Better Together

We’re excited to share that Randy Priest recently started in his position as CCSD's new Sustainability Coordinator and has already hit the ground running with projects designed to support our schools and buildings in strengthening our district's sustainability efforts. In his new role, Mr. Priest will also be working on key initiatives outlined in the CCSD Sustainability Report that was prepared by an advisory committee to the Clarke County Board of Education and finalized earlier this year.

As part of this work, we’re kicking things off with a waste audit at Whit Davis Elementary School, conducted in collaboration with Athens-Clarke County’s Solid Waste Department. This partnership is possible thanks to the county receiving a $25,000 "Made to be Remade" Grant, which focuses on improving school recycling throughout the community. The grant is funded by the Georgia Beverage Association and the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, and Georgia Beverage Association president Kevin Perry presented a check at the Thursday, Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting.

"A waste audit is a closer look at what’s ending up in our trash and recycling bins so we can understand how well our current systems are working," said Mr. Priest. "By sorting and measuring the waste, we’ll learn where recycling is going well, where contamination is happening, and what materials could be diverted from the landfill. The results will help guide improvements to recycling and waste-reduction efforts across the district."

We will periodically provide additional updates on the waste audit and several other exciting projects as we continue building a more sustainable school community! If you have ideas, questions, or want to collaborate, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Priest at priestr@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Congratulations to Sonja Winfrey, nursing clinic assistant at Cedar Shoals High School, on being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for December! Ms. Winfrey was nominated by Cedar Shoals nurse Eve Bisard, who described her as a respectful, professional, caring, and approachable employee who is dedicated to serving the entire Cedar Shoals community and also commended her on her work ethic and performance, including receiving a 100 from the Georgia Department of Public Health on the school's 11th-grade immunization audit the last three consecutive years.

Ms. Winfrey was surprised with the award at school by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott, Cedar Shoals principal Dr. Makeba Clark, and members of the district nursing support team. She was also publicly recognized during the Thursday, Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting.

As a reminder, anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for this award at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward. You can also complete the form directly below.

If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a teacher, are already a certified teacher who would like to get back in the classroom, or interested in joining CCSD in a support staff role, our next "Find Your Fit Friday" session is scheduled for Jan. 9 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave., Athens!

Representatives from CCSD's Human Resources Division will meet with prospective employees, discuss current vacancies, and share information about the hiring process and pathways to joining the CCSD team.

We offer competitive salaries, great employee benefits packages, and outstanding professional support for our staff to promote positive school cultures across the district and to further our mission of creating educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential.

Register here and find a list of current position openings at ccsdjobs.org.

Come out and support our elementary school basketball teams in next week's postseason tournament through the Athens Youth Development Initiative. An exciting regular season wrapped up this week, and the tournament will begin Monday, Dec. 15. Check out the full schedule below and follow CCSD and the YDI Facebook pages for bracket updates!

GIRLS' TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

First round - Monday, Dec. 15, CCSD Gym, 595 Prince Ave., Athens

• 4 p.m. - Oglethorpe Avenue vs. Barnett Shoals
• H.B. Stroud - first-round bye

First round - Tuesday, Dec. 16, CCSD Gym

• 4 p.m. - Gaines vs. Whitehead Road
• 5 p.m. - Timothy Road vs. Fowler Drive

Semifinals - Wednesday, Dec. 17

• 6 p.m. - Stroud vs. Timothy/Fowler winner, CCSD Gym
• 6 p.m. - Oglethorpe/Barnett Shoals winner vs. Gaines/Whitehead winner, Clarke Central High School, 350 South Milledge Ave., Athens

Finals - Thursday, Dec. 18, Clarke Central High School, 6 p.m.

BOYS' TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

First round - Monday, Dec. 15, CCSD Gym

• 5 p.m. - Gaines vs. Whitehead Road
• 6 p.m. - Timothy Road vs. H.B. Stroud

First round - Tuesday, Dec. 16, CCSD Gym

• 6 p.m. - Oglethorpe Avenue vs. J.J. Harris
• 7 p.m. - Whit Davis vs. Holston

Semifinals - Wednesday, Dec. 17

• 5 p.m. - Gaines/Whitehead winner vs. Oglethorpe/J.J. Harris winner, CCSD Gym
• 5 p.m. - Timothy/Stroud winner vs. Whit Davis/Holston winner, Clarke Central

Finals - Thursday, Dec. 18, Clarke Central High School, 7 p.m.

Gladiator Youth Sports Camps will host a Holiday Soccer Camp and a Holiday Basketball Camp Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 29-31, at Clarke Central High School, 350 South Milledge Ave., Athens. The camps are open to all CCSD students ages 8-14. Click here for more information and to register.

Congratulations to the Clarke Central Gladiator 7U football team, which recently won the North Georgia Youth Football Association Super Bowl in their division! The Gladiators finished the season with a perfect 10-0 record and defeated the Monroe Area Hurricanes 19-6 for the title.

Team members included: Tailyn Howard, Houston Guest, Dajuan Mathis, Kylen Gresham, Phoenix Hudson, Landon Jordan, Kyler Smith, Rush DeLaigle, Khyan Johnson, Jeremy Flenoy Jr., Kedric Lane, Emory Neal, Zakari Randolph, Karson Heard, Landon Emily, Island Brown, Karson Flemming, Kaleb Martin, Amos Costantino, Jaelyn Owens, Qua'Len Lee, Ja'siris Turner, Kaleb Sheats, Stanquan Faust, Jamarion Sumbry, Kayden Beasley, Jaiden Cunningham, and Jeremiah Redding.

The team was coached by head coach Scotty Randolph and assistants Daniel DeLaigle, Demarkeo Mathis, Melvin Hayes, Todd Emily, Walter Browning, and Jeremy Flenoy. Marquita Richardson serves as the Gladiator Youth Football director.

Congratulations to the following student-athletes from Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals high schools for earning all-region honors this fall sports season!

Clarke Central - Region 8-AAAAA

Football

• Two-way Player of the Year - Nuh'Si Valenti
• First Team Offense - La’Gracion Little, Skylan Smith
• First Team Defense - Dream Freeman, Jamarion Herring, Quintaveon Scott, Davion Richardson
• Honorable Mention - Shepherd Trotter, Mimi Valenti, Braylen Harper, Collin McIntosh, Triston Thomas, Troy Rucker, Newy Paul

Softball

• First Team - Adriana Ozuna
• Second Team - Alex Ozuna

Volleyball

• Second Team - Jazlyn Lumpkin

Cedar Shoals - Region 8-AAAA

Football

• First Team Offense - Dorian Thrasher
• First Team Defense - Jeff Bailey
• Second Team Defense - Za’Rekyi Walker, Devin Young, Regero Allen, Deston Foote, Santana Moreau

The Cedar Shoals High School varsity basketball teams will be taking part in a day full of hoops action Saturday, Dec. 13, in the Classic City Showcase at Akins Ford Arena!

The Jaguar girls will face off with Jefferson at 6 p.m., while the Cedar boys will take on Jefferson at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 apiece and will also get you access to the other four games between area teams. The games will start at 10 a.m.

Click here to view the full schedule, purchase tickets, and find more information about the event!

CCSD families: If you or someone you know will have a new student to enroll in CCSD for the 2026-27 school year, now is the time to start preparing! New student registration for next school year will begin in early 2026, and while registration will run all the way up to the start of the new academic year in August, we encourage "early bird" enrollment so that your student will be first-day ready!

Registration is an online process, and proof of parent/guardian identification and residency and your child's birth certificate and immunization records are required for enrollment. Go to www.clarke.k12.ga.us/registration to learn more about the online enrollment process and required documents so you can begin to gather them, and stay tuned for more information about dates for K-12 registration and Pre-K priority registration.

Have questions? Need assistance?

The Student Registration Center in the District Office, 595 Prince Ave., is open from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at 706-546-7721 or registration@clarke.k12.ga.us. While walk-ins are accepted, appointments are recommended and can be made here for K-12 registration or here for Pre-K registration.

Need to change your address?

If you have recently moved or are planning to move soon, you will need to file your change of address with the district to ensure your child is attending the correct school, based on the district's attendance zones. You can change your address by completing this form. You can find a county street-by-street index with school assignments here.

We're in December, and that means there's only one month left to be eligible to claim the PEACH Education Tax Credit on your 2025 Georgia income tax return while supporting public education in Athens-Clarke County!

The PEACH Education Tax Credit, a program through the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE), offers individuals and businesses an opportunity to redirect a portion of their state income tax liability to support innovative K-12 public education projects and initiatives in their communities.

Click here for more information and here to get started on applying for the credit and to make your donation! Approved contribution funds in Clarke County will go toward supporting programming at the Athens Community Career Academy, a future dental clinic at the Clarke Middle Health Center, and various projects and initiatives related to CCSD's Culture of Literacy campaign. When completing the application, you will be directed to specify which project you want your donation to support.

The monthly Parent Institute newsletter, available in English and Spanish with early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school versions, is intended to:

• help families effectively support their children's education at home
• provide practical, proven information families can act on right away
• offer guidance on a comprehensive array of school success topics
• reinforce the importance of the school-home partnership.

Click the buttons below to access each version!

CCSD is in the process of reviewing the district's Code of Student Conduct for potential edits and changes for the 2026-27 school year and is seeking public feedback.

Please review the 2025-26 code (Spanish begins on page 36), and complete this brief survey by Dec. 19 to share your feedback. The survey is available in English and Spanish and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The proposed 2026-27 Code of Student Conduct will be presented to the Clarke County Board of Education for approval this spring.

For questions, please reach out to Tessa Barbazon, Executive Director of Student and Family Support, at barbazont@clarke.k12.ga.us, or Jabari Cobb, Director of Student Support, at cobbja@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Are you getting started on your holiday shopping for your child and planning to purchase something tech-related? Before you click or tap "add to cart" to buy them something you might regret later, be sure to check out Parent ProTech's 2025 Holiday Gift Guide, highlighting safe and screen-balanced picks for every age and stage to help your child thrive.

Check out the full guide at bit.ly/protechgiftguide and remember to sign up for your *FREE* Parent ProTech account at bit.ly/clarkeparentprotech and learn more information about how you can support your child in being safe and responsible online and with devices.

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.
• Find Your Board Member: Use Athens-Clarke County's online voter information tool at www.accgov.com/voterinfo to enter your address and find your BOE member and your other elected representatives.
• Attend a Meeting: The board's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, January 15, 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.

Fill out the short Google form below or here, and a CCSD Human Resources representative will follow up with you.

CCSD families: If you or someone you know are in need of assistance, the Georgia Department of Education has a live-updating online "Hope Map" with information on resources ranging from food pantries to shelter and healthcare.

Go to hopemapgeorgia.org to get started. You can select your language preference, search by zip code or city to find services available in a specific area, and filter by categories of services you are looking for.

Lavender Hill Bed and Breakfast, 2569 Riverbend Rd., Athens, will be hosting two separate events from Nov. 29 to Dec. 23 to interact with Santa Claus. Scan the QR code in the flyers above to purchase tickets. For more information, call 706-521-2090.

As part of a collaboration between CCSD and the Athens Regional Library System, the PLAY Card account provides each CCSD student with free materials (books, magazines, etc.) and online resources from the public library to help your child succeed in school, along with fun resources to support a lifelong love of reading. You and your child can check out materials at the libraries by entering their student ID number.

Click the links to view the Leisure Pursuits newsletter for December, which contains information about upcoming events and programs in Athens-Clarke County:

• English
• Español

The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov), with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), has been awarded a federal grant through the Bridge Investment Program to support a study of distressed bridges in the county.

ACCGov selected five of the 44 locally-owned bridges in Athens-Clarke County that have the most urgent structural need, as well as the ability to support mobility and pedestrian connectivity. These bridges include:

• College Avenue at North Oconee River
• Mitchell Bridge Road at Middle Oconee River
• North Avenue at North Oconee River
• Vine Street at Trail Creek
• Whitehall Road at North Oconee River.

Community members are invited to participate in this public survey to help guide the county's work.

Anyone in the community may sign up for email and/or text notifications from the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government in a wide variety of categories with more than 100 different options. Visit accgov.com/notifyme and select the list you'd like to sign up for.

211 is United Way of Northeast Georgia’s health and human service helpline – a free and confidential program accessible to anyone. Call 211, text your zip code to 898-211, or visit the online database.