Ambitious Student Graduates 1.5 Years Early

October 30, 2020

Congratulations to Anijah Mayhue, the first official PLC graduate for the 2020-2021 school year! Earlier this month, she kicked off her graduation celebration by ringing the bell at the Success Center.

Anijah graduated a full year and a half early. Her cohort graduation year is 2022.

Anijah transferred to the Performance Learning Center (PLC) at the Success Center from Chapel Hill High School in November 2019. She worked hard during the school day and worked many nights after school to complete her classes. In addition to her rigorous studies, she gained experience towards her future cosmetology career by working part time and building her clientele.

What's the next step for Anijah? She has already enrolled with Aveda Arts and Sciences Institute and plans to start her own cosmetology business.

"Anijah's success is a testament to hard work and dedication," said Success Center Principal Dr. Andre Touchard. "She had a plan and carried it out extremely well. We are excited for her future and look forward to seeing her flourish in her career!"

Anijah is the oldest of five siblings and shared that she has always been an independent child. She works to purchase her own school clothes and saves the rest to continue her training.

The PLC is a blended learning platform that allows students to earn credits at their own pace. For more information about the PLC and other programs at the Success Center, please go to the website.

Schools Celebrate Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week offered dress-up days at schools for students and staff! Some schools celebrated community helpers and others celebrated characters through the decades.

While Red Ribbon Week is celebrated with fun activities, the mission is serious: to encourage children, families and communities to live healthy, happy and drug-free lives. It also serves as a reminder that we are all empowered with shaping the communities around us through positivity, bravery and strength

Local Companies Donate to Shop with a Cop

Virginia Garrett, second from left, with GAR Inc. Heating & Cooling, presents a generous check to the Douglas County School System Police Department’s first annual Shop with a Cop. Accepting the company’s donation are Chief Whaley, Officer Neufeld and Captain Walter Williams.

Fixed Operations Manager Stevie Reid and additional staff members with Thornton Chevrolet present a check to Officer Young, Chief Whaley and Captain Williams for Shop with a Cop.

There will be holiday cheer for a lot of Douglas County School System students this December as they enjoy a shopping spree made possible by the Douglas County School System Police Department with donations from GAR Inc. Heating & Cooling and Thornton Chevrolet. This will be the first annual Shop with a Cop hosted by school system SROs.

According to Officer Taylor Neufeld, the SROs created a Community Resource team to identify ways to help students they serve. “Our goal is to impact the lives of local students.” The SROs will work with school counselors to identify students to invite to shop. Each participating student will receive at least $100. Officer Neufeld says if donations allow, some students may receive up to $50 more for clothing purchases.

“We want to contribute to society,” said Virginia Garrett when presenting the check on behalf of the company. “We have a heart for helping kids.”

“We appreciate the generosity of Mrs. Garrett and her husband Mike Garrett of GAR Heating and Cooling along with all the employees at Thornton Chevrolet,” said Chief Tracey Whaley. “They’re going to help make the holidays a lot more special for the kids that get to Shop with a Cop. We’re grateful to the other local businesses that have pledged support, as well. Together, we’re making a difference.”

Rain Barrel Project Embraces Creativity and Conservation

An exciting rain barrel project sponsored by the Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) and the Cultural Arts Council (CAC) will help students show off their artistic and creative talents and learn about water conservation efforts.

WSA delivered rain barrels to every school in the Douglas County School System earlier this month. The schools have until December to decorate their barrel and submit a picture to the Cultural Arts Council. The Douglas County community will then be able to vote on Facebook for their favorite designs. The two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school that garner the most “Likes” will win a digital weather system provided by WSA. Afterwards, all schools are invited to install their new rain barrel on location to help with their school gardens, STEM programs and curriculum related to water conservation and using resources wisely.

In the photo at Stewart Middle School are Lyndsey Sargent, WSA communications coordinator, and Ricky Holder and Chris Rohm from the WSA maintenance division.

Happy National Principals Month to Our Awesome Leaders!

Schools across the district celebrated their principals during National Principals Month in October.

Staff members at Fairplay Middle School showed their love with cards and flowers. Pictured are Principal Fhonda Strong and Assistant Principal Christy Shackelford.

Success Center Principal Dr. Andre Touchard was showered with gifts by his staff.

Heads Up! Look for a Survey Link Soon

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 will email and text a survey link 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.

Survey responses are anonymous and will take 5-10 minutes to complete. The feedback will allow leaders to continue supporting and adjusting to best meet the needs of our students.

In addition to parents and guardians, we also want to collect feedback from our students and staff. Students in grades 6-12 will be provided with a survey link, and staff members will receive an email to complete the teacher survey via Pulse.

Thank you in advance for your help as we work to meet the needs of students, families and staff during this time of COVID-19.

Meet Our SRO: Christina Clark

Christina Clark served over 19 years in the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in various capacities, including: jail, patrol, SRO, Special Investigation Division and Criminal Investigation Division. A graduate of Douglas County High School, she attended Medix College to become a certified medical assistant and phlebotomist. As a law enforcement officer, she has taken many classes to help in investigating crimes against children.

"I have always been dedicated to the citizens of Douglas County," said Sgt. Clark. "My passion for children is comparable to a mother’s passion for her child. I try to treat each child as if they were my own."

When asked about her goals as an SRO, Sgt. Clark said that she wants to provide valuable resources to staff members, foster positive relationships with students, develop strategies to resolve problems affecting students and protect all youth and staff. "My goal as a sergeant and SRO is to provide a positive relationship with students and staff and to make sure the SROs that I supervise do the same."

Sgt. Clark is stationed at Alexander High School and Bill Arp Elementary and serves as the sergeant over the south sector, supervising 14 SROs. Sgt. Clark was raised by a single mother who always instilled the value of treating others the way you would want to be treated. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 29 years and has two boys who both graduated from AHS. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their two pups, Bentley and Jasper.

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.

Anna Douglas is an outstanding, well-rounded student at Holly Springs Elementary School. She has a great work ethic and always does her best. She is a role model for other students and exhibits quiet but intentional leadership skills. Anna is a part of Program Challenge and has participated in Chorus and Club Tome. The teachers at Holly Springs describe Anna as dependable, honest and trustworthy. Congratulations, Anna!

Children enrolled in school in Douglas County and their younger siblings may once again receive a free Christmas gift through the generosity of the folks at Operation Christmas Douglas County.

To qualify, children must reside in Douglas County, be age 16 or younger, and receive free or reduced price lunch. This is a community effort and is not sponsored by the school system.

To register for this opportunity, please go to one of the links below. The deadline to register is November 6.

Registration in English

Registration in Spanish