Superintendent’s Report
May 1, 2017
Madam Chair, Madam Vice Chair, members of the board and Clayton County community members.
As a part of our Clayton Reads’ in Every Season district-wide reading initiative, the Departments of Language Arts, Media Services, and Communications have solicited sponsorship from our valued partners with the goal of increasing students’ access to quality books at home. Presently, we have receive almost $50,000 in funds to support purchasing summer reading material for students at select elementary, middle, and high schools. The list for 2016-17 is as follows: Church Street Elementary, West Clayton Elementary, Babb Middle School, Forest Park Middle School, and North Clayton High School. As a reminder, the overall goal of Clayton Reads in Every Season is to mitigate student summer slide by increasing the amount of time our students dedicate to reading each day. Through this initiative, we aim to:
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Promote student interest in reading in an effort to encourage life-long reading and learning
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Increase students’ fluency, vocabulary knowledge, and comprehension levels
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Increase the percent of students reading on or above grade level proficiency levels
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Encourage schools, families, and students to read a variety of books throughout the school year
We are extremely excited to be able to provide access to high-interest and meaningful reading material through the use of our sponsorship initiative.
The third annual exhibition of art by students from Clayton County Public Schools has opened in mid-April at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and will continue through May 21st. Sunday, May 7th, a special reception will highlight the work of our students and the leadership of their teachers. The exhibition, which will include the works that earned ribbons in the recent All-County Art Competition, is part of our partnership with the High Museum. It should be noted that this partnership is considered the first between the High Museum and an entire school district.
On Saturday, May 13th, Congressman David Scott will host a special program to honor all participating students of his 15th Annual Congressional High School Art Competition. The presentation will take place in the Douglas County Courthouse Art Gallery, located on the third floor of the Douglas County Courthouse in Douglasville and will begin at 10 a.m. Student artists from throughout the district will be competing with students from across Scott’s congressional district for scholarships sponsored by the Art Institute of Atlanta and the Savanah College of Art and Design. The first place entry from Congressman Scott’s district will join other first place winners from around the country and be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. We wish our competing student artists the very best in this event.
In the area of athletics, I congratulate Forest Park High School senior Avery Wilson on signing his Letter-of-Intent to attend Boston College in the fall. While there, Avery hopes to continue his stand out career on the basketball court. I also extend congratulations to a couple of former Clayton County Public School graduates on their selection by teams in the third round of the National Football League draft. Cameron Sutton, formerly of Jonesboro High School and the University of Tennessee, was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Antonio Garcia, formerly of Drew High School and Troy University, was picked by the New England Patriots.
Finally, this will be our last scheduled Board meeting before our last day of school. I take this opportunity to extend congratulations to all students who will make that walk during graduation ceremonies. I especially commend the students who have earned the status of Valedictorian and Salutatorian for their respective schools. These are exemplary students who have achieved the highest grade point averages for their respective high schools. Accomplishing this distinction takes hard work and dedication. These scholars, with strong support from their parents, have stayed true to the mission – earning an education that will make them college and career ready. I look forward to personally congratulating each at their respective graduation ceremonies.