Better Together

Multicultural Night at Bettye H. Holston Elementary was a major hit as families and community members were able to take in performances from students across grade levels celebrating different cultures around the world, view art made by students, and enjoy games, food, and other activities from different countries. View more photos here!

This week, we welcomed dozens of members from the local business community into some of our schools for the 2024 Seeing is Believing Bus Tour, in partnership with the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and University of Georgia Office of Community Relations. Participants visited elementary, middle, and high schools to see the extraordinary work that takes place in our schools every day, learn about innovative programs, talk to our school leaders, and hear from students, parents, and other community members about the great things happening in our district.

See more photos here from the event here!

Also this week, an opening reception was held for our Biennial Student Art Exhibition, on display at the Lyndon House Arts Center through Jan. 18, 2025! The exhibition features approximately 370 submissions of artwork by students from all grade levels alongside the works of Athens creatives from whom they drew inspiration for their pieces.

See more photos from the opening reception here, and follow this link for more information on the exhibit, including hours of admission to the galleries!

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.

The Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School volleyball team won its second straight county middle school championship with a win over Clarke Middle on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Clarke Central High School. Congratulations to both teams on a great season. See more photos from the championship match here!

CCSD's weekly "Better Together" newsletter received a Gold Award from the Georgia School Public Relations Association in its 2024 Publications and Peach Awards announced this week. In all, our Department of Public Relations and Communications won 19 awards this year (seven at the state level and 12 at the national level) for its work in writing, photography, videography, and special publications that communicate and highlight the district's initiatives as well as the achievements and triumphs of our students and staff.

We thank all of our readers for your continued readership of this newsletter every week throughout the school year and always welcome your input as we look to continuing growing its outreach. You can send feedback to communications@clarke.k12.ga.us.

The 2024 CCSD Elementary Basketball season, part of the district's Youth Development Initiative, tips off next week with a full slate of games! We encourage everyone in the community to come out support our players and cheerleaders from all schools throughout the season. Regular-season admission is free for all games. The schedule for the opening week can be found below. Girls' games will start at 4 p.m., followed by the boys. Check out the Youth Development Initiative Facebook page for the full season schedule and all updates.

Monday, Oct. 21

Whitehead Road vs. Johnnie Lay Burks at CCSD Gym (595 Prince Ave.)

Tuesday, Oct. 22

Fowler Drive vs. Whit Davis at CCSD Gym

Bettye H. Holston vs. Timothy Road at Whitehead Road

Wednesday, Oct. 23

Barrow vs. Oglethorpe Avenue at CCSD Gym

Thursday, Oct. 24

J.J. Harris vs. Winterville at CCSD Gym

CCSD invites all students and staff to join us in a districtwide "Pink Out" on Friday, Oct. 25, to help bring awareness to and support for the fight against breast cancer!

The Clarke Central High School Drama Department is putting the final touches on its production of “The Diviners." Shows will be held Thursday and Friday, Oct. 24-25, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27, at 2 p.m. in the school auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults and can be purchased on GoFan.

Cedar Shoals High School will host a community trick-or-treat event Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 6-8 p.m. Enjoy games, a haunted room and bus, fire truck, Kona Ice, face-painting, candy, and more! Admission is free. Wear your best costumes!

The school is also accepting donations of individually wrapped Halloween candy. Donations can be dropped off at the school's front office.

Clarke County Board of Education District 7 member Dr. LaKeisha Gantt will host a "Community Conversation" event Monday, Oct. 21, from 6-7 p.m. at the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church Historic Schoolhouse, located at 610 Epps Bridge Pkwy., Athens. This is the second in a series of upcoming town hall-style events with BOE members. The meeting is open to all Clarke County residents. Spanish-language interpreters will be present.

CCSD is partnering with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities, Voices for Georgia's Children, and several other organizations to hold the "Free Your Feels" Teen Summit, a community-driven event dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness about young mental health. The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 26, from noon to 3 p.m. at The Classic Center, 300 North Thomas St., Athens.

Designed for teens aged 13-18, this summit provides a unique platform for young people to connect with their peers, access valuable resources from local service providers and organizations, and engage in various self-expression activities such as journaling and podcasting. Attendees can also enjoy free food and fun throughout the event. Additionally, adult caregivers are welcome to join the event with their teens, with a portion of the day to participate in the “Caregiver Cafe,” a special session led by a licensed clinician that fosters open, group dialogue among caregivers. This event promises a supportive and engaging environment for both teens and their caregivers.

Register at this link or in the form embedded below.

All CCSD students grades 9-11 and their families are invited to the district's AP and Dual Enrollment Night event Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Vernon Payne Meeting Hall at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave., Athens.

The program will cover the Advanced Placement programs at Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high schools and college-level course options available to students as well as dual-enrollment options through the Athens Community Career Academy, Athens Technical College, the University of North Georgia, and the University of Georgia. High school teachers, counselors, and representatives from local colleges will be be present to talk with students and families about what options might be right for them.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sigma Alpha Iota, the University of Georgia music fraternity, will host its annual "Dreaming of a Redcoat Band Day" event Sunday, Nov. 10, from 9:45 a.m. to noon for elementary school students and from 12:45-3 p.m. for middle and high school students.

During the event, students will play games and instruments, play stand tunes, and split off into sections to learn music. There will also be drum major lessons. At the end of the event, students will do a "Dawg Walk" with a special appearance by the UGA mascot, Hairy Dawg.

The cost to attend is $18 per student if signed up before Oct. 15 and $20 if signed up after Oct. 15, and the price includes a T-shirt for all participants and snacks during the event. You can register here.

Race registration is officially open for the inaugural Clarke Central High School "Glads Run ATH" 5K on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 a.m. Volunteer opportunities are also available for those who don't want to run, jog, or walk the course as well as "virtual runner" and sponsorship opportunities.

• To register to run, go to bit.ly/glads5Krun.
• To volunteer, go to bit.ly/glads5Kvolunteer.
• To be a sponsor, go to bit.ly/glads5Ksponsor.
• To purchase a T-shirt, go to bit.ly/glads5Kshirt.

If you are the owner or representative of a local or area company and would like more information about doing business with CCSD, join us on Saturday, Oct. 26, for our "Prime Time with Purchasing" event!

Hosted by CCSD's Office of Purchasing and Contracts, the event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CCSD District Office, 595 Prince Ave., and will give potential vendors an overview of ways to do business with the school district as well as current bids and opportunities that are available. Small businesses and minority- or women-owned businesses who are interested in becoming a vendor are strongly encouraged to attend.

To register for this event, scan the QR code in the flyer or go to bit.ly/CCSDPrimeTimeRegistration.

If you want to get an early start on your Christmas decoration planning and get that tree purchase out of the way, the Clarke Central High School baseball program is holding its annual Christmas Tree and Greenery fundraiser through Sunday, Oct. 27.

Fraser Fir trees ranging from 5 to 11 feet tall, wreaths from 16 to 32 inches, and garlands in both Fraser Fir and White Pine (25 or 75 feet) are available for purchase. Orders will be delivered for free to homes in the Athens area on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Orders can be placed here. For more information and questions, email cchsbaseballtreesale@gmail.com.

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 Athens-Clarke County Unified Government is proposing multimodal improvements along a 1.2-mile stretch of North Avenue, beginning just south of Willow Street and ending just north of Freeman Drive. The county invites residents to a public feedback meeting on the proposed improvements, scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Boys and Girls Club located at 705 Fourth St.

Residents have the option of providing comments in person at the meeting, online at accgov.com/northavenue, by emailing Rani Katreeb at rani.katreeb@accgov.com, by voicemail at 762-400-8373, or by sending mail to Rani Katreeb at 120 West Dougherty Street, Athens, Georgia, 30601.

Athens-Clarke County Animal Services will hold a Trunk-or-Treat event Saturday, Oct. 26, from 3-6 p.m. at the shelter, 125 Buddy Christian Way, Athens. Come enjoy an afternoon with shelter animals and other fall activities. Check out the shelter on Facebook for updates and more information.

The Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St., will host its next Family Day event from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 19. Explore the exhibition “A Perfect Model: Prints After Anthony van Dyck’s Portraits” with interactive gallery games and crafts, then create your own print inspired by the show.

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, Oct. 20, while supplies last.

The Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St., will host Teen Studio: Mystery Masquerade from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. Teens ages 13-18 are invited to this studio-based workshop led by local artist and educator Kristen Bach. Teens will create their own masks and then play a “whodunit” game by solving clues hidden within works of art. Costumes are encouraged.

This program is free and includes a pizza dinner from DePalma’s Italian Cafe. Seats are limited; register for the program here or email gmoa-tours@uga.edu.

Celebrate the holidays and make exciting new memories at The Classic Center Cultural Foundation's Breakfast with Santa event, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center, 300 North Thomas St., Athens. The event will include a breakfast buffet with crafts in Santa's Workshop, a photo opportunity with Santa, and much more!

Tickets are now on sale. Click here to purchase.

Casa de Amistad is an Athens-based nonprofit serving the local Latino/Hispanic community through adult literacy education and advocacy and other services to promote a more inclusive, harmonious, and multicultural Athens. Check out the organization's fall newsletter in English here and Spanish here.