DCSS Student-Athletes Shine in Special Olympics 

Family, friends, school officials and community members filled Jaguar Stadium at New Manchester High School on Wednesday as they proudly welcomed the annual Douglas County Special Olympics. The Program for Exceptional Children coordinated the highly-anticipated event where children and adults showcased their talents in a variety of games and athletic competitions.    

”These phenomenal students prepare for this moment year-round and we are deeply grateful and proud of everyone’s hard work and unwavering commitment to make it a reality. The Special Olympics is about creating a platform where every athlete can show their abilities, where barriers are broken and where the true spirit of sportsmanship shines brightest,” said Cheryl Handley, Executive Director of Special Education.  

The exciting festivities kicked off with opening ceremonies led by participating athletes singing the Star Spangled Banner and carrying the Olympic Torch. Community and student volunteers then hosted the eager athletes at their designated gaming stations. 



Athletes were paired with buddies for the activities, while onlookers admired their competitiveness in various events such as softball throw, long jump, track, motor training and soccer. Additionally, Kona Ice sold tropical treats, creating an extra-fun-filled event with the sunny skies and mild spring breeze.        

As the festivities concluded, ribbons were awarded to all student-athletes, with additional ribbons awarded to first, second and third place winners in their respective categories. 

Congratulations to all of the participants!

Six DCSS Students Among Top Young Georgia Authors in Metro Atlanta

Six Douglas County School System students are among the top Young Georgia Authors in the metro Atlanta region.

The Metro Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) this week announced the winners in the Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition.

Three DCSS students won their respective grade-levels in the prestigious competition and will now advance to the state-level competition. Those students are:

• Miracle C. Chandler: 1st Grade, Dorsett Shoals Elementary School, The Princess and Her Long Hair

• Yahminisakti Chandrasekaran: 9th Grade, Alexander High School, The Journalist

• Chrystal Alexander-Rudolph: 12th Grade, New Manchester High School, A Letter to My Mother 

Three other DCSS students placed in the top three in the Metro RESA competition including:

Second Place Winners

• Madeline Pryor: 3rd Grade, South Douglas Elementary School, The Naughty Disco Monster

• Madison Murphy: 8th Grade, Chapel Hill Middle School, Mixed

Third Place Winner

• Caylie Brennan: 11th Grade, Alexander High School, My Sun

“I could not be more excited for the students of Douglas County whose exemplary writing pieces were recognized as some of the best among 12 other Metro districts!” said DCSS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Chelsie Goodman. “With winners spanning across elementary and high school, it's clear that great things continue to happen in our classrooms.”

Bill Arp Beta Club Serves Local Families By Volunteering at The Pantry

Members of the Beta Club at Bill Arp Elementary School showed their dedication to the community by volunteering at a local food ministry this past Saturday.

Amy Dobbs, the gifted teacher at the school and co-sponsor of the Beta Club with kindergarten teacher Tara Moon, said 17 students and two chaperones served local families at The Pantry on Highway 5 by delivering groceries to their cars. 

Bill Arp’s Beta Club has been volunteering at The Pantry for more than five years, Dobbs said. 

“It was such an honor to watch so many of our club members give three hours of their Saturday morning to serve our community,” Dobbs said. “It was very heartwarming to see the smiles the students brought to the community as they came through The Pantry! The students took this opportunity very seriously, and volunteered with such kind hearts. They represented Bill Arp beautifully!"  

Bill Arp Principal Christy Shackelford praised the students and teachers for their efforts.

"I am extremely proud of our students and teachers for their dedication to serving our community in such a meaningful way," she said.

National Beta is the largest, independent, educational youth organization in America. The organization emphasizes its four pillars by providing opportunities and experiences to impact members, their schools, and communities across the world.

Tigers JROTC Teams to Compete at JLAB National Championship in Washington, D.C.

The Douglas County High School Tigers Army JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB) Teams will compete at the National Championship in Washington, D.C., this summer.

The competition will take place at Catholic University of America from June 16-25 and will pit DCHS Army JROTC cadets against the winning Army JROTC teams from across the country.

The leadership competition to advance to the finals will consist of Leadership Gauntlet, Leadership According to the Greats, Leadership Outside the Box, Leader Knowledge Assessment and Leader Reaction Course.

The academic competition will consist of several rounds in a Jeopardy team-type event.

The top teams in both competitions will advance to the finals.

“This is the first year in the history of the program that we have had both teams make it to the National Championship simultaneously,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Lark. “We are extremely proud of our cadets for their many accomplishments. Two years ago, we made it to the playoffs with the academic team and our goal this year is to go all the way with both teams.”

1st Sgt. retired Kelley French added, “We are so proud of this group to represent the Douglas County HS JROTC Tiger Battalion.”

The Leadership Team includes: Gabriella Williams, Tyler Powell, Bryson Lyons and Gracie Sherburne. The Academic Team includes: Mishell Ruiz Borrego, Samantha Trujillo Niembro, Ariella Oduja and Chanel Je.

New Manchester FBLA Chapter Receives $10,000 Grant

New Manchester High School's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter has successfully secured a $10,000 grant from Lead4Change, a national student leadership program. 

The funding will support New Manchester’s innovative project aimed at providing essential support to newly hired DCSS international teachers. 

This marks the FBLA chapter’s second year in a row winning this esteemed competition, according to NMHS FBLA adviser Latoya Thomas.

As part of the project, the NMHS FBLA students identified and addressed the unique needs of newly hired international educators as they adjusted to teaching in the United States. 

The project focused on increasing retention rates and providing vital support to integrate new members into the community, Thomas said. Initiatives included coordinating transportation to and from school, organizing drives to collect coats and clothing for climate adjustment and hosting an international teacher brunch and community social.

"We are deeply grateful for our teachers' dedication and commitment. Our hope is that our contributions, no matter how small, have made a meaningful difference in their lives," said Haley Ware, Service Project Chair and Chapter Secretary. 

Factory Shoals, Chapel Hill Elementary Schools Celebrate Women’s History Month

Factory Shoals and Chapel Hill elementary schools are among those honoring Women’s History Month in March with special celebrations.

Author Valerie Thompkins visited Factory Shoals on Monday. During her visit, Thompkins read her two books, “Girls Like Me” and “Boys Like Me,” and led students through her journey of becoming an author. 

Thompkins encourages students to explore various career paths, “as she believes students from all backgrounds can be the main characters,” Factory Shoals Principal Tosha Wright said. 

“This event was put together by our Diversity Committee who believe that having an author to visit during Women's History Month offers our students a valuable opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women and promote literacy and critical thinking,” Wright said. “Ms. Thompkins' visit inspired our students by reminding them they can be anything they want. Many students were also amazed that the books showed kids as doctors, scientists and athletes!”

At Chapel Hill, the media center is presenting a Women’s History Month Wax Museum. 



Media specialist Cameron Sheldon said the exhibit features Barbies representing influential women, mini wax figures with accompanying children’s literature about important women, and a thought-provoking photo display of women at the school who make a daily difference.

Sheldon emphasized the careful selection process, stating, "It is important that our media center provides students with an outlet to learn about women who were instrumental in shaping our nation as well as women who are currently making a difference. We carefully selected books to empower our young readers."

Classroom Corner

Mount Carmel Students Honored at TomeCon

Mount Carmel Elementary School students and staff are celebrating some of their own after recently clinching first and third place at TomeCon. The popular annual conference was held in Athens, Georgia, on March 12, where students engaged in a variety of literacy and educational activities. 

Among the thousands of attendees across Georgia, Kaliann Simmons gave a “Book Talk” that won first place for elementary and Simmons, Maxx Hood and Roxe Rodney secured third place for their “Library Video Commercial.” 

Media specialist Kelsey Howard proudly accompanied the students at TomeCon, coaching them throughout the process. 

"TomeCon was a wonderful learning experience for myself and my students," she said. "They put a lot of effort into their projects and it was great to see their hard work paid off. We could not be more proud of our students and plan to come back even stronger next year!”  

Congratulations to all of Mount Carmel’s TomeCon honorees! 

Mirror Lake Elementary Creates Leprechaun Trap in STEM Adventure 

In STEM Adventures at Mirror Lake Elementary, kindergarten classes explored making leprechaun traps for their monthly parent engagement project. After completing the crafty creation, students hid their traps around the classroom and waited to see if they could catch a leprechaun.   

Unfortunately, the leprechaun proved to be too savvy for the traps, leaving the kindergarten classrooms in quite a mess. Despite the tiny creature evasion, the leprechaun graciously left gold coins behind in all the classrooms to reward their tremendous effort!

“The STEM based project was a huge success, and the students did a great job of explaining how their leprechaun traps worked. It was a fun and memorable experience for our kindergarten students,” said media specialist Kelly Summers. 

Scaly Adventures Slithers over to Holly Springs Elementary

Scaly Adventures brought excitement to Holly Springs Elementary School with an in-house field trip, where students explored the world of reptiles. The captivating lesson integrated STEM concepts, creating an attitude for success, overcoming self-limiting fears, respect for self/others, understanding purpose and positive self-esteem.

According to P.E. teacher Katie Walls, students found the overall experience 

fascinating. 

“This show brought real life experiences to my Physical Education program. One student was amazed to hold a snake for the first time. I design my program and implement units to help students acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence needed to maintain a physically active and healthy lifestyle. My goal is to influence students to become a well-rounded independent child.” 

While the reptiles were very intriguing to students, the message from Scaly Adventures taught them about discovering a life of encouragement and purpose. The team, Rick and Tanya Curren, are experts in reaching and inspiring young audiences to DREAM big, DARE to try and DO the impossible. In fact, the couple has their own TV series with 60 episodes. 

"Our mission is to help young people to thoughtfully examine self-purpose and then develop strategies to help overcome self-limiting thoughts. We can help them to achieve a much higher quality of life and performance.” 

Student Spotlight

Eighth-grader Darasimi Oke is an outstanding scholar at Stewart Middle School. She excels academically and has celebrated many remarkable achievements. 

Darasimi has become a true reading champion, amassing an impressive 830 points in the Accelerated Reader (AR) program this year alone. This tremendous accomplishment not only makes her Stewart's top AR point earner for all three years of middle school, but also the highest middle school point earner in the entire county this school year!

Darasimi's dedication to reading and commitment to academic excellence are truly inspiring. Her passion for learning sets a shining example for all students and the Stewart Eagles are incredibly proud to have her as a member of the Stewart Middle School community.

Congratulations, Darasimi! Keep up the fantastic work and continue to explore the wonderful world of books!

DCHS Girls Soccer Team Finishing Season Strong

Weekly Athletics Schedule

South Douglas Elementary is excited to highlight Savannah Allred as one of the school’s newest teachers. Allred joined the first-grade team at South Douglas this school year and is a former Bear Cub herself. A recent graduate from Western Governors University, Allred earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

Allred brings energy and excitement to the classroom and encourages her students to do their best each day. She is a dedicated educator who strives to create an engaging learning environment for her students. She is also a great addition to the staff and the South Douglas community. The school looks forward to seeing the impact she will have on our school and our students in the years to come!

Key Dates

• April 1-5: Spring Break
• April 24: Progress Reports (elementary & middle schools)
• May 22: Report Cards (elementary schools

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 on the lower level of Burnett Elementary School and offers several services. Click here to learn more.