Evans County Charter School System

TIGERS HOST 2ND ROUND OF STATE PLAYOFFS Your 2021 Region Champs will be back in action today in the Pecan Grove as they host Montgomery County at 6 pm.

Hill selected to lead Tiger Football On Monday, April 26, 2021 Dr. Waters, Superintendent of Evans County Schools, recommended Coach Greg Hill to lead the Claxton Tiger Football program. The Board of Education approved the recommendation. Coach Hill was quarterback for the 1999 Georgia Southern National Championship team and led the squad to back-to-back title game appearances in 1998 and 1999 as well as 1997 quarter finals appearance. The 999 and 1998 Eagle teams were first and second, respectively, in national rankings for total offense. Among his many accomplishments playign with GSU, Hill has four of the top 15 single-game rushing performances of all time, 226-yard passing game against Wofford in 1998 ranks among the top-15 single-game passing performances, and owns the mark for most seasons rushing and passing for more than 1,000 yards in a career for 1998 and 1999 seasons. In addition, he was Football Gazette honorable mention for All-American in 1998 and 1998, Sporting News third-team All-America selection in 1999, two-time All-SoCon first team selection (1998, 1999), and 1999 SoCon Offensive Player of the Year.. Coach Hill graduated from GSU with a Bachelor of Science in Commercial Recreation and a Masters Degree in Special Education. He holds an Education Specialist's Degree from Liberty University. Prior to coming to Claxton, Hill has served as an assistant coach for Georgia Southern in 2002 and 2003, Special Education teacher and assistant football coach at Statesboro High School, offensive coordinator at Carroll County Schools, head football coach at Bradwell Institute in Liberty County, and, most recently offensive coordinator at Statesboro High School. He has 19 years of teaching experiences and 21+ years of coaching experience. Hill replaces Toney Welch as Head Football Coach. "Building on a firm foundation, Coach Hill will bring a commitment to character development, program-building, and excellence to Claxton. He has a passion for winning, but more importantly, for developing strong character." Dr. Paul Mizell, CHS Principal Coach Randy Cooper, Assistant Principal at CHS, will be assuming Athletic Director responsibilities. He has arranged for a meet and greet today at 2:00 for students and a 4:00 meet and greet for media. Another meet/greet will be planned for parents and community members.

Lewis to begin new role as Instructional Coach at CMS Mrs. Tisha Lewis was approved at Monday's meeting to serve as the Instructional Coach at CMS, filling the vacancy left by Mrs. Fran Tanner, who will serve as an Assistant Principal at CMS next year. Mrs. Lewis holds a Specialist Degree, as well as a Master's Degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. She also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University. Originally from Atlanta, Mrs. Lewis will be entering her 20th year in education. For the past three years, she has taught kindergarten at Claxton Elementary School. Prior to her time at CES, she spent 16 years in Bulloch County. All of her time in education has been as a classroom teacher. During her time in education, Mrs. Lewis has continued to learn and grow in her craft and has developed a passion for teaching her students to "think like mathematicians." "Mrs. Lewis is an exceptional classroom teacher whose knowledge of effective instructional practices has led to high academic growth for students in her class. As the grade level lead, her expertise has been able to positively impact even more students. In her new role as instructional coach, Mrs. Lewis will be able to support the growth of even more teachers and students." - K. Vandenberg "I believe in being a lifelong learner and thinking outside of the box. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with and support the teachers and students at Claxton Middle School as their Math Instructional Coach!" - T. Lewis

Saylor to begin new role as Instructional Coach at CES Blair Saylor was also approved at Monday night’s meeting to assume the role of Instructional Coach at CES. A 2007 graduate of Claxton High School, Mrs. Saylor has worked at Claxton Elementary for the past nine years. Mrs. Saylor is a Georgia Southern alumni with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and is currently working towards her Tier I certification in Educational Leadership. During her time at Claxton Elementary School, Mrs. Saylor has gained experience teaching all subject areas in prekindergarten, first, and third grades. She enjoys working with students in differentiated small groups and understands the importance of building meaningful relationships with students and their parents. Mrs. Saylor was named the 2020 Evans County Teacher of the Year. She currently works as the Virtual PLC Leader at Claxton Elementary School, working towards bridging the gap between virtual and traditional learning. Dr. Kristy Vandenberg coordinated the internal search for Instructional Coaches. "In addition to being an extraordinary classroom teacher, Mrs. Saylor most recently facilitated the virtual learning program for Claxton Elementary School. As the virtual learning lead, Mrs. Saylor's leadership was invaluable in supporting students, parents, and teachers. As an instructional coach, Mrs. Saylor will be an excellent resource for teachers because analyzing student data, planning lessons to close gaps, and engaging students in learning are just some of her strengths." - K. Vandenberg "At Claxton Elementary School, we know that all students can learn at high levels, and we will work together to give them the supports they need to be successful in all areas. I am excited to have the opportunity to support our teachers and students as Claxton Elementary School's Math Instructional Coach." - B. Saylor

ECSS Names Rountree as new Assistant Principal at Claxton Elementary School The Evans County Board of Education approved the recommendation of Superintendent Waters to appoint Mrs. Sarah Rountree as Assistant Principal at Claxton Elementary School at their work session on Monday, April 26, 2021. Mrs. Rountree is a 1995 graduate of Claxton High School. She began her teaching career in 1999 at Claxton Elementary School, where she has continued to teach. She taught second grade for 3 years and then looped to third grade where she taught for 11 years. Mrs. Rountree has also served our English Speakers of Other Languages at CES for 6 years Most recently, Mrs. Rountree has been a Math Instructional Coach at CES. Mrs. Rountree holds a Master’s in Reading with a Reading Endorsement from Georgia Southern University. She also holds a Reading Specialist Certification along with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern. Mrs. Rountree is currently pursuing her Specialist in Education degree in Educational Leadership from Valdosta State University. The selection process for the new assistant principal included an external and internal search to replace Jason Trotter who will be Assistant Principal at CMS next year. “Mrs. Rountree embodies passion for education and commitment to our kids. She will be an excellent addition to the CES Administrative Team.” - Dr. Waters “I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve as the Assistant Principal of Claxton Elementary School. This has always been home to me and I am excited to give back to the system that has given me so much.” S. Rountree

I would like to congratulate Taylor Bennett for being crowned 2021 Miss Claxton Middle School, Tanner Henry for being crowned 2021 Mr. CHS, and Jenna Floyd for being crowned 2021 Miss Claxton High School. I would like to also extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped make last night's pageant a huge success! All of the contestants worked so hard and truly showed the high caliber of students among our school system! If you missed last night's show, you can find the recording on the Claxton-Evans County Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page! There were a few programs leftover as well in case anyone would like one. I also have to give a shoutout to Mrs. Cydney Jackson and the CHS chorus students who entertained us . They were fabulous, and again another example of the talent among our students!! Congratulations again to our new school king and queens!!

CES STEM Week: Third grade students investigated properties of three different soil types clay, sand, and loam. They tested and compared the amount of water that each soil type could hold and recorded their findings in a chart. They planted seeds in each soil type and learned that loam had the best properties for growing their plants.

Holly Durrence, ERCCA CEO, Lori Durden, OTC President, and Marty Waters, ECSS Superintendent, were beyond proud to attend Lt. Governor Duncan's awards ceremony to award and recognize College and Career Academies across the state. Bringing home $3,075,000 to Evans County was icing on the cake. So many wonderful partners, community members, employees, and elected officials are to be thanked for their support. It has been a team effort! We would be remiss if we did not recognize the late Senator Jack Hill's tireless efforts to support our community. Through these collective efforts we will ensure students graduate college and career ready, workforce development is aligned to our region, and our community will be transformed. We are Evans County Schools: We expect excellence...no exceptions, no excuses! Proud to be a Tiger!!!

Boys Soccer Wins First Round Game The boys soccer team defeated Irwin County 7-1 yesterday. The second game will be played next Tuesday at 6:00 pm against Montgomery County.

CES STEM Week: “I am a problem solver. I am an inventor. I solve problems, big and small. Because I have great ideas”. Abby Invent Unbreakable Crayon encourages us to ask questions, problem solve, think outside of the box, and be innovative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFfc6gubllo

Boys soccer first round of state playoffs today @ 5:30 at the pecan Grove. Tickets are $7

CES STEM Week: Second graders have been asking great questions to determine the sequence of the life cycle of butterflies and frogs. Some of the students were eager to hold live tadpoles to see their tiny hind legs up close. Others preferred exploring the different stages of the life cycle of frogs using augmented reality with their iPads.

Holly Sikes’ STEM classes learned how recycling and keeping wildlife safe makes the earth happy. They made bird feeders out of water bottles to help reduce the amount of plastic in the landfills and keep birds happy and safe by feeding them!

CES STEM Week is off to a great start! Georgia Power presented an interactive presentation to third graders. Other grades participated in programming robots, learning about life cycles of frogs and butterflies, engineering water filtration systems, and gardening. We will showcase some of the amazing things going on in class this week leading up to Virtual STEM Night. Tonight's sneak peek is from Pre-K students in Mrs. Smith's class. They made self-portraits using things founds in nature, such as sticks, rocks, feathers, and leaves.

Students in Mrs. Myers’s 6th-grade Career Survey class learned viable skills and concepts in the business, architecture, and construction careers while developing a business and marketing plan, designing, and constructing their food truck business. Each class participated in a Food Truck War competition where students presented their food truck business to see who created the best business and marketing plan and the best design and construction of their food truck.

CES Home STEM Challenge photos must be submitted by April 19th to be included in the presentation. shorturl.at/fhnGR Send photos to skeyfauver@evanscountyschools.org or reply to the KiNVO message that was sent.

Since March 1, 2021, the Evans County School System has had 27 students who had to be quarantined from exposure, and 2 students and 1 employee who had to be quarantined due to testing positive. Over the last three weeks, the district has had zero cases and the Department of Public Health has indicated 0/NA cases per 100,000 for Evans County. Based on this data, beginning Monday, April 19, 2021, the district will return to the base level of its Return to School Plan (shown below). The original plan called for recommending face masks; however, face masks will continue to be required through April 30, 2021 for all employees and students. If the current data trend continues, the district will lift the mask mandate beginning May 3, 2021. In addition to Governor Kemp's executive order (4/8/21) lifting restrictions on gatherings and sheltering in place, these efforts should allow for normal operations during the last month of school. "We remain cautious and will continue to monitor daily, however, we are extremely excited at the possibility to return to a sense of normalcy for students, teachers, staff, and families." Dr. Waters 2020-2021 Return to School Plan

Prom ticket sales extended to Wednesday, April 21st! Students may purchase tickets in the CHS media center. The price is $75 per couple or $40 per individual. Any questions contact Channa Robinson or Nicholas Hodgson at (912) 739-3993.

CHS Boys Soccer 2021 Region Champions With a 4-1 victory over McIntosh County, your CHS Boys Soccer team ends the season as Region Champions for the second year in a row! Brayan Ajtun started off the scoring with an assist from Urises Danu. Urises then led off the second half with a quick goal to take the lead from McIntosh. Jaime Delgado scored the third with another assist from Urises Danu. The fourth goal came from a perfect corner kick into the back of the net from Allen Ventura. Defense and goalies Alan Vicente and JaLen Day kept the team in the game with some big plays! The team looks to continue their success On Wednesday April 21st as they host the first round of state playoffs here at Pecan Grove! Come out and support your tigers!

Young Georgia Authors (YGA) FDRESA Grade-Level Winners, Runners-Up, and their ELA teachers were recognized at the Evans County BOE this evening. Big congrats to all of our winners, and huge thanks to all of our teachers for inspiring awesome YGA writing! We wish all the best to Chanel Hunt, Susana Figueroa Arguello, and Brianna Haire in the YGA state competition!