All 5 High Schools Named AP Honor Schools

February 14, 2020

Lessons in Agriculture at Mirror Lake Elementary

What started with a school garden a few years ago has expanded into a multi-prong focus on agriculture at Mirror Lake Elementary.

The school purchased a hydroponic gardening system this year with a $2,000 garden grant from the Whole Kids Foundation, a subsidiary of Whole Foods. Natalie Murray, music teacher at Mirror Lake, serves as the school garden coordinator. "The hydroponic gardening system is housed in our media center so that all students can see it every day," said Ms. Murray. "Students are allowed to harvest the tomatoes and pick lettuce and herbs." The hydroponic system shows students an alternative to outdoor gardening. Instead of soil, the system uses mineral nutrient solutions in water.

Another addition to the gardening program is a greenhouse. Students can now grow plants from seeds earlier in the season. Plants grown in the greenhouse will be sold to school families to raise money for the garden program.

Through the "Adopt a Cow" program, Mirror Lake is the proud "owner" of Blotches the Cow, who lives on the Rose-Maar dairy farm in Iowa. "Students are learning about the importance of the dairy industry and receive updates and pictures of Blotches," said Ms. Murray. "Students and teachers also participate in live chats with Blotches and the farmer who cares for her."

Students have learned about the importance of agriculture and career opportunities in the field through a guest speaker from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ms. Mandy Carroll brought in Margie the Chicken for students to interact with. Another popular speaker was Mr.Sheldon Tyndall, a local beekeeper who brought in several trays from his hives and let students help him process the honey.

Mirror Lake students are gaining a new appreciation for their food sources and for the field of agriculture!

All Five High Schools Named AP Honor Schools

Congratulations to all five high schools in Douglas County! They were all recognized on one or more of the lists of AP Honor Schools named by the Georgia Department of Education last week. For the full article, please click the link below.

2020 AP Honor Schools

Happy Birthday to the CCI!

Leaders from the community and school system gathered on January 31 to celebrate the 10 ^th anniversary of the College and Career Institute, better known as the CCI. The CCI is a charter school that opened in August of 2009 as a partnership between the Douglas County School System, West Georgia Technical College and the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Douglas County Economic Development Authority.

For the full story on the CCI, click here .

Spotlight on Anslee Daniel, CCI and Chapel Hill High School Class of 2015

2015 Chapel Hill High School honor graduate Anslee Daniel participated in the audio video technology and film pathway at the CCI her junior and senior year.

“I took all the classes available in the audio video pathway at the CCI and learned skills that put me ahead of my classmates at the University of Tennessee,” said Daniel. “I gained a lot of experience editing video, and I use this skill every day in my job at WJHL in Johnson City, Tennessee. I also honed my talent in front of the camera and learned what makes a story newsworthy.”

Daniel said that the experience at the CCI gave her an edge in being selected for internships at two TV stations in Knoxville while she was in college. She majored in journalism and electronic media and graduated in May of 2019. Daniel was involved in student government and other leadership organizations at the University of Tennessee and studied foreign correspondence for a month in Prague, the Czech Republic.

Since August of 2019, Daniel has worked at ABC affiliate WJHL as a multi-media journalist and the only night side reporter. “I work from 2:30-11:30 pm Monday through Friday covering breaking news and government meetings. I also do some investigative reporting. I am usually a one-person show – I schedule interviews, run my own camera, and edit video.” In addition to airing on TV, Daniel’s work is posted online.

“I love being on the scene of breaking news and having to juggle a million things and making it into a story that helps viewers understand what is happening in the community,” said Daniel. “I’m grateful that the CCI gave me skills and confidence that put me at an advantage for internships and jobs in this industry.”

To view a recent news story by Daniel, please click here .

Junior League Promotes Literacy at NMES

Every second grade student at New Manchester Elementary was able to select a book to keep at the annual Book Brigade event sponsored by the Junior League of Douglas County.

As a Partner in Education, the Junior League promotes literacy by donating books to students at several schools in Douglas County.

"We appreciate the Junior League for promoting the love of reading and all the wonderful things that come with this important life skill," said New Manchester Elementary School Program Challenge Teacher Mindy Dettmering.

ESPLOST Update

To vote on March 24, you must be registered by February 24

The presidential primary in Georgia takes place on March 24. In addition, the referendum for ESPLOST VI will be on the ballot. ESPLOST stands for Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and is the one cent sales tax that has been collected since 1997 and directly funds education projects. ESPLOST is available for renewal every five years. ESPLOST VI is an extension of the current ESPLOST and is not a new or additional tax.

Funds from the current ESPLOST V are being used for construction projects, including classroom additions at Alexander High School, Chapel Hill Middle School and Lithia Springs Elementary; the elimination of mobile units housing classrooms; payment of bond debt; instructional technology; and safety enhancements at all schools.

If approved, funds from ESPLOST VI will be used for new construction on existing campuses; debt elimination; instructional technology; and construction of a multi-purpose indoor arena for graduation ceremonies and other events.

We encourage all citizens to be informed and vote on March 24. For registration and voting information, click here. For additional information on current and future ESPLOST projects, please click here.

This ESPLOST V Project Will Be Ready for the 2020-2021 School Year!

Alexander High School will say goodbye to 11 mobile units housing 22 classrooms when the new classroom building opens in the summer of 2020. The new building will feature 26 classrooms and labs. Photos below show current construction and a rendering of the completed building.

Transportation Committee Holds Second Meeting

The transportation committee met for the second time on February 6, 2020, 10:00 a.m. at the Board of Education Central Office. Kwame Carr, assistant superintendent of district operations for the school system and chair of the transportation committee, opened the meeting and explained the revised timeline.

Facilitator Garry Puetz, who has 23 years of experience in student transportation in Gwinnett, DeKalb, and Forsyth Counties, presented information outlining transportation goals, challenges, current performance data and the performance of the Douglas County School System (DCSS) compared to surrounding counties. He then went through each of the ideas that was generated by the committee groups at the last meeting and discussed how effective each would be at solving the problems faced by DCSS.

Two ideas that were discussed at length were to:

Consolidate and designate bus stops to improve the level of service and provide consistency and safety
Move to a fully tiered system, with elementary, middle and high school levels starting and ending their day at staggered times with a greater interval between start times than we currently have. Mr. Puetz acknowledged that we should expect complaints from parents if starting and ending times for schools are changed.

Mr. Puetz also said that every county communicates that for school bus stops to be safe, parents/guardians must be expected to provide supervision for their student that is appropriate to their maturity level and the environment surrounding the stop.

For Mr. Puetz’s presentation, please click here .

Options outlined by Mr. Puetz will be discussed further at the next meeting of the committee. The committee will make a recommendation to the superintendent on March 26.

Let's Shop! Online Auction for DCSS Surplus

Are you in the market for student desks, teacher desks, or office chairs? Check out these items and more in the online auction for surplus items from the school system.

The customer has five days to pay Public Surplus and 10 days to pick up items. March 6 will be the final day for pickup.

Happy shopping! Click here for the online auction.

Please note that the photo does not show actual desks in the auction.

Scholarship Alert! DC Chamber Foundation

The Douglas County Chamber Foundation is offering several scholarship opportunities to high school students from Douglas County schools. These scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors exemplifying outstanding leadership qualities. The Douglas County Chamber Foundation is a non-profit organization designed specifically for educational projects revolving around business leadership. Click here for more information.

Brooklyn Duclair recently passed her second All-State Chorus audition with a perfect score! She has been practicing for months, and her hard work paid off. She will represent Chestnut Log Middle School at the All-State Honor Chorus in Athens, GA later this month. Brooklyn participates in Program Challenge (gifted) classes and is a member of the CLMS News Production Crew. Congratulations, Brooklyn, and good luck at All State Honor Chorus!