Back To School by The Times

Sunday, July 26, 2015

A publication of

Back to School

2015 GUIDE

Healthy & happy Schools increasingly focus on what kids should and shouldn’t be eating. PAGE 2 Winning smiles Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times Pictured above are local students Bella Skinner and Austin Whittaker, winners of The Times’ first Back to School photo contest. Skinner is a rising eighth-grader at North Hall Middle School and a cheerleader. Her mom, Daphne Skinner, said Bella is a social butterfly whose favorite subjects at school are math and science. Whittaker attends Martin Technology Academy and also enjoys math and science. His mother, Jessica Whittaker, said what he may enjoy most this year, though, is being one of the big kids on campus as a rising fifth-grader. The two local kids tied for the highest number of votes at gainesvilletimes.com/schoolphoto.

INSIDE ■■Gainesville High School freshmen will have their own stomping grounds this school year with the addition of the Ninth Grade Center, housed in the old Wood’s Mill Academy building. PAGE 5 ■■A few South Hall County elementary schools have swapped students to eliminate overcrowding in some buildings. PAGE 3 ■■Parking is a privilege for high school students. Here are the prices and requirements. PAGE 4

The new and improved Work will continue through the school year for North Hall High School’s new performing arts complex. Meanwhile, kitchens, technology and flooring were upgraded at some Hall schools. In Gainesville, the high school’s performing arts center got a new roof. PAGE 4

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Cutting the cake Some schools limit sweets, others provide nutritious foods for students in push to teach healthy living

Sweet!

That could describe an apple or a cupcake, but only one is healthy. Schools are doing more and more to encourage kids to make the right choice for their health.

School systems must follow precise rules in what they serve for lunch to ensure children are provided a healthy meal.

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Fitness camps and other initiatives, like this 2013 Atlanta Falcons physical fitness camp, help get kids moving during the school day.

BY KRISTEN OLIVER

koliver@gainesvilletimes.com Reading and math have always gotten plenty of focus at school, but lately, so has health. Jimmy Byers, East Hall Middle School physical education and health teacher, said it’s important for children to learn healthy habits while young so they develop into healthy adults. “Eating healthy helps to control weight, improves mood, combats diseases, boosts energy and improves longevity,” he said. “Just as with physical activity, learning to eat healthy at a young age will result in healthy eating as an adult.” To that end, many schools limit the cupcakes and cookies students can bring to celebrate their birthdays, and they cut down on unhealthy incentives such as pizza parties. “We’re trying to cut out those unhealthy things,” said Robin Gower, principal of Tadmore Elementary School in Hall County. “It’s not easy, but we feel like it is an important thing for us to do.” Gower said Tadmore recently received the Healthy School bronze-level award for health incentives in the classroom. “We ask parents not to bring in cupcakes or things like that for birthdays, and instead to purchase ice cream out of our Healthy Choice ice creams, or to provide something else,” she said. “What I would love for them to do, and what we suggest, is for them to buy a book for the media center and put a nameplate in it.” Gower said other parents make birthday goodiebags, filled with pencils, erasers and other school supplies, instead of sending sugary treats. Daphne Skinner, whose daughter Bella Skinner attends North Hall Middle School, said she thinks sometimes the school system goes too far. A small sugary treat would be appropriate, she said. Exact rules vary by school, though. Will Campbell, principal of Fair Street International Baccalaureate World School in Gainesville, said students at his school can bring in sweets to celebrate their birthdays or special occasions, like Valentine’s Day. But Gainesville schools have a healthy eating initiative to get kids snacking on better foods. “It is for school-sponsored things, such as fundraisers, snacks in the machines and of course meals served through our school,” Campbell said. Campbell himself takes the initiative to teach Fair Street students about serving size. “If I see a kid with a big bag of Cheetos, I’ll turn it over to the back side of the packaging where it has the amount per serving and I’ll ask the kids, ‘Have you ever looked at this side of the bag?’” he said. At Lakeview Academy, parents are allowed to send their child with a treat, but the school asks that they don’t send sweets for the whole class. “The biggest thing in elementary is birthday parties,” said Head of School John Kennedy. “While being sensitive to the parents’ desire to honor their children, we do ask that they not include all the children when bringing in cupcakes and things other parents may not want their children to have.” The school has taken steps in the past few years to help students be healthier, including adding a salad bar in the lunchroom to cater to vegetarian students, according to Kennedy. “We formed a Wellness Committee a year or two back and have made baby steps,” Kennedy said. “The first thing was to get rid of the vending machines, but we’ve also centered more on exercise. We doubled P.E. time in the middle school and added six or seven classes in the upper school dealing with health and wellness, like an aerobics class.” Byers said the health class offered in Hall middle schools teaches children how to be healthy at home with their families. “One of the most important aspects of a healthy life is eating a well-balanced diet,” he said. “We teach a nutrition unit for each grade level. Sixth grade begins with learning about the six basic nutrients: water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals, and move into more advanced with seventh and eighth grade.” By the time a student reaches the eighth-grade health course, he or she is logging each meal and snack and creating healthy meal plans. Students who eat lunch at school are all but guaranteed a well-balanced meal. Both Hall and Gainesville schools have menus that are whole-grain rich with low-fat milk and multiple daily fruit and vegetable choices. Mike Whittaker, whose son Austin Whittaker is a rising fifth-grader at Martin Technology Academy, said he thinks schools should communicate better about what’s being served and why. Both and he and Skinner said kids often don’t like what’s on the lunch line, and since they have to take it anyway, a lot of food is wasted. Hall school nutrition director Trae Cown said a lot of work goes into preparing school lunch menus, which have federally mandated health standards. “We actually plan almost a year in advance for the menus,” Cown has said. “It’s at least no later than January or February for the upcoming year, because we have to forecast what foods we’re going to be ordering.” Campbell said the purpose of healthy-eating initiatives in school is to help kids develop habits they can take home. “Whatever we’re doing, we’re trying to get them ready for the future,” he said. “We want to teach them how to make decisions, because we can’t make all of their decisions for them.” Byers agreed. “Our goal is to have each student take what they learn in health and apply it in their own lives,” he said. “Hopefully establishing a better way of eating and developing a more physically active lifestyle for our students and community.”

School calendars

Hall County School District District office

Where: 711 Green St., Gainesville Contact: 770-534-1080; hallco.org Superintendent: Will Schofield Board of Education: Nath Morris, Craig Herrington, Sam Chapman, Brian Sloan, Bill Thompson Aug. 7: First day of school Sept. 7: Labor Day holiday Oct. 12-13: Fall break Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break Dec. 18: Teacher work day Dec. 21-Jan. 1: Winter break Jan. 4: Teacher work day Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday Feb. 15: President’s Day holiday

Feb. 26: Teacher work day March 25: Teacher work day April 4-8: Spring break May 25: Last day of school

Open houses

Elementary schools: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 5 Middle schools: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 4 High schools: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 6

Gainesville City Schools District office

Where: 508 Oak St., Gainesville Contact: 770-536-5275; gcssk12.net Superintendent: Wanda Creel Board of Education: Brett Mercer, Willie Mitchell, Maria Calkins, Delores Diaz, Sammy Smith Aug. 5: First day of school Sept. 7: Labor Day holiday Oct. 12-13: Fall break Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break Dec. 21-Jan. 1: Winter break Jan. 4: Teacher work day Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday Feb. 15: President’s Day holiday (teacher work day)

March 11: Teacher work day April 1: Teacher work day April 4-8: Spring break May 20: Last day of school

Open houses

Elementary schools: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 3 Middle schools: 3-6 p.m. July 31 High schools: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 4

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

South Hall elementary schools swap a few students Altered districts may ease crowds at Spout Springs BY KRISTEN OLIVER

koliver@gainesvilletimes.com South Hall families learned earlier this year that nearly 200 children might attend a different elementary school come August. Hall County’s school board approved redistricting for Spout Springs School of Enrichment, Friendship Elementary School and Chestnut Mountain Creative School of Inquiry to make more room at Spout Springs this fall. Last year, Spout Springs Principal Arlene Thomas said the school was over its approximately 900-student capacity, with nearly 1,000 students. Aaron Turpin, Hall director of technology, said the school’s projected enrollment for the fall is down slightly to 890, though growth in the area still reflects higher enrollment than other elementary schools. Friendship, approximately two miles south of Spout Springs, was nearly 200 under capacity last year, as was Chestnut Mountain five miles north. Friendship’s projected enrollment for the fall is 620 students and Chestnut Mountain’s expected enrollment is 650. Jewel Armour, executive director of operations for the Hall County School District, said the three schools’ close proximity will make the transition easier. School leaders have been communicating with parents about the change in attendance and bus routes. “It affected a small number of buses, and we’ve just notified the schools,” Armour said. “They communicated with several parents about whether or not they were in the new district or out of the new district, and we gave them information regarding streets, student names and that kind of thing.” Approximately 102 students from the northwest portion of Spout Springs’ existing zone will move to Friendship, according to the proposed map. This includes students who live off an extended length of Hog Mountain Road. The central, eastern portion of the Spout Springs zone will move to Chestnut Mountain, affecting approximately 88 students. This includes some direct routes to the

Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

Lacy Coffee, a Spout Springs School of Enrichment kindergarten teacher, hangs instructional items inside her classroom as she sets for the upcoming school year. The elementary school was over capacity last year, but redistricting should help reduce crowding this fall.

school, such as Cash Road to Union Church Road. “Buses that were already in that area will basically go to the new schools,” Armour said. “We’ve adjusted some, not a total busload at a time, but we’ve adjusted some routes. And that’s basically all we’ve needed to do.” The redistricting plan allows current students and rising kindergartners who are siblings of current Spout Springs students to finish at the school if they provide their own transportation. School officials said they know redistricting is not easy on students and families. “I know it’s tough, redistricting,” school board chairman Nath Morris has said. “I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about the numbers in our neighboring counties. But that’s what happens when you’re in a growing county. You try to plan for where the growth is going to come, but you don’t have a lot of control over it.”

Paula Smathers, a Spout Springs School of Enrichment kindergarten teacher, works to get her classroom ready for the new school year.

Sharon Compton, left, and Marlow Waycaster, both Spout Springs School of Enrichment kindergarten teachers, take inventory of school supplies before they are distributed among the teachers as the school staff prepare for the upcoming school year.

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Back to school

Work spotlights performing arts Construction continues on new building at North Hall

What’s new ■■ Renovated kitchens at some Hall schools, including added air conditioning ■■ Technology labs at some Hall schools and new audio/visual systems ■■ Updated security camera systems at Hall elementary schools ■■ Upgraded Wi-Fi in Hall schools ■■ Roof replaced at Gainesville High School Performing Arts Center ■■ Renovated building to house Gainesville High School Ninth Grade Academy where Wood’s Mill Academy was

BY KRISTEN OLIVER

koliver@gainesvilletimes.com As parents prepare their children to return to school by picking out new backpacks and purchasing school supplies, area schools are preparing as well. A number of projects took place throughout the summer to bring Gainesville and Hall County schools up to standards for class to resume in August. But in Hall County, one of the biggest summer projects won’t be complete until next year: North Hall High School’s performing arts complex. “The former building has been demolished and the new facility, which includes a larger state-of-the-art auditorium, drama, chorus and band suites, is under construction,” said Brad Brown, human resources director for the Hall County School District. “The project is scheduled for completion summer 2016. Student foot traffic will be rerouted around the area during the construction phase for the 2015-2016 school year.” Hall County also modified and renovated kitchens at several schools, including providing air conditioning in kitchens at World Language Academy, Flowery Branch Elementary School, South Hall Middle School and Davis Middle School. These kitchens did not have air conditioning before, and working conditions were hot. Now, every Hall County school kitchen has air conditioning. A number of technology improvements were also made in Hall County, according to technology director Aaron Turpin. Technology labs at North Hall Middle School, Davis

SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

Construction crews get drainage pipes in place at North Hall High School as construction begins on a new Performing Arts Complex. Work will continue through the school year on that project.

and East Hall Middle School should create a more collaborative learning space. “In a traditional classroom you have desks where students work by themselves, and it’s prohibitive from collaboration,” Turpin said. “The renova-

tions include taking all the computers that were traditionally set on big tables, taking up the entire room, and putting them on countertops around the perimeter of the room ... leaving the middle of the room for collaboration.”

High schoolers can park on campus — for a price

$60 will get most juniors, seniors a spot in the lot; students must maintain good behavior, attendance BY KRISTEN OLIVER

koliver@gainesvilletimes.com About $60 will buy most local juniors and seniors a parking spot at their high school for a year, if they behave. Parking at school is “a privilege” for Hall students who provide their own transportation, according to school officials. “The six conventional high schools all charge the same thing, and it is $60 a year,” said Deputy Superintendent Lee Lovett. “Lanier Career Academy is a different can of worms, and they charge a little less.” The nontraditional high school charges $10 a year. Gainesville High School’s permit was $50 last year, but Principal Tom Smith said the price is increasing this year to $60. The policies for receiving a parking permit at each school vary slightly. At Chestatee High School, all juniors and seniors with a car who want a permit are eligible for one. “We have reserved parking for seniors and juniors,” said Denise Nylander in Chestatee’s guidance office. “And everybody else gets what’s left over. For those students, it’s first come, first serve.” At North Hall High School, students who have passed an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test and students with a 4.5 grade-point average can get free parking, according to Beverly Buffington, North Hall High secretary. “If you pre-apply, your parking space is based on your class — so seniors first — and their grades and attendance,” Buffington said. “Then it’s juniors by grades and attendance. Then, after a couple weeks, the sophomores with licenses get an opportunity to apply for the spots left.” Buffington said North Hall may have fewer leftover spots this year because of construction of the school’s new performing arts center. North Hall also requires all students who want a parking permit to pass at least five classes the previous year, and they must continue to pass at least five courses throughout the year to keep the permit. At Gainesville, students previously could earn Platinum Pride IDs that allowed free parking, free access to athletic events and discounts at local businesses and restaurants. The ID was earned based on Georgia High School Graduation and Writing test scores. “Neither test is currently offered,” Smith said. “So I will be meeting with a team at the beginning of this school year to deter-

Turpin added that the room also has new projectors and televisions students and teachers can use. “These classrooms are used for five uniquely different classes throughout the school day,” Turpin said. “So it will work for whatever

the class is.” Security camera systems were added or updated at all 20 county elementary schools, providing a uniform camera system throughout the district. As part of a districtwide update, Wi-Fi renovations were completed on

all middle and high schools, and 100 classrooms received new audio/visual systems. Gymnasiums at several schools received new flooring, including Lanier Elementary School, Wauka Mountain Multiple Intelligences Academy and Lula Elementary School. According to Brown, the new material is a higher quality and more resilient than previous flooring. In Gainesville City Schools, a major roof replacement was completed at the Gainesville High School Performing Arts Center. The city’s biggest facility update was renovations to create the new Gainesville High School Ninth Grade Center in the building that previously housed Wood’s Mill Academy. Finally, a few modular classroom buildings were added in both Hall and Gainesville, including a unit at Johnson High School containing 14 regular classrooms, restroom facilities and support spaces. “We’ve also installed a new modular at Gainesville Exploration Academy,” said Adrian Niles, Gainesville’s director of maintenance and operations. “Otherwise, the Ninth Grade Center, as far as instruction and learning, that whole environment is a big change and is going to be an out-of-the-box experience.”

There’s still time for summer selfies

‘Parking is a privilege, not a right. Therefore, we have to ask students to shoulder some of the burden.’

Tom Smith, Gainesville High School principal mine the standards for seniors to receive a Platinum Pride ID for the 2015-2016 school year.” Parking permits may be revoked as a punishment in Hall and Gainesville schools. Flowery Branch High School might revoke parking permits from students who leave campus without checking out. Johnson High School and West Hall High School claim the right to take back parking permits from students who have six or more unexcused tardies or absences, while North Hall will revoke permits after eight absences, according to the schools’ handbooks. At all Hall schools, parking permit applications have to be signed by a parent or guardian. Hall schools and Gainesville High School require students show a valid Georgia driver’s license and proof of insurance. Students purchasing a parking permit at all high schools must also sign a waiver agreeing to the districts’ drug screening procedures. Lovett said Hall high schools use the funds from parking permits to maintain the campus. The funds do not go back to the central office or general fund but stay with the school. “They are kept in a special fund called ‘parking fees,’” Lovett said. “Generally speaking, they are supposed to be spent to restripe and maintain the parking lot, those sort of things. Occasionally, I’ll have a request from the principal to spend those funds on another need, but the rules state they stay in that fund until the parking lot needs repair.” Smith said the Gainesville parking fees are used for a similar purpose. “This fee is used to pay expenses related to parking,” Smith said. “This could include security, maintenance and upkeep, decals, etc. Parking is a privilege, not a right. Therefore, we have to ask students to shoulder some of the burden.”

Classes begin at Lakeview Academy August 19th Contact: Jaimie Harrison, Admission Director Lakeview Academy 770-531-2602 Coed K3 - 12

www.lakeviewacademy.com

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Freshmen get their own space at Gainesville High BY KRISTEN OLIVER

koliver@gainesvilletimes.com Freshmen often feel lost or overwhelmed in high school, but Gainesville High School wants to make the first year a little easier. This August, the school will open a Ninth Grade Center for the first time, and Superintendent Wanda Creel said it will give ninth-graders more support. “The purpose is to help us have a very focused approach to providing support to our ninth-grade student,” Creel said. “It will allow us to create flexible schedules and the relationships that are needed in order to support those students.” The center will be housed in what was previously Wood’s Mill Academy, just behind the high school building. “Facility-wise, there’s a total face-lift to the school,” said Adrian Niles, director of maintenance and operations. “There weren’t real changes to the classrooms, but we’ve got in and got them all up to standards.” Niles said the center will provide students a chance to adjust to life in high school, without the upperclassmen around. “They will go down to the main building and have some classes there,” Niles said. “But the core of their instruction will be there in the Ninth Grade Center together.” Creel said the school system aims to make the entire area feel like one campus. To prepare rising ninth-graders for the new experience, the system is hosting “Freshman Focus,” a three-day program paid for by a grant, according to Misty Freeman, GHS Ninth Grade Center assistant principal. Freshman Focus will take place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and will allow incoming freshmen to dip their toes into how high school feels. “We have 107 students signed up to come,” Freeman said. “Of course I want all 535 of them to come, but I will take 107. We are going to immerse them in what it’s like to be a Gainesville High School Red Elephant and do some exciting, unique things.” Students will get their lockers, tours of the center and Gainesville High School, and they can practice walking their class schedules. They will also participate in combined math, science and career tech practice lessons to give them a taste of the academic expectations

SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

Jason Chester, left, of Carroll Daniel Construction, helps Rogelio Chavez take a measurement while constructing a new building front at the new Ninth Grade Center at Gainesville High School. The center will be housed in the old Wood’s Mill Academy building.

of the next year. “It lets them know the standards they’re going to experience when they get in the classroom and gets their tastebuds a little bit wet,” Freeman said. “It’s an introduction of what high school is about.” The true purpose of the Ninth Grade Center, Creel said, is to improve student success all four years of high school. “That is really our whole premise — that if we can get our students to successfully complete ninth grade in the time frame allotted, and they are ready to go into 10th grade, then we feel we will have charted the course for them to successfully graduate on time — or no longer than four years and a summer,” she said. “We want to really make sure we provide the classes they need, the support they need and the relationships with teachers and close administration — and that we get them through their high school career.”

Wood’s Mill students moving to modular unit

Chester looks at drawings of the new front of the Ninth Grade Center at Gainesville High School.

Students who attend Gainesville High School’s nontraditional program, Wood’s Mill High School, will now be housed in a modular unit. The modular units has 12 classrooms, which will house at least 100 students. Last year, Wood’s Mill Academy served 181 students in grades sixth through 12th. Beginning in the fall, the nontraditional academy will become a high school only, serving students in ninth through 12th grades and thus lowering the number of enrolled students. “Really, what we’ve got to begin to think about is that entire complex is one high school,” Superintendent Wanda Creel said of the Ninth Grade Center, Wood’s Mill and Gainesville High. “But the modular housing Wood’s Mill will be beside the new gym, so that they’ve got their own space and really their own identity.” Creel said, though changes are coming, the system is still supporting students with a nontraditional option. “It is and will continue to be the nontraditional high school that we do have in our district,” Creel said. Kristen Oliver

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Back to school

A Tradition of Excellence As ONE GAINESVILLE, we will inspire, nurture, challenge, and prepare our students as we educate them to be successful in a 21st century global society. Our Elementary Schools Utilize a Common Curriculum based on the Georgia Standards of Excellence Offer a Full Range of Virtual, Blended, & Expanded Learning Opportunities Provide a Unique Focus on Individual Student Needs and Interests Offer Families the Opportunity to Select a School of Choice Offer a Variety of After School Clubs and Programs Centennial Arts Academy Arts Integrated Learning Focus on Performance Arts

Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Smartville School Design

Fair Street International Baccalaureate School Authorized IB Program for Primary Years Focus on Learning by Inquiry Georgia Reward High Progress School Gainesville Exploration Academy New Holland Knowledge Academy STEM Integration in Arts & Inquiry Learning Focus on Classical Knowledge and Literacy Focus on Experiential & Exploratory Instruction Georgia Reward High Progress School Georgia Reward High Progress School Gainesville Middle School Accelerated Learning Sequence for each Grade Level High School Course Credit Opportunities Available Virtual & Blended Learning Options (Edgenuity & Classworks) Exemplary Programs in Fine Arts, Athletics, & Extracurricular Activities Gainesville High School Ninth Grade Center for Incoming Freshman AP STEM, AP STEM Achievement and AP Humanities Honor School Career Apprenticeship & Career Technology Agriculture Engineering Programs College Preparatory, Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment & Honors Courses Learning Options Exemplary Programs in Fine Arts, Athletics, & Extracurricular Activities Wood’s Mill High School Career Pathway Courses through Self-Directed Learning Opportunities Focus on Career Apprenticeship & Service Learning Blended Learning Environment Workforce Development Partnerships

Together…we are “ONE GAINESVILLE”!