North Druid Hills-Briarcliff|News|
Henderson Middle Student Competing in National Spelling Bee Today
Simola Nayak, who recently finished eighth grade, is competing in the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Email: jonathan.cribbs@patch.com
Phone: 678-490-6497
Hometown: Owings, Md.
Birthday: Aug. 2
Bio: I moved to the Atlanta metro area in 2008 and freelanced for several publications before The Champion Newspaper in Decatur hired me to cover the news in DeKalb County in 2009. I joined Patch in October 2010.
I live in the North Druid Hills community and have worked for daily and weekly newspapers in Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. I graduated from the University of Maryland in 2005 with a degree in English Language and Literature, a wonderful field of study that will challenge and engage you even as it lays the groundwork for your future unemployment. (But you'll know how to chart our nation's secular transformation from the works of Charles Brockden Brown to Seinfeld. FYI: Moby Dick is a turning point.)
I grew up in southern Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay. I'm a huge ice hockey fan and played the sport through middle and high school. I also love movies and own a somewhat sad collection of more than 500 movies.
As a journalist, I've covered everything from large national stories (the Washington, D.C., snipers in 2003) to the smallest story you can think of, including pizza day at Lady's Island Elementary School in Beaufort, S.C.
Simola Nayak, who recently finished eighth grade, is competing in the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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Reinaldo Navia’s league-leading sixth goal contributed to a road point for Atlanta.
The citations were part of a sweep conducted by Dunwoody police at 27 alcohol sales locations over the last two days.
David Simon of Simon Property Group, which includes Northlake Mall, was the highest paid CEO in the United States in 2011. And he got the biggest raise. How much? Read on.
The top five stories from the previous week in North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch.
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It includes info for pools at Kittredge, Medlock and Briarwood parks.