Representatives from more than 40 Cobb schools recently took part in bullying prevention training sessions conducted by the District’s Prevention Intervention Center. Prevention specialists shared best practices and research-based strategies with teachers, counselors and support staff, helping them better recognize and address bullying behaviors in schools. The Prevention Intervention Center provided a wealth of support materials for schools and parents to explore, including presentations to share with families and a set of brochures co-written by specialist Jeff Dess, entitled Understanding Playful vs. Hurtful Teasing and Bullying Behavior. Click here to review the brochures online.

Schools are implementing these best practices in ways that best suit their student bodies, including the delivery models for anti-bullying programs and the style of communication. Belmont Hills Elementary is one of several schools to use the Second Step program, which helps develop and reinforce core social-emotional skills in elementary and middle school students.

At Cooper Middle School, students in Amy Zschaber’s art classes created their own digital anti-bullying campaign. Students snapped photos of themselves in various environments and then created their own graphic posters with slogans calling for students to stand up and speak out. A small group of Cooper students also created their own short film, defining the roles kids can play in seeking social justice. A gallery of images created by Cooper students is below.

The P/I Center has also helped administrative teams establish schoolwide reporting mechanisms, so students know whom to report incidents of bullying behavior. Some schools, such as Lost Mountain Middle, have opted to take further steps to implement the intensive Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a nationally-recognized model for prevention and promotion of understanding amongst young people.

For more information about bullying prevention programs in Cobb schools, visit the Prevention Intervention Center website.

Sherry Trimble, teacher at Fair Oaks Elementary School, is the grand prize winner in the Atlanta Falcons Green Team Ambassador competition! Presented by the Falcons and aluminum production company Novelis, the Green Team Recycling Program challenged schools to demonstrate how they implemented a robust recycling and education program between October 2012 and January 2013. More than 50 elementary and middle schools from across Georgia registered for the Green Team program. The organizations selected four Green Team Ambassadors from the school leaders heading up the local recycling programs and of those, a grand prize winner.

Miss Trimble, known at Fair Oaks as “Green Girl,” founded the school’s recycling program, school garden & composting initiative, and leads the student brigade of cape-wearing Green Team students who are responsible for recycling collection each day. As a result of Miss Trimble’s leadership, Fair Oaks will receive a $2,500 grant to improve the school’s current recycling program and enhance environmental education.

As part of the grand prize, Fair Oaks students will receive a visit from Falcons players and cheerleaders, mascot Freddie Falcon, and representatives from Novelis on April 4 during a school wide assembly!

Mr. Kent Wright, paraprofessional at Teasley Elementary, was honored with a 11Alive News ‘Random Act of Kindness,’ receiving a $200 gift card and a surprise visit from WXIA cameras. Watch the video below:

The District’s Prevention Intervention Center conducted a Crisis Response Team training event Tuesday, Feb. 12. The team was formed more than a decade ago to help schools be prepared to respond to difficult, dangerous or tragic events, such as the death of a student or staff member or extreme weather events. Eighty-nine (89) school counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, translators from the International Welcome Center and public safety officers from across Cobb were refreshed on local school crisis response procedures, psychological first aid, grief and bereavement and individuals’ roles during a school relocation.

The Georgia chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council recently named Cobb County School District one of three statewide winners of its award for Leadership in Indoor Environmental Quality. The honor is part of the USGBC’s High Performance Healthy Schools initiative, promoting energy and water efficiency, sustainable operations and maintenance and improved indoor air quality in school buildings.

The USGBC praised the District during the council’s annual summit Feb. 19 in Atlanta with the following:

Cobb County Schools, led by Jim Mitchell [supervisor for custodial services], has established that the health of the children they serve is the paramount consideration in custodial and maintenance policy, practice and purchasing decisions. Jim has a saying that everyone in Cobb knows: “If it ain’t green, it ain’t going to be seen.”

Since 2007, Cobb has been working to establish sustainable cleaning standards and practices parallel to those required for LEED certification. Recently, Cobb became the first school system in Georgia to evaluate, adopt and implement the use of electrically activated water for daily cleaning to fully utilize a chemical-free environment — and has shown measurable savings from the use of new cleaning technologies.

The Cobb School Counselor Association, in conjunction with the Prevention/Intervention Center,  hosted its annual mini-conference on Friday, Feb. 8 with the theme Extreme Makeover: School Counselor Edition. More than 250 school counselors participated in the professional development conference, which included topics ranging from Helping Students with ADHD to Bullying in the Digital Age.

A number of exhibitors were on hand with booths set up to provide counselors with extra resources. The mini-conference concluded the District’s celebration of National School Counseling Week Feb. 4-8.

Submitted by Laquita Hardimon, Professional School Counselor, Cheatham Hill Elementary

(L-R): GSTA President and CCSD Science Supervisor Sally Creel, Mountain View principal Dr. Renee Garriss, Stacey Osborne Duffy, Board of Education member David Banks, and Area Assistant Superintendent Ed Thayer.

Stacey Osborne Duffy of Mountain View Elementary School was announced as statewide Elementary Science Teacher of the Year by the Georgia Science Teachers Association. Each year, GSTA recognizes recognizes ongoing excellence in science education and the commitment to its improvement by selecting state winners for elementary, middle and high school levels. Principal Dr. Renee Garriss said, “This is a well-deserved recognition of [Duffy's] teaching and outstanding contributions as a science educator.”

Several Cobb County elementary school physical education programs have earned big kudos for their successful implementation of the Jump for Heart program! Jump Rope for Heart is an educational fundraising program that energizes students about being physically fit. Proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association to help children in need of heart-related medicines and treatment.

Congratulations to these schools and HPE teachers for their efforts.

(#1 Georgia) Hoops For Heart School – Big Shanty Intermediate – Nancy Cobelli and David Worrall

(#2 Georgia) Jump Rope For Heart  School – Kennesaw Elementary – 
Emily Adams

(#10 Georgia) Jump Rope For Heart  School – Mt. Bethel Elementary – 
Pat Toole, Theresa Collins, and Chuck Jones

(#1 Georgia)  1st Year School in Georgia Jump Rope For Heart  School – Baker Elementary – Matt Cool

(#1 Georgia) Most Improved Jump Rope For Heart  School – Nickajack Elementary – Eric Homansky

North Cobb High School held its first Teacher of the Year reunion during a special luncheon October 24. The school invited these past TOTYs to celebrate their impact on North Cobb students. In attendance were (pictured above, L-R): LaVonda Crumb , Wes McCoy, Julie Hopp, Weegie Hoffman, Jennifer Biddy, Linda Morrison, Sheryl Cox, Melanie Shelnutt, Casey Roberts, Candace McCullough Naniste, Van Jacobs, Carolyn Woods, Terry Gorsuch, Maxine Walker, Mike Petelle, Judy Kelly, David Stephenson, Katherine Brown, Cliff Biggers and Debbie Walker.

Green Acres Elementary in Smyrna has new leadership ready and dedicated to moving the school and community forward. Angela White was appointed as principal of Green Acres September 27, 2012. Ms. White delivered her first remarks as principal to the Green Acres community, parents, staff, and students at the PTA meeting on Oct. 4 to rousing cheers of congratulations.  Dale Gaddis, Area 2 Assistant Superintendent, was on-hand to make the announcement. Ms. White has given many dedicated years to Cobb County students as a classroom teacher, curriculum support teacher and assistant principal. In her first words to the gathering, Ms. White stated, “We are a family.”

Karen Courant was appointed assistant principal at Green Acres during the Oct. 26 Board meeting. Mrs. Courant has served as both teacher and academic coach at Green Acres for more than a decade.

Submitted by Shannon Rush, ALP teacher, Green Acres Elementary