The Bluff Bulletin

2024 - 2025

Ramsey's Reflections

Safety and Security

Counselor's Corner

From the Kitchen

From the Nurse *IMPORTANT*

Partners in Education

Ramsey's Reflections

Hello Bear Family,

I recently shared with our staff that there are many schools where the beginning of May sees a quieting of facilities and a winding down of the school year. Not us! Our spaces both inside and outside continue to buzz with activities. Plan to come catch a concert, theater production, game, match, or meet! The talent of our Bears continues to amaze me.💜

Students are in the midst of "testing season" - COVs (for career tech classes), EOCs, and AP...not to mention final exams which are quickly approaching. To help students find success during this time, remind students that they need to make sure they are getting appropriate rest, and eating a little something before coming in to test. Many of these assessment last for a few hours, so grumbling stomachs or feeling drowsy can distract from the test focus. Also, with many of these assessment being digital, it is imperative that students charge Chromebooks and bring their chargers with them.

I wanted to remind all drivers ( parents, grandparents, and students) that all drop off or pick ups should be done pulling around the front office, and NOT on the faculty parking / bus side. If you are coming up from the middle school, you should be making a right and drive behind the stadium between the hours of 7:30-8:30 am and 3:00 - 4:00 pm. This allows us to get the buses in and out without students crossing or cars pulling out in front of them. Thank you for your help in this.

Senior parents, if you are not receiving ( or signed up) for the senior Remind messages, please reach out to Beth Purdy ASAP so that you can be in the know for all things graduation. It is a busy time with lots of information you don't want to miss.

Lastly, May 21, 22, 23 are final exam days. While students are not permitted to check out during exam times, many check out after the second exam (which ends at 12:30). Look for one permission form to come home in the next week or so, if you choose to have your student leave after their exams on those days. Completing this form in advance really helps out our front office staff.

Thank you all for being part of our Bear Family. Make good choices, and always Go Bears!

Mrs. Ramsey

AP Testing Schedule

End of Course (EOC) Testing

Mark your calendars for the following End of Course testing dates:

Monday, April 28 - American Lit, Day 1
Tuesday, April 29 - American Lit, Day 2
Wednesday, April 30 - Algebra
Thursday, May 1 - Biology
Friday, May 2 - US History

The State Superintendent’s list of 2025 AP Honor Schools came out on Friday. These honors were based on the testing from Spring 2024. Congratulations to our teachers and students for the achieving the following honors:

AP Humanities Schools - Schools that administered at least five exams in each of the following AP categories: one ELA course, two social studies courses, one fine

arts course, and one world language course, and a minimum of 25 total exams administered.

AP Humanities Achievement Schools - AP Humanities schools (see above definition) with at least 50% of all AP Humanities exams earning scores of 3 or

higher.

AP Schools of Distinction - Schools with at least 20% of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or

higher.

AP STEM Schools - Schools that administered at least 5 exams in each of four separate AP STEM courses (math, science, and computer science) and a minimum of

25 total exams administered.

AP STEM Achievement Schools - AP STEM schools (see above definition) with at least 50% of all AP STEM exams earning scores of 3 or higher.

CTAE Testing Schedule - COVs (End of Pathway)

CTAE Shout Outs!

Congratulations to all the students involved in State Competitions over the last few weeks.

DECA

Elise Hutchinson and Brooke Homonek for receiving 4th place in Community Giving Project
James Rivenbark and Jhett Hewett - 4th place in Buying and Merchandising
Nico Rios and Nicholas Bellew - 3rd place in Marketing Management
Arya Chawla - 1st place in Business Growth Plan

FCCLA

Alaina Jordan - 2nd place Leadership Portfolio

First Robotics

The Gear Bears are still currently in season but have already guaranteed a spot at the state championship match. They have also recently been presented the Industrial Design Award!

HOSA

HOSA had a great turn out for their Blood Drive last Friday! almost 80 students and staff donated to Life South and as a result local blood banks will receive a much needed supply.

Safety and Security

"See something, Send Something" - help keep our system and students safe. If you or your student have a concern, please go to hallco.org or cbhs.hallco.org and click the yellow button to anonymously leave information to help keep our community safe and secure. See the picture below (This is just a picture, not a clickable link).

Counselor's Corner

Throughout the year the counselors will be sharing information for students and families. For a quick connection to what is happening in our counseling office, please click the link below.

https://cbhs.hallco.org/web/counselor/

IDs and Dress Code

Our Dress Code is listed below, and a great visual reminder was created by one of our teachers is referenced to the right.

IDs are part of our school dress code and are issued to all students and staff and are expected to be visibly worn on a lanyard around the neck during the school day.

Please consider these guidelines when purchasing Back to School clothes. While our first concern is that students remain in class, students who consistently defy the dress code will have consequences beginning with calling a parent or guardian to bring other clothing to school and ending with possible ISS for not following school rules.

From the Kitchen

All lunchroom balances must be paid off each month. Balances carry over year to year. It is also important to remember that you are unable to walk at graduation without having a $0 balance. If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call. Below is the link to look at your personalized MyPaymentPlus account.

https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome

From the Nurse IMPORTANT

Is your student 16? If so, they MUST have the Meningitis Booster.

Reminder: All Immunization MUST be up-to-date. If you have a student turning 16 they are due an immunization that must be on file at the school.

For questions regarding immunizations and the state law, please click HERE

For the new Diabetic Law, click HERE

Calendars

LEGACY had a busy month of service events!

Our program hosted our favorite event, Just Bears. The day was dedicated to fostering inclusion, joy, and community engagement. Designed similarly to a field day, Just Bears brings together special needs adults from the community and students from our school's special education program for a day filled with fun activities, teamwork, and celebration. This event creates meaningful interactions between participants and student volunteers, promoting acceptance, friendship, and a supportive environment where everyone feels valued. Through games, challenges, and shared experiences, Just Bears highlights the importance of inclusion while allowing all attendees to enjoy a day of excitement and connection.

LEGACY

The 10th Grade LEGACY class completed their Impact Project for the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy. Along with help from the Braselton Chick-fil-A, LEGACY hosted a Community Care Night for former student, Alyssa Stringer who is recovering from a serious accident.

Juniors serve every Wednesday at both Spout Springs Elementary and Cherokee Bluff middle. They help teachers with clerical tasks and assist students in assignments and reading. The middle school group helps in PE to foster positive relationships with younger students as they prepare to come to the high school.

Athletics

Spring sports are in full swing and making the final turn on the home stretch. Our Tennis teams are heading into the Region Tournament ready to make some noise. Both Golf teams will compete in the Hall County Championships in the coming week, as well as Track. Please get out and enjoy the weather and support the Bears. There are so many chances to put on your PURPLE and watch our student athletes represent Cherokee Bluff. Let's Go Bears!

2025 AAA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!

Girls Tennis

The girls finished the regular season with a record of 9-10 against some strong teams. The lineup is set and they are ready to head into the Region Tournament as the 3rd seed. The tournament will be held at Oconee County HS on April 1-2.

Boys Tennis

The boys completed their regular season with a 15-4 mark and find themselves ranked #7 in GHSA AAA standings. They head into the Region Tournament as the 2nd seed and have something to prove. GO BEARS!

Track

Our track team has had an incredible season so far, with many school records already broken. Each meet has been a testament to our athletes' hard work and determination. We’re excited to compete in the Hall County Championships next and then at Regionals in April!

Lacrosse

The bears lacrosse season is currently at its over half way point. The bears are 4-6 and are picking up steam as we get ready to play some tough opponents. We have 2 games before spring break vs Chattahoochee and North Oconee, after spring break we have 2 more home games, one on April 19th and another on April 22nd.

Both Girls and Boys Teams are putting the time in it takes to be successful. This week, they will compete in the Hall County Championships, to be held at Royal Lakes in April 1-2.

Boys Soccer

The Bears celebrated Senior Night this past Friday in a tough match vs West Hall. This team continues to pour in every single day. They have a couple of chances on the pitch this week on 4/1 vs Peachtree Ridge and 4/3 vs Oconee County. Come out to Yona Field and cheer for the Bears. Let's go Boys!

Girls Soccer

Our Girls currently find themselves sitting at #17 in the State Power Rankings and seem to be hitting their stride at just the right time. A decisive victory over West Hall on Senior Night by a score of 10-0 saw every Senior score a goal! A tough non-region matchup vs Peachtree Ridge(4/1) lies just ahead of region foe Oconee County(4/3). A win over the Warriors would move the Bears up in the region standings and jump start what could be a magical post-season run.

Baseball

Region play has begun for baseball, and after a very hard pre-season schedule we are finding our groove. We have opened Region play 9-0, beating a really good Jefferson team 15-5, 14-9, and 13-5. Beau Bruns had a huge 2 run homerun in game 1, Bryce Fontenot had 3 homeruns combined in games 2 & 3, and several players tallied multiple hits in the three game series. This sweep has given Cherokee Bluff the 1st spot in the Region, but still have a tough Region series with Oconee Co. this week to maintain that spot. We hope to see everyone out at our home game this Tuesday.

More chances to see the Baseball Bears at HOME:

4/1-vs Oconee Co. 6 pm

4/8-vs West Hall 6 pm

4/14-vs Lanier 6 pm

4/15-vs Loganville SENIOR NIGHT 6 pm

Bear Achievements

Congratulations to Bristol Kersh for being named the MVP for the GHSA AAA State Championship Game!

The Honors Work-Based Learning showcase was today. Our honors students presented their e-portfolio to business and industry leaders, district leadership, and AP’s from several high schools. They represented our school very well and we are proud of them! They’ve worked hard!

Congratulations to Junior Isabella Hullings for being selected for the 2025 Governors Honors Program in the area of Communicative Arts!

Bella had to first apply at the district level, then the state level, then did interviews as a semifinalist, before finally being selected as a finalist! Hall County Schools had over 40 students apply for a myriad of areas. Of those 40+, there were 7 semifinalists. Of those 7, Bella is the ONLY finalist from Hall County (in any area)! There is also an alternate at another school.

Special thank you to Kim McGuirt for nominating Bella and writing her recommendation! Also, thank you to our counseling department for sending in all documentation on her behalf!

Please congratulate Bella when you see her!!! She also won 3rd place at State Literary this weekend in humorous oral interpretation!

Earlier this week, I took 7 students to Columbus, GA to attend the FCCLA State Leadership Conference, and 4 of these students competed in events as well. This is our first year as a chapter, so I am just super proud of our participation and students willing to step up and compete.

Yesterday, in closing ceremonies, we found out that sophomore Alaina Jordan came in 2nd place in the state for in her event, the Leadership Portfolio. This was a very involved event, and she spent months building out her portfolio. As a result of her placement, she has been invited to attend and complete in this event at the national conference this summer in Orlando, Florida!

Prom KING (Taylor White)

and QUEEN (Abigail Piedra)!

TOMECON…

Our students showed up and ROCKED IT!

Cherokee Bluff was represented WELL by ALL of these WONDERFUL students…

THREE of which earned

NATIONAL AWARDS!

1st Place for her TOME Book Character Yearbook Superlative…

Madison Bryant

2nd place for her TOME Book Infographic… Bernice Beltran

3rd Place for her TOME Book VLOG…

Abigail Piedra

The Gear Bears had a great weekend at the Statesboro Qualifier. Here are the stats:

Ranked 7th out of 26 teams after the qualification matches, making us an alliance captain if not picked by a higher team.
Picked by 3rd alliance captain as a first round pick.
Alliance 3 made it to the last semi-final, only to go down to the #2 alliance by 5 points.
Awarded the GM Industrial Design Award for the robot. Here is the announcement text - “The Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors celebrates the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, function, and aesthetics.

This team's design captured attention not only with its striking visual appeal but also with its impressive functionality and engineering excellence. They couldn't bear to stay in the pits, instead showcasing their purple bioluminescent glow with pride, a true reflection of their innovation and determination. Every aspect of their design radiated a sense of purpose and creativity. Congratulations Team 9480, The Gear Bears!”

Earned a total of 48 ranking points, which places us 16th in the state. (will go down a little after the last qualifier event runs since some teams have not completed 2 events yet)
The 48 ranking points put us high enough to lock us for the State Championship, and we have already been given and accepted an early invitation.

This was a great regular season for a second year team. The rookie year you are given bonus points and many extra boosts to help get you qualified for state. Year 2 is a massive uphill battle as you have to get the established teams to take you seriously they will choose you in alliance selections. Our robot turned out to be a very high scorer, and allowed us to break out of the rookie status straight into an upper level team.

We will be competing at the District (state) Championship in Macon April 3-5.

Here is a link to our last winning match in the semi-finals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZg6iPI9ZC0&t=6s

For direct links to every match and other team data: https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/9480

Angelli Fuentes won the HCSD Art Innovation Award - 2nd place high school senior.

Our 2023-2024 yearbook earned a ½ page feature for our cover AND end sheet in Josten’s national “Look Book” publication! If you have any of the following students from last year’s staff, please congratulate them on this honor:

Miley Millwood

Halle Wilson

Lilly Garcia

Bethany Wallace

Kenzie Strawn

Eva Doyne

Emery Wargo