School Board Chair Honored With Community Service Award

CANTON, GA — Cherokee County’s School Board Chair was recently honored with a top award for community service.

Kyla Cromer, who has served on the School Board since 2014, received the Jean Harris “Service Above Self” Award from the Rotary Club of Canton. The award, presented by the county’s oldest civic club, recognizes one non-Rotarian a year for significant contributions through volunteerism in education, health or economic and personal development to benefit the lives of women and children.

During the presentation, Cromer was recognized for not only her longtime service to the Cherokee County School District, beginning with PTA roles and culminating in her role as School Board chair, but also her dedication to numerous community organizations.

Rotarian Evan Ingram of the Goshen Valley organization supporting foster children noted Cromer’s service to its community council board. She has helped raise considerable funds and awareness for the organization, but her greatest contribution to their foster children is through her School Board service.

“She has done an incredible job leading with grace and humility,” Ingram said, as he noted how Cromer, and the School Board and school district as a whole, have weathered misinformed attacks on social and emotional learning over the past year. “Social and emotional learning helps kids like the kids at Goshen. They have deeper needs … and when social and emotional learning came under fire, Kyla did not back down. She prioritized the kids who need the help the most: foster kids, kids who are considering suicide.

“If they can help them learn to read and write and do math – that’s important,” he continued, “but if they can help deeper needs, then they are doing what’s most important. It gives kids a much better chance of being a successful adult.”

The presentation was a surprise, with special guests including School Board Vice Chair Robert “Rick Steiner” Rechsteiner, School Board member Patsy Jordan and Superintendent Brian Hightower and members of his senior staff invited to help congratulate Cromer.

Cromer said the award is very meaningful to her - both for what it honors and for who presents it.

“Rotary is built on volunteerism, and our schools are a better place and our community is a better place because of you,” she said, referencing the Club’s longtime support of schools as a Partner in Education. “You are difference makers, and I’m humbled to be honored by you.”