April 2016 Volume 8 Issue 2 Sequoyah High School 4485 Hickory Road Canton, GA 30115 (770) 721-3200 Administration Mr. Elliott Berman Principal Mrs. Diane Butterworth Assistant Principal Mrs. Laura Kudlak Assistant Principal Dr. Mark Merges Athletic Director Student Services Maria Baldwin Head Counselor A-F Shirley Anderson Counselor G-O Carrilynn Corbin Counselor P-Z Cinde Grantham Counselor For the Parents, Students, and Community of Sequoyah High School Dear Parents, As we head toward the end of the 2015-16 school year, we want to remind everyone of the importance of maintaining good attendance and working hard to finish all courses successfully. Final exams for seniors are May 16-19, and final exams for all others will be May 23 – 26. All students must be present for exams. The only excuse we take for absences on those days is one from a doctor. If your student has violated the CCBOE Attendance Policy, he/ she may apply for an Attendance Waiver. Seniors need to submit the waiver form to the Attendance Office by Friday, April 22. Waiver forms for 9th – 11th graders are due into the Attendance Office by Friday, May 6. We are working on finalizing schedules for next year. The schedule is extremely tight. Consequently, there will be no schedule changes once the schedules are released in July because we have given all the current SHS students a copy of course requests and required every student to return it with a parent signature last month. A few issues that I want to mention that students and parents need to know: Summer School packets will be available in Student Services beginning April 11th. We will offer APEX classes for credit recovery on the SHS campus. Courses are also offered through the Polaris Program on the campus of Cherokee High School. The dates for Summer School are June 6 through June 24. Upcoming juniors or seniors who are considering Move On When Ready for next year need to meet with their counselor immediately. All paperwork for Move On When Ready must be into Student Services by July 11. Any online course a student is considering taking this summer must have prior approval. Students must see a counselor for this approval. Any online credit considered for promotion purposes must be submitted to Student Services by July 22. I encourage you to regularly check the school’s website at http://www.cherokee.k12.ga.us/ schools/sequoyah-hs/default.aspx for important information that is posted on a regular basis, as well as checking the Family Portal for your student’s grades and attendance. Sincerely, Elliott Berman
Transcript
April 2016 Volume 8Issue 2
Sequoyah High
School4485 Hickory RoadCanton, GA 30115
(770) 721-3200
Administration Mr. Elliott Berman
Principal
Mrs. Diane ButterworthAssistant Principal
Mrs. Laura KudlakAssistant Principal
Dr. Mark MergesAthletic Director
Student ServicesMaria Baldwin
Head Counselor A-F
Shirley Anderson Counselor G-O
Carrilynn Corbin Counselor P-Z
Cinde GranthamCounselor
For the Parents, Students, and Communityof Sequoyah High School
Dear Parents,
As we head toward the end of the 2015-16 school year, we want to remind everyone of the importance of maintaining good attendance and working hard to finish all courses successfully.
Final exams for seniors are May 16-19, and final exams for all others will be May 23 – 26. All students must be present for exams. The only excuse we take for absences on those days is one from a doctor. If your student has violated the CCBOE Attendance Policy, he/she may apply for an Attendance Waiver. Seniors need to submit the waiver form to the Attendance Office by Friday, April 22. Waiver forms for 9th – 11th graders are due into the Attendance Office by Friday, May 6.
We are working on finalizing schedules for next year. The schedule is extremely tight. Consequently, there will be no schedule changes once the schedules are released in July because we have given all the current SHS students a copy of course requests and required every student to return it with a parent signature last month.
A few issues that I want to mention that students and parents need to know: Summer School packets will be available in Student Services beginning April 11th. We will offer APEX classes for credit recovery on the SHS campus. Courses are also offered through the Polaris Program on the campus of Cherokee High School. The dates for Summer School are June 6 through June 24. Upcoming juniors or seniors who are considering Move On When Ready for next year need to meet with their counselor immediately. All paperwork for Move On When Ready must be into Student Services by July 11.
Any online course a student is considering taking this summer must have prior approval. Students must see a counselor for this approval. Any online credit considered for promotion purposes must be submitted to Student Services by July 22.
I encourage you to regularly check the school’s website at http://www.cherokee.k12.ga.us/schools/sequoyah-hs/default.aspx for important information that is posted on a regular basis, as well as checking the Family Portal for your student’s grades and attendance.
Sincerely,
Elliott Berman
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Judges Needed for Senior Boards
On Thursday, April 14, 2016, Sequoyah seniors will present their Senior Projects at Senior Boards, the culminating event of their Senior Project journey. It is an important night for each student, and it couldn’t happen without the generous support of our community. We need judges for the afternoon and evening of Thursday, April 14. Judges review student portfolios and observe presentations after a short training session. We invite you to take this opportunity to see our students at their best.
If you are willing to volunteer your time to support our students in this way, please register using the link found on the Capstone Project website, which can be accessed from the Sequoyah home page. Please contact Elaine Dasher at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Thank you for your support. Sequoyah High School Students Explore Their Future
On March, 4th , 2016 several Sequoyah High School teachers accompanied 60 Career and Technical Education students to visit the Chattahoochee Technical College campus in Jasper, GA. The purpose of the visit was to allow the senior high school students to explore the different educational programs offered by the college. The trip was aimed at students that might want to explore non-traditional post-secondary educational opportunities. The programs that were explored included healthcare science, automotive maintenance, cosmetology, automotive collision and repair, and welding. The students were able to speak with the instructors to learn about the specifics, as well as tour the program’s facilities and labs. The students were engaged and participated in hands on activities and demonstrations while on the tour. They were able to rotate throughout the programs to learn about the opportunities they were most interested in.
The staff at Chattahoochee Technical College were gracious hosts. Sequoyah High School’s Career and Technical Education department is excited to begin this partnership with Chattahoochee Technical College in order to provide their students with a more complete choice of post-secondary opportunities.
See you next year!
On March 3-5, 2016, Sequoyah High School DECA members attended and competed at the State Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA. The SHS DECA Club was recognized as the 17th largest chapter in the state and students won the right to attend and compete at the international level in the organization’s competitive events and leadership academies. DECA’s industry validated competitive events are aligned with National Curriculum Standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, and hospitality and tourism.
As top scoring participants, Sequoyah DECA participants will represent the state association at the International Career Development Conference in Nashville, TN this April 23-26, 2016. These SHS students earned the opportunity to join 18,000 other students from around the world at DECA’s International Career Development Conference.
For more information on the Sequoyah DECA Club, please contact the SHS DECA Advisor, Kari Palmer ([email protected]).
Pictured: Saigim Garcia, Hanna Kuter, Cammie Cox, Sierra Pelkey, Ashley Alderman, Sarah Donehoo, Tori Wilson, Hanna Palmer, Katie Kirkland, Sydney Neubert
Senior Project On Twitter
Would you like reminders of upcoming Senior Project deadlines? Follow the Senior Project on Twitter at SrProjectSHS!
• Continue to apply for scholarships – below are ones that are specifically for Sequoyah seniors or for seniors graduating from Cherokee County high schools. All details are posted on the Scholarships page of the SHS website. Don’t miss out – apply now:
» Waste Management Scholarship - $1000 – two awarded – deadline March 25
» Service League of Cherokee County - $1000 – deadline March 25
» Kiersten Dickson Memorial Soccer Scholarship - $1000 – deadline April 8
» Aramark Scholarship - $500 – two awarded – deadline April 11
» Bridgemill Sixes Service League - $1500 – two awarded – deadline April 18
• Turn in your final transcript form to Student Services. This will be in your senior packet that you will receive later this spring.
• Enjoy your graduation festivities!
Juniors and Sophomores: How to have a fun yet productive summer
• Make up any deficient credits through summer school or online – see your counselor for options.
• Visit colleges you’re thinking of applying to
• Take some practice tests for SAT and ACT through
• www.gacollege411.org or www.usatestprep.com
• Participate in a summer program through a college or other venue (apply now for it!) See the Summer Programs page under Student Services on the SHS website.
• Do community service
• Get a part-time job
• Enjoy spending time with your family and friends
• Prepare for next year!
Freshmen: One year down, three to go
• Make up any deficient credits through summer school or online – see your counselor for options.
• Continue or get started with quality extracurricular activities such as community service, a part-time job, sports, church activities, etc.
• Enjoy spending time with your family and friends!
CompetitionCarol ine Kraczon has been selected to advance to the National History Day in Georgia state competition in the Individual Senior Paper category. Caroline competed in the reg iona l competition at Kennesaw State University on March 19 and will compete at Mercer University on April 23.
Caro l ine wrote her paper, “Marbury vs. Madison: Judicial Activism,” for her Senior Career Capstone Project. Her project is an academic capstone in Social Studies. Caroline plans to pursue a career in law or politics.
National History Day pulls students out of the textbook to learn about history firsthand. Competitions occur at the regional, state, and national levels. The Georgia competition is sponsored by the Georgia Humanities Council and LaGrange College in partnership with Mercer University.
Austin Morrison wins
Poetry Out Loud Senior Austin Morrison won Sequoyah’s Poetry Out Loud contest on January 27 and competed in the North Georgia Regional Competition on February 27 at Woodstock High School. Poetr y Out Loud: Nat ional Recitation Contest was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation It is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Sequoyah High School Students Are Georgia PTA State
Reflections Contest WinnersDakota Smith, who is on the left in the photo, is the state PTA Refection’s Contest winner for Dance at the ninth grade level and Amber Woodhull, who is on the right in the photo, is the state PTA Reflections Contest winner for Dance at the eleventh grade level. Congratulations to both young ladies!
Science FairMadison Stout won first place at the Northwest Georgia Regional Science Fair at West Forsyth High School on January 30 with an electrochemical air battery she developed for her senior project. She received a Principal’s Patch in recognition of this first-place win.
Her battery was also selected for a special cash award from Cobb EMC because it embodied their vision for energy for the future. She will compete in the state competition at the University of Georgia from March 31-April 2.
Sequoyah Places Third at Literary State Championships
T h e G e o r g i a H i g h S ch o o l As s o c i a t i o n L i t e r a r y S t a t e Championships were held March 12 at three event sites. Sequoyah competed at Buford High School, placing third in the state overall.
For the second year in a row, our Boys’ Quartet--comprised of Levi Miller, John Haas, Slade Searcy, and Andy Whittle--is number one in the state. John Haas also won the state title for Boy’s Solo. Kyle Renner won first place in the Personal Essay category.
These students advanced to the state competition after winning first place in their respective categories at the Region 7-AAAAA Literary Championships in Canton on February 12. Other regional winners include Connor Lawson, who won first place for Extemporaneous Speaking- Domestic. Sydney McHugh placed second in Rhetorical Essay. Austin Morrison placed third in Argumentative Essay. Janet Miller, Kylee Berggren, and Nikki Johnson placed third in Girls’ Trio. Kylee Berggren placed fourth in Girl’s Solo.
“The competition is very fierce in our Region,” Sequoyah HS Choral Director and Literary Coordinator Josh Markham said. “I am really proud of all of our students for their preparation and excellent performances today. Sequoyah has a strong reputation for academic and artistic excellence. We are glad to be part of that tradition.”
Young Author’s Fair WinnersCongratulations to Yeseul Heo, the winner of CCSD’s 2015-16 Georgia Young Authors Fair Competition for the 12th grade. Her entry titled, “Metamorphosis” has been sent to the North Georgia RESA Competition where winners of that contest will be determined by April 15th. At that time, RESA will send notification of winning writings that will proceed to the State Competition. The winners of the State Competition will be announced in June, 2016. The judges of every grade level remarked about the difficulty of choosing winners because so many wonderful writings were submitted.
For Sequoyah High School AFJROTC (GA-952), this Spring Semester has proven to be very busy and exciting, and we still have some of our best events of the year remaining.
GA-952 “Exceeds Standards” during Triennial Air Force InspectionOn January 27th, GA- 952 was inspected by Headquarters, Air Force Junior ROTC. For the previous several months, our cadets were busy fine tuning our processes, updating our documentation, and conducting self-inspections to make sure we were 100% ready. Inspection day started off with a unit mission briefing from the seniors to our inspector, Colonel (Retired) Scott Lewis. Col Lewis then proceeded to inspect our programs, equipment, and facilities as well as met with school officials to ensure we were complying with all Air Force requirements. At the end of the day, Colonel Lewis stated that he was greatly impressed with our unit and that we most likely ranked in the Top 10 of the approximately 860 AFJROTC units across the world. Colonel Lewis also presented two of our cadets Top Performer Awards, which are only given to those cadets who rank in the Top 2% of the entire program. Congratulations to C/Col Kylie Nowokunski and C/Col Emily Stump on receiving these distinguished Top Performer awards.
AFJROTC Bowling NightTo promote team-work, cadets organized a “Bowling Night” night on January 14th. The cadets enjoyed great bowling, food, and friendship at the Cherokee Bowling Lanes.
Knoll Elementary School Reading NightOn February 9th, approximately 20 cadets helped IKES put on their annual Student Reading Night to celebrate and encourage reading among students and parents.
Sequoyah High School Beautification ProjectSeveral times a year, cadets give back to SHS by cleaning up the grounds and completing various beautification projects. Our cadets most recently completed one of these projects on February 11th to include replacing a broken fence post.
Rome Airport/Tel lus Museum Field TripOn February 12th, approximately 35 junior and senior cadets of GA-952 took a day long field trip to the Richard B. Russell Airport in Rome GA and Tellus Museum. While at the Rome airport, cadets had the opportunity to tour both the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Aviation School and the Hixson Museum of Flight. Additionally, interested cadets had the unique opportunity to fly with members of the Tiger Flight Foundation that flies out of Rome airport. After lunch, the juniors and seniors headed on their way to Tellus Museum to visit it’s exhibits and watch a special presentation on exoplanets (planets outside of our Solar System) at the Tellus planetarium. Overall, this field trip contributed greatly to the AFJROTC Science of Flight and Exploring Space curriculum.
Upcoming Events:D e a n R u s k M i d d l e S ch o o l Beautification ProjectIndian Knoll Cultural Arts NightAFJROTC Car Wash FundraiserHixson Flight Museum Grand Re-openingMore Civil Air Patrol Orientation FlightsHickory Flight Elementary School Thunder RunTennessee Whitewater & Team-building TripMarch of Dimes Walk AmericaAnnual Awards Banquet
Cadet Orientation FlightsOver the February Break, interested cadets had the opportunity to receive orientation flights from both the Tiger Flight Foundation at Rome Airport and the Civil Air Patrol at Cobb County Airport. By the end of the February Break, nearly 40 cadets completed orientation flights. Over the course of their AFJROTC experience, cadets will have multiple opportunities to go flying and apply what they have learned in the classroom.
All Service State Drill MeetOn February 27th, the cadet competition drill team traveled down to Georgia Mi l i t ar y College in Milledgeville to compete in an All Service State Drill Meet. GA-952’s participation in the drill meet included Unarmed Regulation (commanded by C/Col Emily Stump), Armed Regulation (commanded by C/Maj Jon Wooldridge), Competition Color Guard (commanded by C/1Lt Rosemarie Stiver), Academic Team (led by C/Col Kylie Nowokunski), Athletic Team (led by C/2Lt Orion Harden), and Exhibition Duo (commanded by C/1Lt Hunter Goss). The cadets greatly enjoyed the challenge of the drill meet and especially interacting with cadets from other services’ JROTC programs as well as the Georgia Military College cadets and faculty.
GA 952 Annual Yard SaleEvery year, with the help of parents, cadets come together to hold a group yard sale as a fundraiser for our unit. This is one of our major fundraising events of the year and is important because it helps pay for our highly popular Tennessee Whitewater Team-building trip and the Awards Banquet we hold at the end of the year. This year on 5 March, with the help of a gracious supply of donations from parents and local businesses, our unit was able to raise over $1,800!
Warner Robbins Air Force Museum Field TripOn March 8th, forty-three of our third and first year cadets took a day-long field trip to the Robins Air Force Base Museum of Aviation. This is the second largest Air Force museum in the country. While touring the impression aviation displays, the cadets engaged in a scavenger hunt to test their knowledge of Air Force and aviation history. Twenty-seven cadets had the chance to experience the museum’s flight simulator. After an hour long instructional brief and mission planning session, cadets were put behind the wheel of a virtual airplane and put to the test!
Hickory Flat Elementary School Mother-Son NightOn the 10th of March, cadets helped the HFES staff orchestrate a fun-filled evening for moms and sons complete with games and other team building activities. The moms, sons, staff, and cadets had a wonderful evening. After the event, cadets stayed afterwards to clean the building for the next day of school.Huntsville Space and Rocket Center Field Trip
On March 14th, over 30 fourth and second year cadets traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to tour the impressive U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Here, they received a guided tour and traced the amazing history of the United States space and rocket program. Highlights included an IMAX presentation on the Hubble Space Telescope, a jet fuel demonstration, and the chance to build and launch model rockets.
Indian Knoll Elementary School Beautification ProjectOn March 17th, over 20 cadets planted flowers, painted planter boxes, and cleaned up the grounds of Indian Knoll Elementary School. Their efforts contributed greatly to the school’s overall beautification efforts.
Mountain Road Elementary School Spring FlingEvery year, MRES holds a huge “Spring Fling” featuring a variety of games, physical activities, and delicious food for students, parents, and friends. The staff also uses this opportunity to raise funds to support student programs. On 18 March, approximately 40 cadets assisted in the orchestration of this impressive event.
Speech and DebateThe Sequoyah HS Speech and Debate team is the only high school Speech and Debate team in CCSD and is ranked in the top 10 percent of high school Speech and Debate teams nationwide by the National Forensic League. The team finished its 2016 season winning the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association’s Philip Wertz School of Excellence Award on March 5, 2016. The Philip Wertz Award is presented to schools with 1500-2000 students who qualified the most number of students in their division for the Varsity Speech and Debate State Championship Tournament. The team qualified 18 students for the Varsity Speech and Debate State Championship Tournament held March 4th-6th at Northview High School in Duluth, GA. Sequoyah Debate students included: Mary Beth Dicks, Ashley Hendel, Megan Evans, Julianne Clark, Chris Harkins, Donavan Giardina, Caleb Crayton, Josh Nieves, Nyla Crayton, Gabby Filkins, Rebecca Choe, Nieves Ristuccia, Ellie Agler, and Nic Fricia, competing in Public Forum and Lincoln Douglass debates. Three students represented the Sequoyah team in the following speech events: Rebekah Carnes (Humorous Interpretation), Caitlin Franchini (Program of Oral Interpretation), Maddie Doerr (Dramatic Interpretation and Impromptu). Yeseul Heo qualified in Dramatic Interpretation but was unable to compete.
Public Forum Debate Octafinalists at the state competition included Mary Beth Dicks and Ashley Hendel and Chris Harkins and Donovan Giardina. Ellie Agler was an Octafinalist in Lincoln Douglass debate. Caitlin Franchini placed 8th in Program of Oral Interpretation. More than 50 students participated on the team this year, competing in tournaments throughout the state and at the National level at Harvard University. Mr. Matt Bartula and Mrs. Katie Maher, Sequoyah High School teachers, are the coaches for the team. “The Speech and Debate team offers our students the unique opportunity to thoughtfully consider and debate issues that are shaping our country and our world,” Principal Elliott Berman said. “The speaking and debating skills they develop here not only benefit them as they look forward to college and job interviews, they prepare them to be well informed vocal leaders of our community and country in the future.”
Sequoyah Swim & Dive 2015-2016For the first time in the team’s history, this year’s girls swim & dive team placed 3rd overall in the A-AAAAA Georgia High School State Meet with 192 points, from a field of 61 scoring teams.
Competing and scoring at finals were Kamryn Carter (4th 100 Free, 11th 200 IM), Kristina Friedrichs (2nd 100 Free, 4th 50 Free), Sophie Roy (15th 200 IM), Jordan Weems (9th 500 Free, 20th 100 Backstroke) and Rachel Renner (4th overall 1 meter Diving) The team of Carter, Friedrichs, Roy and Weems placed 3rd in the 200 Medley Relay and 2nd in the 400 Free Relay.
The entire state team was comprised of:
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Superintendent Key Scholar ProgramThe Superintendent’s Key Scholars Program is a Districtwide academic recognition initiative honoring CCSD students’ academic achievement. The juniors who were recognized have met the Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) selection index of 90th percentile or greater on Grade 11 test scores. Although Sequoyah is the second smallest high school in the county, we had more students recognized than three other high schools in the county.
Congratulation to the following juniors from SHS who were recognized on March 22nd for being Superintendent’s Key Scholars.
Hannah Becker Nick DuclosKamryn Carter Daniel GordonAnsley Davis Jake HeeterKristina Friedrichs Tanner PerryRachel Renner Kyle RennerSophie Roy Dalton TrampnauBrianna Saez Jane ScarbroughJordan Weems
Pictured: Kamryn Carter, Kristina Friedrichs, Rachel Renner, Jordan Weems, Sophie Roy
