Bartow County School System

IT’S A MATCH: Woodland High School has another QuestBridge Scholar! Two in one year; that has never happened before! Congratulations to Woodland High School Senior Sarah Smith on earning a full-ride scholarship to Brown University through the QuestBridge Scholarship Program! Brown is an Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island. "I was so shocked and relieved to see that I matched to Brown,” said Sarah. “This scholarship means I am able to obtain a world-class education without worrying about any financial burdens, and as a first-generational student, this means so much to me and my family. I plan to go pre-med with a major in biology and eventually become a pediatrician. The QuestBridge scholarship makes this dream an actual possibility! QuestBridge has set me up for a bright future where I can broaden my academic, geographical, and social horizons." Sarah already completed the College Prep Scholars Program and participated in the Simons Summer Research Program, where she studied potential immunotherapy targets in cancer! The QuestBridge Scholarship is a respected program designed to connect high-achieving high school seniors with full four-year scholarships to some of the nation's top colleges. It covers tuition, room and board, and additional fees, ensuring that students can focus on their education without financial worries. The program also provides extensive support throughout the college application process, helping students navigate their path to higher education and achieve their academic goals.

IT’S A MATCH: Congratulations to Woodland High School Senior Talal Tariq on earning a full-ride scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through the QuestBridge Scholarship Program! Each year, around 25,500 students across the United States apply, and only about 2,500 are awarded this prestigious scholarship. "QuestBridge means that I will be able to get a good education through a good college without my family being burdened by any monetary worries," said Talal. "I haven't finalized my major yet, so there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen during and after college. I can't really make many predictions of my life after college since that period in a person's life is so unpredictable." The QuestBridge Scholarship is a respected program designed to connect high-achieving high school seniors with full four-year scholarships to some of the nation's top colleges. It covers tuition, room and board, and additional fees, ensuring that students can focus on their education without financial worries. The program also provides extensive support throughout the college application process, helping students navigate their path to higher education and achieve their academic goals. Talal also earned a coveted seat in the Georgia Governor's Honors Program last academic year for his outstanding work in mathematics!

JOLLY JAMBOREE: Hamilton Crossing is “decking those halls,” walls, and everything in between thanks to the incredible efforts of staff, students, parents, and our amazing community! What a special treat for these Knights! Whose hall do you think WON? The judges, Board Member Matt Shultz, Chief HR Officer David Robinson, and our Academic Team members Amanda Creel and Charley Walper had a hard decision to make!

THE BUZZ AROUND BARTOW: After seven rounds of spelling in the 64th Annual Bartow County Spelling Bee, Kingston Elementary School fourth grader, Fallon Frye, spelled “ambiguous” and then "anachronism” to WIN! This year's amazing runner-up is Michael Tavernier, a fifth grader from Taylorsville Elementary School! They actually battled it out for about 13 additional rounds at the very end! Congratulations! Fallon now advances to the regional spelling bee on February 22, 2025. As always, special thanks to the Bartow Education Foundation, Bartow County Association of Educators, Mayor Matt Santini & Anthia McStatts-Santini, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, Heather Carter, Charley Walper, Amanda Creel, Jennifer Mauldin, Dr. Davis Nelson, Janet Queen, Kerrie Roberson, and Dawn Wood.

THE BUZZ AROUND BARTOW: Congratulations to our 2024 District Spelling Bee contestants! Adairsville Elementary – America Flores Adairsville Middle – Aiden Hamlin Allatoona Elementary – Keyla Lopez Cass Middle – Alvin Lasme Clear Creek Elementary – Lyric East Cloverleaf Elementary – Molly McEntire Emerson Elementary – Noah McDurmon Euharlee Elementary – Kennedy Williams Hamilton Crossing Elementary – Louis Young Kingston Elementary – Fallon Frye Mission Road Elementary – Joseph Milam Pine Log Elementary – Emmett Schilling Red Top Middle – Morgan Donnelly Taylorsville Elementary – Michael Tavernier White Elementary – Jay Patel

The Cartersville Exchange Club Christmas Parade is always a magical event! We loved seeing the smiles and bright eyes of students as our superintendent and staff handed out free books! It was also wonderful to hear our award-winning bands and watch our impressive JROTC, cheerleaders, and Magnet students light up the night sky! Simply put; we live in the best community!

NEW NICU: Superintendent Clint Terza and Deputy Superintendent Christian Suttle were there as the ribbon was cut today at Piedmont Cartersville’s brand-new NICU/Special Care Nursery! Piedmont Cartersville is a phenomenal partner in education. CEO Lori Rakes and her team provide invaluable support through various initiatives, including Project SEARCH. This innovative program offers our young adults with disabilities the chance to gain valuable work experience and skills. We are excited to see the positive impact these new developments will have on our amazing community!

DON'T MISS OUT: The application window for our exclusive Magnet programs closes next Monday! Unmatched opportunities await! Apply today!

GIVING TUESDAY: Shout from the rooftop news -- Vista Metals in Adairsville generously donated $10,000 to the Bartow Education Foundation!! Every last cent will be used in our classrooms through the Teacher Grant Program. THANK YOU!

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Get ready, one of our favorite events is right around the corner! This Thursday, before the legendary Cartersville Exchange Club Christmas Parade, we will host our BOOK GIVEAWAY! FREE BOOKS! Just stop by the BCSS table, which will be located next to Santa in the Plaza. We'll be out there from about 3:30 p.m. until supplies last! See you there! 📚🎅📚

BALLOONS OVER AES: No shortage of smiles today at Adairsville Elementary School as Kindergarten and third grade students paraded through the hallways in their very own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, inspired by the book Balloons over Broadway! Teachers integrated STEM projects into the festivities, and it was clear that the staff enjoyed the day just as much as the students! #betterinbartow

SWEET SNAPSHOTS: Friendsgiving at Mission Road Elementary School was made even sweeter by the firefighters from Sugar Valley Fire Station, who volunteered in the kitchen to serve up Thanksgiving favorites like turkey, dressing, casserole, and cobbler!

BIG BCSS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Bartow County School System has been selected to host the 2024 GHSA Esports State Championship Games in our very own arena on December 14, 2024‼️‼️‼️‼️ 🎉🎉 This is HUGE as teams from around the state will be coming here, and our seven Esports teams in Bartow County will get a front row seat to see the excitement and learn what it takes to excel in top-tier competition! #betterinbartow #GameOn

CENTRAL OFFICE CELEBRATIONS: When you work in a school system and community like this, you have a lot to celebrate! This month, we proudly celebrate and honor Heather Brown, our School Nutrition Program Operations Supervisor. Her extensive knowledge of school nutrition and operations, exceptional customer service, servant's heart, and quick-witted personality are just a few of the many reasons we love and appreciate Mrs. Heather Brown. She truly makes our team better!

LUNCH AND LEARN: The Bartow County School System shone brightly at Georgia’s Workforce Conference! BCSS CTAE Director Lisa DiPrima, along with Work-Based Learning Coordinators Deanna Boughton and Lori Kilgo, had the exciting opportunity to meet Governor Brian Kemp. They also discovered cutting-edge strategies and programs that Georgia companies, communities, and organizations are using to tackle talent development needs and build robust, long-term workforce pipelines. #betterinbartow

WOW: We are absolutely ecstatic to see Woodland High School’s new Athletic Hall of Fame! This incredible tribute celebrates the outstanding contributions of our former athletes and coaches to our athletic programs! Check out the inaugural 2024-2025 WHS Hall of Fame inductees: Kenn Baker, founding Athletic Director of Woodland High School Responsible for creation and implementation of the Woodland Athletics mission and vision; hired all initial coaches who started the programs; Coach Baker held many positions as a Wildcat including Middle School Girls Track Coach, Middle School Boys Basketball Coach, 9th Grade Girls Basketball Coach, 9th Grade Boys Basketball Coach, 9th Grade Football Coach, Varsity Football Linebackers Coach, Varsity Football Offensive Line Coach, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal, Associate Principal, Director of the Ninth Grade Academy, Coordinator IB and AP Programs, and Bartow County student mentor. Derrick Broom, Basketball 1998-2002 Awards/Recognitions: Retired Jersey, Bartow County POY (01 and 02), NWGA POY (02), Second Team All-State (02), Street and Smiths Honorable Mention All-American, WHS MVP, most points all time (2,128), most points in a game (50), most assists all time (260), most rebounds in a game (18), most blocked shots (158), member of the National Honor Society, signed scholarship to play for University Alabama Birmingham. Jake Brumbelow, Wrestling 1998-2002 Awards/Recognitions: 3x Georgia High School State Finalist, 2x State Champion, 2000 AAA State Runner Up 103lbs, 2001 AAAA State Champion 112lbs, 2002 AAAA State Champion 119lbs, 2002 NHSCA High School National Open Runner-Up 125lbs, 3x NHSCA High School All-American, Career Record 169-4, Senior Year Record: 68-0 Georgia state record for most wins without a loss and third nationally. Jamie Jones (Fitzpatrick), Softball 2000-2004 Awards/Recognitions: All Region Honors, County Player of the Year, 4-year starter (softball), 3-year starter (basketball), All State Honors, Wendy’s Heisman Athlete of the Year; Career Batting Stats: scored 100 runs, 147 hits, 12 homeruns, 108 RBI’s, 375 Avg; Career Pitching Stats: 71 Wins, 926 Strikeouts, 1.51. ERA. Received scholarship to play at Kent State University and inducted into the Kent State Hall of Fame. Bradley Scott, Wrestling 1998-2002 Awards/Recognitions: 3x state champion, 4x state placer, Bradley signed a scholarship to wrestle with Missouri after his senior year. He wrestled there for one year. Bradley died in a traffic accident coming home from a Fire Fighter Training in Atlanta a couple years after he graduated from WHS. He was a firefighter with the City of Cartersville Fire Department.

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: We are proud to celebrate Communications Coordinator Alisha Evans for her outstanding achievements through the Georgia School Public Relations Association! She recently earned the following EIGHT awards: - Three GOLD awards of excellence in writing, videography, & photography - Three SILVER awards of excellence in videography & photography - Two BRONZE awards of excellence in videography & photography Congratulations on this outstanding recognition of your work!

TECH TRAILBLAZERS: The judges' scores from the District Technology Competition are in, and we're excited to announce the students advancing to the regional competition in Rome on January 31st! (see graphics below)🎉🎉🎉 A total of 351 students from grades three through twelve presented 232 projects to our judges. Participants from all 19 schools competed, and judges selected the top three projects per category and grade band to award medals. Congratulations to all our future innovators! From code to creation, these students showcased exceptional technology skills, public speaking abilities, and teamwork! FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS: https://www.bartow.k12.ga.us/article/1888434 Special thanks to our sponsor, Shaw!

DON'T BE LATE: Magnet Program applications are pouring in from our eighth graders! However, the window closes Dec. 9th. Make sure you get them in; this is an exclusive opportunity you won't want to miss!

ANOTHER MILESTONE MOMENT: State School Superintendent Richard Woods will be making an in-person visit next month to honor our whopping 12 Math and Literacy Leader Schools!! READ MORE HERE: Twelve Bartow County schools have garnered attention for being recognized as Literacy and/or Math Leader Schools by the Georgia Department of Education, celebrating their remarkable growth and achievements in reading and math. Bartow County Literacy Leader Schools are as follows: • Cloverleaf Elementary School (3rd Grade Gateway Growth) • Mission Road Elementary School (3rd Grade Gateway Growth) • Pine Log Elementary School (3rd Grade Gateway Growth; 5th Grade Growth) The Literacy Leader qualifications are determined by the Georgia Milestones Reading Status indicator, which utilizes Lexile scores from the ELA assessment. Schools were honored for their growth in the percentage of students reading at or above grade level, with a special focus on third and sixth-grade reading. Additionally, ten Math Leader Schools have been named by the state. They are as follows: • Woodland High School (HS Growth) • Woodland Middle School (8th Grade Gateway Growth; HS Achievement; HS Growth) • Adairsville Middle School (8th Grade Gateway Growth; HS Achievement; HS Growth) • Cass Middle School (HS Outstanding Achievement) • Red Top Middle School (8th Grade Gateway Growth; HS Growth) • Euharlee Elementary School (5th Grade Gateway Growth) • Hamilton Crossing Elementary School (4th Grade Growth; 5th Grade Gateway Growth) • Cloverleaf Elementary School (3rd Grade Growth; 4th Grade Growth; 5th Grade Gateway Growth) • White Elementary School (5th Grade Gateway Growth) • Kingston Elementary School (5th Grade Gateway Growth) Schools were recognized for achievement or growth in the percentage of students scoring at the Proficient Learner level or above in math. Awards were given at the elementary and middle-school levels, and at the high-school level based on the Algebra: Concepts and Connections EOC, which is the state test for math in high school. "Only about 14% of public schools statewide received the literacy award, and 26% earned the math award," said Bartow County School System Superintendent Clint Terza. "This is a tremendous honor and a testament to our sharp focus on learning, collaboration, and results-oriented thinking. While three of our schools were honored with the literacy award last year, the math leader award is a new state recognition. We are thrilled to receive it and to see such a large percentage of our students surpassing state benchmarks." State School Superintendent Richard Woods is slated to visit the Bartow County College and Career Academy on December 10 to officially present both Literacy and Math Leader awards to all 12 Bartow County schools.