Saturday, July 23, 2011

CK Update: Here Comes the Sun

A simple, but encouraging post for everyone's weekend ...



CK's newest faculty member, Patrick Gunter, is returning from the Texas Motor Speedway this week after judging the 2011 Solar Car Challenge. Next week, he is finalizing the setup of the CK labs and, as an advisor to the GT SolarJackets car team, he is bringing GT student mentors for the CK teams.

Interested in joining the Cross Keys' solar car team or one of the two planned robotics teams Mr. Gunter will coach? Parents and students should attend the 7:00 pm, August 9, 2011 Parent Meeting for the 2011/2012 GATSA at Cross Keys High School. Students participating in the GATSA must commit to working 3-4 days a week after school from 3:30 – 6:30 pm. Joining the GATSA is about a $15 proposition annually and families will need to support some travel expenses for their child for competitions. Private assistance available to support participation.


Remember, Mr. Gunter's Material Sciences and Automation courses, as well as additional Interactive Media Pathway courses and the teams being formed are available to students from ten area high schools. So whether you hail from Dunwoody or Clarkston or Druid Hills, this is an extraordinary opportunity for your child!

Contact me, Kim Gokce, m: 678-361-4200, or Mr. Gunter, m: 864-590-9004, for details and to keep up with engineering and technology options at CK!

7 comments:

pscexb said...

Kim, it is always hearing great news about Cross Keys. thanks for keeping us informed. I hope that the students and schools served by this program take advantage of it.

Sagamore 7 said...

Great job Kim!
May this be a platform for the rest of DCSS in the future!
Maybe we could get solar panels to power our schools too!
Or would they interfere with the cell towers?
Lead the way to higher education!

S7

Kim Gokce said...

Thank you but all I can take credit for is helping promote and sponsor the program - it is 100% DCSS Career Tech and Mr. Gunter that really make it work.

Cerebration said...

What a wonderful program - please spread the word to your area schools people. This would be a good fit for so many students - but first they have to know it exists!

On another note -- I noticed in the new SPLOST IV referendum, Cross Keys has been "crossed off" the list for any more improvements (they had been slated for improvements to the outdoor athletic facilities). I think we all need to advocate for these areas to be fixed. The track is downright dangerous. Also, there are no plans for an auditorium here either. I would hope that if they needed a venue, the soon to be newly built Chamblee would share their auditorium.

robin said...

Hopefully, with the success of this program (I believe it will be a wonderful success) these improvements will get done. I get the sense that CK has now risen to that point where they want a real education and will do what needs to be done to create one with or without Dekalb School System. Go CK!!!!

SwagSwad said...

Is it true that Dr. Blackwood is moving from SWD to CK? If so, this is our loss and their gain. We were never able to understand why those smallminded people in charge of SWD would not let that man alone. We knew he said the things that needed to be said and that they could not stand this (especially from a person of his complexion). But he he had so much to offer the students. A brilliant teacher so much better than so many of the ones around him. Sadly, DCSS likes keeping things low on the southside and does not care about the quality of our children's education.

Cerebration said...

On another note regarding Cross Keys and Cedar Grove (the only two high schools without auditoriums) - this was in a recent 'Master plan' presentation (along with more work to MLK). These change so much that I'm not certain if this is still in an approved stage, but this is what the plan said about the leftover SPLOST 3 money:

SPLOST III Excess Revenue Projects

1 Martin Luther King Jr. HS: Finish addition and science lab $6.4 million

2 Cedar Grove HS: Auditorium addition, door/hardware replacement, locker room renovation* $7.4 million

3 Cross Keys HS: Auditorium addition and Science lab renovation * $7.4 million

*This additional work is contingent on SPLOST III revenue collections at 105% by July 2012.

These projects total $21.2 million and at one time discussions revealed about $30 million in leftover SPLOST 3 funds. I'm not certain if the leftover came in short, or if the money was spent or earmarked elsewhere.