Cherokee Students Celebrate Constitution Day, Support Riverfest

Arnold Mill Elementary

• Arnold Mill Elementary School has selected Elizabeth Baier as its Teacher of the Year. Bair, an AIM Gifted program teacher, now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December. “Her enthusiasm, her innovativeness and her dedication to best practices are exemplary!” Principal Dr. Kerry P. Martin said of Ms. Bair.

Ball Ground Elementary

• All Cherokee County School District schools are observing Constitution Day this month with special class activities and programs. Ball Ground Elementary School STEM Academy second-graders in the class of Chessa McGinnis examined reproductions of the U.S. Constitution and signed a pledge to be a good citizen… using a quill pen.

Bascomb Elementary

• All Cherokee County School District schools are observing Constitution Day this month with special class activities and programs. Bascomb Elementary School first-graders signed a “library constitution” after a lesson in the media center.

Boston Elementary

• Teachers at Boston Elementary School collaborated during a recent hands-on faculty meeting to share ideas and best practices for an academically challenging and positive learning environment in the classroom. “Collaboration and academic excellence at work!” Principal Joey Moss said of the meeting.
• Boston Elementary School has selected Anne Mooney as its Teacher of the Year. Mooney, who teaches Special Education, now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December. Mooney is in her seventh year of teaching students with autism at Boston ES. This past school year, she was privileged to help start a Friends Club and a Friendship Sensory Garden at the school to provide additional services for Special Education students.

Clayton Elementary

• Clayton Elementary School faculty and staff members show their support for Riverfest by wearing this year’s commemorative T-shirt. Riverfest, on Sept. 27 and 28 at Boling Park in Canton, is a major fundraiser for the Service League of Cherokee County, which supports the county’s neediest children… often through requests made by teachers and counselors on behalf of their students. The support ranges from providing clothes and school supplies to paying for eyeglasses and dental exams.

Clark Creek Elementary STEM Academy

• Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy has selected Claire Burns as its Teacher of the Year. Burns, who teaches music, now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December.
• Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy faculty and staff members show their support for Riverfest by wearing this year’s commemorative T-shirt. Riverfest, on Sept. 27 and 28 at Boling Park in Canton, is a major fundraiser for the Service League of Cherokee County, which supports the county’s neediest children… often through requests made by teachers and counselors on behalf of their students. The support ranges from providing clothes and school supplies to paying for eyeglasses and dental exams.

Creekland Middle

• Students in Mark Nazemzadeh’s sixth-grade social studies classes paired up to work on a special project. Each pair was given excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and asked to rewrite them in language that would be easily understood by today’s middle school students. At the end of each class, the students’ writing was put together to create a complete Declaration.
• Creekland Middle School seventh-graders in the class of math teacher Ron Schwarzman are learning how math is used by architects. Students began by learning how triangles are an effective tool used in the design of bridges. They then experimented with constructing triangles under different constraints, noting whether a triangle could be formed and, if so, in how many different configurations.“The philosophy demonstrated here is that students learn a deeper level of understanding by experimenting and discovering on their own as compared to just rote memory,” Mr. Schwarzman said. Students said they not only learned from the challenge, but that they also had fun completing the team, hands-on math project. “The project was really cool; I learned a lot about triangles,” seventh-grader Jessica Burroughs said
• Students in Creekland Middle School science teacher Tricia Robinson’s classes learned about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) concepts through a hands-on experiment last week. The challenge was to modify three film canisters in order for one to sink, one to float and one to be neutrally buoyant. They had access to sand, water, small pebbles and a personal testing tank to create their prototype and test and modify. They then showed the results of their work in a large tank. Increasing STEM education is a system-wide initiative in the Cherokee County School District.
• Creekland Middle School recently recognized its Students of the Month for September. They are:Ryan Chimera, Alejandra Cruz-Diaz, Edwin Daniel, Amber Davidson, Autumn Dustin, Preston Hayes, Caroline McDaniel, Lizzy Michaud, Leela Owen, Cassidy Perdue, Dalton Stockton, Tristan Titus and Abigail Warren.

Free Home Elementary School

• More than 50 family, school and community members gathered on Aug. 28, 2014 to dedicate a greenhouse at Free Home Elementary School in the memory of one of its former students. Cheyenne Heard, who attended Free Home ES from 2002-2007, was a senior at Creekview High School when she lost her life in an auto accident last year. Cheyenne was active in the Free Home farming community, where she loved riding horses and was a member of the Georgia High School Rodeo team. Her mother, Nichelle Stewart, works with the Cherokee County Farm Bureau and leads the PTA at Free Home, so a school-based greenhouse where students could grow plants and learn about agriculture seemed a perfect project to honor her daughter’s memory. Free Home ES science teacher Carmen Power was excited about the opportunity to have hands-on projects for her students to learn about plant life and agriculture, and she was joined in the effort to establish the greenhouse by several community partners. The Farm Bureau, also Free Home’s Partner in Education, provided funding and consultation; Vulcan Materials donated gravel and sand; The Mulch Man provided mulch, and Heath Contracting helped assemble the greenhouse and literally get the project off the ground.

Indian Knoll Elementary

• Indian Knoll Elementary School teachers strengthened their team spirit today with a tailgate-themed breakfast. The before-school buffet was enjoyed by the teachers, who also had the opportunity to wear a shirt for their favorite football team to school.

Johnston Elementary

• Johnston Elementary School celebrated Grandparents Day with a special breakfast for students to enjoy with their grandparents.
• Johnston Elementary School students enjoyed a patriotic party at the PTA-sponsored Red, White, Blue Membership Dance.
• Johnston Elementary School has selected Josie Modica as its Teacher of the Year. Modica, who teaches third grade and has been a teacher for more than 30 years, now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December.

Knox Elementary

• Knox Elementary School recently recognized fifth-grader Stephanie Cummings as its Student of the Month. “She demonstrates strong work ethic and character, and is a great role model and friend,” Principal Tammy Sandell said.
• Liberty Elementary

Liberty Elementary

• Liberty Elementary School has selected Meg Martin as its Teacher of the Year. Martin now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December.
• Liberty Elementary School faculty and staff members show their support for Riverfest by wearing this year’s commemorative T-shirt. Riverfest, on Sept. 27 and 28 at Boling Park in Canton, is a major fundraiser for the Service League of Cherokee County, which supports the county’s neediest children… often through requests made by teachers and counselors on behalf of their students. The support ranges from providing clothes and school supplies to paying for eyeglasses and dental exams.

Macedonia Elementary

• Macedonia Elementary School students raised $3,000 for the PTA’s Raise the Wildcat fundraiser and won the opportunity to duct tape the principal to the wall. Principal Tammy Castleberry was taped to the wall on Friday as the culmination of a week of fundraising. The fundraising activities included bringing in pennies to wear PJs on Monday, nickels to wear “nifty” socks on Tuesday, dimes to participate in a “dynamic” sports day on Wednesday, quarters to wear “quirky” hair on Thursday and dollars for a piece of duct tape to tape Principal Castleberry to the wall on Friday.
• All Cherokee County School District schools are observing Constitution Day this month with special class activities and programs. Macedonia Elementary School second-graders read and wrote about the U.S. Constitution and made special “Readers Theater” presentations.
• Macedonia Elementary School second-graders are learning ‘Constitution Day,’ a song by Music K-8 composer, John Riggio. The students, under the direction of music teacher Ann Dancy, will perform the song during the PTA meeting on Sept. 25.“This powerfully patriotic piece inspires an awareness of the United States Constitution and its significance in our country’s system of government,” Principal Tammy Castleberry said. “The words teach children that the U.S. Constitution is the highest law in the land, serving as a framework to protect and uphold the rights and freedoms of every U.S. citizen!”
• Macedonia Elementary School has selected Joanna Leifeld as its Teacher of the Year. Leifeld, who teaches fifth grade, now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December.

Mill Creek Middle

• Mill Creek Middle School has selected Dianne Schumacher as its Teacher of the Year. Schumacher, a seventh-grade science teacher, now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December.

Mountain Road Elementary

• Mountain Road Elementary School students learned about diabetes from the family of a classmate who has the juvenile form of the disease. Chris and Kerry Kiser recently visited the school to teach kindergarten and first-grade students about type 1 diabetes, as their son Canon, a kindergartener at the school, has this form of diabetes and uses an insulin pump. A first-grader at the school also has type 1 diabetes and attended the program. Lenny The Lion shared with the students what a person with type 1 diabetes does to take care of himself or herself, and how friends can help -- including knowing the signs for high and low blood sugar. Mr. Kiser works for Medtronics, which designs technology relative to type 1 diabetes and other diseases. “Their goal is to educate all who are involved in Canon’s life and the lives of others with type 1 diabetes. The presentation was light-hearted, and the kids had fun and learned something, too!” Principal Jennifer Landry said.

Oak Grove Elementary Fine Arts Academy

• Oak Grove Elementary School Fine Arts Academy regularly welcomes Etowah High School student athletes to serve as guest readers in its classrooms. Some of the Etowah students have been participating in the program for their entire high school careers and not only provide additional reading comprehension activities for students, but also inspire them to succeed academically, become student leaders and graduate from high school. All of the schools in the Etowah Innovation Zone – an Innovation Zone includes a high school and its feeder middle and elementary schools -- work together to encourage graduation through the Operation Graduation initiative. In addition to Oak Grove ES Fine Arts Academy students benefitting from the visit, the Etowah students learn valuable life skills from speaking to the classes, answering the children’s questions and acting as role models. Participating Etowah student athletes, who represent a variety of teams, include: Caleb Barden-Street, Abby Bishop, Kylie Blanton, Leah Brown, Cory Burdett, Sarah Carter, Jessica Cohen, Mahala Cornette, Abby Davis, Josh Fulenwider, Joel Happel, Sydney Hotaling, Katelyn Jepson, Stanley Logue, John Maxwell, Patrick Oliver, Carlyle Rechsteiner, Kenneth Reibly, Dante Richitelli, Nick Searcy, Alex Smith, Jules Turbyfield, Laura Varley, Ben Vicznesky and Brooke Welsh.
• Oak Grove Elementary School Fine Arts Academy celebrated Grandparents Day with a special breakfast for students to enjoy with their grandparents.

Teasley Middle

• Teasley Middle School faculty and staff members show their support for Riverfest by wearing this year’s commemorative T-shirt. Riverfest, on Sept. 27 and 28 at Boling Park in Canton, is a major fundraiser for the Service League of Cherokee County, which supports the county’s neediest children… often through requests made by teachers and counselors on behalf of their students. The support ranges from providing clothes and school supplies to paying for eyeglasses and dental exams.

Woodstock Elementary

• All Cherokee County School District schools are observing Constitution Day this month with special class activities and programs. Woodstock Elementary School first-grade teacher Debby Pinion’s class wrote about the national observance of Constitution Day; learned about the bald eagle, the National bird and the U.S. National emblem; and made a class flag featuring their handprints.
• Woodstock Elementary School has selected Berrian Webb as its Teacher of the Year. Webb teaches Gifted students in Grades 1-5 and also serves as the Academic Bowl and the Beta Club Sponsor. She additionally coordinates the school spelling bee, as well as mock bees for primary grades. Webb now is eligible for the honor of Cherokee County School District’s Teacher of the Year. Each CCSD school will nominate a teacher for the competition, which is judged by a panel of community leaders. The winner will be surprised in his or her classroom by the Superintendent of Schools in November and will be honored, along with each school’s winner, at a Teacher of the Year Banquet in December.“Her hard work and dedication was also recognized last year when the WES yearbook was dedicated in her honor,” Principal Kim Montalbano said. “Good luck and congratulations to this very special educator!”
• Woodstock Elementary School has recognized Jennifer McInnis as its Staff Member of the Month for September.Ms. McInnis is the school’s registrar and personally meets with each new family to help children successfully make the transition to their new school. She assists with parent questions, processes all records requests and does an “outstanding” job meeting all School District requirements for record keeping, according to Principal Kim Montalbano.“Last year, she was commended for her flawless data entry by the School District,” Principal Montalbano added. “We are so fortunate to have her serving in the WES front office.”

Woodstock High

• Woodstock High School student Ryan Swiger placed third in the 2014 International Kepler Art of Discovery Contest for student graphic artists. Contestants submitted their artwork based on designing and creating graphic images that display future planets that have not been discovered. The annual international competition began in 2009 and receives thousands of entries from around the world. Winners are selected by a distinguished panel of judges, and the award is considered a great accomplishment for a student non-professional graphic artist.

(Photo: Principal Tammy Castleberry is pictured with PTA board members Regina Hammock, Heather Parenteau, Chelle Hays and Julie Pennington. Not pictured: Co-president Tara Nalley. Credit: Cherokee County School District)