Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

May 11, 2007

“A Stewardship Report to the Community”

   The 2006-07 school year is moving with Internet Fast Access speed toward year-end promotion, moving-up, and graduation ceremonies. It has been a great year in District III of Gwinnett County Public Schools.

   As District III School Board member, I express thanks to the principals, coaches, parents, students, faculty, and staff of each of the seventeen schools in District III for providing an outstanding year of academic and athletic achievements.

   Among the most memorable achievements in the public schools in our community are the following:

• Coach Eddie Martin led the Norcross High School Boys AAAAA Basketball Team to its second straight State of Georgia Championship—a record-breaking achievement of monumental proportions. Coach Martin was named Georgia Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

• Principal Pat Blenke of Duluth High School was named Georgia PTSA High School Principal of the Year and Gwinnett County Public Schools PTSA High School Principal of the Year.

• Duluth High School and Norcross High School were named to Newsweek Magazine’s List of Top 1000 High Schools in the nation—for the second year in a row.

• The Norcross High School Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Cathy Hudnall and Allison Bates, played a stirring concert in New York’s Carnegie Hall during 2007 Spring Break Dr. Peter Lemonds, director of the Duluth High School Orchestra, led his musicians to Detroit in March for the National Orchestra Festival competition—the only Georgia orchestra to compete. Also, the Duluth “Peach Jam” just concluded two sold-out performances in the school’s auditorium.

• The Norcross High School AAAAA Football Team ended its 2006 season as Regional Winners—an outstanding achievement for Coach Keith Maloof, his coaches, and remarkable team of students.

• Steven Lau has been selected Valedictorian for Duluth High School, while Gloria Lu is the Salutatorian Duluth High School will recognize 112 Honor Graduates of 421 seniors at its May 25, 2007 graduation. 

• Justin Chang has been selected Valedictorian of Norcross High School, while Justin Edward will be honored at the May 26 graduation as Salutatorian. Norcross High School will honor 97 seniors as Honor Graduates of the 465 who are members of the Class of 2007.

• Duluth High School’s 2007 Valedictorian Steven Lau has postsecondary plans to attend either Harvard College or Princeton University. When asked about his experience in Gwinnett County Public Schools, Mr. Lau said: “The best part of my GCPS experience was being able to interact with my peers, teachers, and administrators in the classroom setting, but also in ways that I would never have imagined, such as brainstorming ideas on how to improve the climate of my own school.”

• Norcross High School 2007 Valedictorian Justin Chang’s postsecondary plans are to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology. His views on his GCPS experience are as follows: “All of my teachers have been really experienced in the subject areas and really enjoy teaching. The teachers make school a much more enjoyable experience and help me figure out where my interests lie. The best part of my GCPS experience was having a diverse group of friends at Norcross and getting to meet new people every year.”

An important component of the 2006-07 year was the Area Board Meeting for District III held at Norcross High School. During the meeting, one of five held countywide, Superintendent Wilbanks provided information about funding of the school system and budget projections for the FY 2007-08. He announced the following to the community:

• Moody’s has again awarded a AAA Bond Rating to the Gwinnett County
Public Schools, the only large school system in the nation to receive this rating and one of only 19 in the nation—large or small—to be so rated among 15,000 schools systems in the nation. 

• As reflected by students at Duluth High School and Norcross High School, 
students in Gwinnett County Public Schools led the State of Georgia and the nation in their performance on the SAT. 

• In 2006, Gwinnett County Public School students scored an average of 1541 on the SAT, above the State of Georgia average of 1477 and the national average of 1518. 

   As District III School Board member representing seventeen schools in the Norcross Cluster, the Duluth Cluster, and part of the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, it is an honor and a privilege to bring this report to our community. 

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