Thursday, April 18, 2013
Officials hope to put bids out for renovations at the East Cobb high schools by early next year.
Renovations at Walton High School and Wheeler High School will be among the first projects to get underway when the Cobb Education SPLOST IV collection period begins next year. Cobb County School District officials on Wednesday presented to the Board of Education a projected cashflow plan for some of the largest projects in the $717 million SPLOST IV, which was passed by voters in March. The largest projects in East Cobb are at Walton and Wheeler and a replacement for East Cobb Middle School. But all schools in Cobb will be included in the new sales tax collection period, which begins on Jan. 1, 2014 and continues through Dec. 31, 2018. The Walton project is the biggest of any school in Cobb, coming in at nearly $40 million. In addition to…
Monday, April 15, 2013
The six Lassiter, Walton and Wheeler students have been named recipients of National Achievement Scholarships.
The Cobb County School District announced Monday that six high school seniors, all from East Cobb, have been named recipients of National Achievement Scholarships by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Each student will receive $2,500 in college aid. The National Achievement Scholarships, which recognize academic excellence by African-American students, were awarded to more than 800 students nationwide. Recipients were asked to list their probable career fields, which are indicated in parenthesis:
Monday, April 8, 2013
East Cobb supporters of the recently-approved sales tax referendum say they'll continue to address funding concerns.
Last month's passage of the Cobb Education SPLOST was a relief for supporters of extending the sales tax referendum for construction and maintenance projects. But larger funding issues loom for the Cobb County School District, which faces a projected fiscal year 2014 budget deficit of $86.4 million. While Cobb Board of Education members last week expressed their unhappiness with proposed budget cuts, East Cobb parents involved in helping pass the SPLOST say they'll continue working on grassroots efforts to address long-term financial issues. "ED-SPLOST was a first step and not our goal," said David Schwartz, a Dodgen Middle School parent and co-founder of FACE It Cobb, which was organized as the SPLOST campaign geared up. Although strong …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Basketball point guard Ryan Harrow is transferring to Georgia State for family reasons.
For the second time in his college basketball career, Ryan Harrow is on the move. The former standout at Walton High School has received his release from the University of Kentucky, and will be transferring to Georgia State University, according to multiple news reports. Harrow, who sat out last season for the Wildcats after transferring from North Carolina State University, told the AJC in an interview published this morning that he wants to return home to be closer to his father, who suffered a stroke in the fall. Harrow will apply for a waiver for immediate eligibility for his two final seasons for family reasons, according to CBSSports.com. In his only season playing for the Wildcats, Harrow struggled, as Kentucky, the defending NCAA …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
This weekend's event will feature is one of the largest in the East Cobb area.
- SCHOOLS
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Wednesday, March 13
Yard sale season will soon be in full swing, but one of the biggest of the early spring period in East Cobb is the Walton Band Garage Sale. The 21st annual event takes place this Saturday, March 16, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in both gyms at Walton High School, 1590 Bill Murdock Road. More than 400 families have donated items for the sale, including furniture, toys, electronics, garden tools, household items, clothing and more. Metal and electronics recycling will also be collected in Lot D. All proceeds support the Walton Band.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Tonight's open house for the East Cobb school's community will feature a tour of the facilities and information about the upcoming SPLOST referendum.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Monday's open house for the East Cobb school's community will feature a tour of the facilities and information about the upcoming SPLOST referendum.
The public is invited to Walton High School's "Preview Night" open house on Monday. The event, which is sponsored by the Walton Facilities Foundation, takes place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the school, located at 1590 Bill Murdock Road. Guests will tour the campus, be entertained by student groups, and learn more about the school, including major renovation and rebuilding plans that would take place if the March 19 Cobb Education SPLOST IV referendum passes. Last month, East Cobb Patch detailed the Walton SPLOST proposal, which would be funded with nearly $40 million in sales-tax collections between 2014 and 2018: The foundation has extended Preview Night invitations to local businesses, area schools and East Cobb neighborhoods to join in …
Friday, February 22, 2013
Parents and others in the school community say every bit of the $40 million price tag is needed to properly upgrade the facility.
(Author's Note: This is the second of two articles on the Walton SPLOST proposal. The first article outlined the lobbying efforts of school parents.) Walton High School parents pushing for substantial renovations in the March 19 SPLOST IV referendum are aware of the perceptions of their affluent East Cobb community, and the high levels of academic, athletic and extracurricular achievement expected of students. They also understand that some outsiders may hear their pleas for a new fine arts center, gymnasium and classroom addition for what's proudly dubbed "the shining star" of the Cobb County School District and not feel much sympathy. First world problems, goes the phrase, even when Walton parents rattle off some of the issues associated…
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The East Cobb high school would get a major overhaul totaling nearly $40 million if the March 19 referendum passes.
(Author's note: This is the first of two articles on the Walton High School SPLOST proposal. The second article will appear on East Cobb Patch Friday.) The sounds of an Aaron Copland composition waft through the lobby area of Walton High School during a late morning class period. It's a pleasant greeting for visitors, although students, staff and volunteers shuffling in and out of the main office are used to the accompaniment. The calming strains of an American symphonic master are a welcome, if momentary respite during a busy day, and are heard clearly and crisply. They couldn't possibly be coming from a classroom. Well, yes and no. Around a corner, at the entrance to the nearby fine arts hallway, several violin students are standing and …
The Wildcats will play host to Meadowcreek Saturday; Walton, Sprayberry and Pope boys ousted.
- SPORTS
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Thursday, February 21
Eight East Cobb-area high school basketball teams qualified for the state tournament. Only one has survived the first round. The Wheeler High School boys had little trouble with Dacula Wednesday, winning 71-56 at home to set up a second-round Class AAAAAA game Saturday against Meadowcreek. Tipoff time has not been announced. The Walton High School boys took to the road at Shiloh, and had a 43-33 lead after three quarters. But the Raiders were clipped in the final seconds, losing 54-52 in another Class AAAAAA game. In the Class AAAAA tournament, both local boys teamed were eliminated in the first round. Sprayberry was coming off its first region championship in 23 years, but could not take advantage of its home court in a 56-40 loss to …
Leo Smith
1:26 pm on Monday, April 8, 2013
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