Columbia County Board of Education Special Recognitions

2020-2021

June 8, 2021

Margaret Rodgers Scholarship Award Winner

In April 2011, Dr. Thomas Rodgers infhe family Ms. ormed us that his family wanted to establish in perpetuity a scholarship in honor of his mother Ms. Rodgers, who was a Columbia County School District teacher and administrator. Mrs. Rodgers graduated from Lincolnton High School and attended Rabun Gap Junior College and Piedmont College. She graduated from Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville and received her masters' degree from the University of Georgia. Mrs. Rodgers began her career as a teacher in 1956. She retired in 1983 as Columbia County Schools’ Associate Superintendent of Instruction.

In honor of Ms. Rodgers, the Margaret Rodgers Scholarship will be given annually to a CCBOE non-certified exemplary employee who is working full-time and currently enrolled in college and pursuing a baccalaureate degree or higher. This is the eleventh year of the scholarship and we are excited to announce the Margaret Rodgers Scholarship is presented to Ms. Audrey Dent.

Audrey Dent has been a kindergarten paraprofessional at Evans Elementary School for the past four years. Dr. Parks, principal at Evans Elementary, shared that Ms. Dent has served on the Leadership Team and as an Executive PTO board member, as the lead paraprofessional. Ms. Dent also mentors new staff as well as serves as the key communicator for auxiliary staff. In addition to her leadership roles, she works with students who have behavioral challenges and helps teachers in the building work with students who are struggling behaviorally, as well.

Ms. Dent always goes above and beyond to help the students and staff at Evans Elementary. She is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University in Interdisciplinary Studies. Ms. Dent is expected to graduate Spring 2022.

May 25, 2021

GHSA Bass Fishing Tournament State Competition

This year, Georgia High School Association had its inaugural Bass Fishing State Championship. The event was held at Lake Lanier, with 66 teams in the finals. The fishing tournament began at 6:30 a.m. and qualifiers were to return to the designated area with their catch for the day by 2:30 p.m.

Greenbrier High School

From Greenbrier High School, Tanner Hadden and Tyler Starkey competed with the guidance and motivation from Coaches DJ Hadden, Dana Hadden, Sue Blumling, and Jennifer Hudson. Tanner and Tyler caught five fish for a total weight of 18 lbs. 2 oz. Congratulations to Tanner and Tyler for finishing second place in the Georgia High School State Association Bass Fishing Tournament.

Greenbrier High coaches Sue Blumling, DJ Hadden, and Dana Hadden

Evans High School

Evans High School freshmen, Jayden "Fisher" Faulkner and Davis Madden, led by Coach Johnsy Hopkins, caught five bass for a total weight of 20 lbs. 3 oz. This won the team first place in the championship!

Congratulations to the Inaugural State Championship winners and to their coach. These four students have qualified for the Bass Master High School National Championship, which will take place at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Good luck to these students!

Georgia Future Problem Solvers State Bowl Winners

This program was founded in 1974 by University of Georgia Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Torrance to help stimulate critical and creative thinking skills and to encourage students to develop a vision for the future. It is one of 45 affiliate programs in the United States, Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and other countries. Annually, over 250,000 4th through 12th grade students participate in the four different competitions revolving around a six-step problem solving process. Students work with their coaches throughout the year to learn and practice the six step model, and then submit a solution to a problem based on this model. Only winning entries are allowed to compete at the state level. This year, we are pleased to honor winners from three schools!

Parkway Elementary – Advisor Laura Hromyak

Maggie Bryant, Abrianna Costa, Jiwoo Hong, and Asa White

3^rd Place - Team Global Issues Problem Solving
3^rd Place - Team Action Plan

Taylor Hickok
- - 2^nd Place - Individual Action Plan

Kenzie Whitlock
- - 3^rd Place - Individual Action Plan
  - 3^rd Place - Individual Global Issues Problem Solving

North Columbia Elementary – Advisor Amy Williamson

Oliver Putnam
- - 2^nd Place Individual Global Issues Problem Solving
Connor Burnside, Chloe Cantwell, Natalie Montes, and Rebekkah Watson
- - 2^nd Place - Team Presentation of Action Plan
  - 2^nd place - Team Action Plan
  - 2^nd Place - Team Global Issues Problem Solving

The Augusta Nighthawks – Advisor Lee Anna Maynard

Cole Eichenberger, Addison Moore, Grady Riser, and Nethra Shenoy
- - 1^st Place - Team Presentation of Action Plan
  - 2^nd Place - Team Action Plan

Stallings Island Middle School – Advisor Aisha Lavin

Zain Lavin
- - 1^st Place - Individual Action Plan
  - 1^st Place - Individual Global Issues Problem Solving

Georgia-Maryland Team – Advisors Jiyoung Lee and Lee Anna Maynard

Brandon Kim, Henry Riser, and Nidhi Shenoy
- - 1^st Place - Team Global Issues Problem Solving
  - 1^st Place - Team Action Plan, Senior Division

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student Winners

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or LLS was started in 1949 with the mission to find a cure for blood cancers and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. LLS raises monies through fundraisers, one of which is the High School Student of the year campaign, a seven-week fundraising competition that began several years ago. Ms. Tate Snider is the LLS Student of the Year campaign manager and we thank her for her continued involvement with these students. The 2021 Students of the Year campaign had twenty-seven students from the Aiken, Columbia and Richmond County areas. Collectively these students raised $354,000, and each dollar counts as one vote. Today we are recognizing eight students from Columbia County who participated in this year’s campaign.

From Greenbrier High, Team Got CUREage and Mission Integration Award Winners: Etta Thomas and Julia Osborne

From Greenbrier and Evans High, Team De-Feet Cancer and the Student Runners Up: Megan Anton and Lauren Lewallen

From Grovetown High, Team Answer for Cancer: Leah Shelt

From Lakeside High, Team Panthers versus Cancer: Phoebe Bagby, Mariangel Carroz, and Eli Hergott

Congratulations to these students and all who work to help find a cure for these cancers!

SkillsUSA State Competition Winners

SkillsUSA is a national membership association serving middle, high school, and college students who are preparing for further education and careers in trade and technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. It is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry, working to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA offers competitive events to showcase the best Career and Technical Education students in the nation. Contests begin locally and continue through the state and national levels. The Columbia County School District number of state medalists who will go on to compete at the national level this summer.

Congratulations to all of our students and thank you to our instructors for your outstanding leadership!

Greenbrier High School

From Greenbrier High School, under the direction of Mr. Jerry Wutche:

Haley Rhodes (junior) won a bronze medal in Legal Service Knowledge
Jessica Costain, Emily Augenstein, and Emma Douglas (juniors) won a bronze medal in Criminal Justice Quiz Bowl.
Joshua Oglesby, Cole McCune, and Jonathan Schanck (seniors) won a gold medal in High Risk Vehicle Stop.
Alison Donosky (sophomore) won a gold medal in Legal Service Knowledge.

The Greenbrier SkillsUSA team earned the Gold Level Chapter of Distinction. Congratulations, Greenbrier High School!

Grovetown High School

From Grovetown High, under the direction of Ms. Susan Morris:

Christianna Gutierrez (junior), Owen Johnson (sophomore), and Autumn Richards (sophomore) won a bronze medal in Crime Scene Investigation.

Also from Grovetown High, under the direction of Mr. Craig Moore:

Caleb Stubblefield (junior) was a bronze medal winner in Welding.

April 27, 2021

Aubrey Willis

Meemic Masterpieces Poetic Rap Contest Winner

In this contest, each contestant had to showcase their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, their school experiences, and diversity discussions in a poem.

Aubrey Willis is a sixth grader from Columbia Middle School. Aubrey competed in the contest against 600 students, in four states, and was selected one of forty-nine winners. It’s also noteworthy to mention Columbia Middle submitted 18 entries.

For Aubrey’s accomplishment, she won a pair of Dr. Dre Beats Solo3 Club Collection Wireless Headphones.

GMEA All-State Band Members

The Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) is the fourth largest state music education association in the United States. This association has more than 3,000 members who are teachers in public and private schools, colleges and universities, and private studios. Maybe the most important activities of the association are the annual All-State Band membership selections and the band performances.

Each year, about 20,000 talent-worthy students in grades 6 – 12 are judged at the school district level, as they play selected scales, part of a prepared piece, and a sight-reading exercise. Students who meet the cut score for their instrument are then invited to participate in the final audition which was held virtually. At the final auditions, approximately 3,000 students perform the entire audition piece and two sight-reading exercises before judges. The highest scoring students at the final auditions are selected for membership in the All-State bands.

From Riverside Middle School, under the direction of Mr. Geoffrey Rosche, eighth grader Mason Pounds who plays the Baritone Saxophone in band. Mason auditioned for All-State Band with two instruments, the Alto and Baritone Saxophone. Congratulations to Mason and to his instructor, Mr. Geoffrey Rosche.

From Greenbrier High School, under the direction of Dr. Brian Toney:

Luke Frain - French Horn (Sophomore)
Brandon Newell - Tuba (Sophomore)
Davis Rodgers - Trombone (Senior)
Simon Toney - Trumpet (Sophomore)
Sofie Zeruto - Flute (Junior)

From Harlem High School, under the direction of Mr. Curtis Carver, Senior Bethany Rager - French Horn.

From Lakeside High School, under the direction of Mr. Jim Tau and Assistant Band Director, Mr. Jared Best:

Bailey Aber - Bassoon (Senior)
Colby Brown - Percussion (Senior)
Jun Chambers - Tuba (Sophomore)
Tan Charintranout - Clarinet (Senior)
Leana Elwahidi - Alto Saxophone (Sophomore)
Ryan Hanling - Clarinet (Sophomore)
Wills Kane - Trombone (Junior)
Brandon Kim - Bass Clarinet (Freshman)
Jeffrey Li - Clarinet (Sophomore)
McKenzie Matthews - Trumpet (Junior)
Roderic Parson - Euphonium (Junior)
Sarah Roy - French Horn (Sophomore)
Jacob Taylor - Trumpet (Senior)
Clark Walker - Bassoon (Sophomore)

National Science Bowl Champions

Earlier this year, the National Science Bowl State Competition was held virtually, and the Columbia County School District has two schools who became National Science Bowl Region and State Competitors.

Stallings Island Middle School

The first team is from Stallings Island Middle School led by seventh grade science teacher, Ms. Deborah Hundt:

Eliana Benevides (7th grade)
Steven Pang (7th grade)
David Wang (7th grade)
Jerry Fan (8th grade)
George Zhou (8th grade)

These students competed in two state-wide virtual regional competitions, a semi-final and final. We are very pleased to share that these students are the National Science Bowl 2021 State Champions.

As State Champions, normally the coach and team members would win an all-expense paid trip to the U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl Competition in Washington, DC. However, given the circumstances, the national competition will be a “virtual” event, with players competing against 32 middle schools from their own homes.

It’s also important to share that Stallings Island teams have been State Champions for the past four years. All Science Bowl state winners participated in the Science Bowl Cyber Challenge on April 24 as a precursor to Nationals which will occur in a few weeks, and the Stallings Island team placed third in the nation!

Lakeside High School

The second team is from Lakeside High School led by science and biology teacher, Ms. Charlotte Smith:

Charlie Li, Team Captain
Jerry Lu
Matthew She
Iziq Thomas
Zachary Thomas

This team beat twenty high school teams at the regional competition and earned first place in the state. Lakeside will also compete virtually against 32 high schools at the National Science Bowl on May 22.

Last year in 2020, eighth graders Jerry Fan, George Zhou, and ninth graders Jerry Lu and Iziq Thomas were among students that placed in the top 20 at the National Tournament, but due to COVID-19, we were not able to properly recognize these students last year.

Congratulations to all of these students and their instructors who helped them achieve these honors!

4-H Presidents

Thank you to 4-H Presidents from Blue Ridge Elementary for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

April 13, 2021

Eagle Scout Zachary Mohr

Greenbrier High School

Greenbrier High Senior Zachary Mohr joined Boy Scouts while in the fifth grade and living in Nebraska. In 2016, he joined Boy Scout Troop 620 chartered by Riverwood Plantation.

For his Eagle Scout project, Zachary designed, created, and placed directional and distance signs and outdoor classroom signs at the Euchee Creek Elementary nature trail and outdoor classrooms site. The supplies for this project were donated by a good Samaritan.

His project included cleaning up a portion of the trail around the school, preparing for and guiding volunteers to build seven cedar birdhouses, making signs for the trail, and guiding volunteers who helped install the signs.

Zachary plans to attend Georgia Tech in the fall where he will study, among other things, Aerospace Engineering.

Eagle Scout Mari Gruby

Grovetown High School

Mari is the daughter of Richard and Samantha Gruby and the first female in the Georgia-Carolina Council to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. She began her scouting career by helping her mother when her brothers were in cub scouts, and she became part of the Boy Scouts of America program by joining Venturing Crew 108 in Grovetown, GA. Mari then joined Troop 2319 chartered by Grovetown United Methodist Church.

For her project, Mari chose to create a sensory outdoor classroom at Euchee Creek Elementary because she wanted special needs students to have the opportunity to use the nature trail, too. With the help of family members, along with Columbia Concrete, she was able to get the supplies she needed for her project donated. Mari led a group of volunteers to build and create an outdoor classroom, with benches and a tactile board with castings of animal tracks and leaves that can be found on the school’s eight-acre property and Discovery Trail.

She also hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new classroom. Sixteen Euchee Creek students from Mrs. Kopecky and Mrs. Freeman’s classes attended the ceremony, since they will benefit from using the new space.

Mari has been accepted to Augusta State University in the fall and she plans to major in elementary education. Congratulations, Mari, for a job well done and for your accomplishment as the first female Eagle Scout in the area!

Eagle Scout Tyler Videtto

Lakeside High School

He began his journey with the boy scouts when he joined Pack 615 while in the first grade. Later, Tyler joined Troop 10, which is chartered by the Church of the Holy Comforter.

For his project, Tyler chose to re-do a sign at the entrance of Lakeside High. He wanted to design a sign that would properly identify the site and support school spirit, so he incorporated a panther and an emblem representing the Lakeside High JROTC program. To build the sign, Tyler used wood donated by Mulherin Lumber and other materials donated by a small business in town. The project took two weekends to complete.

Tyler has been accepted to Georgia Southern, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering and to further his knowledge of unmanned vehicles.

District Spelling Bee Champions

The county-wide spelling bee took place January 21, at Evans Middle School, where 26 students from grades four through eight competed for the District Spelling Bee Championship. We always recognize the District winner, but this year we have two students to recognize!

Yohannes Goddard, an eighth grader from Riverside Middle competed at the regional level. After 19 rounds of competing, Yohannes was declared the District Spelling Bee Champion by correctly spelling "punctuality." Congratulations, Yohannes, for your accomplishment. We also thank your teacher, Ms. Margie Coleman, and spelling bee coordinator, Ms. Ashton Herring, for helping you along your way.

Next, from Stallings Island Middle, Sixth Grader Sai Lakkimsetti, please come forward. Sai was the runner-up in the county-wide spelling bee contest, so, like Yohannes, he qualified to compete at the Regional Spelling Bee, which was held virtually February 27.

At the Regional Spelling Bee, Yohannes and Sai competed against 12 other students from counties within Region 7. Out of 25 spelling words and 25 vocabulary words, Sai earned a perfect score, and the title of Region 7 champion. For his win, he was awarded a Region Champion certificate and a $200 spelling bee voucher, and he advanced to the State Spelling Bee, where he tied for third place out of 20 students in the Georgia Association of Educators Scripps State Spelling Bee 2021, scoring 49 out of 50 on the written test.

Congratulations, Sai, for winning the Region 7 Spelling Bee Competition and placing third in the State Bee. And, we thank your teacher, Ms. Amy Meyer, and the spelling bee coordinator, Ms. Jennifer Shearouse, for helping you prepare for these competitions.

At the board meeting, Mr. Melvin Sanders presented Sai with the Region 7 Spelling Bee Competition First Place trophy.

Elementary School Young Georgia Authors

As a quick reminder, Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition was created to encourage students to develop writing skills, to provide a way to celebrate their writing successes, and to recognize student achievement in writing.

School districts select winners from grades K-12, and these winners compete at the Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) level. We are proud to share that, this year, we have one RESA District winner at the elementary level.

Kindergarten Winner: Theodore Lynn from Brookwood Elementary. His teacher is Ms. Lauren Hardaway, and Theodore wrote a new version of the "Three Little Pigs."

First Grade Winner Isaac Bolduc from Stevens Creek Elementary. His teacher is Ms. Karen McMahan, and Isaac wrote "The Brave Turtle."

Second Grade Winner Reynolds Blumenthal also from Stevens Creek Elementary. His teacher is Ms. Rebecca Bennett, and Reynolds wrote "How the Parrot Got Its Colors."

Third Grade Winner Dynah Moyer from North Columbia Elementary is watching this by livestream today. Dynah’s teacher is Ms. Janet Bruyninckx, and Dynah wrote "Beyond the Horizon."

Fourth Grade Winner Aleah Mealing from Martinez Elementary. Aleah’s teacher is Ms. Courtney Jackson, and Aleah wrote "Family is Key."

Fifth Grade Winner Jayda Calderon, from Baker Place Elementary. Jayda’s teacher is Ms. Kelly Bryant, and Jayda’s work is "A Lantern Called Love." Jayda is also the RESA Winner for fifth grade this year!

Read all these Young Georgia Author selections and more today at Communication Connection.

Lakeside High Meal Distribution Initiative

The Columbia County School District would like to recognize two individuals who have worked diligently to provide meals to needy families in the area. In November 2020, Lakeside High Graduation Coach Ms. Anita Davis and Americorps VISTA Ms. Verneisha Reeves, along with colleagues and students, collected canned goods, other items, and money to feed eleven Lakeside High families over the Thanksgiving holiday. The activity was so rewarding and successful that over the Christmas break, they included families from Lakeside Middle and Blue Ridge Elementary as well. Then most recently, Ms. Davis, Ms. Reeves, and Lakeside Middle and Stallings Island Middle students and staff provided approximately 96 boxes for families in the community.

Ms. Davis said these people have the biggest hearts, giving money and gift cards and reaching out to community members for their support. For example, for the Thanksgiving meals, a teacher made a connection with Wal-Mart and got them a great price for turkeys, so they could give turkeys, sometimes two, to families. The students also were a big help; for example, one student brought in 144 pounds of onions!

These kinds of activities assist those in need and help develop a community of people who care about others and actively seek to help them. Thank you, Ms. Davis and Ms. Reeves, for coordinating this effort!

March 23, 2021

Eagle Scouts Cadon and Kai Hammerstrom

Greenbrier High School

Brothers Cadon and Kai Hammerstrom are sophomores at Greenbrier High School, and the sons of Colonel Michael and Gayla Hammerstrom. Mrs. Hammerstrom is an employee at Baker Place Elementary. Cadon and Kai began their scouting career in Fort Meade, Maryland. When the family moved to Columbia County, they joined Troop 620. They both recently completed their Eagle Scout projects and have obtained the Eagle Scout rank.

Cadon Hammerstrom

Cadon chose to create an outdoor classroom at South Columbia Elementary so that students and staff could enjoy the great outdoors while still maintaining instruction time. He worked with SCE Teacher Ms. Prater to plan for the area, then raised money to purchase paint for all of the benches and to purchase supplies needed to rebuild a picnic table.

The state of the outdoor area was old and dull before Cadon and his team of scouts, along with parent volunteers, began sanding, cleaning, and painting the wooden benches in the school’s colors. Cadon's hard work clearly yielded beautiful improvements, which include an easel for teachers to use when holding outdoor classroom activities and the new picnic table Cadon built for the area.

Kai Hammerstrom

Kai chose to clean up the Veterans section of Westview Cemetery in Augusta and to help plan for a rededication ceremony as a way to honor the fallen Veterans who were homeless or abandoned. He worked with American Legion Post 205 and was mentored by Mr. Robert Taylor. With the help of a group of scouts and parent volunteers, Kai cleaned the tombstones, cleared the grass around them, and cleared and cleaned the area around the edge of the Veteran’s section.

Kai also raised money to purchase flag holders and individual flags that were placed in front of each tombstone on Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. Most recently, Kai planned and led a flag retirement ceremony for the American Legion, where he and fellow scouts retired about 100 flags.

STEAMIFY Winners 2021

For the third year, Augusta University held STEAMIFY, which is a design-based, problem-solving competition that gives students in grades four through eight the opportunity to apply classroom content in the context of engineering or art.

The competition helps students gain a deeper understanding of how what they learn in school can be used outside of school.

It consists of two parts: a long problem and a spontaneous problem. All competitors solve the long problem with a challenge to use art, engineering, poetry, etc. Then, on the day of the competition, each team has to work out a problem on the spot. The Columbia County School District had 14 teams place in the elementary and middle school divisions, combined.

1st Place, Spoken Word - Puppets Through the Pandemic

River Ridge Elementary

Advisors:

Dawn Jeffers
Emily Harrison

Team members:

Charlie Brosious
Will Brown
Connor D'Abruzzo
Amalia Fritsch
Dastan Gunn
Raya Lipton
Emersyn Wadlow

Along with a poetry slam about COVID-19 and how they have learned from it, the team created puppets out of household items for each month of the last year.

2nd Place, Spoken Word - Bending with COVID-19

River Ridge Elementary

Advisor:

Dawn Jeffers

Team members:

Haley Bauer
Olivia Lewis
Yura Suh
Tatum Wilson

In addition to performing a poetry slam about COVID-19, this team completed a science journal documenting their use of the design and engineering process.

3rd Place, Spoken Word - Sensational Speakers

River Ridge Elementary

Advisors:

Dawn Jeffers
Emily Harrison

Team members:

Ella Harris
Ian Hout
Bailey Jo McDonald
Ty Martin
Izzy Rainier
Lauren Smith

These students performed a poetry slam about COVID-19, examining how it changed our lives and what we have learned from it. In a poetry slam, students speak the words before a live audience, but rather than the typical fashion of reciting poems, they use voice, motion, dramatic interpretation, props, and even audience participation.

Overall 1st Place, Visual Arts - Mount New Year

North Harlem Elementary

Advisor:

Emily Harrison

Team members:

Abbi Blackmon
Blair Carpenter
Natalia Copple
Akashia Page
Reese Stolte
Tristyn Walls

Team Mount New Year created two papier-mâché mountains that symbolize the two different mindsets someone could have had during the COVID-19 shelter in place.

The negative mountain is a harsh place with people holding signs showing negative thoughts. It has a short ladder that is easy to climb, symbolizing how easy it is to be and stay in a negative place. The positive mountain is bright and colorful, with people holding signs with all the good things that came out of 2020, such as getting a new pet, spending more time with family, and spending more time outdoors. The ladder with this one was longer and more difficult to climb with its changing of direction, which symbolized how it can be difficult to stay positive when life gets tough. The best part could be the bridge connecting the two mountains to show how someone can change their mindset, from negative to positive.

Congratulations to Team Mount New Year for placing first in the elementary division for Visual Arts. Additionally, this team competed against 97 teams and was named the Grand Champion in the elementary division!

2nd Place, Visual Arts - Unmasking COVID

North Harlem Elementary

Advisor:

Emily Harrison

Team members:

Chandler Lord
Gabriel McMichael
Shannon Rader
Eli Rahimi
Harrison Wood

This team designed a piece of art that is a life-sized Jenga Game with all the unfortunate terminology of COVID-19 displayed on the tiles.

3rd Place, Visual Arts - Tornado of COVID-19

River Ridge Elementary

Advisor:

Dawn Jeffers

Team members:

Raffael Haffey
Grady Kelts
Arden Kouba
Jayden Kwon

This fourth-grade team made clay people holding signs that showed what life was like before COVID-19. Then, they made a moving tornado representing the virus and put it in the middle of the clay people. On the tornado, they attached things that have drastically changed due to the pandemic, such as an Amazon box representing increased online shopping, airline stocks because of the restrictions on traveling, and signs that reflect the closure of restaurants.

2nd Place, Engineering - Encourage Engineers

River Ridge Elementary

Advisors:

Dawn Jeffers
Emily Harrison

Team members:

Michael Adasofunjo
Ethan Drake
Fraser Finch
Canon Montoya
Devon McLoughlin
Rylan Pettit

Using TinkerCAD, this team created a 3D classroom that follows COVID-19 regulations.

3rd Place, Engineering - Creative Cave People

River Ridge Elementary

Advisors:

Dawn Jeffers
Emily Harrison

Team members:

Saylor Atchley
Elliot Dhandapani
Narek Heboyan
Brooks Trammell
Luke Willis

Using the design and engineering process, this team planned a new classroom which followed COVID-19 guidelines.

1st Place, Computer Science - Techno Team

Martinez Elementary

Advisor:

Valery Dinkins

Team members:

Grayson Edenfield
Elijah Ferguson
Molly Graves
Caleb Greene

This team created an app to help people find a little positivity during the pandemic.

2nd Place, Computer Science - Silicon Seven

River Ridge Elementary

Advisors:

Dawn Jeffers
Emily Harrison

Team members:

JT Alisangco
Ryan Dabrowski
Ford Jones
Jake Lee
Seth Parker
Ben Spielman
Yusuf Syed

This team created an app to help with COVID-19 contact tracing.

3rd Place, Computer Science - Brookwood COVID Crush

Brookwood Elementary

Advisor:

Susan Harding

Team members:

Addison Colson
James Williamson
Reese Duncan

These students were given a scenario of helping persons, especially older residents, in Georgia to combat the Coronavirus through the use of technology. Using GoDaddy.com, they developed an easy-to-use website for older Georgians to obtain information, make appointments, and get tested for COVID.

Overall 1st Place, Engineering - We Volunteer as Tribute

Greenbrier Middle

Advisors:

David Phillips
Loradonna Shultz

Team members:

Kherington Phillips
Mia Riley
Maile Veriato

Team We Volunteer as Tribute was tasked to re-engineer their current classroom to maximize connectivity while also social distancing. Using Tinkercad software, they developed an innovative, 3-D “lofted classroom.”

Because of their impressive score in the engineering category, beating every team in the Engineering, Computer Science, Visual Arts, and Spoken Word categories, Team We Volunteer as Tribute was awarded the Grand Prize in the Middle School division. Columbia County School District congratulates Team We Volunteer as Tribute for this great honor and accomplishment.

2nd Place, Engineering - All CAPZ

Greenbrier Middle

Advisors:

David Phillips
Loradonna Shultz

Team members:

Zachary Green
Avery Jones
Peyton Randall
Connor Shehorn

This team used computer-aided design software to construct a 3D model of a classroom with innovative safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in a classroom setting.

1st Place, Computer Science - TEAMIFY

Greenbrier Middle

Advisors:

David Phillips
Brandy Parker

Team members:

Liam Fedak
Shlok Trivedi
Hudson Villemain
Michael Weathers

TEAMIFY created an app that can instantly and accurately take a person's temperature, so signs of COVID or any virus can be detected as early as possible.

March 9, 2021

Eagle Scout Nikhil Young

Lakeside High School

Nikhil Young began his scouting career as a Cub Scout when he was in the first grade at Stevens Creek Elementary. He later became a scout with Troop 119 and has served as Senior Patrol Leader. For his Eagle Scout project, Nikhil decided to renovate the Augusta Jewish Community Center pavilion restrooms.

The original restrooms were 25 years old. The project included replacing the ceiling tiles, painting the walls and floors, and purchasing and installing cabinetry. The project took about three weeks to complete and involved approximately twenty scouts and adult volunteers. It cost $650, and the Augusta Jewish Community Center generously contributed to half of the cost.

Nikhil has been accepted into many colleges, including the Berklee School of Music in Boston. The Columbia County School District congratulates Nikhil in his achievement of the Eagle Scout rank.

Eagle Scout Andrew Zhou

Lakeside High School

Andrew Zhou started his scouting career as a Webelo in Scout Pack 56 when he was at Stevens Creek Elementary. He later became a scout with Troop 119 and has served as Patrol Leader and Historian.

To show his gratitude to the Augusta Jewish Community Center for chartering his troop, Andrew chose to revitalize the Center’s nature trail for his Eagle Scout project. With a vision of creating a retreat for visitors that included a clear view of the pond, he constructed five benches, landscaped the forest around the trail, installed custom wooden signs, and developed a cleaning process for the bronze memorial plaques.

The project took nearly 200 hours to complete. Fortunately, through a generous donation from a family member and funding from Home Depot, the cost of his project was under $400. Andrew is planning to attend the University of Georgia in the fall and intends to pursue a career in patent law.

Boys and Girls Wrestling Individual State Champions

The 2021 Georgia High School Association Traditional Wrestling State Championships were held February 9-13 at the Macon Centerplex. There were 108 individual state champions in boys & girls divisions, and we are very proud to have had several champions in various weight categories. To achieve this honor, wrestlers fought in twenty-four matches and received a point for each match they won. The number of matches won determined the wrestler’s ranking for a medal.

Evans High School

Jackson Eller and Blake Brooks

Jackson has wrestled on the Evans High Wrestling Team throughout all four years at Evans, placing 3^rd in state as a freshman, first in state as a sophomore, and second in state as a junior, all in the 160-pound weight class. This year, Jackson placed third in the 152-pound weight class. Congratulations, Jackson, for earning state titles all four years!

Also earning more than one state title, Blake Brooks placed third last year in the 113-pound weight class, which was a warm up for this year! Blake won first place this year, earning the title of Georgia State Champion in the 113-pound weight class!

The Wrestling coaches from Evans are: Kyle Johnston, Laurel Burdette, Scott Ball, and Gralyn Harris.

Greenbrier High School

Dakota Williamson and Beau Shugarts

With guidance and leadership, Greenbrier High School Coaches Brett Shugarts, Aaron Epstein, Ty Abero, and McDermott (not pictured) helped two wrestlers earn state titles in their weight class: Dakota Williamson and Beau Shugarts.

Dakota placed third in the 132-pound weight class.

Beau placed first in the 285-weight class, which earned him the title of the 5A State Wrestling Champion in that weight class. Last year, Beau placed third in the 285-pound weight class for 6A.

Harlem High School

Chandler Diles

From Harlem High School, Coach Kevin Waters helped wrestler Chandler Diles earn a state title. Chandler placed second in the 182-pound weight class.

With this win, Chandler is now the career wins leader for Harlem High with 101 wins!

Lakeside High School

Ella Ki

Lakeside Head Wrestling Coach Ken Stoudenmire gave wrestler Ella Ki the resources and support she needed to place at the State Championship. Ella is a two-time state medalist. In the 2019-2020 season, she was the sectional champion and finished fifth in the state at the 112-pound weight class.

This year, Ella finished third in the state championships in the same weight class. In this regular season, Ella was undefeated, and she had the most and fastest pins in the state tournament. According to Columbia County School District records, Ella is the only female wrestler from Columbia County to medal twice at the state championships! This is a huge accomplishment, and the CCSD is so proud of Ella and grateful for coaches like Coach Stoudenmire.

4-H Presidents

Thank you to 4-H Presidents from Cedar Ridge Elementary for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

February 23, 2021

Eagle Scout Shivum Lal

Lakeside High School

Shivum Lal, a senior at Lakeside High, started his scouting career as a cub scout while in the first grade at River Ridge Elementary, and he is currently a member of Troop 119. He has held several Boy Scout leadership positions which include Senior Patrol Leader and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster.

Wanting to give back to his community and employ the leadership skills he learned in scouting, Shivum chose to renovate the landscape at the Hindu Temple Society of Augusta to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.

The project took months of meetings and work, and the cost was approximately two thousand dollars.

In addition to his enthusiasm for Boy Scouts, Shivum’s interests lie in neuroscience, cars, coin collecting, ping pong, and finance. He has not chosen which college he would like to attend, but he plans to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery.

Eagle Scout Ivan Nguyen

Lakeside High School

Ivan has been a member of Boy Scout Troup 119 since 2015. For his Eagle Scout project, Ivan chose to transform an old broken garden fountain into a beautiful new flower garden more fitting for the statue of Mary at his church at St. Mary’s on the Hill.

After weeks of preparations, meeting with local leaders, and getting signatures, Ivan and a small group of scouts raised the statue of Mary on a new pedestal, filled the fountain with gravel and planter’s soil, planted flowers in an alternating pattern of colors, and installed lights around the base.

Outside of his success as a Scout, Ivan is an AP Scholar, President of the Lakeside High National Honor Society, and a member of the Lakeside High Hall of Fame. Ivan enjoys producing his own music and with one of his friends he founded a club to promote and encourage students at Lakeside to produce their own music. 

Ivan has not decided on a college yet, but he plans to enter pre-med by majoring in biology.

2021 Girls Wrestling State Champions

Greenbrier High School's Girls Wrestling Team

Greenbrier High School’s Girls Wrestling Team is the largest girls wrestling team in the State of Georgia.

Earlier this month, the 2021 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Traditional Wrestling State Championships were held at the Macon Centerplex. In the team competition, each girl wrestled matches in her weight class and each win earned team points that counted toward team medals.

During the competition, Anisa Nur placed fourth in her weight class, and Arieana Bacon placed fifth in her weight class. The Columbia County School District would like to congratulate to these two state champions.

The team won a total of 45 total matches, and they are the 2021 Girls Wrestling State Bronze Medalists!

The team is led by Wrestling Coach Ty Abero and Lay Coach Aaron Epstein.

Wrestling in the 152 lb. weight class: Freshman Arieana Bacon;
Wrestling in the 102 lb. weight class: Freshman Jordan Epstein, Freshman Ryan Lewis, Sophomore Sierra Williamson, and Junior Savannah Alexander;
Wrestling in the 142 lb. weight class: Sophomore Bailee Keller;
Wrestling in the 162 lb. weight class: Sophomore Jayde Massa;
Wresting in the 122 lb. weight class: Junior Lorena Valdez;
Wrestling in the 225 lb. weight class: Senior Jasmine Delgado;
Wrestling in the 132 lb. weight class: Senior Breanna Ingram; and
Wrestling in the 112 lb. weight class: Senior Anisa Nur.

Congratulations, to all of these ladies, and thank you, Coach Abero and Coach Epstein, for helping the team to excel! The CCSD looks forward to seeing many more state champions in the future!

East P-20 Mentor of the Year

Ms. Delta Casey

Greenbrier Middle Media Specialist

The Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, and the University System of Georgia have joined together to establish P-20 Collaboratives. These are systems of support to provide a seamless transition for pre-service educator candidates as they seek to become professional educators, as well as to provide continued professional learning for practicing educators and leaders. The state is divided into nine regions, each region clustered around a group of institutions or agencies that prepare teachers.

The Columbia County School District is in the East P-20 Collaborative, which includes Augusta University, Brenau University, Paine College, and all of the school districts in the Central Savannah River Area. Each regional collaborative has a strategic planning team that convenes twice each academic year and plans sessions based on the needs of their region. This helps produce teacher candidates who are better prepared for their roles in the classroom. Each year the collaboratives nominate a person in their region to be named Mentor of the Year. Nominees are rated on the strength of “demonstrated excellence” in a variety of areas.

Ms. Casey has been chosen as this year’s East P-20 Mentor of the Year!

In her nomination letter, Augusta University East P-20 Field Experience Coordinator and former Columbia County School District Principal Ms. Jackie Creasy writes that in Ms. Casey’s role as the Building Coordinator, she deals with minor problems quickly and efficiently, and she is forthright in providing feedback to teacher candidates and to mentor teachers facing unique situations. Ms. Casey does not mind having difficult conversations with students when the situation warrants it, but she is always quick to compliment a job well done. Because of this, her peers can always count on her to support them when they are working with Augusta University students, and she gives continual feedback and is willing to give teacher candidates the opportunities to teach above the minimum Augusta University requirements.

4-H Presidents

Thank you to 4-H Presidents from Cedar Ridge Elementary for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

February 9, 2021

Eagle Scout Nathan East

Lakeside High School

Nathan East is a senior at Lakeside High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 119 which is chartered by the Augusta Jewish Community Center. Nathan began his scouting career as a Tiger Scout in Pack 56 at Stevens Creek Elementary in 2009.

For his Eagle Scout project, Nathan chose to build tables for the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park’s outdoor classrooms and replace worn out planks on the boardwalk there.

Being a nonprofit, the park relies on volunteer work to remain in operation.

Nathan sees the park as a wonderful place to connect with nature and having attended classes at the outdoor classroom, he knows how important the park is in helping educate children.

His work on the project included calling potential suppliers, setting up events to raise funds, and meeting with volunteer coordinators to ensure the project went smoothly.

That was 90% of the work, and the other 10% involved helping people to stay on task and ensuring that everyone was working safely. Nathan had at least 30 people involved with his project, including a store manager, ten parents and other adults, and twenty scouts.

The project cost $1,550, with the majority of that being for wood and screws. Much of this cost was covered with a generous donation from the Evans Home Depot and a family member.

In his personal life, Nathan is an excellent student. He made the Dean’s list for the Fall 2020 semester at Augusta University, he is a National Honor Society meritorious member, and he was a 9th grade District Honor Band member. Nathan enjoys hiking and he has completed a hiking course at Philmont Scout Reserve in New Mexico. He aspires to hike the entire Appalachian Trail one day. Nathan has been accepted to attend the University of Georgia and plans to pursue a career in emergency medicine.

The Columbia County School District would like to congratulate Nathan for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and we wish you the very best at the University of Georgia.

Eagle Scout Matthew Hensel

Lakeside High School

Matthew is the son of Steve and Cindy Hensel, and he began his scouting career with Troup 119 while in the fifth grade.

For his project, Matthew developed an inventory system for the clothing closet at the Augusta Dream Center located on Peach Orchard Road.

The Dream Center is a non-profit organization that provides food, clothing, and basic medical support free of charge for under-served individuals living in the Central Savannah River Area.

Using scanners, a laptop, and Microsoft Excel, Matthew and three other scouts developed a program that includes thirty clothing categories that automatically account for the clothing items and provide monthly and annual totals.

The cost of the equipment totaled about $700.00 and was covered by a donation made by Stevens Creek Church.

Matthew has an interest in technology, but he also has an interest in music and hiking.

He plans to pursue a degree in Computer Science and has been accepted in the Honors College at Kennesaw State University.

He is also awaiting acceptance to the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Columbia County School District would like to congratulate Matthew for achieving his Eagle Scout rank and thank his parents for raising such a fine, young man.

Cyber Education, Research, and Training Symposium Capture the Flag Champions

This is the third year the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, known as AFCEA, has hosted the Capture the Flag competition, and Parsons Corporation, leading cybersecurity, defense, and intelligence contractor in Augusta, also sponsored this year’s event which was held at the Georgia Cyber Center.

The Capture the Flag competition is a one-day event for middle and high school students, and this competition had over 200 participants vying for the opportunity to virtually Capture the Flag.

The competition is a four-hour Jeopardy-style competition that includes categories of Cryptography, Steganography, Physical Security, Reverse Engineering, Forensics, and Networking and Scanning.

The CCSD had one middle school and three high school teams place in this competition.

Greenbrier Middle Crashing Crusaders

1st Place - Middle School Division

Members of the Greenbrier Middle Crashing Crusaders team are seventh graders Grant Davis, Liam Fedak, Connor Shehorn, and Shloke Trivide. Eighth graders are Peyton Phillip and Gabriel Punkee-Bendtt Sanders. The team's advisor is Ms. Loradonna Shultz.

Greenbrier High - The Pink Phishers

1st Place - High School Division

The members of the Pink Phishers. They are freshmen Haely Goller, Leland Green, and Max Jaremski, and sophomore Tage Wang.

Harlem High School

3rd Place - High School Division

From Harlem High, the team advisor is Mr. Brad Williams.

Harlem High team members include sophomore Jordan Dominick, junior Aidan Manahan, and senior Andrew Glaze.

Greenbrier High

2nd Place - High School Division

From Greenbrier High team members are sophomores Chloe Davis and Kai Hammerstrom and seniors Lucas Cluney and Richard Newell.

Grovetown High Winterfest Donation

Ms. Davis is a Science teacher at Grovetown High and she is also the advisor of the Student Council and the sponsor of the annual school-wide celebration of winter sports season starting, Winterfest.

While all of the Grovetown High students involved could not attend the board meeting, the CCSD wanted to share the names of the underclassmen Winterfest representatives: ninth graders Sam Worthy and Audrey Pohlmann, tenth graders Ian Alan and Lauren Carpenter, and eleventh graders Bryan Acevedo-Sierra and Linda Daniels.

This year’s Winterfest King and Queen, seniors Isaiah Rainge and Delaney Gay, were in attendance at the meeting to accept recognition for this huge act of kindness..

Winterfest is certainly a fun time for students to show school spirit, but Grovetown Winterfest has a much greater purpose than just having fun.

As part of Winterfest each year, the Grovetown High student council representatives raise funds for an organization, such as veteran organization and local hospitals.

But for the past two years, the students have selected to support a school faculty member who is battling cancer.

This year, in just three days the school raised $12,285.82!

That is an amazing amount of money and it will surely be a blessing to the GTHS staff member and her family as she battles breast cancer.

The Columbia County School District appreciates Ms. Davis' service to the student council and would like to offer Isaiah and Delaney congratulations for raising the most money among the King and Queen contestants.

4-H Presidents

Thank you to 4-H Presidents from Baker Place Elementary for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

January 26, 2021

Eagle Scout Anish Sondhi

Lakeside High School

Lakeside High School Senior Anish Sondhi is a member of Boy Scout Troop 119, which is chartered by the Augusta Jewish Community Center. He began his scouting career in Cub Scout Pack 615, when he was in the first grade at Blue Ridge Elementary and was awarded the Arrow of Light which is the highest honor for a Cub Scout. In deciding on an Eagle Project, Anish saw there was a need to refurbish the shoe rack room at his temple, as it had been fifteen years since it was last renovated. The racks were small and worn out. His renovation process included removing the old shoe racks, sanding, priming and painting them, adding new shelves, painting the room, making a new bench for the room, changing the light fixture, and putting in new drop ceiling tiles.

This project took three months to complete, and it cost a total of $1,342.00, of which Anish was able to raise $512 in donations, and Sherwin Williams gave 50% off the paint supplies. Anish is a member of the Lakeside High Marching Band, and he has earned awards in the following areas: Second place in the North-South Foundation of the Georgia Chapter for Regional Junior Public Speaking in 2017; Third place in the Georgia 4-H Engineering and Mechanics, for Senior Project Achievement in 2019; Second place in the Toastmasters International speech contest in 2019; Competent Communicator Award in 2020 from Toastmasters International, and this year Anish received a Certificate of Appreciation for Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Day Project for collecting hygiene products for his community.

Anish’s other passions are leading the Technological Student Association (TSA) at Lakeside High and doing community service. After graduation, he plans to do research in the field of aerodynamics and pursue a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in automotive or aeronautical engineering. The Columbia County School District congratulates Anish for obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout!

Southern Nuclear Grant Award Winner

Hannah Tankersley

Riverside Middle School

Southern Nuclear is a subsidiary of Southern Company that annually provides grants to schools, organizations, and programs which are seeking to improve the quality of life in their communities. This year, Ms. Tankersley applied, and her project Changing the CSRA One Student at a Time, earned a grant of $2,500. The grant funds will be used to purchase 30 Streams so that, using the STEM process, students can perform research as they seek to design solutions to problems.

The goal is for students to formulate real world/application designs to combat community issues. Last year Ms. Tankersley’s class researched the statistics of homelessness in our area and designed ways to help. They campaigned for sock donations using posters, social media, Google Slides, and FlipGrid, and they ended up collecting and donating 800 pairs of socks. The Columbia County School District appreciates Southern Nuclear for its continued support for students and teachers and congratulate and thank Ms. Tankersley for encouraging her students to be problems solvers and for seeking out funds to help support her efforts.

4-H Presidents

Thank you to our 4-H Presidents from Parkway Elementary and River Ridge Elementary for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

January 12, 2021

Eagle Scout Christopher Shay

Riverside Middle School Student Christopher Shay is the son of Patrick and Angela Shay. Christopher is a member of Troop 119, which is chartered by the Augusta Jewish Community Center. He began his scouting career in kindergarten as a bobcat.

For his Eagle Scout project, Christopher chose to re-design and re-landscape the Riverside Middle School courtyard located at the front of the building between the front doors. He wanted to create a space for students to wait for their rides home, for gatherings such as house meetings, and for another option for outdoor classes.

With the help from a lot of people, he spent more than 186 hours and $800 dollars to clean out the old shrubbery, put down mulch, and add four picnic tables. The area now has a functional purpose which teachers and students are enjoying! Congratulations to Christopher for obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout and thank you for making Riverside Middle School a more welcoming place for students.

In addition to receiving his Eagle Scout pin, Christopher was recognized in the December issue of the National Magazine Boy’s Life for receiving the Boy Scout Honor Medal for his heroic action in saving his sister from the family home that was on fire. The house was completely destroyed by the fire, but Christopher’s quick thinking helped save his sister’s life.

Christopher was also awarded the 2020 Red Cross HERO award for his quick thinking on that day. Christopher shares that he is a Christian and in his free time, he is an avid hunter and fisherman. He has been on a fishing team since fifth grade and he is currently a member of the Greenbrier High fishing team.

Congratulations, Christopher, and thanks to his parents for raising such a brave, fine young man.

Georgia Association of School Personnel Administrators

Best in Class

Members of the development team: Dr. Kristy Brown, Director of Assessment and Accreditation and edTPA Coordinator, College of Education at Augusta University; Lisa Hill, East GA Learning Resources Director; Sean Petro, Assistant Chief Human Resources Officer; Michele Sherman, Assistant Superintendent; Dr. Judi Wilson, Dean, College of Education at Augusta University; and Dr. Karen Wyler, Georgia Department of Education Teacher and Induction and IHE Evaluation System Specialist (pictured below).

The Georgia Association of School Personnel Administrators honors personnel professionals for outstanding achievement in various areas of human resources. Recently, Columbia County School District, Augusta University, and the Georgia Department of Education were awarded a Best in Class Honorable Mention Award in the area of Strategic Partnerships for the superior collaborative effort in providing schools across the state with quality online professional learning modules.

The Columbia County School District is a member of the leadership team for the East P-20 Initiative. This initiative consists of members from surrounding school districts, local colleges and universities, and state and local agencies such as the Professional Standards Commission, the Georgia Department of Education, and the CSRA RESA. Members of this group meet to discuss current issues facing schools and how stakeholders may support teaching and learning across the CSRA.

Dr. Karen Wyler watched the Board Meeting from her home in Atlanta.

One issue this group identified was the need for professional learning support for new teachers, particularly special education teachers, that could be easily accessed online. So, the group developed the “Georgia High Leverage Practices Induction Professional Learning Series,” and their work was funded by the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center. The resource developed by this group has been highlighted on the national level and it is now currently available to all P-20 organizations in our state. And of course, our district currently utilizes this resource in our new teacher induction program.

This is an excellent example of how children in our district benefit from our strong partnerships with local educational agencies, and we are very fortunate to have such exceptional leadership in our universities and state agencies, as well. Thank you all for your hard work in helping our new teachers with quality online professional learning modules and congratulations for being honored for your work.

Google Certified Trainers

Google Trainers are selected based on Google’s belief that the selected individuals can positively impact education by helping teachers transform teaching and learning with technology. To apply to be a trainer, individuals must first Pass the Google Level 1 & 2 Certification Exams and the Google Trainer Skills Assessment, and Document experience training others on Google applications. The application process includes submitting responses to questions and a three-minute video explaining why the person should be a Trainer and providing a tutorial on a Google application. The process is very labor intensive, and globally, there are only about 4,000 trainers. As of today, there are less than 58 Google Trainers in Georgia and of those, 22 are right here in the Columbia County School District.

Ashley Herlihy (left) teaches AP Human Geography, World Geography, and Learn From Home American Government at Evans High School. In addition to helping her colleagues learn and use digital tools, Ms. Herlihy leads professional development sessions on Google for Education tools, sharing best practices, and fostering a collaborative environment at Evans High.

Lauren Davis (right), a special education teacher at Cedar Ridge Elementary. In addition to teaching 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades, she also teaches Learn from Home students. She leads Google trainings at Cedar Ridge Elementary to support digital learning.

Congratulations to these educators who continuously promote the use of technology to improve and enhance student learning in our district!

AT&T Foundation

AT&T is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities, and improving lives. AT&T and the AT&T Foundation support projects that address community needs where they and their customers live and work. And having school during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging. To support the Columbia County School District’s efforts, the AT&T Foundation has generously provided $25,000 to help provide safety supplies for students and staff. The CCSD greatly appreciates the support of students and staff always, but particularly during this time.

(Central Georgia Regional Director Stan Shepherd chose to stay socially distant at the Board Meeting, so he was not pictured. Nonetheless, we want to show our appreciation!)

4-H Presidents

Thank you to our 4-H Presidents from Stevens Creek Elementary and Greenbrier Elementary for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

December 8, 2020

Margaret Rodgers Scholarship Winner

In April 2011, the family of retired Columbia County School District teacher and administrator Ms. Margaret Rodgers, informed us that they were creating a scholarship in her honor.

Mrs. Rodgers graduated from Lincolnton High School and attended Rabun Gap Junior College and Piedmont College.

She graduated from Georgia State University in Milledgeville and earned a master’s degree from the University of Georgia.

Mrs. Rodgers began her career as a teacher in 1956.

She retired in 1983 as Columbia County School District Associate Superintendent of Instruction.

In honor of Ms. Rodgers, the Margaret Rodgers Scholarship is given annually to a non-certified exemplary employee who is working full-time and currently enrolled in college pursuing a baccalaureate degree or higher.

This is the ninth year of the scholarship, and we are excited to announce the Margaret Rodgers Scholarship recipient this year is Mr. Nolan Norris. Mr. Norris has worked in our warehouse each summer since graduating from high school in 2011. After he graduated from Augusta University in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, a full time position opened in the warehouse, and he has been a full time employee there since that time. Mr. Norris is currently pursuing a master's degree in counseling with the goal of becoming a school counselor for us.

Mr. John Murrell nominated Mr. Norris for the Margaret Rodgers Scholarship because he is an example of someone who through hard work is trying to advance his career while continuing to work for a county that he truly cares about.

Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award

In April of 2019, Congress passed legislation which provides for federal government recognition of classified school employees’ contributions to public schools and the students they serve.

In part, H.R. 276 directs the Department of Education to grant RISE awards, Recognizing Inspiring School Employees, to school employees with certain occupational specialties, who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school.

The process begins with principals and district staff nominating these employees. Then the Governor’s office reviews the nominations, considering the employee’s Work performance; School and community involvement; Leadership and commitment; Local support from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc.; and Enhancement of classified school employees' image in the community and schools.

The top two nominations from each state are then sent to the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secretary of Education selects a single classified school employee to be the National RISE Award winner.

One of Georgia’s two RISE Award winners is North Columbia Elementary School Safety Officer Mr. Lee Peck.

In her nomination, Principal Tonya Gambrell wrote that Officer Peck goes above and beyond to keep students safe and to foster a welcoming environment. He prides himself in building a relationship with every student. During the pandemic, when North Columbia Elementary implemented safety protocols such as misting restrooms and common areas, Officer Peck was one of the first to volunteer to help. When he was using the misting backpack, he sang the “Ghostbusters” theme song as he worked to keep students safe.

Officer Peck is a former student of North Columbia Elementary himself, and he regularly attends school functions – such as plays, musicals, the school carnival, and the school art show – so students feel his support. Also, two years ago Officer Peck planned the school’s first annual Mother/Son Game Night.

He will be recognized at the 2021 Teacher of the Year banquet, and he will go on to compete for the National RISE Award which will be announced in the spring. Thank you, Mr. Peck, for all you do for the North Columbia Elementary students and staff, and congratulations for being the one of the first Georgia RISE Award winner!

red from left: Coach Shannon Thomas; Simone Rojas; Jonathan Greene and Coach Clint Greene. Thank you to these Evans High coaches for your part in helping these athletes achieve their fullest potential!

Georgia High School Association Region 6A Cross Country State Champions!

The Georgia High School Association 6A Cross Country State Championships were held November 6 and 7 in Carrollton, Georgia.

Two Evans High athletes who have earned the title of Georgia High School Association Region 6A Cross Country State Champions!

Evans High Senior Jonathan Greene competed against 226 runners. He ran a State Championship time of 16:36, with his personal best being 15:24.

Jonathan is the State 6A Cross Country State Champion for 2020.

He has a 4.0 and he is in the top 10 of the Class of 2021. He is a four year honor roll student, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and a member of the National Honor Society, Rho Kappa (Social Studies Honor Society), National Technical Honor Society, and Future Business Leaders of America.

In addition to cross country, Jonathan runs half marathons, as well as 200 mile plus relay races across the southeast. He is the captain of the Cross Country team and runs distance races for the track team. He is the current Region Champ for 2020 and holds all the distance records for Evans, including: The 5K, with a personal record of 15:24; The 3200M, with a personal record of 9:37; and The 1600M, with a personal record 4:25.

Jonathan has received an academic and running scholarship from Mercer University and plans to attend there next fall.

In the Girls Division, Evans High Junior Simone Rojas competed against 202 runners. She placed second in the competition with a time of 19:37; her personal record for this event is 18:17.

In addition to being the Captain of the Evans Cross Country team, Simone is a distance runner on the Evans Track team; She was the Cross Country Region Champion in 2018 and in 2020; She is a member of the 2018 and 2020 Georgia Allstate Team; And she holds the Evans High School record in the 1600M, which is just a little over one mile, with a time of 5:16.

During her high school career, Simone has earned thirty top 5 finishes, including seventeen first place finishes.

She is a 4.0 student, a member of the Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, and the Spanish Honor Society.

Congratulations, Simone, for your second place finish!

SHIELD Club of Greater Augusta

The Shield Club of Greater Augusta was founded in 1986 by twenty-six local businessmen and it is limited to one hundred members.

Its mission is to offer financial support to Columbia and Richmond police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and firemen who experience extreme hardship or to their families, should an officer be injured or killed in the line of duty. They also provide support to law enforcement groups, peace officer agencies, and fire departments.

CCSD Board Member David Alalof is the SHIELD Club President Emeritus.

In 2018, the SHIELD Club donated $25,000 to our School Safety Department to be used to purchase radios for our safety officers. And earlier this month, the SHIELD Club generously donated $5,000 to be used toward the purchase of body cameras for our safety officers. This will allow us to purchase about five more cameras.

Thank you, Mr. Alalof and the entire SHIELD Club, for thinking about our officers, our students, and our staff. Your gift will greatly impact our officer’s work.

Georgia School Boards Association

Governance Team of the Year Finalist

Congratulations to the Columbia County School District Board of Education for being named a Finalist for Governance Team of the Year by the Georgia School Boards Association for the second consecutive year!

4-H Presidents

Thank you to Euchee Creek Elementary 4-H Presidents for presenting the Pledge of Allegiance.

November 10, 2020

Pictured from left: Mr. Blake Stitcher, Assistant Principal; GTMS Teacher of the Year and Media Specialist Ms. Jennifer Barefoot; former CCSD Teacher of the Year and 7th grade math teacher Ms. Jessica Shepherd; and Mr. Marcus Allen, Principal of Grovetown Middle.

Girls Empowering Movement Grant Winners

Did you know that in fifth grade, 51% of girls have healthy aerobic capacity, but by the 12^th grade, the number drops to just 31%?

To combat this decline, the Atlanta Falcons has funded the Girls Empowering Movement program, a statewide initiative to improve fitness among middle school girls that will begin in June.

Which brings us to Grovetown Middle Principal Marcus Allen, current Grovetown Middle Teacher of the Year and Media Specialist Ms. Jennifer Barefoot, and former school district TOTY and 7^th grade math teacher Ms. Jessica Shepherd.

Mr. Allen was aware of the application process and thought that Ms. Jennifer Barefoot and Ms. Jessica Shepherd would be ideal for the program, so he gave them the application.

They applied and as result Grovetown Middle is one of forty-nine schools to be selected as an official GEM school site.

The program involves building a team of girls who will create physical activity programs to help improve fitness, long-term health, and more physical opportunities for girls.

Thank you Ms. Barefoot and Ms. Shepherd for going the extra mile to help girls become more active and physically fit, and thank you, Mr. Allen, for giving them the opportunity!

Congratulations to you all for winning this grant!

John Deere donates 14 gas/diesel engines to high school automotive programs!

John Deere was started when a blacksmith from the mid-west named John Deere kept hearing farmers’ complaints about their wooden plows not working well in the thick prairie soil. So he made his first plow out of an old blade saw.

Today the company still manufactures agricultural equipment, as well as construction and forestry machinery, utility vehicles, and tractors.

John Deere does business across the world with factories, offices, and other facilities in more than 30 countries. We are blessed to have a facility right here in Columbia County.

Martin Gordon and Chris McCord of John Deere.

Recently, John Deere decided to give six diesel engines and seven gas engines to our high school automotive programs at Evans, Grovetown, and Harlem!

Evans and Harlem high schools each received two diesel engines and two gas engines, and Grovetown high received two diesel and three gas engines.

The gas engine powers the John Deere RSX Gator Model and the diesel engine powers the 3033R Model CUT Tractor.

These engines will provide lab opportunities for students to learn basic hand tools and the tools needed to complete proper bolt torque sequences and procedures. The engines will help students learn the fundamentals of gas and diesel combustion engine operations, design, and services, as well as compare and contrast the two fuel systems. All of these skills are needed to find entry level employment positions for students graduating from our automotive pathway.

Thank you, John Deere, for the continued support of CCSD's automotive students. This generosity will help these students become knowledgeable members of the workforce.

Fort Gordon Cyber District Alliance for Cyber Education

CyberPatriot Center of Excellence of The Year!

The Fort Gordon Cyber District, Alliance for Cyber Education (ACE) team was once again awarded the CyberPatriot Center of Excellence of the Year for the entire nation.

A member of the Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot Program, Fort Gordon’s Alliance for Cyber Education was established in 2003 by Congressman Charlie Norwood and consists of Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, and Richmond counties in Georgia, and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina.

The local program encourages STEM programs to area K-12 schoolchildren in an effort to strengthen their cyber skills and to develop a future cybersecurity workforce. In 2011, CyberPatriot established the Center of Excellence designation to be awarded to institutions that excel in emphasizing cybersecurity and developing the workforce of tomorrow.

This year is the second consecutive year our amazing teams have earned this recognition!

Congratulations to our CyberPatriot teams and their instructors who helped earn this prestigious honor.

We greatly value and appreciate the men and women who give so much of their time to help our students learn, compete, and earn such an honor.

Mrs. JoAnn Davis sang the National Anthem acapella before the Board of Education in honor of Veterans Day.

Salute to our Veterans

Thank to you Mrs. JoAnn Davis, retired educator for volunteering to sing the National Anthem in honor of all the men and women who have served!

Mrs. Davis has a number of military veterans in her family, including: her maternal and paternal grandfathers; five uncles; her father; two siblings; and seven cousins.

Ms. Davis is a Past National President and a national soloist for the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of WWI.

Veterans Day 2020.mp4

4-H Presidents

Thank to our 4-H presidents from Grovetown Elementary and North Harlem Elementary who lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Great job to our student leaders!

October 27, 2020

Columbia County Board of Commissioners designates half a million dollars to fund resources for pandemic prevention and protection!

Thank you, Commissioners!

Pictured from left: Board of Education member Lee Ann Meyer; Board of Education member Judy Teasley; Columbia County Manager Scott Johnson; Columbia County Commissioner Gary Richardson; Board of Education Chairman David Dekle; Columbia Commissioner Trey Allen; Board of Education member Kristi Baker; CCSD Superintendent Dr. Sandra Carraway; and Board of Education member David Alalof. (Not pictured: Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Duncan; Commissioner Connie Melear; and Commissioner Dewey Galeas.

Many are aware that the Columbia County School District's (CCSD) efforts to open schools safely and on time this year, many items needed to be purchased, such as sanitizers, dispensers, misters, ionization modules, and other such items.

Several weeks ago, Columbia County Manager Scott Johnson reached out for purchase orders for these items. At the same time, Columbia County Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Duncan contacted Board of Education Chairman Mr. David Dekle to share with him the Board of Commissioner’s intention to help the CCSD fund these items. Commissioners donated a total of $557,641.61 in CARES Act funds designated for Columbia County to the CCSD.

In recognition and thanks for the generous donation, the Columbia County Board of Education presented the Board of Commissioners and County Manager Scott Johnson with a resolution during the board meeting.

A great big heartfelt thank you to Chairman Doug Duncan, Members of the Board of Commissioners, and Scott Johnson for this financial support and for the close working relationship the CCSD has with Columbia County.

This is an example of why Columbia County is such a great place to live!

Thank you Columbia County Board of Commissioners!

Georgia Farm Bureau Donates 3,000 Faceshields for all employees!

Mr. Jim Steed has served on the CTAE Board for Columbia County Schools since 2013.

He has also served as a substitute teacher, beginning in 2018 when he filled in for the agriculture teacher at Harlem High for three months. Since then, he has also served as a substitute at Evans and Grovetown High.

For the past six years, Mr. Steed has been the President of the Columbia County Farm Bureau and Chairman of the Direct Marketing and Agri-tourism Committee.

Mr. Kevin Allen has served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the organization since 2014.

The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation is Georgia’s largest and strongest voluntary agricultural organization with nearly 265,000 member families. The Bureau works to ensure that agriculture continues to be a vital and thriving industry in Georgia.

Recently, the Columbia County Farm Bureau purchased 2,000 clear face shields that are being distributed to all elementary and middle schools. An additional 1,000 face shields have been ordered so that all school employees will receive one. The estimated value of this donation is $4,860.00.

They face shields are nice and comfortable and can allow students to see their teachers’ faces. We know how important that is!

Thank you to the Columbia County Farm Bureau for this very generous donation, and for your support of our employees during this challenging time!

And Mr. Steed, thank you for substituting for us and for sharing your expertise with our students.

Ms. Emma Stephens from Baker Place Elementary models one of the 3,000 faceshields donated by Georgia Farm Bureau.

October 13, 2020

Grovetown High School JROTC instructor, Major Williams (left), and Warrior Battalion Commander Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Sonia Tegang (right). The Grovetown High School senior was awarded the Legion of Valor.

Legion Of Valor Award Winner 2020

Sonia Tegang

Grovetown High School

The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces to instill in students the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment.

The mission is to motivate young people to be better citizens and JROTC is one of the largest character development and citizenship programs for youth in the world.

JROTC’s Legion of Valor is a national award given to cadets who demonstrate excellence in military and academic subjects and is given annually by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America. There were 14,000 high school and college cadets nominated internationally for this honor. Out of those 14,000, the Sixth Brigade, which has Battalions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Puerto Rico, had a total of eleven cadets selected to receive the award for 2020, and Georgia had five of those eleven.

We are very pleased to congratulate Sonia Tegang for being one of those five to receive this high honor. Here are some of Sonia’s impressive accomplishments;

She has led the Grovetown Warriors Battalion in several state competitions, to include the State JROTC Drill Team competition, where the team placed fourth.

She has won several individual awards to include the Department of the Army Superior Cadet Award and the Congress of Future Medical Leaders Award of Excellence.

She is a member of numerous organizations, including:

Spanish Honor Society
Math Honor Society
Student Government
French Club
Spanish Club
And she is a member of the Math team.

Sonia has a 4.0 GPA and currently ranks #1 in her graduating class of 440; She was a semi-finalist in the Governor’s Honors Program for English; and She speaks two languages fluently and is learning a third, Spanish. She created a non-profit organization called Graduation Foundation, with a goal of helping high school students to graduate on time and with good grades.

Sonia plans to attend the United States Military Academy West Point and intends to major in International Affairs.

Congratulations, Sonia. We wish you the very best as you pursue your goals!

U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School

Stevens Creek Elementary

September 24th U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recognized 367 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020. And we are proud to share that Stevens Creek Elementary was one of those!

Stevens Creek is lead by Principal Ms. Grace Meyer.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program started in 1982. Schools are recognized in two performance categories: Exemplary High Performing Schools; and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools. Stevens Creek was recognized as an Exemplary High Performing School. This will be the fourth time a Columbia County School District school has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon School.

Harlem High was a Blue Ribbon School in 1989; Riverside Middle in 2002; and Stallings Island Middle in 2014.

Congratulations to the Stevens Creek students, their families, and the school’s staff for achieving this high honor!

Newly appointed Assistant Principals for the 2020-2021 school year are pictured from left: Sean Prouty at Cedar Ridge Elementary; Amy Sasser at Grovetown Elementary; and Whitney Smith at North Harlem Elementary.

New Elementary School Assistant Principals

Although it is the custom of the CCSD to recommend these individuals during open session of board meetings, the threat of COVID-19 caused us to suspend in-person audiences at board meetings for the summer.

During that time, the CCSD Board of Education approved eight new assistant principals, five of which have been recognized at previous board meetings.

From Cedar Ridge Elementary

New assistant principal Mr. Sean Prouty.

Mr. Prouty earned a Bachelor of Science in Music from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Education from Southern Weslyan University. He began his teaching career in 2003 at Lindley Middle school, before joining the faculty of Lewiston Elementary that same year. Mr. Prouty, congratulations, for earning the position at Cedar Ridge!

From Grovetown Elementary

New assistant principal at Grovetown Elementary is Ms. Amy Sasser.

Ms. Sasser earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Specialist in Education in Teaching and Learning from Augusta State University. She also earned an ESOL Endorsement from North Georgia College and State University.

Ms. Sasser began her teaching career in the Burke County School District in 2008, joining the faculty of North Harlem Elementary in 2016. She then became the Instructional Specialist at Cedar Ridge Elementary, where she was honored as Teacher of the Year 2019-2020. Congratulations, Ms. Sasser, as you join the faculty of Grovetown Elementary!

From North Harlem Elementary

New assistant principal of North Harlem Elementary is Ms. Whitney Smith.

Ms. Smith earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Augusta State University and a Master of Science and a Specialist in Education from Walden University. Ms. Smith also began teaching in Burke County where she was the Teacher of the Year 2015 and the District Teacher of the Year 2016. She joined us in 2016 as a 5^th grade teacher at Westmont Elementary.

Congratulations Ms. Smith, and all of our new assistant principals. We look forward to great things from each of you!

4-H Presidents

Evans Elementary School

Thank you to our 4-H Presidents who lead the Pledge of Allegiance at our Board meeting! Great job to these outstanding school leaders!

September 22, 2020

Yale Educator Award 2020

Dr. David Owen, Lakeside High School

Dr. Owen has been teaching English at Lakeside High for nineteen years.

We know him as a STAR teacher, having been selected STAR teacher a number of times.

Recently, Dr. Owen was honored with the Yale Educator Award.

Sponsored by the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions, this award recognizes educators who inspire their students to perform at high levels and to achieve excellence.

Students entering Yale are asked to nominate outstanding educators who have deeply impacted their lives.

Dr. Owen was nominated by Kyler Worthington.

Out of 317 nominees, representing 41 states and 19 countries, there were 57 teachers selected to receive the award, and Dr. Owen, was one of them.

As an award winner, Dr. Owen received a congratulatory letter from Yale and an engraved desk set.

Congratulations, Dr. Owen, for touching the life of Kyler Worthington and all of the students you teach!

You really are a STAR teacher, and we are proud to honor you today.

New middle and high school Assistant Principals approved for the 2020-2021 school year. Pictured from left: Brandie Calahan, Michael Carraway, Sharard Pritchett and Mr. Todd Booker.

New Middle and High School Assistant Principals

We usually recommend new school district leaders in open session of board meetings, so that the Board is able to meet them and hear from them prior to your approval.

However, due to the threat of COVID-19, restrictions regarding gatherings caused us to suspend in-person audiences at board meetings for the summer.

During that time, you approved eight new assistant principals.

Because we want you to know the faces of these new school leaders and to recognize their new positions, today and next meeting we will present them to you.

From Lakeside Middle School, Ms. Brandie Calahan

Ms. Calahan earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from William Carey University.

Prior to coming to our district, Ms. Calahan taught six years, during which time she was honored as a Teacher of the Year. She then served as a middle school assistant principal for four years before coming to Columbia County this past school year.

From Evans High School, Mr. Michael Carraway

Mr. Carraway earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and an Education Specialist in Advanced Educational Studies, all from Augusta University.

He joins the Evans High administration as an assistant principal and CTAE administrator after a short career in healthcare, where he served as a critical care nurse, followed by five years of teaching science to middle and high school students in our district.

From Greenbrier High, Mr. Sharard Pritchett

Mr. Pritchett earned a Bachelor of Science from South Carolina State University, a Master of Arts from Central Michigan University, and Tier 1 Leadership Certification from Augusta University.

After teaching students with special needs for thirteen years and coaching multiple sports, Mr. Pritchett joins the Greenbrier admin team as the registrar and assistant principal.

From Harlem High, Todd Booker

Mr. Booker earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Augusta University and an Education Specialist in Leadership from Nova Southeastern. Mr. Booker has had a long career teaching, coaching, serving as Athletic Direcotr and even as an assistant principal.

In 2015, he became the Head football coach at Harlem, where he is now the athletic director and part-time assistant principal.

We know how important leadership is, particularly during challenging times, and we look forward to watching these new leaders grow and excel.

September 8, 2020

DeFoor Realty Donates $10,000 across four schools!

We want to thank DeFoor Realty, a real estate brokerage firm in Appling, for its extreme generosity.

The company wanted to show its appreciation for teachers and staff and to show them how much they mean to the community. So, they donated a total of $10,000, $2,500 each to North Columbia Elementary, Euchee Creek Elementary, Harlem Middle, and Harlem High School.

Thank you Jeff, John and Christie DeFoor for your generous donations to these schools. What a blessing!

Euchee Creek Elementary

Harlem High

Harlem Middle

North Columbia Elementary

Greater Augusta Arts Council Kath Girdler Engler Award for Public Art

Colleen Beyer - Harlem High

Each year the Arts Council’s committee recognizes outstanding members of the arts community for their dedication to the arts, their high standard of excellence in the arts, and their exceptional initiative and leadership.

We are pleased to share that Harlem High School Art Teacher and Department Chair Ms. Collene Beyer and her husband Wesley Steward were awarded the Kath Girdler Engler Award for Public Art.

Ms. Beyer and her husband are committed to public art and have several pieces completed around Augusta.

They are currently creating paintings on the Eve and Crawford Avenue underpasses.

They also installed the colorful “Put-in-Cups” public art at Hillside Park in Harrisburg.

Congratulations Ms. Beyer, for earning this recognition and for sharing your talents with the students at Harlem High.

Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation Scholarship Winner

Tayor Thompson - Evans High

The PAGE Foundation was established in 1985 and is dedicated to promoting excellence in Georgia’s public schools.

Since 1986 the Foundation has assisted aspiring and existing Georgia educators with their career-long professional learning opportunities by providing the PAGE scholarship.

Applicants are scored on the basis of their academic achievement, recommendations, and two written essays.

They must also: Be a current PAGE member; Have at least a 3.0 GPA; and Agree to teach in Georgia for three years.

Certified educators must also be: Pursuing a graduate degree in education or in a content area, working to add a new certification area or endorsement, or Taking required coursework to become highly qualified.

Only eight scholarships were awarded this year, and one of those eight was awarded to Ms. Taylor Thompson, a math teacher at Evans High School.

Congratulations, Ms. Thompson, for earning this $1,500 scholarship as you seek additional certifications.

Cyber City's Best Public School!

This contest starts with readers of the Augusta Chronicle nominating their favorite businesses from among thirteen categories, with multiple sub-categories.

The next phase asks readers to vote again for their favorite business from the top five in each category.

In the Kids and Education category, four of our schools earned the top spots for best the Public School. These were: North Columbia Elementary, River Ridge Elementary, Evans High, and Greenbrier High.

Earning enough votes to be named First Runner Up, we congratulate Greenbrier High, under the leadership of Ms. Carla Shelton.

And, the Best of the Best in the public-school category is Evans High School, under the leadership of Mr. Michael Johnson!

Congratulations, Evans High and all of the faculty and staff of these four schools for making your schools such great places for students and staff!

August 25, 2020

GSBA Youth Advisory Council Member 2020

Kate Yeargain of Evans High School has been selected as a member of the Georgia School Boards Association Youth Advisory Council for 2020.

The GSBA formed the Youth Advisory Council to give high school students the opportunity to provide meaningful input and feedback to help aid school board members from across the state in their decision making.

The application process consisted of two rounds. First, students submitted an online application. From those applications, a review committee selected students to advance to the second round, which required them to submit a video on a topic of their choice.

Only eight students from across the state of Georgia were selected to serve on the Council, and Kate is one of them.

Kate’s platform is about improving students’ mental health, by changing the way mental health is handled in schools. Kate believes it is important for students to have access to resources at school to assist them in managing stress, coping with different circumstances, and understanding their emotions. During this COVID-19 environment, Kate’s platform is all the more important.

Congratulations, Kate!

New Teacher Induction Rookie of the Year 2020

Each year in May, new teachers come together to celebrate a successful first year of teaching.

Alongside their mentors, they reflect over the accomplishments of the year. During this celebration, the CCSD announces the Rookie of the Year, an outstanding first year educator. Principals nominate excellent first year teachers for this prestigious award.

A total of seventy-one new teachers were eligible to compete for the award, and principals were asked to consider how each of their first year teachers exhibited the qualities set forth in our direction statement, and, if they were outstanding, to nominate them.

A team of district level personnel reviewed the nominations and narrowed the choices to the top three candidates, who were:

Raley Arnold from Brookwood Elementary; Beth Burgess from Grovetown Elementary; and Amanda Woods from Grovetown Middle. Normally the team would meet and observe the candidates teaching, but when the school year ended early, this couldn’t happen.

So the finalists were interviewed virtually and had to submit a written response to reflective questions about their first year of teaching.

We are pleased to share that Ms. Amanda Woods, sixth grade teacher at Grovetown Middle School (GTMS), was selected to receive the top honor. Ms. Woods also greatly values the other teachers and staff in her building. Although she has come to GTMS with new and innovative ideas, she continues to seek out the advice and input of her peers. Mrs. Woods is also the winner of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education Teacher Candidate of the Year for 2019.

Congratulations, Mrs. Woods! Thank you for all you do for students!

This year thirteen teachers were nominated.

Congratulations to the following nominees:

Raley Arnold, Brookwood Eleementary
Laci Glosser, Euchee Creek Elementary
Beth Burgess, Grovetown Elementary
Olivia Guttery, River Ridge Elementary
Grace Otstot, Westmont Elementary
Amanda Woods, Grovetown Middle
Elizabeth Norton, Riverside Middle
Lindsey Price, Evans High
Tyrone "Ty" Abero, Greenbrier High
Brittany Hayes, Grovetown High
Alaina Smith, Grovetown High
Laura Moeller, Harlem High
Michelle Anderson, Lakeside High

Grovetown Middle principal Marcus Allen, left, greets Rookie of the Year winner Amanda Woods at her home to surprise her with her award.

Newly Approved Administrators!

Director of Student Learning Grades 6 - 8

Dr. Kellye Bosch

Principal - Grovetown Elementary School

Valerie Allen

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