Westside Middle Honored with Georgia School of Excellence Award

State Schools Superintendent Dr. John Barge presented the award to Principal Eli Welch on April 11.

Westside Middle School has been recognized for making the greatest gains in student achievement in reading and math for the past three years out of all schools within the state's Seventh Congressional District. State Schools Superintendent John Barge presented a 2010 Georgia School of Excellence award to Principal Eli Welch on April 11. Westside is one of 11 schools to be recognized with this award. The Seventh Congressional District includes Barrow, Walton, Gwinnett counties and portions of Newton and Forsyth. Gina Niederhauser, program manager for Georgia Natural Gas' TrueBlue Schools program, presented Welch with a check for $1,000, money the school can use as it wishes. Vickie Callahan, an account manager with United Healthcare, …

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Barrow Elementary School is Runner-up in National Contest

Yargo Elementary will receive two historical trees after being selected as first runner-up in the Cintas Documen-Tree Contest.

Two historical trees will be planted at Yargo Elementary School, one of three runners-up in the Cintas Documen-Tree Contest. The school submitted a 90-second video in which students explained why Yargo deserved to win the contest — the video highlighted the outdoor classroom with its lack of shade and oxygen-producing trees. Along with the two trees, which have a unique connection to a famous person or event, the school will receive an educational program that will teach students and the community about the significance of the trees and how to care for them. Watch Yargo’s video submission.

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Airsoft Gun Accidentally Discharged on Bus, Striking Child in Face with Plastic Pellet

Barrow County Sheriff’s Office deputies say a student brought the weapon onto the bus hidden in a backpack.

An Airsoft gun was accidentally discharged on a Barrow County school bus Friday, striking a child in the face. According to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred when a Bethlehem Elementary School student was trying to put the weapon, which shoots plastic pellets, back into the backpack where it had been hidden. The student who was struck was seen by the school nurse and was not injured. The student in possession of the gun — an air-powered weapon that operate like a BB gun but fire softer projectiles that are considered non-lethal — was taken into custody and deputies determined the child did not intentionally fire the weapon or aim it at any other person. The student was charged with carrying weapons on school …

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Westside Middle Recognized for Gains in Student Achievement

The school will receive $1,000 after being honored by the state Department of Education.

Westside Middle School has been recognized as one of 13 schools statewide with the biggest gains in student achievement over the past three years. State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge announced the 2010 Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student Achievement on Thursday, honoring 22 schools that have shown the greatest improvement or highest achievement across the state. “These schools are showing that excellence can be achieved when they are focused on providing a world-class education for their students,” Barge said. “I offer my sincere congratulations to our 2010 Georgia Schools of Excellence.”   Qualifying schools are chosen from each congressional district in the following categories: Westside Middle will receive a $1,000 check …

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The Play's the Thing

Winder-Barrow High School theater students present "The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno."

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School System Moving Forward with Plans to Rezone Cluster

Superintendent Wanda Creel got the OK from Board of Education members Tuesday to proceed with establishing a committee to facilitate the process, intended to ease overcrowding at an elementary school.

The Barrow County School System is moving forward with plans to rezone its Apalachee cluster. Superintendent Wanda Creel got a green light from board members Tuesday to proceed with establishing a committee to facilitate the process, which is intended to ease overcrowding at Bethlehem Elementary School. The school, which serves students living in the southernmost part of the county, is approaching 1,000 students compared to Auburn Elementary’s 550. Other elementary schools within the Apalachee cluster are Kennedy and Yargo. Three board members, Lynn Stevens, Mitch Churchill and Will Dunn, volunteered to serve on the committee, which is scheduled to meet Monday. “It’s got to be done,” Stevens said. “We can’t have 550 students at one …

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School Board Members Sworn In

Mark Still will continue as chairman of the Barrow County Board of Education, while Mitch Churchill will remain vice chair.

Five school board members — four who were re-elected in 2010 and one who is joining the Board of Education for the first time — were sworn in during Tuesday’s meeting. Randall Holland and Dan Cromer both won bids for re-election last year, while Connie Wehunt and Mark Still ran unopposed. Will Dunn was elected to replace Larry Ballard, representing District 4, who chose to not run for re-election. The board members, who, as a group, serve as the official governing body  of the Barrow County School System, were sworn in by Barrow County Probate Judge Tammy Brown and will each serve four-year terms. During Tuesday’s meeting, which was postponed from last week due to inclement weather, board members also elected officers — Still, a board …

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'On the Right Track': Barrow County School Leaders Outline Goals for 2011

Careful budgeting, a new alternative learning center and becoming a charter system are all on school officials' list of New Year's resolutions.

Like many of us, the Barrow County School System is thinking of ways to improve and grow in 2011. The district's list of resolutions resembles goals we set for our personal lives: Budget carefully, be more productive and change up the routine. "Our first challenge is getting our budget together in the first part of 2011," said Mitch Churchill, vice chair of the Barrow County Board of Education.  The continued recession has placed further financial stress on the school system, as local, state and federal funding has decreased. This means hard decisions for school leaders as they weigh which programs to continue funding, which programs to shrink and which programs to cut, Churchill said. "It comes down to one really dirty word: money. It's a…

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