August 30, 2016 - Beyond the Four Walls - Moving Offices

Today, I moved my office into the lobby of Calhoun High School and invited the entire student body of CMS and CHS to stop by and share in conversation as they express concerns, or simply want to chat.  Below is the message I shared with my staff based on my insights from today's experience:

Campus Colleagues, 

I wanted to take a moment to share a few things that my experience moving my office into the lobby for a day taught me.  Thank you for indulging me as I pass on these small yet perhaps meaningful insights:

Today I learned...

1. That moving a full suite of furniture in the lobby yourself is difficult, but asking for help in returning these items makes it far easier.  This may seem trivial, but it reminded me that it is okay to ask for help when facing challenging tasks.

2. Students recognize and appreciate when we step beyond the four walls and do something extraordinary.  It did not take long for comments to spread and for students to come visit the "crazy" principal with his office in the lobby.  Sometimes it takes an unusual gesture to stir conversation and create a buzz around campus.

3. Students want to have open and honest conversation with their teachers and administrators but are often timid in doing so.  We have to sometimes remove those barriers in order to create an environment where these open conversations are welcome.

4. We have some pretty incredible students!  Our students are so observant and their knowledge and insight they imparted upon me today was quite overwhelming.  I have summarized a few of those items below:

• We have students who love to learn and engage in active learning experiences.  Even the ones who struggle to love school, shared that they enjoy when the learning is hands on.
• We have teachers who love their students and care about their profession.  EVERY student I spoke to today had positive things to say about their teachers.  No student shared a dislike for a teacher.  They may share that they don't like the subject, but they all said they knew their teachers cared for them.
• We have students who struggle with many external obstacles ranging from the threat of deportation to family money problems, etc.  
• We have a sense of school pride which is acknowledged and felt by all to some degree.  

5. Our students are curious.  If we engage them in the classroom with strategies which challenge their preconceived notions of "school" they will be putty in your hands.  I would sit working today, and students would come by and take pictures, share a smile, give me a thumbs up, etc.  They want to be challenged to think of things in new ways.  Redefine your classroom!  Get beyond the 4 walls!

6. It's not always about having a conversation... it's about being present.  Most students did not stop to have conversation.  Most simply wanted to see what was going on in the lobby... what they had heard about.  As I would see those same students walk back through later in the day I would engage them in conversation and this opened a conversation which I would not have had if I was not present in the lobby... in the hall... to speak with them specifically.

7. We have awesome teachers!  I saw so many teachers supporting students in the hallway... walking with students... sharing a friendly hello.

8. Our community appreciates seeing what we are doing in our classrooms.  I gathered a lot of positive attention via social media, text messages, email, etc. from parents and community members who saw I was doing something a little out of the ordinary today.  Our families love to see what we are doing with their kids.  Be sure to share with them!

Every day I am proud to be a Yellow Jacket.  Today, I was especially proud to be one.  I want to thank each of you for allowing me to work along side you as we meet the challenge of educating more than 2100 students across grades 6-12.  My challenge to you today, and the rest of the year, will be to ask, how will you move your classroom beyond the 4 walls?

August 21, 2016 - Every Dream Needs a Strong Team

If you are like me, you have been glued to the olympic games in Rio these past two weeks.  In lieu of early nights, I have been cheering on the athletes of the United States as they showcase their talent while representing their country with pride.  The olympic games will come to a close this Sunday evening, but the games are far from over at Calhoun Middle and High School.  We are two weeks in to a long season.  A season which will allow us to show our pride in the Jacket Nation.  I cannot say enough how proud I am of our students, our parents and our community.  This was demonstrated in full force this Friday evening at Phil Reeve stadium, where thousands of people gathered to lend their support to our students.  Education is truly a team sport.  In order for us to be successful in pushing our team beyond the black and gold standard of excellence, we need coaches, pit crews, and cheerleaders.  Teachers, parents and the community will assume each of these roles at appropriate times, and it is when we work together that we will find great success.  I want to thank the parents and the community for entrusting myself and my staff with the awesome responsibility of coaching your students to success.  It is a task we do not take lightly, and one we need your support in order to accomplish.  I can say with confidence that we have outstanding things taking place each and every day on The Campus and we invite you to come along side us as we continue to strive for excellence.  Go Jackets!  #GAMEON.

Staff Spotlight:  Stay tuned... we will be announcing our Teachers of the Year on Monday.

Student Spotlight:
Congratulations to our 2016 Homecoming Nominees.  These ladies will be featured at our first homecoming assembly on Friday, August 26, 2016 at 8:15a.m.:

• 9th
• Erin Barnes, Madalyn Cross, Anna George, Emma King, Jenna Santori
• 10th 
• Ariana Cantellano, Ashton Ensley, Marley Gentry, Daleigh Higgins, Trinity Reyes
• 11th 
• Sarah Green, Alexis Moss, Alexis Owens, Julia Palazzolo, Cecilia Swink
• 12th – Homecoming Queen Nominees
• Sammy Bramlett, Kelsey Hall, Abrinna Nannie, Marlee Nichelson, Tori Trimble

August 7, 2016 - Exceeding the Black and Gold Standard of Excellence

This week we will welcome over 2000 students to The Campus of Calhoun Middle and High School.  Our staff have been working around the clock preparing for their arrival, and we plan to roll out the red carpet as we welcome them to what will be a landmark year in Calhoun City Schools long history.   Each and every student will have an individualized schedule, handcrafted around their specific needs, ready for them in their homeroom on Monday morning.  Students who have not yet seen their schedule will find the name and location of their homeroom in the lobby area of each school.  Each day this week we will be reviewing some important changes in the student handbook and we will publish this highlighted information for parents to view as the week progresses.

I know that a lot of students, and parents, feel a sense of anxiety when returning to the school year.  When will I go to lunch? Who will I sit with? What if I don't know anyone in my classes? The number of questions will grow, yet the answers will come in time.  Please encourage your students by reaffirming that school is a place where they should feel safe and encouraged.  It is my promise to the community that I will do my part in ensuring that each and every student feels comfortable coming to learn at The Campus each and every day.  Certainly we will experience bumps in the road, but if we all work together to exceed the black and gold standard of excellence we will surely be successful.

July 31, 2016 - It's Game Time!

It's that time of year!  It's game time!  As we celebrate our system theme of exceeding the black and gold standard, #GAMEON, we recognize that in order to play in the game, we have to be a contributing participant to the team.  Our team is The Campus (Calhoun Middle and High School), and we all play an important role on this team.  From student, to parent... teacher to principal... community member to alumni, we must all be active team members if we are to exceed the black and gold standard of excellence!

Today we welcome 319 freshman to The Campus as they begin a four year journey which will ultimately lead them to graduation.  They will meet their graduation coaches (formerly known as advisers), tour the building and find their future classrooms and teachers.  This is a time of excitement and anticipation, and we cannot wait to meet the future graduates of Calhoun High School!  We are in the game.  We are committed to excellence.  We will not lose focus.  WE ARE CALHOUN!  #GAMEON.

July 17, 2016 - Get Pumped!

Well, it's that time of year again!  You have been busy this summer catching Pokemon, napping on the beach, knocking off the annual honey-do list around the house, spending time with friends and family, and you just looked at the calendar and realized... yes... it's true... you only have 2 weeks until teachers return and 3 weeks until students return to school!  While some parents are jumping for joy at the thought of sending their kids back to school, many are in denial as they realize that their blissful summer will soon come to an end.  I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself when I say that I am pumped about students and teachers returning to school!  Schools can be lonely places in the summer; however, there is much that goes on during the months of June and July at The Campus.  Teachers have been busy working selected days for the purpose of planning, camps have been ongoing, custodial teams have been waxing floors, cleaning windows, and many other very important tasks that must take place in those few weeks we are allotted with student-free days.  

As we use these last few weeks to prepare for the flood of students that will engulf our buildings, I want to remind you of a few important dates.  July 26th-28th we will be conducting student parking sales in the cafeteria and you can find specific information on the high school's homepage.  July 31st we will host a freshman orientation from 2-4pm that we ask all parents and rising 9th graders to attend.  And finally, on August 4th we will host a system open house for all grade levels from 12-6pm.  This is a drop-in event where students will get their schedules and will have the opportunity to meet their teachers.  I cannot wait to get the school year started.  We have a lot of positive things planned for The Campus and we are working hard to build an environment at CMS and CHS where students and teachers look forward to coming to school each and every day so that they can engage in learning that is meaningful and relevant.  Enjoy these last days of summer.  Go Jackets!

Student Spotlight

The 2016 DMA National Champion Majorette Line and Most Outstanding High School Line. (From left to right) Katlyn Lester, Ashton Smith, Emma Cochran, Gracie Gordon, Greer Saunders, Brooke Warren. (Not pictured) Head coach Tracy Farriba, assistant coach Madison Baker)

Calhoun's FCCLA chapter had a successful trip to Nationals. Congratulations to these ladies for their success at FCCLA National Leadership Conference in San Diego! Grace Jones, Bronze medal in Sports Nutrition; Mayson Haney, Silver medal in Career Investigation; and Alissa Greeson/Kendall Henslee Gold medal in Life Event Planning

June 23, 2016 - Unplug from the Daily Grind

Summer is in full swing and many are enjoying some well-deserve time off with family and friends.  Summer vacations are not only a time for adventure and excitement, but also a time to unplug from the daily grind and recharge for the year ahead.

Life gets busier and busier with each passing year and as I continue to grow, as a young father and educator, I have learned the importance of scheduling time to change my daily routine to allow uninterrupted time with family and friends.  We spend so much of our lives "plugged in," that it is imperative that we take time to unplug.  This week was a week in which I unplugged from my daily routine and invested in my family.  They are, after all, my core support system.  We have had a great time at the beach and I am actually writing this as my daughter naps beside me, between trips to the beach and the pool.  It is a time that I will treasure and am thankful for.   My wife can attest that I have a hard time stepping away from school.  I am fully committed to the success of Calhoun City Schools, but my family kindly reminds me that unless I take time to recharge I will not be of much use to The Campus or CCS as a whole.

With that said, I am ready to return to CCS, recharged, and prepared to continue the important planning that must take place in order for us to have a successful school year.  Many people are working this summer behind the scenes so that the administration is prepared to do the most important job of all... support teachers and students as they teach and learn in the classroom.  

Lastly, I want to congratulate each and every one of our staff, students, parents and community members who helped to make Calhoun City Schools the 2016 Charter School System of the Year as recognized by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on Wednesday in Atlanta.  We had a great showing of educational leaders and education supporters in attendance.  You can view the video recognizing CCS below:

Staff Spotlight

I would like to recognize all those who are coordinating summer programs this summer through Calhoun City Schools to best prepare our students for the 16-17 school year.  From summer school led by Monica Pierson and Lynne Wilson to math camps at CMS led by the math department, we have an abundance of programs contributing to student success at Calhoun City Schools.  Be sure to thank those who are sacrificing time this summer to put on programs such as cheer, twirl-o-whirl, football, soccer, transitions, STEM, band, performing arts, ESOL, tutorials, health, math, swimming, tennis, summer feeding, etc.  The list goes on and on.  Never have I seen a community and a school system so invested in their students during the summer months!

Student Spotlight

Aubrey Marbutt will be serving as the student body president for the 2016-2017 school year at Calhoun High School.  More than that, she is a representative of all students at Calhoun City Schools.  Aubrey has served in Student Government her entire high school career and is a dedicated student.  I have known Aubrey since she was in elementary school.  She has always shown great leadership potential, and I am very proud to have her serve along side me this upcoming year as the elected student representative of her peers.  Please congratulate her and wish her the best as she works diligently this year to make it the best year at The Campus to date!

June 5, 2016 - Toes in the Sand

There's nothing quite like the feeling of watching the minutes tick away on the last day of school and running out of the doors as the heat hits your face, signaling the start of that epic time of year called summer!  Not only does this describe the last day for our students, but also that of our teachers and staff.  We often hear the faint grumbling of educational critics who scorn teachers for their excessive social media posts of beach vacation pictures and galavanting adventures across the globe.  These critics paint a canvas with broad strokes of commentary such as "they may not get a huge salary, but they have all that time off" and, "I wish I didn't have to work over the summer!"  I contest that these critics would have benefited from sitting in the classrooms of Calhoun City Schools teaching staff.  I praise our teachers for their pictures of sand covered feet gazing across the ocean.  I view this as a trade.  They have survived 10 months of 5 a.m. wakeup calls.  They have given up the privilege of seeing their own house during daylight hours.  They take care of other people's children while theirs are in daycare.  They teach for 10 hours, sponsor arts, academic, and athletic organizations in the evenings and hit stop and repeat once the clock strikes midnight.  They have most likely missed most, if not all, of their own child's classroom events, parties, field days, field trips etc. so that they can provide these same experiences for those who would criticize them.  They love unconditionally.  They carry the burden of knowing that for some of their students, school is the safest, warmest, and most loving place they will know.  They reach into their own pocket books to pay for field trips for those who cannot afford these adventures.  They sponsor their own students when Christmas comes around so that they too can feel the excitement that comes on Christmas morning.  In short... teachers are superheroes!  If allowing them two months to enjoy their own families and brag about it on social media is the price we have to pay to have these superheroes for 10 months, then I will gladly suffer the constant barrage of beach pics and poolside toes.  I love our teachers!  I love our schools!  I love our community!  We are Calhoun!

Staff Spotlight

All of our teachers and staff!  As I stated above in the blog, you are all superheroes!  We appreciate you and your commitment to our students.  Now, go and dip your feet in the water and post your obligatory sandy feet pics!!!  Have an incredible summer and drop by and visit me when you have the chance.  I would love to hear all about your adventures!

Student Spotlight

Reed Allen - For those of you who did not get to know the son of Heidi (CMS School Counselor) and John Allen (CHS Football Community Coach) you missed out on knowing an outstanding young man.  We recognize Reed this week because he has done what so few will ever accomplish...  He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy.  Reed represents what we aspire for all of our Calhoun graduates to achieve... a commitment to excellence both in and out of the classroom.  Congratulations to Reed and the Allen family!