Congratulations to senior Michelle Stanek for advancing from semi-finalist to finalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition. Stanek is now in the running to compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, plus over 1,200 corporate scholarships and approximately 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarships. 

Stanek, the Class of 2019 Valedictorian, will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall where she plans to study mechanical engineering with a potential focus on pre-medicine

2018-19 Teacher of the Year & Professional of the Year
Congratulations to Patti Lawrimore for being named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year and to Gordon Ellison for being named the 2018-19 Professional of the Year. Faculty and staff nominated and voted for this year’s recipients. Continuing the process introduced last year, the student body voted on the final nominees. The honorees received their awards at a March faculty meeting.​

​Patti Lawrimore joined the Raider faculty in 2015 and serves as the Science Department Chair. She teaches IB Environmental Systems, Environmental Science and Biology, holds a position on the school’s Governance Council, and is a Sponsor of the Environmental Club. She has been working in Fulton County Schools since 1994 with previous stops at Milton and North Springs High schools and a one year stint at St. Benedict’s in Smyrna. Lawrimore earned a Bachelor of Science focused on the Biological Aspects of Conservation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She later obtained a Master of Science in Biology Education from the University of North Georgia as well as a Master of Science in Leadership from Kennesaw State University. In addition to her many school activities, Lawrimore serves on the advisory board for Youth Leadership Sandy Springs and plays tennis at The Riverside Club. Aside from tennis, she enjoys reading, biking, and gardening. She and her husband of 20 years, Todd, have a teen-aged son, William.  Says Lawrimore, “At school, my pride is the garden and the classroom hydroponics tanks. Funded by grants, this brings something I am passionate about to the kids and it makes teaching easy.” Lawrimore’s energy and passion for science shows in all that she does. She spearheaded the new outdoor classroom and garden program, replacing a garden which closed in 2015 due to construction of the school’s new facilities. Recently, she had her students growing plants with seeds from space and led her IB Environmental Science students on a canoe trip at the Chattahoochee Nature Center.  The Teacher of the Year receives more than a plaque. The PTSA gave Lawrimore $300 for school supplies, the school granted an additional $400 to fund classroom expenses, and she has an assigned parking space close to the front door for the next school year. Another perk is a stipend from the school to attend a conference of her choice, and a Teacher of the Year ring.

​Gordon Ellison is the Virtual Lab Coordinator and serves and supports students enrolled in online classes.  The Virtual Lab is open all day and for many hours after school as well as on Saturdays. The lab provides access to higher level courses that are not offered on campus and gives students the opportunity to catch up on credits needed to graduate. One of his major goals is to improve the pass rate and work completion in these classes. Says Ellison, “With the affordable deployment of high speed internet and with every student in Fulton County Schools having access to a tablet and the access to free online classes, the infrastructure is in place to dramatically change how students are taught. From a personal perspective, my goal is to have Riverwood viewed as a leader in the creative utilization of technology to change the face of student instruction.”  A faculty member who nominated Ellison for the award said, “Ellison is always willing to go above and beyond. Kids flock to him and he connects real-world experience with student learning.” Ellison came to the Raiders in 2016 as a long-term substitute from Tri-Cities High School and then transitioned to a full-time role in the Virtual Lab. He commented, “These tools are the new wave of teaching.”  Before working in education, Ellison had a career in Systems Engineering and IT consulting with IBM. An Atlanta native, he earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf and travel. For more than 30 years, Ellison spends much of each winter officiating college basketball games.  Ellison said, “I am very fortunate to be part of a faculty, staff, and administration led by Mr. Gardner that supports the Virtual Lab. I enjoy working with the students and appreciate being part of the efforts to leverage the technology investment made by Fulton County Schools.”

Advanced Placement Test Results Earn Honors
The Georgia Department of Education named Riverwood a 2019 AP STEM school, an AP STEM Achievement School, an AP Humanities School, and an AP Access and Support School based on the Spring 2018 Advanced Placement scores. Congratulations to the students and teachers for their hard work.

The STEM award recognizes schools with achievement in AP Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics courses. An AP STEM school has students testing in at least two AP Math and two AP Science courses. 200 High Schools in the State earned the AP Stem designation. 

An AP STEM Achievement School has students testing in at least two AP Math and two AP Science courses and at least 40% of the AP Math and AP Science exams earning scores of 3 or higher. Only 128 High Schools in Georgia earned this designation.

An AP Humanities School has students testing in all of the following AP courses: at least one English/Language Arts course, two social science courses, one fine arts course, and one world language course. The Georgia Department of Education added the AP Humanities category in 2015 and Riverwood has earned this designation every year since it began. In 2019, only 142 high schools in Georgia made the AP Humanities list.

An AP Access and Support School has at least 30 percent of their AP exams taken by students who identified themselves as African American and/or Hispanic, and 30 percent of all AP exams earning scores of three or higher. Only 64 high schools in Georgia earned this designation in 2019.

Congratulations to Sophomore Madeline Chen (harp) and Freshman Nathaniel Stone for being selected to the 2018-19 All-State Orchestra. They will travel to Athens for two days of workshops and practice, culminating in a performance Saturday, March 2 in the Classic Center. Chen and Stone will play in the full 9th and 10th grade String Orchestra directed by William White.

Eight Receive Prestigious JanFest Invitation
The University of Georgia January High School Band Festival ("JanFest") is a four-day event for high school band musicians. The Raiders are proud to have eight musicians selected to participate in the 69th annual festival. Congratulations to:

Haley Gruensfelder (Clarinet)
Josh Perkey (Clarinet)
Hannah Tourial (Bassoon)
Kanako Kurimari (Bassoon)
Coleman Alvarez (Trumpet)
Thomas Archer (trumpet)
Drew Kaplan (Trombone)
Aidan Jones (Percussion)

These outstanding musicians joined over 1000 attendees, representing 130 schools from across the state, in Athens January 17-20. 

EXCLUSIVE:  Raider Artists Create Ornaments for State Tree in Washington, D.C.
Nineteen Raiders created ornaments to decorate the State of Georgia's official Christmas tree, which is on display in Washington, D.C. through the end of the year. The six-foot state tree is one of 56 smaller trees surrounding the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park, with each tree representing a U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia. Jessica Booth, Fine Arts Education Director at the Georgia Department of Education, selected Riverwood for the honor of decorating this year’s Georgia tree. 
Read more in the News & Media Gallery

Rekapalli Aces ACT
Congratulations to Shreya Rekapalli for scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT (American College Testing) exam. Rekapalli, Class of 2019, is a candidate for the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Her studies include Higher Level Math, Physics, History of the Americas, and Literature, along with AP Psychology and Theory of Knowledge. She serves as a tutor in the Raider Writing Center, and is president of both the Model UN team and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter. Rekapalli is a member of the Beta Club, the National Honor Society, and the Science National Honor Society. She attended the summer 2018 Governor's Honors Program in social studies, and was selected to go to the Yale Young Global Scholars for the Politics, Law, and Economics session. As a Junior, Rekapalli received The George Washington University Book Award. Rekapalli plans to double major in economics and psychology and has her sights set on Duke University, Dartmouth College, or Cornell University.

Rekapalli commented, “I firmly believe that practice is key. For me, the best thing to do was take practice tests to identify patterns in my mistakes, and then do the appropriate practice to remedy them. It's really all about practice. Leading up to the ACT, I took 10 practice tests.” Of the more than 2 million students taking the ACT in 2017, only .136% achieved a perfect score.

  Learn more in the News & Media Gallery​​​​​​​​

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​​Support the Raiders: Fundraisers & Service Projects​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​Boys & Girls Youth Basketball Camp June 3-6, 2019 Open to rising 4th-8th grades Sponsored by the Raider Basketball Programs  learn more
Youth Softball Camp June 3-6, 2019 Open to rising 2nd-8th grades Sponsored by Lady Raider Softball learn more
​Youth Football Camp June 24-27, 2019 Open to rising 3rd-8th grades Sponsored by Raider Football learn more
​2nd Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament Monday, July 1, 2019 Benefits the Raider Football Program learn more
​Youth Football Camp July 22-25, 2019 Open to rising 3rd-8th grades Sponsored by Raider Football learn more
​Student Relaxation Room Wish List The Counseling Center is furnishing a relaxation room for students and it is almost complete. Only a few wish list items remain ​View wish list Questions? Contact Head Counselor Shamona Harrell (HarrellS@fultonschools.org) ​​
​Boon Supply Shopping Shop for gifts, housewares, jewelry, outdoor & garden items, and more... Each purchase earns 50% for Raider Athletics Free shipping for orders over $75 learn more
​A​mazonSmile    Log into AmazonSmile (link)​ and designate the "Riverwood High School Foundation" before shopping on the entire Amazon site. Amazon donates a percentage of all eligible purchases to the Foundation ​​​
​Kroger Community Rewards Shop at Kroger and support the Raiders. Already have a Kroger Plus card? Register online to designate the Riverwood High School Foundation (organization number 14852​) and start shopping. ​Need a Kroger Plus card, or need ​more information? Sign up at Kroger.com/communityrewards ​
Publix Partners: Enroll online for the free school partnership program and register "Riverwood International Charter School." Once enrolled, enter your phone number at check-out to earn cash for the school  Every purchase made at Publix counts; for every $37,500 spent, Riverwood receives $250.  Learn more

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