CCSD to Host New Senior Bowl Cherokee County School District (CCSD) will host its inaugural Northside Hospital-Cherokee CCSD Senior Bowl to honor senior football players, cheerleaders, marching band members and Junior ROTC cadets at the end of the season. Sponsored by Northside Hospital-Cherokee, the event will be held at 7:00 p.m., December 5, in the Etowah High School stadium. All CCSD senior football players will participate in a "draft" event the morning of November 15, with Coach Josh Shaw of Cherokee High School and Coach Dave Svehla of Etowah High School making picks for the teams that they will lead as head coaches for the Bowl. Senior marching band members from all schools will learn the same music a selection of patriotic and holiday pieces to perform during the game and for a special half-time show. Senior cheerleaders will raise the crowds' spirits, and senior JROTC cadets will participate in the Presentation of Colors and a special salute to veterans. The players will receive commemorative jerseys, while the cheerleaders, musicians and cadets will receive commemorative medals... in what for some will be their last experience on the field before pursuing other goals in higher education and careers. These special gifts also are funded by Northside Hospital-Cherokee, with production sponsorship assistance from Herff Jones and Titan Sports. Tickets for the game will be $5.00; however, admission will be free to all Bowl participants and the admission fee waived for those who bring a new, unwrapped toy that will be donated by CCSD to a local toy drive.
CCA Teacher Wins New American Hero Award Kara Reeder, a sixth-grade science teacher at Cherokee Charter Academy, has received the "New American Hero" award from the Clarion Council for Educational Greatness. The award recognizes an individual teacher who goes above and beyond for students; provides excellent and innovative educational experiences for students; demonstrates exceptional support to help students be successful; goes out of his/her way to provide help to an individual student or group of students; and is a great role model for putting students first. "Kara Reeder is an incredible teacher who not only wants her students to learn but also wants them to encompass the Strive characteristics in their everyday life, just like she does," said a CCA parent. STRIVE is CCA's character education curriculum; it stands for Students Taking Responsibility for Important Values of Excellence. Reeder has been teaching for 11 years. She says becoming a teacher was a natural decision for her and that "each time a student shows the same enthusiasm I have for science, or acts with a conscience and makes good choices, I am rewarded and reminded that the time, effort and love I put into teaching is worth it 100 times over."
Creekland Middle Features New Outdoor Classroom Four members of Creekland Middle School (CMS) faculty and staff spent many hours over the summer break creating an outdoor classroom, which now is being put to good use by students. Although Ray Catlett, Kathy Murphy, Mark Nazemzadeh and Curtis Partridge work in different fields (physical education, special education, social studies and science), they shared a common goal to create a place where all CMS students could learn in the great outdoors. The classroom includes a demonstration table and bench seating, as well as a ramp to provide full accessibility.
CCSD Special Education Director Elected to National Fellowship CCSD Special Education Director Charlette Green has been elected as a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Fellowship is one of the highest forms of recognition given by ASHA. Only 39 Fellows from across the country were selected; Green is only the ninth Fellow ever elected from Georgia. According to the ASHA, the key word for the award is "outstanding." The nominee must truly stand out among one's peers. The term implies contributions that are significant and would be so regarded within and beyond one's community or state. While there are thousands of members who fulfill their professional responsibilities competently, only a small percentage have, by virtue of the quality and amount of their contributions, distinguished themselves sufficiently to warrant recognition. Green will be recognized formally with the award at the National ASHA Convention in November.
Retired Educators Association Donates to Reinhardt University Cherokee County Retired Educators Association (CCREA) donated $1,500 in scholarship funds recently to Reinhardt University. Outgoing CCREA President Janice Prather presented the scholarship check to Reinhardt University President J. Thomas Isherwood during a special presentation. The scholarship funds are to be awarded to two local Reinhardt students who are pursuing a career in teaching, with each receiving a $750 scholarship. "Many of our CCREA members either previously attended Reinhardt or have a close association with the University," said Janice Prather, outgoing CCREA president. "In recognition of how fortunate we are that Reinhardt offers a quality teacher education program, we want to support their efforts to attract and train the best future teachers for our local areaschools."
Canton ES STEM Wins School Bell Award Canton Elementary School STEM Academy, led by Principal Beth Long, has won the 2014 School Bell Award. The award is presented by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals to 10 schools in Georgia each year in recognition of outstanding programs in the area of curriculum and organizational leadership. Canton Elementary School STEM Academy was selected based on its outstanding initiative, Improving School Climate and Communication to Increase Engagement. Canton Elementary School STEM Academy serves a diverse population of learners, 89 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 40 percent of whom need English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services. Principal Long collaborated with the Instructional Leadership Team, PTA and the School Advisory Council to develop plans for the initiative that would support three school goals: improve school climate; enhance communication; and encourage community relations. The results of the initiative have been greater community involvement, improved staff morale and increased student motivation, said Principal Long. Parents and community stakeholders have become more informed about the schools challenges, strengths, needs and successes through this initiative. The school is eager to receive results from standardized tests to determine the impact this program has had on student achievement.
New Principals at Local Schools Two newly appointed principals are ready to lead schools in the Cherokee County School District when classes begin on August 4. Whitney Nolan is the new principal of Hickory Flat Elementary School. Nolan is taking over the post previously held by Keith Ingram, who is the new principal of Ball Ground Elementary School STEM Academy. Ingram is filling the role formerly held by Doug Knott, who is the new principal of Liberty Elementary School. Nicole Holmes, former principal of Liberty Elementary School, is a new CCSD director of school operations. Nolan comes to her new position following two years of service as an assistant principal at Woodstock Middle School and seven years as an assistant principal at Dean Rusk Middle School. She joined CCSD in 2003 as a teacher at Dean Rusk Middle School and previously worked as an elementary and middle school teacher in Louisiana. Cindy Crews is the new principal of Sixes Elementary School. Crews joined the CCSD as a teacher in 1992 and served as assistant principal at Sixes Elementary since 2011. She was tapped for her new role as principal in April after Principal Deborah Kelly announced her retirement. Throughout her career as an educator, Crews has been named a Cherokee County School District Teacher of the Year, Georgia Master Teacher and National Board Certified Teacher.
CHS Student Competes at National Events Creekview High School sophomore Lee Marble used the skills he sharpens through the schools Rifle Team to qualify to compete in the 2014 National 3 Position Air Rifle Championship and 3PAR Junior Olympic Championship as a Precision Individual. Lee, age 14, is the youngest person from CCSD to qualify for the Junior Olympics, which featured some of the best air rifle shooters from across the country. In the 3PAR Junior Olympic Championship, he ranked 191 of 221 shooters; and in the National 3PAR Championship, he ranked 152 of 221 shooters. Lee also is a member of the Cherokee County 4-H Youth Shooting Sports Air Rifle Team.
Local Students Selected to Model ARC Eight Cherokee County School District students, including six from the Canton area, have been selected for the 2014-15 Model Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). The annual youth leadership program brings together 55 select high school students from the metro area. Participants were selected by an ARC committee based on applications, which note academic achievement and extracurricular activities; a letter of recommendation from a teacher; and an essay about a regional issue that interests the student the most. The local CCSD students chosen for the Model ARC program are: juniors Yeseul Heo and Zaria Hunter and sophomore Isabelle Riddle, Sequoyah High School; and sophomore Austin Cox and juniors Michael Papadimitriou and Paula Ruiz, Woodstock High School. Students will attend monthly meetings during the school year beginning in September, as well as an overnight retreat in the fall. They will learn about how local governments work together to address regional needs, such as transportation, water supply, land use, sustainability and human services. Activities will include hands-on exercises and visits to sites throughout metro Atlanta, with a capstone project of proposed resolutions to ARC that would improve life in metro Atlanta.
CCSD Offers Free Summer Lunches The Cherokee County School District (CCSD) is participating in the USDA Seamless Summer Option for Children program this summer, providing lunch for children in need at five locations throughout the county, along with breakfast at three locations. More than 32 percent of CCSD students qualify for free or reduced lunch, which means that more than 12,000 students who rely on a breakfast or lunch at school during the year likely do not have access to adequate food during the summer months. Last summer, CCSD provided 64,980 meals to hungry children through the Seamless Summer program, which is federally funded. The meals are free to any child under the age of 18 and proof of income is not required to participate. Meals are available only during the specific advertised times and must be consumed on site. The program runs through July 25 at the following locations: YMCA Canton: breakfast, 8:30-8:45 a.m.; lunch, 11:00-11:20 a.m.; YMCA Woodstock: breakfast, 8:00-8:20 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; East Gate Mobile Home Park: lunch, 11:30-11:45 a.m.; Shadowood Mobile Home Park: lunch at the clubhouse, 10:45-11:00 a.m., lunch at the playground, 11:05-11:20 a.m.; and Woodstock High School: breakfast, 7:45-8:05 a.m.; lunch, 12:00-12:20 p.m.