Bascomb Elementary Wins Georgia School Bell Award

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The Cherokee County School District continues its Georgia School Bell Award-winning streak with Bascomb Elementary School earning the prestigious honor for 2016.

The award is presented to 10 schools in Georgia each year in recognition of outstanding curriculum and organizational leadership initiatives. It's the sixth consecutive year that at least one Cherokee County school has earned the award.

Bascomb, led by Principal Kathleen Chandler, has won the award presented by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals for her program, Keeping It Real.

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Recent past district winners are: Holly Springs Elementary STEM Academy and Woodstock Elementary School (2015); Canton Elementary STEM Academy (2014); Free Home Elementary School (2013); Liberty Elementary School (2012); and Oak Grove Elementary School (2011).

The selection committee chooses exemplary programs that show positive results and reflect significant involvement of staff, students, parents and community.

Keeping It Real is a school-wide initiative to bring Georgia Performance Standards “to life” by planning interactive, hands-on activities that give students the opportunity to experience lessons in another way in addition to textbook and online learning.

Examples of these activities include fifth-grade Civil War Day and fourth-grade Colonial Day, which feature historic demonstrations and re-enactments, guest speakers from the community, costumes and crafts; and Science Day, which is presented for all grades with PTA support and offers science experiments ranging from launching balloon rockets to dissecting owl pellets to creating flying smoke rings.

“Students make connections to the real world,” Chandler said, noting that activities are differentiated to meet the learning needs of all students. “We know that these experiences create lasting knowledge, which is evident in our school’s outstanding test scores year after year.”

The award will be presented, and the school will be formally recognized, during the Association’s Fall Principals’ Conference in Savannah. Bascomb Elementary and Chandler will be recognized by the Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower and school board members at the Thursday, July 21 meeting.

“We are so proud of Bascomb Elementary School and Principal Kathleen Chandler not only for this award but also for the creativity in the classroom that led to this recognition,” Dr. Hightower said. “These experiences allow our students to learn in a fun and memorable way, give our teachers the opportunity to innovate and engage parents and partners. Congratulations and thank you to everyone in the Bascomb community who helped make this outstanding accomplishment possible."

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Photo: Principal Kathleen Chandler. Credit: Cherokee County School District