News Briefs – the Southerner Online

Update on APS Virtual Town Halls that discussed possible models for 2020-21 school year

June 22, 2020

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) hosted virtual town halls via Facebook live on June 18 and June 22 with the superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring to discuss the different options for instruction in the 2020-2021 school year. The district will release their decision by mid July and the final conclusion they reach will apply to all schools within the district. As of right now, regardle...

APS Virtual Town Hall on June 18 and 22 to discuss scenarios for 2020-2021 school year

June 15, 2020

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is hosting a virtual Town Hall on June 18 at 12pm (English) and on June 22 at 6pm (Spanish). The district has prepared for three scenarios for the start of school on August 10th including virtual, traditional, and a hybrid of both, all of which will be discussed at the Town Hall meeting with incoming Superintendent, Dr. Lisa Herring, as well as...

Mock trial team wins 6th place in national tournament

May 31, 2020

Lead by attorney-coach Carl Gebo, the Grady "Woodfin" Mock trial team placed 6th out of 27 teams in the very first national Online Mock Trial tournament on May 30th. Competitors performed via Zoom in the weekend-long competition, after preparing a case for a month. Rising senior Ellie Winer won a witness award for being the 6th highest scoring witness in the tournament, and r...

The Southerner receives highest honor from GSPA

May 3, 2020

The Southerner received multiple Superior and All-Georgia ratings from the Georgia Scholastic Press Association in the 2019-2020 contest. Both the print newspaper and website as well as Nexus Magazine received Superior ratings, the highest honor in general excellence. The Southerner was rated All-Georgia, the state's best overall newspaper. Several staff members were awarded...

Seniors’ last day to be May 1st

April 17, 2020

Associate superintendent Dr. Sims announced the official last day for Atlanta Public School seniors will be May 1st, with the exception of students who have outstanding requirements, who will continue to work. Seniors who plan on taking AP Exams will still take the test and are encouraged to study even after school is over. Atlanta Public Schools is also considering virtual...

College Board releases details on 2020 AP exams

April 3, 2020

The College Board has released information on the details of individual exams. The exams will be simultaneously held world-wide, and each subject exam will be 45 minutes long, consisting of free response questions. Different from other years, there will be no multiple choice questions on these online exams. Additionally, each exam has two test dates for students to choose from....

Georgia public schools to close through the end of the school year

April 1, 2020

Gov. Brian Kemp announced today that Georgia K-12 public schools would be closed through the end of the academic year. Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen cited Kemp's order as she announced that Atlanta Public Schools will remain closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the school year.

Georgia public schools to close through April 24

March 26, 2020

Governor Brian Kemp on Thursday ordered all Georgia public schools, which includes Atlanta Public Schools, to remain closed through April 24. Previously, on March 16, he had ordered Georgia public schools to close through March 31. On Monday, Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen had announced APS would close through spring break (April 6-10) but anticipated the closure may...

UBER discount provided to APS families

March 24, 2020

UBER is offering APS families discounted rides to and from APS food distribution sites until April 10th, 2020. The discount is 25%, up to $10, with the code "APS2020" and can be used Monday through Friday during the meal service times specified here. Minors must be accompanied by an adult to ride, and there is a max of 2 rides per rider per day on an UberX and UberXL car.&nbs...

APS to remained closed through Spring Break

March 24, 2020

Yesterday, Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Maria Carstarphen announced that APS will remain closed through Spring Break (April 6th-10th). Carstarphen anticipates that school will remain closed possibly beyond April 13th. Due to this, community meetings and school events scheduled through those dates are canceled. There are no updates on the definitiveness of graduation....

The Southerner named 2020 Crown Award winner

March 20, 2020

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association named the Southerner and thesoutherneronline.com a 2020 “Crown Award" winner on Mar. 2o, following the Oct. 2019 nomination. Earlier this month, many members on staff were honored by Quill & Scroll and SIPA as well.

The Southerner honored by Quill & Scroll

March 16, 2020

The Southerner was honored with multiple awards by the 2020 Quill and Scroll International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest. The staff received a Blue and Gold Award for Writing Excellence. Seniors Charlotte Spears, Tyler Jones and Katherine Esterl took second place, a national honor, in the Political Writing category. Several staff members picked up honorable mentions including: Seniors Kaitlin Pa...