2023 Superintendent's Game Changer Awards
2023 Awards
Instructional Excellence: Rebecca Coleman
An elementary school teacher has earned a top honor from the Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools!
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower this week presented the 2023 Game Changer Award for Instructional Excellence to Rebecca Coleman, a second-grade teacher at Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy!
Four Game Changer awards are presented by Dr. Hightower each year: Instructional Excellence to a classroom teacher, Instructional Support, to an employee who serves in a support staff role, Instructional Leadership to a school or district leader and Instructional Advocacy to a non-CCSD employee.
“The importance of early literacy is a topic that’s very much in the news lately, but it’s been a priority and a success story for Rebecca since she began teaching,” Dr. Hightower said. “She’s a rockstar teacher, who brings powerful game changing practices to her reading lessons each day. Her principal sings her praises, as do Rebecca’s colleagues and her students’ families. We’re grateful for all she does to support her students’ literacy growth and how she shares her expertise with her fellow teachers.”
Ms. Coleman joined CCSD in 2014 as a paraprofessional and began her teaching career in 2015. She was named her school’s 2021 Teacher of the Year by her colleagues and also has earned the Elbert K. Fretwell Outstanding Educator Award presented by Boy Scouts of America.
Dr. Hightower surprised Ms. Coleman in front of her colleagues at their afternoon faculty meeting, where he was joined in praising her by Principal Joey Moss and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Nicole H. Holmes. She was presented with a special plaque to celebrate the honor.
Instructional Support: Kim Boehman
A high school student success coach has earned a top honor from the Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools!
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower this week presented the 2023 Game Changer Award for Instructional Support to Kim Boehman, who serves as River Ridge High School’s student success coach.
Four Game Changer awards are presented by Dr. Hightower each year: Instructional Support, to an employee who serves in a support staff role, Instructional Excellence to a classroom teacher, Instructional Leadership to a school or district leader and Instructional Advocacy to a non-CCSD employee.
Formerly known as graduation coaches, a high school student success coach provides support to students at risk of not graduating on time. They work with teachers, counselors and other staff to ensure the student has the needed support to finish required coursework successfully.
“We’re so proud of Kim and they great work she does to get students who are off track back on and across the finish line!” Dr. Hightower said of Ms. Boehman, a former English teacher for River Ridge HS, who joined CCSD in 2021. “She is well-loved and respected by students, families and her colleagues for the care, dedication and resourcefulness she demonstrates daily. Our success coaches are game changers, and Kim is at the top of her game.”
Dr. Hightower surprised Ms. Boehman in front of her colleagues at their morning faculty meeting, where he was joined in praising her by Principal Todd Miller. She was presented with a special plaque to celebrate the honor.
Instructional Leadership: Dr. Erin Jacobs
A STEM learning leader has earned a top honor from the Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools!
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower this week presented the 2023 Game Changer Award for Instructional Leadership to Dr. Erin Jacobs, CCSD’s curriculum coordinator for STEM and science.
Four Game Changer awards are presented by Dr. Hightower each year: Instructional Leadership to a school or district leader, Instructional Excellence to a classroom teacher, Instructional Support, to an employee who serves in a support staff role and Instructional Advocacy to a non-CCSD employee.
“Our school district is known as a leader in STEM education. That reputation is to the dedication of Erin and the teachers who have risen as STEM instructional leaders under her guidance,” Dr. Hightower said. “In recent weeks we have achieved two major accomplishments – receiving recommendation for Cognia international recognition for our STEM programs and earning a national grant for STEM learning. Erin played a leadership role in both endeavors, and we’re so grateful she shares her education, experience and enthusiasm for STEM learning with us every day.”
Dr. Jacobs joined CCSD in 2011 as a science teacher at Etowah High School, and was tapped in 2017 to serve as the school’s instructional lead strategist. In 2018, Dr. Jacobs was asked to join the CCSD Curriculum & Instruction division as a teacher on special assignment and was promoted in 2021 to her current role, which also includes oversight of health and PE curriculum and instruction.
All of CCSD’s middle schools as well as Woodstock High School and R.M. Moore ES, Knox ES and Ball Ground ES STEM Academies recently underwent the challenging Cognia STEM certification application and review process, and all received recommendations for certification approval. CCSD will receive official certification and a full report from Cognia this summer. To earn certification, schools must demonstrate success in four main areas: STEM Community, STEM Learning Culture, STEM Experiences and STEM Outcomes, and Dr. Jacobs guided schools through this process. Schools demonstrate this excellence through significant documentation, which is vetted and then verified through in-person site visits by a Cognia review team.
Additionally, CCSD is one of only 10 school systems nationwide to earn the 2023 Make a Change grant from the national Argument Driven Inquiry educational organization. The $75,000 grant, which Dr. Jacobs successfully applied for, will fund “Future Ready Graduates: Elementary Integration with ADI,” an expansion of CCSD’s successful argument driven inquiry program (ADI) already in place for grades 6-12 into elementary schools to further enhance science and math instruction. The research based instructional model increases students’ math and science knowledge while also developing their writing, presentation, problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Dr. Hightower surprised Dr. Jacobs in front of her colleagues at a staff meeting, where he was joined in praising her by Chief Academic Officer Dr. Nicole H. Holmes. Dr. Jacobs was presented with a special plaque to celebrate the honor.
Instructional Advocacy: Misti Martin
The Cherokee County School District has recognized a local business and community leader for her educational advocacy!
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower presented the 2023 Superintendent’s Game Changer Award for Instructional Advocacy to Cherokee Office of Economic Development President and CEO Misti Martin. The presentation was made at the Skilled Professionals Signing Day event on Tuesday night in Woodstock at which graduating CCSD seniors entering the skilled workforce are celebrated for their career choice.
Four Game Changer Awards are given each year: Instructional Excellence to a classroom teacher, Instructional Leadership to a school or district leader, Instructional Support to an employee who serves in a support staff role, and Instructional Advocacy to a non-CCSD employee.
Dr. Hightower praised Ms. Martin, a CCSD alumna, for her longtime support of CCSD through her role with the Office of Economic Development.
“Misti’s investment of her time and talent into our community’s children will pay off for generations,” Dr. Hightower said. “Our students directly benefit from the opportunities she and her team have created, and our community also benefits by gaining a better qualified workforce that chooses Cherokee as where they want to work, live and succeed. She has definitely positively changed the game for our students, and we’re so grateful she chooses to support them.”
Under Ms. Martin’s leadership, the office developed the Cherokee Workforce Collaborative. The collaborative united her office, CCSD, the county government, local businesses and industries and local colleges and universities to together increase awareness among students and parents of the skilled professional career opportunities available in Cherokee.
The collaborative’s numerous successful programs include the summer internship program, which offers high school students the opportunity to learn about careers and earn pay from local employers; the Be Pro Be Proud statewide initiative to raise skilled professional career awareness among high school and middle students through a mobile career lab classroom; an externship program for high school counselors to visit employers to learn more about careers for students; and Skilled Professionals Signing Day event.
Ms. Martin’s leadership in regard to the film industry also has benefitted students, through her office’s collaboration with CCSD Career Pathway film and video teachers and local film and video industry professionals. That collaboration has led to successful programs including the annual student film summit and annual student film festival.
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