Congratulations to the Valedictorians and Salutatorians for the Cherokee County School District’s Class of 2019! 

These students and their parents will be honored by the School Board and Superintendent of Schools at the 19^th Annual Scholar Recognition Banquet on Wednesday.  Each student also is invited to select a favorite teacher, and these teachers are honored at the Banquet as well.

Arnold Mill Elementary School fourth-grader Sara Ali has won first place in a regional poetry contest!

Her poem, “Pop goes the Seedlet,” entered into competition by the Canton Trayletaah Garden Club, won first place in the Garden Club of Georgia Poetry Contest.  She then advanced to also win first place from the Deep South Garden Clubs of the National Garden Club, serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The Cherokee County School District celebrated four retiring leaders with a special reception.

The Senior Staff Retirement Reception on Thursday afternoon honored CCSD Police Chief Mark Kissel, Director of Facility Construction Phil Parrott, Supervisor of Curriculum Tammy Castleberry and Coordinator of Curriculum Judy Withey.

We greatly value the outstanding support staff in our schools and central office divisions, which is why we recognize one here every week. Please join us in thanking and congratulating 2019 CCSD Office of Human Resources Support Staff Employee of the Year Vickie Bryant!

We appreciate partners' support of our schools, which is why we celebrate their service here every week... congratulations to Oak Grove Elementary School Fine Arts Academy 2019 Partner of the Year: The Premier Group Real Estate Firm!

Cherokee County School District’s Class of 2019, made up of more than 3,000 students, will walk across the stage for graduation ceremonies next week!

Attention all CCSD Class of 2019 graduating seniors (and their parents): ABM Industry Groups has just partnered with CCSD to offer a new $1,000 college scholarship. One grad from each of CCSD's six high schools will win a $1,000 scholarship to be presented next month. The application (which is easy) and reference letters are due by June 3. The application and reference form are online here.

Volunteers make a positive difference in our schools, which is why we spotlight one here every week... congratulations to Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy 2019 Volunteer of the Year Denise Mason!

Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy Principal Rodney Larrotta has earned a top honor for community service!

The Rotary Club of Canton today presented Principal Larrotta with its 2019 Jean Harris Service Above Self Award, which honors an outstanding volunteer from the community each year.

Please share our new job listing for a Programming Specialist -- this position offers a competitive compensation package with outstanding benefits, a great work calendar and schedule, and a wonderful work environment and team. Join the #CCSDfam & apply now: http://bit.ly/programspec Questions? Contact CCSD Recruiter Lindsay.Bowley@cherokeek12.net 

On behalf of the Superintendent, please be advised that the School Board has unanimously approved a new tougher anti-vaping policy for next school year.

While CCSD’s student discipline code already prohibits the possession or use of vaping devices and oils anywhere on campus, this new policy (click here to read) adds more serious repercussions.

The Cherokee County School Board recently recognized the winner of the annual Waste Management/Pine Bluff Landfill Scholarship!  The longtime Partnership Agreement between the School Board and Waste Management of Metro Atlanta specifies one $5,000 scholarship will be awarded by the company to a graduating senior from a CCSD high school each year.  The Class of 2019 school is River Ridge High School, and the company’s Pine Bluff Community Advisory Board scholarship committee selected Billie O’Bryant as the winner from a pool of outstanding applicants.  Marla Prince of Waste Management joined the School Board in making the special presentation at its May meeting.  This is the 12^th anniversary of the annual scholarship presentation! #CCSDfam

PHOTO: From left to right, Marla Prince of Waste Management and scholarship winner River Ridge HS graduating senior Billie O’Bryant.

Cherokee County School District students excelled in this year’s Social Studies Fair, with 16 projects advancing to Regionals and four students placing at the Georgia Council for the Social Studies State competition!

Through the annual event, students explore social studies in the areas of Sociology/Psychology, History, Anthropology, Economics, Geography and Political Science and complete a research project.

The Cherokee County School Board has recognized the winner of the inaugural LGE Community Credit Union Scholarship!  The newly established Partnership Agreement between the School Board and credit union specifies one $5,000 scholarship will be awarded by the Bank to a graduating senior from a CCSD high school each year, with a focus on outstanding community service.  The Class of 2019 winner selected by the credit union’s scholarship committee is Chase Thomas of Etowah High School! 

A Woodstock High School senior has earned a top award from the Georgia Department of Education!

Albani Andreina Arenas Tovar has earned the Excellence in English Learner Education Award, which recognizes an English Learner who has excelled in her school and community.  Albani and her teacher, Jamie Vogan, both were recognized in a recent ceremony at the State Capitol by State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods.

The Cherokee County School Board has recognized the winner of the inaugural East West Bank Scholarship!  The newly established Partnership Agreement between the School Board and bank specifies one $2,500 scholarship will be awarded by the Bank to a graduating senior from a CCSD high school each year. 

A Cherokee High School senior is one of only 17 students statewide to win a top honor from the Georgia Department of Education.

Jack Edmondson has earned the Award of Excellence, which recognizes Georgia high school seniors with special needs who achieve academic and/or extracurricular accomplishments.  He was honored by State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods at a recent ceremony at the State Capitol and joined by his Cherokee HS geometry teacher Lorri-Ann Brogdon, who nominated him for the award.

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week... please help us celebrate Indian Knoll Elementary School 2019 Teacher of the Year Patti Nations!

Indian Knoll Elementary School Teacher of the Year Patti Nations felt called to her profession as a young girl, transforming everywhere she went into a classroom for her siblings or stuffed animals.

Our school counselors are extraordinary, which is why we’re sharing the stories of our Innovation Zone Counselors of the Year… please help us celebrate Creekview Innovation Zone 2019 Counselor of the Year Katherine McNamara of Avery Elementary School!

CCSD middle schools will send about 100 students to the Battery at SunTrust Park this Sunday to participate in the Atlanta Braves Science of Baseball STEM Showcase, showing off what they've learned this year using the Science of Baseball curriculum.

The Cherokee County School Board on Thursday, May 16, 2019 reviewed the Superintendent’s proposed budget for next school year and approved a new crackdown policy to stop student vaping.

We greatly value the outstanding support staff in our schools and central office divisions, which is why we recognize one here every week. Please join us in thanking and congratulating 2019 Bascomb Elementary School Support Staff Employee of the Year Deanna Rechsteiner!

Eighteen Cherokee County School District high school students have been selected for the elite Georgia Governor’s Honors Program!

The statewide summer honors program for select rising high school juniors and seniors offers four weeks of college-level instruction at Berry College in Rome.

The Cherokee County School District saw great success at the 2019 Career and Technical Instruction State Leadership Conference with 23 students competing and one earning a top-three win!

The Cherokee County School District was well represented at the 71^st Georgia Science & Engineering Fair, with 20 Regional first-place winners, four State first-place winners and one student winning the State Fair’s Grand Award!

We appreciate partners' support of our schools, which is why we celebrate their service here every week... congratulations to R.M. Moore Elementary School STEM Academy 2019 Partner of the Year: Bethel Tabernacle Church!

The Ralph Bunche Center in Canton, a CCSD Preschool Center, welcomed community partners for the first time to its end-of-the-year program for prekindergarten students and their families.  After the students performed onstage at Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy, families visited information tables set up by the Cherokee County Health Department, City of Canton, MUST Ministries and Sequoyah Regional Library System. 

CCSD elementary schools and preschools celebrated the special occasion with student-made crafts for moms and special events honoring mothers, like the Muffins for Mom breakfast on Friday morning at the Ralph Bunche Center, a CCSD Preschool Center. Thanks to Credit Union of Georgia for sponsoring and to Business Development Officer Kelly Nagel for volunteering!

Twelve CCSD student athletes have been honored as Regional winners and two as State winners by Positive Athlete Georgia!

More than 3,000 students are nominated annually by coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers and parents.  Awards are presented for specific sports and regions, with a top award presented to one male and one female student for the entire state.

The Cherokee County School District is beginning a new service for families registering students for school.

The Centralized Summer Registration Center will allow parents to complete the process for registering students -- in any grade who will be new to CCSD for the 2019-20 school year -- early in the summer break, rather than waiting for school front offices to reopen.

Volunteers make a positive difference in our schools, which is why we spotlight one here every week... congratulations to Cherokee High School 2019 Volunteer of the Year Ginny Harden! The Volunteer of the Year from every CCSD school is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Do you volunteer to help a CCSD school? Contact the Principal of your local school (http://cherokeek12.net/schools/) to learn how you can help! #CCSDfam

Congratulations to CCSD School Police Chief Mark Kissel on his Public Safety Employee of the Year Award presented today by the Rotary Club of Canton! Chief Kissel, at right, is retiring this year after a decorated career in law enforcement and public safety including the establishment of the CCSD School Police Department. We appreciate you and all that you have done for our community! #CCSDfam

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower today presented his top annual award for an instructional excellence advocate to Northside Hospital Cherokee’s CEO!

Dr. Hightower surprised Billy Hayes with his Superintendent’s 2019 Game Changer Award for Instructional Advocacy during the monthly board meeting of the Cherokee County Educational Foundation, for which the hospital leader serves as board President.

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week... please help us celebrate Hickory Flat Elementary School 2019 Teacher of the Year Corinne Snow!

Hickory Flat Elementary School Teacher of the Year Corinne Snow is not only a positive strong influence in the lives of her students, she also is one of the most positive people her colleagues have ever known.

Our school counselors are extraordinary, which is why we’re sharing the stories of our Innovation Zone Counselors of the Year… please help us celebrate Etowah Innovation Zone 2019 Counselor of the Year Danielle Mabeus of Bascomb Elementary School!

Georgia STEM Day 2019 had students in CCSD middle school classrooms working in teams to creatively solve problems and generate solutions.  Using videos and materials developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute, students tackled their assigned problems across multiple subject areas throughout the day—and got to pitch their ideas to GTRI scientists and researchers to determine feasibility and get feedback to tweak their proposals. 

The Cherokee County School District has published its annual Financial Facts report, which provides highlights and snapshots from the proposed Annual Budget.

The report is posted online here and provides financial additional information to the community in advance of the School Board’s public hearings and budget adoption.

We greatly value the outstanding support staff in our schools and central office divisions, which is why we recognize one here every week. Please join us in thanking and congratulating 2019 CCSD Office of Safety & Security Support Staff Employee of the Year Officer Michael S. Hunt Jr.! #CCSDfam

Cherokee County School District high schools and middle schools will have early release days later this month, which will affect traffic in the surrounding areas.

We appreciate partners' support of our schools, which is why we celebrate their service here every week... congratulations to River Ridge High School 2019 Partner of the Year: Georgia Army National Guard!

A Cherokee County School District team of elementary school students placed in the top 10 in a national computer coding challenge!

The Little River Elementary School "Coding Eagles" team placed ninth in the National Code Rush Challenge.

River Ridge High School junior Sathvika Narasimhan has earned a National honor for her achievements in computing.

She recently was presented the National Center for Women & Information Technology's Award for Aspirations in Computing at a ceremony held at Georgia Tech.

Today is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, advocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Cherokee County School District joins in this observance as we care deeply about the health and well-being of all of our students. Our school counselors, nurses, social workers and psychologists are here to help. We have developed a resource page for parents to learn more about mental health resources and suicide awareness and prevention: http://bit.ly/ccsdresources #CCSDfam #NCMHAD

Two Cherokee County School District graduating seniors have earned the prestigious National Merit Scholarship!

Kieran Black of Etowah High School and Jordan Vaughn of Sequoyah High School are two of only 2,500 students in the nation -- of the 1.6 Million students who took the 2017 PSAT exam -- to be awarded the $2,500 scholarship by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Cherokee County School District Innovation Zone Lead Principals, on behalf of all of their fellow Principals, presented gifts of appreciation to the Office of School Operations’ leaders on Tuesday at the last Principal’s Meeting of the school year. The group thanked Deputy Superintendent Trey Olson and Executive Directors Beth Long and Dr. Debra Murdock for their support over the past year. From left to right: Avery ES Principal Dr. Lisa Turner, Woodstock MS Principal David Childress, Creekview HS Principal Dr. Mark Merges, Ms. Long, Mr. Olson, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy Principal Dr. Abby May, Woodstock ES Principal Matt Freedman, Dr. Murdock, Oak Grove ES Fine Arts Academy Principal Penny Valle, Hickory Flat ES Principal Whitney Nolan and Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy Principal Rodney Larrotta. #CCSDfam

Volunteers make a positive difference in our schools, which is why we spotlight one here every week... congratulations to Ralph Bunche Center 2019 Volunteer of the Year: Laurel Canyon Optimist Club!

Please join us in thanking our school nurses today on National School Nurse Day! They provide exceptional care for our students, staff and visitors each day. #SND2019 #CCSDfam

Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy this month became the first school in the Cherokee County School District - and only the 183rd in the world - to earn STEM certification from AdvancED, the international accreditation agency for educational institutions. 

Three retiring CCSD principals were honored Tuesday by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower for their service to the children of Cherokee County.  David Childress of Woodstock MS, Cindy Crews of Sixes ES, and Tammy Sandell of Knox ES STEM Academy were given a standing ovation by their fellow principals for their combined 87 years of service as teachers and administrators in the Cherokee County School District.

All six Cherokee County School District high schools have been named to U.S. News and World Report’s “Best High Schools” list!

The magazine’s prestigious list is based on factors including academic performance, college readiness, graduation rates and success of disadvantaged students. 

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day! We appreciate our outstanding teachers and all that they do every day to serve our community. #CCSDfam #ThankATeacher

A Cherokee County School District leader has been invited to present at a national conference!

CCSD Lead Speech-Language Pathologist Dr. Patti Howard will share her knowledge with colleagues from across the country at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Schools Connect Conference this summer.

Please help us spread the word: online registration for kindergartners and all students who will be new to CCSD for the 2019-20 school year is underway at https://registration.cherokeek12.net/. You can complete the online process in about 15 minutes and set up a time to visit the school and verify your required legal documents. Want to learn more about the learning that happens in our kindergarten classrooms? Check out the report: Ready to Learn: A Parent’s Guide to CCSD Kindergarten at http://bit.ly/CCSDkready #CCSDfam

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week... please help us celebrate Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy 2019 Teacher of the Year Sonja Chapman! 

A second-generation educator, Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy Teacher of the Year Sonja Chapman knew as a young girl that her calling was to be a superhero in the form of a teacher.

Our school counselors are extraordinary, which is why we’re sharing the stories of our Innovation Zone Counselors of the Year… please help us celebrate River Ridge Innovation Zone 2019 Counselor of the Year Kelly Brangan of River Ridge High School!

For River Ridge High School Counselor Kelly Brangan, the highlight of her day is talking with students.

Today is School Lunch Hero Day in appreciation of school cafeteria workers nationwide! To show their appreciation, School Board members, the Superintendent of Schools (aka Captain Bowtie) and his senior staff, and community leaders worked the line of some of our lunchrooms today! #CCSDfam

Congratulations to all of our outstanding Partners in Education that were recognized this week as Partners in Excellence by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce! We appreciate you! #CCSDfam

We greatly value the outstanding support staff in our schools and central office divisions, which is why we recognize one here every week. Please join us in thanking and congratulating 2019 CCSD Ball Ground ES STEM Academy Support Staff Employee of the Year Lisa Adams! The Support Staff Employee of the Year from every CCSD school and central office division is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation, and ABM Industry Groups LLC and Credit Union of Georgia. #CCSDfam

Connor Oakes, a seventh-grader at LR Tippens Educational Center, has been named one of the 10 national winners of the HMH READ 180 Awards for 2019!

We appreciate partners' support of our schools, which is why we celebrate their service here every week... congratulations to Sequoyah High School 2019 Partner of the Year: Corporate Office Furniture & Panels, Inc.!  The Partner of the Year from every CCSD school is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. 

The May edition of the CCSD Connections parent newsletter now is online here and features info on graduation, summer camp (the deadline to apply for CCSD Summer Discovery is Friday) -- and much more!  Thanks to this month's sponsor, Credit Union of Georgia.

Volunteers make a positive difference in our schools, which is why we spotlight one here every week... congratulations to Johnston Preschool Center 2019 Volunteer of the Year: CCSD Transition Academy! The Volunteer of the Year from every CCSD school is recognized at an annual ceremony sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. 

Registration forms now are online for CCSD's summer school learning opportunities from June 5-25 for high school students including rising ninth-graders.

In addition to offering a wide selection of courses for students who need to retake classes not passed during the regular school year, Personal Fitness and Health courses will be offered for initial high school credit.  

No matter what you call it - vaping, Juul-ing, e-cigarettes – or how harmless the devices may seem, let’s clear the air: these are dangerous devices not permitted in schools.

CCSD takes vaping as seriously as any other tobacco product or marijuana, and the repercussions to a student’s health and school record are not worth risking. A 2018 national study released reported 1 in 5 high school students have tried vaping.