Cherokee Educators, PTA Groups Win Awards

HICKORY FLAT, GA -- Several Cherokee County School District educators and PTA organizations won top Georgia PTA District 13 Awards at the organization’s annual awards ceremony.

The Georgia PTA District 13 organization, which represents the school PTAs and county PTA councils of Cherokee, Forsyth, Gordon and Whitfield counties, each year presents awards to recognize outstanding educators and school PTAs. 

Indian Knoll Elementary School teacher Jennifer Schroter won the Birney Butler Outstanding Educator Award, and Laure Carroll of Johnston Elementary School was named Outstanding School Nurse.

Five school PTA units won District 13 awards including Mill Creek Middle School, which earned the Outstanding Local Unit award for middle schools.

Mountain Road Elementary School won the Best Idea Award for schools of its size (750 students or smaller) for the Battle at Thunder Mountain video.

Three schools won Heart Family-School Partnership Awards: River Ridge High School won the Overall Award; Indian Knoll Elementary School won in the Welcoming All Families category and Macedonia Elementary School in the Supporting Student Success category.

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The Cherokee County Council of PTA also presents annual awards. It honored Indian Knoll Elementary School Principal Dr. Ann Gazell as the Outstanding Principal of the year, and also named Laure Carroll as its Outstanding School Nurse. Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy teacher Lauren Abrams received a Birney Butler Outstanding Educator Award, and Hickory Flat Elementary School won a Best Idea Award for its Thunder Mountain obstacle course fun run.

Indian Knoll PTA member Steve Miller won the Visionary Award, and Hearst-Family School Partnership winners, in addition to those that also won at District 13, are Mill Creek middle for Sharing Power and Bascomb Elementary School for Collaborating with the Community.

School PTAs honored as Outstanding Local Units are: elementary school (750 or smaller), Sixes, first place; Johnston, second place; Hickory Flat, third place; elementary school (751 and larger), Indian Knoll, first place; Macedonia, second place; Little River, third place; middle school, Mill Creek, first place; Dean Rusk, second place; Freedom, third place; high school, Woodstock, first place; Sequoyah, second place;

Schools honored for Model PTAs are: elementary schools, Sixes, first place; Macedonia, second place; Johnston, third place; and Indian Knoll, Mountain Road, Hickory Flat, Bascomb, Little River, Oak Grove, Clark Creek; middle schools, Mill Creek, first place; Freedom, second place; Dean Rusk, third place; high schools, Sequoyah, first place; Woodstock, second place; and River Ridge, third place.

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Photo: Indian Knoll Elementary School Principal Dr. Ann Gazell. Credit: Cherokee County School District