RAIDER REVIEW IN THIS EDITION Principal's Letter | Co-Presidents' Letter | Foundation News SLC | College Board | National Merit | Walton Counseling Walton Arts | Walton Athletics | PTSA Board |
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Walton Families, The 2023 rankings from U.S. News and World Report have recognized Walton as the 6th best high school in Georgia, underscoring the ongoing dedication of students, faculty, and families in maintaining Walton's position as a top-notch educational institution in the state. We have reached the end of the first six weeks and progress reports for your child are now available. We do not distribute paper copies of progress reports, but you may download/print your own as needed from StudentVue/ParentVue. Need a Tutor? Academically successful upperclassmen at Walton are available for one-on-one or small group tutoring. Some of the benefits of using peer tutors are: Tutors are free of charge. Tutors have taken the class you are struggling in with the same teachers who are currently teaching you. We meet on-campus, during the school day (before school, during lunch, after school, and/or during WEB).
Online forms for free, student-led peer tutoring can be found here. Simply click on the appropriate link and fill in the requested information on the form. Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society (for those needing help in math class) Click here to register. If you have problems, see Ms. Miller in room 326. Science National Honor Society (for those needing help in science class) Click here to register. If you have problems, see Ms. Howard in room 408. National Social Studies Honor Society (for those needing help in Social Studies class) Click here to register. If you have problems, see Mr. Williams in room 239. Charter Since 1998, Walton High School has been designated a conversion charter school. The charter gives our school autonomy to make decisions to best meet the needs of our students. At Walton, we utilize the charter flexibility through WEB, flexible scheduling, course offerings, resource purchases, and faculty professional development. Walton was notified that the state board voted to extend our charter for another 5 years! The new charter will run until July 2028. Athletics The year in Raider sports has started on the right foot with the fall sports teams all competing at an elite level. The softball team is 10-5 overall and in third place in the region at 3-2. They are currently ranked #15 in the state and after reaching the first round of the state playoffs the past two years, aiming to advance farther this year. The volleyball team is 11-5 overall, 3-0 in the region, and ranked #1 in the state. They have competed in two national tournaments this season, finishing as the runner-up at the Showdown in the Sunsphere tournament in Knoxville (TN) and winning two of their three matches past pool play in the Louisville (KY) Invitational. The cross-country teams are also performing well, with the girl's finishing 2nd in the Harrison 2-mile, 1st in the Kosh Classic in Atlanta, and 4th in the Eye Opener in Spartanburg (SC) in a field of 309 runners and the boy's 4th, 3rd, and 13th in a field of 389 in the same three meets. The competition cheerleading team opened its season in the Raider Cheer Classic at Walton on Saturday and is primed for another run to the state competition this year. Finally, the football team has started fast, racking up a 4-0 record, a #4 state ranking, and rankings between #18 and #24 in five different national polls. They opened their season with a 49-27 victory over Grayson in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at Mercedes Benz Stadium, then followed that performance by breaking the school record for points scored in a game twice, first against Brookwood 63-15 and then against Pope 67-7. They have remaining home games against North Paulding (9/29), Kennesaw Mountain (10/13), and Osborne (10/27), so don’t miss the chance to see the Raiders’ high-flying offense in Raider Valley before they make another push in the state playoffs in November. Sincerely, Richard Tischler Principal |
MESSAGE FROM THE CO-PRESIDENTS PTSA volunteers do great things to support our faculty, staff, and students. For events in August and September, we recognize the following committees and chairs and their team of volunteers for their time and effort. E-blast Weekly Newsletters & Social Media: Amy Crowell and Stephanie Saxon send you the Sunday E-Blast each week, and also handle our social media posts. Huge thank you! Welcome Back Staff Lunch: Lorraine Singh organized a welcome back Fajita Bar lunch for our faculty and staff. Health and Wellness: Heather Greiner and Dr. Malar Ramasamy and the packaged health and hygiene bags for all staff containing wipes, tissues, and hand sanitizer for our classrooms. Membership: Jessica Loewy and Kim Makuch have us on our way to meeting our PTSA goals with almost 100% staff participation, and over 1,500 members! Website: Marlene Cohn keeps our PTSA website updated with the latest communication and forms. Thanks Marlene! Attendance Office, Copy Crew, Front Office, and Book Room: Cindie Franklin-Katz, Shannon Eiser, Tiffany Whittington, Natalie Collins, Amy Mitravich have already organized our daily volunteers for the fall. Thank you to those who come in to help each week! Family Engagement: Bhavini Rajan has organized opportunities with Walton’s Counseling department for family engagement, with Puppies & Popsicles and Thriving in High School this month! Newcomer’s Network: Natalie Collins and Janice Winfrey did an amazing job welcoming our new 10th-12th grade families to our school with a Walton 101 presentation. Raider Review: Jen Michaels gathers news and accomplishments from around Walton for our monthly Raider Review newsletter! Freshman Welcome: Amber Patterson and Jennifer Hickey held the Freshman Welcome for the class of 2027 at a Freshman Football game this month, go Raiders! Community Outreach: Susan Thrash has organized this year’s Walton Community Outreach student groups to serve our underprivileged schools and local nursing homes. Reflections: Melissa Radke is ready to receive submissions for the annual National PTA Reflections contest. This year’s theme is “I am hopeful because…”. Executive Board of Walton PTSA: Marlene Cohn, Laura Pettus, Mary-Kate Blalock, Heather Greiner, Mary Katherine Holloway, and Jessica Loewy give hours of support to our PTSA committees, partners, and Walton cluster schools. We appreciate this great team!
Thank you all for supporting Walton’s active and vibrant PTSA. All the best, Caroline Whaley & Vicky Rice Walton PTSA Co-Presidents |
FOUNDATION NEWS SLC WEB Concessions have started out with a bang! In the two WEB Concessions this school year, we have raised more than $330. With the change in scheduling and the lunch block, we are seeing a lot more traffic for concessions, which has been great! We hope the trend continues throughout the Fall. Homecoming 2023 - Secret Garden
This year we are thrilled to present Secret Garden as the theme for the Homecoming dance on October 14, 2023 from 7-10 pm. We have great production company booked and new DJ scheduled. It should be a fun evening and we are hoping to break our attendance record of 1,400 student from last year. The ticket will be available soon on Walton’s Foundation website!
BOO your teachers is back! SLC will be selling BOO Bags after Fall Break. Look out for the link to purchase on the SLC Instagram page @Walton_SLC |
| STUDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Walton Student Leadership Council students placed 2,977 flags around the Walton campus from Sept 8 - 16 in honor of each life lost on September 11, 2001. |
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| WALTON SLC POWDER PUFF GAME Powder Puff 2023 was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came out to support and participate. Congratulations to our Seniors for taking home the win! |
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NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS On Wednesday, September 13, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of over 16,000 Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist standing. Approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. Please join us in congratulating these scholars! |
| COLLEGE BOARD NATIONAL RECOGNITION PROGRAM Several students at Walton have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.
At Walton, 13 students received the academic honor: Sophia Allison Alejandro Barrera-Coeto Juan Beltran Simon Beltran Brandon Bonett Ivana Boktor Keela Boyce Rodrigo Del Monte Isabelle Isidahomen Andre Moraes Lucas Papp Julia Skordeles Anthony Stoney
The criteria for eligible students include:
GPA of 3.5 or higher. PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade. Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.
Eligible students are invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service™ can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process. “It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities,” said Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture® at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.” |
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WALTON COUNSELING On September 13th, Walton High School students and faculty participated in a wellness activity called “Puppies and Popsicles” during Walton Enrichment Block (WEB). The event was sponsored by the school's counseling department, school social worker, and PTSA. The activity was designed to help students relax and de-stress during a busy time of year. Dogs can also provide a sense of community for students. When students gather around a dog, they are creating a shared experience. This sense of community can be especially important for students who feel isolated or lonely. Dogs can help students to feel more connected to their classmates and to the school community as a whole.
Students were greeted by a group of six friendly therapy dogs and their handlers from both Dr. Missy Marsh, School Counseling Supervisor, and the volunteer agency Happy Tails. PTSA also provided popsicles to those who attended. The event was a big success, with over 100 students participating. One student commented, "This is the best way to start the school year!" Another student said, "I love having the dogs come to school! They're so calming."
Due to the success of this activity, Walton High School plans to continue incorporating wellness events throughout the school year. |
WALTON ART The Walton Art Department hosted their first National Art Honor Society art show on September 13th to help celebrate National Arts in Education Week. |
WALTON CHORUS The Walton Choral Department Tour Choir had the privilege of spending a week in Austria this June with performances in Salzburg, Melk, and Vienna. They enjoyed singing, soaking up Austrian culture, and a school exchange with a Viennese bi-lingual school. |
WALTON ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Week of August 14 Audrey Gurule – Softball Lota Ugokwe - Football Week of August 21 Max Ivutin – Cross Country Lydia Zeng – volleyball Week of August 28 Sophia Henry – Volleyball Sam Trainor - Football Week of September 4th Allison Jones - Cheer Robert Greblick – Cross Country |
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| WALTON BROADCAST BOOSTER CLUB The newest Booster club on Campus is making its debut this month supporting the 3 pillars of the Walton Broadcast Program: Sports Media, Broadcast, and Raider Vision. This wouldn't be possible without the help from the student leaders: Lauren Hullender, President of Sports Media, Maddie Loewy, Head of Booster Club Communications, Bella Corradini, Lead Artist, and David Perez, Head of Website Production. Our lead teacher, Mr. Basulto (Mr. B) and the parent volunteers Jessica Loewy and Melanie May. Please be on the lookout for more exciting ways to support WBBC! If you are interested in more information on these programs, please visit our website at https://waltonsports.weebly.com/. All students are welcome to join the club and learn more about each of these pillars. Kudos for getting this new booster club going! |
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WALTON CHEERLEADING Walton hosted the Raider Cheer Classic this past Saturday, the first cheer competition of our high school season. Over 30 teams from the area competed including our Varsity and Middle School Junior Raider team. |
WALTON CROSS COUNTRY The Walton Cross Country team traveled to Spartanburg/Greenville, SC for a team trip and to compete in the Eye Opener cross country meet over Labor Day weekend. Multiple runners qualified to race in the International boys and International girls heats, with some amazing new PRs! A special congratulations to Senior Joseph Minecci, who placed 10th, and to the Walton girls for placing 4th out of 30 teams! |
WALTON FOOTBALL Our Walton Raider Football Team kicked off their season at Mercedes Benz Stadium by participating in The Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. This is an annual series of high school football games played in Georgia at the beginning of each Georgia High School Association football season, featuring many of the state's top teams. The teams play to help raise money for the Corky Kell Scholarship Fund. The Raiders were victorious over Grayson winning 49-27. Everyone who attended had a fun time cheering on the team and we look forward to an exciting season! |
FRESHMEN FOOTBALL WELCOME On September 14th, your PTSA hosted a Freshmen Welcome at the 9th grade football game. The Class of 2027 came out in full force to celebrate and cheer on their classmates against McEachern. Students who attended were given a credit at the concession stand and a Walton welcome gift. Superman and Supergirl were also in attendance and led the cheering section in learning the Walton High traditional cheers and chants! They were also given some tips to prepare for the varsity games. Congratulations on the team win, and the students who stayed to the end cheering them on had a fun evening getting to know their classmates. |
WALTON PTSA EXECUTIVE BOARD Co-Presidents:
Caroline Whaley and Vicky Rice, waltonpresident@gmail.com
Vice President, Communications:
Marlene Cohn, waltonvpcommunications@gmail.com
Vice President, Programs:
Laura Pettus, lccaldwell75@hotmail.com
Vice President, Volunteers:
Mary Kate Blalock, waltonvpofvolunteers@gmail.com
Secretary:
Paige Peck, waltonsecretary@gmail.com
Treasurer:
Mary Katherine Holloway, waltontreasurer20@gmail.com
Parliamentarian:
Jessica Loewy, waltonparliamentarian@gmail.com
Principal:
Richard Tischler, richard.tischler@cobbk12.org |
PTSA Membership Become a Member today to support our Students and Staff all year long! |
Walton High School Calendar |
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