This past Friday Elizabeth Sanders was named the Georgia Cheerleading Coaches Association 2018 Coach of the Year at the organization's spring conference held in Athens.

Sanders, a 2007 graduate of Carrollton High School, is coming off the heels of her second state championship as head coach. As a cheerleading athlete, she was part of the CHS state championship team in 2004, followed by two runner-up finishes as a Trojan. She then went on to earn three national titles as a cheerleader for the girls squad at the University of West Georgia.

But despite her success as an elite athlete, Sanders still planned on pursuing a more pragmatic goal of becoming a veterinarian. That was until she had a taste of coaching under her mentor, Sherry Cooney, pictured with Sanders at right, who coached Sanders her senior year in high school and who has a stellar reputation as a coach at the collegiate level. Cooney was still heading the Carrollton program when she asked Sanders to consider joining her team as a community coach.

Sanders, now on the other side of the athlete-coach relationship, worked with Cooney, followed by Ryan McKinnon. When McKinnon stepped down to become a school administrator at Carrollton Elementary School in 2015, she was offered the job. MORE

Lipham named Girls Solo state champion

at GHSA Literary event

Blair Lipham, a senior at Carrollton High School, captured the individual Georgia High School Association state AAAAA Literary title in Girls Solo Saturday morning at Buford High School. She qualified for state by placing first in Girls Solo at the region level. Blair has had a distinguished high school career in vocal performance, also participating in the prestigious Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Chorus, an audition-based program recognizing the best vocalists in the state. Blair has earned this honor every year starting with the Sixth Grade Honors Chorus. With Blair following her state championship win is Julie Lowry, CHS vocal instructor.

Strong relationships between Carrollton City Schools and local, state and federal law enforcement and emergency management agencies have produced a culture of collaboration that prioritizes school safety and preparedness, said Dr. Mark Albertus, superintendent of Carrollton City Schools.

This relationship became even more pronounced following a week-long training at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Emmitsburg, Md., a few years ago that emphasized the value of these relationships and how they benefit the community, said Albertus.

"We have an ongoing, purposeful partnership with our local emergency and law enforcement professionals," he said. "We have hosted tabletop meetings, conducted live shooter drills, plus the national FEMA training helped us produce a comprehensive 20-point emergency preparedness guide that has since been given to all teachers and administrators on the proper procedures to follow in emergency situations." This guide, Albertus said, will remain "an ever-evolving document."  MORE