One Glynn Magazine: Fall 2023

Fall ‘23 Edition

One Glynn T H E

O F F I C I A L

M A G A Z I N E

O F

G L Y N N

C O U N T Y

S C H O O L S

REACHING NEW MILESTONES

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

FULL STEAM! AHEAD

Reflections on our progress as we set higher standards and achieve greater goals

Take a look back at our students and staff on the first day of school

Gear up for our can’t-miss STEAMFest & Literacy Fair in March 2024

HELP US BULD A #STRONGERGLYNN The Glynn County School System is the foundation for a dynamic and diverse educational community that serves Brunswick and the Golden Isles of Georgia. As one of the state’s oldest public education systems, originally chartered in 1788, Glynn County Schools blends its tradition-rich history and unique coastal setting with 21st-century innovation to create engaging learning environments for more than 13,000 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.

We are seeking talented individuals to join our community as we transform the lives of our students while providing highquality teaching and learning opportunities. Glynn County Schools offers cutting-edge technology, growth opportunities, employee perks, and a competitive compensation package.

https://www.teachglynn.com

In addition to numerous job fairs that will be held throughout the year, the Human Resources Department recently unveiled a new recruitment system that has a fresh new look and is mobile-friendly. Our new career opportunities website, which is the latest in a series of efforts started in June 2020, is designed to make the online job application experience easier and empowers Glynn County Schools to attract, engage, hire and advance today's top talent.

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Around the District Our students have propelled themselves to new academic heights this year through determination, enthusiasm for learning and a “cant-stop-won’t-stop” attitude. The momentum these inspiring go-getters have make us proud of how far they’ve come and hopeful for the even bigger future success headed their way!

Here is a recap of some major moments in the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year: Top photo: State Superintendent Richard Woods visited Golden Isles Elementary to celebrate their impressive growth rates on the 3rd Grade Georgia ELA Milestones Assessment and recognize the school as a Literacy Leader. Only 84 schools across the state were recognized for having at least 15% growth from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

Middle photo: In partnership with the Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, several local organizations and businesses are participating in our inaugural Business Buddies program to provide virtual mentorship and tutoring opportunities to support first-grade students in literacy.

Bottom photo: The four recipients of the needs-based mentorship and scholarship program are Nicole Gonzalez-Hernandez (Glynn Middle School), Yissel ZavalaHernandez (Jane Macon Middle School), Judah Wilcox (Needwood Middle School), and Amber Houston (Risley Middle School). Each will receive $10,000 scholarships to be used at a Georgia university, technical college or private postsecondary institution.

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REACHING NEW MILESTONES According to new figures by the Georgia Department of Education, Glynn County Schools has once again topped the state for its graduation rates, proving, once more, that students in Glynn County Schools are better prepared for academic achievement beyond high school. In the Georgia DOE’s analysis report, GCSS’ overall graduation rate rose from 95.2 percent in 2022 to 96.5 percent this year. It is the highest graduation rate among all systems in the First District RESA. In a separate report on the latest SAT results, Glynn County Schools surpassed both the national and state averages with a mean score of 1073 in comparison to the national mean of 1003 and state mean of 1045. Among school systems in First District RESA, GCSS had the highest median score in the SAT, leading by 13 points.

These wonderful accomplishments reflect the hard work of our high schools and their staff, but it also highlights the concerted efforts of our entire system. Our schools, especially elementary and middle schools, lay the foundation for success, and we are confident our teachers and instructional staff are creating positive learning environments for students in each school building.

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2023-2024 Teacher of the Year

And the 2023-2024 Glynn County Teacher of the Year is……….

Burroughs-Molette’s Ms. Helen Kennedy. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor. You are an exceptional teacher; we know you will represent our county well. And congratulations to all of our Teachers of the Year. They are exemplary teachers with incredible work ethics and hearts for students, and are passionate about the needs of others – often times going above and beyond their duties to advocate for all of their students and colleagues. They are absolute rockstars who continue to make an impact on us all!

The ceremony, sponsored in large part by Georgia Power and the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, saw 26 local educators who had been named teachers of the year at their schools, including public and private schools and the college. Throughout the evening, principals stepped up to the podium to talk about their school’s chosen teacher, each of whom was selected by their peers.

More than 50 businesses and groups sponsored this year’s Teacher of the Year ceremony, with each teacher receiving numerous gifts to take home. In addition to a basket of goodies and gifts, Kennedy received a 2023 Kia Rio from our title sponsor, Lou Sobh Kia of Brunswick.

Finalists for Glynn County Teacher of the Year were: Heather Watkins, Brunswick High; Helen Kennedy, Burroughs-Molette Elementary; Kalee Gunter, Greer Elementary; Susannah Mize, Glynn Middle; and Haley Pruitt, Jane Macon Middle.

Five judges – retired educators Leslie Scarboro, Sandra Lukitsch and Dr. Rhonda Jaudon; judge liaison Sung Hui Lewis; and teacher liaison Cathy Pittman – spent time in the finalists’ classrooms before choosing this year’s winner.

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FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Check out some of the best moments from the first day of school. You can find more like these on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

You must be a parent currently linked to a student in Infinite Campus (our student information system) or be an active employee of the school system.

Parents - if you need assistance setting up your account, please contact your child's school.

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Returns We are pleased to announce the return of our annual STEAMFest and Literacy Fair for students in grades pre-K through 12th. On Saturday, March 16, 2024, several organizations will be on-site to offer hands-on STEAM (or science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activity booths. Each school will also set up a booth featuring games, activities and academic resources for families.

A TIME-HONORED TRADITION The combined junior ROTCs from Glynn Academy and Brunswick High got together at Epworth by the Sea in December 2023 for the two schools’ first-ever combined military ball.

More than 80 cadets – dressed in formal uniforms – were among the crowd of 100 that enjoyed dinner and dancing at Epworth by the Sea. A combined Marine and Navy junior ROTC color guard presented the colors. Charles “Buck” Bennett, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Georgia National Guard, delivered the address to the cadets.

Special thank-you to Maj. Clint Houchins, who leads the Marine Junior ROTC at Glynn Academy, and Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Mahendra Jatindranath, who leads the Navy cadets at Brunswick High, for providing this opportunity to students.

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PARENT & FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Our ESOL Family Night was a success! Over 200 family members participated in fun games with their children at the event, enjoyed literacy activities, learned about our Title III resources, and met with teachers to share their questions about Infinite Campus, Google Classroom, or our online English Learner programs like Lexia, RAZ Kids, or Duolingo.

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INDUSTRY IMMERSION Connect Glynn Externship Grows in Local, Neighboring Districts In collaboration with the Golden Isles College & Career Academy and the BrunswickGolden Isles Chamber of Commerce, we have, once again, partnered together to support an educator externship program that offers a unique professional development opportunity for teachers to explore in-demand careers in our community and apply what they learned to their lesson plans.

The Connect Glynn Educator Externship Academy is designed for educators to observe and interact with local companies while gaining real-world industry experience from a number of the major employers in Glynn County. Approximately 30 educators – two of whom work in McIntosh County Schools – took part in the three full working days onsite in a Golden Isles area local business this past fall.

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MIDYEAR MEMORIES Our Top Stories and Events That Shaped the First Half of 2023-2024

Thanks to the Golden Isles YMCA, our second-graders at Altama and Burroughs-Molette elementary schools got the opportunity to learn personal water safety and life-saving swimming skills and practiced different stroke techniques during a two-week-long class.

In October of each year, in connection with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Brunswick Glynn County Council on Disabilities honors an exceptional local employer that has significantly impacted our community. This year, Glynn County Schools was named the 2023 Disabilities Employer of the Year for its efforts to promote the employment and inclusion of people with disabilities.

This is the second year in a row that our school system has received the Employer of the Year recognition from this council.

In December, Glynn County Schools was named one of the recipients of the Georgia School Board Association’s Leading Edge Award for its Mariner Life Program. This program – previously called REACH (or the Reaching Educational and Career Heights Program) – is designed for Glynn County students who have completed four years of high school, participated in at least three years of job readiness training, and are between 18 and 21 years old with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.

With the help of the College of Coastal Georgia, students are equipped with the necessary tools to transition from school to a work environment and are afforded the opportunity to experience college campus life.

In September, the Glynn Academy Terrors and Brunswick High Pirates faced off at its Annual Battle Between the Bricks City Championship, and the Terrors rallied to seal a 22-15 overtime win, snapping a three-straight championship run from the Pirates.

This is Glynn Academy’s seventh City Championship win.

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Glynn Academy freshman Jackson Hunter is the school's first cross-country runner to participate in the Meet of Champions and medal with an 18th overall finish out of 127 competitors.

He placed with a time of 16:12.

In addition to numerous gold medals throughout the season and a 6th-place finish in his first Class 6A State Championship appearance, Hunter was named Altamaha Area’s Runner of the Year, beating out competitors from 15 schools over 11 counties.

In collaboration with the Coastal Pines Technical College and the Golden Isles Development Authority, Golden Isles College & Career Academy held its fourth annual This Girl Can program, with its largest group to date with 24 girls participating. This three-day workshop is offered to middle school girls to explore non-traditional careers in fields like welding, machining, engineering and the culinary arts.

In October, we announced the selection of Johnny Davis, Sr., a 33-year law enforcement veteran, as the new Chief of School Police and Safety Director. A product of the Glynn County School System, Davis brings a wealth of experience, education and leadership to the post. His law enforcement training includes internal affairs, criminal investigations, active shooter, physical fitness, defensive tactics, crime prevention, and public safety.

He previously served as a lieutenant for the Davis joined the College of Coastal Georgia Police Department.

In October, State School Superintendent Richard Woods released the 2022-2023 lists of Distinguished and Reward Schools, recognizing some of the very best public schools in the state. C.B. Greer Elementary, St. Simons Elementary and Glynn Middle are among 154 schools recognized as Distinguished Schools for significant academic achievement.

This designation recognizes the highest-performing 5% of Title I Schoolwide and Title I Targeted Assistance schools based on the combined ELA and math content mastery scores from the statewide assessments of the most recent year.

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UNITY DAY: MAKE IT ORANGE, MAKE IT END October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Here is how GCSS celebrated.

In an effort to educate and raise awareness of National Bullying Prevention Month, schools in the Glynn County School System will, once again, took part in the annual #UnityDay2023 celebrations on Wednesday, Oct. 20 to help do their part in creating a bully-free community.

Thank you all for your participation in #UnityDay2023. For the past five years, GCSS has joined in the campaign by providing educational opportunities to our students that have inspired and promoted kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

It is our sincere hope that this will not become a 'once a year' celebration, but truly become the Glynn County way each and every day. **You can find more photos like this on our Facebook page.**

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DATES TO REMEMBER Visit www.glynn.k12.ga.us/schoolcalendar/ for the graphic and text versions of the 2023-2024 School Calendar.

NOTE: For other school-related events and announcements, please visit your school's website.

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OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE HS OPEN HOUSE: AUG. 1 | 4:00-6:00 PM MS OPEN HOUSE: AUG. 1 | 5:00-7:00 PM GICCA OPEN HOUSE: AUG. 2 | 4:00-6:00 PM ES/FACES OPEN HOUSE: AUG. 2 | 5:00-7:00 PM FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: AUG 8

WWW.GLYNN.K12.GA.US @GLYNNCOUNTYSCHOOLS #STRONGERGLYNN

Thirteen members of Golden Isles College and Career Academy (GICCA) Future Farmers of America (FFA) recently worked with the Land Trust to plant 81 live oak saplings at Cannon’s Point Preserve. The acorns were collected at Cannon's Point and from a large live oak at the GICCA facilities. Using instruction from Dr. Owen Burney (New Mexico State University) and Dr. Douglass Jacobs (Purdue University), the students germinated the acorns and grew the plants in their horticulture greenhouse at GICCA. The FFA entered this project at the 96th annual FFA National Convention in Indianapolis Indiana in early November and placed in the top ten projects across the country (0.1% of FFA clubs receive that distinction in that competition). Well done!

#strongerglynn

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Glynn County Schools • 5505 Altama Ave., Brunswick, GA 31525 • 912-267-4100 • www.glynn.k12.ga.us/oneglynn/