Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Georgia Department of Education released the 2012 graduation rates this week.
Oconee County's graduation rate has decreased slightly more than one percentage point -- from 91.57 percent in 2011 to 90.48 percent in 2012, but remains one of the highest in Georgia, according to data released this week from the state Department of Education. Georgia's rate, however, has risen more than two percentage points over the previous year – from 67.4 percent in 2011 to 69.7 percent in 2012. While the 2012 rate for Oconee County High School was nearly unchanged at 89.41 percent compared to 89.43 percent in 2011, North Oconee High School saw a drop of about 2 percentage points from 93.65 in 2011 to 91.87 in 2012. This marks only the second year that Georgia has used an adjusted cohort rate to determine graduation rates. The …
Friday, May 17, 2013
Three other Oconee County facilities showed no critical violations.
The following is a list of school cafeterias in Oconee County that have undergone routine health inspections recently. All information was obtained from the Northeast Georgia Health District's health scores website. Each cafeteria is given a score, and any violations are listed online. The cafeteria is categorized as low risk if there are no critical violations and a score of 90 or more is achieved. For a food establishment to be categorized as high risk, one or more critical violations must be found. Any food establishments with a failing grade — a score of 70 or less — receives a follow-up inspection within 10 days. Rocky Branch Elementary School at 5100 Hog Mountain Road, Watkinsville Score: 90 Inspection date: May 3, 2013 High risk…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Funeral services for 14-year-old Ryan King will be held on Friday, May 17.
Oconee County High School freshman Ryan Alexander King of Bishop died on Tuesday, May 14 at age 14. "We did have a student pass away suddenly," Oconee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jason Branch said. "We've asked for additional counselors to be on site for support as needed. We want to make sure the students, faculty and family are cared for." According to his obituary, Ryan played on soccer teams for Athens United and the Oconee County Warriors. Lord & Stephens Funeral Home West is handling the arrangements. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at the funeral home. A funeral service will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 17, at the Lord & Stephens West Chapel, with burial following in Oconee Memorial Park…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Teachers, counselors and business leaders work together to provide informational resources about skilled trades.
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Wednesday, May 15
For organizing Go Build Georgia High School teams at both North Oconee High and Oconee County High, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development Wednesday recognized Oconee County Schools. According to a news release, teams are comprised of educators, counselors and business leaders spanning across five key high-growth industry sectors including: manufacturing, industrial construction, energy, telecommunications and transportation industries, with the goal of promoting career paths in the skilled trades. The teams will share data and informational resources with students and parents to assist in making informed career decisions. Superintendent Dr. Jason Branch referred to the initiative as "an exciting opportunity." "OCS is …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Elyse Paneral was chosen from more than 15,000 finalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Elyse A. Paneral of Athens has received a $2,500 college scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Paneral, who attends Athens Academy and plans to study chemical engineering, was chosen from more than 15,000 finalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. According to a news release announcing the winners, those selected have been "judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies." Paneral earlier this year was one of two students who tied to represent Oconee County in the STAR student regional competition. Do you want to share your student's achievements? Post an announcement now.
The project will be on display in the lobby of the high school from 5-7 p.m.
School officials will be on hand at Oconee County High School this evening to discuss with parents and students plans for the first phase of renovations to Warrior Stadium. Construction is scheduled to take place later this month on facilities that will house the new concession stands and restrooms for both the home side and vistors side of the field. Parrish Construction Group was selected earlier this spring to serve as the construction manager at risk for the $900,000 project, which will be completed by the end of summer. Blue prints, floor plans, and a rendering will be on display in the lobby at OCHS from 5-7 p.m. It's an opportunity for the public to drop by, view the plans, and offer feedback or ask questions, Superintendent Dr. …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Whether it's preschool, college or somewhere in between, brag about it on Patch.
Hear that? Somewhere, a "Pomp and Circumstance" march is playing, and someone is struggling to keep that mortarboard in place. Yep, it's graduation season, and whether it's your preschooler moving on to the big K, or your college senior heading out into the real world, you can brag about it on Patch. First, make sure you are a registered user of Oconee Patch (if you aren't, click on Sign Up in the top right corner of the home page). Once you are logged in, follow this link to post an announcement. In the announcement template, fill out all the fields, and make sure you choose "Graduation" as the category. When you are done, you can add photos and video of your graduate to make it really special. Then scroll to the bottom and click "Post my…
There are also a number of recognitions on the agenda for today's meeting, including OCMS students for their selection to All-State band and CTSO/FFA students for their performances at recent state competitions.
Here's the agenda for today's 5 p.m. meeting at 34 School Street in the Central Office Meeting Room, according to the Board of Education's website: I. CALL TO ORDER II. AGENDA APPROVAL III. MINUTES APPROVAL IV. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT A. Assistant Principal- Dr. Branch will introduce the new OCMS assistant principal for the 2013-2014 school year: Dallas LeDuff. B. Chief Operations Officer V. RECOGNITIONS A. Art Display B. CTSO/FFA C. GMEA All State Band- The board will recognize five OCMS students for being selected to participate in the Georgia Music Educators Association All State Band. This band consists of the state's top musicians at both the middle and high school levels. Students are: Isaac Beacorn (trumpet), Kunho Kim (percussion…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The school system ranked No. 1 in the state at the high school level and in the top 15 at the elementary and middle school levels.
Oconee County Schools are among the top in the state, according to the Georgia College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) released Tuesday by the Georgia Department of Education. With a 100 point scale, the CCRPI is the new testing system, replacing the Adequate Yearly Progress measurement in Georgia. Oconee County Schools earned an overall score of 93.4 for the elementary grade band, 93.2 for the middle school grade band, and 92 for the high school grade band. The state's grades were 83. 4 for elementary level , 81.4 for middle grades and 72. 6 for the high school level. In comparison to other systems across the state, OCS ranks 14 out of 191 at the elementary level, 11 out of 194 at the middle school level, and is number 1 out of…
But there are two furlough days included in the $54.1 million fiscal year 2014 budget proposal.
Teachers and staff are keeping their jobs and the millage rate will remain unchanged in fiscal year 2014 if the Oconee County Board of Education adopts the tentative budget as presented during a work session Monday. The $54.1 million budget, however, does contain two furlough days. The unpaid time off should come as little surprise; the days were included in the 2013-14 school year calendar, which was approved in December. The furloughs on Nov. 25 and Jan. 2 extend the Thanksgiving and winter breaks. "This is a very serious budget," Assistant Superintendent of Financial Operations Randy Morrison told the board. "It is one of the harder budgets that we've had to put together. I think it's a fair budget. I believe it continues to meet …
