🌱 Beating The Odds At SW DeKalb High School + 2nd Grader Police Chief

Hi, friends. It's Wednesday in Decatur-Avondale Estates and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening in town, including news on:

• Southwest DeKalb High School student beating the odds.
• Second grader sworn in as police chief.
• Accommodations and programs for children with autism.

But first, today's weather: Clouds breaking and warmer. High: 79 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories in Decatur-Avondale Estates today:

1. Seventeen-year-old Jesseca McNair is graduating from Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur as her school's salutatorian. Many of Jesseca's classmates and others at the high school, including the assistant principal, Jesseca’s mom, witnessed her battle with sickle cell. Many weeks were spent in the hospital and the road hasn't been easy, however, Jesseca never gave up on herself. With the support from her mom and her peers, Jesseca will graduate as one of this year's top graduates, salutatorian, and go on this fall to become a college student attending Georgia Tech. Jesseca's major will be biology, with a focus on medicine. A well-deserved congratulations goes out to her and her support team. (WSB Atlanta)
2. Second-grader Rafael Toniolo was sworn in as police chief! The second grader got to serve the city for a day. Chief Harry Hess from the Avondale Estates Police Department welcomed and swore him in on Monday. As part of the oath young Toniolo pledged, he promised to obey his parents, be respectful, and be a great citizen. The city hopes this “chief for the day” can continue every year. (Decaturish.com)
3. The DeKalb County Board of Health is scheduled to hold its regular on May 25, via teleconference. The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. The public may access the meeting via Zoom at https://zoom.us/join. The meeting ID is 841 4683 8424 / Passcode: 793815. (DeKalb County Board of Health)
4. Within the past 10 years movie theaters, parks, and other sources of entertainment have been working on making their facilities more enjoyable for children (and adults) who have autism and other disabilities that include vision and audible sensitivity, or other conditions that may otherwise prevent them from attending outside events. Accommodations and programs have been put in place at some of the AMC theatres. On the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, there is a Sensory Friendly Film program at the AMC. Children are allowed to dance and sing during the films. Chuck E. Cheese also has a program that opens early to be accommodating. Some of these programs are in partnership with the Autism Society and to find out more about what Chuck E. Cheese has to offer, you can check out their website at chuckecheese.com/sensory-sensitive-Sundays/. (Champion)

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Today in Decatur-Avondale Estates:

• Business at Breakfast — Business Growth Strategies for Small Business (10:00 AM)
• 1-2-3 Paint! — Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library (11:00 AM)
• Morning Meditation & Breathing Yoga — DeKalb County Public Library (11:00 AM)
• American Red Cross Blood Drive — DeKalb County Public Library (2:00 PM)
• '23 Senior Cap Night — DeKalb Chamber of Commerce (5:00 PM)

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From My Notebook:

• Congratulations to all of the second graders who graduated yesterday. Their Moving Forth Ceremony was a success and their summer begins! A huge thank you shout-out went to the families who volunteered and cheered the little ones on. (Glennwood PTA via Facebook)
• The 9U Red Devils are now Champions! This weekend's 17 Tournaments Georgia State Championships were held, and they came out on top. Congratulations went out to the winning team. (Druid Hills Youth Sports via Facebook)
• The public's help is being requested. The folks at Georgia Interfaith Power & Light are trying to raise $15,000 for their spring fundraiser. Those interested can go to the website for more information. To date, they have raised almost $12,000. (Georgia Interfaith Power & Light via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• The City Of Eastpoint Wednesday Wind Down in the Point (May 24)
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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update!

— Cherryl Young/ MamaNyeMatters

About me: Cherryl Young DBA MamaNyeMatters. I was born in Providence, Rhode Island and moved to Georgia in 2017. My first children's book, You Are the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow was published in 2021. https://www.mamanyematters.com... I've worked in Atlanta and Gwinnett County Public Schools assisting children who have special needs. I studied Community Development @ Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. My Purpose In Life Is To Connect, Create, Inspire, Write, and Expand and I am ELATED to Be Here as a Contributing Writer @ Patch! Journey With Me...

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