Congratulations to Lizbeth Castro, eighth-grader at Coile Middle School, on winning the 2025 CCSD District Spelling Bee! This was Lizbeth's fourth consecutive appearance in the district bee as she represented Coile all three years of middle school. She advances to represent CCSD in the GAE Region 7 Spelling Bee at Putnam County Middle School on Feb. 22 and will compete for the opportunity to advance to the state bee later this spring. Also, a big congratulations to Clarke Middle School eighth-grader Ojas Kulkarni, who finished as our district runner-up! Check out the full photo gallery over on our Facebook page - @ClarkeCoSchools!
We were pleased to have State School Superintendent Richard Woods visit Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School this morning to present leaders from OAES, Timothy Road Elementary School, Cleveland Road Elementary, and Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School with their Math Leader banners! More photos can be found over on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Last night, the BOE officially welcomed newly elected member Mary P. Bagby (District 2) as she and re-elected members Dr. Patricia Yager (District 4), Dr. Mumbi Anderson (District 6, Board President), and Nicole Hull, Esq. (District 8) were sworn-in for four-year terms.
BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah Waller-Price, band director at Coile Middle School, for being named our Employee of the Month for January! Ms. Waller-Price is in her second year at Coile and was nominated by parents who credited her with transforming the band program since her arrival, boosting both participation and performance quality, and nurturing a love of music and pride in accomplishment in her students while instilling the effort and discipline needed for a successful program.
Ms. Waller-Price was surprised with the award this afternoon by CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and Coile assistant principal Cindy Tucker and will be recognized this Thursday night at the Board of Education meeting.
Thank you to all in the community for your many wonderful nominations and a reminder that any full-time CCSD employee with at least one of year of service to the district may be nominated at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward.
WEATHER UPDATE: All schools and offices closed Friday, January 10.
WEATHER UPDATE - 8:20 a.m. January 8: We are aware of the inclement weather forecast for Friday, January 10, and are continuing to monitor. We will make a final decision tomorrow (Thursday, January 9), regarding the school schedule for Friday and will communicate official updates on our website (www.clarke.k12.ga.us), across our social media channels (@ClarkeCoSchools), and via text and email through our family mass notification system.
Over the past week, our Student and Family Support subdivision has been excited to visit Barnett Shoals Elementary School, Cleveland Road Elementary School, Fowler Drive Elementary School, and Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and present those schools with their banners for being named 2023-24 PBIS Distinguished Schools by the Georgia Department of Education!
PBIS )Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is an evidence-based, data-driven framework proven to reduce the number of disciplinary incidents and improve school climates as well as overall academic outcomes among students. Teachers provide positive feedback to students who are meeting expectations, while providing respectful, corrective feedback and reteaching for students who do not meet expectations.
For the second year in a row, all 21 CCSD schools (14 elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools) have been recognized for supporting positive school climate through PBIS implementation. Barnett Shoals, Cleveland Road, Fowler Drive, and BHL were recognized for meeting all five of the state's outcome data measures to achieve Distinguished status.
Congratulations to all!
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Fowler Drive Elementary School first-grade teacher Samantha Yvellez for being selected as CCSD's Employee of the Month for December! Ms. Yvellez is in her fourth year with Fowler Drive and CCSD and is a coach for the school's "Girls on the Run" running program for students in grades 3-5. She also works with the school's ASP program and has served on the Hispanic Heritage and Black History committees. Ms. Yvellez was nominated by a colleague who said she has "always gone above and beyond for her students, constantly thinking of ways to engage them in creative activities that challenge and excite them" and has dedicated so much of her time to the Fowler Drive community.
Ms. Yvellez was surprised with the award today by Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker, the Fowler Drive administration, and members of the first-grade team, and she will be recognized this Thursday at the Board of Education meeting.
Thank you again to all of our staff, students, families, and community members who continue to submit so many wonderful Employee of the Month nominations. You may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service to the district for this award at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward!
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND FAMILIES: The annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) window opened on Dec. 1, and CCSD will hold a FAFSA Completion Event to offer assistance to high school students and families from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave.
Students should bring their school laptops, and families should bring their Social Security number or A-number (for non-U.S. citizens), 2023 federal income tax returns, and other financial records. Additional information can be found on the flyer.
For additional information, contact your student's counselor.
A huge congratulations to Bettye H. Holston Elementary School special education paraprofessional Blake Hancock, Whitehead Road Elementary School academic interventionist Clark Pattman, Fowler Drive Elementary School academic interventionist Harold Faison, and Clarke Middle School special education paraprofessional Patrick Bishop, who have been selected as the inaugural cohort of the CCSD Residency-Based Teacher Apprenticeship in Special Education!
This new partnership between the district, national talent development provider BloomBoard, and Lake Erie College, allows educators who sign an agreement to teach special education within the district to complete a three-year bachelor’s degree in special-education instruction. These employees will be able to work directly in classrooms and gain hands-on special-education teaching experience while earning a salary and course credit as they learn and demonstrate mastery in their work.
We are very excited to announce CCSD's 2024-25 cohort of REACH Scholars:
•Natalia Calderon-Salazar and Kimberly Trigueros of Coile Middle School (tied for the overall top district score)
•Inza Kamagate of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School
•Shacori Griffith of Clarke Middle School
•and Khloe Brown of Hilsman Middle School!
See photos over at our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Thanks to those who were in attendance last night for Board of Education President Dr. Mumbi Anderson's Community Conversation at Timothy Road Elementary. Be on the lookout for information on the next BOE town hall-style events, open to all residents throughout the county.
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Ms. Denisse Maddox, eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, for being named our November Employee of the Month! As a reminder, anyone (students, staff, families, community members) may nominate any full-time CCSD employee who has at least one year of service for this award. Go to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started!
Great turnout yesterday for our Coile Middle Health Center ribbon-cutting event! See more photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools) and find more information on the Coile Health Center at https://www.clarke.k12.ga.us/page/coile-health-center..
HUGE THANK YOU to Athens attorney Michael Ruppersburg with Ruppersburg Injury & Accident Attorneys for his generous purchase and donation of two specialized chairs for our Adapted Sports Program in the amount of $6,000, giving us 10 total chairs. Mr. Ruppersburg was recognized prior to the Classic City Dawgs' adapted handball match against the Gwinnett Heat yesterday morning.
This morning we held a ribbon-cutting celebration at the brand-new Classic City Health Center, one of our two new school-based health centers in the district in partnership with MedLink Georgia and one of four SBHCs now serving CCSD students, staff, and families! Thanks to MedLink for their support of this event and to the Georgia Department of Education, which had representatives on hand this morning. The Classic City Health Center and Coile Health Center are supported by $2 million in grant money from GaDOE. Many thanks to all who were all involved in bringing the Classic City Health Center to fruition, including the team at Casey Construction Services, which led the renovation of the space for the center.
More photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
#CCSDPinkOut2024 took over the CCSD District Office this morning!
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Cedar Shoals High School seniors Amelia Hembree and Delia McElhannon for winning second place in the nation in their division at the National FFA Agriscience Fair! Great job by these ladies representing their school, district, and Athens-Clarke County!
Full photo gallery of last night's Teacher/Support Professional Awards dinner is now live on our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/ClarkeCoSchools/posts/pfbid0UfRBfztTKuWSa62ZxE17rP4AHhAz3bj3yCW8vhwyUByREKeWYPM3BcTLPB15jMdml
Table preparations underway for tonight's Teacher/Support Professional of the Year awards dinner! Check back here later tonight for the announcement of our 2024-25 district winners!
