Several swimmers from Clarke Central High competed last weekend in the GHSA State Swimming Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

Charlotte Foggin qualified for the finals in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races, finishing in eighth place in the 200 and 10th in the 500. Clarke Central’s girls’ medley relay team (Isabella Nelson, Finley Freeman, Janie Ripps, and Foggin) and 400-yard freestyle relay team (Ripps, Carson Yeomans, Freeman, and Foggin) also qualified for the finals. Ripps also competed individually in the 100-yard butterfly at state. The Lady Gladiators finished 21st overall among all Class 5A and 4A teams.

Male swimmers competing at state for Clarke Central were the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Torin Trotter, Elliott Woodward, Evan Cornish, and Thomas Brown and Trotter in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard freestyle.

Wrestling

Clarke Central’s Dar Htoo won the 106-pound weight class last weekend in the GHSA Region 8-AAAAA traditional tournament at Jefferson High School. Nicholas Paul placed third in the 285-pound class. In girls’ wrestling, Kimberly Uriostegui finished second in the 120-pound class in the Area 4-AAAAA tournament, while Lyla Sloan was second in the 125-pound class.

All four wrestlers advanced to this weekend’s state sectionals.

In the boys’ Region 8-AAAA tournament, Cedar Shoals’ Obayeni Blake placed second at 126 pounds and advanced to the sectionals.

A clear-bag policy is in effect for all sporting events held at Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high schools.

The policy is similar to those in place at college and professional stadiums and arenas. There will be no entrance into sporting events with an unapproved bag.

The following types of bags are permitted at Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central sporting events:

• Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”
• One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags
• Small clutch bags, with or without a handle or strap, that do not exceed 4.5” x 6.5”.

CCSD encourages and challenges members of our community to join us in bettering our physical, mental, and emotional well-being in 2023 together!

In a challenge to himself to become more physically fit, Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker has committed to running one 5K every month. Will you join him in this challenge?

Below are some opportunities within our district to get you started! If you take part in a running event, take a picture, post it on social media, and tag us (@ClarkeCoSchools) with the hashtag #CCSDNewYearNewYou!

Come out to Chase Street Elementary, 757 North Chase St., Athens, on Saturday, March 4, for a day of running and family fun!

The "Race for Chase" 5K will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the "Tree Frog Trot" 1K at 10 a.m. and the "Tiny Tree Frog Trot" at 10:30 a.m.

Early-bird registration ends Wednesday, Feb. 1. Click here for additional race information and registration.

If you’re not racing through the neighborhood, you can still come enjoy the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Pop Up Park, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, or a complimentary coffee or hot chocolate from Java Joy. And, of course, the school playground will be open!

A final discount for this year will be offered to those who sign up before March 30.

For a slideshow with details about the trip, scan the QR code below.

There will be one more in-person meeting about the trip, which will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 16, at Clarke Central High, in Room 390. For those who are interested but cannot attend the in-person meeting, a Zoom meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 18. Click here to access the Zoom meeting.

For questions, please email sparksl@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Casa de Amistad, an Athens-based nonprofit that works to identify and address the needs of the local Hispanic community, and CCSD are partnering to host a family literacy event on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon at Whit Davis Elementary, 1450 Whit Davis Rd., Athens.

Colombian children’s author Yolanda Puente will be speaking and providing parents with tips to help them incorporate reading into their everyday routines with their children.

The Department of Family and Community Engagement will host its inaugural "FESCON" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the Classic Center, 300 North Thomas St., Athens. The event is the first-ever CCSD conference that celebrates and honors the work behind family and community engagement. It will bring together educators, administrators, and other professionals to share best practices and strategies for engaging families in their children's education.

The conference will feature keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities with experts in the field of family and community engagement. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the latest research and trends in family engagement and gain practical insights for implementing effective family engagement programs in their own schools and communities.

The conference is open to all educators and professionals who are interested in improving family engagement in their work. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP at this link.

Those interested in presenting at the conference should click on the PDF link below for more information on submitting a proposal. The department expects to make a final determination on presentations by Feb. 28.

CCSD is now hiring bus drivers. Hourly pay ranges from $18-$26, and we offer part-time and full-time schedules, a $1,500 signing bonus (for full-time employment), and full benefits. It's a rewarding and flexible career move.

Click here to see what's waiting for you behind the wheel!

At its Thursday, Feb. 9 meeting, the Board of Education voted to rename Alps Road Elementary to Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary and to rename Chase Street Elementary to Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary.

The votes were based on honoring the first African-American teachers assigned to predominantly white schools in the 1960s. Integration of the Clarke County School District’s faculty began in August 1966. Under a federally-approved plan, the district placed five African-American teachers at all-white schools. Bettye Holston and Johnnie Burks were among those five teachers — Burks at Chase Street and Holston at Alps Road.

The votes followed more than an hour of public comments at the meeting, during which the majority of those who spoke offered their support for the renaming of these schools.

An effective date for the renaming of the schools was not included in the vote and will be determined and announced at a later date.

Following the vote during Thursday’s meeting to rename Alps Road Elementary, the motion that passed to rename Chase Street Elementary included a provision that a review of Board Policy FDC: Naming Facilities be conducted.

The next Family Day event at the Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St., Athens, will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 11, as the museum celebrates a "Decade of Tradition" with its Black History Month exhibition.

In 2012, Larry and Brenda Thompson gave 100 works of art by African-American artists to the museum. This exhibition highlights some of these extraordinary masterpieces. Have fun in the galleries, complete art cart activities, and create your own work of art to take home in the Michael and Mary Erlanger Studio Classroom.

Please register for free tickets, either at this link in advance or at the desk in the lobby when you arrive.

For those who cannot attend in person, Family Day to-go kits will be available for pick-up starting at 1 p.m. Feb. 11 through the end of day Sunday, Feb. 12, while supplies last.

Family Day is sponsored by Lucy and Buddy Allen and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.