Better Together

Get ready to be inspired! Fifteen dynamic student speakers from CCSD will take the stage on Saturday, May 9, for TEDxCCSD Youth 2026! In this first-of-its-kind event in Clarke County, student speakers will take the stage to "Raise the Bar" through powerful TED Talks centered around how they THINK, LEAD, and SHOW UP.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 9 at the CCSD District Office, 595 Prince Avenue, Athens, and is free and open to the public. Please register in advance to attend the event at bit.ly/CCSDYouth26. Check-in and any on-site registrations will begin at 10:15 a.m. on the day of the event.

Student speakers will include:

• Emaline Benson, 4th grade, Whitehead Road Elementary School
• Mariah Carson, 12th grade, Clarke Central High School and Athens Community Career Academy
• Caitlin Davis, 7th grade, Hilsman Middle School
• Essex Forker, 11th grade, Clarke Central High School and Athens Community Career Academy
• Brandon Frazier, 11th grade, Clarke Central High School
• Kenji Funato, 3rd grade, Timothy Road Elementary School
• A'Niyah Grimes, 5th grade, Gaines Elementary School
• Leah Hussain, 4th grade, Barnett Shoals Elementary School
• Aidric Johnson, 6th grade, Coile Middle School
• Eden Moye, 8th grade, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School
• Laila Nobles, 10th grade, Clarke Central High School
• Ruby Smothers, 5th grade, Gaines Elementary School
• Kayla Walker, 11th grade, Clarke Central High School and Athens Community Career Academy
• Ryan Watkins, 8th grade, Hilsman Middle School
• A'layja Wilson, 8th grade, Coile Middle School

For more information about this event, please email tedxccsdyouth@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Updates and individual student highlights will also be posted on the official CCSD Facebook page and the TEDxCCSD Youth event page on Facebook.

CCSD held its annual Young Scientists Fair for elementary school students (grades K-5) on Saturday, April 18, at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School with students from across the district participating in multiple competitions. Nearly 100 awards were given across multiple categories. See the links below for winners' lists and more photos from this wonderful event!

Seven CCSD students will be representing the district and the State of Georgia this summer in the U.S. National History Day (NHD) contest at the University of Maryland after winning gold and silver medals in their categories in the state competition last weekend at LaGrange College.

Hilsman Middle School students Caitlin Davis, Nora Cooper, Aurelia Dewald, and Gabby Farnham won a Gold Medal for their play on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911,” while the Clarke Middle School duo of Lia Balde and Breyl Martin won Gold for their exhibit covering the history of public school integration in Clarke County. Those students will be joined at the national competition this June by Ari Harper of Hilsman Middle, who won a state Silver Medal for her documentary on the history of Black haircare and tools.

Hilsman Middle teacher Dr. Katie Baker Johnson was also recognized as the 2026 National History Day Georgia Teacher of the Year, an award that recognizes a middle and high school teacher who demonstrate a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the NHD Contest.

Read more about CCSD's performance in the state competition!

Congratulations to the teachers at Hilsman Middle School who earned the school 2025-26 Distinguished School status from The DBQ Project! The DBQ (Document-based Question) Project is an inquiry-based social studies writing program that supports teachers and students across the nation in learning to read smart, think straight, and write more clearly. Hilsman teachers were surprised at the school last week with the recognition for taking implementation of DBQs to the next level in social studies classes in all grade levels and even in some English language arts classes. Among the DBQ Project's core beliefs are that all students can develop high-level critical thinking skills if they have consistent instruction and a chance to practice, and that providing teachers with materials that blend educational best practices and content-specific questions promotes and supports transformational change in our schools.

The Georgia United Credit Union Foundation, in partnership with Georgia United Credit Union, recently awarded one of five 2026 Georgia United Foundation Frank Thach Educator Scholarships to Hilsman Middle School reading interventionist Kasay McWhorter! Ms. McWhorter is pursuing an education specialist degree at the University of West Georgia. She is currently a reading interventionist, an IEP case manager, a former special education English language arts teacher and a former teacher of deaf students. Foundation scholarship applications are accepted in January each yet at Scholarships applications are accepted in January each year at www.gucufoundation.org and are open to credit union members who are high school seniors, college undergraduates, and public-school educators seeking advanced degrees.

Congratulations to the Party Animals, a group of students in grades 3-5 at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, who won first place in the regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest in Atlanta last weekend! Burks gifted/enrichment program collaborator Heather Sitler hosted this after-school club this year for students to learn more about physics, simple machines, and chain reactions. In last weekend's regional competition, teams worked together to create a Rube Goldberg machine (an unnecessarily complicated series of chain reactions staged together to complete a simple task). This year’s challenge was to open a box, and the Burks Party Animals did an amazing job of presenting their theme and skit and completing three successful runs. Their creativity, problem-solving, and perseverance earned them the victory!

Five Clarke Middle School students represented all of Athens-Clarke County this past weekend in the Georgia Model Water Tower Competition in Buford, and three came home with special awards. Congratulations to Eloise Chalmers, who was the Water Knowledge Prize winner and worked with Lucy Barkan and Aerie Streetman on "The Crow's Nest." And congratulations to Georgia McKown and Eleanor Morgan who competed with their project, "The Eraser," and won the Future Water Leader Award!

For the first time in its rich, quarter-century history, the ODYSSEY Media Group at Clarke Central High School has pulled off a major trifecta, as all three of its publications — the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, Iliad Literary Art Magazine, and ODYSSEY website — each earned a Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association, widely regarded as one of the premier awards in high school journalism. The print newsmagazine won its Pacemaker last fall, while the literary-art magazine and website received theirs last week. Read more about the awards here. Congratulations to the staff members of this year's publications!

Clarke Central Boys' Soccer, Tennis Teams Advance in Playoffs

• Congratulations to the Clarke Central boys' tennis team on their 4-0 win over South Effingham this week in the first round of the GHSA Class 5A playoffs. The Gladiators will host Woodward Academy in the second round on Wednesday, April 29.
• Congratulations to the Clarke Central boys' soccer team on their 8-1 victory over South Effingham in the first round of the state playoffs this week. The Gladiators remained undefeated and will host Gainesville in the second round on Wednesday, April 29. View more photos from the first-round win!

Cedar, Central Track and Field Athletes Rack Up Region Titles

The Clarke Central boys' track and field team cruised to a team region title Thursday, April 23, finishing with 203 total points, well ahead of runner-up Apalachee (145) in the 8-AAAAA championships at Loganville High School. Waylon Vaughn won the region title in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, while Elijah Brice (triple jump), Davion Richardson (100-meter dash), and the 4x400-meter relay team of Jackson Brooks, Dante Yancey, James Daniel, and Ryker Comstock also finished first.

The Gladiators had several other boys' and girls' athletes record top-four finishes and qualify for next weekend's state sectionals at Greenbrier High School. The top-eight finishers in each event at sectionals will qualify for the state championships in May.

View the complete 8-AAAAA results here!

Meanwhile, the Cedar Shoals track and field teams had several athletes win region titles in the Region 8-AAAA championships at North Oconee High School this week.

• Tybias Lay was the region champion in both boys' hurdle events (110 and 300 meters)
• Riley Freeman was the girls' triple jump champion and was part of two region-winning relay teams - the 4x100-meter relay with Jamari Allen, Sequia Collins, and Jewel Daniels and the 4x200 with Allen, Collins, and Aniyah Bolton.
• Keantae Freeman won the boys' long jump title, and Deston Foote won the boys' triple jump.

Those athletes along with several other top-four finishers for the Jaguars qualified for the upcoming state sectionals, which will be held May 2 at North Oconee. The Lady Jaguars finished third in the team points standings, while the Cedar boys finished fourth. View the complete results!

The CCSD Family Advisory Board will host a political forum next week and has invited all candidates who qualified to run in next month's Clarke County Board of Education elections to attend.

The event will be held from Tuesday, April 28, from 6-8 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter St., Athens. Learn more and submit questions in advance at this link.

BOE candidates this year include:

• From District 1: Heidi Hensley (incumbent)
• From District 3: Carl Blount and Reginald Willis
• From District 5: Heather Fletcher and Fred Smith
• From District 7: Lillie Brooks and Adam Shirley
• From District 9: Mark Evans (incumbent).

Election day is May 19, and advanced voting begins Monday, April 27, at all five county locations. More information is available on the ACCGov website.

CCSD invites the community to its upcoming public surplus sale of district furniture, equipment, and other items. The sale will be open to district employees only from 2-6 p.m. on April 30 and May 1 and will expand to the general public on Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at CCSD’s Early Learning Center East location, 280 Gaines School Road in Athens.

The event is ideal for local businesses, churches, daycare centers, and other organizations, as well as private residents looking to stock their offices, meeting spaces, or homes with furniture and equipment. Items for sale include office and classroom desks, tables, chairs, bookshelves and books, filing cabinets, laptop charging stations, cosmetology chairs, and various other items and materials.

All items will be sold as-is on a first-come, first-served basis, and no items will be held. Purchasers are responsible for the loading and removal of items at the time of purchase. No refunds or exchanges will be granted. Payments can be made with cash or with a credit card through the CCSD online payments portal at bit.ly/ccsdpayments.

Through Jaguar and Gladiator Youth Football, the Athens Youth Development Initiative is excited to offer a positive, exciting tackle football and cheerleading experience for the youth of Clarke County.

There will be teams at the 6U, 7U, 8U, 9U, 10U, 11U, and 7th grade (12 and 13) levels coached by skilled and knowledgeable individuals. The teams are members of the North Georgia Youth Football Association and play their home games in Cedar Shoals’ Waters-Wilkins Stadium and Clarke Central’s Billy Henderson Stadium, respectively.

Early registration is now open and is $50 per family for football and $35 per family for cheer. After June 21, registration for both is $100 per athlete. Needs-based scholarships are available. For information, email gladiatoryouthfootball@gmail.com or athensjaguarsfootball@gmail.com.

Registration is now open for Gladiator Youth Summer Sports Camps hosted by Clarke Central High School and open to all CCSD students ages 6-14! Camp opportunities are available for soccer, basketball, volleyball, football, and cheerleading.

Spots are limited, so sign up soon and don’t miss out on a summer of skill-building, teamwork, and fun!

The window for parents/guardians and teachers/staff to declare their candidacy for their school’s Local School Governance Team (LSGT) is now open! From April 1-29, eligible individuals may submit their Declaration of Candidacy.

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 declaring their candidacy for a seat on their school's LSGT! 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 May 4-8, and results will be announced by May 13. Elected members will serve a two-year term.

Learn more about LSGT elections, including a school-by-school list of available seats at this link.

Nominations are open for CCSD's Employee of the Month award for May! Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for the award. The winner will be surprised at their school or building, publicly recognized at the May 14 Clarke County Board of Education meeting, and presented with a gift bag from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce with contributions from several local businesses.

Submit a nomination at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward or fill the form out directly below!

CCSD is proud to once again partner with the Athens YWCO on its Summer Girls Club, which will be held June 1 through July 10 at Howard B. Stroud Elementary School!

Registration is now open for girls who will be entering grades K-7 for the 2026-27 school year. The camp will offer S.T.E.M., reading, swimming, music and dance, sports and games, arts and craft, and career exploration activities as well as educational field trips. lt will be held every weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. The cost is $50 per week ($60 for extended care before or after hours) with a $25 registration fee.

Click here for more information and to register! A full PDF flyer is also attached below in English and Spanish.

Registration is now open for the Athens Community Career Academy's Summer Career Exploration Program for rising ninth-grade students. Students will have the opportunity to participate in one of the following three-day camps (June 15-17) introducing several of the CTAE pathways they can begin taking courses in as early as 10th grade:

• Advanced Manufacturing and Welding
• Entertainment, Sports, and Event Management
• Cosmetology (currently full, waitlist only)
• Culinary Arts
• Film and Broadcast Production
• Healthcare (currently full, waitlist only)
• Fire/EMT
• Teaching as a Profession.

Transportation, breakfast, and lunch will be provided. Apply by May 1 at bit.ly/ccsdsummerprograms. The form is available in English and Spanish. For more information, contact Halo Smart, CCSD Workforce Development Coordinator, at smarth@clarke.k12.ga.us.

CCSD still has pre-K space available at both of Early Learning Center locations and several elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year! Children must turn 4 years old on or before September 1, 2026, to be eligible to attend pre-K in CCSD.

Space is available for next school year at the following locations:

• Early Learning Center East
• Early Learning Center West
• Bettye H. Holston Elementary
• Fowler Drive Elementary
• Gaines Elementary
• Howard B. Stroud Elementary
• J.J. Harris Elementary
• Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary
• Whit Davis Elementary
• Winterville Elementary.

These locations are open to all Clarke County families, and children do not have to be zoned for a school to attend pre-K there; however, parents or guardians are required to provide transportation for out-of-zone students. The early learning centers are not assigned zones. If a student attends pre-K out-of-zone, they will be reassigned to their zoned school beginning in kindergarten.

Student enrollment in CCSD is an online process and can be done entirely from the comfort of your home. In-person appointments and walk-in assistance are also available at the District Office, located at 595 Prince Avenue in Athens. More information about the registration process and required documents can be found at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/registration.

Every year, each of our schools develop a Family Engagement Plan and Family School Compact to guide how the school interacts with families. Families are encouraged to complete the brief annual Spring Title I Family Engagement Survey. The survey is available in English and Spanish. Please feel free to contact your school’s Family Engagement Specialist with any further suggestions or comments.

CCSD's School Choice application period for the 2026-27 school year opened April 1 and runs through May 9, 2026.

CCSD school assignments are based on the boundaries of the district’s attendance zones; however, under state law, School Choice allows parents/guardians of students currently enrolled in CCSD (including those who do not currently attend but have already enrolled for the 2026-27 school year) to apply for a transfer to a school outside of their attendance zone, provided that space is available. Currently, School Choice transfer space is available at all CCSD schools except for Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary, Timothy Road Elementary, and Clarke Central High schools.

Families have until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, to complete the School Choice application. If the number of applications exceeds the spaces available at a particular school, selections will be made by random lottery. Families will be notified by email by June 9 whether their transfer request is approved. If selected for School Choice, the parent/guardian must accept the transfer by July 22. If a student is approved for a transfer out of zone, guardians are responsible for transportation to and from school, as the district does not provide out-of-zone transportation. Regular school attendance and positive behavior are also required to maintain enrollment.

The School Choice application is available at this link in English and Spanish.

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, May 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.

CCSD is currently hiring for special education teacher positions at several schools for the 2026-27 academic year. At CCSD, we create educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential. We offer competitive salaries and benefits and alternative paths to and assistance with obtaining full teaching certification. We have supportive schools and leadership that optimize talent to support thriving students.

SPED positions for next school year are available at:

• Barnett Shoals Elementary
• Bettye H. Holston Elementary
• Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle
• Cedar Shoals High
• Clarke Central High
• Coile Middle
• Gaines Elementary
• Hilsman Middle
• Howard B. Stroud Elementary
• Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary
• Winterville Elementary.

Apply today at ccsdjobs.org. Questions? Email careers@clarke.k12.ga.us. Join our team where we are Better Together!

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

Advantage Behavioral Health Systems will host the "Health Meets Hope" 5K Run and Walk on Sunday, April 26, from 3-5 p.m. at Southeast Clarke Park, 4440 Lexington Rd., Athens. Registration for the 5K is $25 per person in advance and $30 on the day of the event. There will also be many free and family-friendly activities for those who don't plan to participate in the 5K but still want to support the event. Click here to register.

The Clarke County Sheriff’s Foundation will host a Vehicle Showcase on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Georgia Square Mall, 3700 Atlanta Hwy., Athens. This is a free, family-friendly event designed to bring the community together in a positive and engaging environment.

Attendees will enjoy a display of classic and modern cars, emergency vehicles, trucks, and motorcycles, along with food, vendors, and activities for children. It’s a great opportunity for families to spend time together and connect with local organizations and community partners.

Vehicle registration is available for those who would like to participate in the showcase for $20 per vehicle. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, which provide safe, nurturing homes and support services for children in need across Georgia.

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 April, which contains information about upcoming events and programs in Athens-Clarke County:

• English
• Español

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.