ALMOST TIME: Get ready! Cass High School's Homecoming Parade will be rolling through downtown Cartersville at 7 p.m. tonight! JOIN US!!
CHECK IT OUT: New opportunity for Bartow County grandparents! See below!
WOW: Add Woodland High School to the list of nationally recognized Promising Practices schools!
This recognition is awarded to schools that have demonstrated initial success in raising student achievement by focusing on learning, building a collaborative culture, and creating a results orientation.
Only six high schools in the state have been awarded this and 54 across the entire country!
Congratulations! Just this year, WHS recorded a graduation rate above the milestone 95% mark (again), historically high SAT scores, more AP scholars than any other school in the county, and now this! Such huge gains within the last five years!
WOW: First, Adairsville High School earns the HIGHEST GRADUATION RATE IN THE COUNTY! Now, it's being nationally recognized as a PROMISING PRACTICES SCHOOL for its initial success in raising student achievement!
Adairsville High School's commitment to implementing the Professional Learning Communities process has been a major contributing factor in making a visible, positive impact on student learning. This recognition acknowledges the collective efforts of their staff to ensure all students learn at high levels.
CONGRATULATIONS, AHS staff & students!
BARTOW CARES FOR YOU: APPROVAL; It's our relational word of the month! You'll see and hear it in school and out in the community!
We all have experienced the pain of someone making us feel unworthy or disliked. That is why we want to focus on the need of approval this month. Approval means building up or affirming the worth of another person, and sounds like, “I’m proud of you. You have such a kind heart. I’m impressed by you." #bartowcares4u
For more information on this mental health campaign, click here!
https://www.bartow.k12.ga.us/article/783187
UPDATE: Thanks in part to our new bus driver recruitment campaign and incentive, we are almost fully staffed once again in the Transportation Department! We hope to officially hire about 10 drivers next week and round out the team with the newest training class that starts today! Thank you for your continued support of the Bartow County School System!
BARTOW AND BEYOND: Carressa Hann
Carressa is a 2014 Woodland High School graduate who has a sharp focus on helping individuals with disabilities become more independent! Check out her journey below! We are so proud of Carressa's tenacious attitude and accomplishments in and after high school!
ITT Technical College - Networking Administration (Associates Degree) 2016
Georgia Highlands College - Business Administration (Associates degree) 2020
Georgia Highlands College - Administration Healthcare Management (Bachelors of Business) 2022
NWGA Center for Independent Living - Community Transition Coordinator 2022
PINK OUT: We haven't seen these AMAZING field formations since 2019 due to COVID-19. Well, they're back, and we're excited to say the PINK OUT event in Adairsville will be BIGGER THAN EVER!
This year's field formation of more than 3,000 students and staff will spell the word FAMILY! There will also be music and an extremely moving survivors walk.
Please join us at the Adairsville High School football field on Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month and our local families who are battling the disease.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: It's always #betterinbartow and here is another reason why. Through our partnership with Georgia Highlands College and GYSTC, our STEM Teacher Champion Academy cohorts, robotics coaches, and gifted teachers learned how to dissect a spiny dogfish shark, engineer a prosthetic for a "sea turtle," extract DNA from a strawberry, and explore the art of stop motion, just to name a few activities! Here's the best part; these teachers and teacher leaders will now take what they learned back to their schools and recreate these activities! Yes, students WILL be dissecting SHARKS thanks to GHC! How neat is that?!
WOW, WOW, WOW: Congratulations to the Cass High School Band for its amazing performance at the Lake Lanier Tournament of Bands! The band walked away as Best in Class AAA and a very close 2nd Place Overall finish on the day. What an incredible way to start the competitive season!
Class AAA Champions 🥇
1st Place AAA Percussion 🥁
1st Place AAA Color Guard 🏴
1st Place AAA Band 🎺
Overall 2nd Place 🥈
Up next...the 5th Annual Northwest Georgia Marching Band Championship tomorrow at Cass High School! Wish them luck!
📸: David Draper
LIGHTNING FAST VISIT: WSB Meteorologist Brian Monahan visited Mission Road Elementary School this week to share his extensive knowledge on monitoring and interpreting computer and radar analysis of the weather, among many other topics!
TOUCH A TRUCK: As you can tell from the first picture, the Touch a Truck event at Clear Creek Elementary School was a big hit! This is yet another example of how our community partners help engage students in relevant learning experiences!
NEW: The Bartow County School System four-year graduation rate climbs to a new all-time high in 2022 – 94.4%. That rate is up from 93.6% last year and beats the state average by more than 10%. Two Bartow County high schools break the milestone 95% plane, and the graduation rate for students with disabilities skyrockets for the second year in a row.
“Those are incredible highlights from the data just released today by the Georgia Department of Education,” said BCSS Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page. “There are so many reasons to celebrate, as school leaders remain intentional and focused in this area, and students are increasingly engaged and supported through the Professional Learning Communities process. I could not be prouder of the work that is being done and excited to continue the trend of improving student outcomes countywide.”
Adairsville High School students and staff earned the highest graduation rate in the county – 96.6%. That is a 3% increase over last year’s rate and the first time above the milestone 95% mark. The graduation rate for students with disabilities also jumped from 79.3% to 89.2%.
“AHS is committed to providing relevant learning experiences for ALL,” said AHS Principal Dr. Lexie Bultman. “The increase in our graduation rate, which is the highest it has ever been, continues to validate the effectiveness of the PLC process and our commitment to those relevant learning experiences. Collaborative teacher teams consistently analyze student data to make informed decisions about each individual student, leading to increased learning and achievement.”
“Scores and numbers are never our mission, but they are a metric by which we are measured,” added Dr. Bultman. “Graduation rate is a school metric everyone can get behind and this is truly a schoolwide effort! We are excited because this increase supports the hard work our staff put in each and every day to ensure all students learn at high levels.”
Cass High School’s graduation rate increased from 91.9% in 2021 to 92.1% this year. School leaders also graduated more students with disabilities than any other school in the county. Increasing their outcome by 9%, they recorded a 92.3% graduation rate this year for students with disabilities.
“We are excited to see our four-year graduation rate over 92%, the highest in school history!,” said CHS Principal Steve Revard. “The Class of 2022 was a special group of students that pushed through adversity, while continuing to raise the bar. Our teachers and staff remain dedicated to supporting all students through effective collaboration, Tier II instruction, a focus on literacy, and extracurricular opportunities. I am also incredibly proud of our Guiding Coalition, as they continue to implement research-based strategies and innovative practices that move Cass High forward.”
Woodland High School and its school community were pleased to log a 95.3% graduation rate, which is above the milestone 95% plane for the second year in a row. Their rate for students with disabilities is 82.8%, which is a whopping 37% higher than their average in 2018.
“We are very pleased to see that our graduation rate is above 95% for the second year in a row,” said WHS Principal Dave Stephenson. “Our students enjoy a culture of high expectations, and our staff have committed to each student who walks through our doors becoming fully prepared for opportunities after high school. We will continue to focus on all students learning and achieving at the highest levels.”
Exceptional Education Director Tania Amerson and her team were also instrumental in raising their overall system rate for students with disabilities by almost 8%, moving from 80.8% last year to 88.6% this year.
“The work to prepare our students to graduate starts at pre-K,” adds Amerson. "The collaboration which is occurring between general and exceptional education at all levels is leading to improved outcomes for all students as evidenced by the decreasing gap in graduation rate between general and exceptional education. I am very pleased to see this gap closing and know this work is having a positive impact on the lives of our students and community.”
BE IN THE KNOW: We interrupt your regularly scheduled Fall Break to bring you this picture from the Grand Marshal float at the Adairsville parade over the weekend! Recognize these familiar faces?
* Dr. Phillip Page, Bartow County School System Superintendent
* Dr. Lexie Bultman, Adairsville High School Principal
* Sharon Viktora, BCSS Parent & State School Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council Member
* Anna Sullivan, BCSS Board Member
* Sarah Collum, Adairsville Elementary School Teacher of the Year
* Jonathon Stephey, Adairsville Middle School Teacher of the Year
CHOO CHOO: The Great Locomotive Chase Festival is rolling through Adairsville this weekend, and our superintendent was invited to lead the parade tomorrow as the Grand Marshal!! So, today, Dr. Page is warming up his arm and practicing his wave! 👋👋👋 Make sure you stop by and say hello!
NEW: History making moment for Woodland High School students and staff as they earn their HIGHEST OVERALL SAT SCORE TO DATE! In fact, their total mean score of 1079 puts them in the top quartile of schools across the state!
"We are so incredibly proud of our students and teachers!," said WHS Principal Dave Stephenson. "It’s particularly exciting to see strong results in both Evidence-Based Reading and Writing AND Math. Strong SAT outcomes show that our graduates are prepared for success at the next level, and it’s a testament to the four years of great work put in by Woodland High School teachers addressing learning gaps and accelerating our kids to career and college readiness."
"We have seen SAT improvements move along with our increase in Advanced Placement participation and testing success," adds Principal Stephenson. "Clearly, practice in rigorous content and assessment translates to strong SAT outcomes. We look forward to growing access to these programs for all Woodland learners in the years ahead."
STUDENTS IN STEM: Best day of the week for Mission Road...all because students and staff participated in an amazing STEM Walk! You could find students making memories while engaged in lessons on calculating wind speed, coding, and so much more! Great things happening at MRES!
BARTOW AND BEYOND: Our Annual Transition Fair - a one-stop-shop for Adairsville, Cass, Woodland, and Cartersville City Exceptional Education students and families who are wondering what their options are after high school! Vendors from various agencies were available at Georgia Highlands today to discuss how services can be provided beyond public education. Representative included: Georgia Highlands, Kennesaw State, Chattahoochee Tech, Georgia Northwestern, Parent to Parent, Vocational Rehabilitation, Guardianship, Highland Rivers, and many more! Project Search was there to help as well!
CENTRAL OFFICE CELEBRATIONS: When you work in a school system and community like this, you have a lot to celebrate! And, if you know Superintendent Page, then you know he likes to celebrate the RIGHT WORK. In the Bartow County School System, the right work supports learning, collaboration, and results. That's what we value.
Today, we celebrate and honor Lindsey Huskins, our Benefits Specialist! Lindsey is detailed, dependable, and a true class act. We are certainly lucky to have her! Congratulations, Lindsey! You make us all better!
"I'LL TAKE LEARNING FOR 500:" Jeopardy star and Kennesaw State University alumnus, Raymond Goslow, paid a visit to our Cass High School Magnet students to discuss Geospatial Mapping as a career! How neat, right? What a great educational experience!
Goslow placed second in the 2022 "Jeopardy! National College Championship" on Feb. 22. He now works as an administrative coordinator for the Georgia Public Library Service!
