CCSD Celebrates 2020 Partners and Volunteers of the Year
CCSD Recognizes 2020 Volunteers of the Year
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, left, surprises Brian Tomalavage, the Free Home Elementary School Volunteer of the Year, with the news he is the Cherokee County School District 2020 Volunteer of the Year. Mr. Tomalavage formed a Watch DOGS program at Free Home ES to encourage more dads, grandfathers and other male family members to become school volunteers.
The Cherokee County School District is celebrating outstanding school volunteers through its Seventh Annual CCSD Volunteer of the Year awards!
Through the annual program, every CCSD school selects a Volunteer of the Year to honor. From that pool of exceptional school volunteers, a committee made up of retired educators and community leaders selects an overall CCSD 2020 Volunteer of the Year. This year’s winner is Brian Tomalavage, the Free Home Elementary School Volunteer of the Year!
While the traditional recognition ceremony could not be held this year, plaques are being delivered to all of the school-level winners thanks to the continuing sponsorship of the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Every week, a different school Volunteer of the Year will be featured on CCSD social media platforms. The Foundation also sponsors the CCSD Partner of the Year recognition program, and those winners will be announced soon.
“We are a better School District and a better community because of our willingness to work together for our children,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “We could never repay our outstanding volunteers for their dedicated service, but these awards are a way to recognize them and thank them. They are making a positive difference in the lives of our students.”
Mr. Tomalavage formed a Watch DOGS program at Free Home Elementary School to encourage more dads, grandfathers and other male family members to become school volunteers. Through the program, which he chaired while also serving as President of the School Council, Mr. Tomalavage engaged these volunteers in car-rider duty, campus improvement projects, and manning the book fair and other events.
He personally volunteered in all these roles and more, but the one most important, according to former Free Home ES Principal Kim Hagood, who now serves at Carmel ES, was role model.
“Many students enjoyed just spending time with him,” she said. “It is obvious to them that he is genuinely interested in what they have to say. This alone can change the course of a child’s day!”
#CCSDunited #CCSDfam
Above: Celebrating the announcement that Brian Tomalavage, the Free Home Elementary School Volunteer of the Year, is the Cherokee County School District 2020 Volunteer of the Year are, from left to right, former Free Home ES Principal Kim Hagood, who nominated him for the award and now is Principal at Carmel ES; Mr. Tomalavage; Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower; and Free Home ES Principal Julie Peppers. Below: Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, left, congratulates Brian Tomalavage, the Free Home Elementary School Volunteer of the Year, for earning the Cherokee County School District 2020 Volunteer of the Year award.
2020 CCSD Volunteers of the Year:
Arnold Mill Elementary School
Dusty Elmore
Avery Elementary School
Linda Fulton
Ball Ground ES STEM Academy
Linda Miller
Bascomb Elementary School
Michelle Helvey
Boston Elementary School
Michael Burton
Carmel Elementary School
Staci Powell
Cherokee High School
James Butler
CCSD Preschool Center – Johnston
Soleil Charity Committee
CCSD Preschool Center - Ralph Bunche
Laurel Canyon Optimist Club
Clark Creek ES STEM Academy
Kathy Sanders
Clayton Elementary School
Debbie Champion
Creekland Middle School
Tessa Craig
Creekview High School
Jeff Stokes
Dean Rusk Middle School
Mitzi Hamilton
E.T. Booth Middle School
Susan Honea
Etowah High School
Kimberle Crosby
Free Home Elementary School
Brian Tomalavage
Freedom Middle School
Di Graves
Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy
Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy PTA Executive Board
Hickory Flat Elementary School
Jessica Falls
Holly Springs ES STEM Academy
Sarah Reed
Indian Knoll Elementary School
Jeanette Smith
Johnston Elementary School
Emily Meyer
Knox ES STEM Academy
Tiffany Bird
Liberty Elementary School
Charlie Thomas
Little River Elementary School
Natalia Jones
Macedonia Elementary School
Alyson Conley
Mill Creek Middle School
Mill Creek MS PTSA Executive Board
Mountain Road Elementary School
Chanda Schwab
Oak Grove ES Fine Arts Academy
Lorna Westphal
R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy
Alexandra Stark
River Ridge High School
Brenda Page
Sequoyah High School
Paula Cangemi
Sixes Elementary School
Melissa Meyer
Teasley Middle School
Renee Johnson
Tippens Education Center
Teddye Holloway
Woodstock Elementary School
Woodstock ES PTA Executive Board
Woodstock High School
Dacia Shackelford
Woodstock Middle School
Jennifer Carpenter
CCSD Recognizes 2020 Partners of the Year
Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, right, greets Reinhardt University Football Team Head Coach James Miller at the surprise awards presentation on Friday at which the team was named the Cherokee County School District 2020 Partner of the Year.
The Cherokee County School District is celebrating outstanding school community partners through its Seventh Annual CCSD Partner of the Year awards!
Through the annual program, every CCSD school selects a Partner of the Year to honor. From that pool of outstanding partners, a committee of retired educators and community leaders selects an overall CCSD 2020 Partner of the Year.
While the traditional recognition ceremony could not be held this year, plaques are being delivered to all of the school-level winners thanks to the continuing sponsorship of the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Every week, a different school Partner of the Year will be featured on CCSD social media platforms.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower on Friday surprised the CCSD overall winner in person: the Reinhardt University Football Team, the R.M. Moore Elementary School STEM Academy Partner of the Year!
“Our school partners give of their time, talent and treasure to support our schools, and we’re so thankful for their generosity,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “Reinhardt University is a longtime exemplary partner for our schools and our School District as a whole. I’m so impressed by the program that earned Reinhardt this honor, and the positive impact Reinhardt students through their volunteerism are having on our students and our community as a whole.”
The RU Eagles football players and coaches, led by Head Coach James Miller, were recognized for their support of R.M. Moore’s MOD (Men of Distinction) Squad program, which pairs football players up with a fourth- or fifth-grade boy in need of a mentor who can provide guidance, tutoring and support.
The program’s initial goal, Principal Dr. Abby May said, was to improve students’ self-esteem and academic achievement and build a sense of community, but the success has been far greater.
“It has been an incredible transformation,” Dr. May said of the program’s positive impact on the 40 elementary school students who have participated. She said one of the most touching stories was to see how when an R.M. Moore student was placed in foster care, his Reinhardt mentor stepped up his support in response. “He showed him he wasn’t alone. He never failed to keep in touch with him during this trying time.”
The football players grow from the experience as well, she said, noting that they have told her how being a role model to the boys influences them to be better men.
“This partnership is not one of monetary benefit or gain, but of something much more,” she said. “This partnership is about relationships and building a culture of support for two groups of students who truly needed each other.”
#CCSDunited #CCSDfam
2020 CCSD Partners of the Year
ACE Academy
Northside Hospital Cherokee
Arnold Mill Elementary School
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Avery Elementary School
Cherokee Farm Bureau
Ball Ground ES STEM Academy
Chick-fil-A, Riverstone
Bascomb Elementary School
Keller Williams Realty Partner Penny + Co
Boston Elementary School
Alma Coffee
Carmel Elementary School
Cherokee Theatre Company
Cherokee High School
MUST Ministries
CCSD Preschool Center – Johnston
Credit Union of Georgia
CCSD Preschool Center- Ralph Bunche
Christian Egner Foundation
Clark Creek ES STEM Academy
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Clayton Elementary School
Maria Sims Group and Zack Bobo Real Estate
Creekland Middle School
Northside Hospital Cherokee
Creekview High School
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant, Macedonia
Dean Rusk Middle School
Modern Woodmen of America
E.T. Booth Middle School
The Premier Group
Etowah High School
Matiak Foundation
Free Home Elementary School
Canton Optimist Club
Freedom Middle School
Knox Bridge Dental Care
Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy
Rotary Club of Canton
Hickory Flat Elementary School
Buffalo's Café, Canton
Holly Springs ES STEM Academy
Modern Woodmen of America
Indian Knoll Elementary School
The Premier Group
Johnston Elementary School
NASA TopHat (NTH), Cherokee
Knox ES STEM Academy
J.M. Huber Corporation
Liberty Elementary School
Cherokee Children's Dentistry
Little River Elementary School
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Macedonia Elementary School
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant, Macedonia
Mill Creek Middle School
Horace Mann Insurance, The Holman Agency
Mountain Road Elementary School
ACME Property Group
Oak Grove ES Fine Arts Academy
YANMAR EVO//Center
R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy
Reinhardt University - Eagles Football Team
River Ridge High School
LGE Community Credit Union
Sequoyah High School
AME Companies and The Foundation for Ashley's Dream
Sixes Elementary School
The Premier Group
Teasley Middle School
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Tippens Education Center
Allegro Business Products
Woodstock Elementary School
Kiwanis Club of Greater Cherokee
Woodstock High School
Tidwell Strimban Injury Lawyers
Woodstock Middle School
Chick-fil-A, Towne Lake
Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, right, and R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy Principal Dr. Abby May, center, congratulate the Reinhardt University Football Team, the school’s Partner of the Year, as the overall Cherokee County School District 2020 Partner of the Year.
Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, right, and R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy Principal Dr. Abby May congratulate James Miller, head coach for the Reinhardt University Football Team, the school’s Partner of the Year, as the overall Cherokee County School District 2020 Partner of the Year.
Reinhardt University Football Team players watch a video featuring R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy students thanking them for volunteering as their mentors through the team’s partnership with the school.