Article Early Admissions to Morehouse College

              DCSD Students Celebrate Early Acceptance into Morehouse College


Thirty-three male senior students from Arabia Mountain High School and Lithonia High School
have already been accepted into college. On December 4, representa ves from Morehouse
College excitedly announced to 18 Arabia Mountain students and 15 Lithonia students that they
had been accepted into Morehouse College in Atlanta.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Arabia Mountain senior James Carter. “This is the school of my
dreams. This is what I’ve been working towards throughout my high school years. I’ve always
had a strong Morehouse presence in my family, as well. The groundwork has been laid, the
steps have been stepped, and I’m just speechless.”

Morehouse decided to no fy the students in person a er seeing a high number of students
from the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) apply for early admission. DCSD Execu ve
Director of Student Advancement Christopher Key said Morehouse contacted him to express
how impressed they were by the number of applicants from DeKalb, specifically Arabia
Mountain High School and Lithonia High School.

“When they looked at the numbers, especially for Arabia Mountain and Lithonia, they were
compelled to come to our schools to do an early admissions celebra on in person,” said Mr. Key.
“They were the first students to be no fied of their acceptance and allowed access to a pool of
addi onal scholarships.”

Mr. Key credits the District’s efforts to prepare students for post-secondary life for the high
number of applica ons submi ed. DCSD introduced the Post-Secondary P.U.S.H. Plan to
increase college and career exploratory opportuni es for all high school scholars this year.
Through the P.U.S.H. Plan, the District intensified its focus on aligning curriculum with high
academic standards and expanding post-secondary supports, including scholarship naviga on
workshops and one-on-one counseling.

“Part of our Post-Secondary P.U.S.H. Plan is to make sure our students are prepared, upli ed,
and supported holis cally. So, this is part of the prepara on,” said Mr. Key. “The earlier students
decide, the quicker they have access to merit-based, ins tu onal scholarship dollars. It allows
students to apply for housing early and be prepared for college quickly. We hope to have more
students prepared and ready to make their college decisions early in the future.”

For James, his acceptance into Morehouse is a seal of approval.

“Throughout high school, I’ve always known what I wanted to do and my purpose, and for it to
come to frui on and show itself truly means a lot to me,” he said.

James plans to major in biology with a minor in psychology, to become either an orthopedic
surgeon or a neurosurgeon.
Lithonia SGA President Gerard L. Champion had the biggest smile on his face and jubilantly
celebrated upon being no fied of his acceptance. He plans to major in film and produc on, like
Morehouse College alum and world-renowned film director Spike Lee.

“Morehouse is one of my top three schools,” he said. “However, Morehouse was the first HBCU
campus that I toured during my sophomore year of high school, and touring that campus was a
spiritual moment for me. I will always remember that tour.”

For more informa on on the District’s Post-Secondary P.U.S.H. Plan, click here.