An upbeat website for a downtown school

the Southerner Online
An upbeat website for a downtown school

the Southerner Online
An upbeat website for a downtown school

the Southerner Online
All content by Ava Smith
The Southerner interviewed eight notable members of the Class of 2022 to celebrate and commemorate the first graduating class of Midtown High School.

First class of Midtown High School graduates

Yei Bin Andrews, Stella Mackler, Anna Rachwalski, Ava Smith, and Kelly Tran
May 23, 2022
SENIOR LEADER: Zephy Schroeder served as the senior class president for Midtown's Class of 2022.

Zephy Schroeder, Senior Class President

Ava Smith
May 23, 2022
Ania Solovei is from Kyiv and now lives in the U.S. but most of her family still lives in Ukraine. “When the war first started, I watched it live on CNN. I had to call my mom in Kyiv who was peacefully asleep and tell her that the war had started. It was a terrible day.”

Atlanta Students for Ukraine organize tribute event, show support for Ukraine

Ava Smith
April 28, 2022

New assessment policy prepares students for real world

Ava Smith
February 26, 2022
Former Vice Chair Collins was recently unanimously elected by the Atlanta Board of Education to become the new chair after Former Chair Esteves's term limit expired.

School board unanimously elect former Vice Chair Collins as new chair

Ava Smith
February 15, 2022

Omicron surge met with increased testing demand, expanded district initiatives, supply chain issues

Ava Smith
January 28, 2022
Neelam Parsons, freshman

Neelam Parsons, freshman

Ava Smith
January 21, 2022
Grady alum Leah Song (stage name) and Chloe Smith lead the internationally recognized band, Rising Appalachia. They held a concert at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, their home city as their first indoor show since Covid-19 quarentine started.

Grady Alum band returns to hometown for first in-person concert since pandemic began

Ava Smith
January 14, 2022
The BASC-3 BESS screener included prompts about student’s behavioral and mental health. The answers above were taken from a publicly available sample report from Pearson, and the formatting was taken from a personal screener report received by a member of the Southerner staff.

Behavioral screener raises concerns

Ava Smith
December 13, 2021
APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring delivers a speech about the state of the district at APS's APS NEXT event.

APS hosts APS NEXT event, discusses state of the district

Ava Smith
November 26, 2021
IMG_3993.HEIC

[Photo] Atlanta Public Schools’ security system does not benefit students

Francesca Ruhe
November 19, 2021

City rejoices over historic Braves World Series Win

Ava Smith and Stella Mackler
November 11, 2021
In the lead-up to the 2021 Atlanta City Elections, the Southerner has compiled a list of 8 key races that readers in the district that Midtown High School will be voting on. Using official statements, previous reports and recorded interviews, the Southerner has broken down the candidates’ positions on specific issues.

Atlanta Public Schools School Board At-Large Seat 7

Ava Smith
October 31, 2021
Stephen Spring

Stephen Spring

Ava Smith
October 31, 2021
Kanesha Venning

Kanesha Venning

Ava Smith
October 31, 2021
The district is hosting a pep rally event to encourage juniors and seniors from 12 different high schools to register to vote. This event has raised concerns regarding Covid implications.

District-wide ‘Rock the Vote’ field trip raises Covid concerns

Lindsay Ruhl, Ava Smith, Yei Bin Andrews, and Stella Mackler
September 27, 2021
Emma Tureman, sophomore

Emma Tureman, sophomore

Ava Smith
September 16, 2021
Graduate of the Grady class of 1996, Katie Howard, is running for the District 1 seat on the Atlanta Public Schools Board.

1996 Grady alum and APS parent Howard runs for APS BOE District 1 seat

Ava Smith
September 10, 2021
Wykeisha Howe is running for the District 1 seat on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education.

APS parent Howe runs for Board of Education District 1 seat

Ava Smith
September 10, 2021
Renderings of the police academy released by the Atlanta Police Foundation show the 150 acre proposed establishment. Additional facilities include the Atlanta Police Leadership Institute, the Atlanta Fire/Rescue Academy and 30 acres for urban farming.

Atlanta City Council scheduled to vote on controversial police, fire training facility development

Lucia Gravel, Kelly Tran, Ava Smith, and Yei Bin Andrews
September 7, 2021
A complaint garnering national news has been filed against Mary Lin Elementary for alleged discriminatory practices.

Mary Lin parent civil rights complaint alleges discriminatory practices

Stella Mackler, Ava Smith, and Anna Rafferty
August 19, 2021
Naomi Grishman was an instrumental teacher and leader at Grady. In her capacity as a teacher, department head, magnet program coordinator and assistant principal she was a mentor to many students and staff.

Former assistant principal Grishman impacts Grady community

Ava Smith
May 13, 2021
Sophie Rice, junior

Sophie Rice, junior

Ava Smith
May 7, 2021
As part of a pilot program for implementing the participatory budgeting model for development across Atlanta, Councilman Amir Farokhi has launched a PB project in Candler Park focused on improving arts, culture and green space.

Participatory budgeting program launched in Candler Park, part of PB pilot program

Ava Smith
April 30, 2021
Bikers and walkers head down the Eastside Trail of the BeltLine, which goes from Piedmont Park to Reynoldstown.

[Photo] Beltline falls short on affordable housing promise

Greta Gustafson
April 23, 2021
Delia Schroeder, freshman

Delia Schroeder, freshman

Ava Smith
March 23, 2021
Students who opted to return to in-person learning entered the Grady building for the first time in almost 11 months, on Feb. 16. There they joined teachers who had been working in the building, preparing for students' return since early January.

Teachers and students reflect on first few days of face-to-face learning

Ava Smith
March 6, 2021
The APS Board voted to rename Grady Stadium to Eddie S. Henderson Stadium, after a previous Grady football coach, Archer principal and APS Athletic Director. Henderson was instrumental in making Grady and APS what they are today.

Grady Stadium renamed in remembrance of Eddie S. Henderson

Ava Smith
February 24, 2021
As the fraction of students who opted to return to in -person learning are phased in, most Atlanta Public Schools teachers are back in school buildings and have mixed feelings about the decisions being made, concerning reopening schools.

Teachers conflicted over reopening plans, work to adapt

Elena Hubert and Ava Smith
February 15, 2021
Georgia's vaccine rollout plan has implications for healthcare workers in the APS community who have been vaccinated and for teachers who worry for their health as they return to their classrooms without having been inoculated.

State Covid-19 vaccine rollout affects Grady community

Ava Smith
February 10, 2021
The rebranding process is defined by five main phases: assess, discover, define, create and activate. Each phase highlights a step in the process to achieve a final goal of a functional and authentic school brand.

[Photo] Name change advisory team begins rebranding process

Kamryn Harty
February 4, 2021
APS announced it is delaying the return to in-person learning for grades 3 through 12. This decision, announced on Jan. 22, 2021, is one of many controversial decisions regarding the reopening plans of APS and it impacts families, teachers and administrators across the district.

District delays return to in-person learning

Ava Smith and George Lefkowicz
January 22, 2021
The Atlanta Board of Education voted to finalize Midtown High School as the new name for Henry W. Grady High School.

Board approves name change to Midtown High School

Ava Smith
December 14, 2020
Like in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's, this summer protesters took to the streets to protest police brutality and racial injustices. However this time they marched under the flag of Black Lives Matter, instead of at the helms of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior (center). (Original image courtesy of public domain).

Lighting the torch: The future of civil rights

Kelly Tran, Yei Bin Andrews, Ava Smith, and Aran Sonnad-Joshi
December 11, 2020

Grady Parent Teacher Student Association

Ava Smith
December 1, 2020
The Atlanta Board of Education voted to finalize Midtown High School as the new name for Henry W. Grady High School.

Grady’s and Wells’s descendants excluded from Grady’s name change

Ava Smith and Aran Sonnad-Joshi
November 16, 2020
President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris greet the American people during their acceptance speech. This event drew a massive crowd to the the stage in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Biden declared 46th president, Trump promises legal challenges

George Lefkowicz, Ava Smith, Stella Mackler, and Sayan Sonnad-Joshi
November 7, 2020
With the presidential race still too close to call, many eyes are on the City of Atlanta and its surrounding counties.

Biden holds slim electoral lead over Trump; Presidential race remains too close to call

George Lefkowicz, Ava Smith, and Dana Richie
November 4, 2020
The Atlanta Board of Education voted to postpone the Grady High School renaming process in order to let students vote.

School board postpones renaming process for student vote

Dana Richie, Ava Smith, Aran Sonnad-Joshi, Sayan Sonnad-Joshi, and Jamie Marlowe
November 2, 2020
The Good Trouble Campaign is a voter registration and voting initiative new to the district in 2020. Cohorts of students and teachers and administrators in schools across the district worked to ensure that all eligible students were registered to vote and encouraged them to cast ballots.

Atlanta Public Schools embrace voter campaign

Ava Smith
November 2, 2020
Georgia Public Service Commission District 4

Georgia Public Service Commission District 4

Ava Smith
October 28, 2020
Georgia Public Service Commission District 1

Georgia Public Service Commission District 1

Ava Smith
October 28, 2020
Despite Midtown garnering twice the amount of support as Ida B. Wells, according to a community survey, the Grady Renaming Committee voted to recommend the name of Ida B. Wells to the Board for a final vote. This decision has spurred backlash from some who feel that the committee's decision does not reflect the community.

Recommended new school name spurs backlash

Ava Smith
October 27, 2020
Dr. Thomas E. Adger was Grady's first African American principal serving from 1981-1991. He was a passionate and compassionate leader who helped improve the school in a time when the school and the community was struggling.

Dr. Thomas E. Adger name proposal pays tribute to Grady’s first African American principal

Ava Smith
October 19, 2020
Piedmont High is one of the proposed names to replace Grady's current name.

[Photo] Name Piedmont High School recognizes Grady’s location

Kamryn Harty
October 19, 2020
Jamie Bircoll is an incoming lawyer at Milbank LLP in New York City. As an undergraduate history major at the University of Michigan, he wrote his thesis, ‘The Shadow of that Memory which I Honor’: Politics and Identity in Henry Grady’s New South Vision, which explores the rise of Henry Grady's New South movement and the underlying racial hierarchy central to its success. He is from Atlanta, GA.

Understanding Henry Grady’s New South: Q&A with Jamie Bircoll

Ava Smith
August 20, 2020
A chart created by Atlanta Public Schools outlines the proposed plan for the re-opening of schools across the district. The proposal pushes the original first day of school for students back two weeks to allow teachers and faculty time to prepare for the virtual start to the school year.

Community reacts to the district’s proposal for school re-opening

Dana Richie, Ava Smith, Kamryn Harty, and Elena Hubert
July 11, 2020
The Plaza Theatre, located in the Briarcliff Plaza Shopping Center, displays encouraging message, "Never give Up, Never Surrender". They also display the link for donations to help the theatre re-open. The Plaza Theatre is one of Atlanta's oldest cinemas but had to close due to the state's COVID-19 mandate.

COVID-19 economic crisis impacts Grady community economically

Ava Smith
May 8, 2020
MADE WITH LOVE: During the virtual town hall, Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen held up a mask her mother sewed and encouraged others to sew masks.

Seniors end classes May 1, virtual learning shifts to four-day week

Lindsay Ruhl, Ava Smith, and Anna Rachwalski
April 18, 2020
Sisters and Grady alumni, Chloe and Leah Smith (left to right) formed internationally recognized band, Rising Appalachia. Their music style blends folk and hip-hop, inspired by traditional Appalachian music and their childhood growing up in Atlanta. They have used their music as a platform for advocacy and social justice and have started movements such as the Slow Music Movement and #IamResilient.

Grady alumni form band, Rising Appalachia, inspired by their childhood and social justice

Ava Smith
April 16, 2020
Hill (far right) and her troop go on regular nature trips, a quality which drew them to Boy Scouts in the first place.

Senior pushes boundaries with Boy Scout troop

Katherine Esterl and Ava Smith
January 29, 2020
The four students robbed on Virginia Ave. are 6th graders at Inman Middle School.

Armed robbery on Virginia Avenue leaves students shaken

Ava Smith
January 25, 2020
Georgia ranks second in the U.S. for maternal mortality, according to the Georgia ACLU, and 95 percent of the state's counties had no abortion clinics in 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Atlanta Reproductive Justice Commission highlights increasing role of city governments

Ava Smith
December 6, 2019
World renowned pianist, Emanuel Ax, plays Beethoven in the Vincent Murray Auditorium at Grady High School. Through his music, Ax has learned the value of practice. "You have to be as prepared as possible," said Ax. "You have to try. That may be the biggest virtue."

Renowned Emanuel Ax brings Beethoven to students

Ava Smith
November 23, 2019
Seniors Melik Etienne (left) and Jason Nolton (right) spend third period working with college advisors Amber Jones and Abby Poirier in the college advisors' office. On the wall is a a message reading "Keep Calm and Plan Your Future" which emphasizes the advisors' mission that everyone will have a post-high school graduation plan.

New resources help students prepare for post-secondary plans

Ava Smith
October 30, 2019
6th grader Jimmy Carrico works diligently on his story about the Falcons.

Inman journalism club picks up momentum

Ava Smith
September 30, 2019
SCOOTING ALONG: Johan Hood, employee at Mint Salon, rides a Lime Scooter on the BeltLine near the intersection of 10th Street and Charles Allen Drive. E-scooters have become a popular form of transportation in Atlanta since their introduction in 2018. Hood uses the scooters as a form of stress relief.

Scoot Over, Atlanta

Ava Smith and Lindsay Ruhl
September 16, 2019
Students sit under the E Hall stairwell during the second lunch period. Not all students eat in the cafeteria. Many eat outside or use the time to prepare for class in the hallways, outside or the library.

Lunch time at Grady: the nooks and crannies across campus

Ava Smith
January 25, 2019
The poster for the 2011 movie "The Help" shows, from left, the characters Aibileen (Viola Davis), Minny (Octavia Spencer), Skeeter (Emma Stone), and Hilly (Bryce Dallas Holbrook). (Photo courtesy of IMDb)

‘The Help’ holds to high reviews

Ava Smith
January 17, 2019
This piece is on the second floor of the gallery at 21st Century Museum Hotel. It is oil on linen, titled “Empire.” The artist, Steve Mumford, had hand-drawn documentation his experience in Iraq. Later, he compiled them to create moving works of art. “Empire” aims to illustrate the “numbing weariness of war and anxious boredom of the soldiers’ routine tasks,” through capturing the image of blindfolded prisoners being ushered onto an aircraft with their hands tied. (Quote taken from the description of the art on the wall of 21C)

Contemporary art adds appeal to Nashville’s 21st Century Hotel

Ava Smith
November 15, 2018
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