Beyond the 4 Walls: Because it's what our students deserve

It brings me great pleasure when I hear students and staff make reference to moving their classroom beyond the 4 walls. It tells me that we are engaging students in experiences, and not just traditional learning. I experienced this first-hand last week as I was privileged to spend several days in New York City with some incredible 7th and 8th graders and their parents. We explored the city, including guided tours of the United Nations, Radio City Music Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and so much more. I witnessed art students see their first original Van Gogh, theater students participate in a Broadway workshop of School of Rock, which they attended the night before, and students with a keen interest in history and politics experience democracy in action at the U.N. This trip was just one example of how we are moving our classroom beyond the four walls at The Campus.

Middle Schoolers pictured outside of Rockefeller Center in New York City.

You may also have seen on social media some of the following activities taking place across The Campus and beyond in the past week:

-Sixth graders traveled to Orlando and visited Animal Kingdom, Medieval Times, and the Kennedy Space Center.
-CHS Baseball advanced to the final four after trips to South Georgia and Atlanta. They will play at North Hall on Wednesday.
-CMS and CHS students participated in and volunteered at the Gordon County Special Olympics
-Girls and boys track teams traveled to Albany to compete in the State Championships.
-Eight CHS students competed in Calhoun's Dancing with the Stars and helped raise more than one hundred thousand dollars for United Way of Gordon County and The Gem Theatre.
-CHS and CMS put on performances of MacBeth and Little Mermaid respectively.
-CHS students competed at the state level in the field of agriculture with Calhoun's FFA.
-CMS and CHS fishing teams closed out the year with great success!

And these are just some of the ways The Campus is moving beyond the four walls! We have students working daily in the hallways, the courtyard, downtown, in work-based learning and beyond to move their learning beyond the classroom. Thank you to our teachers and our community for making these opportunities possible!

April 9, 2017 - Forty seven days & counting

Forty seven days. That is all that stands between us and graduation. This is one of the busiest, most memorable, exciting and emotional times of the year. We have been eagerly anticipating this countdown to a day we celebrate 249 seniors walking across stage and thousands of students progressing from one grade level to another. The following is a brief message from me regarding my thoughts on these 47 days. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your principal. It is an opportunity I do not take for granted and I appreciate your continued support.

February 5, 2017 - If you build It, they will come

If you weren't in Atlanta on Saturday, February 4, 2017, then you missed out on Calhoun High School history!  The CHS swimming and diving team competed in the annual GHSA State Championship, which pits all schools in A-5A classifications against each other.  For those who know the history of CHS swimming and diving, we often will send one or two athletes to proudly compete for their school.  This year was an exception.  This year we sent more than 20 student athletes to swim and dive for a state championship in Atlanta!  After a stellar day of preliminaries, the boys' team was poised to place in the top 5 of all teams competing.  They did not disappoint.  After a photo-finish in the 4x100 freestyle relay, which saw our boys named state champions, the boys' team earned a 4th place overall team finish with only one public school finishing ahead of them.  This confirms what many have believed this year... Calhoun swimming and diving is now a respected name in the state arena and is a part of the conversation when we discuss state championship programs.  It also should be noticed that we witnessed the first female CHS swimmers to earn points at a State meet in school history!

How did we achieve this state championship caliber team?  It all began with a vision and a community that supported that vision.  Superintendent Michele Taylor and the Board of Education recognized that if we were to serve both the students and community members of Calhoun, while providing state championship swim programs, it was necessary to build a facility to support this.  Thus, the Calhoun Aquatic Center was born.  Home to the CHS Swim and Dive Team, NW Georgia Nitros, and numerous community health and wellness programs, the aquatic center has provided a location for our community to celebrate the sport and leisure activity of swimming.  So, thank you to our system leadership and to the board of education!  Thank you to our community who continue to support this facility and our student-athletes.  Most of all, thank you to the students and parents who call Calhoun home, and represent us at the local and state level  Go Jackets!

January 18, 2017 - The Campus - Acceleration, Support and Enrichment

Fifth Period: Acceleration, Support & Enrichment

Happy New Year and welcome to Spring 2017 at The Campus!  We are excited about the upcoming semester and all that it will entail.  The focus of this blog post is our 5th period.  I know that many of you hear your students talking about 5th period and the course offerings that they participate in.  This innovative 75 minute period is used each day to support, enrich, and stimulate learning at The Campus.  We have already seen great growth in our academic content areas and continue to grow our program areas that go far beyond the school setting.  The following are some quotes shared by teachers and students at The Campus:

"5th period is awesome!  It allows me to focus on what I love to do... theatre!  I get to really practice what we learn in musical theatre class and take it one step farther!" - CHS student

"I think 5th period is a great way to allow students to become well-rounded.  They have a time where they can get the help and support they need in classes like AP extension, yet have time to work on their assignments in study hall, which allows them to focus on extracurricular activities when the day ends.  Academics, arts and athletics... it's what it's all about at The Campus!" - CHS teacher

"I didn't know if I would like 5th period, but then I went to the Going Green class where we focus on recycling projects.  I have learned all about repurposing our trash so that we can be a healthier and more environmentally aware community." - CMS student

"I cannot tell you how much 5th period has helped with supporting my students.  Those that need extra time in math, get it.  Those that don't can focus on acceleration and enrichment in other areas of interest.  5th period has changed the culture of The Campus." - CMS teacher

These are just a few of the comments shared with me about 5th period and there are so many more!  Students and teachers are excited about learning at The Campus because we are giving them more engaging ways to accomplish our goal of lifelong learning.  I could not be more proud of our faculty and staff, and especially our teachers!  We are making a difference each and every day.  Ask your child what they did in 5th period today?  They may say they milked a calf.  They may say they built a house.  They may say they programmed a robot, or even designed an advertisement for your place of business.  They may have worked on their homework so they could enjoy time with their family once they get home.  There are many answers to the question, "What does your 5th period look like?", but hopefully one message reigns clear, and that is that they see it as a worth while investment.

You can view a complete listing of 5th period course offerings on our course catalog website and the links below:

CHS 5th Period Course Offerings
CMS 5th Period Course Offerings

Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.  You can reach me at coombep@calhounschools.org or 706-602-6661.

Peter Coombe
Campus Principal
The Greatest School on Earth!

November 27, 2016 - Seasons Greetings: A time for thanks, personal reflection and hope for the future.

The Campus of Calhoun Middle & High School is pleased to kick off the holiday season as we return from a well-deserved Thanksgiving break.  It is my hope that everyone was able to take time with family and friends over the break and were able to reflect on what we all can be thankful for.  Although things don't always go to plan, we can always be thankful for our Calhoun Schools family and all those who are forever connected to it.  Our staff will be working hard over the next three weeks to finish the semester strong, while providing a warm and nurturing environment for our students.  The holidays are a special time for our community.  From parades, to concerts... celebrations to gatherings, it is a season in which we can celebrate our community and the core values upon which it rests.  It is my hope that Calhoun Middle and High School will serve as a model for our students on how we should treat each other no matter our differences.  It has been, and always will be, my goal to ensure that all students feel welcome when entering the doors of The Campus.  Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time if you would like to discuss your child and their education, or how we as a school may better support our community.  You can reach me at 706-602-6661 or coombep@calhounschools.org.

Student Spotlight:  All those students who are involved in our Friday Night Lights.  Thank you for a great season!  From the players to the cheerleaders.  The band and film crew to the public safety team... we are so glad that we got to go on this journey with you this fall!

Staff Spotlight:  The coaches and sponsors who support our outstanding athletes and students who participate in Friday nights.  Thank you for your sacrifice and thank your families for allowing you to do so.

November 13, 2016 - No Matter our Differences, We are all Jackets

The Campus honored our Veterans this past Friday with a special luncheon and a program for out students that you can view in the video above.  We appreciate all those who served, and continue to serve, our great nation.  Your sacrifice is what allows us to continue to exercise our freedoms.

There is nothing more polarizing than a presidential election.  It highlights the different opinions of political parties and feeds on the division of our citizens.  We struggle to identify with the political candidates who are elected to represent their given parties and the media feeds on the disparity between their views and ideals.  This year, in particular, reminded me that we must honor the differences that make America, and our community, unique.  The Campus of Calhoun Middle and High School is comprised of a diverse group of students and teachers who represent a variety of values and beliefs.  We could do what the media teaches us, and focus on our differences, or we can choose to focus on what bonds us.

I would present the following common traits of our Campus family: We are a community of learners who want to enjoy our experience at school and who desire The Campus to be a fun and engaging place to learn; we want to feel safe, loved and appreciated; we want to attend a school where we can develop meaningful relationships that will last beyond graduation; we want to feel prepared to enter college and/or career fields that interest us; we want to laugh often and share our lives with each other so we may learn from the experiences of those around us; we want to win; we want to learn from our failures; we want to have the freedom to follow our dreams and express our creativity without fear of judgment.

The above mentioned qualities are what bond us as Calhoun Yellow Jackets.  We are one family of learners, living life together, and we will continue as long as we are afforded the freedoms to do so.  Go Jackets! #JacketStrong

Student Spotlight:
Congratulations to Calhoun High School's Competition Cheerleaders who placed third in the AAA State Championship competition today. Thank you Coach Ginger Reeves and all of our hard working, talented girls! We are proud of you all! Go Jackets!

October 17, 2016 - Principals of the Day... Future Jacket Leaders!

I hope everyone had a wonderful fall break!  It is always refreshing to have the opportunity to step back from the workplace, catch our breath, and prepare for what lies ahead as we approach the quarter mark of the school year.  Today I had the opportunity to be shadowed by two incredible 6th graders who wanted to the "Principal for a Day".  These two are incredible and I can't wait for you to meet both Lilly and Brandon!

I had the great opportunity to visit my alma mater, The University of Florida, this weekend to attend our homecoming game.  It was a fun and exciting opportunity to reminisce and connect with old friends, but I could not help but think about one thing.  That one thing was how proud I am to be a Calhoun Yellow Jacket!  The University of Florida has an outstanding sense of school pride and tradition, of which I am very proud to be a part of, but I kept thinking about how much more I enjoy being a part of the Yellow Jacket Nation.  I asked myself why, and the answer was obvious.  It is because of the incredible kids I get to work with each and every day and the teachers, parents and community who support them.  I am proud that we are providing a future workforce for our state, nation and beyond, but even more proud that we are building lifelong learners who embody the spirit and character that being a Yellow Jacket are all about.  Go Jackets!

Student Spotlight:
It is obvious who my choice is this week... Lilly Bunch and Brandon Webb!  Spending time with them today was the highlight of my day and week.  They are future stars at Calhoun Middle and High School and I am proud to be their principal.  Watch the video and it will be easy to see why they are so awesome!

Staff Spotlight:
Sean Blockley, AFS Lead at The Campus, is out staff spotlight this week.  Sean continues to go the extra mile in leading his team to ensure that The Campus is kept in tip top shape.  He responds to all situations with a positive attitude and is approachable at all times.  I appreciate Sean's commitment to our school and our students.  Without he and his crew we would not be able to function.  Thank you Sean!