Cherokee County School District Class Act, Volume 6, August 2025

CLASS ACT CHEROKEE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

VOLUME 6 | AUGUST 2025

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING HAPPENING IN

DOWNTOWN WOODSTOCK

How much fun can you find?

MUSIC PARK SHOP ART TRAIL FOOD BIKE

TRAIN TREE STAGE FUN WALK MAP BOOK

CANDY DOG STORE DANCE PAINT CAFE

DISCOVER MORE AT

VISITWOODSTOCKGA.COM

TABLE OF

CONTENTS Advocating for Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Mary Elizabeth Davis Superintendent of Schools P.O. Box 769 Canton, GA 30169

All Aboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Best of the Best. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Class Act is published annually by the Cherokee County School District’s Office of Communications

Building for the Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 CCSD by the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Cherokee County Board of Education. . 21

Barbara Jacoby Chief Communications Officer

Cherokee County Educational Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Carrie McGowan Director, Strategic Planning, Community Relations and Publications

Destination Elevation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Suggestions for content can be submitted to publicinformation@cherokeek12.net

Digging In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Doing the Math. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Thank you to Enjoy Magazine, Inc. for its assistance in producing this publication.

Fine Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Football Schedule, 2025 Varsity. . . . . . . . 40 Growing Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Message from the Superintendent . . . . . . 5

©2025 Cherokee County School District. All rights reserved. Every effort is made to ensure the contents of this publication are true and accurate. The Cherokee County School District assumes no responsibility for misinformation. Correction requests are always welcome at publicinformation@cherokeek12.net.

National Accolades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Ready 2 Respond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 School Calendar, CCSD 2025-26. . . . . . . 42 School Directory, CCSD 2025-26. . . . . . . . 38 Schools of Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

BREAKING NEWS

State Champions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The 2024-25 edition of Class Act has been designated with highest award of excellence in the nation! A special “Thank You” to our advertisers for making this possible.

Teacher Tips for Student Success. . . . . . . 32 The Heart of School Support. . . . . . . . . . . 23 There’s an App for That!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Time for Lunch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

INDEX OF

ADVERTISERS Cherokee Recreation & Parks Camps . . . . . . . . . 41

Live Like Laken 5K (CRPA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Cobb EMC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Love Where You Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Credit Union of Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

Northside Hospital Cherokee. . . Inside Front Cover

Explore Canton GA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 31

Visit Woodstock GA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Great Pumpkin Fest (CRPA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Wellstar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

4

MESSAGE FROM THE

SUPERINTENDENT

Welcome Back

A priority for Mary Elizabeth Davis is to spend quality time in schools. Elevating the Excellence begins with conversations with the people we serve — the students.

Dear CCSD Families, The start of school is my favorite season — it’s the start of a new chapter in our children’s lives, with fresh pages to be filled with so much learning, growth, and achievement.

As a school district, our focus this year remains centered on Elevating the Excellence. We will continue our commitment to ensuring that CCSD remains the best possible place to learn. With a focus on high quality instruction aligned to clearly defined teaching and learning standards, building strong readers and writers, and raising academic ownership for students at all levels — we are on pace to be the highest performing school district in Georgia.

Over the past school year, we achieved many successes together. I’m so proud of how we, as a community, set new standards for our students’ success through consistent expectations for the submission of timely work, for appropriate attire, and for appropriate student use of cell phones and other personal digital devices in schools, classrooms, and on the school bus. These standards will continue this school year to keep learning central.

New this school year, I’m so excited to see the roll out to our students of new instructional resources for kindergarten through 12th-grade English language arts and math classes. These textbooks, workbooks, and online resources answer the call from our teachers for consistent, standards-aligned instructional resources — and answer the call from you, our students’ parents and families, for resources that will help you continue the learning from the classroom to the kitchen table.

unmatched dedication, and our students’ incredible craving for learning is a recipe for success. One more ingredient makes it even more successful though, and that’s your partnership in your child’s learning. I strongly believe that this new toolbox — of books your student will bring home and online resources you will be able to access — will position you to feel even more connected to your child’s learning than ever before.

You can read about this work and much more in this, the sixth edition of our Class Act magazine. All of the content comes from us, and we hope the information is useful to you now and all year. We’re grateful to Enjoy Magazine, Inc. for publishing our magazine and thankful to all of the businesses that purchased advertising to pay for its printing. In addition to printing copies for all of our students’ families and our employees, Enjoy Magazine, Inc. also publishes a digital version that’s available on our website at www.cherokeek12.net.

I can’t wait to Elevate the Excellence even more with you this year!

Sincerely, Mary Elizabeth Davis, PhD Superintendent of Schools

This combination of consistent expectations for our students and instructional resources, coupled with our School Board’s commitment to and investment in public education, our teachers’ unparalleled expertise and

5

A

Our journey to ELEVATE THE EXCELLENCE continues with a laser focus on student learning.

new school year is a time for new beginnings, with new classes, new teachers, and new friendships. It’s also a time to build upon past successes, as knowledge gained last year expands into new understanding.

The Cherokee County School District began last school year with a new vision for success: to elevate the excellence through the establishment of community based Key Priorities.

These four Key Priorities were based on Superintendent of Schools Mary Elizabeth Davis’s entry plan work to listen to the community and analyze financial, operational, and student performance reports: •

Elevate the excellence in academics and achievement for all students;

•

Elevate the excellence in effective School Board-Superintendent Governance;

•

Elevate the excellence in district coordination and alignment of goals, systems, and processes; and,

•

Elevate the excellence in embracing a pervasive high-quality school environment defined by high standards, effective supports, and consistent practices.

The Key Priorities have driven CCSD’s work as an organization over the past year, with 6

regular progress reports shared with the community. The reports, which are archived on the CCSD website, detail the status of specific Action Steps set for each Key Priority. For each Action Step, underlying activities were implemented to ensure measurable success.

Highlights noted in the final quarterly report included the completion of a teacher-informed update of CCSD Teaching & Learning Standards including the roll-out of new English language arts standards, the selection and purchase of new English language arts and math instructional resources for kindergarten through high school and ensuring those new instructional resources will serve all students’ academic needs.

An updated Key Priorities plan will build upon this year’s success and drive the school district’s work for this school year.

The “Elevating the Excellence 2.0” plan will extend the focus on teaching and learning and help schools concentrate on improvement across the board.

The report, which is posted on CCSD’s website, details numerous planned projects including, but not limited to: •

Consideration of science and social studies core instructional resources for grades K-12;

•

Review of the School Board’s current student promotion, retention, and grading policy;

•

Completion of a classroom utilization study and age and condition study of facilities to help guide future school construction and renovation projects; and,

•

Completion of the new replacement Cherokee High School campus, set to open in August 2026.

Ad

What’s New for 2025-26?

Photo

Instructional Resources Thanks to the investment by the School Board, new instructional resources will be used this school year for all grades, Kindergarten through 12th for English language arts, and Kindergarten through eighth for math classes, to include the high school courses for algebra, geometry, and advanced algebra. As one important part of our new Cohesive System of Teaching and Learning, these instructional resources will provide our CCSD teachers with invaluable planning components to create high performing instructional environments for students.

More than 800 teachers, parents, and other community members provided valued feedback to inform the selection process for the new comprehensive and well-aligned core instructional resources, which are tightly aligned to the continued on page 8...

SECOND ANNUAL

Live Like Laken 5K RUN/WALK

Cherokee Recreation & Parks will host the 2nd Annual Live Like Laken 5K Run/Walk on October 25, 2025 at Hobgood Park in Woodstock, Georgia.

The purpose of this 5K is to raise money for The Laken Hope Foundation, Inc. which supports existing organizations that promote safety awareness for women, aid and tuition assistance for nursing students, and Children’s Healthcare.

OCTOBER 25

8:00 a.m. at Hobgood Park

PlayCherokee.org

SCAN TO REGISTER

$30 per runner for early bird registration $35 per runner for registration $40 for day of registration Can’t attend in person?

Register as a virtual runner for $25.

7

...continued from page 7

state learning standards assessed by annual Georgia Milestones Assessments.

These resources, from Savaas Learning Company for English language arts K-12 and math K-8 and from Cengage Learning for algebra, geometry, and advanced algebra, include textbooks, workbooks and online resources. Teachers will provide students and families with more detail about the resources they will use for each class, such as which resources should come back to school in their backpack each day.

In addition to new printed resources providing parents with a stronger way to connect learning from the classroom to the kitchen table, parents will have another resource to help with homework: online resources posted by teachers for each class in Canvas, CCSD’s online learning management system, organized in a format that families can follow.

Safety & Security CCSD’s safety and security initiatives are led by the CCSD Police Department, which is the focus of a separate story in this magazine (page 30).

New this school year, one campus security monitor will be added to each of the three high schools with multiple buildings (Cherokee HS, Etowah HS, Sequoyah HS) to work with police officers.

Beginning this school year, all CCSD police officers will be equipped with body cameras. This additional safety equipment, which now is standard for most law enforcement agencies, is designed to both improve safety response and to retain the department’s state certification.

Code of Conduct The Code of Conduct, which is posted here on the CCSD website, sets behavior expectations for students in schools, classrooms, on schools buses, and during school activities.

These rules and consequences are updated annually based on feedback from students, families, teachers, administrators, and School Board members. This school year’s changes include enhanced consequences for students who bring vapes to school and for students who make threats, and better clarity and consistency for elementary school student disciplinary incidents.

The instructional resources journey began with teacher and parent input, followed by School Board adoption, then a comprehensive review by staff and parents. Distribution of teacher materials came next, followed by training and professional development during post planning. The final phase will be the integration of these resources into CCSD classrooms in August!

8

Volunteers from Walmart assist the student garden club at Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy.

A

strong and growing network of business and community partners willing to contribute in these ways makes the Cherokee County School District more successful each year. More than 700 partnership agreements benefitted CCSD schools last school year!

The long-standing Partners in Education program established by the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce has been complemented by additional efforts by CCSD to encourage more partner involvement.

In addition to the Partners in Education program for Chamber of Commerce members, CCSD offers Companies That Care, a similar program for non-Chamber members. Partnership agreement forms for both are simple to complete and outline how the business or organization will support the school, and how the school will facilitate that involvement and thank the partner.

The school district annually surveys all schools to determine specific ways partners can support students and staff through donations of “time, talent and treasure.”

This information is included on the School Partnerships page on CCSD’s website at https://www.cherokeek12.net/ partners, which also highlights all current school partners and easy steps on how to become a partner.

Beyond opportunities for recognition on school campuses and school and district website, CCSD annually presents

a Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year awards program. Through this recognition program, sponsored by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation, each school selects its own Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year, all of which are celebrated at the CCSD event … that concludes with the surprise presentation of the CCSD Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Building Fires, Cherokee High School’s Partner of the Year, is the CCSD 2025 Partner of the Year. The nonprofit organization raises funds to help students in need participate in extra-curricular activities, and members volunteer their time to mentor students.

“We are thankful for Todd Baker and Building Fires — as they continue to build more fires in our students, ones that will burn far beyond high school,” Cherokee HS Principal Andy Hall said.

Retired educator Susan Williamson, Clayton Elementary School’s Volunteer of the Year, is the CCSD 2025 Volunteer of the Year.

“Susan Williamson supported our school community during her teaching career and has continued to do so extensively since her retirement in 2012,” Clayton ES Principal Valerie Lowery said. “Over the past 13 years, she has been chosen as Volunteer of the Year five different times and works tirelessly to support our school.”

11

Etowah High school students in heavy equipment operator class work on CAT simulators to practice skills they will later apply on real construction site equipment.

DIGGING

IN

CTAE Classes at CCSD High Schools Give Students the Chance to Delve into Pathways for Future Career Options

Game

designer. Welder. Commercial drone operator. Certified Nursing Assistant. Heavy Equipment Operator.

Cherokee County School District students have more opportunities than ever before to train for these and hundreds of other skilled professionals careers through the Career Pathway program.

CCSD’s career education offerings have grown to 44 unique Career Pathway programs, with classroom learning complemented by opportunities for paid work-based learning and internships, and afterschool co-curricular teams and Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs).

The school district long has offered an outstanding Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) program. Over the last seven years, the district has worked to balance traditional programs like “wood shop” (today known as carpentry and

12

construction) and “home ec” (today known as family and consumer sciences (FACS) and nutrition and food science), with classes focused on newer career paths such as web development and video game design.

CCSD’s 44 Career Pathway high school programs provide students with a wide selection of job exploration and preparation electives. The programs offer students opportunities to learn specific job skills and overall beneficial workplace skills, as well as valuable individual industry certifications, such as Carpentry Skills Connect for Construction and Carpentry students, ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) for Automotive and Transportation students and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer.

Through partnerships with local employers, students also have the choice to leave school early or work after school through a paid work-based learning

job or internship aligned with their pathway program.

Innovative partnerships with employers offer students exciting real-world experiences, such as clinical rotation internships at Northside Hospital Cherokee and suiting up for firefighting live-burn exercises with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

State industry certification is considered an additional “stamp of excellence” for a Career Pathway program. To earn the honor, programs must demonstrate the highest levels of excellence for curriculum and instruction; facilities and equipment; extra-curricular programs aligned with the Pathway, such as SkillsUSA competitions for construction; and partnerships with industry professionals.

A growing number of CCSD’s Career Pathway programs have earned state industry certification including Construction and Carpentry at Etowah HS; Architectural Drawing and Design at Etowah HS and Sequoyah HS; and Audio/Video Technology and Film Industry at Sequoyah HS. This past school year, River Ridge High School joined their ranks with its first industry certification. The Career Pathway Healthcare Science program for Diagnostics: Clinical Laboratory Science, led by teacher Callie Davis, earned the distinguished Healthcare Industry Certification, the first Clinical Lab program in Georgia to earn industry certification.

CCSD’s Career Pathway programs are complemented by after-school co-curricular career programs that provide students with career skill competitions and leadership opportunities. This past school year, CCSD students earned top honors in international, national and state career skill competitions in fields ranging from architecture to agriculture, and CCSD students were elected to state leadership roles with co-curricular organizations including Georgia Technology Student Association president.

CCSD’s successful continued expansion to add more than a dozen new programs and improve existing pathways is supported by its participation in the Cherokee County Workforce Collaborative, made up of business and industry, economic development, technical college and school leaders.

Through this collaboration, CCSD has better aligned its programs with local employer needs as well as opportunities for continuing education at technical colleges. Recent examples include CCSD’s launch three years ago of the Career Pathway for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Flight Operations and the continuing expansion of the Healthcare Science pathways. The latter will receive a boost with the construction project underway at Woodstock High School, which will allow lab classroom space for the start of the healthcare program there that already is popular at CCSD’s other five traditional high schools. continued on page 16...

High school students who complete a Career Pathway and plan to enter the workforce have their own signing day ceremony hosted by the Cherokee County Workforce Collaborative, through the BePro BeProud program.

State industry certification is considered an additional “stamp of excellence” for a Career Pathway program. To earn the honor, programs must demonstrate the highest levels of excellence for curriculum and instruction; facilities and equipment; extra-curricular programs aligned with the Pathway, such as SkillsUSA competitions for construction; and partnerships with industry professionals.

13

Career Pathways in CCSD High Schools

A student works on a model in an archiecture class. ...continued from page 14

The flight program is one of two that CCSD offers at the Cherokee College & Career Academy (C3), which was established four years ago with a Pathway for Cybersecurity. Career programs offered at C3, which is housed on the ACTIVE Academies campus in Canton, are open to all CCSD high school students who choose to leave their campus to come to C3 for the electives. They can attend academic classes at their home high school in the morning or afternoon and travel, by school bus or their own vehicle, to C3 for career classes.

Another highlight of the collaboration is the development of the annual Skilled Professions Signing Day, which celebrates graduating seniors who are entering the skilled workforce.

The most recent event in May celebrated three dozen graduating seniors beginning careers in skilled professions.

The collaborative also led to the establishment of the statewide Georgia Be Pro Be Proud initiative. It brings a mobile classroom to high school and middle schools across Georgia, including in CCSD, to teach students about careers through hands-on activities.

Want to learn more? The Focus on the Future course guide is distributed every winter to all eighth-graders to use with their parents as they review elective options for high school. The guide also is posted on the CCSD website so all students and parents can review it: https://resources. finalsite.net/images/v1733953461/cherokeek12net/ hnzkf8sxzjt51jtciilu/2025CTAEHANDBOOK_ finallayoutforweb.pdf CCSD Pathway Profiles share information about each Career Pathway program, including potential industry certifications, extra-curricular opportunities, jobs the courses prepare students for, salary ranges, and local and area employers: https:// cherokeek12net.finalsite.com/divisions/curriculuminstruction/career-technical-agricultural-education 14

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Agricultural Leadership Agricultural Mechanics Architectural Drawing & Design Audio/Video Technology & Film Business & Technology Carpentry Cloud Computing Collision Repair Computer Science Cybersecurity Diagnostics/Clinical Lab Early Childhood Care & Education Electrical Energy & Power Engineering & Technology Engineering Drafting & Design Equine/Veterinary Science Fire Services/Firefighting Flight Operations Game Design/Communications General Automotive Technology Graphic Design JROTC — Air Force JROTC-Army JROTC — Navy Law Enforcement Services/Criminal Investigations Law Enforcement Services/Forensic Science Marketing & Management Metal Fabrication Nutrition & Food Science Plant & Floral Design Systems Plant & Floriculture Systems Security & Protective Services Sports Marketing & Entertainment Teaching as a Profession Therapeutic Services/ Exercise Physiology Therapeutic Services/ Sports Medicine Therapeutic Services/Patient Care Therapeutic Services/Allied Health & Medicine Unmanned Aircraft Systems Veterinary Science/Companion Animal Systems Web Development Welding Workforce Based Learning

In 2025, River Ridge High School’s Healthcare Science program for Diagnostics: Clinical Laboratory Science, led by teacher Callie Davis, earned the distinguished Healthcare Industry Certification, the first Clinical Lab program in Georgia to earn industry certification.

CCEF GIVES TEACHERS AND THEIR

bright ideas

Teachers’ bright ideas come to life in their classrooms

thanks to funding from a special organization. The Cherokee County Educational Foundation is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting CCSD students and teachers by promoting public education and celebrating ahievements.

The Foundation seeks funding and resources to enrich CCSD schools in areas not fully funded in the regular school progam. Since its establishment in 2012, CCEF has awarded more than $2 Million to CCSD which has been used to fund various educational programs and initiatives, including “Bright Idea” teacher grants.

In a new initiative for 2025-26, CCEF will reimburse new teacher hires to CCSD up to $500 each for their back-to-school classroom supplies.

“We hope this will relieve some of the financial burden on our teachers and help us continue attracting toptier talent across the district’s classrooms,” said CCEF Executive Director Lisa-Marie Haygood.

The Foundation raises money for CCSD through three

A SOURCE OF FUNDING AND SUPPORT

signature events: the Chick-fil-A Moo’ve It 5K (scheduled for August 16, 2025) which also benefits Cherokee County Special Olympics; the Golf Classic tournament in the fall; and the “Celebration of Education” Gala in March. It also seeks competitive grants; collects sponsorships for its annual educator T-shirt campaign; and benefits from spirit nights with professional sports teams.

The Foundation is governed by a board of directors that conducts business according to bylaws established by the organization.

In 2023, CCEF earned the Gold Seal of Transparency for its public financial reporting from Guidestar.

The community has the opportunity to support CCEF through its fundraisers, as well as through direct charitable donations. More information is at www.cherokeecountyeducationalfoundation.org 15

2024-25 National Accolades •

•

•

•

•

•

All six of CCSD’s traditional high schools were named 2025 AP Honor Schools for exceptional student performance and participation on AP exams. All CCSD high schools were named AP STEM and AP STEM Achievement schools, as well as AP Humanities Achievement Schools. Additionally, earning AP Schools of Distinction, were: Creekview HS, Etowah HS, River Ridge HS, Sequoyah HS and Woodstock HS .

•

Indian Knoll Elementary School was selected by Microsoft as a 2024-25 Microsoft Showcase School in honor of its successful use of educational technology to benefit students and teachers.

Only 30 U.S. schools were selected as Showcase Schools last year.

•

Woodstock High School junior Manasa Shankar authored “The Harmful Effects of Chronic Stress on the Development of Cancer and The Strategies That Can Be Used to Mitigate It,” which was published in the Journal of Student Research’s high school edition.

•

National certification for digital citizenship was earned by Clayton ES and Woodstock ES.

•

Little River Elementary School was named a winner of the National PTA School of Excellence award.

•

All four of the Cherokee County School District’s high school Air Force Junior ROTC programs earned national honors for excellence for the past school year, with Cherokee HS earning the highest award achievable, the Silver Star Community Service with Excellence award.

Indian Knoll Elementary, Liberty Elementary and Sixes Elementary were honored with Promising Practices Awards by Character.org, a national nonprofit organization that promotes developing positive character among students.

•

Etowah High School teacher Ashley Rivers, who leads the school’s successful Career Pathway agriculture program, was named an FFA National Teacher Ambassador. Only 64 teachers nationwide were selected for this honor.

Creekview High School sophomore Aniya Grace Symone Lott was among 500 children, teens, and adults selected from across the country to be highlighted in National Down Syndrome Society’s video presentation in New York City’s Time Square.

•

The Creekview High School chapter of the FFA agricultural education program was named a 2024 3 Star Chapter by the National FFA Organization.

Woodstock High School senior Kai Schutlz earned the $5,000 Game Day Excellence Scholarship from Formetco Sports, which produces technology including the video LED scoreboards used for school football games and other events.

•

The Cherokee County School District earned five national awards for excellence in communications, including a top honor for strategic communications and community engagement from the National School Public Relations Association.

•

Alex Quarles, Freedom MS, earned second place in the nation in the middle school division for Photography in the national PTA Reflections contest.

•

Four Cherokee County School District students placed in the state’s top student architecture career skills competition hosted by the Atlanta American Institute of Architects.

•

Air Force JROTC and Government and Public Administration instructors Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) Jeffrey Bise and Technical Sgt. (Ret.) Jody Van Ostrand of Cherokee HS; Lt. Col. (Ret.) Stephen Bergey and Technical Sgt. (Ret.) Ciarra Malto of Etowah HS; and Major (Ret.) Marlon Ayers Sr. and Chief Master Sgt. (Ret.) Rodney Deese of River Ridge HS all earned 2025 Outstanding Instructor Awards from U.S. Air Force.

CCSD had three National Merit Scholars — River Ridge graduates Maja Amelia Brooker and Kevin Duncan both were awarded the National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship, and Sequoyah graduate Robert Raymer was awarded the National Merit University of Alabama Scholarship.

Cherokee High School rising seniors Raphael Aca and Elliana Mathews earned honorable mention in the prestigious Genes in Space national science competition that invites students to develop a real-world proposal for a DNA experiment for space.

•

The Creekland Middle School academic bowl team competed in the NAQT (National Academic Quiz Tournaments) National Championship tournament in Chicago.

•

Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy teacher Dr. Lisa Spence earned the National Art Education Association’s Southeastern Region Elementary Art Educator Award.

•

Cherokee High School sophomore Aidan Dyke earned first place in the Rochester Institute for Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf’s Digital Arts, Film, and Animation Competition for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Students.

•

Free Home Elementary School was named to the America’s Healthiest Schools list. Published by Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national children’s health organization, the list celebrates schools that support the health of students, staff and families.

16

Our bus drivers log almost 5 million miles during the year, with student safety always the ultimate destination!

Cherokee

County’s largest and most important delivery service is amazon in size, prime in importance, and carries our community’s precious cargo.

The Cherokee County School District’s bus fleet travels 27,500 miles daily to deliver students to and from school each day.

The CCSD Transportation department is made up of 451 school bus drivers and attendants, as well as 42 maintenance technicians, routing specialists and other critical important support staff, all dedicated to providing safe and timely transportation to every student.

Each CCSD bus driver is trained in best practices for vehicle operation, as well as first-aid, bus behavior management and other important tools for success. Students must follow the same code of conduct on school buses as they do in the classroom — and face the same levels of repercussions for misbehavior.

CCSD exceeds the state’s requirements (12 hours of instruction, six hours of driving without students, and six hours of driving with students) by providing 50 hours of training to each driver. Jim Georges, the department’s executive director, is one of only 200 National Association for Pupil Transportation certified directors in the country.

Transportation routing staff plan and manage the 1,836 routes the drivers follow each day. Every summer, the department’s maintenance team prepares the fleet to travel 4.9 million miles in the coming school year. The team holds the prestigious National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Blue Seal of Excellence, which requires skill retesting every five years.

Every bus is inspected by its driver daily and, at least once every 20 days, it’s inspected by CCSD technicians and undergoes maintenance. As an additional level of safety, state inspectors each summer check every bus in the fleet.

CCSD replaces buses more frequently than state requirements — and exceeds safety requirements with extra upgrades, such as illuminated signs on the front and back of the bus, back-up cameras, collision avoidance systems and stability control to prevent rollovers.

A week before school begins, parents can find their child’s bus number and schedule on the CCSD website: https://www.cherokeek12.net/ divisions/support-services/transportation. The Versatrans My Stop Bus Tracking System allows parents to track their child’s school bus on its way to the bus stop each morning and afternoon.

CCSD Transportation offers outstanding driver and monitor job opportunities popular among parents and grandparents for their calendar, schedule and full benefits. Don’t have a commercial driver’s license for school buses? CCSD Transportation will train you to earn one! Info: https://www.cherokeek12.net/divisions/support-services/ transportation/join-the-transportation-team 17

Our School Nutrition Team is always looking for ways to SPICE UP THE MENU with new ideas and fresh takes on school lunch fare.

18

In

an era of rising prices in grocery stores and restaurants, the awardwinning Cherokee County School District’s School Nutrition program is again keeping meal prices unchanged for this school year!

The program’s team of talented and dedicated professionals invest their time and expertise in cooking up creative recipes that both control costs and maintain high levels of fresh, delicious, and nutritious ingredients.

CCSD School Nutrition serves up millions of meals every school year in our 40 schools and centers, where the menus read like farm-to-table dining and world cuisines restaurants … with really affordable prices.

The prices for this school year reflect no increase from last year: breakfast is $1.60 for all grades; lunch is $2.45 for elementary school, and $2.70 for middle and high school; the high school grill line with additional entrée choices is $3.75.

CCSD students choose each day from a selection of breakfast and lunch entrées — with more than 30-plus different entrée choices monthly, as well as daily fresh fruit and vegetable side choices and a selection of low-fat milks and 100% fruit juices.

Entrée choices rotate regularly through healthier versions of kids favorites like pizza and chicken nuggets and new options introduced after student taste-tests.

Last school year’s new choices to continue this year include Spicy Chicken Ramen Bowl, Pollo Loco and Pico de Gallo Salad, Buffalo Chicken Mac-n-Cheese, and the vegetarian Cheese Tortellini Florentine. New on menus this school year are options including Cherokee Chopped Cheese Sandwich and Chicken Tikka Masala.

The LINQ Connect system, accessible by website and mobile app, offers parents online meal menus, meal account online payments and the ability to apply online for free or reduced price meals. The system will be live for this school year by mid-July. To set up an account, visit https://linqconnect.com, select Register and follow the easy steps. Parents can electronically add funds to LINQ Connect meal accounts or send in checks or cash to the school to be added to their child’s account.

The Superintendent and School Board members regularly visit schools and sample the cafeteria offerings. Above, School Board Chair Janet Read, Vice Chair Patsy Jordan, along with School Board members Chance Beam, Robert Rechsteiner, and Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis pay a visit to Mill Creek Middle School.

There’s an App for That!

STUDENT CANVAS This app allows your student to access CCSD’s online Learning Management System (LMS), called Canvas.

Students will access assignments, submit work, and view their grades within Canvas.

PARENT CANVAS This app allows parents to set up an account to view the academic progress of each child they have enrolled in CCSD schools.

Grades are posted here, and Canvas also provides messaging capability with teachers.

PARENT SQUARE This app provides a messaging platform for school adminstrators to parents. If you do not use the app, you can get these messages via email (or both). Some teachers also may use Parent Square.

VECTOR ALERTS This app, formerly SafeSchools, can be used by parents and students alike and allows users to report tips to school district administration and school police about concerns, bullying, threats and other information.

LINQ CONNECT Online meal payments, menus and application for free/reduced price meals from CCSD School Nutrition have consolidated into ONE location with the addition of LinQ Connect.

MY STOP Parents can track their child’s school bus using this app.

The GPS-based system shows parents the location of their child’s bus on a map of its route for 15 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival at the bus stop.

19

ADV CATING for Education

The

seven members of the Cherokee County School Board each bring different experiences to the role, but all share the same mission: to ensure 42,000 students learn more, grow more, and achieve more in our schools than they could anywhere else.

Made up of six members elected by specific voting districts and a chair who is elected countywide, the board meets monthly to take actions including approving policy changes, annual budgets, construction projects and curriculum adoption.

A high performing school district starts with a high performing school board. High performing school boards focus on the work of governance, that includes core beliefs, clear student performance goals, an aligned superintendent evaluation, effective policies and a long-range strategic plan.

20

Over the past year, the School Board has undertaken significant work to strengthen as a governance team through quarterly whole board training sessions, including establishing core beliefs, developing its first-ever governance model and literacy policies, and setting its first-ever student performance goals for English language arts, reading and math.

Meet the School Board: School Board Chair Janet Read Welch is a 33-year resident of Towne Lake who began her volunteer engagement with CCSD in 1998. She served multiple roles in the Bascomb, Chapman, E.T. Booth and Etowah PTA organizations, including president of the Bascomb PTA from 2000-02. She previously served on the school board from 2005 to June 2015 and returned to office in January 2025. Ms. Read Welch

is the proud mom of Drew Read and Lucas Read, both graduates of Etowah HS, and has been married to her husband, Jan Welch, since April 2018.

professional baseball and softball.

He and his wife, Christine, have two daughters: a current River Ridge HS student and a Class of 2025 graduate.

Vice Chair Patsy Jordan is a retired CCSD educator, with a strong educational background that includes an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist degree, along with endorsements in Gifted and teacher support. A lifelong member of the Mica/Conns Creek community in northeast Cherokee, Ms. Jordan attended Ball Ground ES, graduated from Cherokee HS, and is serving her fourth term as District 2 school board member.

Robert Rechsteiner of southwest Cherokee, known by his nickname Rick Steiner from his professional wrestling career, has served for 19 years on the School Board.

A Realtor and longtime youth sports volunteer and supporter, he is elected by District 4, which includes Etowah HS and southwest Cherokee. His three sons are CCSD graduates.

Kelly Poole of BridgeMill, who is elected by District 1, which includes Holly Springs and the Sixes community, is an accountant with experience in government and nonprofits and their audits and joined the School Board in 2015 to expand upon her longtime service to local schools through the PTA. Her daughter and son are CCSD graduates.

Chance Beam, a Woodstock resident and local business owner, was appointed to the School Board in February 2025 to represent District 3. As a dedicated entrepreneur, he has successfully operated multiple businesses, contributing to the growth and development of youth sports and athletics in the community. His coaching efforts have helped more than 1,200 players advance to college or

Erin Ragsdale of Towne Lake joined the School Board in 2023, bringing to the role experience as a teacher, speech language pathologist and school and community volunteer.

She is elected by District 5, which includes Woodstock High School, Towne Lake and downtown Woodstock. Both of her children are CCSD students.

District 6 member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison of Canton, who took office in 2023, served as an educator with CCSD for 29 years in roles including teacher, assistant principal, Cherokee HS principal and district curriculum supervisor and assessment director. An adjunct Kennesaw State University and Piedmont lecturer and longtime community volunteer, her family includes three CCSD graduates, including one who currently serves as a CCSD educator, and 12 grandchildren.

Cherokee County Board of Education

From band & chorus to musical theatre, CCSD schools have it down to an art!

Sequoyah High School won the Region and placed third in State with its performance of “Little Shop of Horrors."

Art

shows, Broadway musicals, marching band performances...Fine Arts are a key piece of the curriculum for CCSD students. In elementary school, students receive both art and music instruction every week. In middle school, students can choose visual arts, music (band and/or chorus) and theater as a Connections class. Band and chorus classes for high school credit are offered in CCSD middle schools for eighth-graders so students can get a head start on earning credits 22

and be prepared for higher level fine arts courses once in high school.

CCSD has a district theater program, Academy Street Theatre Group, that holds auditions throughout the year for its multiple productions, open to students beginning in elementary school (second grade and up).

At the high school level, students can choose electives from theater arts, visual arts, chorus, band and orchestra. Those students who wish to pursue a Fine Arts Pathway as

part of their diploma completion can do so by completing three units of credit from eligible fine arts courses.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses in visual arts and music are also available for advanced students.

CCSD high schools also have extensive extra-curricular programs for students, with marching band, as well as various orchestras and ensembles.

High schools have active drama programs as well that stage multiple productions each year, including musicals in the spring.

THE

heart

of

SCHOOL SUPPORT

Fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy: PTAs give their all for CCSD schools

The PTA

is the Cherokee County School District’s oldest and strongest partner thanks to its focus on supporting students, teachers and staff and school communities.

contest for students and advocating on behalf of public education. The Cherokee County Council of PTA is a key group of school community leaders Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis meets with regularly for feedback.

Every CCSD school is served by a PTA unit made up of parents, teachers and staff and supported by local businesses. These dedicated volunteers give their time, talent and treasure to support schools through volunteering, fundraising, organizing special events like the annual Reflections fine art

The PTA is a separate organization from CCSD, with its own governance and accountability measures. You can find more information at https://cherokeecountycouncil. memberhub.com/ Every CCSD school website also includes information about its PTA unit and how to join — look for the “PTA & Partners” button on the school home page for elementary schools and the “PTSA” button the home page of middle and high schools.

Woodstock Elementary School PTA officers pose with one of the new playgrounds they’ve made possible at the school.

PTA volunteers run the “Olympic Village” each year for the Cherokee County Special Olympics Awareness Games, providing athletes and their coaches and helpers with games and snacks, as well as fun activities like face painting and spray-on hair color.

23

24

25

Additions, replacements, and renovations are all part of the construction plan underway across CCSD campuses to provide safe, secure facilities for students and staff.

for the

Four

schools are celebrating the completion of construction projects this school year, with more significant projects’ completions on the horizon!

The new replacement Free Home Elementary School opens this school year, as do newly completed additions to Creekview High and Creekland Middle Schools, and a new driveway for Teasley Middle School. Construction continues on the new replacement Cherokee High School, set to open in August 2026, as well as additions for River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock high schools.

CCSD school construction and renovation projects are made possible thanks to the School Board’s continued investment and the community’s support of the 1% Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) renewal.

Free Home Elementary School The new Free Home ES opening for this school year is just north of the existing campus. The replacement campus, needed due to the widening of Highway 20 that borders the current school, retains the current attendance boundary lines

with the entire enrollment moving to the new school. With 53 classrooms, the new school is large enough to not only accommodate the current 275 students, but also up to 850 total as east Cherokee County’s population grows.

Creekview High School/Creekland Middle School Creekview High School and Creekland Middle School are opening for the start of this school year with improved campuses. New classroom wings add 20 classrooms to Creekland and 15 to Creekview, with a second gym now open at Creekview. The first phase of this project, completed for last school year, lengthened the queue for car rider traffic at the campus and expanded student parking.

Teasley Middle School Parents of car riders — and everyone who drives past the Teasley Middle School campus when school is starting or ending — has been counting down for this improvement project. The driveway improvements not only ease congestion for current car riders, but also pave the way for better traffic flow with the opening of neighboring Cherokee High School.

The School Board cut the ribbon on the new Free Home Elementary School in late April, and it is ready to welcome students August 1.

26

Cherokee High School You can’t miss the new Cherokee High School on the horizon in Canton.

Within budget and on track to open in August 2026, the new campus adjacent to Teasley Middle School and overlooking RiverStone Plaza shopping district will replace the district’s oldest facility that opened in 1956.

It includes 473,761 square feet of facility space, which not only can accommodate the current enrollment of 2,800 students, but also has room to serve as many as 3,700 students, if needed.

Attendance boundary lines will not change; the entire enrollment will move to the new school.

The campus among its features includes 152 classrooms, a 1,000-seat auditorium, and a 4,500-seat football stadium.

More Improvements Construction projects to improve Woodstock, River Ridge and Sequoyah High Schools also are moving ahead.

The Woodstock HS project, scheduled for completion in August 2026, adds more classroom space to the campus. The threestory, 22-classroom addition will meet current instructional needs and construct lab space to begin a new Career Pathway program focused on Healthcare Science and to improve facilities for the growing Fire and Emergency Services program.

The River Ridge HS project, opening in August 2026, adds a second gym to the campus; and the Sequoyah HS project, opening in November 2026, includes a second gym and athletic facility renovations.

Future students sign one of the last steel beams before it is placed in the new Cherokee High. The CHS campus has an incredible view of the Cherokee County landscape from the front of the campus.

READY

2 RESPOND

CCSD School Police Use Three-Pillar Approach to Keep School Campuses Safe

Providing

a safe and secure educational environment is the mission of the Cherokee County School District Police Department, which uses a three-pillar approach — Preparation, Prevention, and Response — to succeed in this critical work.

Led by longtime local law enforcement leader Chief Buster Cushing, CCSD’s Police Department is one of only five school police departments statewide to achieve Joint Review Committee of the State of Georgia Law Enforcement Certification. This is the highest level of state accreditation that local law enforcement agencies can earn, and honors exemplary leadership, procedures and training.

CCSD school safety strategies rely on prepartion, prevention and response.

Officers focus on daily student interaction to build relationships of trust with students.

28

For 25 years, the Cherokee County School Board has invested in the district’s own school police department that today employs 35 POST-certified school police officers. The School Board continues to improve the officer ratio, which now stands at two POST-certified police officers at the three multi-building high school campuses, one officer at the four other high schools and seven middle schools, and one officer per every two of the 23 elementary schools. New this school year is the addition of one campus security monitor at each of the three high schools with multiple buildings — Cherokee, Etowah, and Sequoyah High Schools — to support police officers and security protocols. School police officers also now wear body cameras to improve safety response and to retain our department’s state certification.

Thanks to the School Board’s investment, schools are equipped with a security vestibule, security film on windows and glass doors, comprehensive camera systems, visitor check-in and management system, and access control at the front entrance, which includes badge readers for authorized personnel, an entrance camera to review IDs of visitors and a buzzer entrance system.

Another important investment made by the School Board is the crisis alert badge that school staff wear. With this badge, any employee can activate a Code Red or a call for assistance in the case of a medical emergency.

This positions school staff to work as a team every day as we all aim to keep schools safe and provides a direct

D

communication line to school police and partnering public safety agencies.

CCSD’s Vector Alert system, allows students, parents, school staff and everyone in the community to anonymously report safety concerns by text, email, online message, phone call or through a smartphone app. The system can be used to report information about threats to school safety, bullying, harassment, drugs, vandalism or any other safety issue, including to report if you believe a student is experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis. CCSD School Police and School Operations administrators are notified of every tip, so they can investigate and take appropriate action. This system is closely monitored but does not replace 911. If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911.

Through Vector Alert, you can submit safety concerns to CCSD five different ways: 1.

By Phone................. 470.315.9171

2.

By Text....................... 470.315.9171

3.

By Email.............1695@alert1.us

4.

By Online message: https://cherokee-ga.safeschoolsalert.com

5.

By Mobile App — Download the Vector Alert app for free from your provider’s app store. The first time you open the app after downloading, you’ll need to enter 1695 for the ID and confirm your District is the Cherokee County School District.

In the fall of 2024, the School District hosted a forum on school safety at which school district leaders, including Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis and School Police Chief Buster Cushing, shared information and gathered community feedback. Cherokee Sheriff Frank Reynolds was also an essential member of the forum.

29

DOING

MATH Increasing

compensation for teachers and staff directly supporting students. Advancing school safety and security. Upgrading instructional resources and classroom supplies for teachers and students.

The Cherokee County School Board set these as its top priorities for investing taxpayer dollars resources for this school year, and the Cherokee County School District’s budget delivers on those expectations.

The budget is based on no increase to the property tax millage rate, which is recommended to hold at the historically lowest level of 17.95 mills (16.45 mills for Maintenance and Operations and 1.5 mills for Bonds). Other financial stewardship highlights include cuts of more than 5% in operating costs across all central office divisions; shifting central office divisions’ funds to school-based funds to improve funding for fine arts, STEM and other classroom materials; and ending district contracts for redundant resources and/or those not aligned with learning standards.

30

The 2025-26 Budget Puts Resources Closer to the Classroom

More than 92% of the general fund budget, which covers day-to-day operating costs, is dedicated to teacher and staff compensation and benefits.

The metro Atlanta job market for teachers and support staff is competitive, prompting the School Board to close the salary gap with neighboring districts by increasing pay for teachers and support staff by 3% in addition to longevity step increases.

A starting CCSD teacher with a bachelor’s degree now makes $57,693 a year, and the average CCSD teacher will earn more than $77,500 this school year.

Accountability, transparency, and stewardship define the gold standard for governmental accounting and financial reporting.

CCSD consistently earns the highest national honor for its work: the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Financial Officers Association, and again earned the honor for its current Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

Fewer than 5% of school districts in the state produce the level of disclosure required for an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, which also includes an annual independent external auditor’s report.

CCSD has received unmodified independent auditor reports in each of the past 11 years with no findings, no questioned costs, no material weaknesses, or significant deficiencies in internal controls.

The current budget, annual financial report and other financial records are posted on the Financial Management division’s webpage at https://www. cherokeek12.net/divisions/financialmanagement/financial-management.

Other budg

et high

lights includ Investing in e: comprehens arts and ma ive K-12 En gli t workbooks, h instructional resourc sh language digital reso es (textboo u k of resource s for teache rces) to build the toolb s, rs o x a n d s • Increa tudents; sing schoolb ased budge arts, STEM ts to s a instruction nd other classroom co upport fine ns al instruction materials, classroom umable al expenses supplies, an d … in an effo reduce clas s rt pocket expe fees to parents and te to help acher out-o nses; f• Adding one campus security mo the three hig nitor h (Cherokee H schools with multiple to each of S b support the , Etowah HS, Sequoya uildings h HS) to two POST-c officers alre ertified CCS a D campuses; dy assigned to each of Police and, these large • Equipp ing all cameras. CCSD Police officers wit h body •

31

TE ACHE R T I P S FOR

STUDENT SUCCESS

The best thing parents can do to prepare their children is to read to them and encourage reading every day. Ten minutes a day will go a lon g way. Organization is the second priority. Go through their bookbag with them at night and help keep things organized.

love of Parents can instill the e by feeding into ag g un yo learning at a Answer their their child’s curiosity! age them to think questions and encour ad to them o re critically. They can als cabulary vo th wi lps he daily as this ge. led ow kn nd and backgrou — Angela Gulin, thirdgrade teacher, Oak Grove ES STEAM Academy

eir Parents can engage th ion ss cu dis s children in rigorou ow all y, lar to promote vocabu m fro rn lea them to fail and se po ex d their mistakes, an world them to the amazing . em around th — Joy Williams, kindergarten teacher, Clark Creek ES STEM Academy

While reading is an impactful way to prepare children for school, it starts with conversations. By talking with their children, parents build their vocabulary, communication skills, and ability to express themselves appropriately.

Parents can prepare their children for learning by fostering habits of self-discipline, independent thinking, and problem-solving at home. These skills allow students to achieve success, regardless of the content or circumstance.

— Kristen Morris, Special Education teacher, E.T. Booth Middle School

— Ashley Haynes, kindergarten teacher, Ball Ground ES STEM Academy

Parents can prepare their children for science by encouraging curiosity through exploring nature, discussing everyday phenomena, and asking open-ended questions.

Hands-on experiments at home and connecting science to real-world experiences can spark interest and build a strong foundation for classroom learning.

— Cour tn teache ey Helmuth, s r, Dean e Rusk M venth-grade s iddle S cience chool

— Caroline Rubio, algebra, geometry and calculus teacher, River Ridge High School

g ial role in ensurin Parents play a cruc success. Parents emic their child’s acad hers to build a strong ac te can partner with n school and home by ee relationship betw assroom and taking an e cl urage volunteering in th ’s education. Enco ers ild ch r ei th in le active ro ek answ questions and se your child to ask n and creative thinking. through exploratio

32

to your child and It is essential to listen Encouraging explore their interests. munity service d com leadership activities an nce their growth. can significantly enha em involved in career Additionally, getting th these programs help , as tech classes is crucial for the real world. s er rn lea e prepar — Sharon Byrd, fourth-grade teacher, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy

— Chana Miller, Career Pathway: Marketing teacher, Sequoyah High School

Interested child’s education?

in more options other than your neighborhood school for your

The Cherokee County School District’s nationally recognized school choice program offers numerous options, including an annual reassignment opportunity for choosing a school other than your neighborhood school. More than 2,000 CCSD students use a school choice option to attend a school outside their assigned zone.

Cherokee Academies CCSD is home to five STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Academies at Ball Ground, Clark Creek, Holly Springs, Knox and R.M. Moore Elementary, one Fine Arts Academy at Hasty Elementary and one STEAM (STEM + Arts) Academy at Oak Grove Elementary. These schools use integrated curriculum focused on STEM, fine arts or both. As capacity allows, these schools all are open for reassignments.

High School Choice Cherokee College & Career Academy (C3): Housed at ACTIVE Academies, C3 offers unique high school Career Pathway programs.

Courses currently are offered in cybersecurity and aviation. Students attend core classes at their high school and travel to C3 for morning or afternoon career classes; transportation is available. Info: https://igrad. cherokeek12.net/c3-academy.

Dual Enrollment: High school students can earn high school and college credit simultaneously on a local college campus through the Dual Enrollment program.

Application deadlines are in mid-October and late March. Info: https://cherokeek12net.finalsite.com/ divisions/curriculum-instruction/dual-enrollment. i-Grad Virtual Academy: CCSD’s online high school program is open to students in Grades 9-12. Enrollment is application based. Most classes are remote, with in-person assessments at ACTIVE Academies. Info: https://igrad. cherokeek12.net/about.

Mountain Education Charter High School: CCSD partners with Mountain Ed to offer an evening high school program at Etowah High School. The program offers mentors and nightly meals among supports. Info: https://www. mymec.org/.

Reassignment Families can apply for reassignment Feb. 1 to March 1.

Information is posted on CCSD’s website on Feb. 1, including the list of schools with capacity for additional students (18 schools were open for this school year).

Transportation is not provided. High school students may lose Georgia High Schools Association varsity athletics eligibility in some situations by attending a school outside their assigned zone.

33

2024-25 CCSD TEAM STATE CHAMPIONS

2024-25 CCSD INDIVIDUAL STATE CHAMPIONS

Fast-pitch Softball................................................. Creekview High School (5A) Girls Basketball.....................................................River Ridge High School (5A) Wrestling Dual......................................................... Creekview High School (5A) Wrestling Traditional............................................ Creekview High School (5A) Boys Golf....................................................................... Cherokee High School (6A) Boys Golf..................................................................... Creekview High School (5A) Boys Soccer............................................................River Ridge High School (5A)

Cross Country Malachi Burnett (Creekview HS)....................................... 5A Sate Champion Literary Kaylee Kula (Cherokee HS) 6A State Champion, Interpretation — Solo Humorous Zahira Ambriz-Villela (Sequoyah HS) 5A State Champion, Essay Argumentative Braylee Bryant, Sofia Castillo, Dakota Youngblood (Sequoyah HS) 5A, Trio Sophia Foisy (Woodstock HS) 5A State Champion, Extemporaneous Speaking — International Wrestling Jackson Locke (Creekview HS)........5A State Champion, Heavy weight Ariel Maicon (Creekview HS).............................................. 5A State Champion Tyler Herring (Woodstock HS)........................................... 5A State Champion Track Jillian Waterman (Cherokee HS).............6A State Champion in Shot Put Gabrielle Crane (Etowah HS)...............6A State Champion in Long Jump

Tickets to CCSD athletic events can be purchased on the GOFAN website.

34

CCSD TEAM REGION CHAMPIONS 2024-25 Competition Cheer Creekview HS.......................................................................................Region 6AAAAA Cross Country (B) Creekview HS...............................................................................Region 6AAAAA (B) Etowah HS...................................................................................Region 5AAAAAA Flag Football Cherokee HS.....................................................................Region Area 5/Division 4 One Act Play Etowah HS............................................................................................................ 5AAAAAA Sequoyah HS......................................................................................................... 6AAAAA Basketball (G) Cherokee HS Region.............................................................................. 5AAAAAA (G) River Ridge HS Region............................................................................ 6AAAAA (B) Sequoyah HS Region................................................................................ 6AAAAA Literary Cherokee HS Region...................................................................................... 5AAAAAA Sequoyah HS Region........................................................................................ 6AAAAA Wrestling Creekview HS.................................................................................... 6AAAAA — Duals Creekview HS..........................................................................6AAAAA — Traditional (B) Etowah HS.................................................................................................... 5AAAAAA

Baseball Etowah HS...........................................................................................Region 5AAAAAA Golf (B) Creekview HS.....................................................Area 3 (AAAAA) Champions Soccer (B) Etowah HS.................................................................................................... 5AAAAAA (B) River Ridge HS.............................................................................................. 6AAAAA Track (B) Creekview HS................................................................................................ 6AAAAA A list of region winners for individual competition can be found on the CCSD website at https://www.cherokeek12. net/divisions/school-operations/high-school-athletics

The Great Pumpkin Fest The Great Pumpkin Fest is Cherokee Recreation & Park’s very own annual fall festival! We will have a DJ, craft vendors, lots of food, hayrides, archery, bounce houses (pay to play), a costume contest, and so much more!

Don’t forget to wear your costumes and trick-or-treat with our vendors.

The costume contest will take place at 12:00 p.m.

PlayCherokee.org Saturday, October 11 • 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Cherokee Veterans Park • FREE Admission 35

Best

OF THE BEST

CCSD 2025 Teacher of the Year

Dr. Lisa Spence — Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy Finalists Kellie Jo Baglio — Woodstock HS Courtney Helmuth — Dean Rusk MS Pamela Williams — Sixes ES

Annual recognition programs celebrate the best of the best among CCSD groups of employees and community members, with support for the events provided by generous business and community sponsors.

CCSD 2025 Counselor of the Year Mable Ferry, Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy (Cherokee Zone)

Zone Winners Creekview — Amanda Bridgewater of Ball Ground ES STEM Academy Etowah HS — Dr. Teresa Neal of ET Booth MS River Ridge — Leontta Warren, Mill Creek MS Sequoyah — Wendy Fort, Sequoyah HS Woodstock — Christine Wernquist, Woodstock HS

CCSD 2024 School Nutrition Teams of the Year Elementary Division Holly Springs ES STEM Academy Middle School/High School/Centers Division Teasley MS

CCSD 2024 Transportation Employee of the Year Nick Harper — Sequoyah Innovation Zone Zone Winners Cherokee North — Joe Farrell Cherokee South — Jeanie Sheppard Creekview — Lynn Hudson Etowah — Marvin Dorsey River Ridge — Ben MacCracken Woodstock — Lulu Busby Special Education — Lisa Ragsdale

36

CCSD 2025 Coach of the Year Jen Maloney — Creekview HS

Zone Finalists Cherokee HS — Josh Thomas Etowah HS — Jordan Tetley River Ridge HS — Jason Taylor Sequoyah HS — Mike Saxon Woodstock HS — Wakely Louis

CCSD 2024 School Nurse of the Year* Dawn Beasley

CCSD 2025 Media Specialist of the Year Jennifer Cogdill — Woodstock HS (also named Region winner)

Zone Winners Cherokee — Allison Rhodes, Knox ES STEM Academy Creekview- Kimberly Bishop, Ball Ground ES STEM Academy Etowah — Ashley Webster, Oak Grove ES STEAM Academy River Ridge — Kristen Kim, Mill Creek MS Sequoyah — Renee Michael, Holly Springs ES STEM Academy Woodstock — Amber Palmer, Sixes ES *CCSD 2025 Nurse of the Year winner to be named after press time.

CCSD 2025 Special Education Staff of the Year Itinerant Staff of the Year — Bekah Bobo (top center) Behavior Strategist of the Year — Sayo Aybar (top left) Special Education Facilitator of the Year — Lisa Shepherd (bottom center) Speech Language Pathologist of the Year — Dawn Smith (bottom right) School Psychologist of the Year — Kim Nofi (bottom left) Occupational Therapist/Physical Therapist of the Year — Seth Talley (top right)

CCSD 2025 Support Staff Employees of the Year Elementary School — Kelly Miller (left) principal’s secretary, Avery ES Middle School/High School/Centers — Stephanie Weier (center), student records facilitator, Mill Creek MS Central Office — Patrick Walker (right), behavior intervention strategist with the division of School Leadership & Operations Support Staff Employee of the Year is a surprise announcement at the event.

37

38

39

40

FALL & WINTER BREAK CAMPS

Registration takes place at the Recreation Center, The Buzz, or online at PlayCherokee.org.

FALL INTO ACTION BREAK CAMP School is out! During our camp, we go on two field trips a week and lunch will be provided three days! Come join us for some fun! Visit our website PlayCherokee.org for the itinerary.

Dates: Time: Location: Ages: Cost:

September 22–26, 2025 Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

The WREC 5–12 years $225 per camper for the week

NON-STOP ACTION BREAK CAMP School is out! During our camp, we go on two field trips a week and lunch will be provided three days! Come join us for some fun! Visit our website for the itinerary.

Dates: Time: Location: Ages: Cost:

SPLISH SPLASH

CAMP

Spend School Break at the Aquatic Center! During Splish Splash Camp, campers will get to play games, go on field trips, and create art and crafts with our swim instructors.

Each day campers will swim and play the day away! Threeday camp participants will go on one field trip; five-day camp participants will go on two field trips. Schedules with field trips details will be sent out one week prior to the start of each camp. Lunch is to be determined unless otherwise stated in the schedule received via email.

For more information, please contact Amanda Lane at ACLane@CherokeeCountyGa.gov or call 678-880-4760.

SCAN TO EMAIL

February 16–20, 2026 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

The WREC 5–12 years $225 per camper for the week

September 22–September 26, 2025 (five-day camp) November 24–November 26, 2025 (three-day camp) February 16–February 20, 2026 (five-day camp) Time: Location: Ages: Cost:

7:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Cherokee County Aquatic Center 5–12 years of age $150 for three-day camps $250 for five-day camps

42