The DHS School Council consists of the principal, two elected teacher representatives, one appointed business community member, and five parent representatives. On the council, there are three officer positions: Chairperson, Assistant Chairperson, and Secretary. According to the by-laws, parent representatives are nominated and elected by the parent community of DHS. Starting this week and continuing through voting on May 8, 2015, there will be a nomination and election process to fill three parent representative openings on the DHS School Council.
School Council needs your vote on Friday, May 8th. School Council by-laws allow for one day only voting. The ballot box, ballots, and candidate biographies will be in the DHS Front Office all day on Friday.
There are 4 candidate bios in alphabetical order. Please vote for 3 only. The candidates are
Sherie Green, Chad Griffith, Renate Herod, and Ann O'Connor.
Thank you for helping make our school the best it can be. Your vote counts! Your choice of parent representatives will be your voice on School Council for 2 years!
Parent Representative Candidate for School Council, SHERIE GREEN.
Bio below:
Sherie Green
I am honored to be nominated to serve on the Dunwoody High School Council. I believe that one integral part of a school's success is parent involvement. Dunwoody has a history of involving parents and if elected, I look forward to serving the Dunwoody community with honesty and integrity. While serving on my synagogue's board, I was told I was an asset to the leadership because I voluntarily gave my opinions and collaboratively worked with the group. When I was on a committee, I always followed through with the initiatives I started.
I have lived in the Dunwoody area since my children were babies. I moved to this area of Dekalb for the schools. My oldest son, Simon, attended Kingsley Elementary for a few years and then Peachtree Charter Middle School, and now Dunwoody High School. My youngest son, Gabe, began his schooling at Kingsley as well and will be returning to Dunwoody High School in the fall. I am excited that both boys will be back in the Dekalb County School System soon taking advantage of all our community schools have to offer.
Being an educator for over 20 years, I am able to bring a unique skills set to Dunwoody High School's school council. I understand the educational side as well as the business side of a school. I have served as the faculty representative on the school council at Minor Elementary. I am currently employed at Berkmar High School as the Local School Technology Specialist. Prior to joining Gwinnett County Public Schools in 2004, I worked in Cobb County School District, Rockdale County Public Schools, and The Paideia School.
I look forward to my active involvement in Dunwoody High School and use my experience to serve the community through Dunwoody High School's school council. My dedication to academic excellence, as well as my experience, makes me an ideal candidate for the school council.
Parent Representative Candidate for School Council, CHAD GRIFFITH.
Bio below:
Chad Griffith
Chad and his wife Chris have lived in the Dunwoody area for the last 19 years, and the oldest of their three boys is now a freshman at DHS. Chad has spent a significant amount of time with Dunwoody youth over the last several years - as a parent leader for an Odyssey of the Mind team at DES, as an Assistant Scoutmaster with BSA Troop 477, coaching many soccer and basketball teams at Dunwoody Baptist Church, and as head coach of the Nava/Breffle youth wrestling program. In 2012 Chad's business (Griffith Engineering, Inc) sponsored a nationally recognized STEM team at Chamblee High School. This year Chad taught three classes at DHS during Engineer Week, seeking to articulate potential career paths in the engineering and technical fields. Over the past several years Chad has worked in multiple internship situations with students from Georgia Tech and Southern Polytechnic Institute, providing some perspective on challenges and opportunities these kids face after high school. As a council representative, Chad would seek to listen to teachers, staff, students, and parents to help understand the challenges and opportunities facing DHS. Chad would work to define specific ways in which the council could help, ideally including leveraging the talents and resources of parents to make the DHS community a place where Dunwoody residents want to send their kids, where great teachers want to stay, and, most importantly, where kids experience being part of a great school community while being well prepared for the next step in their journey.
Chad is a 1995 Mechanical Engineering graduate of North Carolina State University and a passionate Wolfpack fan. J
Parent Representative Candidate for School Council, RENATE HEROD.
Bio below:
Hello, my name is Renate Herod and I would appreciate the opportunity to serve on DHS's school council. I understand they are looking for someone to help with PR and I believe I can help report to the community the work being done at DHS.
I grew up in Oklahoma City and attended Oklahoma State University. Studying "Radio, TV and Film" I earned a BA and a BS with work in radio, sports, advertising and television production. I worked at CNN for 18 years. I then did some free-lance writing at The Crier and was the editor of my neighborhood newsletter for many years.
I have a sophomore at DHS and a 8th grader at PCMS.
I have enjoyed volunteering in the schools and look forward to continuing.
Thank you for your consideration.
Volunteer experience:
• Dunwoody High School (2013 - present) PTSO Scholarship Committee
• Peachtree Charter Middle School (2013 - present) PTCC Chairman, Office Volunteer, Library Volunteers Coordinator
• City of Dunwoody, Planning Commissioner (2010 - Present)
• Chamblee Middle School (2011 - 2013) Spirit Nights Chair, Office Volunteer
• Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council (2011 - 2013) Recording Secretary
• Kittredge Magnet Elementary School (2008 - 2013) PTA President, Recording Secretary, School Store Chair and Room Parent
• City of Dunwoody Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (2010)
• Chesnut Charter Elementary School (2003 - 2010) PTA President, School Council, Recording Secretary, School Store Chair, Room Parent, Field Day Chair and Newsletter Editor. As PTA President, I sought and was awarded a KaBoom playground for the school.
• Light Up Dunwoody (2008 - 2010) Committee member 2 years, Chair 1 yea
• DHA Executive Board Member (2007 - 2010)
• Dunwoody North Civic Association Board Member (2004 - 2010) Responsible for bi-annual newsletter
• Lemonade Days Festival (2002 - 2004) Committee member 2 years, Carnival Chair 1 year
• Dunwoody 4th of July Parade (1998 - 2007) Responsible for the staging area
Parent Representative Candidate for School Council, ANN O'CONNOR.
Bio below:
Thank you for considering my nomination to be a member of the Dunwoody High School (DHS) School Council. My name is Ann O'Connor and I am interested in the Council to support the school and Principal McFerrin's commitment to the success of every student and ensuring that students reach their academic goals. Parent involvement can significantly extend the ability of DHS to support its students. I've seen this first hand as a parent volunteer for the DHS Robotics and Quiz Bowl teams (as my freshman son is a member of both) as well as in various volunteer activities over the years at Vanderlyn Elementary and at Peachtree Charter Middle School (PCMS).
After careful consideration, I decided that in addition to supporting the activities where my children are directly engaged, my volunteer time would best be used to support the school through the Council. My commitment to education began at home as my mother was a teacher.
My entire career has been dedicated to public service and I would like to bring that same commitment to the Council. The experience and skills I would bring to the Council include over 25 years working in the government sector, demonstrated success in navigating government bureaucracies to achieve goals, a strategic perspective priority setting, business acumen in running organizations and a background in evaluating programs. For 14 of these years, I have served in a senior leadership role most recently at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I received my Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University and my Bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
My husband and I have lived in Dunwoody for the last 12 years. My oldest son is a freshman at DHS and my youngest son is a 7th grader at PCMS.