Columbus, GA— The Muscogee County School District is pleased to announce Abiyerra Thomas, a Jordan High School senior, placed 2^nd in the 2018 Annual National Association of Women in Construction’s (NAWIC) Student Design Drafting Competition.

According to the NAWIC, “This year’s project was to design a tiny house capable of travel, while incorporating common household essentials that were detailed in the project requirements, along with adding specialized design features that are both important to the designer and unique to the designer’s house.”

Entries were evaluated for detail, accuracy and originality of work. Contestants were judged at the local and regional levels earlier this year. Thomas placed 1^st in both the Regional and State competitions this year.

“I had confidence she would do well because she is very meticulous in detail and would try over and over to perfect her design,” said Clayton Graham, architecture and engineering program teacher at Jordan High School.

Graham has served as a mentor and Skills USA sponsor throughout Thomas’ matriculation at Jordan High School. She began her studies within the District’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) career clusters and pathways her freshman year. She and her family left the area her sophomore year and returned the following year. Graham noted she requested to return to the area to continue her involvement with the CTAE program offerings. Thomas graduated from Jordan High School in May 2018. She was recognized by the NAWIC’s Atlanta, Georgia Chapter for her achievement, during an anniversary luncheon, in Atlanta on June 13, 2018.

The competition, hosted by the NAWIC Education Foundation (NEF), is designed for Senior High School and College level students. The contest provides recognition to students for creative design, successful problem solving, and craftsmanship in preparing architectural drawings. NEF, established by the NAWIC in 1972, provides educational opportunities and programs to benefit and promote the construction industry.

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

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Columbus, GA—The Muscogee County School Board is proud to announce that Mrs. Pat Hugley Green was installed as Vice President of the Georgia School Board’s Association (GBSA). In addition, the Board was recognized as a 2018 Distinguished Board by GSBA at the Summer Conference and Delegate Assembly, with representatives and superintendents from 124 state school boards of education, in Savannah, GA June 7-9, 2018.

Mrs. Hugley Green was named Vice President on Friday, June 8 during the election GSBA’s 2018-2019 officers. She has served in various capacities on the Muscogee County School Board since 2004. Her leadership roles include Board Chair and Vice Chair, as well as Chair of the Audit, Finance, Property and Personnel Committees. Hugley also served on the Superintendent Search Committee. She has served on the GSBA Governmental Operations Committee (GOC), the Awards Committee, the NSBA Advocacy Institute, and as a delegate for Muscogee County. She has worked as an insurance professional for more than 25 years. Hugley Green received her Master’s degree in Leadership from Tennessee State University.

According to the GSBA, “The GSBA Distinguished Board classification requires structure that includes completing the Board/Leadership Team Self-Assessment, linked to a locally developed and/or adopted superintendent evaluation instrument, continuation of requirements of the standards, and other additional criteria.”

The Board was recognized for this achievement on June 7, 2018. Mrs. Kia Chambers, MCSD Board Chair, accepted this award on behalf of the Board and Dr. Lewis.

For more information on the Georgia School Boards Association and the services provided please visit gsba.com.

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

Did you know that June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month? For many, summer is a great time to enjoy fresh and healthy summertime fruits and veggies! The Muscogee County School District works diligently every single day, even during the summer months, to ensure that our students have adequate nutrition to maintain a healthy body and mind.

Nelson Reames, School Nutrition Specialist, is one of the many faces behind our School Nutrition Department. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, Reames works within the school system to carefully plan school meals and to ensure that they meet federal nutrition guidelines. “While we have to ensure that our meals meet dietary guidelines, we also strive to make the meals appealing for our students,” says Reames. “Even from the crusts on our pizzas to our bread, everything is wholegrain and reformulated to meet healthy criteria.” According to the guidelines, schools are required to offer whole grains, protein, fruits, vegetables and dairy with every meal.

Reames has always had a passion for health and nutrition, expressing her desire to become a dietitian as early as high school. “I’ve known that I wanted to be a registered dietitian for a pretty long time, but I didn’t know all of the options and specialties that were available to me in the field,” says Reames. “I got my degree in foods and nutrition from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC.” After graduating, she then completed a dietetic internship at Georgia Southern University where she was required to perform 1,200 hours of service in clinical work, food service and community nutrition. Upon the completion of her internship in 2016, Reames became a registered dietitian and began working for The Muscogee County School District.

Since starting her position at MCSD, Reames has aided the district’s school nutrition program by advocating for locally-grown produce to be served during mealtimes and is a proponent of Georgia Grown. “We encourage our distributors to buy more locally-grown foods,” says Reames. “Georgia Grown is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to encourage the consumption of Georgia-grown produce and to motivate the public to research where their produce is coming from.” Reames goes on to say that “we’re putting our federal and state funding back into our communities by buying the local food to go into our Georgia students. It’s a beautiful thing!”

Reames’ passion and enthusiasm is evidenced by the tremendous work she performs every single day in the district. She says that she is grateful for a position that allows work-life balance, but that ultimately, her favorite part about her job is feeding the kids! “School nutrition is the only program where federal dollars go into ensuring that people are fed the way they should be, according to dietary guidelines,” says Reames. “We are living by example and are practicing what we’re preaching in our schools.”

MCSD also recognizes that without ensuring proper nutrition, students simply cannot succeed. “I want to empower our students and to give them the nutrients that I was given and took for granted during my time in school,” Reames says. ”We are giving them a basic need to level the playing field so that they can take on new opportunities. If a child is hungry or worrying about where their next meal is coming from, they physically cannot perform in school. Once we feed them, they can worry about learning fractions because they’ve had a meal.”

Many times, school meals may be the only food source for children in Muscogee County, so MCSD works diligently to provide meals for our students at every opportunity, even during the summer months. The Seamless Summer Feeding Program is a federally-funded, state-administered program that operates during the months of June and July to feed MCSD students breakfast and lunch at no cost! All students are welcome to participate as long as they are 18 and younger. “If you’ve never had to experience true hunger, then you cannot fathom it,” says Reames. “What better reason to open our doors during the summer?” In addition to providing meals to hungry students, the Seamless Summer Feeding Program also provides jobs and income to school employees who wish to work during the summer months.

In April, the MCSD School Nutrition Program was formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the summer feeding program and was awarded a Silver Turnip the Beet Award. This award recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors across the nation who offer high quality and nutritious meals during the summer months. Reames played an instrumental role in MCSD receiving this award.

During the school year, MCSD also participates in an afterschool snack program to fill in the afternoon hunger gap for students who may be involved in either extracurricular activities or afterschool care. Additionally, many of MCSD’s elementary schools participate in The Fresh Fruits and Vegetable program, a grant that funds the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables to which students might not be exposed otherwise. “It enables us to be able to buy both exotic and locally-grown food. It’s really about exposure, and every student is able to try some,” says Reames. “It also gives teachers great opportunities to teach nutrition education in the classroom!” The MCSD School Nutrition Department is perpetually and proactively seeking ways to provide students with healthy, nutritious and filling meals.

If you would like more information on what nutrition benefits and programs are available for your student, check out the following resources:

https://www.muscogee.k12.ga.us/News/Article/1118/Muscogee_County_Seamless_Summer_Feeding_Program_Provides_Free

https://www.muscogee.k12.ga.us/p/Divisions/OperationsAndFacilities/SchoolNutrition/Information

https://www.georgiagrown.com/

https://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov/features-month/june/national-fresh-fruit-and-vegetable-month

Teachers at MCSD continue to celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month by working hard to provide their students with the very best accommodations and resources both inside and outside of the classroom.

First-year teacher, Jodie Hood, teaches science to students who are hearing-impaired at Shaw High School. Jodie has been deaf all of her life. She says that when she was growing up, school was difficult for her. “When I graduated from Jordan High School in 1995, I was at a fourth-grade reading level,” she says. “I didn’t have a sign language interpreter with me in the classroom, and I fell behind because of it.” Jodie says that even though it was often a struggle, she didn’t let that keep her from attending college. “I obtained a paraprofessional position within the Russell County School District before attending college and majoring in psychology at Columbus State University,” she explains. She remembers that during her time as a paraprofessional, she felt like a counselor, often forming close relationships with her students. “I thought maybe I would want to be a counselor for the Deaf,” Jodie remembers. “When I was a parapro, deaf students always wanted to talk to me about their problems, so I felt more like a counselor than a teacher.”

While working to obtain her degree, Jodie worked at Columbus State’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center as a student teaching assistant where she developed a love for both astronomy and teaching. “That’s why I became interested in teaching science,” Jodie says. After she graduated from CSU in 2009, Jodie worked in the Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as an Employment and Advocate Specialist, working closely with the Deaf Community in Columbus, GA. During that time, she also attended graduate school at Montana State University. “I got a master’s degree in science education. It was a neat program, because it offered both online courses and field courses in subjects like geology. I got to travel to places like Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park to study,” she says. Upon receiving her degree, Jodie began working at Shaw High School where she now teaches approximately 25 deaf and hard of hearing students.

“Since I have my own hearing loss, I can relate to students who also have hearing loss,” she says.“I want to show them that if I can do it, then they can do it, too.” Jodie emphasizes the Deaf Community’s aptitude to be successful and productive members of society. “We can do anything… we just can’t hear,” she says. Jodie also laughingly admits that she can relate to most first-year teachers, expressing that nothing could have prepared her for this new adventure. “Wow. I feel like I have a lot to learn! There is so much to learn on the job that you don’t learn while you’re in the classroom in college,” she says. In spite of the challenges that being a first-year teacher presents, Jodie says that she loves her job and that her favorite part is building relationships with the students and hearing their stories. Jodie proudly states that she loves to see her students grow and overcome the barriers that come with being hard of hearing.

Jodie confesses that one thing she wishes that the parents of deaf and hard of hearing students knew was how important it is to get their child help early. “It’s really imperative to the child’s academic success to get them help as early as possible,” she says. “They can receive assistance from the speech-language pathologists in the district, and there are a lot of online resources to point them in the right direction.” When asked what some of the early signs of deafness were, she mentioned that some children may not respond to sounds or may not speak in complete sentences once they are of a certain age. Children who have trouble socializing or reading may also have a hearing impairment. Jodie speaks from her own experience, as she was diagnosed with deafness at two years of age. “By the time I was diagnosed, I was already two years behind in language, and it really affected me,” she says. “I didn’t respond to sounds. My mom took me to the doctor, and the doctor told her that I was just spoiled.” After that, Jodie’s mother took her to Auburn for a hearing test that finally determined her diagnosis. “I have moderate to severe hearing loss. Without my hearing aids, we would not be able to have a conversation.” Jodie says even with hearing aids, she still can’t hear some of the things that others may take for granted. “I have had people tell me that they can hear their own heartbeat, but I can’t hear that.”

With a positive disposition and deep determination for success, Jodie doesn’t let her deafness stand in her way. “It’s not easy to be deaf and hard of hearing. I know that, and I want to show these students that they can do anything! I want to help them grow and become successful.” If you are looking for resources for deaf and hard of hearing students, Jodie recommends the following sources:

https://muscogee.k12.ga.us/p/Divisions/StudentServices/StudentsWithDisabilities/Information

https://www.asha.org/BHSM/

The Muscogee County Seamless Summer Feeding Program welcomes children 18 years and younger or 19 years and older if physically or mentally handicapped and participates during the school year in a public or private non-profit school program. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at no cost to participants at the following schools starting June 4, 2018 - July 19, 2018, excluding Fridays . All sites will be closed on July 4th.

Adult Cost:
Breakfast $1.50
MCSD Employee Lunch $3.75
Outside Adult Lunch $4.50
Adults are welcome to join us daily.

*NOTE: Meals will be available as long as we have enough participation to keep the site open. Spread the word to your friends, family, community, and business partners about supporting the MCSD Summer Feeding Program during the summer.
“USDA is an equal opportunity provider."

Click below for a participating location near you!
2018 Summer Feeding Site List

Columbus, GA- Twenty nine students from St. Mary’s Elementary Magnet were treated to an Atlanta Braves game on Sunday, May 20, 2018. The field trip was provided to 5^th grade students who demonstrated exceptional academic growth or achievement. Students who met the criteria of 230 points of Lexile growth or higher in the Achieve 3000 program or scored 1000 plus points on the Georgia Milestones Assessment were eligible to participate. Transportation and access to the game was provided courtesy of Ticket Gerald LLC.

Ticket Gerald LLC, a company that provides event tickets for sports, concerts, and theater, was founded in May, 2015 by Gerald Charleston.

“Being raised in Columbus, I love to organize events where I can give back to the community. This was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the hard work these students have put in and show them that hard work will always pay off in the end,” said Charleston.

Charleston is an alumnus of Shaw High School (2008).

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

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When it comes to Better Speech and Hearing Month, Muscogee County Schools are celebrating by continuing to work to provide the most helpful and beneficial resources to our students. The school district currently employs over 40 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to assist our students who need speech therapy or language development assistance. There are three lead SLPs that work within the district to ensure that each student receives proper care and individualized educational resources.

Sue Smith, Lead Speech-Language Pathologist for the Eastern Region, has been employed with MCSD for 17 years total and will be retiring this year. Jane Beach, Lead Speech-Language Pathologist for the Western Region, has been with the district for 21 years; and Jennifer “Buffy” Williamson, Lead Speech-Language Pathologist for the Central Region has been employed for 14 years. This team is extremely involved in the day-to-day lives of the students. “We do a lot,” says Smith. “When a student is referred, sometimes we are asked to perform interventions. We also perform evaluations, write reports, conduct IEP meetings, and then we serve the student.”

From assisting students who struggle with stuttering or to helping the deaf student community learn to sign, the SLPs get to help the district in a variety of ways. “As a speech pathologist in the school district, we work with kids who have speech and language disorders that affect how they learn in schools,” says Williamson. “If a kid can’t say ‘r,’ then he’s probably not going to be able to write words that have ‘r’ in them. We’ve got kids who have language disorders in our Autism population, and we work with them on a producing sentences with proper grammar and on learning essential conversation techniques.”

These experts emphasize the importance of a child’s early language and speech development. Beach addresses the significance of being attentive and addressing a speech issue early on so that the child is able to grow and learn at a normal rate. “I think that there is no reason that students with communication problems cannot be successful, it’s just that they may need work on some skills more than others. And if those things aren’t addressed early on, it is going to be much harder for them in the long run.” Some of the early signs of a speech disorder include: having to repeat yourself, the child being unable to recall information, an inability to follow directions and a lack of basic vocabulary. “If you just read to your child and talk to them, it makes a world of difference,” says Williamson.

All three SLPs agree that their favorite part of their job is being able to witness the progress that their students make over time. “Sometimes, you just get excited about the little things,” says Beach. “If I had a student say ‘bye’ to me as I was walking out of the door – that can be a cause for celebration!” They also elaborate on how incredibly fun the speech therapy sessions can be. “Today, we played with playdough in a group session, and the kids had so much fun,” says Williamson. Many of the speech therapy sessions are inclusive, meaning there is a group of children from various language and speech levels learning together. The SLPs say that this is a great way to expose children with lower speech and language levels to higher-functioning speakers, and it has proven to be a very effective method for their speech and language progression. It also helps them to feel included and not alone. “This is where we get creative,” says Williamson. “Sometimes, we will even read a book and will work with individual children according to their needs. One will point out the ‘r’ words, and one could repeat the story back to us. What might be a strength for one kid is a weakness for the other. We try to make it as inclusive and beneficial as possible.”

Speech-language pathology is no doubt a rewarding field! The road to becoming a speech-language pathologist requires a master’s degree in communication disorders and special certifications depending upon the field in which the candidate chooses to go. “We have some SLPs in the district who may choose to work in a clinical field during the summer or private practice,” says Beach. According to the lead SLPs, the job outlook for speech pathologists, particularly within the educational field, is bright! “Our caseloads grow larger and larger each year,” says Williamson. “We are always needing speech-language pathologists in the district. It is also challenging to place teachers and sign interpreters for the hard of hearing. There is a great need here!”

And when asked about what they enjoy the most about working within the Muscogee County School District, they all agreed that the city of Columbus and its schools are home. “I’m a product of the Muscogee County School District,” says Beach. “My children also graduated from Muscogee County Schools. It’s a really good school system.” The SLPs say that working in education, particularly in Georgia, has its perks. “The Georgia Retirement System is one of the best! And, there is a possibility of student loan forgiveness for those coming into the field right out of college,” says Williamson.

If you’re interested in working within the Muscogee County School District or have questions regarding the speech therapy programs, please check out these resources for more information:

https://mcs.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

https://muscogee.k12.ga.us/p/Divisions/StudentServices/StudentsWithDisabilities/Information

https://www.asha.org/BHSM/