Fifth grade students at Alcova Elementary had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the new "Titanic: The Artifacts Exhibition" scheduled to open April 6 at Atlantic Station. The new exhibit features 212 artifacts from the Titanic, including 100 that have never been previously displayed. The items are part of a collection of 5,500 artifacts recovered from the shipwreck over the course of eight recovery expeditions. The exhibit is presented by RMS Titanic, Inc., the exclusive steward of the Titanic. The exhibit coincides with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The ship, …

When Mill Creek High School media specialists Julie Hatcher and Mary K. Donovan launched “MC Reads” last year, they hoped the program would be well received. The outcome more than exceeded their expectations. “We gave [teachers and students] a survey and 98 percent of them wanted to do it again,” Hatcher said. The “MC Reads” program is designed to allow students greater choice in selecting books, remove the pressure of graded assignments and encourage students to read for pleasure. Instead of being the exclusive purview of the language arts department, the summer reading program involves …

Beginning Jan. 2, Alcova Elementary will have a new principal. Todd Langley will succeed Dr. Carolyn Ford who is retiring at the end of December. Langley most recently served as an assistant principal at Berkeley Lake Elementary. From 2004-2010, Langley was the assistant principal at Lawrenceville Elementary. Langley has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Bowling Green State University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Georgia Southern University and a specialist’s degree in educational leadership from Georgia Southern University. He is currently enrolled in a …

This week, parents will have the opportunity to learn more about two of Gwinnett County Public Schools’ premiere offerings. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Grayson Technical School, a GCPS program available to all Gwinnett County students, will host an open house at the Grayson Technical Building on the campus of Grayson High School. During the open house, prospective students and their parents can tour the facilities and learn more about the career programs offered through Grayson Tech. Also on Nov. 15, Osborne, Dacula and Twin Rivers eighth graders, along with their parents, have the opportunity to …

A Dacula councilman wants Gwinnett County Public Schools to make it easier for students to attend an innovative program at Grayson High School. Dr. Tim Montgomery believes the county school system is wasting a tremendous opportunity by not providing student transportation to the Grayson Technical Education Program at Grayson High School. “I don’t see how they can justify saying ‘We will provide transportation to Maxwell High School, but we have no intention of doing it to Grayson High School.’ How do you differentiate between those students?” Montgomery asked. Do you think GCPS should provide…

A committee of private citizens is trying to get the word out about the Nov. 8 education special purpose local option sales tax (E-SPLOST) referendum. Gwinnett Kids Count, a campaign by the 2012 Education SPLOST Renewal Committee, is designed to educate voters regarding the benefits of the penny sales tax for education. Mike Levengood, committee co-chair, said his group organized a live phone call campaign targeting likely voters in an attempt to generate support for the E-SPLOST. Levengood emphasized the effort is not funded by the school system. “It is all paid for by donations from private…

UPDATED 11/5/11 This past week, Dyer Elementary students voted with their wallets in a pumpkin-decorating contest held to benefit the United Way. Students raised $317 by casting votes with dollars and loose change for the funniest, scariest and most original pumpkins in the school-wide contest. According to the initial totals, Dyer Elementary second-graders raised the most money, accounting for nearly $93 of the total contributions. Several of the contest entries were awarded prizes including: Scariest Pumpkin – “Porcupine” by Mrs. Alderman's and Mrs. Davis' first grade class Funniest Pumpkin…

Characters from games, books and movies served as inspiration for this year's Dyer Elementary United Way Pumpkin Patch. Each class decorated a pumpkin to enter in the school's fundraiser. This week, students will cast votes for their favorites by donating money to the United Way. Watch the video for more on this unique fundraiser.

Would you like your child to be prepared for a career upon graduation from high school? Gwinnett County Public Schools offers a career education program in Grayson that is available to students throughout the county. Grayson High School opened its Technical Education Program in 2004, soon after the high school opened its doors. The plan has always been to provide a more focused educational resource for those students who were looking beyond college to careers in technical fields. Offering 12 programs to 11th and 12th grade students enrolled in Gwinnett County Public Schools, classes are …

News channels are featuring a video of a Texas seventh grader who was saved by teachers in a middle school after she went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. The teachers immediately started CPR, but it was only when they used an automatic external defibrillator (AED) that they were able to get her heart beating again.  The teachers are being recognized as saving the life of 12-year-old Kylee Shea of Frisco, Texas. If not for their actions, there was only a 3 percent chance of the student surviving and a 1 percent chance she would have recovered without some permanent brain damage. While AEDs …

Three of the six Gwinnett teachers selected as Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year finalists are from Dacula area schools. Brittany Palazzo of Mulberry Elementary, Keri Beth Tidmore Jones of Dacula Middle and Aundrea Muth of Mill Creek High School join Jennifer Dunn of Pharr Elementary, Sarah Black of North Gwinnett Middle and Lindsey Cafarella of Peachtree Ridge High as the six finalists. Palazzo, a graduate of Gwinnett County Public Schools, joined the inaugural staff of Mulberry Elementary in 2007, after working at Dacula Elementary and Centerville Elementary. Palazzo received her bachelor…

The E-SPLOST, or educational special purpose local option sales tax, is a 1-percent sales tax on all retail sales in Gwinnett County. Anyone who makes a purchase in Gwinnett County contributes to our local schools through this tax. The Gwinnett County Public School system has benefited from E-SPLOST since the mid 1990s. Proceeds from this tax have provided GCPS students with classrooms in 46 new schools and 59 school additions as well as technology upgrades within the schools.   The current E-SPLOST will expire on June 30, 2012. This November, voters will be asked to approve an extension of …

Several Dacula area schools were among the Gwinnett County schools that recently earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification for superior energy performance. A total of 111 of GCPS’ 117 schools were recognized for performing in the top 25 percent of K-12 schools nationwide in terms of energy efficiency and energy performance levels. GCPS has more than 21 million square feet of Energy Star certified space. According to a GCPS press release, the energy efficient space results in savings of $8.4 million annually systemwide. “In Gwinnett, we take pride in being a …

U.S. high school students and their teachers are invited to participate in the Bill of Rights Institute’s sixth annual Being an American Essay Contest. The largest contest of its kind in the country, the Being an American Essay Contest explores the Founding principles outlined in the Constitution. The contest is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-profit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area devoted to educating young people about the Constitution and Founding principles. The 2011-2012 contest is sponsored by the History Channel. “This contest is unique in that…

A total of 25 Gwinnett County Public School (GCPS) teachers have been selected as semifinalists for the 2012 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year award. The semifinalists were chosen from an initial list of 129 GCPS teachers nominated by their colleagues as “Teachers of the Year.” Dacula area semifinalists are: Brittany Palazzo of Mulberry Elementary -- third grade teacher Angie Hoffman of Puckett’s Mill Elementary -- fifth grade language arts teacher Keri Beth Tidmore Jones of Dacula Middle -- computer science and yearbook teacher (Grades 6-8) Aundrea Muth of Mill Creek High -- political …

Multiple Dacula area schools will participate in the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services' “Gwinnett Great Days of Service." The “Gwinnett Great Days of Service” is one of the largest volunteer programs in the United States. This initiative assists in addressing the needs of the community as well as increasing community awareness of the agencies and organizations the Coalition represents. Last year, 500 service projects were completed by approximately 95,000 volunteers including corporations, schools, businesses, individuals and church groups. Dacula area students can donate items…

The search has begun for the 2012 Gwinnett County Public School Teach of the Year. A total of 129 educators have been selected as local school honorees. These teachers were nominated by their colleagues for their ability to motivate and encourage their students to reach their full learning potential. According to GCPS Executive Director of Staff Development Nikki Mouton, “Teachers have a tremendous job with extremely high expectations and this is our way of recognizing their efforts and highlighting the excellent work that occurs within our classrooms regularly.” The field of 129 selected …

Cheerleaders from Dacula High School are taking part in the "Sparkle Effect" program. This program is student-run and encourages students to include students with disabilities in their high school cheerleading programs. The idea behind this new program is that participating students will take part in enhancing the social, communicative and physical skills of students with disabilities as well as allow students with disabilities to experience acceptance and improve their confidence while participating in high school activities. “The Sparkle Effect – When everyone cheers, everyone wins!” is the…

Dacula High School staff are teaching freshman the "Dacula Way" in a new orientation program held during the first four weeks of school.  This program features speakers covering topics including getting involved in high school and understanding the damaging power a zero can have on their grades. Dacula freshmen will also have an opportunity to meet some outstanding upperclassmen leaders. In local school news:  Brent Crader, an art student at Duncan Creek Elementary, recently was chosen as one of two representatives from the State of Georgia for the VSA and CVS Caremark “All Kids Can CREATE” …

Parents of Gwinnett County Public School students now have easy, secure access to information regarding their child’s education. The GCPS’ Parent Portal offers parents an inside look at their student’s grades, attendance records, results of standardized tests, and more. In addition to academic success, parents may also look at their child’s school discipline records. This Parent Portal is available to all parents with Internet access, a user ID and password. How do you register to use the Parent Portal? Parents of GCPS students need to complete a registration form at their child’s current …