Bartow County School System

STAR STATUS: We spotted Adairsville High School senior Levi Heim and AHS Engineering teacher Ryan Torrence at the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) 2025 STAR Banquet! Levi achieved the highest SAT score in the district, earning recognition alongside other regional winners. He was also honored to celebrate his success with his STAR teacher—the educator who had the greatest impact on his academic journey, Mr. Torrence!

WOMEN WELDERS ON THE RISE: This trade, taught at the Bartow County College and Career Academy, is gaining popularity! Learn more about it at this Chatt Tech mentorship and networking meeting on March 14th!

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories during the month of February!💖 This is the love story of Josh and Amanda Brown… “Josh Brown and I met in chorus class at Cass High. We were friends for a few years, and then during my senior year and his junior year, I developed a big crush on him when he sang ‘With Arms Wide Open’ at the White Elephant Christmas program at school. I prayed about whether or not to date him, and the Lord gave me many signs that I should. Much to my delight, he asked me to prom. The night we went to prom, April 21, 2001, he asked me out, and we have been together ever since. We got married on April 21, 2007, and now have two sweet boys." #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

FAFSA NIGHT: HoPe (Hispanic Organization Promoting Education) is hosting a FAFSA event at the Bartow County College and Career Academy on Wednesday, February 26th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. This is a chance for our Spanish-speaking families to learn more about the college financial aid process. The event is open to families from Cartersville High School and all Bartow County high schools, and it will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Hope to see you there!

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories during the month of February!💖 This is the love story of Justin and Camree Britton… “In December 2011, I was a senior in high school (Cartersville) and working at a local shoe store in town. One day, I received a message from two coworkers saying that a boy named Justin (from Cass) had come in, thought I was cute, and given them his number to pass along to me. I texted him to let him know it was me, and he had no idea who I was! As it turns out, it was a prank! We exchanged pictures, and he thought I was cute, but he had a girlfriend at the time. I told him that if they ever broke up, he could reach out. A few months later, he slid into my DMs asking if I was still interested. We talked for a few days, and he came to meet me at work. That’s when we became inseparable! The following year, we got engaged, married in 2014, and now we have three beautiful baby girls!” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

IT'S BACK: One of our most well-attended events! Check out the Job Fair flyer below and register! https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=noJuhJQ2vkKeh2y7Pidly1emWhUVe4pCm8lHIV22RaJUM01QMlJUMEpTWTNKTUZQQktKVjVSN1lPSS4u&route=shorturl

CHECK THIS OUT: We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories during the month of February! This is the love story of Phillip and Kim Sutton… "We met in 2001 at Adairsville Middle School in 7th grade, and I told my parents back then that I was going to marry Phillip one day. We dated for five years throughout our school years, and in 2007, we were named Mr. and Miss AHS. Our senior year, we got engaged, and right after graduating high school, we married. Now, 18 years later, we’re blessed with four children and a lifetime of memories together." #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories during the month of February! This is the Oxford’s love story… “We officially met in 2nd period 10th grade American Lit. on a hall at Woodland High School. We dated a short time before breaking up. We didn’t speak for the next year even though we ate at the same lunch table every day. The day after junior prom we started talking again and talked every single day. We made it official September of our senior year and have been together ever since. We have been together 19 years, married for 12, and have three beautiful children. What a beautiful life we have.” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories during the month of February! This is the love story of Daulton & Emily Pittman… “Our story began in 2013 when Daulton and I met in Spanish 1 at Adairsville High School. We dated briefly but broke up before the next school year. After reconnecting at the end of the year and going to prom together, things fizzled out again. After graduation, we went our separate ways, but we always knew we had found our person at AHS. In 2019, we reconnected, and this time, the timing was right. We got married in 2022, and in November 2024, we welcomed our first son. Our story is proof that love, with the right timing, always finds its way back.” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Joe & Kayla Salvatore… “My husband and I met at Cass High School! We started as best friends and now we have been married for almost 10 years! Joe Salvatore came up to me after my soccer game when I was a freshman and he was a junior and told me how great I played. I thought he was so cute with his curly hair! We both ended up going to Georgia Southern University together and the rest is history ❤️ 13 years and three kids later, he is now the lead pastor at Cassville Baptist Church and volunteers coaching for Cass Middle and coaches wrestling for Bartow County Parks and Rec! We love our Bartow community!” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Jesse & Kendra Gilliam (Jesse named Best Smile for c/o 2005, Kendra named Most Athletic for c/o 2005) “I met my husband, Jesse Gilliam, in 9th grade at Cass High School. We dated freshmen year for a bit and then broke up but stayed friends through high school. After high school, I went away to college on a basketball scholarship while he stayed home and went to Kennesaw State. We reconnected when I came back home to teach in Bartow County at Cass Middle School. Our friends always teased us in high school, stating that we are meant for each other. We were always flirting with each other and skipping class to see each other.” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Marc & Kelly Barrere… “My husband, Marc Barrere, and I both graduated from Cass High School. Marc has been the Resource Officer at Cass High for five wonderful years! While we were at Cass High, we both ran track and cross country at the same time. The Cass High newspaper, the ‘Trumpet’ even did a feature story on us at the same time. Fast forwarding to now, we have been married for almost 28 years, and we have three children. Two of them have graduated from Cass High, and we currently have a daughter that is a sophomore at Cass High. We definitely ‘Love Blue and Live Gold.’ #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Brock & Mallorie Arp… “My husband and I met in an art class at Adairsville Middle School in seventh grade. We have been together ever since. We are going on 16 years together since that seventh-grade art class. We have been married for almost 8 years and we welcomed our first son this past November. What's even better is that we are both teachers now; I work at Adairsville Middle School and he works at Adairsville High School. We both always wanted to work at our hometown schools. It's funny how an art class in seventh grade changed our whole lives!” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Ted & Whitney Bailey... “My hubby, Ted Bailey, and I were high school sweethearts at Cass High School! I was in 10th grade, and he was a senior when he asked me to the Homecoming Dance in 1997. The rest was history! Now, it’s so awesome to have our kids go to Cass and to work at Cass High as the LSS and serve the community that so generously poured into me!" #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Eric & Amanda Elrod (Current Adairsville Middle School Principal & White Elementary School Principal… “We started dating our junior year at AHS in 1996! Eric asked me out in weight training class, and we married in 2002!” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Blake & Amanda Wade… “My husband, Blake Wade, and I met at Cass Middle school in 7th grade. We’ve now been together for 26 years! I also teach at an elementary school in the county and our 3 boys all have gone, or are currently going to, Bartow County schools, as well!” ❤️ #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Clay & Ansley Burt… “Clay and I went to school together from kindergarten at Mission Road Elementary to senior year at Woodland High. We were actually Mr. and Miss MRES our 5th grade year and Prom King and Queen our senior year. Our love story began in middle school, and we have been together ever since, truly growing up together. We have now been married for almost four years and have two little girls that we absolutely adore. This stage of life has been our favorite, but we are so thankful for all of our memories in the Bartow County School System! ❤️ #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK THIS OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Nick & Christie Barnett (Voted Cass High School Cutest Couple in 2005) … “I married my 7th grade Cass Middle School sweetheart, Nick Barnett. We have been married 18 years and have four beautiful children. And we still love blue and live gold!! So glad I checked 'yes' on that locker note over 25 years ago!” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

CHECK IT OUT: 💖We’re celebrating #BCSSLoveStories on Valentine’s Day! 💖 This is the love story of Kyle & Cassidy Adams… “We met in 1st grade when we were in Mrs. Jackson’s class together at Adairsville Elementary School. We started dating in 6th grade when we had gym class together at Adairsville Middle School. We dated until high school, where we broke up but got back together in our sophomore year and stayed together until we graduated from Adairsville High School in 2013. We reconnected after one year in college and have been together ever since! We are happily married with two sons and one on the way.” #BCSSBuildsBeautifulStories #WhereLoveGrows #HeartfeltHistories

HOW COOL IS THIS: Understanding the importance of mental health, Allatoona Elementary School Counselor Marcia Guse hosts a monthly UNWIND session for staff members! “The first Monday of each month, we gather for an UNWIND session,” said Guse. “It’s a chance to relax with breathing exercises, engage the right side of our brains in a positive way, and take a moment for ourselves. While participation isn’t mandatory, we strongly encourage everyone to join—it’s a wonderful opportunity for some well-deserved 'me time'!” Great job, Ms. Guse! Thank you for your innovative approach!