2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT I GRIFFIN-SPALDING COUNTY

2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT I GRIFFIN-SPALDING COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM

Dear GSCS Stakeholders,

When we opened the

2018-2019 school year,

we knew it was going to

be a pivotal year for the

Grifﬁn-Spalding County

School System (GSCS). It

hasn’t been easy nor quick,

but the work we are doing

is changing the conversation in Spalding County.

Much of this work has been centered on building

a foundation upon which an effective and efﬁcient

instructional program can thrive.

As a result of the curriculum audit conducted in 2016,

district-wide initiatives including Mastery Connect,

MAP (Measures of Academic Progress), Balanced

Literacy and Rigorous Curriculum Design (RCD),

have been implemented and are moving forward.

Our balanced literacy plan entered its second year

of implementation. We rolled out curriculum guides

in English/Language Arts, mathematics, and science

using the Rigorous Curriculum Design model, with

an implementation and support plan to ensure

maximum success.

The consistent rise in our graduation rate is the

“proof in the pudding.” The district’s graduation

rate of 88.58%, which increased from 85.39% last

year, tops the state rate of 82% and the Grifﬁn

RESA regional average of 88.0%. The approach

of tracking high school students at risk for failing

courses has kept students from facing the task of

recovering credit in multiple courses late in their high

school careers. The block schedules provide more

opportunities for students to succeed by being able

to take more courses during a four-year window.

In fact, we have seen a substantial increase in the

number of middle school students that have taken

high school credits to get an early start towards

graduation.

We also invest in our employees – our most

valuable asset, to ensure the success of our

students with school, district and national

professional development opportunities. GSCS

has also increased its efforts to focus on improving

employee culture and climate in all schools and

facilities by recognizing staff for their contributions

to the district. Additionally, the district’s Positive

Behavior Interventions and Support framework,

comprised of social-emotional learning and

character development program for elementary and

middle schools, is moving the needle with room for

improvement.

We are very

fortunate to have

the resources

to provide

wraparound

services

that includes

mental health

clinicians, social

workers, behavior

interventionists and

school climate

specialists to cultivate a

positive climate in the school setting.

As you know, the safety and security of our staff

and students is a top priority for us. Over the past

two years, we have worked closely with our local law

enforcement agencies, emergency management

agency, as well as GEMA and Homeland Security to

identify our greatest needs such as security cameras,

security door systems, emergency generators and

intercom systems to ensure that our campuses as

safe as possible. The district is also committed to

providing technology improvements for students and

staff to remain current with 21st century technology.

The Future Ready Librarians (FRL) framework

creates school libraries and classrooms that are

dynamic learning spaces with students engaged

in lessons that include integration of information

and technology literacies with core content, critical

thinking, problem-solving, and reading competencies

for academic and personal pursuits.

The Grifﬁn-Spalding County School System offers

everything a child needs to nurture and Grow

academically, Sustain and foster social-emotional

development with educators who Collaborate by

using innovative instructional practices that engage

students to Succeed. With our schools being the

anchors of the Grifﬁn-Spalding community, the

support from parent-teacher organizations, local

school councils, partners in education, community and

civic organizations is what makes our students thrive.

Together, we are Grifﬁn great and Spalding strong!

Sincerely,

James D. Smith

Superintendent

R. Syntel Brown • District 1

Letter from

Superintendent

Zachery Holmes, Vice Chair • District 3

Will Doss, Chair • District 2

Grifﬁn-Spalding

Board of Education

Sue McDonald • District 5

2 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

Barbara Jo Cook• District 4

FY19 Operating Budget

$94,550,375

GSCS Strategy Map

Vision

The vision of the

Grifﬁn-Spalding County

School System is to be

an agent of change,

transforming our students

into future-ready

learners and contributing

members of society.

Mission

The mission of the

Grifﬁn-Spalding County

School System is to

empower students

to graduate college

and career ready.

12,019

Chromebooks to support

instruction/testing

16.9 M

Emails were sent by

GSCS students and staff

3 Million

Documents Shared

37,050

Post made by teachers

in Google Classroom

231,642

Average visits to

www.google.com per day

GSCS

by the

Numbers

2018-19

Fast Facts:

Certiﬁed Staff – 864

Classiﬁed Staff – 605

Paraprofessionals – 168

73.89%

of students are eligible for

free or reduced price meals

21schools

11 elementary, 4 middle,

3 high, 2 programs and

the Grifﬁn Region College and Career Academy

10,353

Projected Student Enrollment

47% African American, 38% Caucasian,

9% Hispanic, 5% Multiracial,

1% Asian/American

Indian/Paciﬁc Islander

1,637

Sue McDonald • District 5

GSCS has:

125 buses with

91 planned daily routes

7,100 students transported

1.5 Million miles a year

(not including ﬁeld trips)

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 3

GRCCA Expands Aviation Program

To address the

growing need

for workforce

development in the

aviation industry,

the Grifﬁn Region

College and Career

Academy (GRCCA)

began an aviation

pathway in ﬂight

operations last

year. This year,

GRCCA added an

aircraft maintenance pathway to address both the pilot and the

maintenance mechanic shortage in this region. GRCCA is currently

renovating one of the older gymnasiums on campus into a ﬂight

operations classroom and lab, as well as an aircraft hangar for

the maintenance program. A new enclosed ﬂight simulator was

just added to ﬂight operations and three airplanes have been

donated for the aircraft maintenance program. All courses are

taught by industry professionals, and there are plans to add a

dual enrollment option through Middle Georgia State University’s

School of Aviation. GRCCA’s goal is to become the aviation

industry’s workforce pipeline for this region. Next year, GRCCA

plans to add a drone career pathway to the program with dual

enrollment option through Southern Crescent Technical College.

Grow

Zero to Five Initiative

The purpose of the GSCS Zero to Five Initiative is to identify,

prioritize and address the needs of children from birth to

age ﬁve, to support their growth and development towards

successful preparation for Kindergarten. In its ﬁrst year

of implementation, the GSCS Zero To Five Initiative has

accomplished the following:

More than 40 staff members from more than 10 local preschools

and daycares participated in six training sessions on kindergarten

readiness training facilitated by the GSCS Zero to Five staff.

Over 20 GSCS leaders visited 13 different daycare centers to

interface with their families to share information on kindergarten

readiness. The team delivered 150 Zero to Five Developmental

Booklets for the families of newborn babies at WellStar Spalding

Regional Hospital each month. Additionally, Zero To Five print

and digital resources were distributed among over 40 local

childcare, civic and governmental organizations to educate the

community on kindergarten readiness.

GSCS has seen an overall increase in the percentage

of kindergarteners entering GSCS elementary schools

demonstrating readiness for success in the areas of English/

Language Arts, Math and academic foundations.

GSCS

District

Initiatives

4 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 5

Sustain

Rigorous Curriculum Design

The Grifﬁn Spalding County School System has implemented a

three-year process to create curriculum guides for teachers using

the Rigorous Curriculum Design (RCD) model. RCD is the district’s

redesigned approach to delivering and monitoring instruction that

directly affects student achievement, while cultivating “in-house”

ownership of the curricula. With this model, teachers are able to

focus on performance data to align lessons to meet their students’

needs, and administrators will be engaged in RCD data monitoring

to ensure full implementation. GSCS currently offers curriculum

guides for English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies,

Modern Language, Physical Education and Fine Arts. Additional

content will be added during the 2019-2020 school year.

The curriculum guides serve as road maps that provide

guidance to teachers to ensure that all students have access

to a rigorous curriculum. There is no change in the standards

that are taught – only a change in how it is taught. To support

RCD implementation, both principals and teachers have

and will continue to receive professional learning to support

the implementation of the curriculum guides. RCD provides

rigorous and relevant learning opportunities to improve student

engagement in the classrooms, with the goal of preparing them

for college, career and lifelong success.

Academic Instructional

Practices Measure (AIM)

The Academic Instructional Practices Measure (AIM) Visits are

implemented to measure a school’s instructional effectiveness.

AIM visits provide an objective and evidence-based analysis of

how well instructional practices are being implemented in the

classrooms across the school district. The AIM Team is comprised

of school level administrators and district level administrators led

by GSCS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Kiawana Kennedy. The AIM

team conducted 18 AIM visits (one visit at each school) during the

2018-2019 school year.

The four primary purposes of the AIM Visit are to:

• To provide a school with data on instructional practices to

improve student learning.

• To provide feedback to teachers regarding instructional

practices to improve student learning.

• To encourage and promote dialogue between school and

district ofﬁce on effective instructional practices.

• To provide district ofﬁce with data collected across schools to

support academic achievement and growth.

GSCS

District

Initiatives

Collaborate

GSCS Mentor Program

The GSCS Mentor Program is a partnership between the

Grifﬁn-Spalding County School System (GSCS), Spalding

Collaborative and the Grifﬁn Housing Authority. The

Mentor Program is funded by GSCS and the Grifﬁn Housing

Authority, and Spalding Collaborative is the contract agent

for administering the program as well as training and vetting

mentors. GSCS mentors meet for one hour each week with their

mentee during the school day on school property. Mentors

commit to serving students for one school year, however, many

continue mentoring their mentee until graduation. Several

mentors mentor more than one student in more than one school.

The mentor program closed out the 2018-2019 school year with

43 mentors and 82 mentees that participate in one-on-one and

group mentoring at 13 GSCS schools.

Student Success Center at

Cowan Road Middle School

The Grifﬁn-Spalding School System entered into a partnership during

the 2018-2019 school year with the Grifﬁn Regional Education Service

Agency (RESA) to create a Student Success Center at Cowan Road

Middle School. The goal for the Student Success Center is to remove

the personal barriers that hinder students from achieving their best by

providing items to meet students’ basic needs. When these barriers are

removed, students are ready to learn when they get to school, which

should signiﬁcantly increase student achievement.

With the support of the Georgia Department of Education and the

donations and support of various community agencies, businesses, and

faith-based organizations, the center is ready to open for the 2019-2020 school year to serve students.

The center is already stocked with items such as school supplies, personal hygiene products, and

clothes, and there are plans underway to broaden the offerings to include food. The Student Success

Center is a wonderful outcome of the community coming together to provide wraparound services to

complement the academic priorities of the school.

6 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

Partners in Education

The Grifﬁn-Spalding Partners in Education (PIE) raised over $21,000 during its

17th annual golf tournament to beneﬁt the teachers and students of the Grifﬁn-Spalding

County School System (GSCS). The PIE “Prize Patrol” awarded 37 classroom and ﬁeld

trip grants to GSCS teachers and counselors totaling $31,559. PIE also awarded $1,000

in teacher tuition scholarships to 11 GSCS teachers seeking post-secondary degrees.

Additionally, PIE contributes to the local match for REACH GA scholarships for GSCS

middle school students with support from Marukan Vinegar, Kiwanis, and Rotary.

Succeed

GSCS’ Graduation Rate Demonstrates

Three Years of Continuous Growth

GSCS’s 2019 high school graduation rate increased to 88.58 from 85.39

percent last year, and 81.5 percent in 2017, demonstrating the district’s three

years of continuous growth. The 2019 graduation rate also topped the state’s

average of 82 percent and the Grifﬁn RESA’s regional average of 88 percent.

Additionally, this year was the ﬁrst time in ﬁve years that senior student athletes

from Grifﬁn and Spalding high schools have had a 100 percent graduation rate.

Fine Arts Diploma Seal

Both Spalding High School and Grifﬁn

High School students earned a Fine Arts

Diploma Seal along with their high school

diplomas in 2019. The Fine Arts Diploma

Seal is awarded to graduating high school

students who complete a Georgia Fine

Arts Pathway, extra-curricular activities,

and experiences that foster ﬁne arts

mastery. A Fine Arts Pathway consists

of a minimum of three credits in one of the ﬁne arts subject areas. These areas include

dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. Pathway completion denotes mastery

in one art form. To earn a Fine Arts Diploma Seal, students share their talent and

industry knowledge by providing at least 20 hours of arts related community service

and presenting a capstone presentation on their experiences. The diploma seal is a

signal to employers and higher education institutions that a student is prepared to

participate in the creative economy.

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 7

81.5% 85.39% 88.58%

2017 2018 2019

For the third year in a row, GSCS’ graduation rate of 88.58

percent is higher than the state’s average of 82 percent.

GSCS

District

Initiatives

High School Advisement Guide

One of the primary goals of Grifﬁn-Spalding County Schools is to

prepare students to be college, career, and life ready. The

Grifﬁn-Spalding County Student Advisement Program is designed

to assist students in acquiring the knowledge and skills needed

to make decisions that enable them to take full advantage of

the well-balanced curriculum offered in our secondary schools.

Through the presentation of current information concerning career/

pathway selection, graduation requirements, and course offerings

during individual and group advisement sessions, the professional

educator becomes the mentor to the student. The following

procedures are utilized in GSCS to facilitate this process and

promote college and career readiness:

• During the eighth grade year, students and their parents/

guardians and advisor/counselor will develop an Individual

Graduation Plan (IGP) to be revised annually as prescribed by

HB 400 (Bridge Bill).

• Advising students and parents on high school pathways and

academic curriculum, preparing them for college applications,

admissions, job readiness, soft skills (non-cognitive skills), and

interview skills.

• Informing all students of dual enrollment and advanced

placement courses to prepare students for the rigor of

postsecondary education.

• Providing information to assist in the planning and preparation

for post-secondary options

• Informing students about post-secondary ﬁnancing that can

be used to support post-secondary options and training.

• Annual advisement sessions are encouraged with students

and parent(s)/guardian(s) to provide academic, career, social/

emotional guidance, review progress in meeting graduation

requirements and to assist in selecting high school courses for

the following year. Sessions may be conducted individually or

in groups as deemed appropriate by local school personnel.

Succeed

8 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

2018-19 District-wide Teacher of the Year

Jennifer Wilson, Jordan Hill Elementary

Jennifer Wilson has been a music teacher for 15 years serving elementary, middle and high school

students at both private and public schools. Wilson has taught music at Jordan Hill Elementary for two

years. She also helps with the school’s Literacy Days competition, organizes music performances for

PTO and special holiday programs and serves as the accompanist for the elementary and middle school

Grifﬁn-Spalding Honor Chorus events. For the district, Wilson has edited and written nationally aligned

middle school chorus curriculum, created Student Learning Objectives and served as a mentor to new

choral teachers. Wilson received her bachelor’s degree in Music from Clayton State University and her

master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

GSCS

District-wide

Teacher

of the Year

2019 Library Media Specialist of the Year

Carver Road Middle School Media Specialist Rebecca Murray

The LMSOTY is awarded for individual excellence in the

library media ﬁeld through service to students, teachers and

community at the K-12 level.

Eighth Grade Students Earn

High School Credit

During the 2018-19 school year, GSCS saw a substantial

increase in the number of high school credits earned by middle

school students. The number of high school credits earned

in middle school increased from 81 in 2018 to 203 credits

earned in 2019. The credits were earned by eighth graders in

Algebra I, Physical Science as well as two Career Technical and

Agriculture Education (CTAE) courses: Introduction to Business

& Technology and Introduction to Early Childhood Education.

Overall, 142 eighth-grade students or 20 percent were enrolled

in high school courses to earn credit in 2019, compared to 81 or

12 percent in 2018.

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 9

Joan Puckett

As a self-contained MOID teacher at Jackson Road Elementary,

Joan Puckett works tirelessly to design her teaching to spark an idea,

fan a ﬂame and see recognition ablaze in the eyes of her students.

She is passionate and committed to providing her students with

every opportunity to experience mainstream activities and concepts.

Joan Puckett was the 2017-18 districtwide Teacher of the Year, 2018

Georgia Council for Exceptional Children Teacher of the Year and an

Agent of Change.

Brett Bell

Brett Bell got the idea to promote Little Free Libraries from ones he

heard about across the state. Working under the auspices of the

Grifﬁn-Spalding County Collaborative Authority, Brett presented the

idea in Spalding County. The concept is simple. Build a box to house

books protected from the weather and place the box in a location

accessible to children and their parents. Anyone is free to take a book

from the library box, read it, return it or keep it. All are encouraged

to place another book in the library as a way of ensuring continued

service. Thanks to Brett’s advocacy, Spalding County now has over

25 Little Free Libraries, with some located on our school grounds. For his support in

improving literacy and reading skills in Spalding County, Brett Bell is recognized as an

Agent of Change.

Dana Jett

Due to Spalding High School Senior Jordan Smith’s sensory issues

with loud noises and crowds and his need to constantly move or walk,

his family decided that it would be best for him not to participate in

Spalding High’s graduation ceremony. Knowing how hard Jordan has

worked during his time at Spalding High and his amazing progress,

Jordan’s Special Education Teacher Dana Jett felt that his hard work

and perseverance were worthy of recognition and organized a special

intimate graduation ceremony for Jordan and his family. For putting

her student ﬁrst and ensuring that his accomplishments mattered and were valued makes

Dana Jett an Agent of Change.

Dave Lamb

When GSCS began planning for a Grifﬁn Region College and Career

Academy, businessman Dave Lamb stepped up. Lamb served as

a business representative on the planning committee and became

the ﬁrst board chair for GRCCA. Through his leadership, GRCCA has

grown as a regional site that increases in programs and students each

year. Dave Lamb’s long-term commitment and vision for GRCCA has

made him an Agent of Change.

GSCS

2018

Agents of

Change

2018 GSCS Agents

of Inclusion:

Lisa Bates

Title III ESOL Parent Liaison/Interpreter

Brandon Crook

Gifted Parent Group President

Brent Fortson

Special Olympics Coordinator,

Grifﬁn High School

Natalie Wood

Principal, Crescent Elementary

Amiee Youngblood

Parent, Jackson Road Elementary

Each December, in celebration

of Inclusive Schools Week, GSCS

recognizes Special Education parents,

teachers and staff members as “Agents

of Inclusion” for their dedication and

commitment to working with students

of all abilities throughout the district

and raising awareness of inclusion

throughout the community.

10 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

GSCS 2018 REACH Georgia Scholars:

• Ethan Akins, Cowan Road Middle School

• Hannah Greer, Carver Road Middle School

• Asiyah Moten, Cowan Road Middle School

• Joshua Perez-Venancio, Kennedy Road Middle School

• Nathaniel Wilson, Rehoboth Road Middle School

For the second

year, ﬁve GSCS

middle school

students were

named recipients

of a $10,000

REACH Georgia

Scholarship.

REACH Georgia

Scholars are

selected in middle school and sign a contract along with their parent/guardian to

maintain a 2.5 GPA, remain crime, drug and behavior issue free and meet with a

volunteer mentor and academic coach until they graduate from high school. Each

scholar who completes all program requirements will receive up to $10,000 that was

earmarked to him/her in the 8th grade. REACH Georgia Scholars will receive up to

$2,500 per year, for up to four years, to be used towards the cost of attendance to a

two or four-year Georgia REACH program eligible institution of their choosing.

2018-19 Grifﬁn-Spalding

STAR Student and Teacher:

Sam Hart - Spalding High School

Dee Joiner - STAR Teacher

To be named a STAR student, a high school senior must have the

highest score on any single test date of the SAT taken through

the November test date of their senior year and be in the top

10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade

point average. The STAR teacher is selected by the declared

high school STAR student for having made the most signiﬁcant

contribution to their academic development.

GSCS

2018 Stars

& Scholars

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 11

2018 Classiﬁed Employees

of the Year:

NUTRITION

Keiza Hunt, nutrition and wellness coordinator

TRANSPORTATION

Patricia Chasteen, bus driver

Custodial Services

Jerry Lewis, head custodian

Beaverbrook Elementary

OTHER

Licia Evans, nursing supervisor

2018 Educator Hall of

Fame Inductees:

Georgie McCrary Matchett • William Matchett

James F. Johnston • Alberta Blanton

GSCS

Feats

Jackson Road

Elementary Special

Education Teacher

Joan Puckett was

named the 2018 Georgia

Council for Exceptional

Children (CEC) Teacher

of the Year.

Cowan Road Middle

School Assistant

Principal Chandra Bell

was named a ﬁnalist for

2018 Georgia Assistant

Principal of the Year by

the Georgia Association

of Secondary School

Principals (GASSP).

Spalding High School students Nasya

Gilbert and Chloe Holtzapfel competed

in the Georgia Family, Career and

Community Leaders of America

(FCCLA) State Leadership Conference

Grifﬁn High School Junior Ana Giddings and Spalding High School

Sophomore Thomas Smith from the Grifﬁn Regional College and

Career Academy (GRCCA) signed contracts with local companies

to participate in the Georgia Consortium of Advanced Technical

Training (GA CATT) Apprentice Program. Upon completion of

the program, both students will earn a high school diploma, an

Associate’s Degree in Precision Manufacturing and they will test

for German certiﬁcation.

GSCS received the 2019

Student Support Team

Association for Georgia

Educators (SSTAGE)

Star Award for Longevity

of Promising Practices

at the system level for

maintaining and making

progress with the

implementation of system

wide multi-tier student

support (MTSS).

Carver Road

Middle School

Future Business

Leaders of

America (FBLA)

Chapter received

second place for

having the largest

local chapter.

Rehoboth Road Middle School was recognized as

a Digital Citizenship Common Sense School.

STATE

Ana Soﬁa Orona Castro

and Christian Orona Castro

of Grifﬁn High School and

Grayson Smith of Cowan Road

Middle School advanced to

compete in the 71st Georgia

Science and Engineering Fair

(GSEF) To advance to the state

competition, GSCS students

must have placed ﬁrst in their

school fair and the Grifﬁn

RESA Regional Science and

Engineering Fair.

LOCAL

• Grifﬁn Books-A-Million donated $900 worth of new books

to the Grifﬁn-Spalding County School System (GSCS) to

support the district’s Balanced Literacy Initiative.

• GSCS contributed $8,642 via cash donations and payroll

deductions to help United Way agencies within our

local community.

• GSCS collected 39,407 food items during the 2018

Salvation Army Food Drive!

• The Sun City Civitan Club presented GSCS Special

Education Teachers Anika Momon and Amanda Franklin

(who are both GHS classmates, 1990) with the Servant’s

Heart Award for exemplary leadership, dedication and

outstanding service in the ﬁeld of intellectual or

developmental disabilities.

REGIONAL

• Fourteen Grifﬁn High School

students were selected to play

in the Region 6 District Middle/

High School Honor Band.

• FIRST LEGO League teams

from Carver Road Middle,

Cowan Road Middle, Crescent

Elementary and Rehoboth

Road Middle competed in

the FIRST LEGO League

Super Region Competition.

• Rehoboth Road Middle

School’s Math Team won

econd place for Division I at

the 2019 Grifﬁn RESA Regional

Middle School Math Contest.

12 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

The GSCS Nutrition Department

received the Georgia School

Nutrition Association (GSNA)

Gold Scroll Award, which is the

highest award attainable for

district and local GSNA chapters.

The award recognizes GSNA

chapters for completing the

State President’s Plan of Action

which promotes advocacy,

membership and public image to

stakeholders, such as students,

parents, teachers and the

community.

The GSCS Nutrition

Department received

honorary recognition

for their Farm to School

Excellence at the

2018 Golden Radish

Awards. The Golden

Radish Award publicly

recognizes Georgia

school districts for best

practices in farm to

school programs, such as

local food procurement,

exposing students to

new foods through taste

tests and incorporating

gardening and cooking

activities in curriculum.

Anne Street Elementary

was awarded the Georgia

Early Learning Reading

Initiative Grant from the

Governor’s Ofﬁce of Student

Achievement, Get Georgia

Reading Campaign and Share

the Magic Foundation/Read

with Malcolm.

Cowan Road Middle School Robotics

Team advanced to the FIRST LEGO

League state competition.

Grifﬁn High School and Spalding High School were named a 2018-19 Advanced

Placement (AP) STEM Schools and Spalding High School was also named a

2018-19 AP STEM Achievement School by the Georgia Department of Education.

The GSCS Communications

Department received two Gold

Awards of Merit and two Silver

Awards of Merit in the 2018

Georgia School Public Relations

Association (GSPRA) Annual

Publications, Photography and

Electronic Media Contest.

The Grifﬁn-Spalding

County Board of

Education was

recognized by the

Georgia School

Boards Association

(GSBA) as a 2019

Distinguished

School Board.

Grifﬁn-Spalding schools were

recognized by the Georgia

Department of Education for their

Positive Behavioral Interventions

and Supports (PBIS) framework

during the 2018-2019 school year:

Distinguished PBIS School: Futral

Road Elementary; Operational PBIS

Schools: A.Z. Kelsey Academy,

Carver Road Middle School,

Crescent Elementary School,

Jackson Road Elementary School

and Moore Elementary School;

Emerging PBIS Schools: Anne

Street Elementary School, Atkinson

Elementary School, Beaverbrook

Elementary School, Cowan Road

Middle School, Grifﬁn High School,

Jordan Hill Elementary School,

Kennedy Road Middle School,

Moreland Road Elementary and

Orrs Elementary School; Installing

Schools: Rehoboth Road Middle

School and Spalding High School.

STATE

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 13

GSCS received the

platinum award

of excellence and

was recognized

as “Best In Class”

in the strategic

partnerships

category for

its Interns As

Teachers program

by the Georgia

Association of

School Personnel

Administrators

(GASPA).

Carver Road Middle School Student Harrison

Whitmore completed his service project,

PC Drive 4 Hope as a member of the GA State

Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Harrison

collected 3,081 personal care items and received

$125 in ﬁnancial donations. GSCS employees,

students and staff collected 2,004 of these items.

Whitmore presented the donated items to Rushton’s

Hope, a local non-proﬁt that assists families in Grifﬁn.

Track:

Grifﬁn High

School

Bears Boys

Track &

Field Team

won the

GHSA 5A

State Title.

Spalding High School Lady Jags Track Coach Bart Pinckney

for being named 2018 Girls Sprints Coach of the Year.

Spalding High School Lady Jags Track Relay Team won the

Class AAAA 4x400 State Championship.

Soccer:

Both the Spalding High School Lady Jags and Boys Varsity

Soccer Teams won the region 2-AAAA championships and

played in the state championship.

Cheerleading:

The Grifﬁn High School Competition Cheer Squad won ﬁrst

place at the APS Metro Championship.

NATIONAL

GSCS received the

Tyler Technologies

2019 Public Sector

Excellence Award in the

Pupil Transportation

Division (VersaTrans)

for school bus routing,

trip planning and ﬂeet

management. GSCS

was chosen among hundreds of school

districts from across the country. Tyler

Technologies recognizes organizations that

demonstrate excellence in deploying Tyler

software in novel and impactful ways that

extend best practices.

Basketball:

Grifﬁn High

School Lady

Bears Basketball

team was named

2019 Class

AAAAA region

champions.

Spalding High

School Lady

Jags was named

2019 Class AAAA

region champions.

GSCS

Feats

ATHLETICS

14 #GrifﬁnGreatSpaldingStrong

Spalding High School Lady Jags

Basketball Team won the 2018 4A

GHSA State Championship.

Special

Olympics:

Each year, the GSCS

Special Education

Department hosts

the Districtwide

Special Olympic

Games at Grifﬁn

High School to

celebrate athletes

of all abilities.

The Finance Department was recognized

for receiving two awards for the audited

FY18 ﬁnancial report: the Certiﬁcate of

Achievement for Excellence in Financial

Reporting from the Government Finance

Ofﬁcers Association, and the Certiﬁcate of

Excellence in Financial Reporting from the

Associations of School Business Ofﬁcers.

The Grifﬁn-Spalding County School System’s

“AMP-IT-UP: Inspiring Middle School

Teachers in STEM” video received the

National Science Foundation’s Facilitators’

Choice Award. The three-minute video

was one of 21 videos chosen out of 242

submissions for the Foundation’s 2019

STEM For All Video Showcase.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Anne Street Elementary

802 Anne Street

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770 -229-3746

Atkinson Elementary

307 Atkinson Drive

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3715

Beaverbrook Elementary

251 Birdie Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3750

Cowan Road Elementary

1233 Cowan Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3790

Crescent Elementary

201 Crescent Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3719

Futral Road Elementary

180 Futral Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3735

Jackson Road Elementary

1233 Jackson Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3717

Jordan Hill Elementary

75 Jordan Hill

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3777

Moore Elementary

201 Cabin Creek Drive

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3756

Moreland Road Elementary

455 Moreland Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3755

Orrs Elementary

1553 Flynt Street

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770 -229-3743

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Carver Road Middle School

2185 Carver Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3739

Cowan Road Middle School

1185 Cowan Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3722

Kennedy Road Middle School

280 Kennedy Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3760

Rehoboth Road Middle School

1500 Rehoboth Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3727

HIGH SCHOOLS

A.Z. Kelsey Academy

200 A.Z. Kelsey Ave.

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-4365

Grifﬁn High School

1617 W. Poplar Street

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3752

Grifﬁn Region College and

Career Academy

221 Spalding Drive

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3710 Ext. 10482

Spalding High School

433 Wilson Road

Grifﬁn, GA 30224

770-229-3775

LEARNING CENTERS

Enrichment Center

205 Spalding Drive

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-229-3733

Mainstay Academy

200 A.Z .Kelsey Avenue

Grifﬁn, GA 30223

770-467-6600

Grifﬁn-Spalding County School System

Grifﬁn-Spalding County School System is accredited by AdvancED and the Georgia Accrediting Commission.

www.spalding.k12.ga.us 15

216 S. Sixth Street

P. O. Drawer N

Grifﬁn, GA 30224-0248

(770) 229-3700

Fax: (770) 229-3708

www.spalding.k12.ga.us

Get Social with GSCS:

www.facebook.com/GSCSS/

@GrifﬁnSpalding

www.linkedin.com/company/grifﬁn-spalding-county-school-system

@Grifﬁnspaldingschools

Sights & Sounds of GSCS

Grow Sustain Collaborate Succeed

GSCS Annual Report Cover Kids:

Moreland Road Elementary School Students (L-R): Front row: Noah Boston,

Olivia Gray, Brooklyn Goodman, Karen Carranza (Orrs Elementary).

Back row: Kyle Lu and Elijah Jackson

Special thanks: Principal Misty Garvin and Assistant Principal Holly Williams.