Cherokee County School District Announcements Six Seniors Named 2023 Georgia Scholars The Georgia Department of Education program honors high school seniors who exhibit excellence in their schools and communities. Honorees demonstrate dedication to academic success, participation in interscholastic events, and leadership through extracurricular activities. Only 154 seniors statewide earned the honor for the Class of 2023. Each Georgia Scholar receives a seal for their diploma.Etowah HS Educator Wins Teacher of the Year Etowah HS science teacher Lara McDonald is the 2023 CCSD Teacher of the Year! McDonald, a 13-year educator who teaches environmental science including AP classes, will advance as CCSD’s nominee for the Georgia Teacher of the Year competition. She is known for her creative engaging lessons and sponsorship of numerous after-school clubs. Reading Bowl Team Earns State Literary Honors E.T. Booth MS’s reading bowl team earned second place in the statewide competition held at TomeCon. The team is coached by media specialist Amanda Graves and teacher Jamie Stahler, and students who competed at TomeCon are Nivesh Addepalli, Hakshara Bisetty, Ava Bourgault, Ahana Das, Evelyn Jackson, Thomas Joyce, Timi Ojo, Rohan Pandya, Eva Schwartz, Saived Tayi, Keirthen Titus, and Pradhyumna Vasishta.River Ridge HS Student Earns First Place in Congressional Art Show Sponsored by the Congressional Institute, this national competition recognizes exemplary high school artwork. Students submit entries to the congressional district that represents their school’s area, and district artists select the winning entries. River Ridge HS junior Ashley McMath was named the 11th District’s overall winner for her charcoal piece, The Holy Spirit. Her artwork will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol for one year. As part of the honor, she received airfare tickets to Washington, D.C., to see her artwork displayed and to meet with Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who represents the 11th District.Woodstock HS Student Places in All-State Art Competition Senior Emily Coburn is one of only 50 Georgia high school student artists selected for the All-State Art Symposium. More than 2,000 entries were received from students across Georgia. In addition to being selected for the competitive exhibit, Emily’s artwork also earned fourth place overall. She is a student of visual arts teacher Lori Thompson.Etowah HS Career Program Earns State Industry Certification Etowah HS’s Career Pathway Construction and Carpentry program, which is led by teacher Ty Casteel, several years ago began the challenging process of earning industry certification from the Georgia Department of Education and industry affiliate Construction Ready. Certification is considered an additional “stamp of excellence” for a Career Pathway program. The certification is for the 2022-2027 school years and can be extended through a recertification process. To earn the honor, programs must demonstrate the highest levels of excellence for curriculum and instruction; facilities and equipment; extracurricular programs aligned with the Pathway, such as SkillsUSA for construction; and partnerships with industry professionals. The process involves both submitting information to the state department of education and welcoming evaluators for a school site visit and interviews. CCSD offers a total of 38 Career Pathway high school programs, which provide students with a wide selection of job exploration and preparation electives. The programs offer students opportunities to learn specific job skills and overall beneficial workplace skills as well as valuable individual industry certifications.Creekland MS Students Win First Place at State Technology Careers Competition The annual state Technology Student Association (TSA) career skills competition offers middle and high school students the opportunity to compete in a variety of contests focused on technology related career skills. The top three winners in each contest earn a spot in the national TSA competition to be held this summer in Louisville, Kentucky. Creekland is CCSD’s only middle school with a TSA chapter, and one of its 8th grade teams earned first place in the Off the Grid contest; team members include Graham Bauch, Henry Diaz, Jack Gluckson, and Brad Rodriguez. The team is coached by teachers Anne Benton, Connie Garrison, and Logan Hostetter. Nearly 3,000 students competed at the state event, with 85 different contests offered.Students Earn State Literary Honors Two Teasley MS students earned first place at an annual statewide literary competition called TomeCon. Seventh-graders Aryn Bracewell and Elise Martin won first place for their Book Review Vlog, and Martin also earned first place for her Fan Fiction. In addition, Teasley MS's chapter of the Tome Sudent Literary Society, which is led by teachers Beth DuLong and JamieLynn Lisa, was named Honor Roll Chapter of the Year. Cherokee HS Students Advance to National Career Skills Competition For the second consecutive year, a team of Cherokee HS students placed first in the SkillsUSA Welding Fabrication Competition and now advances to the national competition in June. Team members are seniors Carter Goodrow, Braden Iovino, and Michael Pugachow, and junior James Williams. Their coach is Career Pathways welding teacher Darryl Jones. Clark Creek ES STEM Academy Leader Named a 2023 National Outstanding Assistant Principal Assistant Principal Laura Casey is one of 19 elementary school leaders nationwide to earn the annual honor presented by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). She was nominated by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals. A 22-year educator, Casey served as a classroom teacher for all grades from kindergarten through fifth before becoming as an instructional lead strategist at Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy. She was appointed to serve as assistant principal for Woodstock ES in 2020 and for Clark Creek in 2021, and she earned the 2022 Georgia PTA District 13 Assistant Principal of the Year award for elementary schools with more than 750 students. “In an age of heightened accountability, it is particularly important that today’s assistant principals are equipped to face the challenges of preparing students for a continuously changing society,” said Nikki Sparks, director of the national recognition program. “This award program seeks to recognize and reward the important contributions assistant principals make in schools and communities, and NAESP commends Laura’s continued dedication and commitment to ensuring the success of all children.” Casey has been invited to the Association’s annual conference this summer in Maryland, where she and her fellow award winners will be recognized. She will be honored at the state association’s summer business meeting and fall conference awards banquet. The Cherokee County School Board and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower will celebrate her at an upcoming school board meeting.
Design for Hickory Flat Park To Begin The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a Professional Services Agreement with Lose Design for the planning and design of a new 40-acre Hickory Flat park located at 3552 East Cherokee Drive. The cost for Lose Design services is $43,350. County Manager Geoff Morton told the Board the park is in the beginning planning stages.
Registration Is Open for Cherokee County Safety Town This summer, Safety Town is coming back to Bascomb ES. Through this program, local students learn how to stay safe with fun, interactive lessons each day. Safe Kids partners, including US Army Corps of Engineers, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Marshal’s Office, School Police, School Bus Transportation, and Animal Shelter will teach about subjects such as water safety, school bus safety, and other topics. Safety Town also provides an opportunity for teens to earn community hours by registering as counselors. Students entering kindergarten in the fall can attend the first session, June 19-23. Students entering first grade can attend the second session, June 26-30. The camp runs from 9:00am-12:00pm each day. Registration is open at SafeKidsCherokeeCounty.org. Cherokee County Safety Town is hosted by Safe Kids Cherokee County and Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services. For questions, please contact Lisa Grisham at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 678-493-4343.
Cherokee County Elections and Voter Registration Opens New Headquarters Cherokee County Elections and Voter Registration recently celebrated the opening of its new headquarters, which brings all operations under one roof. The purchase of this building was necessary to comply with Georgia State House Bill 202, which mandates increased viewing areas, parking capabilities, and storage. Located at 193 Lamar Haley Parkway in Canton, the facility was purchased for $1.5 million by the Board of Commissioners in August 2022.The building previously housed the Cherokee County Division of Family and Children Services. For more information on the Cherokee County Elections and Voter Registration office, visit CherokeeGaVotes.com.
Holly Springs Optimist Club Presents Annual Middle School Awards The Holly Springs Optimist Club recently honored seven CCSD students, along with an outstanding teacher and a paraprofessional at its annual Middle School Awards breakfast, which recognizes distinguished special needs students and their supportive teachers and staff. 2023 Honorees Creekland MS: Aniya Lott, Positive Attitude Dean Rusk MS: Arshuan Styles, Student of Integrity ET Booth MS: Kenny Diffin, Most Improved L.R. Tippens Center: Liam Klein, Outstanding Achievement Mill Creek MS: Xiomara Rubio Alvarado, Outstanding Achievement Teasley MS: Juana Gaspar-Miguel, Most Improved Woodstock MS: Shaun Haring, Most Improved The teacher award for Outstanding Achievement in Education: Ryan Cherry, Mill Creek MS Paraprofessional of the Year: Dane Holcomb, L.R. Tippens Center
Canton’s New Mural The Canton Cultural Arts Commission announces that the city's newest mural — It's a Vibe — has been completed. Located at 110 Academy Street, at the City Hall downtown parking deck, the mural was painted by artist Lauren Stumberg. The mural is a celebration of the vibe that cultural arts and community create in the city.
Coming Soon — Heritage Park Playground If you noticed some digging in the dirt going on at Heritage Park, it's because there is a new playground coming soon in the area between the mounds. The new inclusive playground will feature two play structures with slides, climbing apparatus, bridges, and shade canopies, as well as a swing set with six swings for all ages and different abilities. A turf carpet will cover the entire area of play, and a 4-ft sidewalk will circle the playground, which is expected to be complete and open by the start of summer.
New Automated Speed Enforcement at Teasley MS The City of Canton Police Department is now utilizing speed detection devices to enforce the speed limit at Teasley MS. The enforcement will be conducted using automated school zone cameras that were installed on Reservoir Drive. The program was instituted after a nationwide spike in pedestrian fatalities over the past decade in which Georgia became one of the five deadliest states for pedestrians, with the seventh-highest fatality rate. Canton PD conducted speed studies within all its school zones, which produced over 3,000 speeding violations in a single day. Automated Enforcement is endorsed as a safety tool by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, AAA, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the National Safety Council. For more information, visit CantonGa.gov/news.
Canton City Council Adopts Resolution in Opposition to HB 514 and HB 517 During the March 2 City Council meeting, Mayor Bill Grant and Canton City Council adopted a resolution seeking to keep local control over design standards, development fees, zoning regulations, and decisions related to development moratoriums at the level of government closest to the citizens most impacted. “Current legislation circulating at the State Capitol (HB 514 and HB 517) would eliminate local powers related to development and building standards and regulations,” explained City Manager Billy Peppers. “These bills would strip enforcement of decisions made through public processes at the City level in an effort to make homebuilding more profitable and faster for builders. This move for profit and productivity comes at the cost of public health, public safety, and citizen input related to the styles and standards of residential projects to be built on neighboring properties.” Canton Mayor Bill Grant added to Peppers’ sentiments, “Our citizens rely on their local government to control housing standards, quality of development, and the character of our community. House Bills 514 and 517 would undermine the mayor and Council’s control of maintenance and zoning standards in our city and, therefore, give developers an upper hand.” Among some of the items these bills seek to remove from local control include standards related to building materials, minimum lot sizes, minimum square footage requirements for residential units, and minimum requirements for road frontage for the development of a lot. Eliminating these controls removes local character from design, inhibits safety on public roadways, and impacts the property values of existing residents in favor of profiting national builders. The City Council will transmit the resolution to the local delegation and encourage concerned residents to reach out to the members of the House and Senate to voice their opinions on this preemptive legislation. A link to the resolution can be found at CantonGa.gov. Details about House Bills 514 and 517 can be found at Legis.Ga.gov.
City of Canton News To Note • Canton designated as City of Civility by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). The City adopted a civility resolution in GMA’s new Embrace Civility program during a Council meeting in February. Canton is the third city in Georgia to make this commitment. • The City of Canton participated in the first ever More Than Murals Workshop. The workshop is a three-day intensive on using art to address community challenges and is organized and sponsored by the Georgia Council for the Arts, the City of Thomasville, the Georgia Municipal Association, and the Thomasville Center for the Arts. Participating community teams left the workshop with a specific arts-based strategy that addresses the challenges that their cities are facing. Canton also received an $8,000 Creative Placemaking Project Grant. For more information, visit CantonGa.gov.
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