Remembering Julian Bond

When a loss touches you deeply, it becomes difficult to talk about that person, much less write a remembrance in honor of him. Such it is for me with Julian Bond. I should have posted this sooner, but I simply was not ready yet to say my goodbyes. Now it’s a week after I attended the memorial for him at the King…

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Battle of the Warriors

After a long day of work, there’s nothing like enjoying Atlanta Public Schools football. That’s how it was on Thursday. I spent nearly the entire day planning the school year in a retreat with the Atlanta Board of Education. Later that night, I participated in the APS practice run for the East Atlanta Village Runfest.…

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Falcons, Northside Team Up to Open Athletic Training Facility at Washington

Thanks to the Atlanta Falcons and Northside Hospital, our Athletic Department scored another great win on Tuesday with the official opening of the new APS Athletic Training Facility at Booker T. Washington High School. This facility features state-of-the-art equipment and supplies for training and pre- and post-workout routines. Located at Washington, the facility is available…

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Are You Ready for APS Football?

Atlanta Public Schools kicked off the football season in huge fashion on Saturday as our Department of Athletics played host to the 2015 High School Classic at Lakewood Stadium. As superintendent and a football fan myself, it has been a great thrill for me over the past few weeks to meet with the student athletes,…

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You’ve Got to ‘Stride’ Before You Can ‘Sprint’

I have not only enjoyed practicing with APS student athletes including football players, cross-country runners and cheerleaders, but I have embarked on a training regimen in preparation for the East Atlanta Village (EAV) Runfest. About 100 of my fellow APS co-workers responded to a training challenge earlier this month. Now we generally meet every Monday…

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Day and Night at North Atlanta High School

Whenever I find a school, program, or any place where things seem to be working well in APS, I want to immerse myself in their process so that I can glean how we can apply that lift and success to other schools in our district. As a part of my back-to-school tour, I decided to…

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I See You: Social-Emotional Learning at Fain ES, Boyd ES, West End Academy and Crim Open Campus HS

Checking in on the progress of our schools doesn’t stop after Day One or even week one. I love visiting schools as often as possible and seeing first-hand how the decisions we make as leaders impact the day-to-day learning of students. It was great to see the beginnings of our social-emotional learning (SEL) work taking…

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Healthy Food and Fitness at Fickett Elementary!

I popped in recently for a quick visit with our friends at Fickett Elementary. Principal Twyman is always bursting with new ideas and she was excited to show me one of the newest additions to the school, a learning garden! Fickett is the recipient of a Captain Planet Learning Garden grant as well as a…

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Running with the Jags and Strutting in the EAV!

Tuesday, after school, I was able to have my first cross country training experience at Jackson High School with the Jaguars! Let me tell you, these kids work hard! Our run started at the school’s athletic field, wound through the historic Grant Park neighborhood and over into Grant Park, near the Atlanta Zoo. There were…

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So Sweet (and Smart) at CSK Young Women’s Leadership Academy!

Last week, my back-to-school drop in visit with the ladies of Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) was so much fun! At the helm of the recently merged, all girls’ middle and high school is new principal Erin Barksdale. She and her team gifted me with a super smart looking t-shirt that was…

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