Better Together

CCSD held its annual districtwide Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Writing Contest this year with the theme, "The Power of Peace." Featured in the video below are student winners in each of the contest categories: K-2 Art, K-2 Writing, 3-5 Art, 3-5 Writing, 6-8 Art, 6-8 Writing, 9-12 Art, and 9-12 Writing. The video premiered Friday, Jan. 17, at the annual University of Georgia MLK Freedom Breakfast. Contest winners were also recognized at the Thursday, Jan. 16 Clarke County Board of Education meeting.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! It's time to crown a district champion! Over the past month, CCSD's 14 elementary schools and four middle schools have held their school spelling bees, and the 18 winners will converge on the stage of the Vernon Payne Meeting Hall at the District Office on Friday, Jan. 24, for the district bee. The bee will begin at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live on the CCSD YouTube channel. Congratulations to all of the school winners (listed below) and good luck!

Middle School Winners

Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle: Addison Luke, 8th grade

Clarke Middle: Ojas Kulkarni, 8th grade

Coile Middle: Lizbeth Castro, 8th grade

Hilsman Middle: Harrison Smith, 7th grade

Elementary School Winners

Barnett Shoals Elementary: Nelith Weliweriya, 4th grade

Barrow Elementary: Bruce Kelly, 5th grade

Bettye H. Holston Elementary: Kaiiden Johnson, 5th grade

Cleveland Road Elementary: Emory Ensor, 3rd grade

Fowler Drive Elementary: Simon Brunk, 4th grade

Gaines Elementary: Sofia McDaniel, 3rd grade

Howard B. Stroud Elementary: Jocelyn Campbell, 5th grade

J.J. Harris Elementary: Valdemar Martinez Rosales, 5th grade

Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary: Lanna Kohnen, 4th grade

Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary: Jordyn Little, 4th grade

Timothy Road Elementary: Max Musser, 5th grade

Whit Davis Elementary: Mical Yacob, 5th grade

Whitehead Road Elementary: Hendrix Bracewell, 5th grade

Winterville Elementary: Bennett Stahl, 4th grade.

Congratulations to Sarah Waller-Price, band director at Coile Middle School, for being named CCSD's 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 by CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and Coile assistant principal Cindy Tucker and was also recognized at this week's Board of Education meeting.

Thank you to all in the community for your many wonderful nominations! As a reminder, any full-time CCSD employee with at least one of year of service to the district may be nominated at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward. You can fill out the embedded form directly below.

The Georgia Department of Education last week released its 2023-24 lists of Title I Distinguished and Reward Schools based on Georgia Milestones Assessment System testing data from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, and Timothy Road Elementary was named a Title I Reward School! Reward Schools are among the greatest-improving 5% of Title I Schoolwide and Title I Targeted Assistance schools when comparing the Content Mastery scores from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 statewide assessments. Read more here!

In addition, Whit Davis Elementary was included in a list of 52 CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) Progress Schools across the state. In 2023, Georgia transitioned to a three-year identification process for CSI schools, and this year the state began annually recognizing and celebrating CSI schools that make progress on their improvement plans and performance. To be eligible for the CSI Progress School list, schools had to show a 5% increase in the CCRPI Content Mastery component score from 2022-23 to 2023-24 and have a score of 80 or higher on at least one of the other three components: Progress, Closing Gaps, and Readiness. Read more about Whit Davis' gains here!

The REACH Scholarship is a needs-based mentoring and scholarship program in Georgia that provides students a framework of educational and financial support to aid their successful journey through high school and beyond.

Every year, CCSD selects a cohort of eighth-grade students who commit to maintaining good grades, attendance, and behavior throughout high school. Upon program completion, students are awarded a $10,000 scholarship, which can be used at any HOPE-eligible institution in Georgia. A majority of Georgia colleges and universities match or double-match this scholarship, meaning that students can earn up to $30,000 in REACH scholarship money coming out of high school. The program is coordinated statewide by the Georgia Student Finance Commission and locally by CCSD’s Department of School Counseling.

CCSD will hold a REACH Scholarship informational session for interested students and families Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave. RSVP to Veronica Johnson, CCSD Director of School Counseling and REACH Coordinator, at johnsonv@clarke.k12.ga.us to reserve your spot.

The Georgia Department of Education has partnered with Varsity Tutors to offer a series of statewide virtual tutoring sessions. Don’t miss these upcoming sessions!

• College Admissions 101 - 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23. Intended for students in grades 8-11, parents, families, and counselors. Learn what colleges look for, how to build strong transcripts and extracurriculars, navigate school research and visits, and track important deadlines.
• Habits of Successful Test Takers - 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12. Intended for students, parents, counselors, and educators. This session is designed to help students and parents discover tools to improve test performance and build confidence, including effective study techniques, using answer choices strategically, overcoming mental blocks, managing time, and reducing test anxiety.

Visit this link for additional information and to register for one or both of the sessions.

CCSD will host its annual Science & Engineering Fair for middle and high school students Saturday, Jan. 25, at Clarke Middle School. Following viewing of the projects by judges and student interviews, the public will be invited to view the projects from 11:15 a.m. to noon. An awards presentation is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.

See the full schedule below!

The Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Clarke Central High School will have a fundraiser event Monday, Feb. 10, from 5-9 p.m. at Chipotle, 165 Alps Rd., Athens. The chapter will receive 25% of proceeds from sales during this time. Eat in-person and show the flyer above or order online for pickup with the code YREEX9B.

For more information, contact Jaclyn Brown, Clarke Central FBLA faculty advisor, at brownja@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Join us Saturday, March 1, for a day of fun at the Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary annual Ribbit Run, presented by Fleet Feet! Whether it’s the 5K race, 1K Fun Run, or Tiny Tree Frog Trot, there will be races for all ages and paces. In addition to running, there will be complimentary hot chocolate and coffee from Java Joy, food for purchase from Cafe Racer, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and other children's activities.

All event proceeds will go to the Burks Elementary PTO, which provides support for teacher and school-wide projects. Register at this link by Monday, Feb. 10, to receive a T-shirt.

CCSD students in grades PK-12 are invited to participate in the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government Waste Reduction Division's annual Green Life Art Contest. Winning entries will be included in the Green Life Art Exhibition in April.

This year, students are invited to explore and express their unique perspectives on sustainability and nature in the Classic City. Create a work of art that shares how you see Athens embracing the balance between urban life and the natural world, highlighting both its challenges and the beauty that lies in its landscapes and environment. Students are encouraged to create a painting, drawing, sculpture, take a photograph, or write a poem to demonstrate Athens through your eyes.

Visit accgov.com/GreenLife for more information.

The Clarke County Board of Education officially welcomed newly-elected member Mary P. Bagby (District 2) this week 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 their new four-year terms that will expire in December 2028. Congratulations to these four members!

The Clarke County Board of Education welcomes community feedback. Here are ways you can share your voice:

• Contact BOE Members: Click here to view a list of the BOE members and their contact information.
• Attend a Meeting: The board's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, Feb. 13, with the work session beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. All meetings are held in the Vernon Payne Meeting Hall at the CCSD administrative offices building, located at 595 Prince Ave. in Athens. The public is invited to attend meetings in person. Meetings are also streamed live and are available for on-demand viewing on the CCSD YouTube channel. Click here for the board meeting schedule.
• Agendas: Click here to access board meeting agendas.
• Board Briefs: Click to read the "Board Briefs" overview from meetings.
  
• Public Comments: Click here for information on how to sign-up to speak at a BOE meeting.
• Review Policies for Review: View and comment on district policies pending public review.

Aspiring teachers are invited to register for and attend the annual CCSD Educator Career Fair on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave., Athens! Our Educator Career Fair is the perfect opportunity to speak with many of our current teachers and principals to understand in detail about their school and the positions they are hiring for. At the event, you may be invited to interview with school teams and potentially offered a teaching position on the spot! Representatives from Human Resources will also be there to answer any questions you may have.

Space is limited, so register today to secure your spot at bit.ly/ccsdfair25. You can find additional information and answers to frequently asked questions about the fair at this link.

All CCSD students have a free PINES Library Access for Youth (PLAY) Card account as part of a collaboration between the school district, Georgia Library PINES*, and your Athens-Clarke County Libraries: Aaron Heard Resource Center, Athens-Clarke County Library (Baxter Street), Lay Park Community Center, Pinewoods Library, and the Winterville Library.

The PLAY Card account allows each student to check out five physical materials (books, magazines) at a time for free and provides access to online resources from the public library to help your child succeed in school, along with fun resources to support a lifelong love of reading.

Click here for more information.

Registration is now open for the spring Sirius Athletics track and field season. The program is open to children ages 6-15. The first practice is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 9. Go to siriusathletics.org to register or scan the QR code in the flyer above.

Join the Athens Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at the Athens-Clarke County Library from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 25, for a community forum on human trafficking. Learn from experts and discover ways to combat this issue. Scan the QR code in the flyer above or go to this link to register and secure your spot.

The Cedar Shoals High School Alumni Association will hold a community food distribution event Monday, Jan. 20, in partnership with City of Refuge Athens. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at Cedar Shoals High, 1300 Cedar Shoals Dr. Everyone must register to receive food. Register at bit.ly/CEDFOOD or by scanning the code in the flyer above.

Athens-based nonprofit Casa de Amistad has several opportunities coming up in early 2025, including English classes for Spanish speakers, Spanish classes for English speakers, and GED classes in both English and Spanish. See the flyers below and visit athensamistad.com for additional information.

Project Safe's annual Jessica Nowell Memorial "Stomp Out Domestic Violence" step show will be held Saturday, Feb. 16, at Clarke Central High School.

Step teams from CCSD schools will be among those participating in the event. Doors will open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students.