GHS honored twice for AP Honor School and a student as Georgia Scholar
News April 9, 2022
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer Schools has reason to celebrate this week as Gilmer High School was honored by the state as 1 of 239 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools from 88 LEAs that State School Superintendent Richard Woods named earlier this week for 2022.
The 2022 AP Honor Schools are named in eight categories, based on the results of 2021 AP courses and exams. AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning at the high school level; students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit. ‘
The category that Gilmer High School was honored for was AP STEM Schools. Schools named to this category must have a minimum of five students testing in at least four AP STEM courses. (AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles).
This is an annual recognition for schools as the GaDOE began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008.
State Superintendent Richard Woods stated, “We are committed to expanding opportunities for Georgia students, including in advanced and accelerated coursework. I offer my sincere congratulations to each of this year’s AP Honor Schools, and thank each teacher, student, and school leader who worked hard to create strong AP opportunities in these Georgia schools.”
Kinsleigh Purvis, Gilmer High School’s 2022 Salutatorian, 2022 PAGE STAR Student, and 2022 Georgia Scholar.
Gilmer Schools also offered congratulations to GHS and all of its AP students and AP teachers. However, their is one student among the high school who is being honored specifically as another annual recognition was presented by Woods recently, the 2022 Georgia Scholars.
GHS honored one of its students in February of this year as the 2022 PAGE STAR Student. That student is Kinsleigh Purvis. She is the daughter of Steven and Kara Purvis of Talking Rock, Georgia. As the PAGE STAR Student, she named former Mathematics teacher Ashley Stover as her STAR teacher at the time. Now, Purvis is still achieving more in here senior year at GHS as she is among Superintendent Woods’ 2022 Georgia Scholars.
According to Georgia State Department of Education, a total of 216 graduating seniors from across Georgia have been recognized as 2022 Georgia Scholars. Through the Georgia Scholar program, the Georgia Department of Education identifies and honors high school seniors who have achieved excellence in school and community life. Georgia Scholars are students who carried exemplary course loads during their four years of high school, performed excellently in all courses, successfully participated in interscholastic events at their schools and in their communities, and assumed leadership roles in extracurricular activities sponsored by their schools. Each Georgia Scholar receives a seal for their diploma as well.
Gilmer Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley stated, “I offer my sincere congratulations to Kinsleigh on her designation as a 2022 Georgia Scholar. As our class of 2022 salutatorian and STAR student, it is obvious that she is an impressive young lady with a bright future ahead of her. We are extremely proud of her achievements.”
Gilmer Schools sets Virtual Learning Days for coming storm
News January 14, 2022
GILMER COUNTY, Ga. – Across the county, people are preparing for a potentially dangerous Winter Storm over the weekend and the school system is no different. A new statement today confirmed that the school system is moving two days next week to virtual learning days for students in caution.
Tuesday, January 18, and Wednesday, January 19, will be virtual learning days for the school. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, Gilmer has been no stranger to Virtual Learning through the online academy or home packets when the school went completely to distance learning. However, it has also become a common option for the schools in the last year for inclement weather days. Allowing the virtual learning salvages a snow day for the education system instead of a total loss of the day.
But the weather is not the only reason for these virtual days next week. The statement from Gilmer Schools said, “In response to rapidly increasing numbers of positive Omicron cases among our staff and the potential of a severe Winter weather event early next week, the Gilmer County Schools will transition to virtual learning days for January 18th and 19th, 2022.”
Gilmer Schools has only this week changed its COVID response procedures in accordance with the state of Georgia and Department of Health (DPH) guidelines. This change included some new changes from just last week, but also quarantine days that both government entities had changed in their guidelines on December 30, 2021 including the following guidelines on when to leave isolation after a positive test:
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Had Symptoms:
- At least 5 days* have passed since symptoms first appeared and
- At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved
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No symptoms
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At least 5 days* have passed since the positive laboratory test and the person remains asymptomatic
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Note, if you later develop symptoms, you should follow the guidance for symptomatic persons above.
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While the school system did not make a direct reference to these guidelines when setting their virtual days, Ridley has recently told FYN that the schools are doing everything they can to follow guidelines set while returning to a focus on students’ educations. Setting Virtual Learning Days for Tuesday and Wednesday will allow five days to pass without students in school due to the weekend and Monday’s school holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Accomplishing the virtual days will come with assignments being sent out to students through packets or Google Classrooms. The statement noted, “Teachers will be available via email communication.”
If parents or students have any question, they are encouraged to contact their student’s school directly for more information.
While the days are virtual learning, the statement did note, “All 12 month employees should report on Wednesday January 19th.”
Gilmer Schools is changing COVID response for students tomorrow
Featured Stories January 10, 2022
GILMER COUNTY, Ga. – “We will shift our focus away from contact tracing and quarantine to monitoring children for signs of illness,” says a new statement from Gilmer County Schools as the announcement comes today that COVID response and state guidelines are changing again. Gilmer Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley said it was a return to focusing on educating kids in school and not being an “arbiter of quarantines.”
Dr. Ridley sent the letter out with this statement today, notifying the community of the change. He added that he wants to be a partner with parents in their care for their children.
Ridley noted that the change is coming after the governor and the Department of Public Health (DPH) announced changes in their guidelines for COVID response,acknowledging the hardships that families have had due to quarantines on any possible exposure.
Now, instead of instantly quarantining students who have been around others in school who have tested positive, they will be allowed to stay in class while being “strongly encouraged” to wear a mask. His letter this morning stated 10 days, but Dr. Ridley said that continued updates have made that a misprint as the schools will be encouraging mask usage for 5 days.
Additionally, the statement extended this same change to those currently in quarantine due to exposure. While the last update on the school systems website noted 77 students currently in quarantine, Dr. Ridley said this number is not up to date with these changes as well as another set of changes to guidelines that the schools just received last Thursday.
The school system will continue notifying parents when their students have been exposed and will be sending out letters “notifying you that your child was in class, on the bus, participated in a sport, etc. with a positive case just as we do with any other communicable disease.”
Gilmer Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley
As such, some tracing will still be done with this new response as the school is still asking parents to monitor their children and notify the school if they test positive. Dr. Ridley stated, “We will continue to notify DPH when a notifiable disease is reported and alert DPH of concerns with clusters and outbreaks which may require immediate public health intervention.”
But this isn’t contact tracing as it has been in the last year, these notifications will not continue for those that have been around someone who was around someone who was exposed to a student that tested positive.
The school system is asking parents to continue monitoring your child each morning before sending them to school. They also noted that students showing any signs of the virus or any illness should not be sent to school.
The school system is also taking extra steps for parents in understanding the change or with further needs as Ridley’s statement asked parents to contact their student’s school if they have any concerns of if their child might need extra help for a medical vulnerability.
Superintendent Ridley did confirm that he had discussed the new response individually with members of the Board of Education before implementing them. While he said they mostly agreed with the new format, he did confirm that the board could still add or reinstate any extra steps and precautions should they feel the need arises.
The school system had just posted recent changes on January 4, 2022, with updates from over the December break, but the state is already updating new changes with this today. Dr. Ridley also said in his letter, “While the constant change in guidance has been frustrating at times, we want to thank our Gilmer County families for their support throughout this pandemic. We hope that with the help of our parents, we can even more effectively monitor students for symptoms while also meeting the new DPH standard of keeping healthy students in class.”
Gilmer schools pass ‘December 17’ TikTok trend without incident
News December 17, 2021
GILMER COUNTY, Ga. – Since trends like the “Devious Lick” and “Slap your Teacher” spread, many new threats are seeing responses heightened against the possibility of school violence and destruction. Gilmer is not immune to this either as the “Devious Lick” saw full response from school administrators and law enforcement. Today also saw responses to a new trend from the social media platform.
While administrators like Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley reported “minimal issues” with the “Devious Lick” trend, responses still came to the threat during today’s December 17 trend. Labeled by other news reports as “Shoot Up Your School Day,” the concept allegedly began as an encouragement to ditch class. However, threats grew and morphed into violence.
Gilmer Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley
Dr. Ridley said the schools have worked closely with law enforcement over the years and on cases like this. He reported that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) provided the school with information on the subject.
Working with local law enforcement, officers were briefed on the situation. In a letter to parents earlier today, he said, “All GCSS schools have been notified and staff are on alert for suspicious or concerning activity. Our SROs are being briefed and prepared for any related issue.”
Late in the day, the school did receive a screenshot of a threat involving the school initials of several schools including one stating “GHS.” However, the initials of schools listed in the threat all centered in a location in Florida and no credible threat was raised in our county.
Ridley said their never was any information suggesting Gilmer County could be targeted, but the schools did respond seriously regardless. Ridley visited each campus today examining security and safety protocols and measures as well as walking the school grounds.
School were already scheduled for a two-hour early release on the district calendar for today.
Dr. Ridley answered questions about his service as superintendent and the rise in TikTok trends like this. He noted that technologies have been used in the past and threats have always been monitored. He said that TikTok has provide certain challenges. However, he praised law enforcement for staying educated and on top of both these technologies and their challenges as well as their communication and inclusion with the school system.
He went on to note that he has been encouraged by the students of Gilmer. He said, “At the end of the day, we got good kids. We got great kids.” He noted that the students are smart enough not to engage with trends and threats that are very serious and carry serious consequences that affect their entire lives.
Ridley went on to add, “That’s why we try to talk to parents, too. Because that is what it really comes down to. When parents are getting facetime with their children and able to talk to them about these sorts of issues, that often heads it off.”
With the school day completed and no reports of malicious behavior or violence, many in the community are sighing with relief. Still, others are just learning of the trend and potential threats. The school system is officially at holiday break as of today and will not return until January 5, 2022.
Dr. Ridley reiterated his thankfulness for the community during times like this saying, “We are very lucky to have the kids we have. We are very fortunate, and we are very fortunate to have the parents we have that are willing to talk to their kids. I encourage all parents to have these conversations with their children about what’s going on on social media. Even if it’s just around the dinner table, ask them, ‘What do you see out there?'”
Gilmer sets school calendar and board meetings in December
News December 17, 2021
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Preparing for the coming year, Gilmer’s Board of Education has approved a calendar for the school system and the board in December’s meetings. That calendar now reaches two years into the future.
The new year comes with expected changes as the previous calendar approved by the board saw them approve an option different than the most popular voted calendar. Additionally, in February the board had already begun some discussions to prepare for calendars spanning multiple years.
This month, with the end of the first semester of the 2021-22 school year, the board has already approved the calendar for its next two years. The approved calendar sees the same start date of August 8 for both years. The first day of the second semester starts on the first Friday of January.
Unanimously approved by the board, the calendars are officially adopted for use and the community now has two years head start on the schools calendars. Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley said that he had discussed the calendars with not only stakeholders and his own team but with “local business leaders and the Chamber of Commerce.”
Dr. Ridley also noted that the calendar will align with the boards reclassification schedule so that every two years, as the board reclassifies itself, it will also create a new two year calendar. For the community this means that next year will not see two years ahead again, but rather will likely finish half of the 2022-23 calendar before the next two year calendar is approved.
Along with the school years, another calendar saw approval this month. As the end of the year approaches, the board has set and now approved unanimously the meeting dates for the Board of Education for 2022. Reaching through 2022 and including January of 2023, the board meeting dates are published for the community. Though the board can alter a few meetings as needed, GHSA does limit how many times this can occur. Additionally, the board can call special meeting or emergency meetings as they have done in the past.
Typically, these meetings follow the path of meeting on the third Thursday of the month for the Regular Meeting and holding the Work session on the Monday of the same week before the Regular Session. With a few variations set in for holidays and events, the board followed this meeting schedule for years.
With both calendars officially approved, the county is moving along and, barring a special session, will not meet again until January 24.
Gilmer looks to cut off TikTok trend with parents’ help
News September 19, 2021
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – News sites have recently reported numerous cases of vandalism and destruction of property in schools across the country due to a new “trend” on TikTok called the “Devious Lick.”
With arrests, convictions, school expulsions, and many other ramifications coming from these activities, the administration within our local county is attempting to get ahead of the trend here. Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley released a statement and a letter to parents about the trend. Dr. Ridley noted that we have had “minimal issues” in our county.
The challenge of this trend requires the student to steal or destroy items from their school and later post a video bragging about the crime. Make no mistake law enforcement all over the country has condemned the trend and is pursuing it as criminal activity. Law enforcement has reported what some refer to as “Organized Criminal Activity” as an arrest-able offense.
Schools are also reacting, with some going so far as locking restrooms and certain areas during class time. Gilmer has not reached this point, however, as they are attempting to deal with the “Devious Licks” before they become a real issue.
The letter to parents states
You may have already seen news stories regarding a concerning new TikTok trend called the “Devious Lick Challenge”. The challenge involves students destroying and stealing school property (particularly in bathrooms) and posting it on social media. Although there have been minimal problems locally, the challenge has become widely disruptive in some areas of the country.
We ask that you please speak with your children about the dangers of engaging in destructive and dangerous social media activities. Vandalism of school property is a serious violation of the school code of conduct that can lead to suspension and even long-term expulsion in addition to significant restitution fees.
In Gilmer County, our students are very fortunate to have access to top notch facilities. Pride in our schools is a large part of our culture. Aside from the fact that this latest challenge is just plain dumb, engaging in this type of behavior is beneath us.
Looking through reports in other cases shows countless arrests and charges ranging from petty theft to vandalism, criminal mischief, destruction of government property, and more.
While some are questioning why there is such a serious response to minor theft. Some of the “trends” are posted with items as small as hand sanitizer or soap dispensers. However, other reports indicate that many include larger items ranging from toilet seats to even fire alarms.
The Gilmer Sheriff’s Office has already worked with schools in previous years where they have worked with Gilmer Schools and even prosecuted students for issues. That Appalachian Judicial Circuit has also proven its willingness to follow through with criminal prosecutions with District Attorney Alison Sosebee going so far as performing in school presentations warning students about the possible outcomes of criminal activity, though her presentations focused on Snapchat at the time with the trend towards photos of underage kids.
As of this time, Gilmer Schools is hoping to get to its students and parents before any major issues arise or possibly create a major incident.
Gilmer Schools dedicates lunchroom cafe after school grand opening
Bobcat's Corner, News September 5, 2021
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Almost one month into the school year, the Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley gathered with school faculty and representatives of the architectural and construction firms that have worked on Clear Creek Elementary School for the official grand opening along with dedicating the Little Cats Cafe.
Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley, left, and Principal Stephanie Burnette, right, hold the scissors to cut the ribbon on Clear Creek Elementary School’s official grand opening.
But more than just opening the school, there was also lunchroom staff and family and friends of Linda Waters, Gilmer’s previous nutrition director, to dedicate the school’s cafeteria to her.
Ridley offered thanks to board members and those representatives present for their parts in the project as well as former Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs, under whose leadership the project began.
Officially cutting the ribbon on the grand opening, the school’s principal, Stephanie Burnette, offered a few words saying, “Everyone who remembers his or her education remembers the teachers, not necessarily the technology or the methods that were used. The teachers at Clear Creek Elementary School are the heart and what makes everything happen with every child, every day. We have a wonderful staff at Clear Creek Elementary School and this school would not be what it is today without our staff.
Immediately after the ribbon cutting, the presentation moved to the cafeteria.
This special honorary plaque hangs in the Little Cats Cafe to honor the life, efforts, and achievements of Linda Waters as Gilmer Schools’ Nutrition Director.
Honoring her commitment to the children of the school system and their nutritional needs, Gilmer School named the facility the “Little Cats Cafe.”
Burnette told that the name came from an older school as Linda Waters had wanted the cafeteria to have a name. When put to a vote, the name “Little Cats Cafe” won and stuck. Now, moving from the older building to the new facility down Yukon Road, the name is following the school. Achieving one of Waters’ goals, according to Burnette, the new facility is a state of the art kitchen with more space and better equipment than the old school ever had.
Randy Waters also spoke recalling memories and Linda’s fondness for the both the kids and the staff she worked with. “She loved you all,” he said.
He continued on thanking everyone for attending and celebrating her work. Randy said, “Thank you so much for being so kind to her, so helpful to her.”
As part of the ceremony and dedication, the school revealed a plaque placed onto the wall of the cafeteria memorializing Linda Waters and her time and efforts with Gilmer County Schools.
