tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post4074983995759667456..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: Chamblee Charter High School: SurvivorCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-44798349292830869542010-10-27T22:36:18.187-04:002010-10-27T22:36:18.187-04:00... and once they do that, there'll be no rati...... and once they do that, there'll be no rationale for moving Magnet after investing all that money. So, I think we can put the Avondale rumors to bed. I suppose there is still a wild (and I mean WILD) possibility that they would build a school large enough for the 1700 kids in CK and CCHS combined and still move Magnet ... but that has a snowball's chance in my opinion.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-45231190675134626082010-10-27T22:33:43.169-04:002010-10-27T22:33:43.169-04:00The perfect storm appears to be forming for CCHS! ...The perfect storm appears to be forming for CCHS! An election year, federal largess, and business as usual in DeKalb Public School politics very well mean a new school for Chamblee attendance area.<br /><br />As far as I can tell, the BoE is about to make a hasty and uninformed decision to grab that federal bond opportunity and pour the proceeds into Chamblee. Now that is one big hush puppy!Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-72464725156143261012010-09-24T21:29:15.652-04:002010-09-24T21:29:15.652-04:00Cere: "Jordan Barnett - remember that name&qu...Cere: "Jordan Barnett - remember that name"<br /><br />Yeah, solid gold. She was one of the favorites to receive the inaugural CKF Scholarship 2010.<br /><br />She captured in her essay the experience of many of our students regardless of immigration status. For example, a couple of our girls walked down to the Brookhaven Boys and Girls Club to volunteer today. While walking back, a dude in a Jeep honked and flipped them off. One girl was wearing a hajib - that's nice.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-57992801252902909622010-09-23T13:20:43.713-04:002010-09-23T13:20:43.713-04:00@ Anonymous 12:25
"Tony Eitel is now gone. H...@ Anonymous 12:25<br /><br />"Tony Eitel is now gone. He took a job with the state DOE."<br /><br />Georgia DOE - home of the retired DCSS administrators. No wonder Georgia is in so much trouble.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50408460465923660542010-09-23T13:00:26.136-04:002010-09-23T13:00:26.136-04:00I don't think anyone has taken Eitel's pla...I don't think anyone has taken Eitel's place yet. In fact, I think his departure is fairly recent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-19225087508442316492010-09-23T12:54:37.024-04:002010-09-23T12:54:37.024-04:00Jordan Barnett - remember that name! She's a b...Jordan Barnett - remember that name! She's a beautiful person - inside and out! People can be so rude and mean - I hope Jordan is learning how to defend her case and let their comments just wash around her like the water in a stream washes past your feet.<br /><br />You are going somewhere girl -- keep you eyes on the prize!Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-73404275979933221092010-09-23T12:35:53.047-04:002010-09-23T12:35:53.047-04:00Who took his place?Who took his place?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50264306808516167442010-09-23T12:25:58.661-04:002010-09-23T12:25:58.661-04:00Tony Eitel is now gone. He took a job with the st...Tony Eitel is now gone. He took a job with the state DOE.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-56189263119143744042010-09-23T12:04:05.921-04:002010-09-23T12:04:05.921-04:00It will probably take an Open Records request to g...It will probably take an Open Records request to get the scores released.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-38906034647418622382010-09-23T12:01:43.040-04:002010-09-23T12:01:43.040-04:00I requested those scores directly from Anthony Eit...I requested those scores directly from Anthony Eitel. He claimed several times they cannot separate the scores. That is a lie. CCHS' own charter indicates that the scores for the magnet and resident students are to be kept separate. There is also a separate valedictorian for the magnet and resident program. <br /><br />There is a reason that these scores are not made public.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6214852700528043392010-09-23T11:02:31.712-04:002010-09-23T11:02:31.712-04:00How can anyone know what is "working" at...How can anyone know what is "working" at CCHS? As the mother of a magnet student who would also have been a resident student, I tried for years to get the school board to break the numbers out so I could see how well the resident population was doing without the magnet muddying the water. The request fell on deaf ears (what a surprise). Hence it was impossible to know exactly how well the magnet was doing, as well as the extent to which the magnet was propping up the overall numbers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-58103063685397632802010-09-22T21:05:39.071-04:002010-09-22T21:05:39.071-04:00"Wow. Seriously? Why is it that Cross Keys ca..."Wow. Seriously? Why is it that Cross Keys cannot even win a contest like this and be accused of cheating?<br /><br />CK may not have a lot, but we sure have heart. We have dedication and drive that a lot of people do not. Picture this: you are a prized art student with incredible talent. You have won many art contests and are very well known in your school and your community. You aspire to be an art teacher and change the lives of children, just as the art teachers in your high school changed yours. There’s only one problem. You cannot be awarded the money or recognition that you so painstakingly worked for. You cannot travel on an airplane. You cannot attain a driver’s license. You cannot vote. You cannot even feel comfortable traveling to the grocery store right up the street from your house for fear of being pulled over and deported. You cannot go to college unless you pay out of state tuition, and that’s only in certain schools. You are an undocumented citizen. Now what does this have to do with the team of the week you ask? Well, the situation described here is actually the lives that a lot of our students are living today. A lot of us came to this country at a very young age, and because of that, do not have citizenship. This means that no matter how brilliant a student is, they will not match a student of equal or lesser knowledge who is an American citizen, simply because they do not have documentation. A student of this nature sees the world in a whole different perspective. And the students who are documented; well our eyes have been opened up to a whole new way of life. We recognize and understand the troubles of our peers, and we learn, at a young age, to never take anything for granted. Because CK does not have as much money as a lot of other schools out there, we have to work hard for our funding. Without constant drive and persistence, a lot of sports teams, clubs, and other school activities at Cross Keys would diminish.<br /><br />FACT: CK has not been renovated in over 50 years until earlier this year.<br /><br />Even with all of the asbestos and mold in our ceilings, students, teachers, and faculty alike still come to school each and every day to learn, teach, and educate our community. For something like “How many computers do they have at Cross Keys and was any teaching being done today or just voting?” to be said, as quoted from Melinda Snell Franklin, it just shows the immaturity and ignorance of others. I know others feel this way as well, but until you have walked in our halls and sat in our desks, you know nothing of what it’s like to be a member in the community of Cross Keys High School.<br /><br />Just because you have championship banners strung across your newly built gymnasiums does not mean you have heart. Just because you have enough money to fund a booster club, does not mean you have heart. Heart comes from within. A lot of people may laugh in our faces when we celebrate our first victory in football in almost four years, but we do not care. A victory is a victory, and it means something to us. If anything, being a student and recent graduate from Cross Keys has taught me to take nothing for granted. This school has opened up my eyes to a culturally- diverse way of life. This school has taught me to appreciate what I am given, and to work harder to prove someone wrong when they say that we cannot do it.<br /><br />I know that if Cross Keys had not won team of the week, not a single dirty comment would be made about another school. If you come from or support a school that has those championship banners and those booster clubs, then why not support those schools that do not have as much as you have been privileged to have? Why not spread the wealth and allow those their moment to shine, too?"Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-2783258259197770362010-09-22T21:05:00.845-04:002010-09-22T21:05:00.845-04:00These kids! Right on cue vis-a-vis my comments abo...These kids! Right on cue vis-a-vis my comments about "no respect" and just as CK won the popular vote for "Team of the Week" versus Georg Walton Academy, some posters over there on Fox 5 started trash talking our kids.<br /><br />This is par for the course, or course, for the students at Cross Keys - any time they accomplish something some are suspicious how "those" kids could manage it. Then, today, Jordan Barnett, class of 2010, one of the hardest working kids in her class, posted this for the world to see and I thought I should share it with this blog's audience because she says it in first person testimony better than a 1,000 attempts by me (cont.) ...Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-34219508272134977372010-09-22T19:40:21.866-04:002010-09-22T19:40:21.866-04:00I heard from a CCHS magnet parent today that their...I heard from a CCHS magnet parent today that their child is in some classes with 40 students ... that is crazy!Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-3362180884495740922010-09-22T17:52:26.449-04:002010-09-22T17:52:26.449-04:00Dunwoody Mom, pscexb: Thank you both for the gener...Dunwoody Mom, pscexb: Thank you both for the generous words about our kids - there is no more hard-working group in DeKalb.<br /><br />Regarding the Team of the Week - this is their first victory on the field in four years. For many of the young men, it may be their first and last victory on the field in their entire lives.<br /><br />For a fair and insightful profile of the coach and team, see:<br /><br /><a href="http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/friday-night-lights-it-aint/" rel="nofollow">Friday Night Lights It Ain't</a><br /><br />For those not working 9-5, Fox 5 will be broadcasting live sometime at or after 9am from CK gym for a mini-pep rally. What a great story, great head coach, and group of young people!<br /><br />Regarding the mission of Cross Keys Foundation - we are committed to these young people. We were committed to them when they were in a dilapidated building, we are committed to them in their renovated building, we are committed to them when they win or lose, and we'll remain committed to them no matter what school building the walk into in the mornings.<br /><br />It's about the children folks! Not attendance lines, not municipal pride, not property values ... children. We should be ruthless in our judgment of everything DCSS does using this metric alone: what does it do for our children today and tomorrow?Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-74877106036310933302010-09-22T17:43:23.632-04:002010-09-22T17:43:23.632-04:00Anon: 12:22a "Kim, I have many friends who we...Anon: 12:22a "Kim, I have many friends who went to Cross keys many years ago, they're execs at Turner now."<br /><br />Ok, now I want names :) ... there are Cross Keys alum dotting the entire Atlanta metro landscape. In its heyday, there were 2,200 kids in that building ... 2,200!<br /><br />Anyhow, I appreciate the kind words about my "proposals" but I have to say I've been dealing more in the realm of "concepts" ... the decisions DCSS must make are complicated and will have very tangible and emotional impact on many, many people. I think our job as "the community" is to give them as clear a picture of the future we'd like to see and tell them to figure out how to get there.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-49977638909003003082010-09-22T07:33:17.258-04:002010-09-22T07:33:17.258-04:00Well said Kim!!! As Dunwoody Mom said, congratula...Well said Kim!!! As Dunwoody Mom said, congratulations to the Cross Keys football team for their win this past week!pscexbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634017508215285786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-31990108138197380782010-09-22T06:48:58.951-04:002010-09-22T06:48:58.951-04:00Let me add to what Kim has spoken about with Cross...Let me add to what Kim has spoken about with Cross Keys...<br /><br />The overwhelming majority of DCSS high schools in DCSS saw their SAT scores fall - some quite dramatically.<br /><br />However, the scores at Cross Keys were up by 47 points, 27 in reading, 15 in Math and 5 in writing. <br /><br />Cross Keys had the highest gains in SAT scores in DCSS. <br /><br />This to go along with their "Fox 5 High School Team of the Week" award for this week.Paula Caldarellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05515215184962897541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-90603545137378663002010-09-22T00:20:28.038-04:002010-09-22T00:20:28.038-04:00Kim, I'm a huge proponent of your ideas and pr...Kim, I'm a huge proponent of your ideas and proposals. I'm for Cross Keys becoming a Technology School. I'm not talking Wood Shop and Engine mechanics either. Those are fine and should be included.. I'm talking IT, Airplane Mechanics, Art, Culinary, Electrical Engineering, as well as Business skills. The metro Chamber of Commerce has been screaming for something like this on the north end of DeKalb.<br /><br />Think of the business partners in the area. PDK Airport, IBM, CDC, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and others. Not in the direct area, Coke, Turner, Ga. Tech, Emory, etc.. Just a quick jump via 85.<br /><br />Redraw Chamblee into a larger district. We all know there has to be redrawing of zones. It must happen! Buy the Chamblee Plaza, make it a huge Athletic Complex, Baseball & Soccer Fields, new Stadium, parking. When that is complete, build a new larger school on the current fields and stadium site. When those buildings open, tear down the old one and put up a new large state of the art Auditorium, (graduations anyone?). This way the Chamblee kids have a place to go while building is happening and transition can take place over a summer.<br /><br />Let's also look for another parcel that would be large enough to house a school, athletic fields and auditorium. NOT GM! Too expensive and will take too long to clean up!<br /><br />Kim, I have many friends who went to Cross keys many years ago, they're execs at Turner now. That area is changing but it will take time.. Just like the Johnson Ferry/Ashford-Dunwoody area. That public private partnership has had some tough times but the next phase is now underway and more kids will be coming into Montgomery from there. It's taken longer than expected due to the economy, but we must think forward so we don't have the Dunwoody overcrowding issues in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-33773241270198683982010-09-21T23:19:34.017-04:002010-09-21T23:19:34.017-04:00"grad papers" ... that was funny!"grad papers" ... that was funny!Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-61548256859128755112010-09-21T23:19:09.106-04:002010-09-21T23:19:09.106-04:00True that! Twenty-seven years Fulton County Englis...True that! Twenty-seven years Fulton County English Literature! I helped her grad papers from Russell High School and later Tri-Cities. Her experience with the leadership (as in, lack thereof) during her career formed my frame of reference for DeKalb public schools. Number one problem: Inadequate discipline and lack of support for teachers. Number two problem: Domineering parents who bullied administrators into getting what they wanted for their kid.<br /><br />I have been outed! :)Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-70108178447414811952010-09-21T22:54:52.515-04:002010-09-21T22:54:52.515-04:00No - I think it was the fact that your mother was ...No - I think it was the fact that your mother was a teacher! Lucky you!Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-80558711913416881582010-09-21T22:35:25.451-04:002010-09-21T22:35:25.451-04:00Cere, it was that one year at private school that ...Cere, it was that one year at private school that did it ...Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-9433345657783379372010-09-21T22:33:15.876-04:002010-09-21T22:33:15.876-04:00Anon: "Even if new apartments replace the old...Anon: "Even if new apartments replace the older ones, the reality is the number of students in the CK zone will decrease ..."<br /><br />Well, the biggest risk is to the elementary schools, not the high school. CK has a ridiculously long attendance area that encapsulates the highest density population in DeKalb County - it will be decades before the re-development of Buford Hwy reaches THAT level of impact.<br /><br />But you have a valid point more immediately for the ESes. Woodward ES has nearly 1/3 of its enrollment within a 1/2 mi and in just 2 or 3 complexes. So, there are some tough questions for DCSS coming in spots.<br /><br />I tried to avoid the large-school format mantra but you force my tongue ... larger schools with larger attendance areas minimize the impact of gray field development and there's going to be a whole lot of that in the Brookhaven-Chamblee-Doraville areas for decades to come. DCSS is going to be on the rack until they wise up and consolidate.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-87155848470536249872010-09-21T22:27:54.656-04:002010-09-21T22:27:54.656-04:00"kerfuffle?? I swear, every time you post, K..."kerfuffle?? I swear, every time you post, Kim, I have to look up words...Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.com