Better Together

Students at Timothy Road Elementary, Howard B. Stroud Elementary, and Hilsman Middle had a chance this past week to explore different careers during their Career Day events, which included visits from first responders, public works and public service agencies, and other community members and parents who took time to give the students more insights about the work they do. Click the school links above to see more photos!

Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary teachers and staff injected some humor into STEM teacher Keith Weaver's birthday by "disguising" themselves with his signature beard. The real Mr. Weaver is pictured third from left.

We are pleased to announce the winners of our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Writing & Art Contest with representation across all grade levels! This year's contest theme was "The Power of Peace."

All of the winners listed (first place, second place, third place, honorable mention) in each category will be recognized at a future meeting of the Clarke County Board of Education, and several will be featured in a video that will debut at the University of Georgia annual MLK Freedom Breakfast in January.

Congratulations to all of these deserving students!

High School Writing

1st place – Kevin Capcha, 12th grade, Clarke Central High

2nd place – Kenia Gonzalez-Chavez, 9th grade, Cedar Shoals High

3rd place – Ja’mia Hill, 10th grade, CCSD Learning Center

Middle School Writing

1st place – Jessie Salas Estrada, 8th grade, Hilsman Middle

2nd place – Maleeyah Gates, 7th grade, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle

3rd place – Olivia Trimble, 8th grade, Clarke Middle

Honorable Mention – Kimberly Trigueros, 8th grade, Coile Middle

3-5 Writing

1st place – Damarion Carter, 5th grade, Howard B. Stroud Elementary

2nd place – Ilona Vegso, 4th grade, Timothy Road Elementary

3rd place – Olivia Morse, 3rd grade, Fowler Drive Elementary

Honorable Mention – Riley Hughes, 5th grade, Barnett Shoals Elementary

K-2 Writing

1st place – Leo Finlay, Kindergarten, Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary

2nd place – Kenji Funato, 2nd grade, Timothy Road Elementary

3rd place – Declyn Allen, 2nd grade, Cleveland Road Elementary

Honorable Mention – Julian Cruz Flores, 1st grade, Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary

High School Art

1st place – Dashiell Henderson, 10th grade, Clarke Central High

2nd place – Fallon Martin, 12th grade, Classic City High

3rd place – Kailynn McClain, 11th grade, Cedar Shoals High

Honorable Mention – Darrius Eberhardt, 10th grade, CCSD Learning Center

Middle School Art

1st place – Mary Jane Okoli, 7th grade, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle

2nd place – Sally Marr, 7th grade, Clarke Middle

3rd place – Arianny Silverio Alvarez, 7th grade, Hilsman Middle

Honorable Mention – Sarah Brandenberg, 6th grade, Coile Middle

3-5 Art

1st place – Ruby Smothers, 4th grade, Gaines Elementary

2nd place – Ayden Patton, 5th grade, Whit Davis Elementary

3rd place – Carmelo Salguero, 5th grade, Timothy Road Elementary

Honorable Mention – Harmony Wise, 4th grade, Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary

K-2 Art

1st place – Ceilia Breña Muñoz, 2nd grade, Barnett Shoals Elementary

2nd place – Harper Swinford, 2nd grade, Timothy Road Elementary

3rd place – Ayden Tappan, 2nd grade, Whit Davis Elementary

Honorable Mention – Nada Ghareeb, Kindergarten, Barrow Elementary

Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and Cleveland Road, Timothy Road, and Oglethorpe Avenue elementary schools have been named "Math Leaders" by the Georgia Department of Education for having exceptional achievement or growth in state mathematics standardized testing scores last school year. Read more here!

We are thrilled to have six of our employees nominated in the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) Hidden Heroes online contest, and voting is now open! You may vote for these incredibly deserving CCSD employees listed below once a day through Nov. 22 at this link. Show your support for each of these individuals and the work they are doing to improve the lives of students and families in Clarke County!

Congratulations to Hilsman Middle School principal Dr. Kenneth Vaughan for receiving the Positive Partnership Award from Northeast Georgia RESA for his work in supporting RESA's Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program at HMS!

The DHH program provides specialized instruction and support for students, which includes American Sign Language interpreters and paraprofessionals who teach and use ASL to allow students to access and thrive in a regular education setting. This is Hilsman's third year hosting NEGA RESA's program for middle school students. The elementary school program is currently based at Winterville Elementary, and the high school program is based at Madison County High School.

Congratulations to the Clarke Central High football team, which claimed the GHSA Region 8-AAAAA championship with a 49-8 win over Winder-Barrow last week! The Gladiators finished the regular season with a record of 8-2 and will host Houston County in the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

You can read more about the Gladiators' drive to a region title in this article from the Athens Banner-Herald.

Congratulations to these Clarke Central High School students who won individual awards last week during the GHSA Region 8-AAAAA One Act Play competition:

• Nate St. Onge - Best Supporting Actor
• Kaydon Jones - All-Star Cast
• Wayne Spencer - All-Star Cast.

CCSD is pleased to partner with the University of Georgia on several interactive learning programs for students, including the InnovateU summer program.

Sponsored by the UGA Office of the President and coordinated by the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development and College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the program allows students to develop as leaders and problem-solvers by innovating answers to real-life challenges through learning leadership and human-centered design skills. This past summer's challenge asked the students to work with college and industry mentors to identify sustainable ways to increase civic engagement in Athens-Clarke County.

Read more about the partnership here!

It's Apply to College Month in Georgia, and CCSD high school seniors have the opportunity to apply to participating University System of Georgia, Technical College System of Georgia, and private institutions for free throughout November! For more information, reach out to your counselor or get started by following this link for a list of participating colleges and universities and their application process.

Ret. Lt. Col. Ed Postell, field representative for Georgia's 10th Congressional District, will host an informational Zoom session featuring three current cadets on Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 7-8 p.m. The meeting will give students a great opportunities to interact directly with the three cadets, all of whom are graduates of area high schools, and learn more about the West Point application process.

Those interested in attending should email Lt. Col. Postell at postell71@gmail.com or call him at 610-420-6765 and he will provide the Zoom info for the meeting.

The Classic City Dawgs Adapted Sports Program, coordinated by CCSD, is open to all public and private school students grades 1-12 throughout the Northeast Georgia RESA area (Clarke, Oconee, Jackson, Madison, Barrow, and Oglethorpe counties) with a qualifying disability. Participation is completely free, and chairs are provided. Adapted handball season is wrapping up and basketball season will start Nov. 17.

Wheelchair basketball is a GHSA-sanctioned co-ed sport. Those interested in their student participating or who know someone who may be interested should complete or share this form (also embedded below). For more information, contact area coordinator Chris Aiken at aikenc@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Tickets are now on sale for the Classic City Championship basketball games, which will be held Friday, Dec. 20, at the brand-new Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in downtown Athens! Come watch the Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School girls' and boys' junior-varsity and varsity basketball teams do battle in an exciting new venue and support all of our student-athletes! More info, including ticket pricing, is available here! CCSD employees will also have to purchase a ticket unless they have an approved GHSA pass.

The game schedule is as follows:

• 1 p.m. - girls' JV
• 3 p.m. - boys' JV
• 5 p.m. - girls' varsity
• 7 p.m. - boys' varsity

Does your student need updated immunizations? CCSD is required to turn in all student immunization forms to the Georgia Department of Public Health on Nov. 22, 2024. If you are having trouble finding a vaccine appointment, CCSD students can use any of the CCSD school-based health centers listed below. Please contact your school nurse with any questions and call the health centers directly to schedule a vaccine appointment. All centers are open to students throughout the district.

• Hilsman Health Center: 706-564-7463
• Classic City Health Center: 706-389-1095, Ext. 4700
• Coile Health Center: 706-352-9244, Ext. 4800
• There are currently no vaccines available at the Clarke Middle Health Center.

At its Thursday, Oct. 17 meeting, the Clarke County Board of Education tabled action on the proposed academic calendars for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years until its Nov. 14 meeting to allow for additional public input.

Following a public input survey on the district's academic calendar this spring, which garnered 863 responses, a district committee was convened in May to craft the calendars for the next two school years. The committee was composed of certified and classified staff, school leadership, representatives from local school governance teams, families, and students. It included representation from each school within the district, as well as the central office, in order to foster inclusivity and equity in the calendar development process.

The calendars and survey responses can be found on this page or by clicking the buttons below. Please submit any comments to feedback@clarke.k12.ga.us.

In the next of a series of "Community Conversation" town hall-style events featuring Clarke County Board of Education members, board President and District 6 representative Dr. Mumbi Anderson will be at Timothy Road Elementary, 1900 Timothy Rd., Athens, from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, to speak with and hear from Clarke County residents about current CCSD-related issues.

The meeting is open to all residents throughout Athens-Clarke County, and a Spanish-language interpreter will be present.

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, Nov. 14, 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.

The Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St., Athens, is partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts "Big Read" program for its "Spotlight on the Arts" Family Day from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 9. Little Characters Theater Troupe will perform a piece inspired by the featured book “Show Way” (by Jacqueline Woodson), and families can join in group improv games. The event will also include interactive art cart activities, a quilting demonstration by local artist Beatrice Brown, and a take-home art project. The first 50 guests will receive a free copy of “Show Way.”

For those who cannot attend in person, Family Day to-go kits will be available for pick-up starting at 1 p.m. Saturday through the end of day Sunday, Nov. 10, while supplies last.

The Pollack Family Foundation will host the Banquet of Blessings, a free Thanksgiving community feast, on Sunday, Nov. 24, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the Classic Center Grand Hall, 300 North Thomas St., Athens. The goal of the event is to provide a warm meal to those in need along with fellowship and hospitality during the holiday season. Items such as jackets, gloves, hats, socks, sleeping bags, children's books and toys, and baby items will also be given away.