LSHS Celebrates Students Awarded with National Academic Honors

Students Receive National Recognition from the College Board

Seven Lithia Springs High School students have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These academic accolades celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for high performing students to share their academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs.

The following students at Lithia Springs High School received the national academic honor:​ Afia Adade, Angelina Letourneau, Jaden Shaw, Jalen Reid, Isaac Foster, George Guevara, and Ansleigh Jackson.

These outstanding students received the academic honor in one or more of four categories: National African American Recognition Award (NAARA), National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA), National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA) and National Indigenous Award (NIA).

“We’re thrilled to celebrate our Lithia Springs High School students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing. We’re proud of their strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments,” said Principal Felicia Jones. “There’s so much that makes our students unique, and receiving this honor reinforces this as an asset for their future.”

Students who may be eligible have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town.

AHS Cadets Awarded for Unwavering Commitment to Community Service

The Alexander High School JROTC Cougar Battalion recently received donations totaling more than $20,000 from two local organizations in recognition of the impact they make through constant service to others. The Douglas County Community Service Board and the Nichols Center surprised the cadets and Lt. Col. Sharon Collier with the generous donations. Collier is the JROTC Senior Army Instructor for the program.



“The cadets work very hard and spend a lot of their free time helping others in organizations such as Books for Africa, the local food pantry, the Atlanta food pantry, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, and many veteran support groups to name a few,” said Collier. “We are very proud of our JROTC program.”

The mission of this JROTC program is to motivate young people to be better citizens. “In the AHS Cougar Battalion, we turn students into cadets, and cadets into leaders,” said Collier. “Every cadet is taught a sense of positive self-concept and learns the importance of academics, physical fitness, and serving our community. We strive for each cadet to view others in the community, state, country, and planet as neighbors. We all have a part in supporting them to the best of our capacity. Through hands-on involvement with service organizations, cadets have the opportunity to lead by example,” she added.

According to Collier, the donation will be used to support the program's curriculum requirements in the form of equipment, uniforms, and supplies that will enhance the JROTC experience. The funds will also be used for transportation needs to support field trips and away competitions as well as projects which support community and special events such as formal Cadet Ball and the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge held annually at Georgia Military College.

NMHS Launches Entrepreneurship Program to Celebrate Student Businesses

New Manchester High School has launched a new program aimed at developing young moguls in the making. The Youth Entrepreneurship program aims to help students develop business skills and become future leaders. 

“With this program, students apply their classroom knowledge to develop valuable business skills. Entrepreneurship teaches students to be innovators, leaders and collaborators, all skills that help them no matter their career path,” says Principal Casey Bethel. 

Whitney Lester, the Work-Based Learning/YAP Coordinator, explains that young entrepreneurs can showcase their business at a booth during a home football or basketball game. “Our students sell various products and gain experience marketing them to their peers, families and friends. We provide the table and allow students to add creative touches to market their business.” These skills, Lester says, help students learn lessons that help them excel in their personal and professional lives.  

The Youth Entrepreneurship program is one of many New Manchester High School programs that equip students for success. “With this program, we are raising the bar for student success,” Principal Bethel says. “By planting seeds of entrepreneurship, we are helping develop the future leaders of tomorrow.”

AHS High School Athletic Teams Give Back to Community

Several Douglas County elementary school car riders recently received a pleasant surprise when making their school debut. Alexander High School’s football and softball players along with their cheerleaders welcomed each elementary scholar from Bill Arp, Dorsett Shoals, Winston, Mason Creek, and South Douglas Elementary with positive energy and a warm smile.

The new head football coach of Alexander High School, Cody Neal, explored the idea for game days and put it into motion. “We’ve been really excited about the help we’ve been getting from the Alexander High School teams this year. The idea started when Coach Neal reached out to me during the summer and said they would love to partner and help with cars each Friday morning during the football season,” according to Bill Arp Elementary School Principal Darrien Carruth.  

Two weeks following Neal’s approach to Carruth regarding this act of kindness, the idea became contagious as AHS Head Softball Coach, Julie Brooker, reached out to participate. Carruth is excited about the opportunity for his students to engage with role models from the high school level. “I really appreciate the partnership that exists across our schools,” said Carruth. 

 Alexander High School Principal, Lora McAdams loves the representation of “One Douglas” through this kind gesture. “As high school student athletes, I think it is important for them to give back and be visible in our elementary schools. I want them to bring the feeling of community and family that we have at AHS to those schools.  I want our youth to see that student athletes at AHS not only perform well in their respective sports but more importantly they are mentors and someone these young scholars can look up to as role models,” said McAdams.

Turner Middle Welcomes Spanish-Speaking Parents for Workshop

Turner Middle School is assisting bilingual school leaders with bridging the gap for Spanish speaking parents. The school recently hosted their first Spanish speaking workshop for parents where they provided invaluable information regarding school processes. Topics of interest included navigating google classroom, competing lunch applications, and utilizing infinite campus.     

Bilingual Parent liaison, Angela DeLaTorre, spearheaded the informative event along with Turner employees, Maria Morris and Rubi Perla Iglesia, who are also Native Spanish speakers. “Some parents because of the language barrier don’t understand Infinite Campus, so I felt the need to offer an informational meeting just to provide a layout of how they could access their child’s grades and check attendance,” said DeLaTorre. She added parents were grateful for the invitation to attend.    

Principal of Turner Middle School, John Chandler, expressed his excitement for the well attended workshop. “I was simply blown away by the planning, preparation, and execution of such an important event for our school community. DeLaTorre’s vision came to life with this workshop and this trio of employees masterfully executed the plans and created a welcoming environment for families who might otherwise not have a voice,” he stated.  

Turner Middle School plans to offer the workshop annually and is looking to host a workshop second semester to capture families who enroll their students towards the end of the first semester.

For additional assistance with Bilingual services, parents are also encouraged to reach out to District Bilingual Liaison, Lizzy Kilgore, at lizzy.kilgore@dcssga.org or 770-651-2223.  Kilgore was recently recognized by NAETISL (National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Language Access) for her eight-year commitment to bilingual families and educators.

SOFTBALL PREVIEWS

AHS Looking to Make Another State Appearance

After earning a state playoff appearance last season, Alexander High School’s softball team is looking to repeat their efforts and make a deep run in this year’s playoffs. 

Early in the season, AHS took on some of the state's most competitive teams in three early-season tournaments, notching notable victories over Carrollton in the team’s home opener and Colquitt County last Saturday. 

However, the Cougars most exciting matchup came early last week against Chapel Hill in an exciting in-county, seesaw battle. The game featured back to back homeruns by Alexander juniors Baylee Dowdy and Kaylee Underwood to tie the game at three before seeing CHHS rally for a late victory.

This season, AHS will rely on its four seniors, Maya Sanchez, Jamie Warnock, Kali Massey, and Ansley Cantrell, to lead the team. Currently, Cantrell, Massey, and Kaylee Underwood lead the team in batting average and RBI.

The Cougars will play all region opponents twice and have played three region opponents to date. They are currently 1-2 in region play, but they will have a chance to improve that record Thursday against Langston Hughes.

Panthers Boast Strong Start in Region Play

Despite the 2023 season getting off to a slow start due to rainouts, Chapel Hill High School’s softball team has made the most of each opportunity that they have to take the field. Currently, the Panthers record sits at 3-4, but they hold a 2-1 mark in their region that is good for second place. 

This year, the Panthers will lean on two seniors, Lauren Thompson and Kia Carter, along with a host of young talent to help them make a push toward the state playoffs in Region 5-5A. 

For now, CHHS’ goal is to continue improving daily. The Panthers take the field three times next week with two of those games being region contests.

Tigers Eyeing Improvement in 2023

Coming off a season where they missed the state playoffs, Douglas County High School’s softball team is hoping to turn things around and make a push for the playoffs in 2023. 

So far in the young season, the Tigers record sits at 2-3 as they prepare to head into the bulk of their region games. This week, the Tigers will have an opportunity to improve their record with a non-region tuneup against Whitefield Academy before stepping back into region play on Thursday against East Paulding.

Lions Looking to Extend Seven-Year State Streak

Entering the 2023 season, the Lithia Springs High School softball team has one major goal – getting back to the state playoffs. The Lions have made the state tournament each of the past seven seasons, and coaches Chris Sheperd and Tim Hendrix believe that this year’s team has the ability to reach the tournament once again. 

With this goal in mind, the Lions have their work cut out for them, as they will be tasked with replacing four starters from last year’s team that graduated. To do this, Sheperd says that he is expecting his team to improve each time they take the field in order to make a push for a spot in the playoffs. 

“I feel that as the season progresses, we will find our groove and get back to our winning ways,” Shepherd said. 

Currently, the Lions record sits at 3-4 overall, but they will have a chance to improve that mark with two upcoming region games next week against Midtown and Villa Rica.

Jaguars Seeing Daily Improvement From Young Squad

In their 10th season of existence, New Manchester High School’s softball team is looking to turn a corner and earn a state playoff berth. 

To reach their goals this season, the Jaguars will lean on their two returning starters, Faith Bush and Taniya James, along with a host of young talent. With so many young players, head coach Chuck Walker said that the team’s goal in the early part of the season is to get better every day to prepare for a competitive region schedule. 

The early portion of NMHS’ schedule has been chaotic, as rain has prevented the team from taking the field as much as it would like. However, the Jaguars look forward to taking the field next Thursday after the break for another region game against South Paulding.

NMHS Embracing Hard Work Under New Head Coach

After a 2022 season that saw them fall short of the playoffs, New Manchester High School enters the 2023 season with a renewed outlook and focus as Olten Downs steps in as head coach. Downs comes across town to NMHS from Alexander High School where he spent two seasons. 

In his first year with the Jaguars, Downs says that he hopes to implement a culture of hard work that encourages players to focus on the process rather than results. Already, he says that he’s impressed with the team’s work ethic and he’s excited to see the program find success. 

“I’ve wanted to teach our young men how to work hard and how to do things the right way. If we win daily off the field, the winning on the field is going to come,” said Downs. “inning is a byproduct of what you do every day, and if you cut corners you’re going to cut your success. I’ve been really pleased with these young men and how they’ve grown. I’m excited to see where we’ll get to working hard.”

This season, the Jaguars will rely on several players to help them find success, including quarterback Jashier Ratliff, running back Ethan Pickett, linebacker Trevio Chambers, wide receiver KJ Ford, and defensive back John Estime. 

Along with teaching the team how to work each day, Downs underscored the importance of teaching his team how to work each day. He believes that the best teams are the ones that take pride in the little things, and he hopes to see NMHS become a group who does this. 

“We’re coming off a season where we didn’t get the results we wanted, so we want the guys to know that results will come. If we take care of the root of how we do things every day, then that root will produce the fruit that we’re looking for,” Downs said.

So far, the Jaguars work has paid off. They opened their season on the right foot last weekend by defeating Woodland High School 19-15. NMHS will go for its second win tonight, as they battle Banneker High School at home. 

“Winning is contagious, and I think that getting off to a great start is important because of the past. That gives everyone in the school and our community a sense of pride,” said Downs. “Right now, the biggest thing is to let our kids know that every day you’ve got to show up and be consistent in doing things the right way on and off the field, and great things will happen. They may not happen exactly when you want them to happen, but they’re coming if you just keep at it.”

Classroom Corner

Lunch Bunch Inspiring Student Readers at MCMS

Inside the media center at Mason Creek Middle School, lunchtime means more than just a break from classes. Once a week, a group of young scholars known as the Lunch Bunch meets inside the media center during lunch to connect with each other by discussing a book that the club is reading. 

“I began this club as a way to inspire students to love reading and to build relationships with the students in the building,” said MCMS media specialist Jennifer Baker. “And the club isn’t just open to those who love to read. We have many students who come wanting to improve their reading skills in an open and accepting environment.” 

Baker began the Lunch Bunch seven years ago as a way to inspire a love of reading and build relationships with MCMS’ students. Since then the club has been wildly successful at achieving these goals, and Baker says she has noticed that it has had several unintended positive consequences for students who join the club. 

“I’ve seen so many students gain so much confidence that they didn’t have before coming to the club,” said Baker. “After elementary school, students don’t get to spend as much time in class learning in small groups, so this helps a lot of students socially by providing that small group interaction and letting them meet people that they wouldn’t normally meet during lunch.”

The Lunch Bunch is a free club for all students at MCMS. To join, students simply sign up when it’s time to begin a new book for their grade level. From there, students read the book that’s been chosen for their grade level outside of school and meet weekly to discuss the book with others. Each book usually lasts anywhere from four to 12 weeks, and all students at the school are invited to join. 

Usually, each grade level’s group has between 15 and 20 students, but some popular titles can draw groups as large as 25 students. Along with reading popular youth titles, the Lunch Bunch has also written to other authors to ask questions about different literary elements in their works, and at times they will host themed celebrations that go with the titles the club is reading. 

“With this club, I hope that we’re able to open the door to show students how much fun reading can be,” said Baker. “We want to encourage them to continue, whether they’re a part of the club once or keep coming back for every book that we read.”

ASES Students Get Hands-On Lesson on Landforms

While learning about landforms, weathering, and erosion, Arbor Station Elementary School students got the chance to mimic mother nature and demonstrate these natural processes in class. After building certain landforms, students were challenged to demonstrate weathering and erosion using water, wind, and ice.

Using ice cubes, students observed how landforms slowly change over time due to temperature. Then, they used straws to demonstrate wind erosion before using cups of water to show how it can alter landforms over time.

Student Spotlight

Factory Shoals Elementary is proud to recognize Lilah Henning as a shining Dolphin for her love of school, helpfulness, and positive attitude. This second grade student gives 100 percent in all she does and is a true example of a spirited Dolphin, according to Tosha Wright, Principal of Factory Shoals Elementary School. Furthermore, she extends genuine kindness to her peers. 

As a proud member of the Dolphin Club, her passion for learning is evident in how she embraces the program challenge curriculum.  Although her favorite subject is Math, she enjoys reading the Junie B. Jones series.  

In her spare time, Henning enjoys going to the park and enduring long walks with her mother. Congratulations!         

Weekly Athletics Schedule

Key Dates

• September 4: Labor Day (holiday for all)
• September 5: Teacher Work Day
• September 6: Progress Reports (elementary & middle schools)
• September 15: Start of Hispanic Heritage Month
• October 6: Grading Period Ends
• October 9-13: Fall Break
• October 21: DCEF Fun Run
• October 18: Progress Reports (high school)
• October 18: Report Cards (elementary & middle schools)
• November 7: Teacher Work Day
• November 15: Progress Reports (elementary & middle schools)
• November 20-24: Thanksgiving Holidays
• December 15: End of First Semester

Family Resources

DCSS Community Bulletin Board

Looking for a great weekend event, after-school care, or a new activity? Check out DCSS' Community Bulletin Board at the link above to learn all about events and activities occurring in Douglas County.

Douglas SEES

DCSS offers several resources for student health, wellness and support through the Douglas SEES website. Visit the link above to learn more about the resources available to students and families.

DCSS Family Health Center

DCSS' Family Health Center is a resource for families and staff within the school system. The center is located at the lower level of Burnett Elementary School and offers several services. Click the flyer above to learn more.

Jaguar Classic

Come out to New Manchester High School for a special band exhibition on October 14. See performances from Talladega College's Great Tornado Band, Sounds of Success, and NMHS' Mighty Marching Jaguars. The fun begins at 10 a.m. Click the flyer above for more information.