to 348 are identified as “Not on Target,”
which means that the student’s work lacks focus and organization.
Fulton County decreased the number of students scoring in this range
by 4% – from 12% in 2004 to 8% this year.
Click
here
for system and individual school scores. |
Click
here
for system and individual school scores.
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| Q&A on the new South Fulton
County High School
New South Fulton County High
School
Questions and Answers
Special to South
Fulton Living © 2004
Questions submitted by South Fulton Living
Answers compiled by Susan Hale, Communications Department,
Fulton County Schools
Q .
The new South Fulton High School (SFHS) is scheduled to open in 2007. What
is the total budget for the project?
A . The final budget for this new
school has not been determined. The budget will be developed based on the
architectural drawings for the project, which will be coming over the next
several months.
Q .
What is the anticipated total square feet?
A . The total square footage of
the school will be determined once the architectural drawings have been
approved. These drawings will give a better idea of the school’s layout and
the space allocated for the instructional program.
Q .
At this time the location can not be disclosed because the Board of
Education (BOE) is negotiating with landowner(s). Can you give a general
location i.e., South Fulton Parkway?
A . Several sites are under
consideration and each one must be investigated at length before it is
recommended for purchase to the Board. Generally speaking, the site with the
most potential lies centrally in south Fulton county. Unfortunately, no
further details can be released at this time.
Q .
How many acres will the school occupy?
A . The state requires a minimum
of 45 acres for a high school; however, it has been found that the 70 acre
range is more suited for the high schools built in Fulton County. The actual
acreage will not be known until the school site is finalized.
Q .
How many students will the school house?
A . The school will be built to
house up to 1,850 students.
Q .
How many faculty and staff will the school have?
A . Staffing of the high school
will be similar to those of comparable size. High schools with an enrollment
of 1,850 generally have about 125-140 faculty and staff members. However,
the staffing can change according to enrollment increases and decreases and
program offerings.
Q .
With the anticipated growth in South Fulton County. Will
there be a contingency plan for future expansion?
A . Schools are always built with
expansion capability. The school will be designed to accommodate up to 2,500
students through additional construction.
Q .
Is there a plan for another middle school to be built in
South Fulton County?
A . Yes, there is another middle
school planned in south Fulton in the current capital program. The location
and timeline for construction have yet to be determined.
Q .
What about another new high school and/or elementary school?
A . There is an additional
elementary school planned in south Fulton in the current capital program.
There are no additional high schools, other than the south Fulton high
school, the Westlake High School replacement, and the Creekside High School
addition, planned at this time.
Q .
The architectural firm of R L Brown & Associates, Inc.
(Architects) has been selected to design the high school. They have
extensive experience in the school design business based on their
presentation. How will they work with the community to design the new high
school?
A . As with all Fulton County
Schools projects, the architects work with the community through LSAC, PTA,
and Board meetings, as well as special called community meetings. These
meetings are opportunities to get feedback and to inform the community as
the projects progress.
Q ..
If the architects are using a community advisory approach to
design the school, who is invited to sit in on their sessions? How does
someone get involved?
A . The meetings are announced
through information sent to the local schools and to the media. Meeting
information also is posted on the school system web site and shared with the
schools’ PTAs and other community groups. The meetings are open to the
public. Everyone in the community is invited to attend and participate.
Q .
When does the BOE anticipate bidding the construction of the school?
A . Currently, the project
schedule anticipates bidding the project in spring 2005, but that schedule
could change.
Q .
Along with the construction of a new school there’s a redistricting process.
When will the redistricting process begin?
A . The redistricting process
generally begins in the fall prior to the new school’s opening. The exact
schedule has not been set.
Q .
At this time how many students are anticipated to be rezoned
to the new high school from Banneker? Creekside? Tri-Cities? Westlake?
A . Boundaries for the new school
have yet to be determined so it is not known how many students will be
rezoned from each of those schools. Staff will look at factors such as
projected enrollment, proximity to schools, and high school capacity to
develop potential attendance boundaries. Once the redistricting timeline has
been set, the community will be provided opportunity to interact with staff
in the development of the proposed high school attendance zones.
Q .
At this time what middle schools will feed the new high
school?
A . It is not possible to
determine which middle schools will feed into the new high school.
until a site decision is finalized and the redistricting
community forums have been held.
Q .
At the October 5 community meeting, it appeared that the
Instructional Focus for the new high school is Career Technology. Based on
the presentation, what is the difference between a Vocational Instructional
Focus and a Career Technology Instructional Focus?
A . It is important to understand
that the school system has not decided that the instructional focus of the
new high school will be strictly career technology. As with all Fulton
County schools, career technology will be a component and an option for
students, along with College Preparatory courses of study. The school will
also offer a broad range of courses in the core areas of language arts,
math, science, social studies, and foreign language.
At the October 5, 2004 community meeting, a presentation on
career technology options was given because of its strong relation to the
school’s construction timeline. The design of these programs affect the
overall design of the school because of the square footage required and
special features required by the State Department of Education and the
school system. Community input is needed to determine the programs and focus
areas within the programs. Each program is selected based on student
interest, career goals, labor trends, and available post secondary
opportunities.
Q .
Within the Career Technology Instructional Focus there are a
number of programs -- Aviation Technology, Automotive Service Technology,
Business, Marketing, Family Consumer Science, Information Technology,
Diversified Technology, Visual Communication & Design Technology. Has there
been any discussion with local partners i.e., Delta Airlines, AirTran, Ford
Motor Company, etc. to work directly with the new high school?
A . The availability of business
partners is always considered when selecting career technology programs. As
soon as the programs and focus areas are determined, partnerships will be
identified. The school will be in close proximity to businesses that can
support the programs by providing opportunities for the school and for
students. Career technology programs are guided by advisory councils.
Business and industry representatives will be asked to participate on these
councils.
Q .
There will be at least two types of diplomas available for
students at the new high school. Can you describe each of them and their
advantages?
A . The Fulton County School
System offers programs of study leading to one of two high school diploma
seals or a combination of the two.
The College Preparatory course of study is designed to
prepare students for college. It qualifies students to earn the Georgia
Board of Education’s College Preparatory diploma.
In addition, the College Preparatory with Distinction
diploma is awarded to all college preparatory students who earn a total of
24 units with two additional units in the state core areas (language arts,
math, science, social studies, foreign language) and/or fine arts. Students
must maintain a grade point average in the core courses of 3.0 or above on a
four-point scale or 80 numeric average.
The Career Technology course of study requires heavy
concentration in a technical program. It meets requirements for the Georgia
Board of Education’s Career Technology diploma and with careful course
selections, it also can prepare students for college entrance.
The Career Technology with Distinction diploma is awarded to
all career technology students who earn 24 units with one additional unit in
the state core areas (language arts, math, science, social studies, foreign
language) and/or fine arts and one additional unit in any elective area.
Students must maintain a grade point average in the core courses of 3.0 or
above on a four-point scale or 80 numeric average.
Students earning a Dual Diploma meet the requirements of
both College Preparatory and Career Technology courses of study.
Q .
Under the Career Technology Instructional Focus there seems
to be little for the student who wants to go college to get a law or medical
degree. How will they be handled in the current Instructional Focus?
A . It is again important to note
that career technology has not been identified as the primary course of
study for students at the new high school. The school will offer College
Preparatory courses of study and Advanced Placement programs like all other
Fulton County high schools.
To answer the question, career technology is a course of
study embedded within the curriculum rather than the focus of instruction.
Each career technology course of study provides focus areas that lead to a
variety of post secondary opportunities, including a four-year college. For
instance, the Information Technology program prepares students in the area
of Computer Programming and Software Development. Careers related to this
program of study require at least a Bachelor’s Degree. On the other hand,
Computer Support Specialist careers require a technical diploma or an
Associate’s Degree. Students who are interested in a law or medical degree
would most likely pursue the college preparatory course of study and/or
career tech courses of study that are appropriate.
Q .
What are the next steps?
A . The next immediate step is to
finalize the site selection for the new school and then obtain final
approval from the Fulton County School System and Georgia Department of
Education for it to become a school site. Then, the land can be purchased
and construction can begin.
The architects are expected to present their conceptual
design of the school in the coming months, with opportunities for the
community to give feedback. In addition, the system will continue to gather
community input concerning the overall curriculum, including career
technology course offerings (for construction and planning purposes), to
determine what would be desirable in the new high school.
Distribution and reproduction of this article is prohibited by law
without the expressed written permission of Reese Media & Associates,
www.southfultonliving.com and its authorized agents. © 2004
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No Child Left Behind
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