• Two CCSD Leaders Named Region Athletic Directors of the Year

Jeremy Adams, athletic director and a Cherokee HS assistant principal, was selected as the Region 5-7A Athletic Director of the Year, and David Dyer,  athletic director and a River Ridge HS assistant principal, was named Region 6-6A Athletic Director of the Year. Both are in the running for the state title in their divisions, which will be announced at the 2023 Georgia Athletic Directors Association State Conference in March.  

 

• Physical Education Teacher Wins Top State Honor

In November, Amy Aenchbacher, a CCSD adaptive PE specialist, was presented with the Georgia Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (GAHPERD) Kim Thompson Honor Award. The highest honor bestowed by the Association, this award is presented when a member’s contributions have been “exemplary, sustaining, and far-reaching.” Recipients additionally must be considered by their colleagues as a positive role model and have held leadership positions in the association, presented at state conferences, and/or been published in state publications.

 

• Cherokee HS Principal Receives Game Changer Award

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower presented the 2022 Game Changer Award for Instructional Leadership to Cherokee HS Principal Rodney Larrotta.

 

“When you talk about leadership, when you talk about this leader, you think passion, you think care,” Dr. Hightower said as he revealed Principal Larrotta as the winner by describing his character. “You think accountability balanced with grace. You think vision and being able to get into the weeds and work on the details. Rodney has done everything we’ve asked him to do and so much more. I’ve been amazed by the type of person he is.”

 

• Sequoyah HS’s Performance in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Sequoyah HS Band of Chiefs has traveled extensively, including New York City, Washington D.C., and Orlando, Florida. On Thanksgiving, the band performed at the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, Illinois.

 

• Clark Creek ES Teachers Named Georgia STEM Scholars

Georgia Youth Science & Technology Centers recognized Teresa Bailey and Kimberly Harrison, both of Clark Creek ES STEM Academy, as 2023 Don Cargill STEM Scholar Award winners. Honored educators are selected for their excellence in teaching students about science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as their innovation in integrating STEM lessons in elementary and middle school education. Each honoree receives a $500 award to purchase classroom STEM supplies

 

• Student Wins First Place at State Career Competition 

Etowah HS senior Avery DiGirolamo won the top prize in the mental health education in action event at the Georgia HOSA Future Health Professionals fall leadership conference. She competed against other health care science students at the statewide conference, which offered five competitive events. DiGirolamo is a student in Etowah’s Career Pathway health care science program, which focuses on therapeutic services, sports medicine, and exercise physiology.