Links to the livestream broadcasts of our graduations!

May 17, 2019

Field Trip Fun for Middle School Students!

Historical sites and events became real for students in many schools as they traveled to a variety of interesting locations for educational field trips this spring. Fairplay Middle School and Mason Creek Middle School are two of the schools that ventured away from Douglasville for overnight trips.

Fairplay Middle School Travels to the Coast

Eighth grade students from Fairplay Middle School traveled to the Georgia coast in May. They toured sites they studied this year in their Georgia Studies classes, including Jekyll Island, Cumberland Island, and Savannah.

Mason Creek Middle School Takes on Washington, D.C.

Advanced students in 7th and 8th grade at Mason Creek spent four days touring special sites in our nation's capital, including the U.S. Capitol building, the Library of Congress, Ford's Theater, Arlington National Cemetery, the Museum of African American History and Culture, and the White House.

Elementary Students Tackle STEAM Projects

More than 200 elementary students from schools across the county gathered at the Murray Educational Center to take part in a variety of hands-on activities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (STEAM).

Superintendent Trent North greeted the participants along with Donald Douglas, the Gifted Parent Association President, and then it was full STEAM ahead for students! Students practiced coding skills, visited the STAR Lab, heard about robotics and engineering activities at Lithia Springs High School, took part in robot "battles," explored the latest in laser inventions, and created film canister rockets!

For more information about the Gifted Parent Association in Douglas County, visit the Facebook page: Douglas County Association for Gifted Children (DCAGC).

Governor Visits Two High Schools in Douglas County

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp along with many local and state officials visited Chapel Hill High School on May 15 to learn about safety technology the Douglas County School System is putting in place. The Centegix alert system empowers teachers and administrators to signal for help in case of a minor emergency or to lock down the entire school in case of a life threatening emergency. Teachers are able to set off the alert through a badge worn around the neck or clipped to clothing.

"This technology will save lives if we ever have a person on one of our campuses with the intent of harming our students and teachers," said Superintendent Trent North.

Governor Kemp praised the Douglas County School System for using grant money from the state to purchase the safety system. The governor, elected officials, and the media experienced a demonstration of how the alert system works and safety protocols that are in place for students and teachers during a lock down situation.

Governor Kemp then traveled to Douglas County High School where he presented a proclamation for "Teens in the Driver Seat," a peer-to-peer program for teens that focuses on traffic safety and addresses all major risks for this age group. Ms. Rebecca Lee has sponsored the group at Douglas County High School for the past three years.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole and other officials also participated in the presentation.

DCSS: Educating for 150 Years

This fall, the Douglas County School System will celebrate 150 years of education in our county. Although Douglas County was not officially created until 1870 from portions of Cobb, Paulding, Carroll, and Campbell Counties, education in the area that was to become Douglas County began much earlier.

According to “Douglas County, Georgia: From Indian Trails to I-20” by Fannie Mae Davis, prior to the passage of the Common Schools Act in Georgia in 1870, primary schools were organized by parents in neighborhoods who would advertise for a teacher, or a teacher would move to a community and advertise for students.

" The parents of a community would acquire a site and construct, often by their own labor, a one-room schoolhouse. Parents routinely performed janitorial duties and maintained the building and grounds. As trustees of the school, they paid the teacher a salary based on a specified fee per child, per household. The “contract teacher” often lived in the homes of students, spending a week at a time in each household. The benefits of this system were mutual – the teacher received free room and board; the host household had a periodic captive after-hours private tutor … and no one family had to carry the economic burden of another mouth to feed."

Beginning in August, we will feature a few historical snippets about education in Douglas County from 1869 through 2019. If you have historical photographs or information on the early days of education in Douglas County, we would love to see it! Please email your information to nell.boggs@dcssga.org.

Enjoy Graduation Ceremonies from the Comfort of Home!

Out-of-town relatives and friends will have the ability to view graduation wherever they may be located! We are excited to announce that all five graduation ceremonies will be streamed live from the University of West Georgia.

Click the name of the schools below to access the livestream broadcast. We wish our outstanding graduates the best of luck as they transition to the next exciting chapter in their lives!