Some great news in recent days about our Thriving Students, including:
•Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School orchestra selected to play at Carnegie Hall
•Clarke Central High School senior and ODYSSEY Media Group Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Meyer named a finalist for National Journalist of the Year by the Journalism Education Association!
•BHL eighth-grader Charlie Crawford won first place in the Junior Individual Website category in the state National History Day competition and will represent CCSD at nationals! Cedar Shoals High School sophomores Sa-ida Arnold, Savannah Rawls, and Caitlin Smith finished third in the Senior Group Documentary category and have been named alternates for nationals.
•Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals FFA members shine at state convention.
Read more about these accomplishments over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
A fun Tuesday night at the District Office gym where our elementary volleyball team through the Athens Youth Development Initiative representing six different CCSD elementary schools topped Madison County, winning three of four sets to remain undefeated on the season! Congratulations to these girls on the win! See more photos over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Thanks to CPR First Response Safety Training for providing a training class today in first aid, CPR, and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for many of our District Office employees! Departments represented included Plant Services, Transportation, Technology, Safety and Energy, Innovation, Strategy, and Governance, and Health and PE.
A great day this past Saturday at the annual CCSD Young Scientist Fair at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School. More photos over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Scenes from Milestones pep rally fun Friday afternoon at Fowler Drive Elementary and Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle schools! More photos over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Scenes from recognitions at last night's Board of Education meeting:
•Governors Honors Program finalists from Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School
•The Hilsman Middle School Student Council for the numerous state awards they won this year and have won in recent years
•First Sergeant Antione Clark of Clarke Central, CCSD's April Employee of the Month
Congratulations to all!
Congratulations to the Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary girls and Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary boys on winning the 2025 CCSD Elementary Soccer League championships! More photos over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
The Wildcats were ROARING this afternoon at Whit Davis Elementary for the Georgia Milestones "prep" rally! Students in grades 3-5 paraded through the halls to the loud cheers of students in the lower grade levels and then had a motivational talk from principal Latinda Dean and members of the Georgia Football team. Thank you to Bo Hughley, Miles Thornton, Tyler Williams, and Chris Cole for visiting and spending time with the students. We can't wait for these Wildcats and all of our students across CCSD to rock the test next week! More photos available on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Members of the Cedar Shoals High School FFA were recognized at today's Rotary Club of Athens meeting for their placings in the National FFA Agriscience Fair last fall. FFA faculty advisor Julie Throne also gave remarks. Congratulations to Derriana Smith, Stephanie Emegwam, Alessandra Perez, Amelia Hembree, and Lawrence Hodges, and thank you to the Rotary Club for helping sponsor the FFA's trip to Indianapolis for the convention!
Congratulations to First Sergeant Antione Clark, JROTC instructor at Clarke Central High School, on being named the CCSD Employee of the Month for April! 1SG Clark was nominated by two parents who praised him for his ability to meet each student where they are and support and encourage them on their respective journeys. He was surprised at the school this morning by Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and will be recognized at tomorrow night's Board of Education meeting. As a reminder, anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for this award. We have ONE MORE award to give out this school year so get those nominations in at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward!
Yesterday, we hosted a team from the Georgia Department of Education and neighboring school districts for a review of our Local Facilities Plan for capital improvement projects. Updated and reviewed formally every five years, the plan looks at student enrollment and the age of our buildings' systems and components, such as roofs and A/C units, and determines whether the district may qualify for capital improvements from the state, which we can then request.
We are pleased to share that our plan was approved and we can now submit applications for capital improvement reimbursements for facilities that qualify. Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker, Director of Facility Planning and Construction John Gilbreath, and Construction Project Manager Troy Bassett presented the plan for CCSD. Great job and thank you to our facilities team for their efforts!
Recent excitement from our Transportation team as they have resumed their monthly Student Excellence awards, designed to encourage and reward students who exemplify good deeds, respect, and responsibility during their daily bus commutes. By shining a light on their efforts, we aim to create a more positive and supportive environment on all our buses. Congratulations to Camille Barnett of Whit Davis Elementary (East side winner for March), Joselin Quijada of Cleveland Road Elementary (West side winner), and Kalli Smith of Timothy Road Elementary (Special Needs winner), who were surprised at their school in recent days while members of the transportation team were there to perform the department's school bus safety skit and had the chance to take a picture with their bus drivers!
Nominations are made each month by bus drivers and monitors and reviewed and decided on by the Transportation team based on students exhibiting respectful behavior, a positive attitude, good citizenship, and following the rules. Winners receive a certificate and gift card, and an overall winner will be announced toward the end of the school year.
Four brilliant students from J.J. Harris Elementary School spoke today at the Classic City of Athens Rotary Club - putting some of the writing and public speaking skills they've been learning to the test by delivering speeches to the group about the perils of discrimination and the importance of treating everyone equally and with respect. A job well done by Harmonie Browner, Jesli Escalante Rivera, Juan Abarco Victoriano, and Bentley Thomas! Thank you to the Rotary Club for hosting these students, and thank you to J.J. Harris principal and Rotarian Dr. Beverly Harper for showcasing these exceptional young people who are part of our bright future!
Today a team from the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Power visited CCSD for a look at our Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education pathways and programs as part of our application to become an Economic Development Partnership District, a designation which recognizes school districts for their strong CTAE programs, work-based learning opportunities, and commitment to workforce development. The team had a chance to tour the instructional labs and learning spaces at the Athens Community Career Academy and the new CTAE building in progress at Cedar Shoals High School and hear from panels of students and teachers representing ACCA, Cedar Shoals, and Clarke Central High School about how the programs are providing students with more access to well-paying jobs across multiple areas that meet local and regional workforce demands. The group capped the day off with a tour of one of our key industry partners, ABB, which provides internship and work opportunities for CCSD students. More photos over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
A great opening reception of the Confluence pop-up art exhibition at Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, featuring works from many of our talented high school students. The exhibition will be on display through Monday, March 24, so make sure to stop by! More info at athica.org.
A tremendous turnout at Clarke Central High School last night for the public reception for the "Anne Frank: A History for Today" traveling international exhibit. Thank you to the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia Jewish Studies Program for your support in bringing this exhibit to Clarke Central, the only K-12 school in Georgia to host the exhibit during its current tour. And thank you and congratulations to teacher Meghan McNeeley, the 18 students who served as docents for the reception, the other 20+ student volunteers, and everyone else who helped make this a successful event and special evening. More photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
A truly special day at Clarke Central High School filled with joy and excitement as many of our students competed in the annual Spring Special Olympics! Job well done by all of these fantastic students and a huge thank you to the staff, volunteers, and community members and organizations who help make these events possible! See more photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Another informative session this morning with the latest in our Business Services Division's series of *free* community workshops designed to engage current and prospective vendors on the process of successfully doing business with CCSD! This morning's session focused on accounts payable processes, as members of our AP team walked attendees through the procedures of ensuring our vendors get paid on time. As a reminder, to submit an invoice or changes to a payment address or for general questions about CCSD's invoice and payment processing practices, email ap@clarke.k12.ga.us.
Also, be sure to mark your calendar for our next vendor workshop, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 29 and focus on contract management and expectations. And be on the lookout for details of our next Midday Meetup lunch with our Business Services team!
A very nice surprise this morning at Winterville Elementary School as representatives from Northeast Georgia RESA presented music teacher Madison Graham with the organization's Shared Services Positive Partnership Award! The award celebrates school-level teachers and staff who partner with RESA Shared Services in a meaningful way to meet the needs of students. Mr. Graham was nominated by members of the regional Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing staff who work at the school for his efforts at creating a more inclusive environment for D/HH students – including teaching the entire class sign-language movements to songs.
Thank you to the team at RESA for this recognition of Mr. Graham and thank you to Mr. Graham for all the work you do and for affirming one of CCSD's core beliefs – that learning occurs best in cultures where staff and students feel a sense of belonging, safety and support.
Scenes from last night's Board of Education meeting where we recognized Clarke Central High School state SkillsUSA champions Grayson Krause and Zach Bergman and Silver medalist Dan Bray, along with our March Employee of the Month, Sarah Lockman from Whitehead Road Elementary School. Congratulations to these winners!
