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By admin, February 15, 2011

In case you missed it, the APS board voted last night to purchase the IBM site on Northside Parkway, finally making public the best kept secret in north Atlanta. Read more in today’s AJC article, which quotes Foundation trustee Cynthia Briscoe Brown, and below is a message from school board member Nancy Meister to the Warrior community. APS estimates 18 months to two years to completion; in the meantime, the Foundation is focused on achieving our mission in the here and now. Help us by making a donation to our new Warrior Fund today!

District 4 Constituents,

Tonight, the ABE authorized the APS Administration to move forward with a Purchase and Sales contract, for the acquisition of land for the “new” North Atlanta High School.  The property is located at 4111 Northside Parkway. This location is 3.6 miles north of the current North Atlanta High School, and offers so much from a land/opportunity perspective.

The process has been very involved, many sites were considered, and  I am quite pleased with the Administration’s recommendation.  A 56 acre property, such as this, will allow the district to stay ahead of the anticipated growth. The proposed location will allow for athletic facilities such as a football practice field, soccer field, softball field and baseball field. Long term, I would anticipate the property to allow the district to expand athletic facilities and other opportunities.

The Administration will be engaged in a critical and aggressive due diligence process over the next few months.  I look forward to ensuring that all stakeholder feedback is heard and input is addressed.

Nancy Meister

District 4 ABE

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By admin, January 20, 2011

The January issue of Atlanta Magazine includes the publication’s annual lists of Atlanta’s best high schools and North Atlanta fared very well. We were ranked as one of Atlanta’s Top 10 schools in three different categories: Math & Science, the Arts, and Sports.

Top Math & Science schools were selected for having “advanced math and science classes that range beyond traditional AP studies,” and the magazine noted that nearly all of their top picks also have robotics team (read about North Atlanta’s here).

It’s no surprise that North Atlanta would be picked as a top program for Fine Arts. The school’s Center for the Arts has long been a poster child for excellence in arts education, offering study in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts, including the opportunity to complete the full International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

The magazine’s choices for top schools in the Sports category, including North Atlanta, all offer 14 or more varsity sports. You can thank the Booster Club for much of the athletic program’s success. Go Warriors!

The Foundation salutes all the faculty, staff and students who have put North Atlanta High School on all of these “best of Atlanta” lists. Congratulations and thanks for everything you do.

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By admin, January 13, 2011

If you like to build robots, you’re probably really good at math and science. That’s certainly true for the more than two dozen North Atlanta students who are launching the school’s first robotics team, with the help of a $5,000 challenge grant from the Foundation. Dubbed the “Warbotz,” the team attended the First Robotics Competition Kick-off event on Saturday, January 8, at Georgia Tech (a school with a recognized robotics program).

At the kickoff, the team got its kit of robotics parts and learned what the competition will be. They then inventoried the kit, and began to plan for the robot design and game strategy.

Now comes the fun part, when the team starts building their first bot. The competition deadline is Feb. 22, so the heat is on. If we had video of robots in action, believe me we’d post it, but that will have to wait until the first bot is unveiled. In the meantime, suffice it to say we’re proud to be helping the Warbotz battle their way through high school science and beyond.

Below left: NAHS Robotics Club at the First Robotics Competition Kickoff

Below right: Club member Stephen Weatherly designing a robot.

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By admin, October 11, 2010

North Atlanta students recently had a chance to team up with AT&T employees and participate in the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative. As a result of their participation and enthusiasm for the learning experience, AT&T Mobility president and CEO Ralph de la Vega visited North Atlanta High on Thursday, September 30, to address the students in a motivational presentation and then have lunch with the Junior Achievement students.

The AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative is a joint effort between AT&T and Junior Achievement in which AT&T employees help students connect classroom learning to real life opportunities. Back in the spring, 76 students — including a number of North Atlanta business students — visited an AT&T corporate site to learn about careers and develop an understanding of the educational background and skills they will need to succeed in the workplace.

North Atlanta High School was chosen for the special visit from de la Vega for its strong interest level in the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative and high response rate of students who commented on the impact of de la Vega’s own personal story and overcoming the odds.

“I believe that education is the foundation of success and no one can take it away from you, no matter what happens,” said de la Vega. “I care deeply about the future success of our youth and greatly appreciate spending time with students and sharing my own story in hopes of inspiring them.”

As part of the job shadow initiative, students received complimentary copies of de la Vega’s book Obstacles Welcome, in which he describes his experiences as a Cuban immigrant in the United States, the importance of education and his advancement through business to become a top executive at AT&T.

“The commitment of North Atlanta High School to its students extends far beyond the classroom. We also want to see them succeed in life,” said Lorraine Bowen, North Atlanta High School International Business & Marketing Teacher. “Through the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative we are able to offer them an impactful experience that can broaden their scope of future opportunities.”

As Junior Achievement’s largest corporate job shadow initiative to date, AT&T and JA are committed to reaching 100,000 high school students with the program over five years. Since the $5.5 million job shadow initiative began in 2008, the program has reached more than 50,000 students in 206 cities.

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By admin, August 23, 2010

Combined, North Atlanta High School’s 2010 graduates depart for college this fall with more than $23 million in scholarships — an all-time record. The class includes winners of some of the most prestigious college scholarship programs in the country, including Gates Millennium Scholars, National Merit Scholars, Posse Foundation Scholars, Coca-Cola Scholars and an Air Force Academy appointment. NAHS graduates also earned acceptances at a wide variety of college and university (view a list here).  As the Class of 2010 moves to the next phase of their academic careers, they will take with them academic, athletic, artistic and life-lesson experiences from their four years at NAHS.

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By admin, June 18, 2010

Nice story in the Buckhead Reporter recently. We’ll miss Dr. Frutiger, but know IB will thrive under the leadership of assistant principal and dean of academics (and NAHS Foundation board trustee) John Denine. Congrats John! Outtake below, or read the full article here.

“After 40 years with the Atlanta Public Schools and 26 in the APS’ International Baccalaureate program at Buckhead’s North Fulton and North Atlanta high schools, Frutiger recently announced his retirement as director of North Atlanta’s pioneering IB diploma program, an internationally recognized diploma program designed to give students global awareness.

“The school also enters a new era. Recently, APS announced that a new Buckhead high school will be built and that North Atlanta’s building on Northside Drive will be converted into a middle school.

“A reorganized International Baccalaureate program will be under the direction of John J. Denine, assistant principal and dean of academics. He will hold the title of Academy Leader, combining the dean’s and the IB director’s duties.”

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By admin, February 4, 2010

It’s confirmed. Atlanta Public Schools has announced its intent to purchase land in Buckhead and build a new, state-of-the-art high school for North Atlanta High School students. APS has located a piece of property large enough to accommodate plans for the new school, which include a wide array of classroom and athletic spaces and the necessary parking. APS is not disclosing the property’s location until negotiations are complete.

According to a backgrounder posted by APS, “it generally takes approximately 18 months to build a high school.” The system is shooting to have the property acquired by the end of this year, so North Atlanta students could be in the new school as soon as the 2012-2013 school year.

Overcrowding at Sutton Middle School is the driving force behind APS’s move. Families in Sutton’s attendance zone increasingly have chosen to send their children to their neighborhood school, and APS expects this trend to continue far beyond Sutton’s current capacity. With that in mind, the existing North Atlanta campus will become a new middle school for the district to help offset this overcrowding.

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By admin, January 29, 2010

For the latest installment of the Buckhead Business Association’s Brown Bag Lunch series at North Atlanta on Jan. 26, students were treated to pizza and Steak. Steak Shapiro, that is. Shapiro is president of 790 the Zone Sports Talk Radio and co-host of the station’s “Mayhem in the A.M.” show. While 40 students enjoyed slices from Pizzeria Venti, Steak shared how he discovered his passion in life, set goals and ultimately achieved his dream of running a successful sports talk radio station. He emphasized a recurring theme of “planning to work and working the plan.”

In the end, students had the chance to see how a commitment to a dream can pay off, or in this case, put you in the zone! Many thanks to Buckhead Business Association, Pizzeria Venti and Steak Shapiro of 790 the Zone for making it happen.

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By admin, November 29, 2009

Once in a lifetime. Skip to the 1’30″ mark to see Reggie Colbert give Wynton the high sign, at which point Wynton takes it into high gear. Here’s an earlier post with background on the event, and here’s a link to official APS photos from the event.