South Gwinnett High School student receives Broad Foundation Scholarship

Prize students: Award helps seniors go to college
Gwinnettdailypost.com
Her initial lack of direction affected her grade-point average, and Jones, a senior at South Gwinnett High School who wants to study nursing, found she was ...

Baseball: Brookwood Triumphs Over South Gwinnett

'Lights out:' Beauchamp dominant in Broncos' victory
Gwinnettdailypost.com
SNELLVILLE — Falling into an early six-run hole against Brookwood is seldom a good idea for any high school baseball team. That hole becomes an even bigger chasm when the Broncos have a pitcher throwing the way Jacob Beauchamp was Wednesday against ...

South Gwinnett girls beat rival Brookwood

PREP ROUNDUP: South girls topple No. 1 Broncos
Gwinnettdailypost.com
SNELLVILLE — South Gwinnett ended its regular season Friday night with a big win over Region 8-AAAAA rival Brookwood 67-63. Tina Odume had a huge night for ...

College-Bound South Gwinnett High School Athletes

At Snellville's South Gwinnett High School, the saying in recent years has been "College - Not if but WHERE."  The message must be taking root. Just look at the recent college acceptances of South Gwinnett High School seniors:

Kent Rollins – Air Force Academy
Edward Muldrow – University of South Carolina
Adrian Ranson – The Citadel
Richard Shankle – Georgetown University
Kevin Gary – Georgia Military College
Tryheme Mitchell – State University of West Georgia
Trevon Walker – Iowa Western Community College
Aaron Wimberly - Iowa Western Community College
Joe Hillin - Mars Hill

South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation awards 4 local schools

The South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation recently completed a round of funding awards to four schools within the South Gwinnett cluster.

The foundation funded a request from South Gwinnett High School for the purchase of new books for the social studies program, provided additional subsidy for a reading program at Britt Elementary (that it initially funded in the previous school year), offered monetary support for a new sensory room project at Snellville Middle School and purchased two Mimio bars to fulfill a request from Norton Elementary for assistance to enhance the classroom learning experience.

GOOD NEWS FROM SCHOOLS: South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation awards ...
Gwinnettdailypost.com

Snellville Middle School welcomes new principal

"South Gwinnett assistant principal Eric Thigpen, who was a member of the 2009 class of the Quality-Plus Leader Academy, will lead Snellville Middle after principal Susan Down retires. Thigpen has worked for the school system since 2005 but has been an educator in Georgia since 1997. He has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Albany State University."

Excerpted from:
2 schools get new principals
Gwinnettdailypost.com

SGHS Presents: Next Victim, Please

Illustration by Hazel Duran

Next Victim, Please is described as "a tongue-in-cheek murder mystery," presented Jan. 6-8, 2011 at 7 p.m., South Gwinnett Theater. South Gwinnett High School, 2288 Main Street, Snellville Ga. 30078. General admission: $5.

The action begins When wealthy, old-man Murdock (the Colonel) is about to announce his Last Will and Testament. The whole arrogant family has been invited to Murdock Manor to witness his final wishes, and you can bet every greedy one of them wants a piece of the action. What happens after they gather will make you howl with laughter. Will anyone survive to the final curtain? One thing is certain, the excitement never ends. Things only get worse when Detective Swift arrives. But in the end, crime doesn’t pay and someone will be exposed as a greedy murderer!

South Gwinnett Music and Arts Benefit

South Gwinnett Music and Arts Benefit

"Celebrating Our American Heritage"

Featuring performances, auction and reception.

Master of Ceremonies:  State House Representative Melvin Everson.
Date: Thursday, November 18, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location:
South Gwinnett High School Theater and Commons
2288 Main Street, Snellville Ga 30078
Cost: $5 at the door.

All proceeds from this event will benefit the South Gwinnett High School Fine Arts Department. You do not need to know a student at the school to enjoy this event. This is a great entertainment value!

Snellville Community Flea Market Oct 30

The South Gwinnett High School Beta Club will host their 1st annual Community Flea Market on Saturday, October 30, 2010.

Rent a parking spot to pass out information, have a yard sale, advertise your business or have a bake sale. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Each space rental is $25.

For more information, contact Donna Aker at donnaker2004@yahoo.com or call 770-845-7286.

Rumors of gangs at South Gwinnett High School

Here is an update on the cancellations of some after-school activities at South Gwinnett High School. When I called the school about it, I had a bit of a hint that there was suspicion of gang activity, but I think the media blows these situations out of proportion a bit.

To read these news articles, you'd think that every kid at the school is some kind of gang thug. I can tell you as a parent who has visited the school numerous times, the majority of students there are very nice and polite.

I've had students happily help me find my way around, and have even had young men open the door for me without being asked. How often do you see that from high school kids? How often do you see that from adults?!

Gang rumors nix school activities
Gwinnettdailypost.com
SNELLVILLE — Rumors of gang activity led South Gwinnett High School officials to cancel athletic practices, club meetings and after-school programs Tuesday, ...

South Gwinnett locked down, canceled after school activities yesterday

My daughter was supposed to stay after school yesterday, but she said that the teachers had received an email from the administration to sweep the kids out of the school. All after-school programs were canceled for the day.

I called the school and found out what happened. The good news is that everyone is okay, there was no emergency. However, there is an ongoing issue the school is managing.

After school each day, hundreds of students without a valid purpose to still be at the school will hang around, in and outside the school buildings. The principal had heard that people from outside the school were joining this group of loiterers. If it's after school hours, then the teens are not supervised. Anytime you have a bunch of teenagers unsupervised, and add even more people to the mix who shouldn't be there is just going to breed trouble.

If anything happens at the school that is negative, of course the media is going to pick up on it and it makes the school look bad. The closure was to keep anything bad from happening on school property.

The close down involved holding the buses for 10 minutes to allow everyone who should be on a bus to get on one. Getting everyone out of the school enabled the administration to identify how many were there that should not be, and to move them away from school property. Every day, the school staff has to conduct a "sweep" of all the buildings, from Building D to Building E, to move all the people toward the school's Commons area. On most days, there are about 200 in the Commons area by the end of the sweep.

The school does have an after-school program on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:30 to 5:30 pm that provides snacks and tutoring. However, the loitering teens aren't interested in that. I think that maybe it's sort of like teens who stroll at the mall, to see and be seen. These teens don't have access to a 'cool' place like a mall, so they hang out at the school.

I've got to wonder what the home life is like for these kids, if they'd rather hang out at school than go home. What is happening at their house?

Society wants to label teens as uncontrollable animals, but they are just kids in adult-sized bodies. They need guidance, they need a safe place to be, and they need parents who are up to the task of raising them and providing a home that they want to return to.

UPDATES/RELATED LINKS
Gang activity concerns at South Gwinnett High School

Gwinnett County Schools CLOSED

Hi! Welcome to My Snellville Blog. THIS POST IS AN OLD ONE from March of 2009. So instead, see this post from 2010 about Gwinnett County Schools closed due to snow/ice conditions.

Gwinnett County Schools will be closed today, according to the WSB Closings list.

I used the last bit of coarse salt that I had on the porch and driveway. I had trouble walking back up the driveway. It's icy, and if you know Gwinnett County Schools, they don't close unless things are really bad. I thought I was doing so well, buying that box of coarse salt back when the weather was warm. But I should have bought 5 or 6 boxes. (Oh durnit, when you need it, you can't get out to the store to get it)

Do Snellville Police and emergency services (and yourself) a favor...stay home and off the roads today!

Related links:
Channel 11 has closings organized by type of facility.

Hi! Welcome to My Snellville Blog. THIS POST IS AN OLD ONE from March of 2009. I think you'd prefer this post from 2010 about Gwinnett County Schools closed due to snow/ice conditions.

Snellville Christmas Tree Lighting

27th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting

Snellville’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting will take place on Monday, December 1, at 7:00 pm at Snellville City Hall.

Come visit Santa and enjoy Christmas music from special guests Nick Pallas, South Gwinnett High School, Snellville Middle School and Britt Elementary School. We will also have a special performance from Snellville’s own Clogging Connection.

Marine Corps representatives will be present to accept toy and monetary donations for Toys for Tots. Refreshments will be served by the Snellville Keenager Club. Don’t miss this opportunity to get into the Christmas spirit!

New Principal of South Gwinnett High School

South Gwinnett High School has a new principal, Clay Hunter. The following was written by Mr. Hunter and comes from The Comet Courier, the South Gwinnett High School Newsletter.

"I am a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Georgia. I have a passion for social studies and taught a myriad of courses at Milton High School in Alpharetta. I also taught social studies at Norcross High School. I have served as an assistant principal at Meadowcreek High School and McConnell Middle School. Just recently, I served as principal of Susan Stripling Elementary School in Norcross.

In total, this is my thirteenth year in education. When I am not working, I enjoy spending
time with my wife and three children ages 12, 8, and 3. I know South Gwinnett High School to be a great institution of learning. It has a long tradition of producing leaders in the region and the state. Love for this school runs deep. Having had a chance to talk with a number of leaders in the community, I can sense the pride that is associated with being a South Gwinnett Comet.

Over this past weekend, I had the opportunity to interact with a number of students. I have talked with our peer leaders, senior leadership cabinet, band members, football team, and theatre guild. Without a doubt our students are outstanding!

Having had a chance to talk to a number of students, parents, and community members, I have learned more about some of the expectations these stakeholders have for our school. First and foremost, we all want South Gwinnett High School to be a safe, orderly environment in which to learn and work. I am committed to working with students, teachers, and parents to help our students make the right choices in terms of behavior.

Gwinnett County Public Schools’ student management policies and procedures will be adhered to at South Gwinnett High School. It is also a community expectation that all of our students will graduate from high school in four years. We all know how challenging our world is in terms of jobs and the economy. Our students must have a diploma if they are to create and live the American Dream. In addition to a diploma, our students must be prepared to enter and be successful in college and the workforce. Whatever path they choose, they must have the academic knowledge and skills in order to be successful. The wonderful educators at South Gwinnett High School work day in and day out to make that happen. I look forward to working with and supporting them as we implement new and innovative techniques to help all students maximize their potential.

Finally, our community wants to know about the great things that are going on at South Gwinnett. To this end, we will expand our efforts to tell our story… making sure more know about the wonderful achievements of our students and staff. I know that perception can sometimes morph itself into reality.

We need to set the story straight when it comes to the “reality” at South Gwinnett High. The truth is that the majority of our students make the right choices every day, academically and behaviorally. As we move forward, we need to work together and talk about ways for us to help all students make the right choices. In the coming weeks, we will be organizing a meeting so that you can meet me formally. We must begin discussing how to build upon the great things already taking place at South Gwinnett. The challenge of making sure that our students are successful is one that we must all share. I look forward to talking with you in the coming months. Together we can find solutions that will help our students maximize their full potential."

South Gwinnett High School Student Needs Your Vote To Win 20K Scholarship

Shelby Lohr, A senior at South Gwinnett High School is a finalist in a $20,000 scholarship contest by Zinch.com.

Zinch.com's website says "Almost all colleges find and recruit students through standardized test scores. Zinch allows students to be seen for what they are -- not just numbers, but people. You are more than a test score. Join the movement."

The process requires online votes for her to move to the next round of competition. 200 students were chosen from a pool of over 200,000 eligible to participate. She was then selected to be one of 64 student finalists vying for the ultimate 20k prize scholarship to the school of her choice.

She has posted a video on YouTube called "Zinch Horror" which has been posted on the zinch website as an example to other contestants.

You can vote for Shelby by visiting http//www.zinch.com/marchmadness and click on her name- "Shelby Lohr" then click "Vote me"....Voting was really easy, took only a couple seconds, and there was no sign up involved.

Shelby is one of only two Georgia students chosen for this exciting opportunity. Community involvement makes all the difference in who wins or not. Take a moment and
change the life of one of our own local kids!

Fight at South Gwinnett High School

What concerns me as much as the fight is that a high school student who posted the video to YouTube - a teenager who obviously attends South Gwinnett High School and lives in Gwinnett County, cannot spell Gwinnett correctly.

The video is titled "Chick Fight at South Gwinnet"

Do the students have any idea that Button Gwinnett was one of the three signers of the Declaration of Independence who were from Georgia? Do they know that Gwinnett County was named after him? His grave is in the Colonial Cemetery in Savannah Georgia if anyone is interested (I've visited it)



Let's learn more about Button Gwinnett