History of Northwood Elementary

Northwood Logo

Was designed in 1996 by Ken Mack-Solden, a Northwood parent and graphic designer.  The "N" is not square like a traditional capital letter N. It bends on both sides, showing flexibility.  Along with the N, we adopted the motto, "Where reaching for the stars is elementary!" Six stars are inside the N, each star representing each grade level from kindergarten through fifth grade, and a hand reaches upward inside the N toward the stars. The official COLOR of our logo (and we put this color on all stationery, etc.) is PMS 2757. (It is a deep navy blue.) BernhardMod BT is the font we use when spelling out Northwood Elementary as a logo.

School of Faith

Our song that we used for our school dedication (and the entire faculty and staff together sang it for the parents at our first PTA meeting) was "School of Faith." This song was adapted from the song, "Household of Faith" by Steve Green.  Ed Sanker wrote the words for this song for Northwood.

Here we are at the start
Committing to each other
By our words and from our hearts.
We will be a family
In a school that will be a home,
And with faith we'll build it strong.

We'll build a school full of faith
That together we can make,
And when the strong winds blow
It can't fall down.
As each of us will grow,
And the whole world will know
That we are a school full of faith.

Now to be a family
We've got to help each other
At any cost, unselfishly.
And our school must be a place
That fully abounds with grace
A reflection of each face.

We'll build a school full of faith
That together we can make,
And when the strong winds blow
It can't fall down.
As each of us will grow,
And the whole world will know
That we are a school full of faith.

We'll build a school full of faith
That together we can make,
And when the strong winds blow
It can't fall down.
As each of us will grow,
And the whole world will know
That we are a school full of faith.

Naming Northwood Elementary

School Colors

In the fall of 1996, the children and faculty and staff voted on our school colors. Red, white, and blue were chosen. At that time, we did not know what a positive significance they would have for the future, as in the years to come Northwood would lead the way in showing patriotism.

Mascot - Explorer

The Explorer was chosen as our school mascot. We wanted a mascot that could be either a boy or a girl. We wanted a mascot that could be any race. Because the Explorer could go into space, explore the woods, explore the unknown, etc. we felt that this mascot would be without boundaries!  The Biplane became a secondary symbol carrying the Explorer. We've used the biplane in many drawings, using our red, white, and blue colors.

Walk of Stars

During our first year, we painted blue stars (graduated sizes) all the way around the school and down the sidewalks to lead the way to the school. Periodically, these stars are re-painted during our Hands-On Atlanta Day in October.

Murals on the Community Halls 

In our second year, our art teacher, Lisa Gould, designed three themes for our three wings. These scenes represent three areas of Georgia.

• River Walk (scenes from the rivers and waters of Georgia)
• Seascape (scenes from the coastal areas of Georgia)
• Mountain View (scenes from the mountains of Georgia)

Lisa drew the scenes on the walls, and parents, teachers, and staff members did their best to paint the scenes.  During the summer of 2012, our building was repainted.  We managed to keep the least damaged sections that could be preserved and restored.  Our Foundation funded the restoration and preservation of the original murals.

Art in the Media Center and Cafeteria

Our outstanding hand-painted, three-dimensional art work in the media center and the cafeteria were done by Icon, Inc. (Artist Mary Jane Stone). The precise painting and intricate details of the artwork are breath-taking.  One side of the cafeteria features the great American landmarks and  the other side features the great American inventors.  These inventors have changed the way our world operates.  This art is supposed to inspire students to “reach for the stars.”

Principals

Dr. Ritu Ahuja 2010 to Present

Mrs. Sheila Michael 2006-2010

Dr. Ann Kingrea 1996-2006