Greetings!

What would you do with "30 minutes of opportunity"? How would you use it? 

When Gwinnett County Public Schools announced the snow day make-up plan, it gave schools flexibility to decide how the time would be allocated.  Brookwood chose to view the extra thirty minutes per day as a chance make a positive difference in the lives of Broncos, as an additional twenty-four hours to create an opportunity for students to grasp one more concept, get one more question correct on an exam or build a connection that will last a lifetime.

Brookwood reveres instructional time and the professionals who teach day in and day out.  Since research shows that the greatest effect on student achievement is the teacher effect, we gave classroom teachers the autonomy to implement plans based on what was best for their students. Therefore, beginning March 3, Brookwood added six minutes to first period and four minutes to every other period. (The additional two minutes during first period offset any time lost during morning announcements.) Teachers adjusted their bell-to-bell instruction to account for the additional time.

What have teachers done with the additional time?  We've heard impressive stories from our instructional teams.  Below are some of the examples they shared. The 30 minutes was:

• An opportunity for some Language Arts students to "make it count." Teachers highlight a specific skill each day and ask students to create a list of the new skills in interactive notebooks. At the end of the 48 days, students will look back and see all that they've gained by spending a few more minutes in class.
• An opportunity for some Business & Technology students to hear mini-lessons on soft skills like promptness, workplace etiquette and more.
• An opportunity for AP Statistics students to prepare for the exam by reviewing one problem each day.
• An opportunity for Geometry students to work on end-of-course-test prep.
• An opportunity for some US History teachers to use an online "Exit Ticket" system to check for comprehension of concepts taught in class.
• An opportunity for Precalculus students to do "Car Talk Puzzlers" and other brain teasers to review Precalc topics, plus watch five minute video explanations of tough concepts.
• An opportunity for some World History students to get more in-depth content from their instructor.
•  An opportunity for AP Computer Science students to review multiple choice questions in preparation for the exam.
• The list goes on and on.

In March, the Brookwood Science Olympiad Team won its fourth consecutive State Championship. The win was a total team effort. Brookwood earned medals in eleven events and averaged fifth place across all 21 scored events.  The win entitles Brookwood, along with the second place team, GSMST, the right to represent Georgia at the National Science Olympiad at the University of Central Florida in Orlando in May. Members of the Science Olympiad Team are: Corey Zheng, PJ Collins, Joey Calicchio, Matt Stout, Vamsi Reddy, Adarsh Suresh, Laboni Hoque, Heath Murphy, Ryan Chen, Carleigh Brisendine, Kevin Choi, Emma DeJarnette, Susan Zhang, Kathryn McKibben and Nick Bond.

Brookwood's newest Gwinnett Student Leadership Team (GSLT) members have been selected from the sophomore class. They are Emily Baurer, Charlie Call and Emma Pontalti. GSLT develops student leaders at the county level by providing them with opportunities to meet, collaborate and study with other student leaders from all Gwinnett's public high schools. The program is a two year obligation.

The Georgia Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese has recently named Brookwood Teacher Mary Meyer as the 2014 Teacher of the Year.  Mary is a veteran educator who has taught foreign languages for more than four decades.  In 2005, she joined the Brookwood staff, where she currently teaches Advanced Placement Spanish and Honors Spanish III. Mrs. Meyer hopes to pique student interest in a world that exists beyond the immediate horizon.  She is an education leader who is dedicated to student success and who serves as a model for all teachers regardless of content area.

In March, the Outdoor Club went camping and spelunking at Petty John's Cave in Walker County, GA.  It was an amazing demonstration of teamwork, patience and endurance.  The most technical sections of the course were a narrow climb up and a "Pancake Squeeze."  The group was kept company by the mouse-eared bats that inhabit the cave!

Jenna Still with her award-winning ceramic vessel.

Jenna Still, a senior visual art student, has received word that she earned a "Silver Key" award for Scholastic Art & Writing at the national level for one of her ceramic sculptures. Of over 255,000 submissions, only 1% received national recognition. Jenna has been invited to New York to participate in the awards ceremony.

Jenna Still has also won the "Friends of Art Scholarship" for Columbus State. The scholarship offers $10,000 per year for the first two years at Columbus and is given to one incoming freshman.  This is the second year in a row that a Brookwood art student has won this scholarship. 

Alexis Jacob

Several visual art students had pieces accepted into the annual Atlanta High School Art Exhibition. Alexis Jacob (in photo on left) received a Fifth Place award for her painting, "Madonna of the Mac," at the exhibit. 

Congressman Rob Woodall presented the awards at the 7th Congressional District Art Competition Exhibition and Reception which was held in March at the Hudgens Center for the Arts.  Art students Kevin Fuentes, Sam Moore, Sutton Thompson, Martha Weber, Anna Chadwick, Olivia Chong and Alexis Jacob had work chosen for this exhibit. Kevin Fuentes placed third in the competition and received a $2,500 scholarship from the Art Institute of Atlanta. 

Alexis Jacob and Savannah Jones draw figures during the three minute heat at the "Art Throwdown."