Cherokee County School District Launches New Website The Cherokee County School District has launched a new website for students, parents and the community thats designed to be easier to navigate and friendly to mobile devices. As part of the launch, each school has its own new website as well, with a school staff member serving as its webmaster. Cherokee12.nets home page features app-like buttons and an I need help with set of frequently asked questions to make navigation easier for users. Students and parents now can click on these buttons to access popular content such as the Aspen student and parent portal, MyPaymentsPlus cafeteria meal payment system, enrollment and first day forms and student handbooks. Job seekers can click on a link to resources just for them, as can existing CCSD employees.
CCSD Back-to-School Registration and Class Schedule Info The Cherokee County School Districts 2016-17 school year will begin on Monday, August 1. Each schools front office will be open daily beginning Tuesday, July 19. For students who are new to CCSD, parents may register them anytime between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm, beginning on July 19th. Class schedules and teacher assignments will be available at each schools scheduled open house/walk-through event. These events are held the week of July 25th. Please visit Cherokee.k12.ga.us for more information.
Four CCSD Class of 2016 Graduating Seniors Win NeoCom Solutions Scholarships The Woodstock-based telecommunication engineering and construction firm annually sponsors a scholarship contest open to Cherokee County residents who are currently or who will be enrolled in a four-year college, university or two-year technical college, community college or trade school. Academic achievement and financial need are considered. The winners of the $1,000 scholarships are: Sarah Jayne Burgess of Cherokee HS, who will study biology with a pre-med concentration at Reinhardt University; Anneliese Conrad of Creekview HS, who will study industrial engineering at Georgia Tech; Madison Evans of Sequoyah HS, who will study chemical engineering at Auburn University; and Peyton Heath of Creekview HS, who will study industrial engineering at Georgia Tech.
Sequoyah High School Graduate Earns National Merit Scholarship! Class of 2016 graduate Mackenzie R. Joy, who was named her Class Valedictorian for the highest GPA and STAR Student for the highest SAT score, was selected for a National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship. She plans to study astrophysics and science at UGA to pursue a career as a physicist. In her junior year at Sequoyah HS, Mackenzie earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn this top composite score. Mackenzie is one of only 3,000 winners nationwide of National Merit Scholarships financed by a college or university. Officials of each sponsor institution select their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually, for up to four years of undergraduate study, at the institution financing the scholarship.
Woodstock MS Teacher Selected for National Food Science Program A Cherokee County School District teacher has been selected for the 2016 National Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Professional Development Program in Food Science! Woodstock Middle School teacher Georgia Heard will join middle and high school science and family and consumer science educators from across the country this summer at an all-expenses paid, week-long workshop in Washington, D.C. Participants learn best practices for teaching topically relevant lessons in food science to their students. The program, sponsored by the FDA and the National Science Teachers Association, is in its 17th year. Classes are conducted by a leadership team of master teachers and representatives of FDA and the Graduate School USA. Ms. Heard plans to redeliver the knowledge she attains in this workshop to Woodstock MS science teachers and family and consumer science teachers from across the District.
Cherokee County District Leader named to National Advisory Committee A Cherokee County School District leader was recently named to a National advisory committee Bobby Blount, Assistant Superintendent of Accountability, Technology and Strategic Planning, is a member of the 2016 RTM National K-12 Advisory Committee. The New York-based RTM Business Group provides innovative and strategic platforms that allow senior business executives from the world's leading companies and select vertical markets to engage, network and exchange knowledge. RTM Education events are made up of school system senior administrators and superintendents responsible for making decision for the operations, technology and instruction at the District level. Annual forums bring industry peers together to discuss and address some of the most critical issues facing the K-12 community and public education today. Assistant Superintendent Blount was one of 20 K-12 education professionals (who included chief information officers, chief technology officers and superintendents) invited to attend the 2016 RTM National K-12 Advisory Committee meeting in New York City earlier this month. The RTM Business Group paid the travel and lodging costs for participants. Representatives from Washington State, Oklahoma, Florida, North and South Carolina, Nebraska, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Arizona, California, New York and Washington, D.C. all participated and engaged in a full day of sharing successes, challenges and strategies in K-12 education technology, strategic planning and teacher skills development. Its refreshing to gain a national perspective on not only technology trends, but also how technology is transforming the classroom through the adoption of digital content, and to hear how different districts are approaching this movement, said Mr. Blount, who has served in CCSDs Technology Department for 18 years. Cherokee, Cobb and DeKalb counties represented Georgia at the conference. This speaks volumes when you have 20 spaces nationwide, and three of the seats are taken by our State; it demonstrates that Georgia is being noticed as a State that is serious about preparing our children for a future where technology skills and knowledge will be just as important as the ability to effectively communicate, collaborate and strategize, Mr. Blount said. Our District is recognized nationally as a leader in effective technology use, integration and innovation, and the Cherokee County community, along with the Board of Education, have been vital in supporting the Education SPLOST, which completely funds the technology infrastructure our students and teachers utilize daily in the classroom.
Cherokee County School District Honors Retiring Employees The Cherokee County School District is saying goodbye to more than 100 employees who are retiring this school year. An organization only is as strong as its people, and our retirees all have played an important role in establishing our School District as a leader in Georgia and the Nation, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. Hopefully, well see many of these retirees again as volunteers in our schools, as retired educators are an integral part of our Districts fabric. We appreciate each one of them, and we wish them the best in their retirement! School and offices held retirement receptions supported by their staff members. A reception for retiring CCSD department heads was held on Wednesday at the Educational Services Annex in Canton. The four honored retirees Director of Staffing Don Corr, Coordinator of Vehicle Maintenance David Gazaway, Director of Student Assessment Dr. Gayle McLaurin and Supervisor of School Nutrition Susan Turner were recognized with remarks by Assistant Superintendents and Dr. Hightower. I can confidently say that each of these retirees left their department in better shape than when they found it, Dr. Hightower said. Their leadership will live on in the legacy of improvements and innovations accomplished during their careers. Each was presented with a plaque and a childrens book inspired by their vocation, a copy of which also will be placed in their name in the collection of a CCSD elementary school. Guests shared memories and hugs in receiving lines for each honoree, and enjoyed cake and punch; the reception cost was paid for by donations from employees. Other CCSD employees who retired this school year include: Ace Academy: Dale Foote, Susan Henderson, Debra Walton Arnold Mill ES: Lisa Dykes, Martha Fricks, Wanda Gilliam Avery ES: Jane Nunnally, Rowena Robinson Bascomb ES: Gretchen Wojcik, Robin Zacherl Buffington ESC: Debra Davis, Debra Farist, Roberta Faucett, Barbara McAuley, Susan Ritchie, Kay Sherrill Carmel ES: Deborah Dixon, Margaret Duke Cherokee HS: Jamie Basso, Nelson Hernandez, Tammy Robillard, Dave Sullivan, Rebekah Welch Clark Creek ES STEM Academy: Nancy Thompson Clayton ES: Deborah Champion Creekland MS: Deborah Gregory, David Heiser, Jan Rice Creekview HS: Peggy Corbett, James Dennis, Shelia Thigpen Dean Rusk MS: Katrina Haas, Teresa Kannawarf Educational Programs: Patricia Kearns E.T. Booth MS: Jill Berg, Donna Dochney, Martha Kenyon, Janice Roper, Gayle Vunak, Lena Washington Etowah HS: Sharon Arp, Ralph Duncan, Veronica Lucking, Lynda Moulton, Andrea Payne, Pam Teems, Robert Walker Freedom MS: Diantha Graves, Karen Phanco, Cathi Wagner Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy: Judy Brandon, Debbie Velji Hickory Flat ES: Nell Hess, Diana May Holly Springs ES STEM Academy: Joyce Daniel Indian Knoll ES: Billie Millhollan Johnston ES: Betty Carlisle, Nicola Evans, Jacqueline Hawkins, David Keenum, Josephine Modica, Lori Rosa Knox ES: Marie Koloch Liberty ES: Sandra Godfrey, Deborah Morgan-Henderson Little River ES: Beverly Early, Lynne Ross Mill Creek MS: Linda Donnelly, Beverly McBrayer, Debra McCormick, Corliss Schwaller, Lori Tolar, Rochelle Trebucq Mountain Road ES: Judith Bracknell, Terri Kelly, Susie Olliff, Nancy Smith Oak Grove ES Fine Arts Academy: Jane Marchman Polaris Evening School: Karen Thomas River Ridge HS: Millard Kenyon R.M. Moore ES: Annette Green, Karen Morgan Sequoyah HS: Todd Morrissey, Richard Potts Sixes ES: Susan Murphy, Judy Peck, Mary Werner, Susan Winchester Teasley MS: Stephen Ransom Tippens EC: Tony Lott Transportation: Richard Biedenbach, Shelia Daugherty, Michael Edmonds, Helen Evenson, Sally Garrison, Lia Novinski, Brenda McTaggart, Kenneth Riordon, Marsha Williams Woodstock ES: Sharon Fotinakes, Deborah Holder, Lorene Lee, Donna Rotruck Woodstock HS: Matilde Arnold, Thomas Beatty, Rick Glasper, Jolene Grant, Daniel Page, Timothy Rutz
Etowah High School Wins Sportsmanship Award Etowah High School is the Region 5AAAAAA GEMC Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award Winner for 2015-16! The prestigious Georgia High School Association (GHSA) honor is sponsored by Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, and awards are presented annually to one GHSA-member high school in each region in all classifications. Introduced in 2006, the awards promote sportsmanship and reinforce GHSAs philosophy: Student athletes, coaches, spectators and all others associated with high school activities programs should adhere to the fundamental values of respect, fairness, honesty and responsibility. According to GHSA, the program honors student-athletes along with fellow students, school staff, parents and game spectators, making the award not only a school honor, but also a community honor.
CCSD Students and Teachers Honored by Georgia Department of Education The new Georgia ESOL Star Learner program honors students who speak English as a second language; CCSD nominated students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, extra-curricular involvement and outstanding attendance and conduct. Only 27 students statewide were selected for the honor, including class of 2016 graduating seniors Lucas Barros and Kathy Keodouangdy of Etowah High School and Brian Quintana-Guzman of River Ridge High School. Each Georgia ESOL Star Learner had the opportunity to nominate a Georgia ESOL Star Teacher, and they chose Pamela Holman of Etowah HS and Autumn Hamilton of River Ridge HS.
CCSD School Operations Director Honored as a KSU Outstanding Scholar of the Year A CCSD Office of School Operations Director has been named the Outstanding Scholar of the Year in the Educational Leadership program at Kennesaw State Universitys Bagwell College of Education. Debra Murdock, who in her director role oversees the Districts middle and high schools and athletics, was honored in a ceremony on May 10th. One Scholar is named annually for each degree program based on outstanding achievements in the major field, including an exceptional GPA and notable achievements in extra-curricular, civic or professional activities. The honor is considered one of KSUs most prestigious awards, and recipients earn the designation University Scholar for their achievement.