education - coweta living 2010-2011

Education

A publication of The Times-Herald

[Education][Education]

38 Coweta Living 2010-11

Coweta schools setto open August 9

38-51_education 7/21/10 7:00 PM Page 38

Coweta Living 2010-11 39

he 2010-11 school year for the Coweta

County School System will begin on

Monday, Aug. 9. The full calendar for the

180-day school year – and web links to

Coweta’s 19 elementary schools, 6 middle schools and 4

high schools, and registration information – can be

found at www.cowetaschools.org.

The Coweta County School System is led by

Superintendent Blake Bass and the seven-person

Coweta County Board of Education (Steve

Bedrosian, Chairman).

A pre-kindergarten class – looking forward to attending Ruth Hillthis year – tours the Butterfly Garden while visiting the school.

38-51_education 7/21/10 7:00 PM 9


[Education]

For more information aboutCoweta County’s public schoolsystem, visitwww.cowetaschools.org, or callany of the system’s schools orpublic offices.

Superintendent and SchoolBoard237 Jackson St., Newnan(770) 254-2801

Curriculum, Personnel andBusiness Offices176 Werz Industrial Dr., Newnan(770) 254-2800

New Student Registration176 Werz Industrial Dr., Newnan(770) 254-5551

School District and BusInformationCoweta County SchoolsTransportation(770) 254-2820

Centre for Performing and Visual Arts1523 Lower Fayetteville Rd.,Newnan

(770) 254-2787

approximately 500 students a year

over the last several years. The

growth of the county throughout the

1990s and 2000s led to the

construction of a large number of

new schools and facilities, most

funded by a sales tax for education.

The latest major school project

funded by the voter-approved sales

tax was Brooks Elementary School,

built in northwest Coweta in 2009,

the construction of ninth-grade

campus buildings at East Coweta,

Newnan and Northgate high schools

in 2007, several school expansions

and improvements, and the

construction of the county’s

consolidated Central Office and

Student Registration Center at Werz

Drive in Newnan.

Coweta schools strive to offer a

wide range of academic and

extracurricular opportunities to

meet the needs and ambitions of

individual students. In addition to

Advanced Placement and

specialized academic courses, and a

wide-range of athletic activities,

Coweta County schools are

distinguished for outstanding art,

humanities and career programs.

In addition to its regular

academic program, Coweta County

Schools and the Coweta community

are pioneers in developing charter

schools in Georgia. In 1999, a

partnership between the school

system, West Central Technical

College, and the local business

community created the Central

Educational Center (CEC), a career-

and-technology based charter

school. CEC was named a 2005

National Model High School. CEC is

the archetype for 25 Career Academy

charter schools being built

throughout Georgia – by far the

fastest-growing charter school

model in the state.

The Centre for Performing and

Visual Arts provides students and

the community with a center of

accomplished artistic programs,

including performances, local,

national and international gallery

exhibits, and master classes with

professional artists from outside the

community. The Centre includes a

999-seat, state-of-the-art

performance hall, recital and

rehearsal space, and several visual

arts galleries, and has become the

nucleus of an expanding fine arts

curriculum in Coweta’s schools as

well as a center of community

artistic life.

Though growth has slowed in

the 24,000-student school system,

Coweta County has still added

Coweta’s schools typically rank

within the top 10 percent of Georgia

schools in terms of standardized

testing, and several Coweta County

schools have been named State

Schools of Excellence and national

Blue Ribbon schools, among other

honors.

Coweta County students’

average overall SAT score increased

to 1516 in 2009, 7 points above the

national average of 1509 and 56

points above the state of Georgia’s

average of 1460. It was the second

year in a row that Coweta high

schools scored above the national

average, and increases in student

scores have come at a time of decline

for state and national SAT averages.

Similarly, Coweta County’s overall

averages on the state Criterion

Referenced Competency Test (CRCT)

scores are consistently above state

averages. In 2009, Coweta students in

grades 1 through 8 had higher

average passage rates than the state

in almost all of the 36 grade and

subject areas covered by the exam.

In 2008, Northgate High School

was named a School of Excellence

for Georgia’s 8th District, placing it

in the top 20 to 25 out of more than

1,800 public schools statewide.

Arbor Springs Elementary School

was named a 2007 Georgia School of

Excellence, Arnco-Sargent

Elementary School was a 2006

honoree, and Jefferson Parkway

Elementary School was a 2005

honoree.

Coweta County is also proud to

have provided the state of Georgia

with three Teachers of the Year—

more than any other state school

system—and 13 Coweta County

teachers have been selected as a

semi-finalist, finalist or winner of

the Georgia Teacher of the Year

since 1986.

38-51_education 7/21/10 7:00 PM 0

http://www.cowetaschools.org



http://www.cowetaschools.org

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CENTREFOR

PERFORMING &VISUAL ARTS

NEWNAN-COWETACOUNTY AIRPORT

Tommy Lee Cook RdTommy Lee Cook Rd

Hood Rd

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7. Elm Street Elementary

46 Elm St., Newnan

(770) 254-2865

8. Glanton Elementary

5725 Hwy. 29, Grantville

(770) 583-2873

9. Jefferson Parkway Elementary

154 Millard Farmer Industrial Blvd.,

Newnan

(770) 254-2771

10. Moreland Elementary

145 Railroad St., Moreland

(770) 254-2875

11. Newnan Crossing

Elementary

1267 Lower Fayetteville Rd.,

Newnan

(770) 254-2872

12. Northside Elementary

720 Country Club Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2890

13. Poplar Road Elementary

2925 Poplar Rd., Sharpsburg

(770) 254-2740

14. Ruth Hill Elementary

57 Sunset Ln., Newnan

(770) 254-2895

15. Thomas Crossroads Elementary

3530 E. Hwy. 34, Sharpsburg

(770) 254-2751

16. Welch Elementary

240 Mary Freeman Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2597

17. Western Elementary

1730 Welcome Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2790

[Education]

1. Arbor Springs Elementary

4840 N. Hwy. 29, Newnan

(770) 463-5903

2. Arnco-Sargent Elementary

2449 W. Hwy. 16, Newnan

(770) 254-2830

3. Atkinson Elementary

14 Nimmons St., Newnan

(770) 254-2835

4. Brooks Elementary

35 Genesee Pt., Newnan

770-683-0013

5. Canongate Elementary

200 Pete Rd., Sharpsburg

(770) 463-8010

6. Eastside Elementary

1225 Eastside School Rd., Senoia

(770) 599-6621

ELEMENTARYSCHOOLS


Tommy Lee Cook Rd

Hood Rd

Brim

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imer

Rd

Jim Starr Rd

Happy Valley Cir


18. White Oak Elementary

770 Lora Smith Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2860

19. Willis Road Elementary

430 Willis Rd., Sharpsburg

(770) 304-7995

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

20. Arnall Middle School

700 Lora Smith Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2765

21. East Coweta Middle School

6291 E. Hwy. 16, Senoia

(770) 599-6607

22. Evans Middle School

41 Evans Dr., Newnan

(770) 254-2780

23. Lee Middle School

370 Willis Rd., Sharpsburg

(770) 251-1547

24. Madras Middle School

240 Edgeworth Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2744

25. Smokey Road Middle School

965 Smokey Rd., Newnan

(770) 254-2840

26. Alternative Middle School

Maggie Brown School

32 Clark St., Newnan

(770) 304-5930

HIGH SCHOOLS

27. Central Educational Center

160 Martin Luther King Dr.,

Newnan

(678) 423-2000

28. East Coweta High School

400 McCollum-Sharpsburg Rd.,

Sharpsburg

(770) 254-2850

29. Newnan High School

190 LaGrange St., Newnan

(770) 254-2880

30. Northgate High School

3220 Fischer Rd., Newnan

(770) 463-5585

31. Winston Dowdell Academy

1 Dowdell St., Newnan

(770) 254-2870


http://www.acc.edu


West Georgia Technical College

– in its current configuration – was

created last year when the state

merged West Central Technical

College and West Georgia Technical

College. West Central had served

Coweta County and several counties

to the west. The school had

campuses in Carrollton, Waco and

Douglasville and offered courses at

Central Educational Center in

Newnan.

The old West Georgia Technical

College had its headquarters in

LaGrange and served counties south

of Coweta. The school created by the

merger serves a larger area,

maintains several campuses

throughout the region and offers a

wide range of technical programs. A

[Education]

West Georgia Tech buildingas Mercer arrives in town

By W. Winston Skinner

undraising efforts

are underway for

a Coweta campus

for West Georgia

Technical College,

and Mercer

University will join

two other four-year colleges

offering classes in Coweta

County this fall.



stand-alone campus in Coweta has

been a priority for several years and

has become the focus of a major

fundraising effort.

“We had been trying for several

years to get a new campus in

Coweta,” said Malcolm Jackson, a

Coweta resident who served on

WCTC’s foundation board for

several years. “Coweta was the

fastest-growing county in our

service area, and the only one

that didn’t have a full-fledged

stand-alone campus.”

The Georgia General Assembly

approved $8.5 million for the new

campus during the 2009 legislative

session. The new campus will be

located on 38 acres of donated land at

Turkey Creek Road and Interstate 85.

[Education]

Oh the places you will go… Congratulations to all our graduates!

Air Force Academy Cornell UniversityDuke UniversityEmory University George Washington UniversityVanderbilt University University of Notre DameUniversity of Pennsylvania University of GeorgiaAuburn UniversityGeorgia Technical InstituteMercer UniversityGeorgia Southern University of Alabama

and many more.

For a comprehensive list of college acceptances please go to our website.

Every student prepared to impact the world for Jesus Christ770.306.0647

www.landmarkchristianschool.org

Bus Service Available from Peachtree City, Newnan, Douglasville

At a White Oak Golden K meeting are LisaJohnston of CLICK with Golden K memberMalcolm Jackson and Linh Wight, whoshared her success story with literacy.

In the University of West Georgia nursing lab are, from left, MonicaPiasta, RN (lab instructor), and students Sabine Patterson, BrandyMcGuire and Alex Washington.


http://www.landmarkchristianschool.org


room. “We really would like the

community to feel like they own this

campus,” said Jan Alligood, Coweta

co-chairwoman for the major gifts

campaign.

On the four-year

college front, Mercer

University is the latest

school to make a

commitment in the

local area. Mercer,

which has its main

campus in Macon,

announced plans to

offer classes in Newnan

this fall. In December,

Mercer’s trustees

approved offering

classes in Newnan that

will lead toward

bachelor’s degrees and

initial certification

courses in early

childhood/special education and

early care and education.

Mercer’s College of Continuing

and Professional Studies will also

begin a bachelor of social science in

public safety degree, and there are

plans for offering coursework leading

to a bachelor of applied science in

human resources administration and

development in Newnan in the fall of

2011. Melissa Seabolt, who works

with students from this part of

Georgia in her position with Mercer’s

The technical

school’s foundation

has mounted an

effort aimed at

raising $5 million of

the approximately

$10 million it will

cost to build the

first phase of the

Coweta campus.

The state dollars

will build the allied

health services

classroom building.

Organizations

or individuals who

make major

financial gifts –

$100,000 – can choose the name for

the building with approval of the

board of the Technical College

System of Georgia. Lesser gifts could

fund a named road or conference

[Education]

THE HERITAGE SCHOOLimagine the possibilities

Dually accredited by SACS and SAIS. Serving students ages 3 through 12th grade.2093 Highway 29 North Newnan, Georgia 30263

770.253.9898 www.heritagehawks.org

* Competitive athletics, AA division, GISA* Individualized college counseling program* Extended day services* Bus service to selected areas* Foreign language instruction K-12* Performing and visual arts programs* Classroom Smartboards and computer labs* 15 Advanced Placement courses offered

Call for a personal tour today

TheRoad to

KnowledgeSTARTS HERE!

SCOTT’SBOOK STORE

At the University of West Georgia's Newnan Center arerepresentatives of the university's nursing program and officialswith Cancer Treatment Centers of America. From left areKathleen Nowak, Cindy Epps, Kathryn Grams and David Kent.


http://www.heritagehawks.org


admissions office, said at a dinner at

Newnan Country Club for Mercer

supporters last year that some of the

“best and brightest students come

from this area.”

Mercer will be offering classes at

Central Educational Center, a

charter school of the Coweta County

Board of Education. Dr. Penny L.

Elkins, senior associate vice

president for Mercer’s programs in

the Atlanta area, said Mercer officials

worked closely with Mark Whitlock,

CEC’s chief executive officer, on the

project.

The Mercer project is the latest

in a long line of alliances between

CEC and institutions of higher

learning. From its beginning, CEC

has combined traditional high

school curriculum with vocational

courses taught by instructors from

the local technical college. Brewton-

Parker College has also offered

classes at CEC. Brewton-Parker and

Mercer both were founded as Baptist

institutions, though Mercer is no

longer affiliated with the Georgia

Baptist Convention.

The University of West Georgia

has its own campus center in

Shenandoah Industrial Park. West

Georgia’s local center offers a wide

range of coursework, including a

full-fledged nursing program.

Central Educational Center is

only one of many facets of the

county’s public education system.

Students from throughout the

system have continued to gain

honors and awards on the state and

national level. While the Coweta

County Board of Education, like all

Georgia school boards, has had to

respond to sharp budget constraints

in the past year, the school system

has been able to retain a full 180-day

schedule for students and avoided

major staff reductions.

Coweta County also has several

private schools for students in

kindergarten-12th grade. The

county’s first stand-alone charter

school, Odyssey, will be gaining a

neighbor when Coweta Charter

Academy opens at Peachtree Baptist

Church near Senoia this fall.

The Coweta community has also

made a commitment to educating

those who need basic education

including literacy training and

preparation for the General

Equivalency Diploma exam.

Certified Literate Is Coweta’s Key is

Coweta County’s Certified Literate

Community program. CLICK

sponsors and supports a variety of

programs aimed at improving

literacy for Cowetans.

[Education]

“Are you looking for a college that

fits your busy schedule?”

BrewtonBrewtonBrewton---Parker College Parker College Parker College is the Clear Choice!

All classes held at:

Central Educational Center160 Martin Luther King Drive(Office in Room 700)

BPC accepts transfer credits from:

Griffin Technical College

West Georgia Technical College

APPLY TODAY! Call (770) 683-3245

FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE!

NEWNAN CAMPUS

Day, Evening & Weekend Classes

Right in your own backyard!

AAASSOCIATESSOCIATESSOCIATE OFOFOF AAARTSRTSRTS

BBBACHELORACHELORACHELOR OFOFOF BBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS AAADMINISTRATIONDMINISTRATIONDMINISTRATION

GGGENERALENERALENERAL SSSTUDIESTUDIESTUDIES

BBBACHELORACHELORACHELOR OFOFOF MMMINISTRYINISTRYINISTRY

EEEDUCATIONDUCATIONDUCATION

160 Martin Luther King Drive

Newnan, Georgia 30263

1-770-683-3245

www.bpc.edu/newnan A Georgia Baptist Institution

Pursue degrees in:

Janie Lore, Site Director

[email protected]


http://www.bpc.edu/newnan

Longfellow’s words bring to

mind not only books but libraries,

places where books are collected

and organized – waiting on the shelf

for readers to discover. In Coweta

County, there is no shortage of

libraries.

The Coweta Public Library

System operates the Central Library

off Lower Fayetteville Road, the A.

Mitchell Powell Library on Hospital

Road and libraries in Grantville and

Senoia. The City of Newnan operates

the Carnegie Library on the

downtown court square.

Barbara Osborne-Harris, director

of the county library system, is clearly

proud of the system’s growth and

progress. Circulation at the libraries

last year was 518,068. The system has

199,214 books on its shelves, and

there are 62,427 library card holders.

[Education]

Libraries filled with books,‘sequestered nooks’

By W. Winston Skinner

“The love of learning, thesequestered nooks, And all the

sweet serenity of books.”

The new Grantville Public Library

Todd Key appears asthe Christmas ChimneySweep during anappearance at the A.Mitchell Powell Jr.Library in Newnan.




The library system’s budget is $1.9 million

annually. A new library in Grantville is in the

process of opening, and Senoia’s new facility could

begin construction as early as this fall. A fall

construction start would mean “we would be open

in late 2011,” Osborne-Harris said. Both new

buildings will have 5,000 square feet of floor space.

The Carnegie has anchored a downtown corner

since it was constructed more than a century ago.

After a $1.5 million restoration, the building – which

had been used as offices and courtroom space for

years – reopened as a library in September 2009.

Amy Mapel, director, said the Carnegie is open

weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The library has a local

interest section, computers and Wi-Fi, periodicals

and reading areas aimed at children, young adults

and adults. The library also serves as the City of

Newnan Store and is home to a wide range of

regular programs.

Public libraries, Osborne-Harris says, “are a

mainstay of culture and learning.” Her goal is for

patrons entering CPLS libraries to know they “are

experiencing something special,” she said. Open

[Education]

��

Quality child careand learning experiences

in a safe and caring environment

770.253.6629www.NewnanAcademy.com

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��Pre-K program

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http://www.newnanacademy.com

http://mercer.edu/adultprograms


Recent programs for adults

included a presentation from

Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, talks

from bestselling authors and

interactive workshops for hobbies

such as organic gardening and

geocaching. All the libraries have

books, but there are also

audiobooks, movies and

instructional courses on DVD,

music CDs and popular magazines

available for checkout from CPLS

libraries.

Libraries also offer “the

atriums filled with natural light, earth-

toned colors and natural woods help

create a welcoming environment,

inviting visitors to linger and enjoy

their time at the library.

The CPLS libraries have regular

programs for children and teens.

[Education]

DYSSEYToday’s School For Tomorrow’s World

The libraries of Coweta County offer programs for all ages. From left are Jaren Hill enjoying a family readingprogram at Central Library; Story time leader Dianne Oliver reading a tale to youngsters at the CarnegieLibrary in Newnan; and Raven Pollard previewing the children's books at the new Grantville Library as hergrandmother, Lillie Smith, looks on.


http://www.odysseycharterschool.net


sequestered nooks” Longfellow

praised. “Comfortable seating,

both inside and out, furthers the

goal of giving people an

opportunity to slow down and take

a respite from their busy lives,”

Osborne-Harris said.

[Education]

GMC COMMUNITYC O L L E G E

Fairburn

YOUR two-year Liberal Arts CollegeA distant learning site of Georgia Military College

Start Here Go AnywhereNo Military Obligation

www.gmc.cc.ga.us/atlanta

Exit 61

Virlyn B Smith Rd

NEWLOCATION

To Newnan

Hwy 2

9

I-85

I-85

Hwy 74Hwy 74

Senoia Road

Fall 1, 2010August 2 - September 28

Registration Starts July 5

Fall 2, 2010October 12 - December 8

Registration Starts Sept. 7

Winter 2011January 10 - March 8

Registration Starts Nov. 15

Spring 2011March 21 – May 13

Registration Starts Feb. 14

Summer 2011May 31 – July 19

Registration Starts Apr. 25

2010-2011

Fairburn, GA 30213 CALL TODAY 678-379-1414At GMC, we make it simple to be a student!

Local libraries include:

• Carnegie Library, 1 LaGrange St.,

Newnan, GA 30263; 770-683-1347.

• Central Library, 85 Literary Lane,

Newnan, GA 30265; 770-683-2052.

• A. Mitchell Powell Jr. Public

Library, 25 Hospital Rd., Newnan,

Above left, Kip Oldham and Brian Haun show a painting depicting the design for the new library in Senoia.At right, author Haywood Smith is introduced by Lesley Williams, adult services library associate at theCentral Library.

GA 30263; 770-253-3625

• Grantville Library, 123 LaGrange

St., Grantville, GA 30220 (soon to

open at 100 Park Dr. in Grantville);

770-583-2565

• Senoia Library, 70 Main Street,

Senoia, GA 30276; 770-599-3537.


http://www.gmc.cc.ga.us/atlanta

education - coweta living 2010-2011

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