Cherokee First Day of School "Smooth and Successful"

Submitted by the Cherokee County School District

On behalf of Superintendent Dr. Frank Petruzielo, this is to advise that the Cherokee County School District began the 2014-15 School Year on Monday, Aug. 4 and, as in the past, first-day operations were “extremely well-planned, smooth and successful,” the district noted in its release.

Enrollment reached 39,460 for the first day of the 2014-15 school year at CCSD’s 44 schools and centers, according to preliminary attendance reports. The district anticipates enrollment will continue to rise over the course of the school year to more than 40,200, with first-day enrollment 682 students higher than last year (day 1 of the 2013-14 school year’s student enrollment was 38,778).

“Today’s successful opening fills me with appreciation for the dedication of our staff and the support of our parents, partners and volunteers to ensure that each one of our students begins the school year right and has every opportunity to excel,” Petruzielo said. “Nothing is more important to us than preparing all students for advancement in their education and the rest of their lives, and the year ahead looks very bright for CCSD.”

The enrollment increase includes more than 278 students who have transferred to the school district since June 1 from Cherokee Charter Academy, which is significantly higher than expectations, as only a third of this total were anticipated transfers as a result of its high school closing.

Schools did not see an influx of “refugee” students from Central American countries, the district added.

The district’s 4,300 employees, including approximately 2400 teachers, are now back at work on district campuses and support facilities throughout Cherokee County; and the school district’s fleet of 358 buses began their daily transport of approximately 70 percent of the student population through 1,500 daily bus routes.

Today was also opening day for the district’s newest facility, Teasley Middle School. The new/replacement school, which was built to house grade 6-8 students in the Cherokee Innovation Zone, will be able to house the projected 1,356 students. With 239,750 square feet of space, this facility replaces the existing facility, which could only accommodate grade 7-8 students. Construction on this project was completed under-budget and on-time and was funded using Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) revenues.

Principal Dr. Susan Zinkil, while overseeing the opening day of the new facility, commented that, “the students and parents have continually expressed their heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the School Board’s vision to build a new middle school facility for the Teasley Middle School community.”

School district policies related to environmental/temperature concerns are being followed at all campuses, including: limiting the time students spend on school buses, allowing students to bring bottled water on school buses; and following guidelines for rescheduling and cancelling outdoor athletic/band/extra-curricular activities, when necessary, due to high temperatures.

The start of this school year also marked the relocation for ACE Academy, CCSD’s daytime alternative program for Grades 6-12, from its facility in downtown Holly Springs to the original Teasley MS facility on Knox Bridge Highway.

Ron Dunnavant, director of school operations, who visited the ACE Academy facility this morning noted: “The staff and administration of ACE Academy ran a very smooth operation this morning — it was as if program had been at that location for years.”

Additionally, the site preparation for the new/replacement Dean Rusk Middle School is substantially completed and concrete pad work begun, with this facility scheduled to open in the Fall of 2016 for students attending grades 6-8 in the Sequoyah Innovation Zone.

At Little River Elementary School, the school district’s largest elementary at a projected enrollment of 1,458 students, Principal Christian Kirby incorporated the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) program into his first day activities.

The entire staff wore matching T-shirts with the school’s mascot (the Eagle) woven into program’s instruction for students and staff alike, “Enter prepared, Accept responsibility, Give praise, Lead by example and Exhibit excellence.”

(Photo: Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy teacher Kim Mizelle, right, places a bus rider wrist band on Noemi Escobar-Velasquez while teacher Alison Hughes checks students off a list. Credit: Cherokee County School District)