The Cherokee County School District recently hosted a New Leaders Reception for the School Board to meet the educators recommended by the Superintendent of Schools for leadership roles including Principal posts.  The reception, which was sponsored by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a CCSD Partner, gave School Board members the chance to meet and talk with the leaders before voting to approve their new roles for next school year.  The new leaders and their families enjoyed a warm welcome, refreshments and the gift of a journal from Children’s Healthcare.  This is the second year for this tradition, and a second event will be hosted next month for the School Board to meet additional new leaders including those recommended for Assistant Principal posts. #CCSDfam

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week... please help us celebrate Free Home Elementary School 2019 Teacher of the Year Keith Furstenberg!

Physical Education teacher Keith Furstenberg’s selection as Free Home Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year by his peers is not only an honor, but also is especially remarkable, according to the Principal.

Our school media specialists are extraordinary, and we’re profiling our Innovation Zones’ Media Specialists of the Year to celebrate them. Please read all about the Sequoyah Innovation Zone 2019 Media Specialist of the Year Mia Temples of Hickory Flat Elementary School!

Hickory Flat Elementary School Media Specialist Mia Temples is in a league of her own, according to her Principal.

The Cherokee County School Board on Thursday, March 21, 2019 approved the appointment of five new Principals to fill vacancies for next school year, as well as a new head football coach for Creekview High School. 

The five new Principals are: for Clayton Elementary School, Carrie O’Bryant; E.T. Booth Middle School, Todd Sharrock; Knox Elementary School, Jennifer McIntosh; Sixes Elementary School, Dr. Ashley Kennerly; and Woodstock Middle School; Michael Santoro.

The Creekview High School Grizzly football program is under new management, with the unanimous vote tonight by the Cherokee County School Board to hire Trevor Williams as head coach.

Coach Williams most recently served at South Forsyth High School as its football team’s defensive coordinator and as a Special Education specialist and credit recovery program co-director.  A Cherokee County native, Coach Williams graduated from Sequoyah High School.

We greatly value the outstanding support staff in our schools and central office divisions, which is why we recognize one here every week. Please join us in thanking and congratulating 2019 CCSD Office of Technology & Information Services Support Staff Employee of the Year Jeremy Gravley! The Support Staff Employee of the Year from every CCSD school and central office division is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation, and ABM Industry Groups LLC and Credit Union of Georgia. #CCSDfam

Cherokee County School District students excelled at the Georgia High School Association’s State Championships for Literary Teams, with one team winning the overall prize and nine students earning first-place awards!

Cherokee County School Board members regularly visit schools for tours with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, members of his staff and the school’s Principal and administrative team.  This week, the School Board visited Sequoyah High School, where they learned from Principal Bob Van Alstyne about new Advanced Placement class offerings; an initiative with its feeder elementary and middle schools to enhance the family culture in the Innovation Zone; and improvements made to school safety and security.  The group enjoyed a lunch featuring new School Nutrition cafeteria offerings, followed by strawberry shortcake made from scratch by Family and Consumer Sciences students! #CCSDfam

We appreciate partners' support of our schools, which is why we celebrate their service here every week... congratulations to 2019 Woodstock High School Partner of the Year: Cherokee Insurance Center! Learn more about partnering: https://www.cherokeek12.net/Content/ccsd-school-partnerships #CCSDfam

Volunteers make a positive difference in our schools, which is why we spotlight one here every week... congratulations to 2019 Avery ES Volunteer of the Year Sandy Kreh!

The Volunteer of the Year from every CCSD school is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Do you volunteer to help a CCSD school? Contact the Principal of your local school (http://cherokeek12.net/schools/) to learn how you can help! #CCSDfam
 

Basketball season officially came to a close for CCSD’s high school seniors last Thursday night, as they played their final high school games together at Etowah High School in the Varsity Brands Senior Classic.  CCSD also presented a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as part of the event. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower on Monday presented the first of his four top awards for instructional excellence!

Dr. Hightower surprised CCSD Supervisor of Digital Learning Joy Silk with his Superintendent’s 2019 Game Changer Award for Instructional Support during a meeting Monday with her Office of Curriculum & Instruction colleagues, who rose for a standing ovation.

Congratulations to the winners of CCSD’s 2019 Georgia Young Authors Competition!  This contest showcases the excellent writing instruction that is taking place in each of CCSD’s schools in Grades K-12. 

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week... please help us celebrate Etowah High School 2019 Teacher of the Year  Tabatha Box!

Etowah High School math teacher Tabatha Box loves teaching math -- so much so that the way to her heart on Valentine’s Day was a gift of a skirt patterned with equations.

Our school media specialists are extraordinary, and we’re profiling our Innovation Zones’ Media Specialists of the Year to celebrate them. Please read all about the River Ridge Innovation Zone 2019 Media Specialist of the Year: Jacqueline Zaski of Arnold Mill Elementary School!

Arnold Mill Elementary School Media Specialist Jacqueline Zaski sees her role as an educator who uses the media center as her classroom.

CCSD's Communications Division today released the District's 2018 Annual Report of District Progress, showcasing CCSD student achievement and School District accountability across multiple metrics.  The report can be viewed here. 

We greatly value the outstanding support staff in our schools and central office divisions, which is why we recognize one here every week. Please join us in thanking and congratulating 2019 ACE Academy Support Staff Employee of the Year Kathy Frost! The Support Staff Employee of the Year from every CCSD school and central office division is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation, and ABM Industry Groups LLC and Credit Union of Georgia. #CCSDfam

We appreciate partners' support of our schools, which is why we celebrate their service here every week... congratulations to 2019 Woodstock Middle School Partner of the Year: The Premier Group Real Estate Firm!  The Partner of the Year from every CCSD school is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation.  Does your business or organization partner with a CCSD school? Visit our School Partnerships webpage (https://www.cherokeek12.net/Content/ccsd-school-partnerships) to learn more! #CCSDfam

The Cherokee County School District celebrated its Work-Based Learning program with regional guests and special recognitions of partners that help with this important career education initiative.

The Work-Based Learning program provides CCSD high school students the opportunity to explore possible careers through working in school partners’ places of business.  The School District this month for the first time hosted a regional Work Based Learning meeting, with high school career education teachers from across the state in attendance to learn about one of CCSD’s programs: healthcare science.  

Happy Registered Dietitian Day! We appreciate CCSD's own registered dietitian Linda Dittrich, whose work makes our School Nutrition menus healthier and ensures choices are available for children with different dietary needs. #CCSDfam

Volunteers make a positive difference in our schools, which is why we spotlight one here every week... congratulations to 2019 Arnold Mill ES Volunteer of the Year Cecilia Marin!  The Volunteer of the Year from every CCSD school is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Do you volunteer to help a CCSD school? Contact the Principal of your local school (http://cherokeek12.net/schools/) to learn how you can help! #CCSDfam

A Cherokee County School District student has earned first place in Georgia in a statewide essay contest!

Free Home Elementary School fifth-grader Katie Rickert is her grade level’s winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s American History Essay Contest.

E.T. Booth Middle School seventh-grade science teacher Kara Reeder does more than ensure students master STEM knowledge – she “truly changes the trajectory of students’ lives.”

One parent shared how, before Ms. Reeder’s class, her son didn’t like science class much.  But after Ms. Reeder’s hands-on lessons connected to real-life experiences, that all changed.  Now, she said, he’s a STEM Pathway student at Etowah High School focused on a career in engineering.

Our school media specialists are extraordinary, and we’re profiling our Innovation Zones’ Media Specialists of the Year to celebrate them. Please read all about the 2019 Etowah Innovation Zone Media Specialist of the Year Pam Morris of Bascomb Elementary School!

No day is the same for media specialist Pam Morris, due to the many roles and responsibilities she has taken on at Bascomb Elementary School.

Want to be inspired? Check out CNN's feature on Matthew Lane, an Etowah High School senior basketball player and Positive Athlete Georgia honoree, who overcame cancer and now shares his story with students. The story features footage from his recent visit to speak to Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy fifth-graders. As Matthew says: "Stay positive. Stay positive. Stay positive." #CCSDfam https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/03/07/positive-athlete-matthew-lane.cnn/video/playlists/cnn-positive-athlete/

The Cherokee County School District celebrated outstanding school community partners and volunteers at the Sixth Annual CCSD Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year Recognition Ceremony.

The ceremony on Thursday, March 8, 2019 at CCSD’s Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo Educational Services Facility honored a Partner of the Year and a Volunteer of the Year for each individual school and center.  The evening included the surprise announcement of the CCSD Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year selected from that pool of 79 honorees.

The Cherokee County School District celebrated the important role of support staff at its inaugural Support Staff Employee of the Year Awards on Tuesday evening.

The celebration honored one Support Staff Employee of the Year from each of CCSD’s schools, centers and central office divisions.  Each of the 46 honorees were recognized by the Superintendent of Schools and School Board members, received a plaque and gifts of appreciation including a $100 Visa card funded by sponsors, and enjoyed a reception with their family, Principals and other CCSD leaders.

The March edition of the CCSD Connections parent newsletter now is online here and features an important update on the State-mandated school calendar issue and new troubling education legislation.  The newsletter also includes two brief surveys on our Strategic Plan and communications… please participate to help CCSD continuously improve!

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week... please help us celebrate Dean Rusk Middle School 2019 Teacher of the Year Bonnie Jackson!
Bonnie Jackson is a teacher’s teacher.  

Our school media specialists are extraordinary, and we’re profiling our Innovation Zones’ Media Specialists of the Year to celebrate them. Please read all about the Cherokee Innovation Zone honoree, Anne Nechvatal of Cherokee High School!

Anne Nechvatal has made a lasting impact on the profession of media specialist, with countless colleagues throughout CCSD and statewide naming her as inspiration and mentor.

Do you know the rules of the road when encountering school buses?  When to stop and when you can keep going?  Check out this video - http://bit.ly/stop4bus - to learn more. #SafeCherokee

The Cherokee County School District is celebrating the importance of literacy with its second annual month-long “Get CCSD Reading” campaign! 

In support of the statewide Get Georgia Reading initiative, the program kicks off with Read Across America Day on Friday, a nationwide reading event that coincides with renowned children’s book author and illustrator Dr. Seuss’s March 2 birthday.

The Cherokee County School District and one of its leaders are finalists for national school spirit awards!

The Varsity Brands School Spirit Awards celebrate schools, organizations and individuals who “go above and beyond the call of duty to build school pride, student engagement and community spirit.”  

The finalists list just released by the company names Woodstock High School Principal Mark Smith as a contender for its Most Spirited Principal award, and CCSD for the Spirit of St. Jude Award.  Winners will be announced at the company’s School Spirit Awards Show in Orlando on May 11.  

The Cherokee County School District recognized 301 extraordinary high school juniors as Superintendent’s Key Scholars!

Twenty-two Cherokee County School District students are headed to the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair next month!

CCSD’s top young scientists and engineers recently competed at the Northwest Georgia Regional Science and Engineering Fair, where 22 students – all from three schools: E.T. Booth Middle, Freedom Middle and Woodstock High -- earned first-place and the opportunity to advance to the State event.  The State fair is at the University of Georgia from March 28-30.  

The Cherokee County School District seeks to score with a new math campaign and competition connected to the excitement of college basketball’s “March Madness.”

The month-long CCSD Math Madness celebration begins this week in schools across CCSD, with activities planned by the Office of Curriculum & Instruction that encourage problem-solving, real-world math application… and fun!  Students in kindergarten through fifth grade also will have the chance to win prizes through an i-Ready Math March Madness competition using CCSD’s online math system.

The Cherokee County School District has kicked off a significant update to its five-year Strategic Plan and began the process with community engagement.

The School District, with the support of the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), is developing a new plan aligned with the community’s vision for the future and designed to be better understood and appreciated by the community and more accurately implemented and measured by CCSD staff.

The Cherokee County School District will offer a variety of summer school learning opportunities from June 5-25 for high school students including rising ninth-graders.

In addition to offering a wide selection of courses for students who need to retake classes not passed during the regular school year, Personal Fitness and Health courses will be offered for initial high school credit.  

The Cherokee County School Board on Friday, Dec. 14, presented its 2019 Legislative Partnership Priorities to members of the county’s Legislative Delegation, including pleas for continued local control of educational decisions and increased State funding for school safety and security.

The annual breakfast meeting hosted by the School Board included a review by School Board Chair Kyla Cromer of those Priorities, as well as time for the legislators to share what issues they plan to advocate for during the session.