SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. -- The Fulton County School System has planned a reception to celebrate the successful approval of its charter system petition.

Last week's approval means that Fulton County Schools is the largest charter system in the state.

The reception will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 at Dunwoody Springs Elementary Schools in Sandy Springs.

ATLANTA -- The last day of school is right around the corner for Fulton County students.

Public schools will dismiss for the summer on Friday, May 18.

The last days of school in other metro Atlanta districts are staggered throughout the second half of May. They include:

Wednesday, May 16
Clarke County

Thursday, May 17
Hall County

Friday, May 18
Bartow County
Clayton County

Tuesday, May 22
Atlanta Public Schools
Barrow County

Wednesday, May 23
Carroll County
Gwinnett County
Newton County

Thursday, May 24
Cobb County
Decatur City Schools
DeKalb County
Rockdale County

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. -- Several Holy Innocents' freshman and sophomore world language students have captured national recognition for excellent performance on the 2012 National Spanish Examinations, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portugese.

HIES Level 2 Spanish students were awarded 14 gold, six silver, and six bronze medals—along with 11 honorable mentions. Fifty-eight students took the exams this year, said Spanish teacher Patrick Allegra. "Seventy percent of Holy Innocents' students scored in the top 50th percentile, and 19 students scored in the 90th," Allegra explained. "In fact, 14 students were in the top 150 students overall in the state. That's great!"

The exams are the largest of their kind in the United States, and attracted 143,641 student participants in 2012. "Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious," said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, national exam director.