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THURSDAY, MARCH 21 - 27, 2024
www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com VOL. 34 • NO. 38
e CHAMPION
50£
The official legal organ of DeKalb County, Ga.
"64116 0D0U1
LOCAL
Cat attacked
by raccoon
tests positive for
rabies
PAGE 3
LOCAL
DeKalb CEO
recognized as
Georgia Public
Library Champion
of the Year
PAGE 8
Superintendent delivers
his first state-of-the-
district address
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
DeKalb County School Dis
trict Superintendent Devon
Horton said quickly diving into
his first year in his new role
overseeing the school district
and being a "disrupter for ex
cellence" is already making a
difference.
Horton's remarks came
during his State of the School
District address on March 14
where he broke down some of
the highlights - and ongoing
issues - since his confirmation
as superintendent of the DeKalb
County School District in April
2023.
"You heard some comments
when I came on board - com
ments like 'new superinten
dents need to move slowly and
learn the lay of the land before
they start making changes/ but
that's not my style," said Horton
to a crowd that included elected
officials and DeKalb County CEO DeKalb County School District Superintendent Devon Horton
Michael Thurmond. gj ves hj s first State of the District address. Photos by Christine
SEE SUPERINTENDENT ON PAGE 6 Fonville
SPORTS
Dunwoody
sweeps through
senior night
PAGE 11
LIFESTYLE
The circus is
coming to town
PAGE15
FORTHE
LATEST UPDATES
VISIT US AT
Festival to show off filmmaking
talents of DeKalb
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
Local students are getting ready for
a unique red-carpet event with the sixth
annual DeKalb Student Film Festival.
Scheduled to take place on March
26 at the Porter Sanford Performing
Arts and Community Center located
at 3181 Rainbow Drive in Decatur, this
year's DeKalb Student Film Festival will
showcase 17 completed works by stu
dents from McNair, Lakeside, Southwest
DeKalb, Chamblee, Arabia Mountain,
Tucker, Miller Grove, and Dunwoody high
schools as well as DeKalb School of the
Arts and DeKalb High School of Technol
ogy-South.
Each film is up to three minutes long
and must adhere to certain require
ments. According to officials, films will
be judged in one of two categories:
novice and advanced. Winners will be
announced that evening in the following
categories: best overall, best editing,
best acting, best sound design, best
wardrobe/makeup, best in show, and
audience choice.
The auditorium will open at 6:30 p.m.
County students
The DeKalb Student Film Festival is set to take
place at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts and
Community Center in Decatur, pictured here. Pho
to courtesy of Discover DeKalb
for the event and in addition to walking
the red carpet, students and guests will
have access to a social media lounge
with complimentary popcorn. The event
is free and open to the public.
The annual competition, hosted by
the DeKalb Entertainment Commission,
is part of the county's efforts to create
a strong ecosystem and pipeline for the
next generation of film industry talent,
stated officials.
"In partnership with DeKalb County
School District and Re: Imagine Atlanta,
the DeKalb Student Film Festival pro-
South DeKalb YMCA is slated to receive
$4 million in federal funding. Photos by
Jay Phillips
South DeKalb YMCA
to receive millions in
grant money
BY JAY PHILLIPS
JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
South DeKalb YMCA is one of
several local entities and projects
receiving grant money via a funding
package championed by Congress
man Hank Johnson (GA-04).
South DeKalb YMCA—which
faced threats of closure in 2021 and
just returned to hosting after-school
programs in 2023—will receive the
largest portion of the grant, with $4
SEE STUDENTS ON PAGE 6
THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM
SEE YMCA ON PAGE 6
