VILLA parent academy
The Cherokee County School District’s fourth annual VILLA Program, which encourages and celebrates parent engagement, has graduated a new class!
The award-winning parent academy program began as an idea championed by Cherokee County School Board Chair Kyla Cromer. It then was developed by CCSD with the Georgia School Boards Association as a statewide pilot initiative. CCSD’s VILLA program in 2019 earned GSBA’s inaugural Leading Edge Award, which recognizes innovative practices by governance teams and school districts.
“Parent engagement is critical to our success, and the School Board and I see VILLA as an important way for us to foster that engagement,” Ms. Cromer said. “We greatly appreciate the growing number of parents who want to learn more about our school district and how they can better support our schools and our students.”
VILLA (Volunteer Instructional Leadership Learning Academy) is a free six-week program that offers participants the opportunity to learn more about the public schools in their community. Topics including school operations, curriculum and instruction, governance, funding and accountability are covered in classes that include presentations by CCSD staff and question-and-answer sessions with the School Board and Superintendent of Schools. Participants also take a field trip to visit schools, complete with a school bus ride and school lunch. Classes are held in the fall and culminate with graduation at the School Board's November meeting.
Costs associated with the program are funded through the generous sponsorship of Credit Union of Georgia, a CCSD Partner.
Class size is limited, with participants selected by application. Information about the 2023-24 program will be posted next year on the CCSD website and social media and included in the CCSD Connections monthly parent newsletter.
VILLA CLASS OF 2022-23
Beth Bennett
Amina Borrero
Kimberley Brown
Jessica Buckner
Lori Burton
Sarah Burton
Celeste Charleston
Christine Clark
Yvonne Conforti
Nicole Ellery
Leanne Etienne
Alejandra Labra
Caroline Masak
Maggie Orozco Tolbert
Brenda Page
Mariela Perez
Stephanie Portman
Kristin Rollins
Helen Searcy
Catherine Shook
Sarah Thomason