Better Together

See the video below for a message on school safety from Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker. As a reminder, you can view the safety update given on Sept. 12 to the Board of Education by Dr. Garrick Askew, Assistant Superintendent of Operations here and see a copy of the presentation document here.

Barnett Shoals Elementary's Lead Out Loud Council held its first meeting last week. All CCSD schools have a student advisory council, which are led by the school's principal and are an opportunity for students to share their thoughts about what it means to be a student as well as develop their leadership skills. The Lead Out Loud Council will meet monthly with Barnett Shoals principal Aliceson Nobles to advise her on their priorities and ideas for the school year.

We are pleased to announced the dates and times for our 2025 high school graduation ceremonies!

• The Classic City High School ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. in the Vernon Payne Meeting Hall at the CCSD District Office, 595 Prince Ave., Athens.
• The Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School ceremonies will both be held Thursday, May 22, at the new Akins Ford Arena at The Classic Center, 300 North Thomas St., Athens, with Clarke Central's ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. followed by the Cedar Shoals ceremony at 6 p.m.

Admission is free and open to all, and there is no limit on the number of guests for each graduate. Each high school will communicate directly with seniors and families regarding additional information on the ceremonies, including rehearsal dates and times and other details.

We wish all of our seniors a great year and we look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 in May!

This week, we began publishing daily school-level Teacher/Support Professional of the Year spotlight posts on our CCSD Facebook page and Instagram profile as we lead up to the mid-October announcement of the Teacher of the Year finalists and the Oct. 24 awards dinner, where the district Teacher and Support Professional of the Year will be revealed. Be sure to head to those platforms each day at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the latest spotlights!

CCSD is pleased to announce an upcoming trip to Italy for high school students, educators, and parents/guardians in summer 2025 and/or summer 2026, led by Dr. David Forker, Coordinator of English Learner Language Programs.

A virtual informational meeting will be held from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, covering the following:

• the trip itinerary and highlights
• educational and cultural benefits
• safety measures and affordability
• how to enroll and secure your spot.

To attend the virtual meeting, please RSVP using this link and the meeting link will be emailed to you. For additional information, contact Dr. Forker at forkerd@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 6-8 p.m. for a reception celebrating the CCSD Biennial Student Art Exhibition. The event and art exhibition will be at the Lyndon House Arts Center, 211 Hoyt St., Athens. Stay tuned for more information!

Join us from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Athens Community Career Academy's blood drive with The Blood Connection! Your donation can save lives and make a difference in our community. Each donor will receive $30 in digital rewards as a token of appreciation. Plus, for every 30 donors, the school will receive $500 in grant funding to support educational initiatives. Your act of kindness can have a significant impact on our school and those in need.

Sign up for a donation time slot here. Let's come together to save lives and make a positive impact! ACCA is located at 440-1 Dearing Extension, Athens.

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.

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, Oct. 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.

Run Athens is a free six-week program that occurs in both the fall and the spring and is open to students in grades K-8. Within each season, there are three practices and three race days, alternating between the two throughout the six-week period.

The program will be held every Sunday from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27 from 1-2 p.m. at Clarke Central High School. Interested parents/guardians can sign their students up by scanning the QR code in the flyer below.

CCSD students and families are encouraged to the University of Georgia home volleyball match against South Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Admission is free for all spectators. There will be a kids zone featuring a photo booth, face-painting, a balloon artist, and more. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a free T-shirt. Go to georgiadogs.com for more information.