Highlights
Student Highlights
Fulton County K-12 students are invited to showcase their creativity in the 2025 Recycled Art Contest! This mixed-media competition aims to raise awareness about litter and its impact on our water resources. Participants will create and submit original artwork using recycled materials to highlight the litter problem in our communities and promote environmental stewardship.
Prizes: Winning entries and honorable mentions will be displayed at the Peachtree Gallery throughout April.
Ms. Bentley, the art teacher at Independence, submitted a recycled laptop created by Independence student Emily Paz-Santos.
The Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest asks students to select their own Law of Life, and to write about how it applies to their lives. In doing so, students reflect deeply and write from the heart about what they think matters most. The contest celebrates the students’ stories and their often profound reflections and proudly presents significant cash awards to students and teachers. Each year, more than 40,000 Georgia students write a Laws of Life essay, and the contest presents $20,000 in cash awards to students and teachers.
This year Daniela Hernandez was the Independence High School schoolwide winner. Her essay was also picked as one of the 18 state finalists. Daniela was asked to read her essay at the Rotary Banquet on May 1st. She attended with her mother (the subject of her essay) and Ms. Shorr and was given a medal, check and reward for her exemplary writing.
Independence students Jamie Vinalay-Cruz and Jaqueline Rojas also earned award for Honorable Mention.
Teacher Highlights
Independence High School's Teacher of the Year & Support Staff of the Year:
Teacher, Ms. Atkinson, received a scholarship from Roswell Woman's Club.
The Vanguard Team from Independence High School participated in the Annual GAETC (Georgia Educational Technology Conference) held in Atlanta, GA. The team had the opportunity to attend various sessions to explore the best educational tools for integration into modern classrooms.