Holly Springs Is a School of Excellence

was named a 2011 Georgia School of Excellence in Student Achievement on Dec. 13 by State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. Twenty-six schools that have shown the greatest improvement or highest achievement across the state earned the distinction. Each honored school will receive a $1,000 check from Georgia Natural Gas to be used however they wish.

“This is a wonderful and well-deserved honor for Holly Springs Elementary School,” said Douglas County School System Superintendent Gordon Pritz. “They are being recognized for being in the top 10 percent of schools in Georgia as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics. The school’s administrative team and support staff, teachers, parents and students are to be commended. This recognition highlights the great work that is going on at Holly Springs.”

Stefanie Cosper, Principal of Holly Springs Elementary School stated, “We are honored to be named a School of Excellence. This was achieved with much hard work from individual students, staff members, parents, and leaders who set the foundation for excellence as the school was established twelve years ago to the continuous support received from our central office, the school board, our Partners in Education and the community. This teamwork has allowed Holly Springs to continue to flourish and become a true working learning community that is focused on children.”

According to State Superintendent Barge, "These schools are showing that excellence can be achieved when they focus on providing a world-class education for their students. I offer my sincere congratulations to our 2011 Georgia Schools of Excellence and my appreciation to Georgia Natural Gas for their continued support of our schools as the title sponsor. As we continue to deal with tough economic times, schools are always looking for ways to generate revenue to benefit their students. I would highly encourage principals and parents to consider getting their schools on board with True-Blue Schools immediately to generate much-needed money.”  To learn more about True-Blue Schools, go to www.gfpe.org.

“At Georgia Natural Gas, we've always been committed to strengthening the communities we serve,” said Georgia Natural Gas CEO Mike Braswell. “That’s why we are a Georgia Partner in Education and proud sponsor of the 2011 Georgia Schools of Excellence and Georgia Teacher of the Year programs.”

“Through our TrueBlue Schools Program, Georgia Natural Gas is also directly impacting students and teachers in the classroom by helping Georgia schools raise $2 million to pay for books, art supplies, music programs, field trips, classroom technology and anything else they may need,” Braswell said.

United Healthcare is also a sponsor for the 2011 Schools of Excellence program.  The Georgia Schools of Excellence are honored in two categories. Qualifying schools are chosen from each Congressional District in the following categories (full criteria attached below):
- Top 10 percent: Schools that are in the top 10 percent in Georgia as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics.
- Greatest Gains: Schools that demonstrated greatest continuous gains in student achievement for the past three years as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics.

2011 GEORGIA SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE

TOP 10 percent
Listed by Congressional District and School, System
1. Oglethorpe Point Elementary, Glynn County
2. Westside Elementary, Lowndes County
3. Peeples Elementary, Fayette County
4. Oak Grove Elementary, DeKalb County
5. Morningside Elementary, Atlanta Public School
6. Vanderlyn Elementary, DeKalb County
7. Shiloh Point Elementary, Forsyth County
8. Alexander II Magnet, Bibb County
9. Vickery Creek Elementary, Forsyth County
10. Stevens Creek Elementary, Columbia County
11. Jones Elementary, Bremen City
12 Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah-Chatham County
13. Holly Springs Elementary, Douglas County

GREATEST GAINS
Listed by Congressional District and School, System
1. Matilda Harris Elementary, Camden County
2. Potter Street Elementary, Decatur County
3. Rosemont Elementary, Troup County
4. Pine Street Elementary, Rockdale County
5. Clairemont Elementary, City Schools of Decatur
6. Sprayberry High, Cobb County
7. Level Creek Elementary, Gwinnett County
8. Heard-Mixon Elementary, Newton County
9. Settles Bridge Elementary, Forsyth County
10. Demorest Elementary, Habersham County
11. Hillgrove High, Cobb County
12. Heard Elementary, Savannah-Chatham County
13. Stockbridge Elementary, Henry County