Espitia Named Gates Millennium Scholar

Dalton High’s Gaby Espitia is one of the 1,000 recipients of the Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Dalton High has had its fair share of Gates Millennium Scholars, and this year is no different—senior Gaby Espitia was recently named one of the 1,000 recipients of this prestigious award. Espitia is the 11th student to receive the scholarship at Dalton High since 2008.

To be considered for the Gates Millennium Scholarship, applicants must be going into college, have a 3.3 high school GPA, demonstrate leadership abilities, and be of a minority race.

The 18-year-old applied for the scholarship when it opened in October. Along with a generic application, she had to gather two recommendations and complete eight essays. Each essay had a maximum word count of 1,000 and covered areas from strengths (she excels in Latin) and weaknesses (math is her least favorite subject), to goals and community service.

Morris Dedicates Garden to Luna

Anjelica Luna was described as “the type of student everyone loved.”

Anjelica Luna was a lover of nature and butterflies.

She was a senior at Morris Innovative High and couldn’t wait until prom or graduation when she passed away on March 12, 2013 from complications from Spina Bifida.

“Anjelica was the type of student everyone loved,” said Morris secretary Lora McKee.

To honor Luna, the staff and students at Morris decided to go off of the senior’s love of nature and dedicate a meditation garden in her memory.

Summer Nutrition Program Starts June 3

Dalton Public Schools will again offer the Summer Food Program sponsored by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) starting Monday, June 3 through Friday, July 26. The Summer Food Program provides a free meal for anyone under the age of 18 years of age every Monday through Friday at 35 locations in the city. A designated site may provide breakfast, lunch or both. All meals must be eaten on site.  For more information, call 706-876-4104 or 706-876-4076.

Last year the program distributed between 4,000-5,000 meals each day in the city of Dalton. The program is federally-funded by the USDA Summer Nutrition Program to provide nutritious meals for children. No local school funds are used to support the program.

DHS Sophomore’s Art Featured in New Dalton Restaurant

Buckin’ Burrito General Manager Stan Fetzer (left) stands with DHS Sophomore Sawyer Stinnett in front of the mural Stinnett painted for the new restaurant in Downtown Dalton.

Visitors to the newly opened Buckin’ Burrito restaurant in downtown Dalton get a taste of the Southwest before they even purchase their lunch or dinner. Thanks to Dalton High School student Sawyer Stinnett, the Southwestern atmosphere is apparent the moment visitors step inside.

Stinnett, a sophomore at DHS, designed and painted the vast desert scene that stretches around the restaurant. One of his drawings also inspired the restaurant’s brightly colored chili pepper logo.

“I’m glad people are getting to see it,” Stinnett said of his featured artwork. “It’s something I’ve done, so it’s nice for people to see it.”

Dalton Public Schools Honors Retirees

A reception to honor the 13 Dalton Public Schools employees who are retiring at the end of the school year was held prior to the May Board of Education meeting.

At the end of the school year, Dalton Public Schools will say goodbye to 13 dedicated employees who have given over 200 years of service to the district. The group was honored with a reception prior to the May Board of Education meeting and presented with a token of appreciation.

Retirees include Ruth Allen, maintenance and operations; Cathy Clark, Park Creek School; Mirza Diaz, Dalton High School; Debbie Freeman, Dalton High School; Diane Hanlon, central office; Brenda Hauser, Roan School; Maria Martinez, Dalton Middle School; Kay Moss, Roan School; Hope Munro, Dalton High School; Mary Julian Renz, City Park; Debbie Reynolds, Westwood School; Gerald Wasmer, Roan School; and Kay Watkins, Dalton Middle School.

Dalton Board of Education Chairman Danny Crutchfield expressed appreciation for the retirees’ service to the students of Dalton Public Schools.  The 13 employees have over 350 years of service in education.

DPS Summer Sports Camps

Do your children love sports? Are you looking for some productive and fun ways to keep your child active this summer?

Whatever the reason, sports camps provide great opportunities for your child to develop athletic skills, meet new friends, or just stay active during the summer months.

A variety of sports camps are being offered this summer in Dalton Public Schools.

DALTON MIDDLE

Football Camp

• When: July 29 – Aug 1, 5:30pm-8pm
• Where: Dalton Middle
• Cost: Preregistration (May 24): $40, after the 24: $50
• Call John Patrick at 706-264-4077 for more information.

Morris Innovative High Holds First Prom

Prom chairman Lindsay Bearden stands with the Prom King and Queen Camry Washington and Dominique Nelson.

May 4 was a big night for the students of Morris Innovative—it was the night of the school’s first ever prom.

Many students approached Morris science teacher Lindsay Bearden with the idea of having a prom. Bearden took the idea to Principal Jennifer Phinney, and once Phinney signed off on the idea, Bearden stepped up to the title of prom chairman and started planning the dance with social studies teacher Danielle Hooper.

“This is their high school experiences, and everyone deserves the opportunity to go to prom!” Bearden said.

Young Georgia Authors’ Competition Crowns District Winners

District winners from Dalton Middle, Morris Innovative and Dalton High go up on stage to receive their trophies.

Students from all over Dalton Public Schools gathered in the Dalton High auditorium on May 8 to celebrate Young Georgia Author’s district competition.

The YGA strives to encourage students to develop writing that represents their best effort, provide context for schools to support and celebrate the writing successes of all students and to encourage and recognize student achievement in writing throughout Georgia.

GaDOE Releases CCRPI Scores for Districts, Schools

The Georgia Department of Education has released the first-ever Georgia College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) that measures schools and school districts on a 100-point scale. The index is based on data from 2011-2012. Dalton Public Schools received a district score for each grade band and each school also received a score.  The district score for elementary schools is 80.6, middle school is 77.9, and high school is 74.3.

The CCRPI replaces the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measurement in Georgia. The U. S. Department of Education granted Georgia’s waiver from NCLB on Feb. 9, 2012.

State Department of Education to Publish District Report Cards

The Georgia Department of Education (DOE) will release a new version of its school and system report cards in May. Georgia was one of 10 states granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act in February 2012. The new accountability system called the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) will help tell parents and the public how schools are performing in a more comprehensive manner than the pass/fail system previously in place under Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Details about to interpret the new report are available now on the state education department’s Accountability website[^1]. The data in the upcoming report will reflect student achievement during the 2011-2012 school year (with the exception of the 5–year graduation rate, which will include the 2010–2011 school year). The DOE will publish a report for each school as well as three reports at the district level to summarize elementary, middle, and high school performance.