Latest news with #DoughertyCountySchoolSystem
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dougherty County School System sees leadership changes
ALBANY – As the Dougherty County School System closes out the 2024-25 school year, the Board of Education voted to make several leadership changes based on recommendations from the superintendent. Thelma Chunn, the principal at Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet School, was named associate superintendent for district effectiveness. This decision was about two years in the making as the position sat vacant for a year. In this role, Chunn will be responsible for school and student improvement across the district, working closely with students and school staff to make data-informed decisions about ways to improve the school. Dyer said Chunn was the ideal choice for the role because of the tremendous success she's had at the helm of Robert Cross. Under her leadership, the school was consistently ranked among the top middle schools in Georgia. In 2023, the school was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Dyer said the school soared in academic growth and achievement. The Governor's Office of Student Achievement recognized Robert Cross for both gains and high performance. Prior to her time at Robert Cross, Chunn served as principal at Dougherty International Education Middle School from 2001 through 2005, where she previously had served as assistant principal. She's also served as a teacher at Dougherty Middle and Westover Comprehensive High School. 'Dr. Chunn is one of the best educators in the country,' Dyer said. 'We're looking forward to her sharing that leadership in a more normal way with our colleagues throughout the district to help them continue to grow and become better as we meet the needs of our students.' For Chunn, the promotion may mean a new role, but she said she intends to stay true to the values and attitude that led her to professional success. 'As I transition into this new leadership role, I remain committed to those same values and look forward to collaborating with schools across the district to ensure every student has access to rigorous and relevant learning experiences,' she said. Christopher Sharpe, the current principal of Northside Elementary School and former assistant principal under Chunn at Robert Cross Middle, will take the lead as principal at Robert Cross. 'He's familiar with the Robert Cross way of doing school,' Dyer said. 'He's familiar with the employees there, faculty and staff, and familiar with the things that make Robert cross the school that it is. And so we're looking forward to him continuing that legacy of excellence.' Among the leadership changes throughout DCSS, the BOE named three people to serve in the newly-created Middle School Content Coordinator Roles. Shaun Foreman was named Middle School Studies Coordinator. Foreman has been with the district since 2008 when he served as middle school math/social studies teacher at Southside Middle. He most recently has served as an instructional support specialist. Ci'Andrea Jones was named Middle School Math Coordinator. Jones has been with the district since 2014. She served as a math teacher at Radium Springs Middle Magnet School of the Arts and was named the 2021 District Teacher of the Year. She has served as an instructional support specialist since 2021. Delisa Long was named Middle School English and Language Arts Coordinator. Long has been with the district since 2004 and has served as a middle school ELA teacher, literacy coach, instructional coach and now serves as an instructional support specialist. Before creating these roles, the distinct used secondary content coordinators who provided support for grades six through 12. Content coordinators work to support teaching, learning and developing curriculum that aligns with state standards and provides guidance for teachers. They also work with teachers who need support in instructional strategies. 'Our teaching core looks different than it did 20 years ago,' Dyer said. 'We have more and more teachers across the country who are coming in from alternative career paths, who haven't gone through a traditional teacher prep program. We felt that splitting up secondary to middle and high school would allow our district support folks to provide more support with smaller grade bands they're responsible for.' Other leadership changes include: Yvette Simmons, the principal at Sherwood Acres Elementary School, will transition to serve as the district's director of the exceptional students programCheryl Smith was named the executive director for the CTAE (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education) Program, a post she's been serving in as interim director since 2024. Shanekia Williams, the current principal at Merry Acres Middle School, will become the district's next director of curriculum and Poole, currently principal at Sumter County Middle School in Americus, will serve as the principal at Merry Acres Middle School for the 2025-2026 school Holmes will become the new principal at Sherwood Acres Elementary School after serving as assistant principal. Khadijah Ali, who currently serves as athletics director, school administration manager and head girls basketball coach for Dougherty Comprehensive High School, has been named district athletics directorWhitney Webb, currently assistant principal at Merry Acres Middle School, was selected as the district's new early literacy coordinator DCSS is in the process of finalizing revision to its strategic plan as the current plan ends June 30. This process includes focus group meetings and steering committee meetings. 'The strategic plan is what guides us, and so once we finalize our strategic plan, we'll be in a better position to talk about specific goals for each of the divisions that we have in the school system,' Dyer said. Dyer said he is excited for the way forward for the DCSS. 'I think we have people who are highly capable,' he said. 'They have demonstrated their commitment to servant leadership, to provide support for our teachers as they help our students become the best they can be in terms of learning with a rigorous and relevant education experience.' The Dougherty County School System's annual graduation ceremonies will be held at the Albany Civic Center. Friday – May 23, 2025: Dougherty Comprehensive High School (6:00 PM)Saturday – May 24, 2025: Monroe Comprehensive High School (9:00 AM)Saturday – May 24, 2025: Westover Comprehensive High School (1:00 PM)
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Parents of Dougherty County students 'Level Up' in career training program
ALBANY – It's graduation season in Dougherty County for college students, high school seniors – and a group of 23 Dougherty County School System parents. The group also will walk across a stage, some donning caps and gowns, to receive their certification from the Dougherty County School System's Level Up program, an initiative under the DCSS Family and Community Engagement (FACE) program that offers certification programs in heavy machinery operation and in becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant. The program, funded by a Georgia Power Equity in Education grant, is completely free to parents of students in the school system. 'It's an economic development and empowerment initiative aimed at supporting the students of DCSS and their families with an opportunity to level up their careers to have a positive impact on household income and decrease the negative impact of poverty in our area,' DCSS Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said. FACE has been a longstanding part of DCSS. Maqueta Griswold, FACE's director, said it meets the needs of families outside of just academics. 'We look to help our families, not only in the area of supporting their children academically but providing them with wraparound services to ensure they're taken care of,' Griswold said. This includes offering financial literacy courses, teen pregnancy support and even resources as simple as food, clean clothes or money to cover bills for those families that are really struggling. Two years ago, looking for ways to expand these services, the system began the Level Up program. The program offered families a way to take the next step in escaping poverty. It removed barriers against gaining valuable work skills and certifications. At first, the need was clear through data. Some 28% of the Albany area is below the poverty line. DCSS's student population qualifies for free and reduced school lunch at 100%. DCSS families are negatively impacted by poor health care statistics, chronic disease and high incarceration rates. Equipping parents with the certifications to get a higher-paying job not only means more money, it means full-time positions with health insurance and hours that allow parents to be home with their kids more often. The hope for Dyer and Griswold was a generational pivot. 'A lot of our challenges in our community go back to poverty, food insecurity, homelessness and so we feel that we could have a positive impact on family, household income,' Dyer said. 'Then, we can take a blow at poverty and the challenges that our students face, that tie back to poverty.' With the help of Albany economic leaders, DCSS identified major work force needs for the area and decided on the heavy equipment and nursing assistant programs for its parents. 'We saw an opportunity to impact economic and work force development in our area, along with the opportunity to impact the families of children that we serve every day,' Dyer said. The first cohorts began about two years ago. FACE staff made phone calls to parents it had previously served, with propositions about the new program. Griswold said they got an enthusiastic response. The parents were ready to learn and work. To participate, parents must pass a background test, an aptitude test to prove sufficient background knowledge in subjects like math, and remain drug free. For each cohort, Level Up hosts an orientation. It offers $150 gift certificates, allowing parents to purchase uniforms and other supplies. It provides transportation for both parents and their children. Each cohort is small in size – about 13 CNAs and eight in heavy equipment – to allow for an intimate learning experience. The heavy equipment training happens after hours at the 4C Academy. It's a five-week program, with classes held one day a week. The CNA program is four weeks long, Monday through Thursday, with two different sessions offered in the morning or late afternoon. DCSS parents learn about operating heavy equipment at the 4C Academy through Level Up. Special Photo: DCSS FACEDCSS parents learn about operating heavy equipment at the 4C Academy through Level Up. Special Photo: DCSS FACE Now, two years and some 30 cohorts later, 137 parents have 'leveled up.' Eighty-four parents received credentials from the CNA program, 79 of whom now hold local jobs. Fifty-three parents are certified in heavy equipment, 38 of whom now have jobs. The completion of each cohort program calls for a graduation ceremony. 'If you were to ever come to those graduations, if you could see the kids' faces … how excited they are to see their mom or dad graduating,' Griswold said. There have been several success stories shared at these graduations, and with Georgia Power, which checks in on the unique program quarterly. For Rashad Ford, the heavy equipment course allowed him to get a job that sees him home every night, able to tuck his kids into bed. Before, he had to work overnights and missed those family moments. The CNA Pathway program allowed Oceanshina Johnson to start her own business in hiring other nursing assistants locally. For many, like 34-year-old Jalisa King, the Level Up program meant realizing a lifelong dream that for a long time felt unattainable. King is a single mother with two daughters attending DCSS schools. In 2021, she had to have her leg amputated. She said this left her in severe depression, trying to raise two kids alone and with barely any income. 'I had been wanting to become a nurse because I love taking care of people … but I couldn't afford to go to CNA school,' she said. 'One day, I was sitting at home, and I said 'God, show me the way.'' 'The way' took shape in a Facebook post advertising the Level Up program. King applied and was accepted. Soon, she was immersed into the double life of a CNA student and single mom. 'I'd go to class; I'd come home and be a mama, cooking dinner and getting the girls ready for bed,' she said. 'Then I'd be up until midnight, studying for my tests.' She said there were days she thought about giving up. She said she always had the support of her peers and teachers with Integrity Health, who offered hugs and words of encouragement. 'When I was in clinicals, I had to walk around that big old building with a prosthetic leg,' King said. 'Every night I'd look at my two kids, and I was just like, 'I can't give up.'' She said at night, sometimes the stress would get to her. Her eldest daughter would wake up hearing sniffles from her bedroom. She'd come in and ask King, 'What's wrong?' 'You know that song, 'Almost there,' from 'Princess and the Frog?'' King said. 'Me and my baby, we used to listen to and sing that every day. She'd always say, 'Mama, you're almost there. You just have to keep going.'' And, she did. King finished her exams with high scores. She got ready for the graduation, a bundle of nerves and shedding tears of joy. When her name was called, she said she couldn't believe she'd actually done it. Along with her certificate, she received the Determination King (center) stands with her two daughters at her Level Up graduation. Special Photo: Jalisa KingToday, King is a medical technician supervisor at Viva Senior Living Facility in Albany. She takes down medication orders, handles narcotics, etc. She plans to eventually become a medical assistant. She said the Level Up program opened doors in the health care field that otherwise would have remained closed. It helped her see her full potential. Now, her eldest daughter wants to be a nurse, too. Griswold said seeing their parents accomplish great things inspires students as well. 'The kids see that, and it makes them want to do better academically,' she said. 'And once the parents receive these certificates and they get their jobs, it allows them to provide a more stable home for their kids, which allows them to be more productive in the school and even better stewards of the community outside of the schools.' Word has spread fast about the Level Up program. Graduates are encouraging their friends to participate. The program has a growing waitlist, and DCSS is looking to hopefully expand into other training opportunities like Phlebotomy and commercial truck driving. Dyer said while DCSS is still working with Georgia Power, it's also looking for other sustainable funding partners to keep the program alive long-term. 'It's one of the most rewarding nontraditional programs that we provide,' Dyer said. 'Contact us, and we'll certainly talk about ways that we can work together to continue to make this impact.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dougherty County School System superintendent nominated for national award
ALBANY – Dougherty County School System Superintendent Kenneth Dyer has been nominated for National Life Group's 2024-25 LifeChanger of the Year recognition. This recognizes and rewards K-12 educators and school district employees across the U.S. who are making a difference in students' lives by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership. LifeChanger of the Year has recognized and rewarded more than 8,500 K-12 teachers, administrators, and school employees in 2,300-plus school districts. Dyer was nominated by Qaran Glenn, a colleague and ASU alumnus, for leading transformational initiatives that have significantly enhanced the academic landscape throughout DCSS schools. 'Mr. Dyer's leadership is grounded in strong ethical values, demonstrated through his community involvement and focus on integrity,' Glenn said. Under Dyer's leadership since 2017, DCSS has reached an 87.1% high school graduation rate, surpassing the state average in five of the last six years. Its third-grade English/Language Arts proficiency levels also have hit historic highs, surpassing pre-pandemic performance. Dyer's strategic planning has led to initiatives like 'The Way Forward,' which emphasizes early literacy, academic rigor and community engagement. He also expanded work-based learning opportunities and realigned Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) to meet local industry needs. Dyer also places an emphasis on wellness — social, physical and emotional — promoting programs within schools that provide for students even beyond the classroom. The superintendent also prioritizes financial stewardship, leading the district to achieve its largest general fund reserve in history. Each school year, LifeChanger of the Year receives hundreds of nominations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Seventeen individual LifeChanger of the Year awards will be given during the 2024-2025 school year. Dyer is eligible to win up to $10,000 in awards for DCSS. Winners are chosen by a selection committee comprising former winners and education professionals and will be announced in early 2025. Nominees must be K-12 teachers or school district employees. To be considered for an award, nominees must:Make a positive impact on the lives of students;Enhance their school or district's atmosphere, culture, and pride;Demonstrate exemplary leadership at the school and/or district level;Possess a proven record of professional excellence;Show commitment to building a nurturing environment that supports learning;Adhere to the highest moral and ethical standards.
