The book documenting the history of the Cherokee County School District and early public education in our community has been updated for the first time.
“Public Education in Cherokee County,” published in 1982, tells the story of public education in the community since its start in the 19th century. The book features information from official documents, records and interviews of residents, including many retired educators, as well as historic photos. It originally was printed by the graphic arts classes at Etowah High School.
The Cherokee Retired Educators Association recently took on updating a digital version of the book as a community service project. The association’s update was supported by CCSD, with principals and staff sharing their knowledge. CCSD’s Office of Technology & Information Services digitized the book to allow for the updates, and the Office of Communications provided photos from 1982-2022 to add to the book.
“We are very proud of the final revised product and believe it will help preserve for future generations the past 40 years of great work in the school district,” said Letitia Cline, a retired CCSD teacher, principal and district administrator, who led the book update project for the association.
Among the update highlights are chapters on schools constructed since 1982 with histories and photographs, as well as photographs of more recent superintendents and school board members.
“We’re so proud to have assisted with this important project, which I will treasure as someone who cares deeply about public education and its positive impact on our community,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “Thank you to the Cherokee Retired Educators Association for taking on this labor of love. Your legacy as educators continues not only through the many students you taught in our classrooms, but now also through the many who will learn about our community’s early schools and our school district through this updated book.”
Copies of the digital version stored on a flash drive are for sale for $15 each through History Cherokee’s website (https://shop-history-center.square.site/) and at the Cherokee County History Center in downtown Canton. For every purchase, $3 will be donated to the Cherokee Retired Educators Association’s fund that awards scholarships to outstanding CCSD graduates pursuing education degrees at Reinhardt University.
The updated digital version of the book also is available through CCSD’s internal network for teacher and student use, and a copy has been provided to the Sequoyah Regional Library System and Reinhardt University.
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