Enjoying the view from the top of the class
The Athens Banner-Herald presents the area valedictorians and salutatorians of the Class of 2009. We think you'll find these individuals are worthy of celebration during this season of high school commencements.

Athens Banner-Herald Best & Brightest Scholarship finalists
The finalists and nominees for the 2009 Athens Banner-Herald Best & Brightest scholarship winner.

FindTheBest Awards 'Best of' Badges to Top 10 Colleges and Universities
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, FindTheBest, an unbiased, data-driven comparison engine, announces the release of its 'Best of' badges in the Education category, highlighting the top Smart Rated colleges and universities—from business schools and law schools to medical schools—across the country. FindTheBest's Smart Rating allows users to view a single meta rating that reflects both a weighted compilation of scores from expert sources and an unbiased score based solely on the college's quantitative features—including metrics like acceptance rates and average entry test scores. From these Smart Ratings, FindTheBest has identified the top U.S.

Oglethorpe school board reviews post-audit spending guide
LEXINGTON - Oglethorpe County school administrators now are following more strict and specific rules about school money after a state audit found some improper spending at the district's high school.

Nickajack Elementary School Counselor Named School Counselor of the Year
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nicole Pfleger, a school counselor from Nickajack Elementary School in Smyrna, has been named the top school counselor in America.  Pfleger is one of more than 270 elementary, middle, and secondary school counselors nationwide who were nominated for the School Counselor of the Year award.

Hundreds head back to school
Students in the Clarke County School District got their first taste of summer last week, but for some of them it, was a short-lived break from classwork. Several hundred students will return to the classroom this week for summer school, either to prepare to retake a state test or to pass a class.

Clarke County School District back-to-school events
Due to teacher furloughs, all back-to-school events scheduled for Aug. 3 and 4 have been rescheduled. Below is the revised list of events provided by the Clarke County School District.