One of the exciting highlights to every school year is the Ledger-Enquirer Page One Awards Program. Harris County has traditionally been well represented at these prestigious awards, and this year was no different. Top students from public and private high schools in the Chattahoochee Valley Region are recognized in thirteen categories and one top teacher is recognized.

At this year's ceremony, Will White was named the top student for Social Science and Austin Sargent was the top student for Drama. Jordan Jenkins was named the runner up in Athletics, Abby Brown was named the runner up in Citizenship, Rachel Lumsden was named the runner up in Journalism, and Matt Daniels was named the runner up in Mathematics. Please join in congratulating these outstanding students!

In addition, Mrs. Deb Hughes,  was the runner up for the "Saro Spano Teacher" award.  Harris County had the most awards received by any school in the competition; a very proud moment for all of Harris County. Congratulations, Mrs. Hughes and students.

Finally, our terrific Wind Ensemble provided the music for the ceremony and always got the last note of "Eye of the Tiger" in before finishing! Thank you for your support for these outstanding representatives of Harris County School District. 

Elementary and Middle school students across the Chattahoochee Valley were invited to participate in an artwork competition to show their knowledge and interest in local reptiles. They were open to write poetry, take photographs, write songs, or draw pictures. They were working towards winning some great prizes which included tickets to the 2012 Reptile Fest and t-shirts.  The first place winner was to win a 45-minute educational program for their classroom.

We had students from HCCMS take part in this great competition. Brooke Wakenigg was the overall First Place winner! She received a ribbon, t-shirt, tickets, but the most awesome prize was our visit from Lisa Randolph and her critters from CSU's Oxbow Meadows. Mrs. Randolph brought an alligator, a Ball python, corn snake, and a tortoise.

The students on Team 7-2 thoroughly enjoyed this experience. We were allowed to touch some of the animals. We also received an award because Team 7-2 adopted an alligator named "Seminole" that lives at Oxbow Meadows. I was so proud to watch my students pool their money to show their support of this facility and educational program.

It was a great experience for all involved and we look forward to entering again next year.

Please enjoy more pictures, below:

Over the weekend, Creekside sixth graders participated in Phenix City's Annual 5th and  6th  Grade Math Tournament. Creekside brought home the 1 ^st  Place trophy as the overall winner in only their second year of participating in the tournament. Additionally, Creekside also placed 2 ^nd  in ciphering and 2 ^nd  in tee shirt design. Stephen Childers, Creekside's head coach, noted that winning the tournament without garnering any individual awards was a testament to the extraordinary team effort and the outstanding performance of all team members on the written portion of the event; while other teams relied on one or two star students, all of Creekside's team members were equipped to step up to the challenges of the competition.   

A special thanks is necessary for the administration of Creekside School for their support. The 6 ^th  grade teachers, Stephen Childers, Patti Greenfield, Julie McCoy, and Melanie Williams, are applauded for their hard work and commitment. Thanks to all of the wonderfully supportive parents who were in attendance and ensured their children were able to participate. Last, but definitely not least, congratulations to all of the 6 ^th  grade team members below who brought the tournament trophy to Creekside School and Harris County!

The HCHS Bands took three competitive groups to Festival Disney just prior to Spring Break:

The first ever HCHS Indoor Guard performance received an Excellent rating with a  score of 86.7 in a class which only received excellent ratings (80-90) and placed 2nd in the category, only 2 points under first place. 

The Marching Band competed in its first Parade Competition and received an Excellent rating with a score of 86.7 and placed 3rd in their class in a class which received ONLY Excellent ratings.

The Concert Band competed in its first ever competitive event and placed 4th out of 10 bands and received a Superior Rating with a score of 91.7. They were treated to an on-stage clinic with Joseph Hermann, Director of Bands at Tennessee Tech, who was very complimentary to the program.

The ESOL program of Harris County Schools held ESOL International Night at Mulberry Creek Elementary on Thursday, March 29, 2012. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators were present for the celebration. Mrs. Melba Pesante, ESOL lead teacher, and Mrs. Margaret Zachry, ESOL teacher, shared information about the ESOL program. The students shared accomplishments through presentations including reading, singing, sporting demonstrations, and dance. The parents and guests brought foods from around the world and a food tasting event was held at the conclusion of the program.

Please enjoy some more pictures from the event, below:

A group of talented art students from Harris County elementary, middle, and high schools were recently recognized for their outstanding art work. The artwork was selected to be a part of the Georgia Capitol Art Exhibit held in Atlanta the month of February. The special exhibition is a part of the recognition and celebration of National Youth Art Month, promoting the importance of art in our schools. The students, their families, and their art teachers were honored at the opening ceremony and reception held in February at which time they met with Harris County state legislators, House Representatives Kip Smith and Debbie Buckner, and  State Senator, Joshua McKoon.

The students exhibiting are as follows:

Mulberry Creek 4^th grader Caitlyn Burdette with Rep. Kip Smith.

Mulberry Creek 3^rd grader Bradley Smith with his family

Senator Josh McKoon and New Mountain Hill art exhibitor Catherine Grizzard    

H arris County art teachers, students and families with Rep. Debbie Buckner , Rep. Kip Smith, and Senator Josh McKoon as they tour the Capitol

Creekside Capital Art Exhibitors Jacob Crumbley and Madison Lewis

On February 3^rd and 4^th at 7 PM, and February 4^th at 3 PM the combined cast from HCCMS and Creekside will perform Captain Louie Jr . Captain Louie Jr. is based on the book 'The Trip' by Eztra Jack Keats with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz the award winning writer of Wicked andGodspell on Broadway. This award winning cast is under the direction of Adam Montague and Merrill Cheyne. The performance will be held at the Harris County High School Auditorium. This show is general admission, and tickets will be on sale for $8/adults and $5/children when the house opens thirty minutes beforehand.

The Joint Production of the HCCMS and Creekside Drama Departments, Captain Louie Jr, competed this past MLK Weekend in Atlanta at the Junior Theatre Festival sponsored by Music Theatre International NY, NY. They were recognized as 'Outstanding Performance' the equivalent of winning first place in their competition track. As a result they were honored to perform their competition piece for all 3000 middle school students, teachers, and Theatre Professionals from around the world. They were excited by the standing ovation, and even more excited to have had the opportunity to perform for The producers of Hairspray and Chicago the movies, Broadway Actors, Choreographers, Music Directors, and authors.  They spent their Saturday night getting autographs from and taking picturesThe Magic Treehouse series author,  Mary Pope Osbourne, whose book has just been adapted to a musical and premiered at this festival. It was an exciting weekend for all 42 students - full of fun, fellowship, workshops, and performances.

Pictured as follows L to R:

Louie JTF 1:Top: Wesley Braddy, Middle: Sierra Harbert, Aaron Burgess, Garrett Cypert, Seth Dizon, Kandyce Whittingham, Bottom: Sophia Pacheco, Olivia Berger

Louie JTF2: Top: Xavier Gonzales, Garrett Cypert, Reagan Tew, Mary Francis Dickson Middle: Sierra Harbert, Alivia Davidson, Katie Powers, Jaelin Montgomery, Abbie Crowley, Sophia Pacheco, Madison Schwandt, Kylie King Bottom: Julie Lumsden, Bryn Fannon, Madison Finney, Donovan Gonzales

Louie JTF 3: Tori Jackkson, Garrett Cypert, Nicole Hart, Maverick Crownhart-Swan, Jena Pitts

Louie JTF 4: Jaelin Montgomery, Alivia Davidson, Sophia Pacheco, Abbie Crowley, Sarah Joy Phillips

The HCCMS Physical Education Department, as a part of every child's P.E. program, is preparing to participate in the FITNESSGRAM physical fitness assessment. The FITNESSGRAM is designed to assess cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition.

On Friday, October 14th, internationally recognized ultra-marathon runner Dean Karnazes visited Harris County Carver Middle School for an assembly. Dean spoke to the Fit Club & Physical Education students about his inspirational running experiences, the importance of personal fitness and encourage students to get outside and explore their personal fitness goals.

In addition to the Dean Karnazes assembly on Friday, The North Face Endurance Challenge Team offered complimentary race entries and lunch for 60 Fit Club members and HCCMS faculty to participate in the 5K race Sunday, October 16th, held at FDR State Park. Several family members also took part in the 5K and 1K Karno Kids race held later that day. 

Helping students engage in fitness is an important mission at HCCMS.

Leisha Willis is a sixth grader in Dr. McCann's science class at Creekside. She completed an application for the "Need-A-Computer Contest" through our Harris County 4-H office, and wrote a two-page essay explaining why she needed a computer.She included details explaining how a new computer would really enhance her school work as well as help her with homework and other assignments.Leisha was thrilled when she learned that her essay won first place in Harris County!The contest was sponsored by the Georgia 4-H Technology Leadership Team.

The New Mountain Hill Elementary Wildcats celebrated Red Ribbon Week, October 24-28, in a "Paws"-itively Drug Free way.The festivities included contributing donations to the Humane Society, wearing spirit clothing, and participating in a costume parade.

Pictured L-R: (Back Row) Natalie Hill, Ethan Turner, Kaleigh Beaver, and Assistant Principal Kim Stanley. (Front Row) L-R: Connor Smith and Ross Webster

The time, effort, and expertise necessary to develop a school-wide plan for providing effective reading instruction to all students presents a challenge for most middle and high schools. Dr. Dan Lomax, principal of Creekside School, initiated a "School-Wide Read" reading approach three years ago, which has now become a tradition. A School-Wide Read committee carefully selected The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau for 2011. Every student was presented with a copy of the book at a school-wide kick-off assembly on October 7^th. Through the month of November, students engaged in activities designed to bring about an examination of the book and its themes to promote achievement. 

The challenge of a school-wide read is worth taking - there is an urgent need to improve the reading, writing, and comprehension skills of middle and high school students. We now also know more than ever before that effective literacy instruction for middle-level students requires a community! The time is right, and the challenge of developing a school-wide approach for improving reading instruction is now!

Pine Ridge students were in for a REAL treat this week! Columbus State University's Department of Theatre presented the play, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." The play is based on the book, by Laura Joffe Numeroff, and adapted for the stage by Jody Davidson. The performance was in honor of the students' success in reaching their school wide Accelerated Reading goal of 3000 points for this 9 weeks.

Pictured left to right: (back row) Gigi Sykora, Chloe Webb, Logan Oliver, Craig Suber, Jacob Williams, (front row) Ryan Sykora, Deylan Owens.

Park Elementary students and faculty come together to donate to children around the world.

Park Elementary partnered with Coca Cola to collect stuffed animals for children affected by disaster. The "Bear Brigade" was organized at Park by Cami Grady, a paraprofessional for special needs students. Mrs. Grady made an announcement during Park Newscast, asking the students and staff to bring in slightly used or new stuffed animals. In two weeks, the "Bear Brigade" collected 595 stuffed animals. "I am so proud to have been a part of this mission, I am proud to be where I am, these kids are so unselfish and it shows!" said Grady.