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Hart County Schools are proud and excited to announce 12 students from all five Hart schools have been named as FY20 Young Georgia Authors in the statewide competition. Sponsored by the Georgia Language Arts Supervisors (GLAS) and the Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) network with support from the Georgia Department of Education, the purpose of the Young Georgia Authors (YGA) writing competition is to encourage students to develop enthusiasm for and expertise in writing, to provide a context to celebrate writing successes, and to recognize student achievement in arts and academics.
For more than two decades, this competition has been open to any student enrolled in Georgia public schools, kindergarten- 12th grade. In Hart County, competition winners were selected at every grade level.
From Hart, the following students were named for their stories:
Hart County High School Winners, L-R:
Ken’Asia Johnson, tenth grade; Madeline Owens, ninth grade; Omari Durrett, twelfth grade; Chess Mitchell, eleventh grade
Hart County Middle School Winners, L-R:
Bella Chitwood, eighth grade; Lake Dickenson, seventh grade; Juliette Cason, sixth grade
North Hart Elementary School Winner, Sam Moss:
Hartwell Elementary School Winners, L-R:
Asher Marchman, second grade; Joniyah Glaze, third grade; Jackson Carter, fifth grade
South Hart Elementary School Winners, L-R:
Grayson Morris, kindergarten; Kaelynn Shapland, fourth grade
Congratulations to these students for their hard work and creativity!
By Drew Dotson
The Hartwell Sun
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
A glimpse into history that is usually reserved for the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. has arrived in downtown Hartwell. Four unique poster exhibits are on display this month at the Hartwell Art Center.
The exhibits were provided to Hartwell Main Street Program by the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition.
The program offers exhibitions to museums, libraries, science centers, historical societies, community centers, botanical gardens, schools and other institutions across the country. The program provides printable posters for the communities to display for educational purposes for free.
“Oftentimes in communities across the country we don’t have the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. to see the Smithsonian, so they work to bring the Smithsonian to communities,” Hartwell Main Street director Jason Ford said.
There are currently four poster exhibits at the art center, each with about eight posters. The Choosing to Participate exhibit encourages people to participate in the government and shows how they can get involved. Destination Moon tells the story of the Apollo 11 mission and has photos of the moon landing. Righting a Wrong is about the incarceration of Japanese people and Japanese-Americans during World War II. World War I: Lessons and Legacies examines the way the war led to changes in America’s culture, technology, economy and role in the world.
The exhibits are currently at the Art Center and will be there until Feb. 1. The exhibits are free and open to public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
More exhibits are available through the SITES program and Ford is hoping to add more in the future if there is good feedback from the community. He is also hopeful that the school system will make use of the exhibit and that it can become an attraction in downtown for residents of Hartwell and Hart County.
“I like the idea of the educational component, the history component, and just having something a little bit different in our downtown to give people the opportunity to come into town, see a little bit of the art, see a little bit of the posters, get a little bit of dinner, get a little bit of shopping and you can make a day of it,” Ford said.
There will be an opening reception for the exhibit from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6, at The Art Center is at 338 E. Howell St. in downtown Hartwell.
Five Georgia school districts are included on the College Board’s 10th Annual AP District Honor Roll, with Hart County Schools among them, the organization announced this week.
“Our teachers are doing a great job preparing students at an early age. One of our goals is to provide equal access to the curriculum for all students. We are committed to finding a pathway for every student. I am grateful to our high school administrators and teachers for standing in the gap to provide the best education possible. We are #onehartbeat,” said Hart County School Superintendent Jaybez Floyd.
The AP District Honor Roll is a roster of districts that are increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams. The five Georgia districts honored are:
“Our number-one focus is on expanding opportunities for students in Georgia’s public schools,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I commend these districts as they expand access to advanced coursework for their students, while maintaining a high standard of performance.”
The College Board describes its AP District Honor Roll as “a roster of districts that are simultaneously expanding opportunity and improving performance.” Districts identified had to, since 2017, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher.
“With more students participating and succeeding in AP…more students are getting a head start on college by earning college credit during high school,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction at the College Board. “We are pleased to honor the teachers and administrators who have worked to clear a path for more students of all backgrounds to advance through AP.”
We're so excited to announce and invite you to the dedication ceremony of the Hart County High School basketball court! Please join us at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, for this exciting ceremony!
Parents, this is a great Facebook Live event to help you 
understand the ever-changing world of digital media and how it effects our students! Take part in the 3rd annual Pioneer RESA Technology "A Parent's Guide to Raising Digital Natives" at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 11! Take part, here https://www.facebook.com/pioneerresatech/.
Hart County Charter System is excited to announced the new class of Teachers of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year!
Jenny Martin, a special education teacher, has been named the Teacher of the Year for Hartwell Elementary School. Emilee Patrick, a 5th grade English and Language Arts teacher, has been named Teacher of the Year for North Hart Elementary School. Kathleen Teel, a Tier Intervention teacher for RTI/MTSS, has been named Teacher of the Year for South Hart Elementary School. Earl Fouch, a 6th grade math teacher, has been named Teacher of the Year for Hart County Middle School. Christie Simpson, a science teacher, has been named Teacher of the Year for Hart County High School.
These five teachers will move on to an interview process with judges from various counties within the state, on November 4, and a Teacher of the Year for the county school system will then be named at a Teacher of the Year luncheon on November 15.
In order to be eligible for Teacher of the Year recognition, teachers are nominated and voted upon their peers and principal, and should be a certified classroom teacher in public pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, including special education, physical education, art, music, media specialists and ROTC teachers. They also are teachers who inspire students, are dedicated and skilled in active teaching, play an active role in the community and are respected by both students and their parents.
Update: On November 15, Hart County High School Teacher of the Year Christie Simpson was named as the district-wide Teacher of the Year in Hart County! She will now move on to submit an application to be a nominee for Georgia’s Overall Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Mrs. Simpson!
The Hart County Charter System is proud to announce it has been recognized for its achievement and status as a Georgia School Boards Association’s (GSBA) 2019 Exemplary School Board.
This is the first year for Hart County to earn Exemplary Status, which comes as a true honor not only for the school system, but for the community as a whole, said Jay Floyd, Superintendent of the Hart County Charter System.
“This recognition is an honor for our community,” Floyd said.
The recognition program is designed to showcase best practices in school governance and leadership. GSBA recognizes good school board governance to foster educational community cultures in order to advance student learning and achievement.
The Hart County School Board of Education exceeded the criteria set by the GSBA to earn the honor of a 2019 Exemplary Board. This year, only 50 of the 180 public school boards in Georgia earned the Exemplary Board status.
The Hart County School Board is teamed by Chair Kim Pierce, Vice Chair Richard Sutherland, and members Matthew Honiotes, Dennis Dowell and Lonnie Robinson. It is the mission of Hart County schools and the board to prepare all students to meet tomorrow’s challenges by providing quality educational opportunities today, which is being acknowledged and recognized by the GSBA honor.
“This board has a great work ethic and they deeply care about our community,” Floyd said. “They have aligned our Charter Goals with our System Strategic Plan and the Budget Process. They have worked hard putting in extra training hours to support our students during the last three years.”
The GSBA Governance Team Recognition Program was developed by Georgia superintendents and board members based on the state board of education’s standards for effective governance to recognize exemplary leadership. In 1998, the Georgia School Boards Association was one of the first school board associations in the nation to develop a program of standards for local boards of education. The GSBA Board recognition program is a three-tiered program. For more information on the program, the GSBA website for awards and recognition.
The Hart County Charter System is looking toward the community for input and feedback as to the comprehensive needs for our schools. Input is specifically needed for the school system’s 2019 - 2020 Comprehensive Needs Assessment and District Improvement Plan, and the Title I School-wide Improvement Plans and the 2019 - 2020 Hart County Charter System Parent/Family Engagement Plan.
Citizens of Hart County are invited to provide comment on the se plans and suggest any possible changes. The documents for both plans are the basis of how the school district will budget and spend federal funds to enhance the academic achievement of all students.
Parents and community members will review the 2018 – 2019 documents, providing input on changes, which may be considered for the upcoming school year. The plans will be available for review in the Professional Learning Room from 1- 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 and 10 a.m. to Noon on Wednesday, April 17.
The Professional Learning Room is located in the Board of Education Office, 284 Campbell Drive in Hartwell. Parents who review these documents will be encouraged to provide written feedback. In addition, the documents are available for review on the Hart County Charter System’s website at www.hart.k12.ga.us.
Comments are welcomed and can be emailed to jcarter@hart.k12.ga.us or lamar.scott@hart.k12.ga.us.
For more information, contact Jennifer Carter, Associate Superintendent, or Lamar Scott, Title I Director, by email or by phone at 706-376-5141.
Our schools are seeking input in planning! Have any idea or suggestions? Read on to learn more: Hart County Charter System officials invite citizens to give their input on the Hart County Charter System’s 2019 - 2020 Comprehensive Needs
Assessment and District Improvement Plan. These documents are the basis of how the school district will budget and spend federal funds to enhance the academic achievement of all students.
In addition, officials are seeking input for the 2019 - 2020 Title I Schoolwide Improvement Plans and the 2019 - 2020 Hart County Charter System Parent/Family Engagement Plan. Parents and community members will review the 2018 – 2019 documents, providing input on changes that should be considered for the coming school year. The plans will be available for review in the Professional Learning Room from 1:00 – 3:00 on Tuesday, April 16th and 10:00 – 12:00 on Wednesday, April 17th.
The Professional Learning Room is located in the Board of Education Office at 284 Campbell Drive in Hartwell. Parents who review these documents will be encouraged to provide written feedback. In addition, the documents are available for review on the Hart County Charter System’s website at www.hart.k12.ga.us. Comments are welcomed and can be emailed to jcarter@hart.k12.ga.us or lamar.scott@hart.k12.ga.us.
For more information, contact Jennifer Carter, Associate Superintendent, or Lamar Scott, Title I Director, by email or by phone at 706-376-5141.
