School News

Chattahoochee Tech Board Receives Role Model Award

For the seventh consecutive year, the Chattahoochee Tech Foundation Board of Trustees received Role Model Foundation Board Certification from the Technical College Foundation Association.

The Chattahoochee Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that partners with businesses, alumni and community leaders to support higher education for students through initiatives like scholarships and emergency funding. Board members provide valuable insight with respect to community engagement, management and strategic planning.

In order to achieve Role Model Board Certification, all members of the Chattahoochee Tech board must be actively engaged in the work of the board through participation in organizational meetings, college events, leadership activities, fundraising initiatives and professional development.

Front row, from left: Advancement Coordinator Amanda Henderson, Vice Chair Rick Kollhoff, Susan Stephens, Vice President of Advancement Jennifer Nelson, Board Chair Mark Goddard, Darion Dunn and Robert Stephens. Back row: Henry Molient, Snehal Doshi, Chris Mosley, Jeff Butterworth and Marty Hughes.

Oak Grove’s Jones Honored by Governor

Gov. Brian Kemp honored Oak Grove Elementary STEAM Academy School Nurse Nadia Jones with the Georgia RISE (Recognizing Inspirational School Employees) Award. As a 2020-21 winner, Jones is one of Georgia’s two nominees for the national RISE Award.

Each year, Georgia schools and districts are invited to nominate a full- or part-time school support staff employee, who provides exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school, for the state-level process of selecting nominees. Representatives from the Georgia Department of Education and numerous advocacy groups choose a panel of judges to present the highest-scoring applications to the governor, who makes the final selection of two nominees.

In July, Jones, who is in her fifth year as a Cherokee County school nurse, also was named the winner of the inaugural Cherokee County School District School Nurse of the Year award, sponsored by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A former pediatric nurse, Jones earned her practical nursing diploma from Chattahoochee Technical College and is obtaining a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from Indiana State University.

Nadia Jones. Cherokee County School Board Chair Kyla Cromer accepts the Georgia Leading Edge Award.

Social and Emotional Learning Initiative

For the third consecutive year, the Georgia School Boards Association awarded the Cherokee County School Board its Leading Edge Award for innovation practices that make a significant impact on students. This year, the district-wide Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) initiative earned the honor.

SEL services and support were created in response to an alarming trend among students: rising rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideations and suicide. Since the initiative was implemented in 2019, additional phases of services and support have been rolled out, including bringing recently retired top educators in part time to work with the mental health counselors and school counselors in developing SEL curriculum unique to Cherokee County schools, and the development of a district wide employee wellness committee with representatives from all schools and central office operations.

“As a superintendent, my top job target on paper is to graduate students who are prepared for college or to begin their career. The real top job target, for me and for all of us as educators, is to help prepare every child we serve for a purposeful, successful and joyful life. When the days are dark, this is the light that carries us through to the next challenge — this is the ‘why’ in our hearts. This is what SEL does and is,” Superintendent Brian V. Hightower said.

The Cherokee County School District has earned the 2021 Governance Team of the Year Award for large districts, which are those with more than 10,000 students.

School districts are invited to apply for the award based on high scores on the state’s system that measures how well students are prepared for college and career success. The judging committee reviews the application, supporting evidence and the impartial review team’s report, made up of national educational experts and leaders.

Cherokee County School Board members accepting the award are, from left: Patsy Jordan and Kelly Poole, Chair Kyla Cromer and Superintendent Brian V. Hightower.

From left, Modern Woodmen partners, Garth Gherardini and Gabi Barros, present the award to Valle.

Principal Penny Valle Named Hometown Hero

Oak Grove Elementary STEAM Academy Principal Penny Valle has been named a 2021 Hometown Hero award winner. Sponsored by Modern Woodmen, the annual Hometown Hero awards recognize community members for outstanding service to others. Valle was honored for being a servant leader who prioritizes the needs of her students, their families and the school’s overall success.

“Principal Valle is a hero for her staff, her students and for the community,” Assistant Principal Ashley Polito said. “She is a hero for the children, and anyone who knows her knows that she genuinely cares for the success and happiness of her students and staff.”

Clark Creek Students Learn About Careers

Clark Creek Elementary STEM Academy recently presented its annual career day during Red Ribbon Week. Each grade welcomed guest speakers, for virtual or in-person visits, including civil engineers, Georgia Farm Bureau members, medical trainers, police officers and more. Students created and tested STEM projects related to their career presentation, and dressed up, representing their future careers, and wrote about how they will be world-changers in that role.

Clark Creek also hosted Georgia author Danny Schnitzlein, thanks to efforts by Cobb EMC and Gas South, to bring local authors into schools through their 12th annual literacy week. The goal is to inspire students to appreciate the value of literacy in their education and personal lives.

Students create STEM projects on career day. Georgia author Danny Schnitzlein and Cobb EMC’s mascot, Wattson the Red-Tailed Hawk, visit Clark Creek.