CONGRATULATIONS to the Coile Middle School girls and Clarke Middle School boys on winning the 2026 CCSD middle school basketball championships! Also congratulations to the Coile boys and Hilsman Middle School girls on their runner-up finishes!
Check out our full Facebook gallery for scenes from this morning's University of Georgia MLK Freedom Breakfast!
Scenes from last night's Board of Education meeting, where we recognized:
• Robby Davis of Barrow Elementary School for winning first place among all third-graders statewide in the fall 2025 Noetic Learning Math Contest
• the winners of the 2025-26 MLK Art and Writing Contest
• CCSD Student Information Support Specialist Genoveva Gonzalez for her selection as the district's Employee of the Month for January
• David Diaz, receptionist and ASP coordinator at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School for being named a winner in the sixth annual GLISI "Hidden Heroes" online voting campaign.
Congratulations once again to all these students and staff members!
• Robby Davis of Barrow Elementary School for winning first place among all third-graders statewide in the fall 2025 Noetic Learning Math Contest
• the winners of the 2025-26 MLK Art and Writing Contest
• CCSD Student Information Support Specialist Genoveva Gonzalez for her selection as the district's Employee of the Month for January
• David Diaz, receptionist and ASP coordinator at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School for being named a winner in the sixth annual GLISI "Hidden Heroes" online voting campaign.
Congratulations once again to all these students and staff members!
Congratulations to Genoveva Gonzalez, student information support specialist in the District Office, on being named our Employee of the Month for January!
Ms. Gonzalez has worked for CCSD since 2007 and has been with the Office of Information Support Services for 13 years. In her role, she assists families with setting up and making changes to their Parent Portal accounts and also provides training and support to schools to provide the same assistance and maximize the use of our Infinite Campus system so that families and students can get the information they need, when they need it.
Ms. Gonzalez was nominated by one of our building leaders, who praised her for taking on extra responsibilities recently due to current vacancies in her office, but still maintaining the office's standard of excellent customer service. She is one of the many CCSD employees whose tireless, behind-the-scenes work is invaluable and keeps operations flowing smoothly.
Ms. Gonzalez was surprised with the award today 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.
Howard B. Stroud Elementary School students Claire Babalola and Bailey McDowell, with the guidance of their teacher, Ms. Kelly Parker, were the top earners in the entire district in the statewide Stock Market Game that took place this fall! Their team was ranked 388th out of thousands of teams across Georgia as they made over $4,000 in profit in just 10 weeks. Way go, Superstars, and good luck in the spring game!
CCSD is pleased to announce the winners of our 2025-26 school-level spelling bees! These 18 students, representing the 14 elementary schools and four middle schools across the district, will now compete in the annual district bee on Friday, Jan. 30.
The event will be held at the District Office, starting at 10 a.m., and will be live-streamed and available for on-demand viewing on the CCSD YouTube channel! The winner will advance to the region bee in February for the chance to qualify for the state bee.
Barnett Shoals Elementary - Leila Hussain, 4th grade
Barrow Elementary - Wilder Steele, 5th grade
Burks Elementary - Nora Varsa, 5th grade
Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle - Phoebe Geisenhof, 7th grade
Clarke Middle - Ione Forschler, 6th grade
Cleveland Road Elementary - Nafaf Thaw, 5th grade
Coile Middle - Gabriel Marcos-Ventura, 8th grade
Fowler Drive Elementary - Aalaiyah Goss Arevalo, 4th grade
Gaines Elementary - Jadon Greene, 5th grade
Hilsman Middle - Kyle DeMott, 6th grade
Holston Elementary - Alaina Sesson, 5th grade
Howard B. Stroud Elementary - Phuong Nguyen, 5th grade
Judia Jackson Harris Elementary - Yesica Umana Acevedo, 5th grade
Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary - Arlo Turner, 3rd grade
Timothy Road Elementary - Jarron Dorsey, 4th grade
Whit Davis Elementary - Naomi Yacob, 5th grade
Whitehead Road Elementary - Natalya Houk, 4th grade
Winterville Elementary - Madeline Davis, 5th grade
The event will be held at the District Office, starting at 10 a.m., and will be live-streamed and available for on-demand viewing on the CCSD YouTube channel! The winner will advance to the region bee in February for the chance to qualify for the state bee.
Barnett Shoals Elementary - Leila Hussain, 4th grade
Barrow Elementary - Wilder Steele, 5th grade
Burks Elementary - Nora Varsa, 5th grade
Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle - Phoebe Geisenhof, 7th grade
Clarke Middle - Ione Forschler, 6th grade
Cleveland Road Elementary - Nafaf Thaw, 5th grade
Coile Middle - Gabriel Marcos-Ventura, 8th grade
Fowler Drive Elementary - Aalaiyah Goss Arevalo, 4th grade
Gaines Elementary - Jadon Greene, 5th grade
Hilsman Middle - Kyle DeMott, 6th grade
Holston Elementary - Alaina Sesson, 5th grade
Howard B. Stroud Elementary - Phuong Nguyen, 5th grade
Judia Jackson Harris Elementary - Yesica Umana Acevedo, 5th grade
Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary - Arlo Turner, 3rd grade
Timothy Road Elementary - Jarron Dorsey, 4th grade
Whit Davis Elementary - Naomi Yacob, 5th grade
Whitehead Road Elementary - Natalya Houk, 4th grade
Winterville Elementary - Madeline Davis, 5th grade
Only ONE WEEK LEFT until our January "Find Your Fit Friday" session! From 2:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, representatives from CCSD's Human Resources Division will meet with prospective employees at the District Office, discuss current vacancies, and share information about the hiring process and pathways to joining the CCSD team.
If you're interested in joining our team and using your talents to promote positive school cultures across the district and to further our mission of creating educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential, register now at bit.ly/3XR6F2Y.
You can also view a list of current teaching and support staff openings at ccsdjobs.org!
Still plenty of time to nominate a CCSD Employee of the Month for January!
Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for the award. The winner will be surprised at their school or building, publicly recognized at the Jan. 9 Clarke County Board of Education meeting, and presented with a gift bag from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce with contributions from several local businesses.
Submit a nomination at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward
Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for the award. The winner will be surprised at their school or building, publicly recognized at the Jan. 9 Clarke County Board of Education meeting, and presented with a gift bag from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce with contributions from several local businesses.
Submit a nomination at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward
Some very exciting news to share about one of our Barrow Elementary School Buddies, as Robby Davis won first place among all third-graders in the entire state of Georgia in this fall's nationwide Noetic Learning Math Contest (NLMC)! Held twice every school year, NLMC is a leading national competition for elementary and middle school students in grades 2-8 and challenges students to think deeply, discover the beauty of mathematics, and build a strong foundation for advanced STEM learning.
In addition to winning first place among all third-graders in Georgia, Robby also made National Honor Roll by placing in the top 10% out of all the more than 33,000 students in 619 schools across the U.S. who took part in the competition this fall! He was surprised with his awards today during an assembly by the Barrow math team coach Sara Clarke, and his parents were also in attendance!
More exciting news to share about the Barrow math team at a later date!
In addition to winning first place among all third-graders in Georgia, Robby also made National Honor Roll by placing in the top 10% out of all the more than 33,000 students in 619 schools across the U.S. who took part in the competition this fall! He was surprised with his awards today during an assembly by the Barrow math team coach Sara Clarke, and his parents were also in attendance!
More exciting news to share about the Barrow math team at a later date!
Congratulations to the Howard B. Stroud Elementary girls and Timothy Road Elementary boys on winning the 2025-26 Elementary Basketball League championships last night. Stroud defeated Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary to win its third consecutive championship and finish off a third straight undefeated season, while Timothy Road topped Gaines Elementary in the boys' final. See more photos here!
A special THANK YOU to the team at Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement for stopping by Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School this morning to present receptionist and After-School Program coordinator David Diaz with a $500 check for being one of the three winners in the northern region and one of nine winners overall statewide out of 187 nominees in GLISI's annual "Hidden Heroes" online voting campaign! And another round of CONGRATULATIONS for Mr. Diaz!
Pure and priceless excitement today for more than 3,500 of our students, grades 2-5, who made the trip to watch Georgia Women's Basketball's annual Elementary Day game! The Lady Dawgs took care of business with a 77-49 win over North Carolina A&T to remain unbeaten at 11-0, and our students had an amazing time taking in the action. See more photos here!
Scenes from last night's Board of Education meeting:
•Omnia Mansour, senior at Cedar Shoals High School, was recognized for placing sixth in her division in the National FFA Agriscience Fair competition.
• CCSD 2025-26 of REACH Scholars was recognized: Mary Jane Okoli of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, Freidom Baldwin of Clarke Middle School, Aaliyah Fox and Sofia Ramirez-Ramirez of Coile Middle School, and Dayanna Martinez of Hilsman Middle School.
•Sonja Winfrey, nursing clinic assistant at Cedar Shoals High School, was recognized as CCSD’s Employee of the Month for December.
•Kevin Perry of the Georgia Beverage Association and representatives from the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department presented a check as part of the “Made to be Remade” community grant received by ACCGov to support sustainability initiatives in schools.
•Omnia Mansour, senior at Cedar Shoals High School, was recognized for placing sixth in her division in the National FFA Agriscience Fair competition.
• CCSD 2025-26 of REACH Scholars was recognized: Mary Jane Okoli of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, Freidom Baldwin of Clarke Middle School, Aaliyah Fox and Sofia Ramirez-Ramirez of Coile Middle School, and Dayanna Martinez of Hilsman Middle School.
•Sonja Winfrey, nursing clinic assistant at Cedar Shoals High School, was recognized as CCSD’s Employee of the Month for December.
•Kevin Perry of the Georgia Beverage Association and representatives from the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department presented a check as part of the “Made to be Remade” community grant received by ACCGov to support sustainability initiatives in schools.
A big congratulations to Sonja Winfrey, nursing clinic assistant at Cedar Shoals High School, on being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for December! Ms. Winfrey was nominated by Cedar Shoals Nurse Eve Bisard, who described her as a respectful, professional, caring, and approachable employee who is dedicated to serving the entire Cedar Shoals community and also commended her on her work ethic and performance, including receiving a 100 from the Georgia Department of Public Health on the school's 11th-grade immunization audit the last three consecutive years.
Ms. Winfrey was surprised with the award this afternoon by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott, Cedar Shoals principal Dr. Makeba Clark, and members of the district nursing support team. She will be recognized publicly this Thursday night during the 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 at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward.
Six CCSD schools received refrigerators for storing perishable items for their pantries thanks to Classic City of Athens Rotary Club and Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Michele K Pearson Tucker!
Fridges delivered to these schools will help store food items that would otherwise be thrown away and sent to the landfill! Whit Davis Elementary, Howard B. Stroud Elementary, Whitehead Road Elementary, Bettye H. Holston Elementary, Classic City High, and Coile Middle all received these refrigerators yesterday as part of Lunch Out of Landfills, an initiative to cut down on school cafeteria waste, which can be one of the largest producers of waste in any community.
Thank you to all of the individuals who helped make this generous donation possible!
Fridges delivered to these schools will help store food items that would otherwise be thrown away and sent to the landfill! Whit Davis Elementary, Howard B. Stroud Elementary, Whitehead Road Elementary, Bettye H. Holston Elementary, Classic City High, and Coile Middle all received these refrigerators yesterday as part of Lunch Out of Landfills, an initiative to cut down on school cafeteria waste, which can be one of the largest producers of waste in any community.
Thank you to all of the individuals who helped make this generous donation possible!
We are pleased to share that 30 CCSD students — 15 each from Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School — have been nominated for the 2026 Governor's Honors Program by their teachers! GHP is a month-long residential summer program for high school sophomores and juniors held on the campus of Georgia Southern University, where students attend classes in the mornings and afternoons in specific areas of study and participate in a wide variety of social and instructional opportunities every evening.
These students will now go through an extensive online application process for acceptance into the GHP program. Semifinalists will be announced in February, and finalists (those selected to attend GHP) and alternates will be announced in March.
Congratulations and good luck to these students!
These students will now go through an extensive online application process for acceptance into the GHP program. Semifinalists will be announced in February, and finalists (those selected to attend GHP) and alternates will be announced in March.
Congratulations and good luck to these students!
Scenes from last night's Board of Education meeting, where we recognized:
• J.J. Harris Elementary School student Amal Maxwell for winning first place among all fourth-graders statewide in the Georgia Writers Museum's 2025 Spooky Story writing contest
• the Clarke Central High School boys' varsity cross country team on their second consecutive state runner-up finish and fourth straight top-3 finish
• bus driver John Herrera on his selection as CCSD's November Employee of the Month
• Timothy Pritchett and Brian Smith of Barnett Shoals Elementary School, CCSD's 2025-26 Teacher and Support Professional of the Year.
Congratulations to all, and we look forward to even more exciting recognitions at the December meeting!
• J.J. Harris Elementary School student Amal Maxwell for winning first place among all fourth-graders statewide in the Georgia Writers Museum's 2025 Spooky Story writing contest
• the Clarke Central High School boys' varsity cross country team on their second consecutive state runner-up finish and fourth straight top-3 finish
• bus driver John Herrera on his selection as CCSD's November Employee of the Month
• Timothy Pritchett and Brian Smith of Barnett Shoals Elementary School, CCSD's 2025-26 Teacher and Support Professional of the Year.
Congratulations to all, and we look forward to even more exciting recognitions at the December meeting!
Congratulations to bus driver John Herrera on being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for November! Mr. Herrera is in his 18th year with CCSD Transportation and currently drives routes for Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School. He was nominated by a member of the OAES staff who praised him for supporting students in more ways than just transporting them to and from school, but also for advocating for them and helping connect them and their families with the right people at school if they need assistance or additional support. Mr. Herrera is a shining example of CCSD being Better Together when we Work Together.
Mr. Herrera was surprised with the award by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott this afternoon during a transportation team meeting and will be publicly recognized and celebrated at this Thursday's Board of Education meeting!
Thank you to everyone in the community for continuing to submit so many wonderful nominations for very deserving employees. Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of experience for the award at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward
Mr. Herrera was surprised with the award by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott this afternoon during a transportation team meeting and will be publicly recognized and celebrated at this Thursday's Board of Education meeting!
Thank you to everyone in the community for continuing to submit so many wonderful nominations for very deserving employees. Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of experience for the award at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward
Today marked the annual joint CCSD/Athens Community Career Academy Governance Board meeting as ACCA board members met with members of the Clarke County Board of Education and Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott and her leadership team. Attendees heard updates about the exciting things happening at ACCA with the multiple career pathways, dual enrollment opportunities at Athens Tech, and ongoing and upcoming initiatives that will further strengthen ACCA and CTAE education throughout the district while they enjoyed a lunch from the culinary arts pathway students at the Yellow Jacket Bistro!
Thanks to all who came out to our "Find Your Fit Friday" hiring fair yesterday! If you are interested in a career with CCSD, whether as a teacher or in a support staff position, make plans to join us for one of our next "Find Your Fit Friday" sessions on Dec. 5 or Jan. 9! Both sessions run from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the District Office. More info to come!
