Clarke County School District

10/13/2026

As we continue our celebration of , we invited our school principal and academic program directors who function as principals to share with us a little about a favorite principal of theirs - whether that was as a student or over the course of their career in education.

First up: Bettye H. Holston Elementary School Principal Dr. Melanie James, who was inspired by her high school principal:

“My favorite principal was Mr. Commodore Conyers, principal of Dougherty Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia. Mr. Conyers was very personable and built relationships with all of the students, staff, and families. He was a servant leader whom we would see working on the school roof, sweeping in the cafeteria, taking out trash, and/or driving us cheerleaders to games. When my grandmother died my senior year, Mr. Conyers came by the house and sat with my family as he shared his condolences. He believed in me as a student and awarded me the Principal's Leadership Award my senior year. After graduating from UGA, I went back and taught for Mr. Conyers at Dougherty High as a math teacher.”

10/12/2026

Don't forget to wear pink tomorrow!

10/12/2026

CCSD and Fowler Drive Elementary School are deeply saddened to share the loss of Dawn Smith, who was an ESOL teacher at Fowler for the past 23 years. Ms. Smith, who passed away last Friday surrounded by loved ones, was known as an amazing person, teammate, and teacher who graced the school with care and spread kindness among everyone she knew. Please keep her family, friends, colleagues, and students in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, October 13, at 11:00 a.m. at the chapel of Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, West. Interment will follow at Clemons Chapel Cemetery in Lula. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. this evening.

10/12/2026

Families: It's time to update the information in your Parent Portal account! Log in today and complete the mandatory update process in just a few minutes! Don't have a Parent Portal account? Creating one is easy! Go to our website for more information and email [email protected] for assistance!

10/12/2026

Elementary Volleyball League playoffs begin this afternoon at Clarke Middle School with first-round matches starting at 4:15 p.m.! Spectators arriving before 4:15 are asked to enter the CMS parking lot from the Alps Road entrance (other side of Bettye H. Holston Elementary), as the Baxter Street entrance and lot will be filled for CMS afternoon dismissal at 3:45. Good luck to all teams!

Monday, October 12 at Clarke Middle:

First round matches
4:15 p.m. - Match 1: Whitehead Road Elementary School vs. Judia Jackson Harris Elementary School
4:15 p.m. - Match 2: Whit Davis Elementary School vs. Barrow Elementary School
5:10 p.m. - Match 3: Timothy Road Elementary School vs. Gaines Elementary School
5:10 p.m. - Match 4: Winterville Elementary School vs. Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School

Semifinals
6:05 p.m. - Semifinal 1: Match 1 winner vs. Match 4 winner
6:05 p.m. - Semifinal 2: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner

Tuesday, October 13, at Clarke Central
5 p.m. - Championship: Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner

10/12/2026

This week is National School Lunch Week, and CCSD joins other districts across the nation in recognizing the importance of preparing nutritious meals that help students succeed in the classroom. Thank you to men and women across our schools who keep our students Fueled and Thriving!

10/11/2026

Our next Midday Meetup opportunity for local businesses is this coming Wednesday, October 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cafe Racer, 377 Oak Street! Drop in, grab some lunch, and connect with our Purchasing and Contracts team to learn about ways you can do business with CCSD!

10/10/2026

We were saddened to learn of the passing of one of our retired phenomenal educators, Frances Smith, who was known for leaving a positive mark on everyone who was fortunate enough to know her. A public viewing and visitation with the family will be held Sunday, October 11, at Jackson-McWhorter Funeral Home.

Celebrating and Remembering Frances E. Smith

2 Corinthians 1:3 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

10/10/2026

Stem Cell Research: Stan Harrison's Advanced Biomanufacturing students at the Athens Community Career Academy are wrapping up their capstone research project, growing and analyzing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Mr. Harrison noted that MSCs are often called the "Holy Grail" of regenerative medicine for knee, hip, or shoulder joint replacement. Although replacement therapies are still a few years away, MSCs may be grown (cultured) to replace either bone or cartilage. With the support of the Mortensen Stem Cell Lab at the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center, the Biomanufacturing Pathway students at ACCA incubated the human MSCs and cultured them in specialized flasks. Every day, they observed cell health and growth under a specialized inverted microscope and decided whether to divide the flasks if they appeared to be "confluent," or at least at 70% cell density.

Students will have the opportunity on October 29 to present their findings to Dr. Luke Mortensen of UGA and defend their research, similar to college graduate students. Mr. Harrison said other students, families, and community members will be welcome to view the presentations that day beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the ACCA biotech lab, which will coincide with the academy's pathway open house that same evening (more to come on that).

Great work and a great experience by these students, who are gaining hands-on exposure to real-world, even life-changing, science!

10/09/2026

A great way to close out Georgia Pre-K Week this afternoon, as Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz stopped by CCSD Early Learning Center - West to read to students! We're always pleased to host the Mayor and give him a chance to get back to his education roots!