2024-2025

Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA)
24-25 Youth Advisory Council
Ryan Schluter - Evans High School

Ryan Schluter of Evans High School has been invited by the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) to be a member of the GSBA Youth Advisory Council (YAC). 

The YAC is a dynamic platform that brings together young leaders from various public schools to participate in the discourse on educational policies and practices actively. This council empowers students to voice their perspectives and contribute to decision-making processes, ensuring that youth viewpoints are integral in shaping the academic landscape. 

The YAC was formed by the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) to give high school students the opportunity to provide meaningful input to school board members. The goal of the feedback is to help aid school board members in their decision-making and implementation processes. The YAC Committee is composed of GSBA staff and serves as a resource to students enrolled in the program. Through this program, they hope that students and school board members can achieve greater awareness regarding academic programs and school climate.

National Junior Beta Club Convention Winners

     

October 8, 2024

Columbia County Board of Education Special Recognitions

Columbia Virtual Academy art teacher Tiffany Weser selected for two awards

Tiffanty Weser, an art teacher at Columbia Virtual Academy, has been selected as the Georgia Art Education Association’s 2025 Georgia Art Educator of the Year. The GAEA awards committee was delighted to recognize her outstanding contributions to art education and her commitment to positively impacting our schools and community. She will be honored at the GAEA Fall conference and her application will move to the Southeastern Region for judging at the regional level.

Ms. Weser is also receiving the Georgia Youth Art Month Award of Merit. Youth Art Month is a program that brings student artists together to celebrate all their accomplishments over the school year. Ms. Weser taught the preparatory workshop to Georgia art teachers, and then to students from across Georgia. She commented, “To see them create once they were given the prompt was so exciting. To see the student's creativity flow at the drop of a hat is so much fun to watch. They are so unique in their styles, mediums, and approach to the task. She states that she is grateful to have been able to share her love of art with those students.”

Students at Lakeside and Greenbrier high schools selected as National Merit Scholarship program semi-finalists

Five students at district schools were recognized as semifinalists for the 70th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®).  

The program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  A Semifinalist must also have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. 

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. The nationwide pool of  16,000 Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. 

SEMIFINALISTS

$35,000 in STEM grants awarded to district schools

Teachers from seven district schools received from $2,500 to $5,000 grants to advance programs relating to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Battelle Savannah River Alliance, the manager and operator of Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) awarded $125,000 in K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education to Central Savannah River Area schools.

Thirty teachers from 25 different schools within the CSRA received grants, impacting more than 6,500 students. These grants will empower educators to bring their visionary projects to life, igniting curiosity and passion in their students. This initiative is about inspiring young minds to explore, discover and ultimately lead the way in advancing science and technology of the future.

GRANT RECIPIENTS

• GHSA Coach of the Year for Girls Wrestling
• 2024 Outstanding Assistant Principal Award
• Veterans Day Recognitions

• GHSA One-Act Drama Competition

Georgia CyberPatriot State Championship

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air & Space Forces Association to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future. ​At the core of the program is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the nation's largest cyber defense competition that puts high school and middle school students in charge of securing virtual networks. CyberPatriot teams from four schools in the Columbia County School District swept the competition earning first, second and third place at the middle school level and the Evans High School CyberPatriot team earned second place in the highest tier, platinum, at the Statewide Cyber Competition. These students demonstrated exceptional skills and teamwork in the field of cybersecurity. Their contributions represent the next generation that will protect our country from cyber attacks!. Great job, students and teachers! Special note: Greenbrier Middle School, Stallings Island Middle School and Greenbrier High School's winning teams were recognized January 28, 2025.

Evans High School
Platinum Tier - 2nd Place

The Evans High School CyberPatriot team earned second place in the highest tier, platinum, at the Statewide Cyber Competition. These students demonstrated exceptional skills and teamwork in the field of cybersecurity. Their contributions represent the next generation that will protect our country from cyber attacks!

Team Members:
Joshua DuBose  
Weston Evans 
Ryan Kinkar  
Ethan Lin 
Thomas Murillo-Bivins  
Meredith Phipps 
Advisor is Steve Hahn 
Principal is Wade White  

2024 GHSA 5A Coach of the Year
Steve Hibbits
Lakeside High School  

Steve Hibbitts has been with Lakeside High School Football for 11 seasons. This past season, Lakeside Football finished with its best record of 10-2. It was just the second “10-win” season in program history at Lakeside. Coach Hibbitts has led academic support initiatives, community outreach, and leadership development programs for the Panthers. Because of these, and many more accomplishments, Coach Hibbitts received the Georgia High School Association’s 5A Football Coach of the Year. His Athletic Director is Mr. Derrick Myers and Prinicpal is Juliet King.

 

Evans Elementary School 4-H Presidents

Thanks to our 4-H Presidents from Evans Elementary School for leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the Board of Education meeting. Great job, student leaders! 

 

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame 2025 Inductee
Coach Terry Holder (retired)

 

 

Longtime coach for the Columbia County School District, Mr. Terry Holder (retired), was recently inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. His long list of accomplishments includes: being the first baseball coach in Georgia history to reach 500 victories, a career record of 588 wins (being 13th in state history), and winning 8 state titles in a 12-year span. Greenbrier High School’s baseball field is named in his honor, and Evans High School plans to do the same this baseball season.  

Other accomplishments include: 

• He was the first head football coach at Greenbrier High School, and won three consecutive state championships in the first three years of the school’s existence. His team made playoffs every year.  

• A 61-game winning streak at Evans High School from 1988-1990. The streak was only seven games shy of the national record at the time and is still the longest record ever in Georgia and the 14th longest in U.S. history. 

• In 1988, the Evans High School team was Coach Holder's first state championship team. They were ranked 5th in the Nation by USA Today. 

• His 1989 Evans High School team was ranked No. 3 in the nation by USA Today. They are the last undefeated team in Georgia history, a mark that has lasted 35 years and counting. 

• In 25 years at Evans High School and Greenbrier High School he led his teams to 19 region titles. 

• He is a 6-time Georgia State Coach of the Year and a 2-time National Coach of the Year Award winner. 

• He coached the winning South Team to the title at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in St. Louis. 

 

Congratulations, coach, and thank you for all you do and have done for the students and staff of the Columbia County School District. 

Team Panther Pride - Gold Medal Winners 

Cooper Claus, Lakeside High School 
Jevon Dunn, Lakeside High School  
Nicholas Holsten, Lakeside High School 
Kaleb Steele, Lakeside High School
(Kaleb was also named Georgia Athlete of the Month for March 2025.) 

Team Pin Crushers - Gold Medal Winners 

Team Strike Force - Brown Medal Winners 

Khoal Fountain, Evans High School 
Kymani Session, Harlem High School 
Joseph Zuniga, Evans High School 

Team Strike Zone - Bronze Medal Winners 

Michael Barker, Grovetown High School 
Bryan Belton, Jr., Grovetown High School 
Abdias Colon, Harlem High School 
Sky Rittenhouse, Grovetown High School  

Adaptive Physical Education Coaches: 

Steve Aaronson, Grovetown High School 
Corie Johnson, Greenbrier Middle School 
Crystal Stickland, Parkway Elementary School 
Mimi Tom, Riverside Middle School 

The Director of Special Education is Mr. Sharard Pritchett. 

All five Columbia County School District high school were recognized as AP Honor Schools. This distinction is named in eight categories based on the results of the 2024 AP courses and exams. 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. 
Recognition is received in the following categories: 

• AP Access & Support School - Schools with at least 30% of AP exams taken by students who identified as African American and/or Hispanic and 30% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
• AP Expansion School  - AP schools with 25% growth in AP student participation from May 2023 to May 2024 and a minimum of 25 students testing in May 2023.
• AP Humanities Schools - Schools with a minimum of five students tested in each of the following AP categories: one ELA course, two social studies courses, one fine arts course, and one world language course.
• AP Humanities Achievement Schools  - AP Humanities schools with at least 50% of all AP Humanities exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
• AP Schools of Distinction - Schools with at least 20% of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher. 
• AP STEM Schools - Schools that administered at least 5 exams in each of four separate AP STEM courses (math, science, and computer science).
• AP STEM Achievement Schools - AP STEM schools with at least 50% of all AP STEM exams earning scores of 3 or higher. 

 Each School was named in these following categories: 

Evans High School - Principal Wade White 
AP Humanities School
AP Humanities Achievement School 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Greenbrier High School - Principal Chip Fulmer 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Grovetown High School - Principal Andrew Young 
AP Access & Support School 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Harlem High School - Principal Casey Dees 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Lakeside High School - Principal Juliet King 
AP Expansion School  
AP Humanities School 
AP Humanities Achievement School 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Greenbrier High School biology and chemistry teacher, Ms. Emily Flynt, recently achieved the Georgia Science Teachers Association Teacher of Promise Award.  

Ms. Flynt is a first-year teacher at Greenbrier High School; however, her colleagues describe working with her as if they are working with a veteran teacher due to her natural talent as an educator. They also stated how she makes a huge impact on collaborative teams and brings insight that is helping everyone grow and to better serve all students. 

The association recognizes science teachers with one, two, or three years of teaching experience that show exceptional promise. The recipient receives a monetary award of $750 and either submits an article describing a teacher practice for the GSTA newsletter or presents a session at the annual GSTA Conference the following year. 

Her mentor is Ms. Crystal McDowell, and her principal is Mr. Chip Fulmer. 

National Beta Club - John W. Harris Leadership Award
Evans Middle School Junior Beta Club

 

Named after Beta’s founder, the John W. Harris Leadership Award recognizes outstanding clubs based on how they embody the organization's four pillars of achievement: character; leadership; and Service. Congratulations, to Evans Middle School for being one of only five Junior Beta Clubs across the country to receive this award.

 

Pictured from left: Evans Middle School Principal Dr. Michael Carraway; Jr. Beta Club Members Student Representatives, Daisy Troia and Addyson Johnson; Jr. Beta Club Teacher Sponsor Ms. Lisa Shouse; and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven Flynt. 

 

 

 

Lewiston Elementary School 

4-H Presidents

Congratulations, to the 4-H Presidents from Lewiston Elementary School for leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the recent Board of Education meeting. Great job, student leaders! 

Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) All-State Band

Evans Middle School

Aric Hilyard  (trombone) 
Jackson Hutchinson (trumpet) 
Pancho Mancera (clarinet) 
Band Director: Ryan Bratton 
Principal: Toni Cliatt 

 

 

Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Chorus

The Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) All State Chorus is one of the highest musical honors a choral student can receive.  

A total of 22 students from 10 schools across the Columbia County School District earned spots in the prestigious group. The instensive selection process include preparing scales and solos prior to the audition while also developing skills to sight read in front of the judges on the audition day. 

Columbia Middle School

Hope Bell 
Sadie Pressley 
Myla Searcy 
Choral Director: Kennedy Smith 
Principal: Dr. Holly Barnes 

 

Evans Middle School

Chase Hon 
Choral Director: Wendy Baggott  
Principal: Dr. Michael Carraway 

 

Greenbrier Middle School

Lucas Beasley 
Miyah Jenkins 
Ace Punke-Bendt 
Audrey Walton 
Choral Director: Jason Bailey 
Principal: Toni Cliatt 

 

Grovetown Middle School

Kaleb Alicea 
Choral Director: Victoria Alvarez 
Principal: Blake Stitcher 

 

 

Harlem Middle School

Adaleigh Parten 
Choral Director: Barbara Yancey 
Principal: John Bush 

 

Stallings Island Middle School

Vera Eichenberger 
Sydney Henle 
Vivienne Kim 
Lainey Schick 
Choral Director: Keelin Walsh 
Principal: Vicki Tarleton

 

Evans High School

Joy Dyer 
Choral Director: Paul Jones 
Principal: Wade White 

 

Greenbrier High School

Kevin Jiang 
Choral Director: Elizabeth Haas 
Principal: Chip Fulmer

 

Grovetown High School

Braylen Ferguson 
Stephanie Russell 
Carlos Rios Betancourt - Selected for the Music Technology Showcase 
Choral Director: Brandon Ball 
Principal: Andrew Young 

 

Lakeside High School

Kashvi Boga 
Aaron Francis 
Violet Herrmann 
Sunny Huo 
Choral Director: Maggie Christine 
Principal: Juliet King 

 

 

 

Georgia State JROTC Raiders Competition

Grovetown High School’s JROTC Co-ed/Mixed Raider Team placed second overall at the Annual Georgia State Raider Competition. They placed 2nd in the 3.2-mile team run, 2nd in the Cross-Country Rescue, 3rd in the Rope Bridge, and Tire Flip competitions. This earned them their 2nd overall State finish, the highest finish at the state level in the program's history. They accomplished this all while maintaining a 3.1 overall grade point average.

  

Claire Bannister 
Deena-Joy Blackwell 
Noah Brown 
Alexander Colon 
Sean Etienne 
Ahyonna Hogan 
Omar Ibrahim 
Sani Mahamane 
Zayron Rivera 
Logan Smith 
Kiara Ward 
Arianna Washington 
Kimberly Wilkerson
Instructors: First Sgt. Curtis Marrow, Jr. and Sgt. Anthony Williams
Principal: Andrew Young  

 

Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)
State Competition 

Through the HOSA Competitive Events Program, members can compete in teams or as individuals in over 75 different events related to all aspects of the healthcare industry. HOSA integrates into the Health Science Technology Education curriculum to develop and recognize smart, dedicated, and passionate future health professionals. These students will represent their schools and Georgia HOSA at the International Leadership Conference in Nashville this June! 

 

Greenbrier High School

Emma Tang - 1st place, Physical Therapy
Da Young Ellen Han - 2nd place, Certification skills  
Cecelia Muro - 2nd place, Sports Medicine   
Mya Smith - 2nd place, Certification skills   
Blake Sommers - 3rd place, Dental Science    
Isabella Best - 3rd place, Nursing Assistant  
Evan Bryant - HOSA State Officer Region 8   
Advisors: David Capell, Michelle Meadows, and Aimee Runner  
Principal: Chip Fulmer

 

 Grovetown High School

Sofiya Kulyna, 2nd place in Behavioral Health 
Andreas Toney, 3rd place in Medical Reading
Advisors: Jessica Kirby
Principal: Andrew Young

 

Harlem High School

Giovanni Carlo Arroyo - 1st Place, Personal Care  
Karime Gonzalez Venegas - 2nd Place, Personal Care  
Advisor: Robert Leslie  
Principal: Casey Dees  

 

Lakeside High School

Anshuman Khadanga- 3rd Place, Clinical Lab Science  
Advisor: Leslie Vandenabeele  
Principal: Juliet King  

 

SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Competition

The SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Competition recognizes career and technical education students who excel in their occupational areas, and spotlights leadership development activities that are such an integral part of the SkillsUSA program. Hundreds of teams across Georgia compete in a large variety of events in all areas of CTAE, and students from three high schools in the Columbia County School District placed in the top three in their respective competitions. Great job, students and advisors!

 

Greenbrier High School

Law and Safety Competitions

State Champions - High Risk Vehicle Stop  
Jack Busby    
Morgan Dabrowski   
Advisor: Venning Morrison
Principal: Chip Fulmer

 

Grovetown High School

Automotive and Motorcycle Competitions

Colin Davis - 3rd Place, Motorcycle Service Technology  
Isaiah Hoeller- 2nd Place, Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair  
Advisor: Kristopher Norris, Automotive Instructor  
Principal: Andrew Young   

 

Harlem High School

Law and Safety Competitions

State Champions, Gold Medal - Crime Scene Investigation
Zach Gaskins   
Anslee Rowell   
Christina VanVoorhis  
2nd place, Silver Medal - Legal Service Test   
Olivia Thacker   
Advisor: Matthew Murrell  
Principal: Casey Dees  

 

American Association of Teachers of Spanish
Georgia Teacher of the Year

The American Association of Teachers of Spanish promotes the study and teaching of the Spanish language and its corresponding Hispanic related literatures and cultures at all levels of education. Congratulations, Ms. Garcia-Mitchell!

 

Ms. Marisol Garcia-Mitchell
Greenbrier High School

Principal: Chip Fulmer

 

 

 

 

4-H Presidents
North Columbia Elementary School and North Harlem Elementary School

Thanks to 4-H Presidents from North Columbia Elementary School and North Harlem Elementary School for leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the Board of Education meeting. Great job, student leaders!