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EDUCATION
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17 - 23, 2019 • Page 11
BROOKHAVEN
Mother and daughter receive
BY TAYLOR ROBINS
taylor@dekalbchamp.com
Each year, schools honor
teachers with Teacher of the
Year awards. During the most
recent awards ceremony a
mother and her daughter,
both DeKalb County School
District employees, received
awards from their respective
schools.
The DeKalb County School
District banquet has held Nov.
10 at the World Congress
Center.
Rachel Elizabeth
Petrucelli, a visual arts teacher
at Evansdale Elementary,
received the Teacher of the
Year award. Petrucelli’s
mother, Raylene Fruit
Lowe, counselor at Briarlake
Elementary and Hawthorne
Elementary, received the
Educational Support Personnel
11 of the Year award from
Briarlake.
“It’s kind of funny that we
got it the same year,” Lowe
said.
Petrucelli is currently in
her fourth year of teaching at
Evansdale and Lowe has been
with DCSD for 40 years.
“Rachel is very into her
job,” Lowe said. “She’s an
art teacher but she goes way
above and beyond. She doesn’t
do arts and crafts. She teaches
about theories of art and
different artists. She does a
lot.”
Lowe started as a
paraprofessional with DeKalb
in 1978. She was a classroom
teacher at Briarlake from
1981 until 1989. For 20 years
Lowe was a counselor and
assistant principal at Medlock
Elementary School. She
says that she has come “full
circle” now that she is back at
Briarlake as a counselor.
Only those who have taught
for at least three years are
eligible to be nominated for
the award.
The mother and daughter
recipients comprise a first of
that combination for these
honors from the DeKalb
school system.
A love for teaching and
working with students runs in
the family. According to the
mother and daughter winners
Lowe’s mother, Ruth Fruit,
also served DeKalb County as
a teacher, assistant principal,
principal and area director
before retiring. Together the
three individuals have given
more than 80 years of service
to DeKalb County School
District.
“I guess we just all really
enjoy kids and love helping
others,” Lowe said. “People
ask me all the time why
haven’t I retired yet. I just love
what I do every day. I don’t
know what I’d do with myself
if I wasn’t at school every day
and enjoying the kids.”
Fruit was also in attendance
at the banquet.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The public is hereby provided notice that the City Council of the City of Brookhaven
may take up and consider, and may act upon, changes to the Charter of the City of
Brookhaven pursuant to the authority of O.C.G.A. § 36-35.3. A copy of the Changes to be
considered shall be on file in the office of the City Clerk for the City of Brookhaven and
in the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of DeKalb County, as required by Code. A
summary of the changes to be considered includes:
1. Amend Section 2.14 of the Charter to require that members appointed by the
Council to the Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Public Facilities
Authority must be residents of the City of Brookhaven.
2. Amend Section 3.02 of the Charter to explicitly require the City Manager be
appointed based on his or her executive or administrative qualifications and further permit
and allow the City Manager’s contract to extend for 2 years, coinciding with each council
election cycle.
3. Amend Section 3.03 of the Charter to clarify the reference of a pronoun in the
section.
4. Amend Section 3.06 of the Charter to allow the Council to suspend or terminate
the City Manager in accordance with the City Manager’s contract and to allow the
appointment of an interim city manager in the event of the death of the city manager while
in office.
5. Amend Section 3.07 to permit city manager to appoint an interim city manager in
the absence of the city manager.
6. Amend Section 3.08 to remove the disqualification of a member of the General
Assembly from serving as City Attorney.
7. Delete Section 3.10, that makes the Finance Director a mayoral appointment,
and allow the City Manager to directly supervise and answer to the Mayor and Council for
the financial health of the City.
8. Renumber Section 3.11 to 3.10
9. Renumber Section 3.12 to 3.11 and make explicit the power of the City Manager
to manage and direct staff subject to the budget and the table of organization approved by
the Council.
10. Amend Article VI of the Charter to remove language related to the referendum,
approval, transition, and other administrative text from the Article.
11. Amend Section 6.02 to make the Charter Commission a mayoral appointment,
with Council confirmation, and to direct the timeliness of Charter reviews into the future.
It is the present intent of the Mayor and Council that an ordinance may be considered by
the Council making these changes at two consecutive meetings on January 8 and January
22, 2019. If the proposed changes and ordinance are approved at each meeting, the
changes will take effect immediately.
education awards
Raylene Lowe, left, and Rachel Petrucelli, right, recently won teaching awards. (Photo
provided by Raylene Lowe)
Caleb was born to teach. In fact, every kid he plays with leaves
knowing a little more about something. One thing he doesn’t know
yet is that his dream of being a professor can one day come true,
because you play the Georgia Lottery. For the past 25 years, the
Georgia Lottery and you have been helping our students reach their
true potential. That gets an “A” in Caleb’s book.
profe$9°r
| Caleb
galottery.com
$20 BILLION TO EDUCATION • 1.8 MILLION HOPE SCHOLARS • 1.6 MILLION PRE-K KIDS
