Meet the Newest Member of our Team Misty Friedman |
Misty Friedman joined Jefferson City Schools in December as the Director of Nutrition. Misty has 30 years of experience in food services and 14 years of service in school nutrition. Misty served nine years as the Farm to School Coordinator for the Department of Agriculture where she worked with school nutrition departments across the state. Misty is a classically trained chef and a Jackson County native. Her husband is also the Director of Nutrition for Commerce City Schools. Misty has a goal to feed students wholesome, nutritious meals to prepare them a foundation for healthy learning. She looks forward to continuing her career here at Jefferson. |
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JHS Ag Mechanics Class Gains New Equipment and Books |
Jackson EMC provides the National Electric Code books to local FFA chapters to use in their Ag Mechanics programs. Pictured to the left are a couple of students in Mr. Jordan's Ag Mechanics class accepting the books from Jackson EMC.
Each year, Jackson EMC’s Washington Youth Tour delegates select teachers, who have been the most influential in their high school career, to receive $250 each for their classrooms. Senior Joey Blackstock was one of four students selected by Jackson EMC for the Washington Youth Tour, an all-expense-paid leadership development experience to Washington, D.C. Joey chose his FFA advisor, David Calloway, for the honor. They are pictured to the left accepting the check with JHS Principal Rob McFerrin.
JHS also recently added a new piece of equipment to its Agricultural Mechanics Lab, a SawStop Industrial Cabinet Saw. The table saw was donated by Chris Williamson with Custom Cabinets/Williamson Millworks of Savannah. The saw brings the lab up to twenty-first-century performance and safety standards. Equipped with industry-standard technology, the saw can detect flesh touching the saw blade. If a student's hand accidentally reaches the active blade, the blade will stop and recess into the housing within a thousandth of a second, leaving a one-sixteenth of an inch cut as the worst possible injury. The new table saw will allow students to learn essential skills in an even safer environment for years to come.
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JMS Band Program
Greetings from the youngest members of the JCS Band Program! Our students have continued to strive for musical excellence, and we have been fortunate enough to share their talents in a multitude of settings, all in ways that promote safety in the midst of a global pandemic.
The band program at Jefferson Middle School began the year preparing for its Fall Concert, entitled The Real Gold: We are Stronger Together. The charming performance was held outdoors next to the JMS Greenhouse on September 30th, and those in attendance were treated to music to highlight music of different cultures, tied together by John Williams' Olympic Fanfare and Theme. The concert also served as a showcase of our Percussion Ensemble and it highlighted the progress of the beginning band students as well.
Next, the 8th Grade Band was responsible for providing the instrumental music for the JMS Veterans Day Program, and the students did a marvelous job performing the National Anthem and the service songs in conjunction with the JHS JROTC and the JMS Chorus.
Our Winter Concert cycle really showcased our program and allowed us to take our talented students out of the school to perform for others in our community. The JMS Winter Concert, Sounds of the Holiday Season, was held on December 7th, and it included familiar selections performed by the Beginning Concert Band, the Percussion Ensemble, and our Symphonic Band - all in the beautiful William Duncan Martin Performing Arts Center on a stage decorated wall to wall with bright poinsettias donated by our gracious band parents. In the nearby drama room, the JMS Maker's Market buzzed with activity. Under the leadership of JMS teachers Jessie Thompson, Jade Yarbrough, and Jessica Jones, the market allowed creative, hardworking students to sell their own crafts and creations to net a total profit of over $2,100 in just an hour and a half!
The next day, December 8th, parents arrived at the stage bright and early to pack up flowers, handwritten cards, instruments and equipment to travel with 7th grade members to a senior living community in Athens, the Orchard. The students played a few of their concert pieces for this appreciative audience. The residents were blown away at the talent these young students possessed and the maturity the students exhibited away from our school. In addition to playing marvelously, the students practiced social distancing, wore masks, checked their temperatures and observed all precautions to ensure the safety of the Orchard tenants.
In an attempt to bring awareness for our first ever 5th grade band program, starting this Spring semester, 8th grade chorus and band students traveled to Jefferson Academy on December 14th and 15th, where they gave a concert for the 5th grade student body. They also organized and executed a series of fun games and engaging activities that allowed students to get a glimpse of the joys of singing or playing an instrument. The 5th grade band numbers currently look promising, hopefully, a sign that our band program will continue to thrive and grow!
The band program was able to wrap up the first semester with a small, impromptu performance of Sleigh Ride in the Commons Area at JMS, sending students to their exams in eager anticipation for the upcoming winter break.
The success of the band program over these past years is not by chance or accident, it comes to our system by the appreciation our Board of Education and school leadership exhibits for the arts in our schools. Their support allows us to be able to have the resources, the staff and the means to allow our students an enjoyable musical experience. Please make an effort to come to one of our performances soon, and see for yourself the magic these kids bring to a stage. We will save a seat for you!
Michael Pace, JMS Band Director
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Football College Signing Day
Jefferson High School hosted an Early Signing Ceremony on December 15th, where three of our football players made a pledge to advance their athletic careers to the next level. These athletes were joined by their families on the stage as they put pen to paper. Congratulations to the following athletes!
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Jamarcus Hill
Southeast Missouri State University
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Jordan Perry
Kansas State University
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Kadin Bailey
Syracuse University
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Not pictured is Malaki Starks who verbally committed to the University of Georgia last February, and signed in a private ceremony earlier in the day on December 15th. |
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Our winter sports teams have been off to a fantastic start this season. The boy's basketball team has a 4-0 region record and a 14-1 overall record so far. The boys won the McDonald's Classic Christmas Tournament in Hartwell over the break with Kadin Bailey and JT Fulkrod selected to the all-tournament team, and Dalen Gales selected as the tournament MVP. The girl's team has an overall record of 13-2 and a region record of 3-1.
The middle school swim teams both placed first in their December 4th meet. At the Flowery Branch Candy Cane meet on December 18th the swim team added 10 more state cuts to their list.
Our new Dance Dragons brought home third place in their first competition on December 11th at South Forsyth High School. The dance team also performs at all home basketball games, so be sure to catch a basketball game before the season ends and support all of our teams.
The wrestling team has also had a competitive start with a 2nd place finish at the Smokey Mountain Duals, a first-place finish at the Panther Invitational, and most recently finished 9th out of 63 teams at the Knockout Christmas Classic.
Congratulations to all of our winter teams on their incredible performances. Keep up the competition!
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JMS Academic Team
Congratulations to the JMS Academic Team for tying for 2nd place at the regional PAGE Academic Bowl on December 11th in Martinez, Georgia. Pictured from left to right on the top row are Coleman Rudisill, Rishav Rajbhandari, Kinsey Wilder (Co-Captain), and Gavin Simmons. Pictured from left to right on the bottom row are Quandee Ward, Conor Acosta, and Brock Booth (Co-Captain).
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Thank you to our very own Digital Learning Specialist Kris Plummer for putting together this impeccable video for the BOE Governance Team of the Year application! This video was shown at the 2021 GSBA Conference for board of education members across the state to view. The focus of the video is connection. Great work, Kris! |
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IRead Completers
Mrs. Mays's first graders pictured above have already completed all of first grade IRead. Mrs. Jay’s second-grade students have also completed all of the IRead program.
Levi Kennedy, pictured second from the right on the front row, in Mrs. Mays's 1st grade class has completed all of the IRead program.
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The Jefferson City Schools Board of Education was recently named a Georgia School Board Association (GSBA) Governance Team of the Year for 2021. This prestigious award recognizes three Georgia public school districts’ board of education and superintendent teams who achieved all-around excellence in their district. In addition to being named a Governance Team of the Year, the BOE also brought home the Leading Edge Award for the Total Person Program.
JHS senior Rayann Mitsdarrfer placed third in the GSBA Student Video Contest and was recognized at the GSBA ceremony and the December BOE meeting with her teacher Mr. Randy Farmer, and classmate Angel Smith.
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Stay connected with us on social media! |
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Jefferson City Schools | Exposure to Excellence Promotes Excellence
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