Graduation Rate Increases, Surpasses State Average

November 13, 2020

Douglas County Girls Flag Football Team

Off to a Flying Start

Team Kicks off with Grant from Atlanta Falcons and

Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

The football team of the future is celebrating their inaugural season at Douglas County High School. Douglas County’s girls flag football team is making history after the Georgia High School Association implemented a state-wide high school girls flag football league in 2019. Douglas County High’s team represents the first team in the Douglas County School System.

Girls flag football is booming at the high school and collegiate level. Now that the sport has been officially sanctioned by the GHSA, Georgia joins many other states with a statewide high school girls flag football league. This year, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics adopted it as a sport, which now means college scholarship opportunities are available for girls who play at the high school level.

A $6,000 grant from the Atlanta Falcons and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation made Douglas County High School’s inaugural season possible. The financial investment came in response to what both organizations say is an alarmingly low number of high school sports for girls in Georgia.

“We knew the need for more girls’ sports in Georgia was there, and that was enough for us to get started,” says Atlanta Falcons President and CEO Rich McKay. “The goal was always to get this program to become an officially sanctioned sport and give girls more opportunities to play sports in high schools and we are thrilled that the GHSA shared the same vision. It’s an exciting time for high school sports in Georgia,” he says.

Robert Fellows coaches the 23 member team at DCHS. He has excitedly watched the girls prepare for a successful season. “I couldn't be more proud of the girls who came out for our inaugural season. They are eager to learn and have made amazing progress. They are very competitive,” he says. “Opening up a female alternative to football at the high school level was long overdue. These girls can throw, catch and run. All they needed was an opportunity and they are making the most of it,” he continues.

Coach Fellows continues to be thankful female athletes now have this additional opportunity to compete. “I'm very grateful to Arthur Blank and the Falcons for providing us and many other schools around the state of Georgia with the critical funding needed to get our program started,” he explains. “The Falcons offered funding and provided free coaching clinics for new flag football coaches with former Head Coach Dan Quinn and Team President Rich McKay. They have taken an interest in making football an option for our high school athletes. We are so grateful for this opportunity.”

The team will continue to play flag football throughout the month of November with a playoff format taking place in December. Their next match will be Wednesday, November 18, at East Coweta High School at 5:30 pm.

Douglas County Graduation Rate for Class of 2020 Shows Increase, Surpasses State Average

The Douglas County School System Class of 2020 four-year high school graduation rate of 89.4% once again surpassed the graduation rate for Georgia. According to data released by the Georgia Department of Education on November 10, 2020, the graduation rate for the state was 83.8%. Scores in Douglas County increased from 87.4% in 2019 to 89.4% in 2020. For the sixth consecutive year, all five high schools in Douglas County exceeded the state graduation rate.

“Our goal in the Douglas County School System is for every student not only to graduate, but to graduate prepared for college or the military or with the skills needed to succeed in the workforce,” said Superintendent Trent North. “While we are proud of the gains we are making, we will continue to work with our students to achieve at the highest levels. Earning a high school diploma and having the skills to succeed at the next level are essential for having a successful career and becoming an engaged and productive citizen.”

The U.S. Department of Education requires that Georgia report the graduation rate using the adjusted cohort rate. The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is defined as the cohort when a student first enters 9^th grade and is calculated based on the number of students who graduate within four years.

Four of five high schools in Douglas County saw a gain in graduation rate, including Alexander, Chapel Hill, Douglas County and Lithia Springs High Schools. Schools with the highest graduation rates were Chapel Hill High School at 94.9% and Alexander High School at 94.2%. Lithia Springs saw the most growth in graduation rate, with a rate of 87.0% in 2020, up from 82.2% in 2019.

“I am proud of the Class of 2020,” said Assistant Superintendent of Student Achievement Melanie Manley. “These students faced many challenges as they closed out the 2019-2020 school year online due to the pandemic. I am proud of their perseverance in the face of these obstacles. I’m also proud of our elementary and middle school teachers who worked hard to prepare students for the rigor of high school courses. Our high school teachers, counselors and administrators have also worked tirelessly to provide the support our students need to be successful.”

For more information about graduation rates, please visit the Georgia Department of Education website, www.gadoe.org.

Schools Celebrate Veterans Day

Schools across the county celebrated Veterans Day on November 11. While schools could not host veterans for lunch and conduct large assemblies due to COVID concerns, they found other ways to honor veterans and incorporate patriotic activities into their lessons.

In the picture above, 5th graders at Mason Creek Elementary performed a Readers Theater called "Honor Our Heroes." They also participated in Veterans Day activities on Flocabulary.

Other students at Mason Creek Elementary recognized Veterans Day by building military items like army men, tanks, naval ships and fighter planes.

Students and staff at Arbor Station Elementary celebrated Mr. Grant Batteast, who works as a paraprofessional at the school. He retired from the Army with 27 years of service and the rank of command sergeant major.

"The Military enabled me to grow as an individual, as well as a family man. My years of service were the focal point of my life. I will always be grateful for the lasting bonds and friendships," said Mr. Batteast. "After retirement, I found myself searching for somewhere or something that would allow me to make a difference. Arbor Station Elementary provided that opportunity for me to give back, by contributing to the positive development of these young and impressionable individuals."

Ms. Woods at Winston Elementary enjoyed learning about her students' family members who are currently serving in the military. "Our Wildcats wrote some beautiful letters to our soldiers that I am proud to mail!"

Google Grant Puts Technology in the Hands of Students

A generous $100,000 grant from Google helped put Chromebooks in the hands of Douglas County School System students this school year. Google gave the donation to the Douglas County Education Foundation in support of the school system’s One-to-One technology initiative. The One-to-One technology initiative provides an individual learning device (Chromebook or laptop) for each student and teacher, making it much easier for students and teachers to access instructional materials from school and home.

“Douglas County is our home, and we’ve seen COVID-19’s impact on the community over the past several months,” said Jim Brown, site operations manager for Google. “We have continued to explore ways to help address some of these challenges, and we remain committed to supporting our neighbors — from frontline healthcare workers to students, teachers and nonprofits — as we confront this global pandemic. We deeply admire and respect our local teachers, and we’re proud of the work the Douglas County School System has done to maintain valuable learning time for its students.”

“Plans for providing a Chromebook or laptop to every student had been in the works for a while,” said Superintendent Trent North. “When the coronavirus pandemic forced all students to begin this school year by attending classes virtually from home, our technology plans were expedited. Google came through, both generously and with perfect timing, helping the District purchase a device for loan to every student needing one. Our school system and community are fortunate to have Google partnering with us.”

COVID-19: Please Stay Vigilant

ASES Releases Video on "Masking Up"

Cases of COVID-19 are increasing across the world, country, state and county, and cases in the Douglas County School System are also rising. An increase in COVID-19 cases means an increase in the number of students and staff members who must quarantine. Most of the cases in the school system have been traced to contact that occurred away from school.

"We are fortunate that we have not been required to shut down an entire school due to COVID," said Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Renee Davis. "Many other counties have had to shut down schools for days or weeks due to a COVID outbreak. We feel that our students and staff are doing a great job of following COVID protocol at school. We implore everyone to stay vigilant as we move into the holidays. Students and staff who attend large gatherings outside of school risk contracting COVID and spreading it in our schools."

The CDC recently released guidance for celebrating the holidays safely during the time of COVID-19. We encourage parents and guardians to review the guidance, which can be found here.

Every Friday, DCSS releases the number of new COVID cases in schools for that week. To view the weekly report, please click here.

Arbor Station Elementary students and staff are doing a great job following COVID-19 protocol at school! They recently produced a video encouraging everyone to wear a mask. Watch this fun, upbeat video!

CHHS Wins College Success Award

Congratulations to Chapel Hill High School for winning the 2020 College Success Award from GreatSchools.org.

Chapel Hill is one of 81 high schools in Georgia to earn this prestigious honor. Schools were judged based on how well they prepare students for college. Indicators for the award include the number of graduates who enroll in college, percentage of graduates required to enroll in English and math remediation in college, and the number of graduates who complete their first year of college and return for a second year. There are 482 public high schools in Georgia. Chapel Hill also won the award in 2018.

“We are thrilled with this announcement,” said Chapel Hill High School Principal Nicole Watson. “The credit goes to the hard work of our teachers and staff and to the diligence of our students. With the ongoing support of our parents and the community, we will continue to strive for excellence when preparing students for college and career.”

Chapel Hill High School offers the Advanced Placement Magnet Program. The school is composed of around 1,400 students. Chapel Hill earned the highest graduation rate in Douglas County for 2020 at 94.94%. Chapel Hill ranked in the top 21% of schools in the state and in the nation based on the 2020 U.S. News and World Report’s List of Best High Schools in the Nation.

GreatSchools provides an online platform with ratings and school information to help parents find the right school for their family and improve schools in their communities. For more information about the College Success Awards, go to https://www.greatschools.org/georgia/college-success-award/ .

Five DCSS Schools Named on List of

Best Elementary Schools

Congratulations to five of our elementary schools that were named on the list of "30 Best Elementary Schools in the Atlanta Suburbs that are Hidden Gems!" Schoolsparrow.com publishes public K-12 school rankings that normalize for parent income, elevating diverse schools to the forefront and shifting focus away from family income.

The elementary schools from Douglas County that are included in Schoolsparrow.com's list are Beulah, Lithia Springs, Bill Arp, Annette Winn and Sweetwater.

To see the entire list and the write-up on the schools in Douglas County, go to the link below.

List of 30 Best Elementary Schools

Free Meals for All Students Through End of School Year

We are happy to announce that free meals for all students will continue through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Free breakfast and lunch are available for students who are learning in person, for students who are in School-Based Digital Learning, as well as for any children ages 0-18 in the community, even if they are not a student in our schools.

Does your child attend school in person? Students learning in person receive their meals at school.

Does your child participate in School-Based Digital Learning (SBDL)? You may pre-order meals to pick up curbside. You must place your order through www.schoolcafe.com.

Do you have a child who does not attend a school in Douglas County? Call 770-651-2300 to place an order.

For curbside pickup:

Orders must be completed Tuesday through Thursday for pickup the following Monday.
Pickup is on Monday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the high school selected by the parent.
For more information visit our website or call us at 770-651-2300.

Please Complete the Parent Survey

Have the academic and social needs of your children been met during this time of COVID-19? We want to know.

On November 3, the Douglas County School System sent a survey link via email and text to all parents and guardians. We know that our students are experiencing a very different school year, and we hope to better understand student engagement despite the challenges created by digital and hybrid learning.

If you are a parent or guardian and you have not yet completed the survey, now is your chance! Please go to the link below. Thank you.

Parent/Guardian Survey

New Dates for Magnet Information Sessions

ATTENTION 8th GRADERS AND PARENTS:

Some schools have changed or added dates for their magnet information sessions. Please click the link below for the most updated timeline with revised dates:

Timeline for Magnet Application Process

This year, 8th grade students may apply for any of the magnet programs at the five traditional high schools through one link:

Magnet Program Application for All Schools

Podcasts about each program are available on the dcssga.org website. Look for the magnet news article on the home page. The deadline to apply is December 14.

Brenden Henderson is a model student for many reasons. He is kind, considerate, intelligent and always willing to help other students. Brenden finds the positive in every situation and always acknowledges the contributions of others. He seeks out opportunities that challenge him such as participating in the Math Club. He does everything in class that he is asked to do without a teacher having to check on him. Brenden cares about learning, his peers, his teachers, his family and his community. Congratulations, Brenden!