Clarke County School District -

A HUGE THANK YOU to Java Joy for stopping by Whit Davis Elementary yesterday morning with some great-tasting coffee for the staff to brighten their day as they got started on pre-planning for the new school year! CCSD loves Java Joy and the smiles they bring!

What a fantastic kickoff to the school year yesterday with our districtwide employee convocation at The Classic Center and Akins Ford Arena! Our teachers, administrators, and support staff brought that "Raise the Bar" energy all day long! See more photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

We may be getting ready for the 2025-26 school year to start in a few days, but last night we had a chance to celebrate a few more members of the Class of 2025 during our summer graduation ceremony for Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School! CONGRATULATIONS to these graduates who never gave up on their educational journeys and best wishes as you enter into the world as proud CCSD alumni! More photos over on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

Today was an exciting day at Clarke Middle School where we held our annual CCSD New Teacher Orientation kickoff event, welcoming the well over 100 educators joining us this year who are either first-year teachers or veteran teachers who are entirely new to CCSD or returning home! See more photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

This week, we held the second half of our summer district leadership retreat at the District Office. Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott, Interim Deputy Superintendent Dr. Donna Elder, and other district department leaders spoke with school leaders about the coming year, and Dr. Scott introduced all new school and district leaders who have either joined CCSD or been promoted to new leadership roles since the start of last school year.

More fun on the way next week as we hold new teacher orientation, our districtwide employee convocation, and make final preparations for the start of the school year. In 2025-26, we are all committed to Raising the Bar in pursuit of excellence!

We were thrilled to have a presence and provide resources at yesterday's Empower Pinewoods family expo yesterday as we help families get ready for a new school year! Pictured, from left to right, are district lead family engagement specialist Sarah Halstead, district translator and interpreter Carol Fernandez, district mental wellness specialist Allyn Carey, and district translator and interpreter Stephanie Lopez Vargas.

A WONDERFUL turnout this past Friday morning as more than 60 current and aspiring educators attended our Find Your Fit hiring fair for teachers and paraprofessionals! Attendees visited with representatives from many of our schools and district departments, and several had the opportunity to interview for openings on the spot! Find Your Fit with CCSD and join our team! Browse current openings and apply at ccsdjobs.org.

The Clarke Middle School Science, Energy, and Adventure Team recently visited Washington, D.C. for the annual NEED Project conference, where they were recognized with three awards – Exemplary School Energy Efficiency Project, Georgia School of the Year, and National Junior School of the Year! Congratulations once again to these Owls on being recognized for the work they do in promoting environmental awareness and energy conservation education efforts throughout the community! See more photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

A fun and exciting conclusion to the Athens Youth Development Initiative Summer Mystery Book Club last night as participants wrapped up their discussion on "To Catch a Thief" by Martha Brockenbrough and participated in a murder mystery pizza dinner activity! More photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)! There is still plenty of space available in the upcoming *FREE* YDI Sports Book Club with sessions scheduled for July 1, July 15, and July 29 at Clarke Middle School and led by CMS media specialist Shawn Hinger! Participants will read and receive their own copy of "The Academy" by T.Z. Layton. Even if you can't make one of the sessions, students are still welcome to register! Register today at www.athensyouthdevelopment.com.

Incoming Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott visited the University of Georgia's Delta Innovation Hub yesterday to visit Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central rising 9th-, 10th, and 11th-grade students participating in Innovate U! Launched in 2021, Innovate U is a collaborative initiative between the UGA Office of the President, the UGA Fanning Institute for Leadership, the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Clarke County School District. Designed for rising freshmen through juniors, the summer program equips 25 CCSD high school students with leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills through hands-on sessions in leadership development and human-centered design thinking. Over the course of three weeks in June, students work in small teams—guided by UGA student mentors and local industry professionals—to develop innovative solutions to real-world community challenges. This year’s focus is on Community Wellness. The program culminates this week in a showcase where students present their ideas to peers, families, and community stakeholders. More photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

Fun end-of-camp celebrations today for our 21st Century middle school camps! Full photo gallery on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

Fun celebrations today marking the end of our 21st Century program summer camps as Gaines Elementary celebrated with presentations, awards, and recess! Fowler Drive Elementary and J.J. Harris Elementary students celebrated at J.J. Harris with a number of activities, displays of artwork from students, and snacks! Both celebrations featured the CCSD Interactive Lab Buses, where students were able to peek inside and see these unique buses that serve as wonderful resources to students across the district. See more photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

Members of the CCSD Security and Safety departments are attending the Georgia School Safety & Homeland Security Conference this week. Attendees are learning about legislative updates affecting school safety as well as best practices so they can lead the way back home in ensuring that all of our schools and buildings are a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for our students and staff.

Scenes from day 3 of the Clarke Central Athletics cheerleading camp yesterday where students from across CCSD had a great time learning from coaches and cheerleaders on the Gladiator cheer team! More photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

It was another busy, but productive day at the District Office, where: •School and district leaders participated in a Leader in Me training to discuss how we can move closer to implementing the Leader in Me program across all schools. Leaders also took a deep dive into Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and how they can implement them in their work and personal lives to become more highly effective, influential leaders. •Members of the CCSD Special Education team led the first of a two-day professional learning session for administrators throughout CCSD and other neighboring school districts. •Members of our Human Resources and Technology Services teams were hard at work welcoming and onboarding several of our new CCSD employees.

Summer camps at the Athens Community Career Academy this week as welding students dive deeper into their program and rising ninth-graders are gaining exposure several pathways, including Cosmetology, Healthcare, Culinary Arts, Teaching as a Profession, Film, Firefighting, and more! See more photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

A great time at our 21st Century elementary summer camps this morning where students had a chance to pet and feed animals from Lozano Farms Mobile Petting Zoo! Special thanks to Lozano Farms for coming out and putting smiles on our students' faces! More photos on our Facebook at (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

A great wrap-up this morning to our annual Educator Externship week where our team of two dozen teachers, counselors, and other support staff from our middle and high schools gave presentations recapping their visits to local businesses and what they learned to take back to their students to help open their eyes to the many job opportunities throughout our community and help these businesses grow a pipeline of future employees. Thanks to these educators on taking time out of their summer and thank you to participating companies and sponsors who continue to help make this event possible! More photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!

An exciting day at the District Office yesterday as the second cohort of our Aspiring Leaders Academy completed their year-long program with their final capstone presentations in front of school and district leaders! The Aspiring Leaders Academy, in partnership with the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, is designed to provide participants with tools and resources to enhance their leadership skills and abilities to help them increase their positive impact on our district. The capstone project and presentation allows cohort members to apply what they have learned and demonstrate how they are integrating the work into their professional personal practices. During their 20-minute presentations, cohort members shared highlights from leadership stories they wrote during the program, a personal reflection about the impact of the program on their growth, and an area need in their schools used as the focus of their long-term project. Congratulations to these cohort members on their terrific presentations and successful completion of the program: •Jacob Bartoo, Special Education Department Leader at Gaines Elementary School •Keamber Booker, site coordinator at the CCSD Office of Early Learning ELC East location •Sophia Campbell, science teacher at Clarke Central High School •Desylin Culliver, K-5 Math Curriculum Coordinator for CCSD •Alexandra Edwards, fifth-grade teacher at Timothy Road Elementary School •Patrick Ennis, EIP teacher at Fowler Drive Elementary School •Tammy Gamber, instructional coach at Fowler Drive Elementary School •Donyell Harris, Assistant Principal at Howard B. Stroud Elementary School •Conor Naughton, eighth-grade math teacher at Hilsman Middle School •Anna Slocum, instructional coach at Whitehead Road Elementary School •Cameron Strange, fifth-grade teacher at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School •Corie Tarbet, instructional coach at Clarke Central High School •Shante Thompson, assistant principal at Gaines Elementary School •Carla Williams, kindergarten teacher at Cleveland Road Elementary •Chris Woodward, sixth-grade gifted program teacher at Clarke Middle School. Special thanks to Dr. Letishia Seabrook Jones for being this year's program facilitator and Dr. Selena Blankenship who was the district program lead!

A successful day 1 of our district leadership retreat as school and district leaders jumped right in on their focus of making the 2025-26 school year CCSD's best yet. Incoming Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott stressed to the team that high expectations will not be optional but a requirement and that we will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence. Each school and building leader dug into the data of their school, providing highlights and opportunities for growth. Leaders also did interactive activities and engaged in discussions of how to continue to improve school climate and culture across the board. Leaders will be back tomorrow to work on crafting updated school improvement plans and utilizing data to make informed decisions and continue moving CCSD forward. More photos on our Facebook (@ClarkeCoSchools)!