08/05/2026
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Our school district swept the top honors presented by the Georgia PTA to educators, support staff, school leaders, and volunteers for outstanding service to students and their families! Congratulations to Etowah High School Principal Ken Nix, Ball Ground ES STEM Academy Assistant Principal Lauren Roach, teachers Jennie Allen of Ball Ground ES STEM Academy and Sandy Rivera of Knox ES STEM Academy, and school nurse Kristen Kim of Mill Creek MS for earning the highest honors awarded by the Georgia PTA to professionals in each of their roles. The Visionary Awards recognizes schools or individuals for “an above and beyond approach to supporting students, families, and school communities.” Kimberly Forrester, literacy coach for Johnston ES, earned this honor, as did Woodstock Middle School. The awards were presented at the organization’s statewide convention held this summer at Mill Creek Middle School. We’re on a mission to be the highest-performing school district in Georgia where students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else!
Three school PTA units earned a statewide Hearst Family-School Partnership Award, which is the highest honor presented to units. Cherokee High School won in the recognition area of Welcoming All Families, Little River Elementary School won for Speak Up For Every Child, and Mill Creek Middle School won for Communicate Effectively. Five school PTA units earned statewide Outstanding Local Unit awards: Arnold Mill Elementary School won first place for elementary schools of its size, with Johnson Elementary School placing second; R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy won first place for elementary schools of its size; and Mill Creek Middle School won second place for middle schools. In addition to these state awards, individuals and PTA units also earned District 13 and county awards for excellence. See all our honorees: https://www.cherokeek12.net/post-detail/~board/ccsd-comms/post/employees-volunteers-earn-statewide-honors-from-pta