Focused Students Succeed 9-4-25

Top-ranked public elementary schools in or near Dunwoody, GA (30338) include Austin Elementary School, Dunwoody Elementary School, and Vanderlyn Elementary School, all located in the DeKalb County School District. Austin and Vanderlyn are highly rated on GreatSchools and Niche, while Dunwoody Elementary is ranked by U.S. News & World Report. For a complete list and detailed metrics, check the rankings on GreatSchools.org and Niche.com.  

Here's a closer look at some top-performing schools:

Top-Ranked Schools

Austin Elementary School: Highly rated on GreatSchools with strong test scores, high academic progress, and high student proficiency rates.

Vanderlyn Elementary School: Also highly rated on GreatSchools with strong test scores and high student proficiency in math and reading. It has been recognized with a U.S. News Best Elementary Schools award. 

Dunwoody Elementary School: Ranked by U.S. News & World Report for state and district performance, including graduation rates and preparation for high school. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=elementary+school+rankings+in+dunwoody+ga+30338

Comments

Students in the best schools tend to succeed because they have Focused Students. These are students who take responsibility for their education. I’ve seen “average” students decide to become A Students. I’ve seen good students drop out because of boredom.  

Students need to identify their “Motivated Abilities” and do what they do well and love to do to assure that they succeed and are happy and grateful. People who don’t like their jobs are in the wrong job. My strategy has always been to ask God what he wants me to do. The first clue to learning God’s Plan is to recognize talents that are embedded in our DNA. The next requirement is to identify our “Calling”. I got my “Calling” at age 10. I was reading the newspaper and the front page showed a burned out car that had been rigged with a car bomb. The victim was a Union President. I asked my uncles who did it. They all said “Mafia” in unison. I was angry that we allowed tge Mafia to infiltrate unions and began researching what Personnel Directors do.

I had musical talent and formed a “Rock Band” in 1957 at age 14.  I played guitar and sang. We worked 3 nights per week through high school. Then I joined a “Dirty Two Horn Blues Band at age 18 and switched to playing the electric bass. We worked 6 nights per week through college and I played electric bass.  I was able to pay my own Tuition through High School and College.

When I was age 21, I got married and started my first “day job” and continued to play “band jobs”.

I played bass in a Jazz Trio and Blues Groups until I was age 28 when I was asked to join the best Jazz Trio in St. Louis. We added 2 girl singers and formed a 5 part Jazz vocal show group. We played Friday and Saturday nights at large nightclubs. Our fans included all the Radio and TV staffs and the St Louis Symphany Orchestra would file in after their performances. I still play the CD from our live recordings. I am the most grateful to have moved from Rock to Blues to Jazz.  I retired from being a Singer and Musician at age 32 when we moved to Kansas in 1975.  Live Music was in high demand from 1957 to 1975 in St Louis.

My first day job began in 1965. I was hired as Division Campaign Director for the St. Charles Division of the Greater St. Louis United Way. I delivered 105% of goal for 1965 and 1966. I enlisted a “Headhunter” to find my first Personnel Job. I worked with the Board to consolidated the St Charles

Division into the Main Campaign Sections and eliminated my job. The St. Charles Board Members were busy expanding their businesses and welcomed the change.

My Personnel Career began in 1967 in St. Louis at Kearney National as a generalist and recommended that they close this Teamster infested plant and move it to Atlanta. I joined the Industrial Relations Club Chapter of the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA).

I joined Monsanto HQ in 1968 and to learn how to avoid unions. I functioned as a Compensation Analyst on the Textile Division Staff and converted the 9-factor job evaluation to the Monsanto Job Evaluation System to complete post-acquisition clean up. While at Monsanto I founded the St. Charles County Council of Homeowners’ Associations in 1969 and served as President until 1975.

I joined Washington University Medical School in 1971 to establish the Personnel  Function on the Medical Campus and automate administration. I defeated the Service Employee Union organizing attempt with 80% voting No. I moved to the Main Campus in 1972 to finish my projects. I established the HRIS System, negotiated the Main Campus Unions, who voted to decertify in 1974.

I joined Schwan Foods in 1975 to automate the plant in Salina Kansas. I also automated administration. I completed this in 1979. I founded the Salina Area Personnel Association to establish a Wage Survey Automation resulted in an increase in revenue from $150 million to $650 million. 

I was appointed ASPA Director for Kansas in 1978. I became the business columnist for Kansas Business News in 1979.

I joined Rickel Manufacturing in 1979 to decertify the UAW from their Plant in Salina Kansas and completed this in 1983. We sold Rickel to Ag Chem in 1983. I was hired as a Consultant to establish a wage survey for Saline County Government and completed this in 3 months.

I joined Hayes Microcomputer Products in 1983 to complete the establishment of their Personnel operations and completed this in 1983. I also defeated the Communication Workers Union organizing attempt in 1984. I founded the Metro Atlanta High Tech Personnel Association to establish an annual wage survey. I managed the buildup at Hayes from 100 employees to 1200 employees. In 1984, I established a Medical Trust to replace the Health Insurance. In 1985 I established a Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP). By 1986, I had Nurse Case Managers holding claims to $150/ month. Hayes sponsored my completion of a Fellowship in Strategic Studies at WBSI that I completed in 1985.

I joined Electromagnetic Sciences Inc in 1986 to join the Reagan Military buildup. EMS grew from 350 employees to 1300 employees. I was appointed to Chair HR on the American Electronics Association Board from 1987 ti 1996  I held events for member companies. I became Trustee for the Medical Trust and kept expenses to $150/ month with a Nurse Case Manager to help employees with high claims to identify “food allergies”.

In 1993, I was kidnapped by my fellow AEA Board Members to establish a Consulting Practice in 1993. I operated this Consulting Practice for 24 years and retired in 2017 at age 74. All of my clients were referred. I never made a sales call. I officed at home and drove to Client Facilities when necessary. I filed my own Quarterly Taxes using Schedule C as a Sole Proprietor.

In my 25 years in Corporate Personnel, I chose project-oriented jobs to expand my knowledge. When my projects were complete, I moved on. I chose companies that needed what I was interested in doing.

I turned down promotions at United Way, Monsanto, Washington U and Schwan Foods.

I eliminated the Teamsters Unions at Rickel, prevented the Service Employee Union from organizing at Washington U medical campus, encouraged the decertification of Washington U main campus unions and stopped organizing by the Communication Workers of America {CWA) at Hayes Microcomputer Products.

I served as a Department Head, Internal Consultant, Project Manager and Turn-Around Manager. I was interested in “High-Performance Teams” and Automation to increase Productivity.

Labor Unions continue to be myopic, adversarial and unhelpful. They focus on compensation that is actually controlled by local wage survey averages. Non-Union Companies continue to pay higher rates. Unions continue to be “unnecessary”.  Heavily Unionized Companies like Boeing will continue to struggle. Re-Shoring US Manufacturing will take place in Rural Counties in Right-to-Work States.

I believe my career was too easy because it was directed by God’s Plan.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader