Congratulations to David Darden, automotive tech teacher at Cedar Shoals High School, who was named a winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence this morning! Mr. Darden, who is in his 15th year at Cedar after retiring from a 35-year career in the automotive industry, won $50,000 for the school's automotive program. A previous finalist for this award, he was one of 25 public high school skilled trades teachers across the U.S. and the only one in Georgia to receive it this year!
Mr. Darden was surprised this morning with a special presentation and joined by his family. Special thanks to Jessica Hayes from Congressman Mike Collins' office, state Rep. Houston Gaines, and Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz for also being in attendance!
More photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Scenes from today's 2024-25 Teacher of the Year finalist surprises. Congratulations once again to Chris Batson of Clarke Middle School, Tymisha Creightney of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, and Barbara Gaertig of Hilsman Middle School!
More photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
As part of an exciting day of celebrations, we also want to give a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to our October Employee of the Month, Liza Burnsed!
Ms. Burnsed has worked in special education with CCSD for 10 years and has been a transition specialist with the Department of Special Education at the district office for the past three years. She also spent several years at Cedar Shoals High School, including as SPED department head. In her role, Ms. Burnsed works tirelessly every day in assisting students served through our special education program and helping them and their families prepare for life after high school. This includes, among many other things, making and maintaining contacts with numerous local businesses and companies to set up job training sites and support employment opportunities for students with special needs. Her passion for her work shines through every day.
Ms. Burnsed was surprised with the award this morning by Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and will be recognized at the Oct. 17 Board of Education meeting.
We continue to receive many outstanding nominations for Employee of the Month thanks to our community! You can nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one year service at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward.
Shana Tovah to all of our community members celebrating Rosh Hashanah beginning this evening!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#RoshHashanah
#ShanaTovah
We are continuing to accept nominations for October Employee of the Month through Sunday, October 6! 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/building and recognized at this month's Board of Education meeting. Go to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started!
Clarke County School District celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month serves every October to inform the methods to prevent breast cancer and detect it in its early stages, where the survival rate is 99 percent. CCSD encourages members in our community to do what they can to prevent and detect breast cancer as soon as possible. By being aware of breast cancer and its risks, our community can fight back.
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#BreastCancerAwarenessMonth
Please join us for a Community Conversation with Board of Education representative Dr. Lakeisha Gantt on October 21st at the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church Historical School House at 610 Epps Bridge Parkway from 6:00 - 7:00!
¡Únase a nosotros para una conversación comunitaria con la representante de la Junta de Educación, la Dra. Lakeisha Gantt, el 21 de octubre en la escuela histórica de la iglesia bautista Chestnut Grove en 610 Epps Bridge Parkway de 6:00 a 7:00 p.m.!
Happy International Translation Day from CCSD to our incredible district translation team!
¡Feliz Día Internacional de la Traducción de parte del CCSD a nuestro increíble equipo de traducción!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#JuntosSomosMejores
No Better Together newsletter this week due to the weather, but we'll be back next week. Enjoy your weekend!
Today marks the official start of Autumn! What makes you excited about Fall? Let us know in the comments! #CCSD2024 #BetterTogether
Today, CCSD joins other school districts across the U.S. in recognizing National School Backpack Awareness Day, an effort sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association to encourage students to wear backpacks correctly to prevent injury and other health risks. Some common tips for parents/guardians include:
•selecting a backpack that is proportional to your child's size and limiting the backpack weight they carry to under 10% of their body weight.
•ensuring backpacks have padded shoulder straps
•teaching your child to place the heaviest items in the back closest to their back
•removing any items from the backpack that are not necessary for the day.
•instilling habits of using both straps when wearing the backpack in order to prevent potential shoulder strain and poor posture.
September 17 is IT Professionals Day! Thank you to the incredible IT staff that help keep us going through glitches, freezes, and malfunctions. Their hard work means a secure workspace for students and staff and we appreciate their incredible service!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
Today, CCSD joins school district around the nation in celebrating Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and the start of Constitution Week (Sept. 17-23)! Schools throughout the district are participating in educational activities today and this week centered around the Constitution, the history of its framing, and its importance in setting forth our systems of law and governance.
REMINDER: Come on out to J.J. Harris Elementary tomorrow evening (Wednesday, Sept. 18) from 6-7 p.m. for a Community Conversation with District 9 Board of Education member Mark Evans. The event is open to residents throughout the community. Spanish-language interpretation services will be available. See you there!
CCSD joins in celebrating September 15th as the beginning Hispanic Heritage Month!
¡CCSD se une a la celebración del 15 de septiembre como el comienzo del Mes de la Hispanidad!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#JuntosSomosMejores
Check out this week's "Better Together" newsletter, featuring an update on school safety and other news, notes, and information on upcoming events around the district.
For English: https://secure.smore.com/n/yd7v6/preview
Para Español: https://secure.smore.com/n/k4wt6/preview
Dr. Hooker spent time with Girl Scouts from Clarke County School District at this morning’s Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia Promises to Keep Breakfast!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#ConnectedCulture
Fowler Drive Elementary School hosted their Fowler Fresh Farmer's Market yesterday in collaboration with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia as well as Georgia Power, who provided energy-efficiency kits for families.
These kits help save families money, and the additional food and necessary items given at the farmers market provided assistance to families in our community!
Thank you to all the volunteers, including those of the Food Bank and Georgia Power for helping setup this wonderful event and by helping families carry items throughout the line and to their cars!
Be on the lookout for the next Fowler Fresh events by following Fowler Drive Elementary School on their respective social media platforms!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#ConnectedCulture
#FowlerFresh
September 11 is Patriot Day.
Flags across our city, along with flags across the country will fly at half-mast today in observance of the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001 in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Clarke County School District joins the nation in remembering the lives lost, including those closer to home.
#BetterTogether
CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. Pierce Woodson, advanced manufacturing and welding instructor at the Athens Community Career Academy, for being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for September! Mr. Woodson was nominated by two of his former students who both praised him for being a teacher they could always trust and talk to about anything. "It seems like he could always build us up even when we were at our lowest," one said. "I love this man!"
ACCA director Reginald Thomas described Mr. Woodson as one of the most well-liked teachers at the academy, one who has earned a reputation for being a favorite among current students and alumni, who often seek him out when they return for a visit. "His positive impact extends beyond the classroom, as he consistently goes above and beyond to contribute meaningfully to the school environment," said Mr. Thomas.
Mr. Woodson was surprised with the award today by Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and will be recognized further this Thursday night at the Board of Education meeting.
THANK YOU to all in the community who sent in so many great nominations over the past month, many of which are still up for consideration! As a reminder, you may nominate any full-time CCSD employee who has at least one year of service in the district. Go to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started!
