Ms. Blackwell is in her 37th year as a school teacher — all 37 at OAES in grades 1-3.

Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and members of the CCSD Communications Department visited OAES on Thursday morning, Oct. 13, to surprise and present Ms. Blackwell with the award. Principal Dr. Bipul Singh, his faculty and staff, and students also joined in on the surprise. Ms. Blackwell was also recognized Thursday night during the Board of Education meeting and presented with several gifts from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and local businesses.

Any member of the CCSD community (a parent/guardian, student, staff member, community/business leader) may nominate an employee for Employee of the Month. Click here for more information.

Dr. Hooker also held a first-day convocation with district office staff, where he articulated his vision for the district and has been in numerous meetings throughout the week with administrators and staff. Dr. Hooker will continue making the rounds with additional school visits in the coming days and weeks.

Be on the lookout for more information on a series of public town hall meetings he plans to hold.

CCSD announces the appointment of Dr. Vickie Randolph as interim principal of Whit Davis Elementary School, effective Nov. 1. She will replace outgoing principal Dr. Dan McGuire, who has announced he is leaving the school and CCSD for a position with the Georgia Department of Education.

Dr. Randolph has over 20 years of professional experience in education and has worked since July 2021 in CCSD’s Division of Instructional Services and School Performance as a Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) specialist and MTSS Coordinator.

Click here to read more.

Clarke Central High School senior Copeland Grantham was among 67 students grades 10-12 across all of Georgia announced this week to serve on State School Superintendent Richard Woods' 2022-23 Student Advisory Council.

Copeland was the only Clarke County student and one of only four in the Northeast Georgia RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) area selected to the council.

Throughout the school year, the council members will meet with Superintendent Woods to provide feedback on the impact of state policies in the classroom. They will also discuss other education-related issues, serve as the Superintendent’s ambassadors to their respective schools, and participate in service projects to benefit schools and students.

Read more about the program here.

The project accompanies a special exhibition of Southern photography titled “Reckonings and Reconstruction: Southern Photography from the Do Good Fund.”

Complete contest rules and details can be found here.

• Entry submissions are to be uploaded through two Google Forms — a student entry form and a parent/guardian permission form.
• Winning entries will be printed and displayed in the GMOA's Education Center.
• The deadline for contest submissions is Nov. 1.

If any student or parent/guardian has difficulty submitting forms or has other contest questions, please contact:

• Callan Steinmann, curator of education at the Georgia Museum of Art — 706-583-0111 or callan@uga.edu.
• Dan Smith, CCSD Fine Arts, Health, & PE Curriculum Coordinator — 706-546-7721, ext. 79505 or smithd@clarke.k12.ga.us.

As a way for parents, students, and staff to feel more connected, Clarke Middle is hosting a series of events on the first Friday of every month, called "First Friday Fun Night.”

The inaugural event on Friday, Oct. 7, was a basketball night, as CMS students, parents, teachers, and principal Dr. Amanda Gorham all played basketball together. CMS Community School Organizer Stephanie Anderson, along with two of her colleagues, Cedar Shoals High CSO Tamaine Jordan and Chase Street Elementary CSO Omar Reid, helped with the event.

Howard B. Stroud Elementary CSO Lolita Bryant-Moye partnered with Mt. Olive Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Athens recently to start the H.B. Stroud Meal Center. The meal center provides free, non-perishable food items to those in need. Mt. Olive SDA Church has offered to keep the center stocked.

The meal center will be available to all H.B. Stroud Elementary students, families, and staff, no questions asked. By removing the stress of food insecurity, the meal center gives the school community as a whole the opportunity to devote energy toward student achievement in a healthy, positive environment.

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: Next regular meeting is Thursday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m. (in-person and broadcast on the CCSD YouTube channel).
• 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 regular BOE meeting.
• Review Policies for Review: View and comment on district policies pending public review.

The Athens Hip Hop Harmonic invites all CCSD students, families, faculty, and staff to its fall show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, 230 River Rd., Athens. The event is free and family-friendly, and no tickets are required.

Launched in August 2021, the Athens Hip Hop Harmonic is a multi-year collaboration between the local Hip Hop community and the UGA Hodgson School of Music, supported by UGA’s Arts Lab.

This special show will feature several local hip-hop artists, including Clarke Central High School alums Ishues, Cassie Chantel, and Ngeve. The emcee will be Cedar Shoals High School social studies teacher and peer leadership mentor William "Montu" Miller.

Each artist was paired with a UGA composer to co-create new music together. The show features UGA's Jazz Combo, African-American Choral Ensemble, Wind Symphony, and Contemporary Chamber Ensemble performing their co-creations.