CONNECTIONS, the Walton High School e-Newsletter
Sharing Walton Stories to Inspire and Applaud

October 24, 2014

Missed this Week's Announcements?

Archived e-Blast from Sunday, Oct. 19

 

Townhall Panel Updates Community on Plans for WHS; Pledges to "do the right thing for Walton" 

 

Post 6 School Board Member Scott Sweeney, CCSD Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, CCSD CHRO & Int. Chief Operations Officer John Adams, and CCSD Sr. Ex. Dir. of SPLOST Projects Nick Parker formed the panel that provided a progress report on the construction plans for the replacement Walton High School facility during the Town Hall meeting Monday evening in the WHS Theater.  Original construction start dates had been delayed due to projected dramatic increases in Walton's student population over the next 10 years.  The panel announced the results of a second study which projected an enrollment of approximately 3200 WHS students by the year 2023, a 300 student decrease over the original projection. Current enrollment at WHS is around 2650 which is about 650 students over capacity.

 

The design for the new building assumes initial enrollment of 2800 students with a maximum capacity of 3000.  The 3 or 4-story academic building will house 143 instructional units (I.U.), up 20% over the 119 (I.U.) in the current facility.  Total square footage will increase by 43% to 441,000 sf and will include a 3000-seat gymnasium and a 750-seat auditorium.  Only 24% of the project design is complete but construction is expected to begin on the academic building in early 2015 with occupancy expected at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.  Demolition of part of the existing facility and construction for the Gymnasium and Fine Arts Building will be completed during the second phase of the project. These buildings are expected to be ready for occupancy by the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.

 

Questions from the audience explored many facets of the extremely complex project. The challenges to the planners include Walton's landlocked location, the small ratio of buildable acreage in the current tract, the presence of areas in the site under the control of the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the transmission power lines, storm water retention requirements and drainage issues.  The CCSD is exploring the possible acquisition of additional acreage in the immediate area to accommodate practice fields, parking and/or future development. 

 

The safety of the students is paramount in the minds of the planners and additional safety officers will be provided to the school as needed.  There will not be any portable classrooms utilized at Walton during the construction period.  A separate Freshman Academic Building is not under consideration at this time. A multi-level parking deck is not being considered because of the added safety concerns with large numbers of student drivers. The CCSD is working closely with the Cobb DOT in planning for traffic safety and patterns during and after the construction. Parking for construction workers and a lay-down area are not expected to interfere with faculty and student parking during the construction period.  Some extracurricular activities may have to be moved off-site during construction but every effort is being made to lessen the impact of the construction phase on the current student population. Many questions from the audience related to current and future athletic facilities.  CCSD officials acknowledged Walton's excellence in not only academics, but also athletics, and while they stated that Raider Valley would not be part of this project, they promised that practice fields or booster-funded athletic support areas would in no way be diminished. The project will be completed using funding from SPLOST 4.

 

Scott Sweeney complimented the efforts of Principal McNeill, her staff and members of the Walton Foundation in proactively assessing the requirements for the new facility and working to get the project included in the SPLOST 4 notebook.  He also assured the Walton Community that the CCSD is committed to "doing right by Walton High school." He cited recent examples of school projects that were executed with a concern for what is best for the students and effective stewardship of the SPLOST funding as the ultimate guiding principles. Mr. Ragsdale responded to a question regarding possible redistricting of Walton students by saying that neither he nor Mr. Sweeney supported that option.  Georgia law allows one member of the School Board to block any redistricting proposal. Mr. Sweeney is committed to rebuilding WHS to accommodate all the students in our district.

 

John Adams discussed the way new technology is shaping learning and is reflected in the architectural design for educational spaces.  The new Walton High School will be a showcase for Cobb County and the state. Walton High School has maintained a remarkable traditional of excellence over the past 30 years, despite overcrowded conditions, unreliable technology and inferior physical resources. Sweeney declared that the new WHS will be a 21st Century building with technology that allows students to acquire knowledge in a multitude of ways and to actively engage with their classmates and teachers.

 

                Take a moment and just imagine the possibilities.

        Walton High School: a world-class school in a state-of-the-art facility! 

           In the words of a current WHS freshman, "Awesome!

 

RED RIBBON WEEK Speakers Highlight Prescription Drug, Opiate and Heroin Addictions 

 

Heroin is invading the affluent Atlanta suburbs. And, according to the CDC, it is arriving as a cheap alternative for prescription drug/opiate users which also makes it more appealing to teens and young adults. Many teens start snorting or smoking but ultimately transition to injecting. 

Local treatment facilities are overwhelmed by a soaring demand from addicts trying to get their life back and drug enforcement officers report a 104% increase in heroin related crimes. Tragically, a person in our country dies every 19 minutes from prescription drug, opiate and heroin addiction. Heroin is in our community, in our schools and it is killing our kids. It is cheap, plentiful, incredibly addicting and superbly efficient at ruining lives and destroying families.

 

The WHS PTSA invites parents and students from the East Cobb community to join Missy Owens of The Davis Direction Foundation as she presents the story of her son's addiction next Tuesday evening, Oct. 28th at 7:00pm in the WHS Theater Davis Owens was Sr. Class President of Kennesaw Mountain High School, a servant leader in his community, and a promising Kennesaw University student who died last March at the age of 20, a victim of a heroin overdose.  The Davis Direction Foundation is committed to "Take Aim at Addiction" through education, prevention, treatment and advocacy. Knowledge is power! Come learn what YOU can do to stop this killer.


Attorney General Sam Olens visited WHS this week to urge students to consider the serious consequences of abusing prescription drugs and to promote a  video contest aimed at stopping the abuse of these drugs. Alarmed by the statistic that almost 20,000 kids in our state misuse Rx drugs, AG Olens is challenging Georgia high school students to say, "We're Not Gonna Take It" by producing a 30 second video explaining why they have chosen to reject RX drug abuse. 

To learn more or to enter the contest, visit VIDEO CONTEST

WHSF Members Play Critical Role in New WHS 

The entire Walton Community is thrilled with the vision for the new Walton High School that was discussed at the Town Hall meeting Monday evening. Many people played vital roles in getting this project to this stage including Principal McNeill and her staff, School Board Member Scott Sweeney, and Int. Superintendent Ragsdale and his staff to name a few. Particularly important is the part Vonda Shoemaker and Patti Morgan of the Walton Foundation contributed as skill-based volunteers for Walton High School. Vonda has held many volunteer leadership positions in the Cobb County school system, and Patti has a degree in Construction Management, working in Commercial Construction for over 30 years. Principal McNeill tapped these two to help build a case for the inclusion of the WHS rebuild in the SPLOST 4 Notebook in 2011. 

 

Together, they started by doing a complete survey and inventory of the building, documenting the existing condition of the facility through photos, existing space plans and a comprehensive narrative. In addition to the challenges of the poor design dating from the 1970's "open floor plan" movement, they quickly realized that Walton was significantly UNDER sized according to the CCSD published Educational Specifications. The Foundation brought architects on to the assessment team to create possible site plans to validate the feasibility of rebuilding Walton on its current site. Both of these committed volunteers have spent countless hours meeting with Ms. McNeill and her staff, the architects for the project and interfacing with the CCSD.

 

Going forward, Patti will be attending most of the weekly project meetings with Ms. McNeill in the CCSD offices and will be in a position to provide the Walton Community with the most current updates on the progress of the construction. The Foundation will be posting timely construction updates on their webpage over the next three years. (WHSF) Principal McNeill expressed her gratitude for the time and expertise the Foundation has contributed towards securing the SPLOST 4 funding for the new building and encourages the Walton Community to check the WHSF website regularly for exciting updates!

WHS Counselors' Corner

College Applications 101 

 

Seniors! Those of you who have completed the first half of the college admission process-congratulations! Here's hoping that each of you receives some really great news come mid-December. For those of you that are still working ahead of looming deadlines, click here to get a few tips from your WHS Counselors to ease the process!  College Apps 101

 

Keisha Rogers, Ed.S

Professional School Counselor 
IN THIS ISSUE
Town Hall Mtg
Red Ribbon Week
WHSF Critical Role
College Apps 101
Try Fresh Food!
WALTONSTRONG
 
MIND
BODY
SPIRIT
 
 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! 

"Cooking (from scratch) is the single most important thing we could do as a family to improve our health and general

well-being."  

Michael Pollan

 

This week, challenge yourself and see if you can eat only "real food."  The first step is to become a label reader. A good rule of thumb: if a label has more than 5 ingredients (especially if you can't pronounce the names of those ingredients) and an endless shelf life, it is likely to be processed!   Now that you have identified the unhealthy options, purge your pantry of processed foods like margarine, refined salt, white flour, refined oils like canola or safflower, sugars like high fructose corn syrup or splenda.  Lastly, plan your shopping list and stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store.  Stock up on fresh produce, lean proteins, and whole grains. Venture down the center aisles for quality fats like olive oil to round out your cart and your plate! 

 

Eating foods that are more a "product of nature rather than industry," says Michael Pollan, leads to a healthier future.

 

Jill Gregory, CNC, PT

PTSA Health & Wellness Chair

IBNFC Certified Nutrition Consultant


 

For more inspiration and practical tips to make your BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT STRONG, please visit our Pinterest page.

Find us on Pinterest WaltonPTSA


Raiders' Pride Awards

 

Each semester, WHS teachers nominate one of their students who exhibits extraordinary qualities of character, including good citizenship and kindness, for the Raider Pride Award.  This week's award ceremony included a speech on the character of leadership by 

Danny Daniels of Chick-fil-A. 

Mr. Daniels  also presented each student with a gift coupon to his

Woodlawn Square store. 

Students who receive a Raider Pride award any time during their WHS career are eligible to apply for a $1000 PTSA college scholarship their senior year.

 

Congratulations to all the Raider Pride Fall Recipients!

RAIDERS' CHOICE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

 

The Raiders' Choice Enrichment Program will be offered during WEB on Oct. 29.  Please visit our website  Raiders' Choice for more information.

 

To register for a "Stress Management: Small Group Class", click here: Stress Management 

 

To register for a WHS Panel Presentation

on "Testing  Tips"

click here: Testing Tips

 

Registration links will also be included in the Oct. 26

Sunday Evening e-Blast

 

Join us for these FREE enrichment programs sponsored by Your PTSA!

  

 

 The WHS Website, eBlast,

Connections and  The Raider Review 
are paid for by funding from your


   walton ptsa logo


 Visit Our Website to Learn more about Walton's PTSA  

-Quick Links- 

 

 
 
 
 
 

  Have you taken the PTSA "Passion into Action Survey"?  

 

This brief survey, designed to identify subject experts across many fields, will be used to offer parents the opportunity to meaningfully utilize their skills to meet specific needs at Walton. Here is the link to take the survey now:   

  "Passion Into Action" 

 

As an added bonus, Zeal, a modern eatery in Market Place off Johnson Ferry, has donated $50 gift certificates that will be awarded to (3) lucky winners of a random drawing of survey participants!  You can start reaping the benefits of volunteering just by filling out the survey.  Hurry, the second winner will be announced  Nov. 16!