Purpose – Drew Charter School serves as a key component of the cradle-to-college pipeline within the holistic East Lake neighborhood revitalization. Appreciating our unique status as a mixed-income school, Drew Charter School’s primary purpose is to provide an excellent education to all children living in the Villages of East Lake so that each student reaches his or her full potential and is launched on a pathway to health, impact and prosperity.
Vision – Drew Charter School students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and passion to create positive change in the world.
Mission – Drew Charter School is an exemplary, innovative education community that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.
Shout-outs to:
- Mr. Doran, who was recognized at graduation by City Councilmember Natalyn Archibong for his lifetime of contributions to the city of Atlanta with an official proclamation designating May 18th as Don Doran Day! Some of Mr. Doran’s accomplishments that you might not be aware of include:
- Starting his career as a teacher and coach in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1971
- A 32-year career with the District, encompassing the role of Principal of Benteen Elementary and Inman Middle School and Executive Director for School Reform Team 1, where he was responsible for the academic success of 24 schools
- Serving as Executive Director of Outward Bound Atlanta
- Serving for six years as a Hands on Atlanta board member and eight years as Regional Coordinator for Special Olympics, Atlanta
- Leading the United States delegation to the International Games for the Physically Handicapped in Tokyo, Japan
- Accepting two invitations to speak at the White House with President Bill Clinton on AmeriCorps and the power of volunteerism
- Being selected to serve as one of only 15 Principals nationwide on the Principal Advisory Board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Being invited to speak at the Hong Kong Section Educational Modernization Summit in Shenzhen, China
- The Class of 2019, the class that brought spirit and soul to the Senior Academy! It was a pleasure to work with you and I am excited to see what you will accomplish! The Class of 2019 Graduation Ceremony can be viewed at this link (the procession of graduates starts at about 56:30).
- All of the teachers and staff of the Senior Academy for an amazing year! This year we saw some amazing projects, incredible outcomes for our graduating seniors, tremendous growth for some of our least reached students and some awesome collaboration! Thank you for all of your hard work! Enjoy your summer!
- All of the faithful readers of this blog! For the past several years this has been a labor of love. While often time-consuming, I have always found it refreshing reviewing the shout outs that were contributed by the Leadership Team and reflecting on the week to find the bright spots to highlight here. I hope these shout-outs and the information here have been helpful.
- Senior Niara Botchwey for earning 4th place in the Biomedical Engineering category out of more than 100 entries from around the world at the International Science and Engineering Fair!
- Jessie Bond at the East Lake Foundation and everyone else who worked to secure a grant from the Goizueta Foundation who approved $770,000 over three years to the East Lake Foundation that will support and enrich STEAM/Project-Based Learning (PBL) at Drew Charter School, beginning July 1. This grant will support the following components:
- A Senior Academy-focused STEAM Faculty Cohort that integrates and elevates STEAM and PBL instructional practices to the highest caliber. Cohort members will engage in a robust STEAM/PBL professional development program, implement learnings in their classrooms, and disseminate STEAM/PBL skills and best practices to other educators across Drew’s pipeline.
- Creation of new mobile makerspaces (STEAM Trunks) to integrate STEAM into core classes and PBL initiatives at the Senior Academy
- A STEAM/PBL Support Specialist position to support implementation of the initiative
- Ensuring access for economically disadvantaged children in grades PreK-7 to the STEAM-focused RISE After School Program via fee support
- Data collection and analysis to assess the effectiveness of grant components, in partnership with Georgia Tech’s CEISMC Research & Evaluation Group
- All of the members of the Graduation Committee, who worked to plan and facilitate the Class of 2019 Graduation Ceremony on Saturday!
- The CCR team for another awesome College Decision Day on Monday!
- Ms. McKenzie, Ms. Isbell and the tech team for helping coordinate the MAP administration this past week!
- Ms. Hood, Dr. Morgan and the 12th Grade Team for facilitating all of the Senior Week activities!
- Ms. Woods, Ms. Jackson, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Kitchen, Mr. Canney and Ms. Cain for their work preparing students to take AP exams in Biology, Calculus, Human Geography, English Language and World History this week!
- Mr. Kitchen, Mr. Bennett, Ms. Wilder and Ms. Hecht for their awesome App Shark Tank project, complete with a $1,000 grand prize!
- Ms. Isbell for coordinating the teacher awards for the End-of-the-Year Assembly on Tuesday!
- Ms. Schaffer for planning and teaching AP World History lessons for 10th grade as they prepared for their AP exam this past week! Also shout out for collaborating with a guest teacher to do Saturday and after school sessions for the AP World students!
- Mr. Myers for all of his work as Testing Coordinator, particularly coordinating the Milestones Assessments!
- Ms. Kaney-Weaver for all of her hard work coordinating AP exams as AP Coordinator!
- Ms. Davis for all of her hard work clearing seniors for graduation!
Calendar:
Week of: 05/20/19 – 05/24/19
A-Day. MON
- 05/20
- Golf State Championship
- 8:00-9:30 – 1A Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 9:35-11:05 – Students report to 3rd Period for Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 11:05 – Lunch (all grades)/Dismissal
- 12:00 – All students should be picked up from campus
B-Day TUES
- 05/21
- 8:00-9:30 – 1B Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 9:35-11:05 – Students report to 3rd Period for Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 11:05 – Lunch (all grades)/Dismissal
- 12:00 – All students should be picked up from campus
- 4:00-6:30 – Community Celebration Honoring Don Doran [Athletic Field]
A-Day WED
- 05/22
- 8:00-9:30 – Students report to 2nd Period for Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 9:35-11:05 – Students report to 4th Period for Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 11:05 – Locker Clean-Out/Lunch (all grades)/Dismissal
- 12:00 – All students should be picked up from campus
B-Day THURS
- 05/23 – Last day of the semester
- 8:00-9:30 – Students report to 2nd Period for Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 9:35-11:05 – Students report to 4th Period for Final Exams, Project Presentations or Summative Assessments
- 11:05 – Lunch (all grades)/Dismissal
- 12:00 – All students should be picked up from campus
FRI
- 05/24
- Post-Planning Teacher Work Day
Other Upcoming Events
- 6/3 – 6/7 – Rising Ninth Grade Summer Bridge Transition Program
Announcements:
- Drew Opportunity Fund – In recognition of Mr. Don Doran, Head of School, and his decade of leadership we are delighted to announce the launch of the Drew Opportunity Fund. Join us in thanking Mr. Doran for his years of service by making a donation in his honor today! Learn more
- Reminder: Lunch Balances – Please take a moment to check your student’s lunch balance at www.MySchoolBucks.com. Any student who owes money, will need to bring cash to pay for lunch until their balance is cleared. Outstanding balances can be paid down and money can be added to students’ accounts on this website. More information is available in this letter.
- Pending charges will be applied to all student accounts with a balance via MyPaymemts Plus.
- Should you have questions regarding your students status based on the Federal Eligibility Application completed at the beginning of the year you may call Nutrition at 404-802-2540.
College Acceptances To-Date
| Class of 2019 College Acceptances To-Date | Student Matriculating |
| Alabama A&M University | |
| Alabama State University | |
| Albany State University | Chelsea Cole |
| Alcorn State University | |
| Atlanta Metropolitan College | |
| Auburn University | |
| Augusta University | |
| Baylor University | |
| Bethune-Cookman University | Courtney Harris, 5 Strong Scholar |
| Brandeis University | |
| Carnegie Mellon University | |
| Case Western Reserve University | |
| Claflin University | |
| Clark Atlanta University | |
| Colorado College | Juanye’ Hairston |
| Columbus State University | |
| Columbia University | |
| Cornell University | |
| Clayton State University | |
| Dartmouth College | Daisha Thornton |
| Dillard University | |
| Duke University | |
| East Georgia College | |
| Eastern Kentucky University | |
| Elon University | |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach | |
| Emory University | |
| Florida A&M University | |
| Florida International University | |
| Fort Valley State University | |
| Furman University | Marcus Foster |
| Georgetown University | |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Ivy Diamond |
| Georgia Southern University | |
| Georgia State University | |
| Grambling State University | |
| Hampton University | |
| Harvard University | |
| Hollins University | |
| Howard University | |
| Iowa State University | |
| Jackson State University | |
| Jacksonville University | |
| Johns Hopkins University | |
| Keiser University | |
| Kennesaw State University | Chase Porter |
| Lafayette College | Arthur Ayers |
| Langston University | |
| Long Island University | |
| Louisiana State University | |
| Loyola University New Orleans | |
| Mary Baldwin University | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| Mercer University | |
| Miami University of Ohio | |
| Middle Tennessee State University | |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | |
| Mississippi State University | |
| Morehouse College | |
| Morgan State University | |
| New York Institute of Technology | |
| New York University | |
| Norfolk State University | |
| North Carolina A&T State University | |
| North Carolina State University | |
| Unviersity of Notre Dame | |
| Oglethorpe University | |
| Old Dominion University | |
| Pennsylvania State University | |
| Princeton University | |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | |
| Rutgers University | |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | |
| Savannah State University | |
| Seton Hall University | |
| Spelman College | |
| Stanford University | Nazjaa Hughson |
| Stetson University | |
| Syracuse University | |
| Tennessee State University | |
| The Ohio State University | |
| The University of Alabama | |
| Tufts University | Kenyetta Akowa, Questbridge Scholar |
| Tuskegee University | Courtney Stanback |
| University of Arkansas | |
| University of Arkansas Pine Bluff | |
| University of California, Berkeley | |
| University of California, Irvine | |
| University of Georgia | |
| University of Miami | |
| University of Missouri | |
| University of Pennsylvania | |
| University of South Carolina | |
| University of Southern Mississippi | |
| University of Virginia | |
| University of West Georgia | |
| Valdosta State University | |
| Vanderbilt University | |
| Vassar College | |
| Virginia Institute of Technology | |
| Washington University in St. Louis | |
| Wingate University | |
| Winthrop University | |
| Xavier University of Louisiana | |
| Yale University |
Senior Academy Blog 
to the Class of 2019 – thank you for your dedication and inspiration! this world is yours!
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