BCSS ROLL CALL 2024: Wow! Check out Allatoona Elementary School! New Principal Jennifer Suarez transformed the learning environment, and as you can see on these Wildcat's faces, they LOVE IT! Deputy Superintendent Christian Suttle does, too! Their academic year is off to an AMAZING start! #backtoschool2024 #betterinbartow
BCSS ROLL CALL 2024: The "306 pride" was overflowing today as Adairsville Middle School students welcomed new Principal Sarah Callaway to the FAMILY! Perfect addition to the STEM school we all know and love! Chief Financial Officer Megan Brown joined the first day excitement! #backtoschool2024 #betterinbartow
BCSS ROLL CALL 2024: First day jitters?! Not with these Clear Creek Elementary School Lions! They were dancing down the halls and high fiving their new Principal, Mrs. Stephanie Meadows, and Chief Human Resources Officer David Robinson! #backtoschool2024 #betterinbartow
BCSS ROLL CALL 2024: First day smiles at White Elementary School! Mrs. Allison Mendez joined the team this year as an assistant principal, and it was a WARRIOR WIN! New Chief Leadership and Learning Officer Dave Stephenson got in on a little first day fun, too! What a wonderful way to start the academic year! #backtoschool2024 #betterinbartow
A SPECIAL TIME IN BCSS HISTORY: We were very pleased to welcome Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach and Photographer Richard Guittar to the new Mission Road Elementary School! Catch the full story just before the 5 p.m. newscast tonight! #betterinbartow
A SPECIAL TIME IN BCSS HISTORY: With a cut of the ceremonial ribbon, the doors officially opened this morning at the brand-new Mission Road Elementary School.
“This building will be a place where dreams can take flight, where challenges are met with determination, and where the seeds of future success are sown,” said MRES Principal Sherrie Hughes.
With shovels in hand, Carroll Daniel Construction led the charge. In November 2022, they broke ground. In August 2023, the last steel beam was put into place, and today we are looking at a two-story, 102,606 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. It holds 30 classrooms and 48 instructional units. The campus can now easily house its 550 students, plus 250 more. It was strategically designed to accommodate future growth and classroom wing expansions as well.
“Every time I walk into the building, I am blown away by how beautiful it is,” said Principal Hughes. “The tall colored glass windows bring in so much natural light and the modern collaboration spaces will be loved by our students. The unique features of our school will surely inspire creativity, collaboration, and a lifelong love of learning.”
Other special areas include a custom-built reading book staircase in the media center and two separate playgrounds.
“With the Mission Road Elementary School build, it was important to weave in the old with the new, to honor the school’s 38-year legacy of educational advancements, academic excellence, and strong community values,” said Bartow County School Superintendent Clint Terza. “I was pleased to hear that school leaders chose to have local photographer, Louis Tonsmeire, capture the iconic murals in the old school, frame them, and hang them up in the new school.”
Additionally, school leaders plan to accentuate the new flagpole with bricks from the old school.
“I must give a huge shout-out to the entire school staff and two very special people, Principal Sherrie Hughes and Assistant Principal Kim Wynn,” said CDC Senior Project Manager Zach Nicholson. “They kept the old school running while construction was going on right outside their window. It was not easy, but all the teachers and staff have been so accommodating and willing to work together to complete the project.”
This project had a unique schedule because work on the new parking lots, underground utilities, and detention ponds could not start until the old building was torn down in June after the academic year was completed.
While the front parking lot is finished, as anticipated, the additional lots and detention pond will not be completed until December 2024.
The project is currently on schedule and within the $30 million budget.
“This is a new state-of-the-art facility that will serve the community for many years to come,” said Nicholson. “The building was designed and built to last, and it will be exciting to see how it ages as kids grow. Hopefully, many years from now students will bring their own kids and grandkids through the same halls that they once walked.”
BACK-TO-SCHOOL IN BARTOW: Elementary school teachers yesterday, middle and high today! They're working on Tier 1 instructional framework! #TierOneExcellence #raisingstudentachievement #betterinbartow
BACK-TO-SCHOOL IN BARTOW: We're equipping all Bartow teachers with high impact instructional tools through expert LeAnn Nickelsen! See any of your favorite teachers? #TierOneExcellence #betterinbartow
SYSTEM SHOUTOUT: WOW! Our School Nutrition staff served nearly FOUR TIMES as many summer meals as last year! What an incredible service to our community! About 30,000 meals were distributed in 2023 and more than 115,000 meals were handed out this year! Join us in congratulating this staff on a JOB WELL DONE!
BACK TO SCHOOL IN BARTOW: Help us welcome back our amazing Bartow County teachers!
A FOND FAREWELL: Standing room only to celebrate the retirement of our beloved Payroll Manager Robin Rickles! Thank you for serving our school community for 32 years! We will miss you!
BACK-TO-SCHOOL IN BARTOW: Shout out to our amazing Technology Department! They're hard at work, setting up laptops for our staff and students! 💻 #betterinbartow #b2school
BACK-TO-SCHOOL IN BARTOW: New Teacher Orientation successfully wrapped up today after presentations from Superintendent Terza, Deputy Superintendent Suttle, Ms. Dot and the Education Foundation, and dozens of our A-Teams! Tomorrow, teachers will pick up their laptops and tour their schools! It's an exciting time in BCSS history!~ #betterinbartow #b2school
BACK-TO-SCHOOL IN BARTOW: The collaboration continues! Superintendent Clint Terza, Deputy Superintendent Christian Suttle, and Chief Leadership and Learning Officer Dave Stephenson met with principals today to address learning priorities and discuss maximizing instructional impact! #betterinbartow
BACK-TO-SCHOOL IN BARTOW: Today, we welcomed approximately 125 new/new-to-Bartow teachers to the BEST SCHOOL SYSTEM AROUND! We're thankful that they're starting this journey with us! Our teacher mentors were also on hand today for New Teacher Orientation as keynote speaker, Ms. Annette Breaux, addressed the group and system leaders held informational breakout sessions! #betterinbartow #b2school
BOARD RECOGNITIONS: Bartow County School Nutrition receives the Turnip the Beet Award from the state for the third consecutive year, and the Bartow County Board of Education honors the staff’s hard work and achievements!
Recognized for its outstanding Seamless Summer Meal Program, Bartow County is one out of only six gold level award winners from Georgia. Other counties include Douglas, Gordon, Henry, Newton, and Wayne!
👀👀: Check out these sweet students on the cover of the new 2024-25 Student Handbook! Spot anyone you know?
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME: Nearly three dozen of our high school Exceptional Education students were able to attend a Braves game thanks to Cara Shores and a sponsorship by Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and Career Technical Instruction! Our group participated in a panel discussion led by Braves employees with disabilities, AND two of our students were interviewed by Atlanta News First! What an exciting day to be a Braves fan from Bartow!
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION: Many of our local police chiefs met Superintendent Clint Terza today and watched a presentation on our new emergency alert system. Special thanks to Bartow County School Police Chief Billy Henson for presenting and hosting this important luncheon!
In attendance:
Sheriff Clark Millsap, Bartow County
Chief Frank McCann, Cartersville PD
Deputy Chief Yeager, Euharlee PD
Chief Kyle Teems, Emerson PD
Chief Jason Smith, White PD
Chief Mike Jones, Adairsville PD
Chief David Horace, Georgia Highlands College
SNEAK PEEK: Here's your very first glance inside the new Mission Road Elementary School! Final inspections are being made, and we are getting ready to officially move in and unpack! Doesn't it look great?!
