What a special day for our entire community this past Saturday as the Special Olympics was held at Benny Monroe Stadium. The Special Olympics, sponsored by the Cleveland Civitan Club, transforms lives through the joy of sport, every day, everywhere. They are the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities: with nearly 4 million athletes in more than 170 countries — and millions more volunteers and supporters.

Athletes are the heart of Special Olympics. The athletes are children and adults with intellectual disabilities from all over Bradley County. They have a blast as they celebrate their successes and joys with their coaches, families and volunteers.

We are so proud to be part of the Special Olympics and we thank all of the athletes, volunteers, families, and community members that came out to support the cause. There were lots of hugs and celebrations Saturday as the athletes led the way with their own definition of excellence. Congratulations to all of the participants for an excellent day.

Class of 2012 Parading Through Their Alma Mater Elementary Schools!

The parades of the Class of 2012 concluded Friday as Stuart Elementary School welcomed back their students. And in doing so, it prompted the response from another former graduate who works at Stuart. It was so good; I thought I would share the enthusiasm here. From Karen Hall:

“What a fabulous idea to bring the almost graduates back to the elementary school they attended. The Soon-To-Be graduates left our building an hour ago and there is still a buzz in the air. They looked amazing in their cap and gowns! It was special to see so many teachers have the chance to hug the necks of former students. So often when they leave our campus, they rarely come back to visit.

I am so proud to be a Cleveland High School Graduate and a member of the Cleveland City Schools Faculty Team. IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE A RAIDER!”

This week, we leave the TCAP testing behind and bring on the End of Course testing at Cleveland High School. We believe our students are well-prepared for the tests and that they will perform to the best of their abilities. As we continue to expect excellence, we ask a lot out of our faculty and staff, and they deliver. I want to commend our administrators, teachers, and all of our educational community for what they have done this year to prepare our students for last week and this week. Now, we continue to encourage them one more week to do their very best. I think they will bring their “A” game and deliver!

DIRECTOR’S RECOGNITION

Tuesday, May 1, 2012, there is a Called Session of the Cleveland City School Board. The purpose of this session is to discuss the Bradley County Wheel Tax and also vote on the adoption of a resolution to support the Wheel Tax. As are all of the school board meetings, this is open to the public. The meeting will take place at the AOB Board Room at 10:00 AM.

CLASS OF 2012 DESTINATIONS

• Amber Botts, Austin Peay State University – Go Governors!
• Callie Baggett, Belmont University- Go Bruins!
• Dillon Munger, University of Tennessee Knoxville – Go Vols!
• Madison Harris, University of Tennessee Chattanooga – Go Mocs!
• Cole Butler, University of Tennessee Chattanooga – Go Mocs!
• Tyler Shugart, University of Tennessee Chattanooga – Go Mocs!
• Carly Bledsoe, University of Tennessee Chattanooga – Go Mocs!
• Henry McClendon, Carson Newman University – Go Eagles!
• Jessica Davenport, Tennessee Tech University – Go Golden Eagles!
• Ali Shroder, Lee University – Go Flames!
• Rob Cooke, Tennessee Wesleyan College – Go Bulldogs!
• C.J. Garrett, Tennessee Wesleyan College – Go Bulldogs!
• Whitney Stephenson, Savannah College of Art and Design
• Seth Snyder, United State Marine Corp – OO-RAH!

This week, Cleveland Middle School’s Drama Department will be conducting Beauty and the Beast with numerous showings during the day for our elementary schools and evening dinner shows beginning Thursday. We look forward to watching our students in this outstanding production.

Congratulations to Susan Parks, Art teacher for Cleveland City Schools as she received a Pi Beta Phi Foundation scholarship to attend Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts this June. It is called the Helen Anderson Lewis Arrowmont Scholarship. She will study beading techniques and design from Wendy Ellsworth who travels often to Africa to work with the Samburu women there. Congratulations Susan Parks!

Congratulations to Erycka Rhodes, Yusra Siddiqui, Sebastian Rossel, Whitney Stephenson, and Alexis White from CHS. These students participated in the State Skills USA Competetion this past week at the Chattanooga Convention Center. They represented Cleveland High School well in several different contests. Yusra Siddiqui placed 2nd in Photography with some amazing photos shot both on location and prior to the contest. Everyone worked very hard preparing for the contests and during the actual events. We are proud of all five students for representing CHS.

MAY EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH, MAYFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Staff Employee of the Month, Mayfield Elementary School

Ms. Hillis Cavender

Hillis Cavender retired as a first grade teacher at Mayfield School several years ago. She wasn’t quite ready to use her rocking chair, so she became the parent involvement coordinator for our school. Her job is supposed to be halftime, but she does nothing halftime. She works tirelessly as an advocate for the children and their parents at Mayfield. Congratulations and thank you for your dedication to our families.

Faculty Employee of the Month, Mayfield Elementary School

Ms. Sarah Towe

Sarah Towe is the instructional facilitator for Mayfield School. Her enthusiasm and dedication each day is contagious. Even with increased challenges and responsibilities her number one priority is to share the ideas that she has learned with our teachers, expanding her role as a coach and mentor. Congratulations and thank you for a job well done, Ms. Towe.