The Cherokee County School Board on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, purchased land for a replacement Canton Elementary School, the construction of which will be included in the 2021 Education Special Local Option Sales Tax renewal proposal. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said the purchase of 63 acres on the east side of Reinhardt College Parkway (Highway 140) 2.8 miles north of the Riverstone Parkway/Waleska Road intersection for $26,000 an acre is a promise kept by him and the School Board. 

Thanks to the support of partner Northside Hospital Cherokee, the Cherokee County School District received EpiPens at no cost for all of its schools!  The cost of the pens – auto-injectors that can be life-saving in cases of serious allergic reaction - was waived by manufacturer, Mylan, as part of its EpiPen4Schools program.  CCSD’s participation in the program was made possible by NHC Dr. Matthew Simmons, who wrote prescriptions for each school’s clinic. 

More Cherokee County School District Class of 2018 students took the ACT exam than any previous class, while maintaining impressive averages and exceeding National and State averages!

Results released today show the Class of 2018 posted an excellent overall score of 23, while a record number took the challenging college entrance and placement examination: 1,809 students -- an 11-percent increase from the previous year.  The score ranks CCSD third among metro Atlanta counties and seventh in Georgia – out of 180 school districts!

The Cherokee County School District next week will host a PTA-sponsored program for parents on drug addiction and prevention with guest speakers including Cherokee Sheriff Frank Reynolds.

Representatives from businesses and organizations throughout the community came out Thursday to Partner Up with CCSD schools!

Participants met one-on-one with leaders from CCSD's schools to share coffee and conversation about partnership opportunities. Thanks to Credit Union of Georgia for sponsoring the Partner Up event.

The Cherokee Sheriff's Office is seeking more dedicated crossing guards to protect our students and keep traffic moving safely around our schools! #SafeCherokee

CCSD Preschools recently received a donation of six wagons, three of which are outfitted to carry medical equipment, to help children with special needs. 

A Cherokee County School District teacher has earned a top educator honor presented by Yale University!

Matt Bartula of Sequoyah High School has won the 2018 Yale Educator Award – one of only 59 teachers worldwide to be honored.

Curtains up! CCSD's high school theater season kicks off tonight at Cherokee High School and continues with fall shows from all of our outstanding troupes! #CCSDfam

Eighteen Cherokee County School District high school seniors have been named National Merit Commended Students by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation!  

This recognition is based on the high scores the students earned on the PSAT.  Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses that will be awarded in the spring.

A Cherokee County School District senior has achieved a perfect score on the ACT!

Etowah High School senior Victoria “Tori” Ridgeway earned the top composite score of 36 on the college entrance and placement test – a feat accomplished by, on average, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT!  

The Cherokee County School District began a new tradition today by surprising four teachers with the news they are CCSD Teacher of the Year Finalists!

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower visited the four teachers’ classrooms to announce their selection, from the field of all CCSD schools’ and centers’ Teachers of the Year, to vie for the top honor.  

“Our School District truly is defined by the quality of our teachers, both their classroom instruction and the culture they create as role models and leaders,” Dr. Hightower said.  “With as many schools and teachers as we have, we certainly were ready to create another level of Teacher of the Year recognition.  We’re so proud of these finalists; they’re not just great educators -- they’re great people.”

The finalists are: Tabatha Box, math teacher at Etowah High School; Jama McCartney, art teacher at Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy; Karen Reynolds, first-grade teacher at Little River Elementary School; and Dana Townsend, PE teacher at Mill Creek Middle School.

Express Gateway update portal, the online system for parents to change address, phone, email or important information for students, is now available. 

CCSD is participating in Georgia’s Farm to School month celebration with special menu items including a Kickin’ it with Kale salad on Wednesday!  

The fresh kale, cranberry and apple salad will be available throughout CCSD cafeterias as a side choice at lunch on Wednesday, with students encouraged to try kale, a vegetable that may be new to them. 

A Woodstock High School student has been selected for a Harvard University high school debate program!

Junior Laney Broussard is one of an elite group of students, selected from hundreds of applications, to participate on the 2019 Harvard Debate Council through the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project.

October is Farm to School Month, and the Cherokee County School District and its School Nutrition Program are celebrating!  The CCSD School Nutrition Program has won state and national recognition for its commitment to serving fresh ingredients from local farms in cafeterias and educating students about agriculture and healthy eating. 

Dean Rusk MS held a breakfast kickoff with the Atlanta Community Food Bank on Friday September 28^th from 8:15 - 9 am while students arrived for school.  

The Cherokee County School District was honored with two awards at the Georgia School Nutrition Association’s annual fall luncheon this week! 

The School District’s School Nutrition program, which is led by Director Tina Farmer, was formally recognized at the event as a Georgia USDA Best Practice Award winner in the category of Farm to School Programs.  

The State announced this summer that CCSD had earned the prestigious award, which honors school nutrition programs that serve locally grown foods and educate students about them, for the second consecutive year.

A Cherokee County School District parent mentor has earned a top statewide award for her service!

JoEllen Hancock, a 13-year parent mentor who supports the families of students served by CCSD’s Office of Special Education, won the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership’s 2018 Phil Pickens Award.

Two Cherokee County School District teachers have been named Georgia’s Recreation Specialists of the Year!

Amy Aenchbacher and Dave Martinez, who both work as adaptive physical education specialists for CCSD’s Special Education department, earned the honor from the Georgia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance (GAHPERD).

Woodstock MS teacher Victoria Corr has earned the Charles “Coach” Cooper Scholarship awarded by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation.

Friday Night Lights time is nearly here!  Scrimmages kick off next week, with the regular season beginning Aug. 17.  Check out the full CCSD schedule for high school varsity football games below. Let's go, #CCSDfam!