The YMCA of Metro Atlanta has launched a new scholarship program that recognizes young leaders across its numerous centers.

The scholarships, totaling $14,000, are awarded to YMCA-employed teens who have demonstrated exceptional service, leadership and community involvement, said a press release.

They are funded through the Schoen Foundation Scholarship Endowment, which invested $1 million to establish the initiative, with additional support from The Chick-fil-A Foundation and the Robert F. Wharton Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Receiving the inaugural award was Decatur resident Joi Ector (Southern University and A&M College student and graduate of Southwest DeKalb High School), who was named the “2025 Teen Legacy Scholar” for her work at the East Lake Family YMCA.

Nicknamed the “Y Legend,” Ector is renowned for establishing several programs, mentoring youth in her community, along with advocating for education equity and food security through the Children’s Defense Fund.

The other two recipients announced were Melanie Harper (Marist School graduate and current University of Georgia student), who spent more than six years volunteering and working at the Cowart Family YMCA and Camp High Harbour in various roles, as well as Enesii Mwanjabala (Georgia Connections Academy graduate and student at Georgia Gwinnett College), Georgia’s state representative for the YMCA Youth Advocate Program who worked with members of Congress on issues such as youth development and health equity.

“This scholarship recognizes teens who live out the values at the heart of our mission,” said Lauren Koontz, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “These young leaders give back to their communities, lead with character and approach challenges with determination and compassion.”

The scholarship program was introduced during the YMCA of Metro Atlanta’s annual “Leadership and Legacy” event.

The post YMCA of Metro Atlanta awards scholarships to local teen leaders appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Click here to play, and please let us know how you do by sharing on Instagram, Facebook, or X @RoughDraftATL.

This week’s quiz is sponsored by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Enjoy Sounds of the Season at Symphony Hall

Join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Sounds of the Season at Atlanta Symphony Hall, December 23!

Celebrate the spirit of the holidays from around the world when your orchestra performs works that evoke the mystery and wonder of this magical time of year.  Bring in the holly with the whole family, featuring orchestral favorites like Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, White Christmas, and A Holly and Jolly Sing Along!

➞ Visit our website for tickets and information.

The post The Atlanta News Quiz for December 13 appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Celebrating 20 years

Dec. 12 — Rough Draft is celebrating Sandy Springs’ 20th anniversary with a special edition of the Sandy Springs Reporter. You can find a copy of the print issue at many of your favorite Sandy Springs businesses, or check out the electronic version here. We are also featuring articles from the anniversary issue in our weekly newsletter over the next several weeks, starting today.

But first, here are some local headlines…

 Atlanta News First reports a Sandy Springs man has been arrested and charged with racketeering in a drug trafficking investigation after the GBI seized more than 400 pounds of suspected marijuana and other items earlier this month.

 Sandy Springs resident Kate Stice Stewart was on ABC’s “Shark Tank” this week hoping to get an investor for her Bauble Stockings. Find out how she did.

 El Azteca is celebrating 45 years on Roswell Road, and this Mexican restaurant staple is still going strong.

 Lauderhill’s Fine Jewelry is a family-owned business that has served Sandy Springs residents for more than 43 years. Read more about its history. 

SANDY SPRINGS SNAPSHOT: Young participants in last weekend’s Sparkle Sandy Springs annual parade.

 We would love to hear your thoughts on topics you would like us to include in your weekly Sandy Springs newsletter.

Thanks for reading!
The Rough Draft team

 Join Brendan Murphy, Director of the Bearing Witness Institute, for a three-part series exploring Jewish–Christian relations—from early antisemitism to the Holocaust and modern reconciliation. Featuring survivor George Rishfeld, this program deepens understanding and strengthens our shared moral responsibility. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Sandy Springs @ 20

SPONSORED BYMWT WINDOWS

 Sandy Springs’ long journey to cityhood: Businessman, author, and entrepreneur Oliver Porter played an instrumental role in the lobbying, cityhood, and structure of Sandy Springs’ city government more than two decades ago.

Located just north of the Perimeter, Sandy Springs has roots dating back to the 1800s when Native Americans frequented the area’s bubbling springs. Known as one of the first cities to follow a public-private partnership model, today the city boasts a population of 106,000, 950 acres of parks and green space, and a bustling arts-and-dining scene.

Porter was front and center when Eva Galambos, known as the mother of Sandy Springs, Tibby DeJulio (later a city council member), Leadership Perimeter’s Carolyn Axt, and others led a drive to the Georgia State Capitol with the idea that they could be better served as their own entity.

 Read more about Sandy Springs’ journey to becoming a city.

ALSO

 Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, who was recently elected to his fourth term, shares his plans to build on the momentum he helped create for the city.

 Check out our website for more stories on Sandy Springs celebrating 20 years.

Online coverage of Sandy Springs @ 20 is sponsored byMWT Windows.Get a free consultation today!

Join our January–February series on the history of Jewish–Christian relations

SPONSORED BY BEARING WITNESS INSTITUTE AT MARIST SCHOOL

From the roots of Christian antisemitism to the horrors of the Holocaust and the hopeful pathways of reconciliation today, participants will explore this complex story with clarity and compassion. The series includes an in-depth historical overview, a focused session on the Holocaust, and a moving testimony from survivor George Rishfeld.

 All are welcome to deepen understanding and strengthen interfaith commitment.

GDOT opens new lane to ease traffic on I-285 westbound in Sandy Springs

 Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) opened a new auxiliary lane on I-285 westbound between Roswell Road and Riverside Drive this week.

Drivers now have six travel lanes in operation between the Roswell Road on-ramp and Riverside Drive off-ramp. According to a news release, the auxiliary lane will help motorists merge more safely and reduce conflict points. It is expected to enhance traffic flow and improve operations on the I-285 general-purpose lanes.

The new lane is part of the larger I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension project.

 Read more about the project.

Beloved Peachtree Yoga teacher retires

 On Dec. 11, Elizabeth Nix Smith, who was one of the first instructors at Peachtree Yoga Center in Sandy Springs, wished her students “blessings and love – namaste” for the last time.

Smith, whose gentle self-deprecating humor and ability to make yoga a comfortable and accessible practice for all – no matter their skill level – said it’s time for her to make room for the future generation of teachers.

“I’m ready to step aside from teaching and let the new crop of instructors to come through,” Smith said. “I’m stepping away from teaching, but not who I have become during these last 30 years.”

 Read more about Smith’s journey.

 Join Brendan Murphy, Director of the Bearing Witness Institute, for a three-part series exploring Jewish–Christian relations—from early antisemitism to the Holocaust and modern reconciliation. Featuring survivor George Rishfeld, this program deepens understanding and strengthens our shared moral responsibility. SPONSOR MESSAGE

What’s doin’ around Sandy Springs

 Dec. 12:Holiday Hoops Challenge at Sandy Springs Middle School

 Dec. 12:The Wizard of Oz at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center

 Dec. 13:Minis & Mimosas Brunch Paint & Sip at Battle & Brew (Also Dec. 27)

 Dec. 13: Center for Movement Challenges annual holiday party

 Dec. 13: Dunwoody Community Church Christmas Music Concert

 Dec. 14:Pitmaster Santa Toy Drive at Pontoon Brewing Company

 Dec. 14:The Music Class Holiday Ball at Temple Emanu-El

 Dec. 19:Hanukkah Latke Dinner & Hanukiyah Lighting at Congregation Or Hadash

 Add your event to our free, online event calendar.

The Sports Section

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCORE ATLANTA

 BOYS BASKETBALL

• Holy Innocents’ (7-2): Saturday vs. Campbell (3-1)
• Lovett (6-2): Friday vs. Cherokee Bluff (5-1); Saturday vs. South Gwinnett (5-3)
• Mt. Vernon (9-0): Monday vs. Marietta (4-3)
• North Springs (1-8): Friday vs. Lithonia (4-6); Saturday vs. Fellowship Christian (3-6)
• Pace Academy (2-4): Friday vs. Midtown (4-3); Saturday @ Westminster (7-0)
• Riverwood (2-6): Friday @ Creekview (4-5); Saturday vs. West Forsyth (5-2)
• Westminster (7-0): Friday @ Wesleyan (3-4); Saturday vs. Pace Academy (2-4)

 GIRLS BASKETBALL

• Holy Innocents’ (4-3): Saturday vs. Milton (5-0)
• Lovett (5-3): Dec. 19 vs. Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ. (N/A)
• Mt. Vernon (0-6): Friday @ Chapel Hill (10-0)
• North Springs (0-6): Friday vs. Lithonia (5-4); Saturday vs. Fellowship Christian (7-2)
• Pace Academy (2-2): Friday vs. Midtown (4-2); Saturday @ Westminster (6-2)
• Riverwood (3-7): Friday @ Creekview (8-1)
• Westminster (6-2): Saturday vs. Pace Academy (2-2)

The post 🥳 Sandy Springs @ 20 appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

The Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC) reviewed a proposal to expand Lutheran Tower at its Dec. 9 meeting.

The existing 15-story Lutheran Tower, at the southeast corner of Juniper and 4th streets, would expand eastward toward Piedmont Avenue, according to a recap of the meeting from Midtown Alliance.

The design includes 172 new senior living units arranged in two offset wings that frame a raised central amenity terrace.

The approximately 92,900-square-foot expansion will step down in height from eight to five stories as it approaches 730 Piedmont Ave., a long-standing residence that will be adaptively reused. The existing two-story parking deck, accessible from 4th Street, will be expanded from 66 spaces to 102 spaces and will receive façade improvements. Back-of-house service areas will be upgraded while maintaining access via the lower-level entrance along 4th.

The committee raised several concerns, including: ensuring all architectural plans are cohesive and unified; preserving the visual character of the residence along Piedmont Avenue; improving the streetscape, building facades, and pedestrian access along 4th, reconfiguring the existing driveway on Juniper, and providing a green buffer southward. Detailed recommendations are detailed below:

The post Lutheran Tower plans senior living expansion in Midtown appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Friday for all

Dec. 12 — Time Magazine named the “Architects of AI” its 2025 Person of the Year, saying this was the year artificial intelligence fully broke into mainstream life, reshaping work, wealth, geopolitics, and daily routines, with no real option to slow down or opt out. The magazine’s tradition dates back to 1927, when aviator Charles Lindbergh was recognized.

Sunny and warmer today with a high of 61°. The weekend is looking like more of the same, but temperatures will plunge into the 20s on Sunday night.

Economists have offered a “sobering” forecast for 2026, marking the second consecutive year of slowed growth across the U.S. and Georgia.

DeKalb County Schools officials will meet with principals concerning ICE raids after community members voiced concerns about immigration protocols.

The Fulton County Commission rejected Commissioner Dana Barrett’s $1 million women’s health grant funding proposal during its December meeting.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens appointed Marquetta J. Bryan as city attorney and Vanessa Manley as executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services.

The AJC’s immersive “Headline House” pop-up is at Krog Street Market today through Sunday, featuring marquee conversations, multimedia installations, and food.

ELSEWHERE

Indiana’s GOP-controlled Senate rejected a congressional map that would have dismantled the state’s two Democratic districts, rebuffing intense pressure from the president. 

 The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected a pair of competing healthcare bills as tax credits are set to end Dec. 31, and trigger big premium hikes for millions of Americans.

Tourists from 42 countries would have to submit five years of social media history to enter the U.S. under a new plan proposed by the White House.

Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Dining out for Christmas• Movie Review: ‘Hamnet’ 

• Sandy Springs @ 20

• The Sports Section

AND 

• Top Stories of the Week 

Have a good weekend!

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1. Atlanta restaurants offering dine-in and takeout for Christmas

Planning to dine out on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Several restaurants around Atlanta will serve special holiday menus on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For people gathering at home, let a local restaurant do the cooking, from just the entrees to whole family feasts.

Check out OpenTable and Resy for more comprehensive lists of metro Atlanta restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Read more here.

Wrap Up a Year Full of Surprises  

SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MEMBERSHIP

Looking for a meaningful gift?

A Fernbank Membership offers a full year of discovery with unlimited daytime general admission to exhibits, films, and outdoor adventures.

 It’s a gift that inspires curiosity and connection. Members explore 75 acres of nature in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, featuring seasonal programs, canopy walks, and a nature play area – plus three floors of immersive science exhibits indoors.

And exciting news: Fernbank is launching new museum experiences soon, beginning with “Our Place in the Cosmos“ in late 2025. 

Look for our Holiday 2025 sale running Dec. 18-25.

2. ‘Hamnet’ and the act of creation as communion

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

From the moment Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and Will (Paul Mescal) – more commonly known as William Shakespeare – first meet, a particular dynamic arises. Her emotions come easy, raw, and unfiltered, while he finds it necessary to process his through art.

“Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, dramatizes that dynamic in connection with the death of the couple’s 11-year-old son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), which in turn inspires perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous play, “Hamlet.” (The film begins by telling us that those two names would have been interchangeable at the time.)

While a bit clunky in its narrative setup, “Hamnet” slowly nestles into your heart, evolving into a beautifully considered meditation on art and legacy, but not necessarily in the way you expect a movie that’s, at least in part, about William Shakespeare, to be. Although “Hamnet” is unmistakably about grief, it feels trite to pin its considerations down to just the process of dealing with unimaginable loss. Instead, “Hamnet” is also about the pain and joy of creation, both in parenthood and art. It’s about two people in a constant dance with each other and the world, reckoning with their pasts in an attempt to build something stronger together. 

Read Sammie’s full review here.

Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.

3. Sandy Springs @ 20: Founders look back

SPONSORED BY MWT WINDOWS

 As Sandy Springs celebrates its 20th anniversary, Rough Draft Atlanta has compiled a series of stories celebrating its journey and looking towards the future.

Today, we hear from Sandy Springs Reporter founder Steve Levene on why local journalism remains important, and city founders remember Eva Galambos (pictured), the mother and inaugural mayor of Sandy Springs.

Online coverage of Sandy Springs @ 20 is sponsored by MWT Windows. Get a free consultation today!

4. Falcons win; GHSA Football Championships

BY SAMANTHA GARDELLA | SPONSORED BY NYO

Days after they were formally eliminated from the playoffs, the Falcons engineered a late comeback to beat the Buccaneers 29-28, capped by Kirk Cousins’ three-TD night and a walk-off field goal.

The Hawks are in Detroit tonight for a 6 p.m. game followed by a home game against Philadelphia on Sunday at 6 p.m. (FanDuel Sports; 92.9 FM).

Atlanta United signed Santiago Pita to a Homegrown contract for the 2026 season, with club options through 2029. 

 A group of European football fans has accused FIFA of betraying World Cup traditions after ticket prices for group matches up to $700 and finals nearing $9,000, far above earlier promises of affordable seats.

Here is the latest update on local college football playoffs:

• No. 3 Georgia’s next game is the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
• Georgia Tech is heading to the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU on Dec. 27.
• Kennesaw State plays in the Myrtle Beach Bowl against Western Michigan on Dec. 19.

Here are this weekend’s local college basketball games:

• Georgia men are playing in the Holiday Hoopsgiving against Cincinnati at State Farm Arena tomorrow at 2 p.m. (ESPNU).
• Georgia women host North Carolina A&T on Monday at 11 a.m. (ESPN; 92.9).
• Georgia Tech women @ Wake Forest on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ACC Network Extra; 93.7 FM).
• Georgia Tech men host Marist on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra, 93.7 FM).
• Georgia State women host local rival Kennesaw State on Sunday at 2 p.m. (97.5 FM).
• Georgia State men host Jacksonville State tomorrow at 2 p.m. (97.5 FM).
• Morehouse @ Lane College at 4 p.m.

 Here is an overview of the Georgia High School Football Championship games set for Dec. 15-17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:

• Class 6A: Buford vs Carrollton
• Class 5A: Gainesville vs Thomas County Central
• Class 4A: Creekside vs Benedictine
• Class 3A: Jefferson vs Sandy Creek
• Class 2A: Hapeville Charter vs Carter
• Class A Div I: Toombs County vs Worth County
• Class A Div. II: Bowden vs Lincoln County
• Class Private: Calvary Day vs Hebron Christian

The GHSA lifted the postseason ban it placed on Brunswick High School after their head coach, Garrett Grady, stepped down earlier this week. 

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Greene County High School football coach Darius Terrell Robinson was arrested and accused of assaulting multiple players.

Indulge your sweet tooth at Livable Buckhead’s Hot Chocolate Crawl this Sat., Dec. 13! Enjoy hot chocolate and specialty cocktails while strolling through Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, and Peachtree Road. Local musicians and visits from Santa add to the festive fun. Admission is free!

SPONSOR MESSAGE

5. Top stories of the Week

A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.

① Raffensperger announces full-scale investigation of worker accused of scanning multiple ballots

② New lane to open on I-285 westbound to ease traffic flow

③ DeKalb board votes to name expanded Dunwoody High School stadium after Ryan Seacrest and his family (pictured)

④ After 45 years on Roswell Road, El Azteca is all in on Sandy Springs

⑤ Democrat Eric Gisler wins in Northeast Georgia House special election

Indulge your sweet tooth at Livable Buckhead’s Hot Chocolate Crawl this Sat., Dec. 13! Enjoy hot chocolate and specialty cocktails while strolling through Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and Peachtree Road. Local musicians and visits from Santa add to the festive fun. Admission is free! SPONSOR MESSAGE

Test your knowledge of the week’s news in tomorrow’s News Quiz. Keep an eye out for our email at 8 a.m. or bookmark this page! 

Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.

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