DeKalb celebrates Drew Charter golf team’s ground-breaking season

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson (center) gives remarks during a presentation honoring the members of Charles R. Drew Charter School's golf team. The team won the state championship earlier this year.  The team is standing with their coaches and other members of the DeKalb Board of Commissioners. (TIA MITCHELL/TIA.MITCHELL@AJC.COM)

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson (center) gives remarks during a presentation honoring the members of Charles R. Drew Charter School's golf team. The team won the state championship earlier this year. The team is standing with their coaches and other members of the DeKalb Board of Commissioners. (TIA MITCHELL/TIA.MITCHELL@AJC.COM)

Earlier this year, members of the Charles R. Drew Charter School golf team made history by becoming the first team from Atlanta Public Schools to win a state golf championship.

Drew’s golf team also became the first all African-American team to win a state golf championship.

“What you see behind me today is a testament of parents, of a community, of folks who said we are not going to take these stereotypes (but) we are going to move forward,” DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson said Tuesday.

During the commission meeting on Tuesday, the team and their coaches were presented with a resolution honoring their accomplishments.

» Read more | An East Lake neighbor - Drew Charter - makes a little golf history, too

The resolution noted that all seven members of the Drew golf team were trained under the First Tee program, which exposes golf to youth who otherwise might not learn the game.

Drew’s championship team had seven members, including three seniors who graduated and are now attending college. Five of the members were present for Tuesday’s presentation.

Drew Charter is located in Atlanta's East Lake neighborhood, which is in DeKalb County. The neighborhood was once poor and in decline but has seen a resurgence partially due to its proximity to the East Lake Golf Club, home to the PGA Championship.

» Also | How golf, activists saved the once crime-ridden East Lake community