Better Together

Billy Henderson Stadium at Clarke Central High School was filled with joy and excitement on Thursday, March 20, as many of our students competed in the annual CCSD Spring Special Olympics! A job well done by all of these fantastic students and a huge thank you to the staff, volunteers, and community members and organizations who help make these events possible! See more photos here! And click the links below to more photo galleries from around the district over the past week.

Registration for the Athens Youth Development Initiative's Spring Break camps opens Saturday, March 22, at 9 a.m. at this link! Camps are free for CCSD students in grades K-5 and will run from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 5, and Monday, April 7, at Clarke Middle School, 1235 Baxter St.

Space is limited so be sure to register quickly! More specific information will be emailed to participants. For more information, contact Chris Hulse, Youth Development Initiative Coordinator, at hulsec@clarke.k12.ga.us.

The window for parents/guardians and teachers/staff to declare their candidacy for their school’s Local School Governance Team (LSGT) is now open! CCSD believes in the power of collaboration between schools, families, and the community. That’s why we invite parents, guardians, and teachers to take an active role in shaping the future of our schools by serving on an LSGT.

Now through April 16, eligible individuals can submit their Declaration of Candidacy for a seat on their school's LSGTeam. These teams work with school principals and the community to make data-driven decisions that help play a critical role in school decision-making and strategies that directly impact student achievement. Elections will be held April 21-25, and results will be announced by April 28. Elected members will serve a two-year term.

We encourage all eligible parents/guardians and teachers/staff to consider this impactful opportunity to make a difference in our schools. To declare your candidacy, click here or scan the QR Code below!

Each year, CCSD invites students, staff, families, and other community stakeholders to comment on an updated version of the district’s Code of Student Conduct for the following school year prior to adoption of the code by the Board of Education.

The proposed 2025-26 Code of Student Conduct (Spanish version begins on page 37) is now available for review, and the district is accepting feedback responses through April 30. Please use this form (available in English and Spanish) to submit your feedback. Review the proposed code and then select which sections you would like to comment on. All comments will be submitted to the Board of Education for review and may be used for additional revisions to the code before it is presented to the board for consideration at its monthly meeting on May 8.

At its meeting on March 13, the Clarke County Board of Education approved the appointment of Derrick Maxwell as full-time principal of Clarke Middle School and April Braswell as full-time principal of Coile Middle School, effective immediately. Mr. Maxwell and Ms. Braswell had served as interim principals of their schools since July 2024.

Read more here!

This week, representatives from the Northeast Georgia Regional Educational Services Agency (RESA) surprised Winterville Elementary music teacher Madison Graham with the Shared Services Positive Partnership Award.

Mr. Graham was nominated by members of the regional Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing staff who work at the school. The award celebrates school-level teachers and staff who partner with RESA Shared Services in a meaningful way to meet the needs of students. Congratulations to Mr. Graham and thank you for all you do for our students!

Congratulations to CCSD bus driver LaQuesta Gipson on being named Northeast Georgia RESA Bus Driver of the Year! She will now advance to the state competition.

Ms. Gipson is in her ninth year with CCSD and currently drives routes for Bettye H. Holston Elementary and Clarke Central High schools. CCSD Director of Transportation Shurod Swift nominated her for the RESA award, saying that she consistently demonstrates professionalism, reliability, and a deep commitment to safety, making her an invaluable asset to any team.

Read more about Ms. Gipson here!

Is there a CCSD teacher that inspires you or inspires your student? Is there a district staff member that does tremendous work within the school community and you want to recognize them? If the answer is yes, nominate them for one of the 2025 Foundation for Excellence in Public Education in Clarke County teaching and staff awards!

The foundation is one of CCSD's enduring partners and presents thousands of dollars in awards and grants each year to educators and students throughout the district. Go to athensffe.org for a full list of awards up for nomination this year.

Nominations will be accepted through April 13, and winners will be announced in July.

Nominations for CCSD's April Employee of the Month are open and are being accepted through March 31! Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for this award.

Head to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started or fill out the form embedded directly below!

CCSD will host its annual Young Scientist Fair for students in grades K-5 on Saturday, April 19, at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary, 1150 Oglethorpe Ave.

The event will feature live, interactive science activities and competitions as well as judging of science projects in multiple categories. Competitions will begin at 8:30 a.m. There will be a public viewing of science fair projects starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 11:30 a.m.

See the flyer above for additional information.

CCSD's Department of Special Education will host a transition fair for students and their families on Friday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to noon at the District Office. There will be more than 30 local and areas resource providers in attendance to share information in the areas of community access programs, job support, financial support, trusts planning, guardianship, social opportunities, and more. There will be snacks, games and plenty of information. We look forward to seeing you!

For more information about the fair, email Liza Burnsed, CCSD Transition Specialist, at burnsedl@clarke.k12.ga.us. You can also find more information CCSD Special Education transition services at this link.

CCSD is now offering free admission to Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high school home athletic events to Clarke County residents 60 years of age and older! Passes are for home games only and are available in the front office of each high school. Cedar Shoals High School is located at 1300 Cedar Shoals Dr. Clarke Central High School is located at 350 South Milledge Ave.

CCSD has a new partnership with Varsity Tutors that provides students with virtual, asynchronous assistance, and extended learning opportunities at all levels. These support services include free tutoring anytime, enrichment classes, essay reviews, read-aloud sessions, and self-study resources to name a few!

CLICK HERE for information on how to access Varsity Tutors.

Check out the programs below and stay tuned for more information!

• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School

You can also check out answers to these frequently asked questions in English and Spanish for more details.

The Georgia Student Finance Commission has partnered with the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and private institutions to provide application fee waivers to Georgia high school seniors through the Find Your MATCH in March initiative. More than 60 Georgia colleges and universities have agreed to waive their application fees for high school seniors between March 1-31.

Read more about the initiative here. You can also find a full list of participating colleges, application instructions, and contact information on our Facebook post from earlier this week!

The annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) window remains open, and CCSD will hold a FAFSA Completion Event to offer assistance to high school students and families from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave.

Students should bring their school laptops, and families should bring their Social Security number or A-number (for non-U.S. citizens), 2023 federal income tax returns, and other financial records. Additional information can be found on the above flyer.

For additional information, contact your student's counselor.

The Athens Community Career Academy will once again host summer enrichment camps in June for rising ninth-grade students featuring several of its pathways and designed to introduce students to pathways they can apply for during their freshman year at their home high school and start taking classes in as early as their sophomore year.

The weeklong camps are half-day camps from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Breakfast, lunch, and transportation will be provided upon request. Spots in each pathway camp are limited and are on a first-come, first-serve basis. The deadline to apply is April 22.

The camps and dates include:

• Firefighting (June 9-12)
• Biotechnology (June 9-12)
• Cosmetology (June 9-12)
• Advanced Manufacturing (June 23-26)
• Culinary Arts (June 9-12)
• Healthcare (June 9-12)
• Teaching as a Profession (June 9-12)
• Broadcast Video Production (June 9-12).

Go to bit.ly/ccsdsummerprograms to select the camp you are interested in attending and select whether your student will need breakfast, lunch, and transportation. For more information, contact Halo Smart, ACCA Workforce Development Coordinator, at smarth@clarke.k12.ga.us or 706-357-5244.

Cedar Shoals will host a one-day summer transition camp for incoming ninth-graders July 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These sessions will be an opportunity for students to be introduced to the Cedar Shoals campus, meet classmates, and learn the responsibilities of high school.

Families of current eighth-grade students at Coile and Hilsman middle schools as well as those of any eighth-graders who will be moving and zoned for Cedar Shoals next school year are encouraged to sign their student up for one of the sessions at bit.ly/FreshmanCamp25. The deadline to register is May 20.

For more information, contact Courtni Reese, Cedar Shoals Family Communication Specialist, at reesec@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Clarke Central High School will host an orientation for families of rising ninth-grade students at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in the CCHS Mell Auditorium.

The event is for families of current eighth-grade students at Burney-Harris-Lyons and Clarke middle schools as well as any other eighth-graders who will be moving and be zoned to attend Clarke Central next year. The session will give families and students information on transitioning to high school and details about the school's one-day freshman transition camps scheduled for July 28 and 29.

Click the PDF file attached below for a one-page information sheet on the Clarke Central Freshman Academy. For more information, contact Clarke Central Family Engagement Specialist and Academic Support Specialist Christian Barner at barnerc@clarke.k12.ga.us or 706-357-5200, Ext. 17376.

Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School offers a Dual Language Immersion Program in Spanish for students in grades PK-5. Students living in the OAES attendance zone are invited to apply for the bilingual and biliteracy program prior to their pre-K year and, once accepted, continue in the program throughout their time at OAES and then through middle school if they attend Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School. Students receive 50% of their daily instruction in Spanish and the other half in English.

OAES will host a DLI informational meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, for current DLI families, families with children entering pre-K or kindergarten at OAES for the 2025-26 school year, and anyone else interested in learning more. The meeting will include program registration information for next school year and a discussion on the benefits of students receiving daily instruction in two languages.

As we celebrate Youth Art Month, CCSD's Student Art Exhibition is now on public display at the University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art through April 11! Join us for a reception celebrating our many talented student artists on Sunday, March 30 from 1-3 p.m.

This spring, Clarke Central High School's Glad Players and Cedar Shoals High School's Chicken Wing Theatre are teaming up to bring the community a production of "Mamma Mia!" The beloved musical is packed with ABBA’s greatest hits, a heartwarming story, and non-stop energy. Set on a sun-kissed Greek island, this feel-good production follows a young bride-to-be on a quest to discover her father’s identity – leading to laughter, surprises, and plenty of dancing!

This is a show you won’t want to miss! Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 7 p.m. Friday, April 18, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 19. Get your tickets here.

For more information, contact Kayla Griffin (Clarke Central) at griffink2@clarke.k12.ga.us or Rosemary Milsap (Cedar Shoals) at milsapr@clarke.k12.ga.us.

The window for families to complete the 2024-25 GaDOE School Climate Survey for your child's school closes March 31. At CCSD, we believe learning occurs best in school cultures where staff and students feel a sense of belonging, safety, and support. The results of these surveys help us identify strengths and areas for growth, and we believe it is vital to have as much student, staff, and family participation as possible in completing these surveys so that we can make informed, data-driven decisions to improve student and staff experiences across the district. If you have not received the survey from your child's school, please reach out to their principal for the link.

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, April 17, 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.

The Athens-Clarke County People and Belonging Department will host a Women's Resource Fair on Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lyndon House, 211 Hoyt St., Athens.

Women in the community are invited to get free health screenings, career coaching, and learn more about mental health and other community resources available to them.

U-Lead Athens, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrants and children of immigrant students in their pursuit of higher education, will host its 11th annual DREAMFest event Saturday, March 29, from noon to 5 p.m. at Heard Park, 400 McKinley Dr., Athens. The event will feature live performances, community organizations tabling and informing the community of their services, music, family-friendly activities, food, and raffles.

Brightpaths, the nonprofit previously known as Prevent Child Abuse Athens, will hold a "Pins for Prevention" event Sunday, March 30, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Showtime Bowling Center, 555 Macon Hwy., Athens. Find more information here.

CCSD families are invited to participate in a research project being conducted by the Augusta University-University of Georgia Medical Partnership to understand people's dental care experiences locally and how services can be enhanced with families. Survey results will help inform operations at the Clarke Middle Health Center, which is managed by the medical partnership.

Click here to access the survey or scan the code in the flyers above.

International Student Life at the University of Georgia will host its annual International Street Festival event Saturday, April 5, from 12-5 p.m. on College Avenue in downtown Athens. This free community event will be full of performances, activities, and food from all around the world. Held in downtown Athens with 3,000-5,000 visitors each year, it offers something for everyone. Bring family and friends of all ages to explore different cultures without leaving Athens!