Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, right, greets Reinhardt University Football Team Head Coach James Miller at the surprise awards presentation on Friday at which the team was named the Cherokee County School District 2020 Partner of the Year.
The Cherokee County School District is celebrating outstanding school community partners through its Seventh Annual CCSD Partner of the Year awards!
Through the annual program, every CCSD school selects a Partner of the Year to honor. From that pool of outstanding partners, a committee of retired educators and community leaders selects an overall CCSD 2020 Partner of the Year.
While the traditional recognition ceremony could not be held this year, plaques are being delivered to all of the school-level winners thanks to the continuing sponsorship of the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Every week, a different school Partner of the Year will be featured on CCSD social media platforms.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower on Friday surprised the CCSD overall winner in person: the Reinhardt University Football Team, the R.M. Moore Elementary School STEM Academy Partner of the Year!
“Our school partners give of their time, talent and treasure to support our schools, and we’re so thankful for their generosity,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “Reinhardt University is a longtime exemplary partner for our schools and our School District as a whole. I’m so impressed by the program that earned Reinhardt this honor, and the positive impact Reinhardt students through their volunteerism are having on our students and our community as a whole.”
The RU Eagles football players and coaches, led by Head Coach James Miller, were recognized for their support of R.M. Moore’s MOD (Men of Distinction) Squad program, which pairs football players up with a fourth- or fifth-grade boy in need of a mentor who can provide guidance, tutoring and support.
The program’s initial goal, Principal Dr. Abby May said, was to improve students’ self-esteem and academic achievement and build a sense of community, but the success has been far greater.
“It has been an incredible transformation,” Dr. May said of the program’s positive impact on the 40 elementary school students who have participated. She said one of the most touching stories was to see how when an R.M. Moore student was placed in foster care, his Reinhardt mentor stepped up his support in response. “He showed him he wasn’t alone. He never failed to keep in touch with him during this trying time.”
The football players grow from the experience as well, she said, noting that they have told her how being a role model to the boys influences them to be better men.
“This partnership is not one of monetary benefit or gain, but of something much more,” she said. “This partnership is about relationships and building a culture of support for two groups of students who truly needed each other.”
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2020 CCSD Partners of the Year
ACE Academy
Northside Hospital Cherokee
Arnold Mill Elementary School
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Avery Elementary School
Cherokee Farm Bureau
Ball Ground ES STEM Academy
Chick-fil-A, Riverstone
Bascomb Elementary School
Keller Williams Realty Partner Penny + Co
Boston Elementary School
Alma Coffee
Carmel Elementary School
Cherokee Theatre Company
Cherokee High School
MUST Ministries
CCSD Preschool Center – Johnston
Credit Union of Georgia
CCSD Preschool Center- Ralph Bunche
Christian Egner Foundation
Clark Creek ES STEM Academy
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Clayton Elementary School
Maria Sims Group and Zack Bobo Real Estate
Creekland Middle School
Northside Hospital Cherokee
Creekview High School
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant, Macedonia
Dean Rusk Middle School
Modern Woodmen of America
E.T. Booth Middle School
The Premier Group
Etowah High School
Matiak Foundation
Free Home Elementary School
Canton Optimist Club
Freedom Middle School
Knox Bridge Dental Care
Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy
Rotary Club of Canton
Hickory Flat Elementary School
Buffalo's Café, Canton
Holly Springs ES STEM Academy
Modern Woodmen of America
Indian Knoll Elementary School
The Premier Group
Johnston Elementary School
NASA TopHat (NTH), Cherokee
Knox ES STEM Academy
J.M. Huber Corporation
Liberty Elementary School
Cherokee Children's Dentistry
Little River Elementary School
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Macedonia Elementary School
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant, Macedonia
Mill Creek Middle School
Horace Mann Insurance, The Holman Agency
Mountain Road Elementary School
ACME Property Group
Oak Grove ES Fine Arts Academy
YANMAR EVO//Center
R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy
Reinhardt University - Eagles Football Team
River Ridge High School
LGE Community Credit Union
Sequoyah High School
AME Companies and The Foundation for Ashley's Dream
Sixes Elementary School
The Premier Group
Teasley Middle School
EF2 Realty Team with Keller Williams Realty Partners
Tippens Education Center
Allegro Business Products
Woodstock Elementary School
Kiwanis Club of Greater Cherokee
Woodstock High School
Tidwell Strimban Injury Lawyers
Woodstock Middle School
Chick-fil-A, Towne Lake
Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, right, and R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy Principal Dr. Abby May, center, congratulate the Reinhardt University Football Team, the school’s Partner of the Year, as the overall Cherokee County School District 2020 Partner of the Year.
Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower, right, and R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy Principal Dr. Abby May congratulate James Miller, head coach for the Reinhardt University Football Team, the school’s Partner of the Year, as the overall Cherokee County School District 2020 Partner of the Year.
Reinhardt University Football Team players watch a video featuring R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy students thanking them for volunteering as their mentors through the team’s partnership with the school.