The following high school students have been named semifinalists for the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have the opportunity to continue competing for National Merit Scholarships that will be offered in the spring of 2012.
Gainesville: Sahara L. Calderhead;
Hoschton: Guillermo Bautista, Ronan O’Brien;
Jefferson: Elizabeth P. Johnson;
Mount Airy: Grace D. Donnelly;
Cumming: Jackson Hicks.
David Oliver
, a U.S. track and field Olympic medalist, recently introduced himself to Michelle Dailey’s fourth-grade classroom at Fair Street International Baccalaureate World School in his first video blog. Oliver, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and American record holder in the 110-meter hurdles, will be a mentor for the 25 students in Daily’s class as he competes around the world.Oliver is a classroom ambassador in affiliation with Classroom Champions, a nonprofit organization founded by 2010 Olympic gold medalist Steve Mesler that connects Olympians and Paralympians with high need classrooms around the nation.
Classroom Champions targets elementary and middle schools where at least fifty percent of the student population is eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Out of hundreds of applications, Dailey was one of only 28 teachers selected to participate in the program during the 2011-2012 school year.
Students from Dailey’s class will interact with Oliver by Umi Telepresence and will record messages using a Flip HD video camera. Through blogs and live video chats, the class will learn about goal setting and gain digital literacy as they engage with Oliver throughout the year as he embarks on his journey for a second Olympic bid.
As a nonprofit organization, Classroom Champions is seeking donations from the community to support the local classroom. Donations will directly help purchase products and tools to help implement the program.
For more information or to view featured athlete-student interactions, please visit www.ClassroomChampions.com.