CCSD joins the Georgia School Boards Association in celebrating March 9-13 as School Board Appreciation Week! We recognize the critical role that our board plays in setting the district's vision, ensuring accountability, and supporting student achievement. Their leadership helps guide our district forward, and we are grateful for their continued service to our students and community.
We were pleased to welcome more than 120 attendees to our Educator Career Fair this past Saturday and even more excited to issue eight contingent teaching contracts for the 2026-27 school year on-site while adding many others to our talent pool network and beginning conversations with them about anticipated openings at our schools! See more photos from the event on our Facebook page! Whether you're a soon-to-be college grad or a prospective career changer who aspires to be a teacher, or a veteran teacher planning a move to the Athens-Clarke County area, you can find a list of current openings and positions that have been posted for next school year at ccsdjobs.org.
A few scenes from a great JagFest event this past Saturday at Cedar Shoals High School, where teens and families had an opportunity to explore several real-world topics — including career and workforce readiness, healthy habits, stress management, healthy relationships, conflict resolution, and tips for parenting Generation Alpha — through workshops and group discussions. Thanks to all who attended and provided support for the event!
We were honored to host the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) Region 7 Spelling Bee at Clarke Middle School this past Saturday. We are additionally proud of our officials and our very own representative, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle's Phoebe Geisenhof, who finished in third place out of 21 contestants!
Getting set for our 2026 Educator Career Fair tomorrow! Whether you're a soon-to-be college graduate looking for your first teaching job, a veteran educator moving to the Athens-Clarke County area, or someone who is considering/preparing for a career change and ready to make a difference in the lives of students, there is a place for you here! Come see us Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon, interact with principals and building leaders, have the opportunity interview for a position and potentially be offered on the spot, and learn more about working in CCSD! Register at bit.ly/CCSDEducatorFair2026 or in person! See you TOMORROW!
Scenes from last night's Athens Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and awards celebration, where our Teacher of the Year, Timothy Pritchett of Barnett Shoals Elementary School, was presented with the Educator of the Year Award. What a wonderful, inspiring evening!
A wonderful celebration of history, literacy, and community at Bettye H. Holston Elementary School's annual Leaders as Readers event, as more than 40 community members and district staff visited to read books centered around African American history to students of all grade levels. Thank you to all those who volunteered their time today!
Scenes from today's Clarke County STAR Student and Teacher awards luncheon, where Clarke Central High School STAR Student Olivia Bergman and STAR Teacher Scott Swain and Cedar Shoals High School STAR Student Christopher Koch and STAR Teacher Tara Stuart were recognized, along with the STAR students and teachers from Athens Christian School and Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School. Olivia and Mr. Swain were also announced as the "system" winning pair for all public and private schools located in Clarke County and will be in attendance at tomorrow night's regional awards! Congratulations, Olivia and Mr. Swain! Also, another round of congratulations to Chris and Ms. Stuart, and a big thank you to the Classic City of Athens Rotary Club for hosting us today and the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce for continuing to be the local sponsor of this statewide program!
We are excited to announce the 2025-26 Young Georgia Authors contest winners from CCSD! Every spring, our students submit work to their schools, and the winning entries are then judged by a district team. Congratulations to these winners who will now be judged by a panel from Northeast Georgia RESA for the opportunity to advance to the state competition!
Kindergarten - Bosston Simpson, J.J. Harris Elementary
1st grade - Jericho Smothers, Gaines Elementary
2nd grade - Adeline Sheridan, Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary
3rd grade - Baker McKown, Barrow Elementary
4th grade - Noel Garcia Gatica, J.J. Harris Elementary
5th grade - Maya Luciana Arenales Grajeda, Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary
9th grade - Singer Brinson, Clarke Central High
10th grade - Lucianna Russo, Cedar Shoals High
11th grade - Eudora Dawson, Clarke Central
12th grade - Ella Conway, Cedar Shoals
Kindergarten - Bosston Simpson, J.J. Harris Elementary
1st grade - Jericho Smothers, Gaines Elementary
2nd grade - Adeline Sheridan, Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary
3rd grade - Baker McKown, Barrow Elementary
4th grade - Noel Garcia Gatica, J.J. Harris Elementary
5th grade - Maya Luciana Arenales Grajeda, Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary
9th grade - Singer Brinson, Clarke Central High
10th grade - Lucianna Russo, Cedar Shoals High
11th grade - Eudora Dawson, Clarke Central
12th grade - Ella Conway, Cedar Shoals
Elementary soccer season is underway! Check out a full gallery of photos from last night's matches between Timothy Road and Whitehead Road here, and see the full season schedule in this post.
It was a day filled with great professional learning opportunities across all content and student support areas for our teachers and staff! We look forward to welcoming our students back to school tomorrow!
Scenes from last night's Board of Education meeting where we recognized the following students and staff:
• 2026 CCSD District Spelling Bee winner Phoebe Geisenhof of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and runner-up Nora Varsa of Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
• Cedar Shoals High School sophomore Kenia Gonzalez-Chavez for her recent selections to the 2026 Youth LEAD Georgia and Disney Dreamers Academy cohorts
• The Winterville Elementary School cheerleading team for winning its fourth consecutive elementary team championship in the Worldwide Spirit Association Cheer and Dance Competition in Athens and qualifying for the One Prime Finals National Championship in Orlando, Florida
• CCSD Elementary Math Content Coordinator and Lead Curriculum Coordinator Desylin Culliver for winning the 2026 Georgia Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Outstanding Leadership Award
• Fowler Drive Elementary School first-grade teacher Macy Cross for being named CCSD's February Employee of the Month.
Congratulations to all!
• 2026 CCSD District Spelling Bee winner Phoebe Geisenhof of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and runner-up Nora Varsa of Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
• Cedar Shoals High School sophomore Kenia Gonzalez-Chavez for her recent selections to the 2026 Youth LEAD Georgia and Disney Dreamers Academy cohorts
• The Winterville Elementary School cheerleading team for winning its fourth consecutive elementary team championship in the Worldwide Spirit Association Cheer and Dance Competition in Athens and qualifying for the One Prime Finals National Championship in Orlando, Florida
• CCSD Elementary Math Content Coordinator and Lead Curriculum Coordinator Desylin Culliver for winning the 2026 Georgia Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Outstanding Leadership Award
• Fowler Drive Elementary School first-grade teacher Macy Cross for being named CCSD's February Employee of the Month.
Congratulations to all!
Congratulations to Macy Cross, first-grade teacher at Fowler Drive Elementary School, for being named CCSD's February Employee of the Month! Ms. Cross is in her fifth year at FDES and was nominated by second-grade teacher (and this year's Fowler Teacher of the Year) Samantha Yvellez for consistently going above and beyond to support her students’ academic and personal growth and demonstrating dedication through thoughtful lesson planning, strong classroom management, and a genuine commitment to meeting the diverse needs of all learners. Ms. Cross was surprised with the award this morning by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott and will be publicly recognized at tomorrow night's Board of Education meeting. Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for this award at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott visited Ms. Dametrice Johnson's second-grade class at Timothy Road Elementary School this morning to read "Opal Lee and What It Means to be Free" as part of the school's ongoing monthlong celebration of African American history featuring guest readers from the TRES staff, district office, and the community.
Known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," Opal Lee is still living at age 99 and is a retired elementary school teacher and counselor known for being a leading champion in the movement that made Juneteenth a federally-designated holiday in 2021. Ms. Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.
Dr. Scott spoke to Ms. Johnson's students about Ms. Lee's legacy and the meaning of Juneteenth, and the students in turn asked her some questions inspired by their recent Wit and Wisdom lessons in African American history.
Known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," Opal Lee is still living at age 99 and is a retired elementary school teacher and counselor known for being a leading champion in the movement that made Juneteenth a federally-designated holiday in 2021. Ms. Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.
Dr. Scott spoke to Ms. Johnson's students about Ms. Lee's legacy and the meaning of Juneteenth, and the students in turn asked her some questions inspired by their recent Wit and Wisdom lessons in African American history.
TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN! A flashback to two years ago when CCSD warehouseman Gonzales "Zake" Adkins was recognized for 50 years of service to the district and won the Employee of the Month award that year. Today is Mr. Zake's 52nd work anniversary, and he still holds the distinction as CCSD's longest-serving employee, providing truly exceptional service to our schools since Feb. 6, 1974!
A wonderful display of family and community support last night during Winterville Elementary School's annual Student Art Show! We have 143 students with their work on display at the Winterville Cultural Center through the end of March, so come check it out during the center's normal business hours! A huge thank you to Winterville Elementary art teacher Carlin Jay for her encouragement of the students, the Winterville Arts Council for hosting the event, and the Winterville Family Staff Partnership for providing refreshments!
As we returned to school this morning, Whitehead Road Elementary School students were fully engaged in interactive Black History Month activities through a "Read-in Sit-in." Grade-appropriate read-alouds and activities centered on the Civil Rights movement and how sit-ins and other collective actions inspired lasting change and progress.
REMINDER: Share your thoughts by this weekend on the CCSD Superintendent Search! Go to qrco.de/CCSDsearch to complete the survey, available in English and Spanish (select language in top right-hand corner). And stay up to date on the search process at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/superintendent-search.
Congratulations to the CCSD District Spelling Bee CHAMPION, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School's Phoebe Geisenhof and RUNNER-UP, Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School's Nora Varsa! Full photo gallery on the CCSD Facebook page coming Saturday!
Scenes from the Clarke County Mentor Program's Annual Breakfast Celebration this morning, where we were honored to receive the Celebrating Connections Award, along with the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, marking 35 years of a treasured partnership with the mentor program in making a difference in the lives of countless CCSD students.
The Mentor Program also presented the Community Impact Award in honor of its late former long-time Executive Director, Trudy Bradley, to her children, Tod and Bridget. The award was presented by U.S. District Court Judge, Cedar Shoals High School alum, and Clarke County mentor, Steve Jones.
Remember: The many, many success stories of this incredible program over the years have been made possible by community members just like you! Learn more about becoming a mentor to a CCSD student and start the process today at clarkecountymentorprogram.org.
