Better Together
News from the Clarke County School District • 5/20/22
Graduations Ceremonies Set for Next Week
It’s time to celebrate the Class of 2022!
Graduation ceremonies for Clarke Central, Classic City, and Cedar Shoals high schools will be held next week on the following schedule:
- Clarke Central — 9 a.m. Thursday, May 26, CCHS football/soccer stadium
- Classic City — 2 p.m. Thursday, May 26, Clarke Central auditorium
- Cedar Shoals — 9 a.m. Friday, May 27, Stegman Coliseum, University of Georgia.
Each of the ceremonies will be live-streamed on the CCSD YouTube channel.
Be on the lookout for photos from each of the ceremonies on the CCSD Facebook page.
2022 CCSD Retirees Celebrated at Reception
On Tuesday, May 17, CCSD honored this year's 52 district retirees with a dinner at the Magnolia Ballroom at the Georgia Center.
CCSD wishes to thank all of these employees for their hard work and dedication to our students.
See more photos from Tuesday’s retiree dinner here.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for New Cedar Shoals Field House
Excitement was in the air Wednesday, May 18, at Cedar Shoals High as district officials, school leaders, and student-athletes broke ground on the school’s new athletic field house that will overlook Waters-Wilkins Stadium.
Grahl Construction is now at work building the two-level, 16,800 square-foot facility, which eventually will include football players’ and coaches’ locker rooms, football coaches’ offices and locker rooms, female sports coaches’ offices and locker rooms, a weight room, banquet room, and equipment storage rooms.
We eagerly await the completion of this facility, which will be a source of pride for the Jaguar community for years to come!
Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council Presents Research to School Board
On May 12, the inaugural cohort of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council concluded their year-long commitment with a presentation to the Board of Education.
Four groups presented their research and recommendations around topics relevant to CCSD. The groups shared ideas about equity in high schools, bus driver retention, mental health in high school students, and discipline issues. The students were selected last August and met each month throughout the school year to learn about CCSD departments and operations, as well as share their perspectives and ideas with district leaders.
A second cohort will begin its work this coming August at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
ACCA Celebrates Seniors with 2022 Academy Awards, Hosts Career Fair
The 2022 Athens Community Career Academy “Academy Awards” were held May 10 at the CCSD administrative office building. Since ACCA is a program and not a school and does not hold traditional graduation ceremonies, the awards recognized seniors’ accomplishments, including:
- 56 students who completed high school level pathways
- 33 Technical Certificates of Credit earned
- 3 graduates of the Business Management Pathway
- 1 graduate who completed an associate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies
- 1,485 hours of college credits earned
- Saved their families over $140,000 in college tuition.
Congratulations to all of these deserving students!
Also, on May 6, the academy held its Spring 2022 Career Fair, providing our students with an opportunity to meet local employers that have immediate job openings.
More than 40 businesses and organizations from the private and public sectors connected with ACCA graduating seniors and other students who are returning next school year and may be looking for part-time jobs or Work-Based Learning internship opportunities.
Cedar Shoals FFA Members Build Elevated Gardens for Special Education Classes
Cedar Shoals High agriscience students recently built and delivered four elevated gardens to the school’s special education department.
After school FFA members came up with the idea for a service project to make gardening more accessible to students that require assistance with mobility, FFA advisor Julie Throne wrote a grant proposal to the Foundation for Excellence in Public Education in Clarke County (FFE), a critical partner of CCSD, and FFE later awarded the fully-funded grant for the elevated gardens to be built. Members and Mrs. Throne collaborated with the teachers that would be using the gardens for their students to gain their insight into meeting their needs.
In February, as part of their basic agriscience class, students learned about woodworking, using power tools, and completing a project. The first elevated garden was put in place at the end of February, and the other three were delivered and set up in April. Agriscience students filled the gardens with soil and planted vegetable plants in them. In May, the Nursery Landscape class visited with the teachers and some students to give instructions on how to take care of the vegetables and what to expect.
The agricultural classes will continue to provide seasonal plants for the students with special needs to produce food with.
Barnett Shoals ‘Boys to Men’ Program Featured in Article
Boys to Men, the after-school program started by school employee Reginald Willis at Barnett Shoals Elementary, was featured this week in an article by the Athens Banner-Herald.
Read more here about the program that seeks to teach young male students important life lessons.
Coile Middle Gets New Book Vending Machine
Coile Middle School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, May 16, for its recently-acquired book vending machine, aimed at rewarding students for positive behavior and helping grow their love of reading.
Students will be able to use PBIS points to purchase a book from the machine, which is housed in the media center. Pictured, from left to right, are Coile media specialist Samantha Barnum Moses, sixth-grade students Princess Djatsa and Dominique Johnson, and principal Dr. Beverly Ford.
For information on how you can contribute to the media center program, email barnums@clarke.k12.ga.us.
Hilsman Middle Wins Clarke Innovation Ambassadors' Final Four
Congratulations to Hilsman Middle teachers for having the highest percentage of participation in the Clarke Innovation Ambassadors' (C.I.A.) Technology Tools Final Four!
Throughout March, school C.I.A. representatives shared four technology tools and asked teachers to vote on their favorite tool. As the top participating school, Hilsman teachers were treated to donuts courtesy of the Athens Community Career Academy’s Culinary Arts program.
Updates from the Department of Community Schools
Members of CCSD’s community school organizer (CSO) team were in the community on Saturday, May 14, “Bridging the Gap” to connect directly with CCSD families at Athens Gardens and Hallmark Estates neighborhoods.
CSOs Lolita Bryant-Moye, Tamaine Jordan, She-Ra Gonzalez, Latanja Clark, and others brought resources to the event — including summer camp registration information, employment applications, employer representatives, and free groceries and toiletries. Also present were CCSD social worker Angela Gay and family engagement specialists Jennifer Appling, Aaliyha Billings, Harold Faison and Rodney Robinson.
This is the first of several CCSD Community Forums to be held throughout Athens neighborhoods in the coming weeks, with the next ones set for Saturday, May 21 (see flyer below). In addition to providing information about summer employment for high school students, employment opportunities for parents, camp opportunities for younger children, and other agency resource information, the forums will allow parents of school-age children to share their thoughts and concerns about school and family engagement and invite them to volunteer for school events.
Families are highly encouraged to contact the CCSD Translation and Interpretation Department whenever they need to get in contact with a school employee. For families interested in meeting with their child’s teacher, give us a call if you need language assistance.
District translators Ana Camacho and Katie Greenwood will be busy this summer preparing for the 2022-23 school year, developing more bilingual resources for CCSD families and staff and planning language-based enrichment activities that will benefit all students. We welcome your thoughts and comments on making school communications more accessible to everyone.
The final VILLA (Volunteer Instructional Leadership Learning Academy) session last week gave participants the chance to visit three schools — Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary, Clarke Middle, and Cedar Shoals High. Upon return to the district administrative offices, they enjoyed lunch and fellowship and received their Certificate of Completion for the program.
Below are some quotes from VILLA members about their experiences:
"The passion each department head brought to their work, you can tell the heart of their work is student and teacher success even if they don't work directly with kids.”
“Always interested in the nuts and bolts of operations. Good to meet the dedicated folks who make things run well.”
“Great job in getting us in touch with involved departments to understand at a high level what they do to support our students.”
District to Again Provide School Supplies for All PK-8 Students
The Clarke County School District will again be purchasing school supplies for all students grades PK-8 for the 2022-23 school year. All items on the supply lists will be provided without charge.
Each school will communicate with their families the process to pick up supplies. Several of our schools also have supply closets for families needing additional support.
Registration Open for CCHS Summer Sports Camps
The Clarke Central High School Athletic Department has announced the dates for its upcoming summer sports camps. Camps will be offered in basketball, soccer, tennis, softball, track and field, wrestling, and volleyball.
All camps are available for ages 6-14, except for tennis, which will be for ages 12-14. All camps are from 9 a.m. to noon on their respective dates.
Click here for more information and to register.
How to Address Questions, Concerns
Please click here to view this information. You can also go to CCSD's main site at clarke.k12.ga.us, go to the "I Want To" tab at the top of the page, and select “Ask a Question/Submit a Concern.”
Calendar Reminders
Click to view the 2021-22 Academic Calendar. Important dates:
- 5/25: Last day of school
- 5/26: Clarke Central and Classic City graduations
- 5/27: Cedar Shoals graduation
We Want You On Our Team!
Sign on as a Substitute Teacher or Paraprofessional in Athens! Lend your passion and talents to the students and staff here in CCSD. Daily pay increases and monthly bonuses! Click here to learn more or call ESS at 877-983-2244.
Board of Education News
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, June 2, 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.
CCSD COVID-19 Testing Clinics
CCSD is providing free COVID-19 testing clinics for students and staff. Clinics will be held in schools across the district. Rapid antigen tests (results in 15 minutes) and PCR tests (results in 24-48 hours) will be available. No appointment is necessary, but registration is required.
Testing Clinic Information
- June 6-30 (rotating schools)
- View dates/locations and registration link
Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
Residential households in the U.S. are now eligible for another order of free at-home tests on USPS.com. Fill in this form with your contact and shipping information to order your tests.
Here’s what you need to know about your order:
- Each order now includes #8 rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
- Your order of 8 tests will come in 2 separate packages (4 tests in each package), each with its own tracking number
- Packages will ship free.
COVID-19 Testing & Vaccination Information
View this message about the importance of receiving the vaccine and testing if symptoms are present.
- COVID vaccine info & appointments
- PCR testing at Hilsman Health Center - 706-546-7463.
- GaDPH COVD-19 FREE Testing Sites
CCSD COVID-19 Reporting Tool
211 – Get Connected. Get Help.
Community Food Resources
Need Help Paying Rent?
Georgia landlords and renters are encouraged to apply for rental and utility assistance through the State of Georgia Rental Assistance program! Nearly a billion dollars has been allocated to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs by the U.S. Treasury to provide help for renters who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic.
For assistance, email rentalassistance@dca.ga.gov or call (833) 827-7368.
New Teen Newsletter from ACC Library
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Clarke County School District
Website: www.clarke.k12.ga.us
Location: 595 Prince Avenue, Athens, GA, USA
Phone: 706-546-7721
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClarkeCoSchools
Twitter: @clarkecoschools