A partnership between Maxwell High School of Technology and Gwinnett Medical Center is landing jobs for ambitious young talent.

A graduating senior from Norcross High School is the Georgia recipient of the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, already getting his start in the world of business.

The Atlanta Falcons have announced the 2011-12 First Down for Fitness teachers of the year. Among them: Berkmar Middle School's Dana Griffith.

As the 2011-12 school year comes to an end, the Gwinnett County Board of Education named the school principals who will lead three elementary schools next year.

The Gwinnett County Board of Education unanimously approved a $1.7 billion budget Thursday night for the Fiscal Year 2013.

Members of the Gwinnett County Board of Education on Thursday discussed the successes and the challenges seen at the district's alternative schools as well as the possibility of a new facility in the future.

District staff updated the board of education Thursday on a state study that looks at teacher and leader effectiveness in the classroom.

More than 600 graduates crossed the state to receive congratulations Monday during Gwinnett Technical College's commencement ceremony.

The Atlant Falcons Youth Foundation recently donated salad bars to four Gwinnett County Public Schools, including Knight Elementary, Berkmar Middle, Couch Middle and Buice School.

Georgia Gwinnett College recently honored donors supporting four of its first student scholarship funds at a reception.

On Saturday morning, cancer survivors and those that love them will come together in downtown Lawrenceville for the inaugural Walk for the Women We Love.

GEM Oversight Committe seeks applicants.

Nearly 200 Georgia Gwinnett College seniors celebrated the completion of their college education on Friday during a commencement ceremony on the campus' main lawn. The graduating class is GGC's largest to date.

Instructions for what to do after winning the the Gates Millennium Scholarship:

During a state board of education meeting last week, officials granted a two-year charter to Ivy Prep Academy. Sweeping changes to the school's operations, however, were a condition of the agreement.

North Gwinnett Middle in-school fieldtrip to the Outback.

Level Creek Elementary on Monday celebrated being named a state School of Excellence, and welcomed dignitaries like state Superintendent of Schools John Barge and Gwinnett County Public School Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks.

The North Gwinnett High chapter of Relay for Life raised more than $100,000 this year.

A team of Meadowcreek High School students used their web development skills, as well as their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math to bring home the top prize in the Technology Association of Georgia's 2012 Web Challenge Scholarship Competition.

Helen Denton remembers it like it was yesterday. The 90-year-old woman still speaks in great detail about the day she transcribed military plans for what would come to be known as D-Day. The woman shared her story with students at Creekland Middle School on Friday.

The standard college rejection letter announces, “While you are a qualified applicant, we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission.”

However, the rejected student often reads a subtext into the letter: “You are not good enough. You are not getting into this amazing college that would have changed your life.”

Allison Singh, 37, understands that reaction. That is how she felt when Princeton rejected her 20 years ago. She nursed her wounds until she realized that she ultimately benefited from the loss.

So, when a high school friend asked her to help her boss’ daughter deal with a rejection by her dream college, Singh composed a long email that began, “I was crushed when I wasn’t accepted to my first-choice college. I felt like a failure and was angry that all of my hard work hadn’t been enough for admission.”

But Singh ended the email with, “But slowly, I gave my school and my classmates a chance, and gave myself a break…I came out of college with a better …

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Gwinnett schools approved a budget today that calls for two unpaid furlough days for most employees, two extra students per classroom and nearly 600 fewer people on the payroll. Most of the job cuts will come from leaving open jobs unfilled.

According to the AJC:

Spending for day-to-day operations of the state’s largest school district will be $1.2 billion for the fiscal year that starts July 1, down $60.6 million from this year.

“It’s a very tough budget,” said Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks. “It’s one we have lots of concerns with, but it will allow us to continue to do what we need to do.”

The largest share of the savings — $43 million — will come from leaving vacant 585 jobs, where employees — mostly teachers — have retired, resigned or transferred, and adding an average of two students per classroom.

The system will save another $10 million by furloughing employees for a fourth straight year. The two unpaid furlough days will apply to all employees, with the exception …

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A judge has granted an injunction allowing Jake Zimmerman, one of the East Paulding students arrested for a senior prank that escalated to costly vandalism, to attend his graduation ceremony. The judge overruled the school board, which voted last month to bar the student from attending.

Class president, Zimmerman admitted painting a skull and crossbones on the road outside the school, saying it was an annual tradition for seniors. But he said he left the scene before fellow pranksters moved to the school and painted vehicles and buildings, causing $7,500 in damage.

The school system suspended him for the duration of his high school career, banishing him to an alternative school. Unlike most of the teens, he appealed the decision, but the school board denied his appeal last month. Then, a school board member made a motion to heap on more punishment: prohibiting Zimmerman from attending his graduation ceremony. The teen said Wednesday that the board voted 6-1 in favor of …

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UPDATED a 11:45 a.m with news that Luella High in Henry also has twins in the top slots.

UPDATED at 2 p.m with news that triplets took the top three slots at Upson-Lee High School.

UPDATED at 3:34 p.m. with news that twins took the top honors at Franklin High School.

Bill Maddox of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education pointed me to these two news story, which he thought were worth noting. I agree. The valedictorians and salutatorians at Grovetown High School in Columbia County and at Clarke Central High in Athens are twins.

In addition, I am awaiting details from Henry County where twin brothers are the valedictorian and salutatorian at Luella High School. Sheldon C. Scoggins  is valedictorian; his brother Brennan M. Scoggins is salutatorian.

I just confirmed a twin valedictorian/salutatorian at Franklin High School. According to principal Wayne Randall, Scout Josey is valedictorian and her sister Kate is salutatorian. They are the twin daughters of Ricky …

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The state Department of Education released its list of Alert Schools today.

The new DOE accountability designations — priority schools, focus schools and reward schools — replace the “needs improvement” label in No Child Left Behind that educators deemed unclear and unhelpful. These three designations target  “Title I” schools that have a high percentage of low-income students. DOE also designated a fourth category, “alert schools,” so the state can focus on struggling schools that do not necessarily have a high percentage of low-income students.

DOE defines Alert Schools are those that need to raise student achievement on statewide assessments in the areas of graduation rate for high schools and subgroup performance and subject performance for elementary and middle schools. Alert Schools can be Title I Schools or Non-Title I Schools.

The criteria used to identify Alert Schools are:

(1) Graduation Alert Schools: High Schools whose subgroup graduation rate falls at …

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