Knights

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Notable Knights for 2009-10


Student Wins Programming Competition

Junior Katherine Cannella won first place in the high school division of the Scratch programming competition at Georgia Tech on Saturday, May 22. Her entry won best game in the high school division. She won a Flip Video camcorder valued at approximately $200.

Boys Track 8th in State

Led by seniors Martin Jenkins and Michael Denney, the boys track team ended the season with an 8th place finish at the state meet. State Champion Martin Jenkins set a new school record of 10.59 with his 1st place finish in the 100 meter dash. Jenkins was also state runner-up with his 2nd place finish in the 200 meter dash. Michael Denney came in 5th in the pole vault with his 13-0 effort. Junior Nick Myers added a 7th place finish, also in the pole vault.







Jenkins Wins State Championship

Senior Martin Jenkins was crowned state champion in the 100 meter dash at the GHSA state track meet on May 15. Jenkins broke his own school record with his winning time of 10.59 seconds. Jenkins was also state runner-up in the 200 meter dash.










Girls Tennis Takes 2nd in State

The varsity girls tennis team beat Tift County 3-0 in the semi-finals of the state tournament to advance to the final round. The Knights faced Walton in the finals on May 8, a team rival whom they faced last year in the finals. It was a close and hard fought match, but the Lady Knights lost 2-3 with Allison Falkin, the one singles player, and Megan Kurey, the two singles player, pulling off the wins. The champion was determined by the one doubles match with Michelle Hartigan and Carly Zabkar losing a tough fight in three sets. The Lady Knights ended their season with a 12-5 region record and a 2nd place state finish.

Student Council Elections for 2010-11

The offical officer election results are:

Executive Council

President: Jordan Morell Vice President: Nico Inghilleri
Secretary: Rachel Paek Assistant Secretary: Maggie Harney
Treasurer: Shannon Castek Parliamentarian: Catherine Nam





Senior Class Council
President: Sarah Lopez Vice President: Lucy Parham
Secretary: Annie Robb Assistant Secretary: Asheton Board
Treasurer: Fallon Parker Parliamentarian: Anna McGraw





Junior Class Council
President: Katie Williams Vice President: Julia Kleiber
Secretary: Greta Radovich Assistant Secretary: Lauren Hinkley
Treasurer: Hunter Kauffman Parliamentarian: Lauren Skorb





Sophomore Class Council
President: Tianna Richardson Vice President: Drew Erickson
Secretary: Sarah Lee Assistant Secretary: Vicky Chung
Treasurer: Natalie Flesher Parliamentarian: Destiny Williams





Boys Track Does Well at Regions

Senior Martin Jenkins is region 6AAAAA champion in two track & field events, winning both the 100 and 200 meter dashes. Senior Nick Myers also earned region champion status with a school record pole vault of 13-6. Senior Michael Denney finshed second behind Myers to become the region runner-up in the pole vault clearing 13-0.

Counseling Department Receives RAMP Designation

The Centennial Counseling department will receive the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation during a special ceremony at the American School Counselor Association’s annual conference in Boston, Massachusetts. Centennial, as well as 85 other schools from 22 states that reach across the K-12 spectrum, will be honored on July 5, 2010 for making an exemplary commitment to comprehensive school counseling programs.

The RAMP designation, awarded to schools that align with the criteria set in the ASCA National Model, recognizes schools that are committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program and an exemplary educational environment. More than 300 schools have received the RAMP designation since the program’s inception. | Press Release

Boys Soccer Wins Region Title

The varsity boys soccer team has won the Region 6AAAAA Championship for the 2nd year in a row. The Knights take on Norcross in the 1st round of the state tournament on Tuesday, April 27 at 7:30pm in the Fortress.

Entrepreneurship Team Wins 1st

Entrepreneurship team members seniors Alex Wong and Shovik Shyamsundar and junior Lauren Reid placed 1st in the FBLA state competition on March 26-27. Senior Allen Liu placed 9th in Economics.

2010 Employees of the Year

Community-based instruction teacher Catherine Wise was selected Teacher of the Year. Ellen Wiener, principal's secretary, was named as the Professional Employee of the Year. Both were honored at a ceremony on March 25.

Centennial Brings Home the Award of Excellence

On Tuesday, March 16, 18 students traveled to New York City to participate in the 2010 National High School Model United Nations Program. This year, Centennial was assigned to play the role of Sweden. These students were required to complete and submit significant research prior to the conference, and during the simulation they engaged in public debate, consensus building, resolution writing, and problem solving. They were in competition with about 2,400 other high school students from countries around the world (including this year, for the first time, students from Palestine). At the conclusion of the conference, delegation only awards are given. Of the several hundred schools in attendance, only three Awards of Excellence are given. Sweden received one of those three. The Centennial students worked very diligently and represented the Centennial community in an exemplary fashion. This is the sixth consecutive year that one or more of Centennial’s delegations have received such recognition. NHSMUN is the largest, most competitive model UN program in the country.

Team members are: Rachel Bishop, Asheton Board, Chris Bohlmann, Jennifer Cross, Sarah Eade, Caroline Fisher, Sean Gilrain, Marie Goetzke, Kandasi Griffiths, Max Hay, Oliver Ladd, Alli McCall, Wright McCraney, Katie Minnick, Michael Nozick, Alessandra Palazzolo, Eli Walsh, and Alec Watkins.

Students Take First in State Technology Fair

Senior Clyde Sanders (animated graphic design) and junior Billy Clark (individual programming challenge) both earned first place in the State Technology Fair held on March 13 at Howard High School in Macon. | Results

Student Named Semifinalist for the 2010 US Physics Olympic Team

Senior Bradley Silverman has been named a semifinalist for the 2010 US Physics Olympic Team. Each year, the American Institute of Physics sponsors a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad Competition. | Press Release

JV Academic Bowl Team Wins State Championship

On February 27, the JV Academic Bowl Team earned 1st place in the state JV tournament at Ola High School. Team members are: Helen Cannella, Mark Lowder, Sonja Petrovic, and Adam Silverman.

Eleven Students Win Awards at State German Convention

Eighteen students participated in the State German Convention on February 26-27 with 11 students bringing home awards. They competed against 25 other high schools across the state.

German I

  • Vocabulary - Amanda Senerman (1st)
  • Vocabulary - Gary Castellanos (3rd)
  • Spelling - Gary Castellanos (2nd)
  • Poetry - Kalin Wilson (3rd)
German II
  • Vocabulary - Marie Goetzke (2nd)
  • Spelling - Marie Goetzke (3rd)
  • Story Retelling - Richard Stauffer (2nd)
  • Role Play - Taylor Stickel (3rd)
German III
  • Vocabulary - Esther Chang (1st)
  • Vocabulary - Benjamin Partridge (4th)
  • Spelling - Esther Chang (1st)
German IV/V
  • Vocabulary - Jennifer Warrilow (2nd)
  • Role Play - Kenny Lombard (3rd)
  • Story Retelling - Alex Lembeck (3rd)
  • Picture Description - Alex Lembeck and Kenny Lombard (3rd)
In addition to excel in the academic categories, Centennial won first place in the lip-synching competition for the third year in a row, bringing the hall of 300 students to their feet. The lip-synching team members are Alex Lembeck and Kenny Lombard.

Academic Bowl Wins Fulton County Champsionship

The Academic Bowl team won 1st place in the Fulton County tournament on February 22 for the second consecutive year. The team went undefeated against the other seven participating schools. trophy. Team members are: Jeff Domozick, Katherine Cannella, George Tang, Bradley Silverman, and Adam Silverman.

Centennial Named AP Merit School

Centennial has been named an AP Merit school for the third consecutive year. This distinction recognizes those with at least 20 percent of students taking AP exams and with at least half of those exams receiving a score of 3 or higher. | Story

Two Basketball Players Named to All-Region Team

Seniors Vincent Bailey and Devonta White have been named to the Beacon Newspaper's 6-AAAAA all-region team. | Story





Swim and Dive Has Strong Showing at State

The swim and dive team qualified 27 swimmers for the state meet with ten swimmers advancing to the finals: Connor Blair, Caitlin Bell, Nick Cassidy, Mary Finn, Sara Redmond, Liz Saint, Roxanne Sher, Julia Treible, Lida Walsh, and Taylor Watts. Senior Julia Treible earned a first place finish in both the 100 Breast Stroke and the 200 Individual Medley, with All-American times. The girls 400 Free Relay finished second and also earned an All-American time. The girls team finished 5th overall.




DAR Announces Good Citizen Winner

Senior Kandasi Griffiths is the winner of the Martha Stewart Bulloch Chapter DAR Good Citizen Scholarship for 2009-10. She received a $200 scholarship and has advanced to district competition. Griffiths' application and essay was selected by three non-DAR judges from other DAR Good Citizen winners at five local high schools. Griffiths has exhibited the DAR Good Citizen qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism by serving as Centennial's Executive Council President, her work with Jack and Jill of America, North Fulton Community Charities, the Foster Care Support Center, and Operation Christmas Child.



Swimmer Named Athlete of the Week

Sophomore Caitlin Bell has been named the Roswell Neighbor's female athlete of the week for the week of February 8. | Story

Six Students Place at County Technology Fair

Six students placed either first or second in the 2010 Fulton County Technology Fair held on Saturday, February 6. The two students who placed 1st will advance to the state competition on March 13.

  • 3D Modeling: (2nd) Junior Daniel Dias and Sophomore Jay Deuskar
  • Animated Graphic Design: (1st) Senior Clyde Sanders
  • Individual Programming Challenge: (1st) Junior Billy Clark
  • Individual Programming Challenge: (2nd) Junior Alyssa Lawrence
  • Robotics: (2nd) Sophomore Karen Saucedo

Six Wrestlers Headed for the State Tournament

Six wrestlers placed at the Region 6AAAAA tournament thereby qualifiying for the state traditional wrestling tournament. They are: seniors Derek Enriquez (region runner-up), Ryan Malone (region runner-up), Brian St. James (region champ), and Chris Versteeg (3rd place) and juniors Cole Forester (3rd place) and Bryant Hughes (4th place). Additonally, five wrestlers earned fifth place which qualifies them as alternates for the tournament. The alternates are: seniors Ryan Ballard, Devlin Bolton, and Bryan Savage, junior Jeffrey Edmonds, and sophomore Cody Dawson. The state tournament will begin on February 18 at the Gwinnett Arena. Special note: Senior Brian St. James won his third straight region championship to improve his season record to 47-0, which brings his high school career to 201-9. He is favored to win his second consecutive state title after finishing second as a sophomore.

Reading Team Takes First in Metro Competition

The reading team placed first in the Metro District Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl at Clayton State University on February 6 and has advanced to the North Georgia competition. Team members are: seniors Destinee Brock, Amanda Chernishkin, and Rita Korb, and juniors Melinda Erickson, Mary Margaret Hanniford, Richard Hussey, Jasmine Jackson, Chris Parker, and Nena Pool. The team is coached by media specialist Marie Yelvington.

Skills USA Competitors Bring Back Five Medals from Region Competition

Eight Skills USA competitors placed at the Region 3 competition on February 5 at the Atlanta Technical College. The Quiz Bowl team won gold!

  • First Aid/CPR: (Silver) Senior Olivia Hood
  • Extemporaneous Speech: (Bronze) Freshman Eric Beeler
  • Job Interview: (Silver) Freshman Carly Durst
  • Job Skills Demonstration: (Silver) Junior Tyler Hawk
  • Quiz Bowl Team: (Gold) Sophomores Diego Carvallo, Morgan Cox, and Gloria Salinas and Senior Admir Ramic

Cross Country Runner Named Junior Duathlete of the Year

Junior Katie June was named the 2009 Garmin Junior Duathlete of the Year, an honor awarded annually by the USA Triathalon Age Group Commission and the USA Duathlon Committee. June is the Junior Duathlon National Champion and finished 8th in the World Championship. "These talented athletes displayed fantastic results at various distance races which set them apart from others," said Lee Zohlman, co-chair of the USAT Age Group Commission. "Each year, a panel of USAT member volunteers meet and look at a group of athletes and their results. Based on performances across various race distances, depth of fields and quality of races the panel chooses the AOY. We congratulate these athletes on their hard work and dedication and wish them the best in 2010." In addition, Roswell Mayor Jere Wood has invited June to lead the pledge of allegiance at a city council meeting and then to be recognized for her award as part of Roswell’s “bike friendly initiative.” | Story

Art Students Displayed Work at Ceramics Exhibition

Art students Emily Harris, Sage Kearney, and Sammy Lazinski were accepted into the North Fulton High School Ceramics Exhibition that ran from January 11-February 5. Lazinski placed best in show for sculpture with her shoe sculpture (pictured below left) and Harris placed with an honorable mention for category in handbuilt vessels (pictured below right). Harris and Lazinski had a second piece in the sculpture and Kearney had a slab box at the show as well. | Poster

Lazinski's Shoe Sculpture Harris' Handbuilt Vessel

Student Featured on CBS Atlanta's Good Deeds

Student Laura Cook was featured on CBS Atlanta's Good Deeds segment on February 4 for her participation with the Special Twist cheerleading squad. | News Segment









Student-Athletes Take Part in the February Signing Period

On February 3rd, eleven student-athletes signed their national letter of intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level, bring the total for the class of 2010 to 16.

Brandon Black Cross Country Georgia State University
Julian Black Cross Country Georgia State University
Ben Carpenter Football Samford University
Ali Evers Tennis Wingate University
Allison Falkin Tennis University of Illinois
Martin Jenkins Football Clemson University
Carlos McCrary Soccer University of North Carolina
Brendan Moore Soccer University of North Carolina
Antonio Morgan Football Morehouse College
Hannah Valerio Soccer Mars Hill College
David Yankey Football Stanford University

Students Excel in Model League of Arab States

Twenty-one students participated in the Model League of Arab States on January 28-29 at the Metro Atlanta Model hosted by Marist High School. They were in competition with 22 public and private high schools (including Lovett, Pace Academy, and Marist). At the conclusion of the model, eleven of the Centennial students were given individual delegate awards. They are: seniors Jennifer Cross, Sarah Eade, Caroline Fisher, Michael Gale, Max Hay, Kristy Vera, and Eli Walsh, junior Wright McCraney, sophomores Gary Castellanos and Michael Nozick, and freshman Eric Beeler. Five outstanding delegation awards were given. Both of our delegations received that recognition. In Centennial's history, it has never failed to win at least one outstanding delegation award.

Students Advance to State PTA Reflections Competition

Three students have been named winners in the North Fulton Council PTA Reflections Program for 2009-10 and will advance to judging at the state level. The students are:

  • Literature: Junior Emily Beam
  • Literature: Freshman Anna Squires
  • Photography: Senior Paige Biringer
The state winners will be announced on February 12 and the Georgia State Reflections Reception will be held on March 21. In addition, at the North Fulton Council's reception on January 26, Anna Squires' winning literature entry was featured in a dramative performance where two students acted the roles of the characters in Squires' short story. Also, the Centennial Reflections Program received two silver star awards at the council reception. Centennial was recognized for 100% or more improvement in participation over last year and for most improved program participation at the council level.

Wrestler Named Athlete of the Week

Senior Chris VerSteeg has been named the Roswell Neighbor's male athlete of the week for the week of January 25. | Story

Reading Team Wins Fulton County Reading Bowl

The Centennial reading team won the Fulton County Reading Bowl on Saturday, January 23 by defeating Alpharetta, Chattahoochee, Roswell, Banneker, and Westlake. The Reading Bowl is similar in format to an academic bowl with all of the questions being about the 20 Georgia Peach nominated books. The team now advances to regional competition at Clayton State University on February 6. Members of the team are: seniors Destinee Brock, Amanda Chernishkin, and Rita Korb, and juniors Melinda Erickson, Richard Hussey, Jasmine Jackson, Chris Parker, and Nena Pool.

Swim and Dive Takes Third at the North Fulton Championship

On Friday, January 22, the swim team participated in the North Fulton Championship meet and took third place overall. The girls team finished in 1st with the the boys placing 6th. The meet saw several state qualifying times for the Knights in both relays and individual events. On the boys side, the medley relay, the 200 free relay, and the 400 free Relay made state cuts. For the girls, they made state cuts in the medley relay (A and B), the 200 free relay (A and B), and the 400 free relay (A and B). The Knights had first and second places finishes by senior Julia Treible and sophomore Sara Redmond in the 200 IM, sophomore Caitlin Bell in the 200 free, junior Liz Saint in the 50 and 100 Free, sophomore Sara Redmond in the 100 Fly, sophomore Caitlin Bell and Lida Walsh 500 free, senior Julia Treible in the 100 breast stroke, and sophomore Nick Cassidy in the 200 IM. Pictured from L-R are: Mary Finn, Liz Saint, Julia Treible, Caitlin Bell, and Sara Redmond.

Band Members Selected for Festival

Eighteen members of the Mighty Marching Knights Band have been selected to participate in the 60th annual University of Georgia January festival from January 21-24. Participating students: Zach Bobick, Aaron Cai, Reghan Catron, Jessica Drummond, Peter Finn, Ranon Herman, Roth Hessler, Jason Kaplan, Alyssa Lawrence, Kenny Lombard, Elliott Outland, Lucy Parham, Michael Payne, James Riviere, Michael Short, Brandon Soloff, Adam Steltenpohl, and Madisyn Willis.

Students Advanced to State HOSA Competition

Seventeen students in the health care science program placed in the top ten in their respective categories at the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) regional competition on January 13 and have advanced to the state competitions in March.

  • Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): (2nd place) Seniors Kacy Bennett and Mary-Alice McBurney
  • CPR/First Aid Team: (6th place) Freshmen Alex Leach and Nikhil Vallabhaneni
  • Creative Problem Solving Team: (4th place) Juniors Sonova Balli, Lindsey Rosenberg, Madison Seymour, and Katie Tolleson
  • Dental Terminology: (2nd place) Freshman Anna Mazzuckelli
  • Emergency Medical Technician Team: (6th place) Juniors Chris Flores and Anthony Kuehl
  • Forensics Medicine Team: (9th place) Sophomores Casey Hall and Brandon Williams
  • Nutrition: (1st place) Senior Andrew St. James
  • Pathophysiology: (7th place) Freshman Caylor Riemenschneider
  • Pharmacology: (1st place) Senior Quy Nguyen
  • Veterinary Assisting: (1st place) Senior Lauren Cobb
Wrestling Advances to State Duals

The Knights wrestling team placed 2nd in the area duals competition hosted at Centennial on Monday, January 11. They have advanced to the state competition for the 7th consecutive year and will compete at the Macon Centreplex on January 15-16.

Basketball Player Named Athlete of the Week

Senior basketball captain Devonta White has been named the Roswell Neighbor's athlete of the week for January 4. | Article

Centennial Receives Governor's Award for Student Achievement

Centennial has been named a winner in the 2009 Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS) competition and has received a bronze award for outstanding student achievement.

The SSAS competition for a bronze award in the highest performance category is considerable. Schools must meet three criteria to be determined winners:

  • a) Remain above needs inprovement status;
  • b) Demonstrate that at least 20% of students exceed standards in all test areas as measured by state assessments; and
  • c) Demonstrate that at least 95% of students meet or exceed standards as measured by state assessments.
Centennial is only one of 26 high schools in the state of Georgia to receive this award for the 2008-09 school year.

Student Receives National Yes I Can Award

Senior Kristina Brewster has been nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children for her outstanding academic achievements. Brewster was nominated by her teachers for her amazing ability to acquire knowledge and her enthusiasm for learning. She has made great strides in overcoming the challenges that face her daily. The CEC selects 27 winners yearly in nine different categories. The winners are selected from nominees across the world. Brewster will receive her award at the CEC National Convention in Nashville, TN on April 23, 2010.

Football Players Earn Superlatives

Nine varsity football players earn pigskin superlatives from the Roswell Neighbor. First team offense: Senior David Yankey (OL). First team defense: Junior Jesse Burdick (DL) and Martin Jenkins (DB). Second team offense: Senior Scott Laffler (QB) and Junior Carlson Carty (RB). Second team defense: Senior Chris Spooner (DL) and Senior Ben Carpenter (LB). Second team specialist: Senior Brendan Moore (PK/P). Honorable mention: Sophomore Zietrick Smith. | Article

Academic Bowl Takes Second in Regional Tournament

The Academic Bowl team brought home a trophy from the CATT V tournament at Chattahoochee High School on Saturday, December 12. Over 70 teams from six states competed in the tournament. Centennial placed second, losing only in the final round to Dorman High School (SC), the 1st place champion over the past several years. Team members are: seniors Bradley Silverman and Jeff Domozick, junior Katherine Cannella, and sophomores Sonja Petrovic, Adam Silverman, and George Tang.

Students Advance to Second Round of Math Competition

Seven students scored in the 91st percentile of the first round of the 2009 Kennesaw State University Mathematics Competition and have advanced to the second round. The students are: sophomore Adam Silverman, juniors Katherine Cannella, Billy Clark, and Cajer Gong, and seniors Allen Liu, Patrick Thompson, and Ruya Zhao. More than 2000 students in 121 Georgia public and private schools representing 52 counties competed. Dr. Ko-Ming Shih has also been recognized for his efforts that made this opportunity possible for the students.

Media Center Recognized for Food for Fines Program

Media specialists Matt Bosarge and Marie Yelvington were featured on 11 Alive News' Class Notes with Donna Lowry for the media center's "Food for Fines" initiative. The annual program encourages students with late fees to bring a canned food item when they return their overdue books during the holiday season. The food is being donated to the Salvation Army. | Video

Teacher Graduates from Fulton County's Aspiring Leaders Program

Keynun Campbell, the interrelated resources department chair, is Centennial’s first graduate of Fulton County's Aspiring Leaders (ALPHA) Program. As a member of this inaugural class of twenty-four, Mr. Campbell has participated in this leadership program for the last eleven months.

In addition to successfully conducting his day-to-day responsibilities as Centennial’s former graduation coach and now IRR department chair, he, along with the other participants, successfully completed the following tasks and experiences related to leadership:

  • eight on-line learning modules focused on the resources and leadership-support system available within in our school system;
  • completed five on-line book studies focused on best practices in leadership;
  • completed forty hours of job shadowing of assistant principals and principals at all levels; and
  • participated in several Elluminate web-conferencing sessions designed to support their understanding and encourage application of the knowledge that they obtained while matriculating in the program.

Three Students Advance in the PTA's Reflections Competition

Senior Paige Biringer, Junior Emily Beam, and Freshman Anna Squires are among 154 North Fulton area students who have been invited to the PTA Council Reflections Art Reception and Ceremony on Janury 26. They will receive either a certificate of honorary mention or will be announced as winners in their category and advance to the state competition.

Swimmer is Athlete of the Week

Senior swimmer Julia Treible has been named the Roswell Neighbor's female athlete of the week for November 30. | Article

Wow! A Perfect Score!

Senior Patrick Thompson scored a perfect 2400 on the SAT in October. | Article

Five Student-Athletes Take Part in the November Signing Period

The following athletes have signed their national letter of intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level: Vincent Bailey (Basketball) - Lincoln Memorial University, Jeremy Burgess (Basketball) - Mercer University, Dylan Kelly (Baseball) - Middle Georgia College, Julia Treible (Swimming) - University of Florida, and Devonta White (Basketball) - Georgia State University.

In the photo from L-R are: (Back row) Coach Thomas Moede, Walter White (Father), Coach Allen Whitehart, Coach Ray Wilkins, (Front row) Yvonne White (Mother), Devonta White, Dalvin White (Brother), Jeremy Burgess, LaTasha Donaldson (Mother), and Matt Donaldson (Step father).









In the photo from L-R are: (Back row) Coach Mark Minier, Principal John Bartley (Front row) Coach Andrew Morrison, Cathy Treible (Mother), Julia Treible, Peter Treible (Father).












In the photo from L-R are: (Back row) Athletic Director Phil Thomas, Coach Jack Richey, Coach Ray Wilkins, Coach Allen Whitehart, Coach Brett Washburn (Front row) Betty Morris (Aunt), Vincent Bailey, Princess Bailey (Mother), Lula May (Friend).









Debate Takes First Place at Peach State Classic

The debate team earned the first place speaker ranking in policy debate at the Peach State Classic on November 20-21 at Carrolton HS. Junior Sean Regan earned the high ranking and he and his partner, sophomore Ted Evenson, made it to finals. Sophomore Daniel Davalos also earned a quarterfinalist win in Lincoln-Douglas. This is a reflection of months of hard work and we are very proud of them.

Students Win Top Two Delegation Awards at Southern US Model UN Conference

From November 20-22, twenty-two Centennial students participated in the first Southern United States Model United Nations Conference (sponsored by the International Model United Nations Association) at Emory University. They competed with 12 public and private high schools from throughout the Southeastern United States (from Virginia to Florida). The Centennial students were part of approximately 222 students at the Conference. Centennial played the roles of China, Mexico, Haiti, and the Philippines in the main UN committees and Mexico and Uganda on the UN Security Council.

At the conclusion of the conference, an awards ceremony took place. Six Centennial students won individual delegate awards. They were: Zouhaer Osman, Kristy Vera, Marie Goetzke, Alli McCall, Kandasi Griffiths, and Eli Walsh. Four delegation awards were given: Honorable Mention, Award of Merit, Award of Distinction, and the Most Outstanding Delegation. The students representing Haiti were recognized with the Award of Distinction and the China delegation was recognized with the Outstanding Delegation Award. Thus, the top two delegation awards went to Centennial.

The students who participated in this Conference had to complete significant research, writing, public speaking, consensus building, and correct role playing. All did a superb job. The students who participated are: Gary Castellanos, Jordan Morell, Shauyan Saki, Zouhaer Osman, Laura Peters, Kristy Vera, Eric Beeler, Marie Goetzke, Allen Liu, Alli McCall, Michael Nozick, Caroline Fisher, Katie Minnick, Alec Watkins, Kandasi Griffiths, Alessandra Palazzolo, Max Hays, Oliver Ladd, Wright McCraney, Jennifer Botezat, Eli Walsh, and Rachel Bishop.

Academic Bowl Team on WSB-TV's High Q Show

On Sunday, November 22, the Academic Bowl team defeated Rockdale Magnet School in the first round of the 2009-10 High Q Tournament on WSB-TV's High-Q show. The Knights have advanced to the second round and will compete again on January 24. Team members featured on the show are: Seniors Bradley Silverman and Jeff Domozick, Junior Katherine Cannella, and Sophomore Adam Silverman. | Bracket

Avalon Recognized by Columbia Scholastic Press

Avalon, Centennial’s literary-art magazine, has received a Gold Medalist Critique from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for the 2008-2009 edition of Avalon. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association critiques literary magazine from across the U.S. each year. The Medalist Critique contains a written set of standards developed by the Association to show the best practices for student media. The adviser-judge reads the print or online publication and analyzes its strengths and weakness as described by the Critique. The Gold Medal is the highest honor awarded in the critiquing process and reflects the high quality work of Centennial’s writers, artists, and photographers, as well as the Avalon staff.

Cross Country Finishes in the Top Ten at State

At the state cross country meet in Carrollton on Saturday, November 7, the girls team placed 6th with junior Kelly Meyer finishing 15th overall. The boys team took 8th with senior Ryan Knobbe placing 16th.

Students Participate in Honor Choir

Four students have been selected to participate in the District V honor choir on Friday, November 6: Sophomore Shannon Castek (soprano), Sophomore Evan Faunce (tenor), Junior Ashley Wallace (alto), and Freshman James Lavinder (bass).

Students Earn AP Scholar Awards

One hundred and seventy eight students have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on Advanced Placement exams for the 2008-09 school year. About 18 percent of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award. | Press Release

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.

National AP Scholar Award
Seven students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. These students are Debayan Bhaumik, Jeffrey Dube, Katherine Massey, Jeffery Morell, Caitlin Ortega, Andrew Rose, and Azam Siddiqui.

AP Scholar with Distinction Award
Fifty-nine students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

AP Scholar with Honor Award
Forty-six students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by receiving an average grade of at lead 3.25 on all AP Exams takem, and grades 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

AP Scholar Award
Sixty-six students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher.

BlackAndBlueMeet

On Sunday, November 2nd, the Swim and Dive team held their annual Black and Blue charity swim meet. This is the first meet of the season, is an intrasquad event, and is held as a fundraiser. This year, the meet raised $280 and proceeds were donated to the Sam Robb fund.

Sam Robb (’05) was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2002 at the age of 15. After countless rounds of chemotherapy and surgeries, Sam’s cancer went into remission. However, due to the illness, Sam was unable to play the sports he loved. Sam did not give up his dreams of being an athlete and changed his focus to other sports that could accommodate his new physical limitations. Sadly, on June 25, 2007, Sam Robb lost his battle with an unexpected relapse of the cancer.

This Black and Blue charity swim meet was held in honor of Sam and his perseverance to be an athlete no matter the obstacles. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Sam Robb Fund within Cure Childhood Cancer, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for childhood cancers.

Students Named GHP Semi-Finalists

Fifteen students have been named semi-finalists for the 2010 Governor's Honors Program. They will participate in state-level interviews in January and February. Less than 1 percent of the 10th and 11th graders in the state are selected for this honor and unique summer learning experience.

Virginia Collier Chemistry Aine O'Connor Communicative Arts
Jay Deuskar Technology Elliot Outland Music/Brass-Tuba
Cajer Gong Music/Strings - Viola Benjamin Partridge German
Ranon Herman Music/Brass - Trombone Karen Saucedo Technology
Jessica Jacobs Theatre Emma Schearer Theatre
Oliver Ladd Social Studies Nicholas Shooter Music/Woodwinds - Saxophone
Brittany Matthews Communicative Arts George Tang Music/Strings - Violin
Isabella Medina Visual Arts

Cross Country Teams Headed to State

The 6-AAAAA region cross country meet was successful for both the boys and girls varsity teams as they both took 2nd place which qualifies them for the state tournament on November 7 in Carrolton. Junior Kelly Meyer was the top runner for the girls, placing 4th overall in the girls’ race. Senior Ryan Knobbe was the top scoring runner for the boys and is the boys’ region champ.

Reflections Winners Annnounced

The names of the winning entries in the 2009-2010 PTSA Reflections program have been selected. These students’ entries will advance to the North Fulton Council level of judging.

Literature

  • 9th grade: Anna Squires, Chase Rosenberg
  • 10th grade: Karen Saucedo, Nazlah Black
  • 11th grade: Emily Beam, Ashley Rosenberg
  • 12th grade: Jeffrey Domizick, Robin Lynch
Photography
  • 9th grade: Nicholas Sheridan, Jenny Wang
  • 10th grade: Lauren Siegel
  • 12th grade: Paige Biringer
Visual Arts
  • 9th grade: Marissa Childers, Roxanne Sher
  • 10th grade: Vince Fabrizio

Fencing Dominates at Tournament

The Fencing Knights dominated at the fencing tournament hosted by Centennial on Saturday, October 17. Centennial, Pope, Johns Creek, and Flowery Branch participated in the tournament. Centennial had four men in the top eight, with two winning gold and bronze medals, and six women in the top eight, with two winning silver and bronze medals.

Centennial Men

  • 1st Place (Gold) - Blaise Hymel
  • 3rd Place (Bronze) - Eli Hanson
  • 5th Place - Alex LaFlamme
  • 6th Place - Justin Blackwell
Centennial Women
  • 2nd Place (Silver) - Katherine Cannella
  • 3rd Place (Bronze) - Melinda Erickson
  • 5th Place - Esther Chang
  • 6th Place - Ruya Zhao
  • 7th Place - Jenny Collier
  • 8th Place - Alessandra Palazzolo

Art Students Display Work at Fair

Ten visual art students had their work selected to be displayed at the Georgia National Fair from October 8-18 in Perry, GA.

  • Drawing: 1st Place - Alex Dube, 2nd Place - Kevin Tyler, Honorable Mention - Makenna Ciraldo
  • Color Photography: 2nd Place - Claudia Chang, 3rd Place - Katie Minnick, Honorable Mention - Katie Minnick
  • Charcoal: Honorable Mention - Jake Henderson
  • Oil Pastel: Honorable Mention - Hope Ferguson
  • Painting: Honorable Mention - Kevin Tyler
Additionally, Emily Beam and Michelle Aguilar had their work displayed.

NFL Chapter Earns Prestigious Award

Centennial's chapter of the National Forensic League has earned the Leading Chapter Award in the GA Northern Mountain District. Of 2900 NFL member schools nationwide, Centennial is one of only 105 schools to earn this award. This coveted award, based upon student participation, is the highest honor NFL can bestow upon a chapter. This award reflects 291 members and degrees over nine years.

Athletics Booster Association Names Excalibur Winner

Dave Nabors, father of two alumni, Nick '04 and Marcus '09, has been named the winner of the prestigious Excalibur Award for 2009 by the Athletics Booster Association. Umbrella Booster President Tony Malone said “Dave has touched the lives of virtually all the students at Centennial through his many contributions to the school. In his many years of service, he has been a coach to our kids, the President of our Booster Association, and he initiated the largest athletic facilities improvement project ever at Centennial. Even after his own children have graduated, Dave continues to give selflessly as the chairman of our facilities fundraising project. For his incredible service to our children, our school and our community, we award him our highest honor, Excalibur.”

Students Excel at Georgia Tech High School Model United Nations Program

On October 5-6, 2009, fifty-four Centennial students (ranging from ninth through twelfth grade) participated in the Georgia Tech High School Model United Nations program. The Centennial students were assigned to play the role of diplomats from China, Mexico, Israel, and South Africa. They joined over seven hundred students from thirty-two public and private high schools from Illinois, Florida, and Georgia. This effort required a great deal of individual research, writing, and delegation meetings prior to the actual conference. At the simulation itself, students had to engage in public speaking, role playing, resolution writing and, consensus building. At the conclusion of the conference, three Centennial students were recognized with individual delegate awards: Wright McCraney, Michael Gale, and Alex Fried. Three other students were recognized with outstanding delegate awards: Asheton Board, Brandon Adams and Max Hay. Only three schools were recognized with outstanding delegation awards. The Centennial delegation representing China won one of those three.

Player of Week Honors for McCrary

Senior soccer player Carlos McCrary was recognized as the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Player of the Week for the entire U-17/18 age group for the week of October 5. He is currently leading the country in goal scoring with 9 in 7 games. During the weekend trip to face impressive teams in Clearwater (Clearwater Chargers and IMG Soccer Academy), McCrary scored five goals which led the team to a win and tie. His outstanding play has not only been noted by an individual award, but has propelled his team to top of the division. | Story

Fulton County Cross Country Championships

At the county championships on October 3, the varsity boys came in first, with senior Ryan Knobbe winning the race. The varsity girls came in second, with junior Katie June placing 6th to lead the Knights. The JV teams placed 6th (JV Girls) and 5th (JV Boys). Centennial took home the Overall Best Program trophy for the 2nd time in school history.

Violinist Selected for ASYO

Sophomore violinist George Tang has been selected for the 2009-10 Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Two Musicians Selected for Emory's Youth Orchestra

Junior viola player Cammie Wagner and Sophomore violinist player Sarah Terning have been selected for the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Wagner will participate in the Emory Youth Chamber Music Program, home of the Vega Quartet.

National Achievement Scholarship Program Semifinalist

Senior David Yankey has been named a semifinalist in the 2010 National Achievement Scholarship Competition. | Press Release | Story

Senior Recognized by the National Achievement Scholarship Program

Senior Alaina Powell has been named a 2010 National Achievement Program outstanding participant. She is among 3,100 Outstanding Participants in the program being referred to college and universities. These students scored in the top 3 percent of more than 160,000 Black Americans who took the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Homecoming King and Queen Revealed

Seniors Patrick Choi and Megna Saha were named the 2009 Homecoming King and Queen.

Sophomore Earns Rank of Eagle Scout

Sophomore Jeremy Cross received his Eagle Scout rank after a Board of Review on Thursday, September 24. His Eagle Scout project consisted of obtaining seven truck loads of mulch and organizining a group of volunteers to clean up and mulch an area behind St. Andrews Catholic Church on Riverside Road along the Chattahoochee River.

Homecoming Court Named

Twenty-four students were named to the 2010 Homecoming Court (six from each grade).

  • Freshmen: Allison Cohen, Austin Haunie, Ansley Osborne, Lindsay Ross, Arian Saedi, Jordan Taylor
  • Sophomores: Mary Aghajanian, Shannon Castek, Daniel Davalos, Ming He, Nate Howell, Emily Judge
  • Juniors: Idean Behforouz, Rachel Blanks, Lila Boehnke, Sean Gilrain, Dee Hall, Lucy Parham
  • Seniors: Patrick Choi, Alex Fried, Emily Howell, Rahul Mojumdar, Megna Saha, Marnie Williams
Skills USA Chapter & Members Recognized

Centennia's Skills USA chapter won a trophy at Georgia's Skills USA Fall Leadership Conference September 17-18 in Jekyll Island for having the largest chapter in the state with 232 members. Alex Sheridan was one of 32 students out of almost 1000 participants to receive the 100% Statesman Award. Statesman Award receipients were: Katy Blanton, Miles Carby, Diego Carvallo, Anthony Kuehl, Paige McKay, Greta Radovich, and Gloria Salinas.

National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Seniors Michael Gale, Allen Liu, Mark Myer, Bradley Silverman, Patrick Thompson, and Christopher Versteeg have been named semifinalists in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Competition. More than 1.5 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring. | Press Release | Story

Sax Player Selected for Honor Band

Senior alto saxophone player Michael Short has been selected for the 2009-10 Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble. The MAYWE is an honor band for students who live in metro Atlanta and is run by the music department at Georgia State University.

Swimmer Qualifies for USA National Youth Swim Team

Senior swimmer Julia Treible swam her way into the World Championship Trials in Indianapolis, IN and the Junior Nationals in Federal Way, WA on August 10-14. Her 2:31.90 time in the 200 breast stroke resulted in Julia being selected to the 2009-10 National Youth Team. This honor is reserved for those with a top 6 performance in the nation in an Olympic event for 18 year old and under athletes. By qualifying for the National Youth Team she will gain international swim experience, with her first opportunity to represent USA Swimming taking place in Vancouver, Canada. Julia is coached by Mark Minier of Swim Atlanta. As a top NCAA swim recruit, she is presently in the process of evaluating opportunities to attend the University of Florida, University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, University of Southern California, and Arizona State. Team roster

Student Wins Art Contest

Junior Emily Beam entered into the Arts on the Creek contest in Johns Creek. She placed first in the student category with her work “Baby on the Loose” and won $200 for her entry. Emily is currently in AP Studio Art 2D Design and may continue her art studies in college.Emily is currently in AP Studio Art 2D Design and may continue her art studies in college.

Nominee for US Senate Youth Program

Each year the United States Senate hosts the US Senate Youth Program. Each state (plus the District of Colombia and the Department of Defense Activity) selects two students (usually seniors) to represent their states in the program. Each student must meet the qualifications (holding student council office or class office or class representative) and then take a written exam on the American government and political system. The students receive an all expenses paid week long trip to Washington, DC and a $5,000 college scholarship (funded by the Hearst Foundation). Fulton County allows each high school to select one student to represent the school in the county competition. The social studies department is proud to announce that Michael Gale is the Centennial nominee for the program this year. He will go downtown next week for his interview. We would also like to congratulate Mr. Chris Bohlmann who was the very close runner up for this honor.

Centennial - Top #20 in Georgia

Centennial's combined average SAT score for 2009 (1614) is ranked 18th in the state. Read more.

Centennial Receives 2009 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement

Centennial won the 2009 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement and a $1,000 grant to be used to support science and math education. | Announcement

Science Teacher Publishes Article

Science teacher Melanie Snow has co-authored the article, "What Happens to Cemetery Headstones" in the September 2009 issue of The Science Teacher. The article describes a problem-based learning lesson she designed for her chemistry classes which included a field trip to the historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

Football Players Accept Scholarships

On July 27, two seniors made verbal committments to play football for D1 schools in 2010-11. Offensive tackle David Yankey verbally committed to Stanford University while defensive back Martin Jenkins gave a verbal commit to Clemson University.

Three Students Finish in Top Ten at FBLA Nationals

Seniors Abbey Hedgepeth and Adam Holt placed 4th in Management Decision Making and Senior Debayan Bhaumik placed 6th in Economics at the National FBLA Leadership Conference in Anaheim from June 25-28.

FBLA Nationals FBLA Nationals FBLA Nationals

Student Places at Skills USA Nationals Rickey Groover

Sophomore Rickey Groover won 3rd at the National Skills USA Championships held from June 22-26 in Kansas City, MO. He competed in Action Skills and was the only underclassman to place. Groover is only the 2nd Centennial student to medal at the national level.

Newsweek's Top Public High Schools - Centennial #375

Centennial is on Newsweek Magazines's list of the top public high schools in the U.S. Centennial ranks 4th in Fulton County and 13th in Georgia. Public schools are ranked according to a ratio that takes the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors. The 1500 schools on the list are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way. Read more.