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WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
Rotary Onlinehttps://sandyspringsrotary.org
ROTARY CLUB OFMondays, 12:15 pm |
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| President | Scott Einfeldt |
| President-Elect | Rollin Richmond |
| Immediate PP | Nancy Schroeder |
| Treasurer | John Neill |
| Secretary | Ashley Napier |
| Public Image | Jay Brackman |
Past Program
Dr. Mike Looney - Superintendent of Fulton County School District
On Monday, October 17th the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Mike Looney speak.
Dr. Mike Looney has served as the Superintendent for the Fulton County School District (FCS) in Georgia since June 2019. In the middle of his first year on the job, he became the first school leader in the state to be faced with reacting to the unknown – a confirmed, positive case of COVID-19. He immediately jumped into action, calling upon his 28 years as an educator, 15 years of previous experience as a school superintendent in Tennessee and Alabama, as a retired marine, father and community leader to guide the district through two years of COVID-19 protocols and safety measures, all while maintaining a focus on the mission of educating students.
Dr. Looney provided us with an update on some of the more recent challenges and triumphs that the school system is facing. Top on the list of the challenges is the current shortage of teachers. Currently, they have over 20 teaching spots that need to be filled. They are exploring many different options to combat the shortage including a new program where they will accept anyone with a 4 year degree and help train them and pay for them to receive their teaching certificate.
A few of the more recent triumphs of FCS include recording its highest-ever graduation rate and exceeding state scores by 5.2 points in 2022. FCS students also outscored the state and national average ACT score for the sixth consecutive year, while also showing a 60% increase in participation rate. FCS is also continually improving upon their career tech program as the post high-school routes students choose continually evolve. Looney commented that he would like to change the narrative on what success looks like after college through the use of their career tech program.
Thank you for your leadership in our school system and in our community, Dr. Looney!
Doing Good in the Neighborhood
Vernon Vocals Preform for Somerby Assisted Living Community
Twenty seven seniors living at Somerby Assisted Living Community in Sandy Springs were treated to an afternoon concert by the Vernon Vocals.
This enthusiastic group of students, grades 6 through 12, from Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School played the guitar, piano, and drums as they sang pop and traditional songs.
The appropriate Elvis tune, "I cannot stop loving you " lead off. Singing through a repertoire of pop and traditional songs the seniors who could stand were dancing in the aisles. The Vernon Vocals ended with the Abba song, "Dancing Queen". To thank these students, Rotary treated the Vernon Vocals to a pizza party at the school on October 5th.
In November, Linda Randolph and the staff of Somerby are coordinating another event for these seniors. If you would like to attend the next concert or see how you can help out at Somerby please contact Linda Randolph.
Calling All Volunteers
Sandy Springs Education Force Road Race
Calling all Volunteers! Do you want to get involved with a good cause for the Sandy Springs community? Sandy Springs Education Force has been at the forefront of supporting the educational successes of financially vulnerable students in Sandy Springs for over a decade. They are looking for volunteers to help out at their Lightening Run 5k/10k Road race the morning of Saturday, October 22nd.
If you are interested in volunteering please reach out to Zac Boswell at Zac@fortune401k.com to get more details.
More information on the race and how to sign up can be found at https://www.sandyspringseducationforce.org/lightning-run-2022/