http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/ Sharon, GA News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/1e8fa408ae7ca6bd8938a84d260a5ff3.html A 9monthold girl died Tuesday when her foster mother left her in a closed minivan for more than two hours http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/cbee9ba4c7453fa1161dcdd5ff181463.html FLOWERY BRANCH mdash; Jim and Sharon Daniel used to travel from Westminster SC to the Mall of Georgia in Buford for their shopping needs That is until Monday http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/568d96dfa45b0901953fc7defdf0b01e.html The leaves haven39;t changed yet and the late afternoon sun still burns like it did at midsummer http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/0e972be90ce6f1f08214ce6675aeb830.html A Forsyth County cheerleaderrsquo;s mom is going to court over a dispute with a local youth cheer association president that reportedly got a little bit rowdy http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/a19187b0cdedd75ea2de710c8734f0da.html Two feuding cheer moms from Forsyth County are taking their fight to court http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/8d5d20139e56ef03e97450a209fcc37b.html People to People: Katherine Drerup a senior at Oconee County High School recently returned from Washington DC where she attended a People to People Leadership Summit at George Washington University Drerup was nominated and accepted to the program based on outstanding scholastic merit civic involvement and leadership potential http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/39eb09ff200bdd4908ab8fbc0144008f.html An estimated 13 out of 15 Catoosa schools may meet adequate yearly progress AYP requirements after summer data has been added in According to Becky Conner director of special education for Catoosa schools summer CRCT testing for middle and elementary school students along with a handful of summer graduates from Ringgold High School and LakeviewFort Oglethorpe High School could positively affect the school systemrsquo;s current AYP status When the final numbers are released in SeptemberSpecial education students filled out one subgroup that contributed to the systemrsquo;s failure to meet AYP requirements this year Conner pointed out that Catoosa County has a 14 percent special education enrollment compared to a state average of 12 percent Superintendent Denia Reese reminded the board members that some schools throughout the state those with less then 40 students in the students with disabilities subgroup are not held accountable for the those students when it comes to AYP ldquo;Several schools that did make AYP were not held accountable for a subgroup and we wererdquo; she saidAssistant Superintendent Dr Kim Nichols cleared up a few AYP facts for the board members According to Nichols the Georgia Department of Education labeled this years CRCT tests as having a ldquo;higher bar and more rigorrdquo; puts the process in perspective She assured the board there is ldquo;progress being made when wersquo;re hit with additional challenges of that rigorrdquo;The schools that did not make AYP status are not categorized as ldquo;needs improvementrdquo; Nichols pointed out that landing in the ldquo;needs improvementrdquo; category takes at least a couple of years of not making AYPrdquo; in the same subgroups She said Catoosa schools that did not meet AYP are also not required to provide ldquo;supplemental educationrdquo; options for their studentsFor more information on AYP reports visit gadoeorg Summer graduatesA handful of Ringgold and LakeviewFort Oglethorpe High School students had a graduation ceremony during the Aug 5 board of education meeting after their completion of summer courses Superintendent Denia Reese spoke to friends and families of the graduates saying ldquo;we just wanted to do something special for them the graduatesrdquo; Ringgold High schoolrsquo;s Tara Hall and Casie Blevins; and LFOrsquo;s Twyla Atwel and Alexander Rogers had received their diplomas from RHS principal Sharon Vaughn and LFO principal and Jerry Ransom after Reese approved their graduationAccording to Communication Specialist for Catoosa County Public Schools Marissa Brower there were eight graduates four of whom participated in the ceremonySchool faceliftsNew paint jobs cleaned floors new walkways the completion of Heritage high school and the additions to Ringgold High school are all completed according to Director of Operations Damon Raines The attendees of the board meeting were shown a first look into the new paintwork done at Cloud Springs elementary Ringgold Primary and Elementary schools A third serving line has been installed at LFO High School to reduce waiting for meals In addition there were new store front doors installed at Ringgold Middle School; the older doors were recycled and used at another location A new playground was added to at Ringgold Primary to prevent students from having to cross the roadGraduation rates up but six of 15 schools donrsquo;t make AYP More than twothirds of Georgia schools make AYP CLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/sharon/content/aaa05b2496ed0cd344df34e5d24ef0f4.html Sharon Roberts spent several sleepless nights this past spring wondering whether or not to close Buffalo's Southwest Cafe the business she and her husband Rick have operated since 2004