CCSD School Wins Top State Honor for Excellence in Education

A Cherokee County School District school has earned top state honors for excellence in education.

Macedonia Elementary School has won the prestigious School Bell Award from the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals, which is presented to no more than 10 schools each year in recognition of outstanding curriculum and organizational leadership initiatives.   

Macedonia ES, led by Principal Dr. Carrie O’Bryant, earned the award for its initiative, “Redefining Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Shifting the Focus from Achievement to Student Growth to Increase Teacher Ownership.” The school’s assistant principals are Tracy Sparks and Melissa Venezia.  Congratulations to Macedonia ES and thank you to our School Board for its laser focus on ensuring our students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else!

“Our students consistently perform at high academic levels, which is a point of pride,” Dr. O’Bryant said.  “However, this success presented a unique challenge: defining and measuring adequate growth for high-achieving students.  We recognized that while achievement was strong, our students were capable of deeper learning, greater rigor, and truly exceptional outcomes.”  

To meet this need, the school shifted the focus of its PLCs, which are small faculty groups that meet by grade level and/or subject.  For Macedonia’s PLCs, teachers shifted their focus from overall achievement to growth for every student.  

“Our goal was for students to achieve growth in the 40 to 60% range or higher, regardless of their starting point,” Dr. O’Bryant said.  “This approach helped us redefine success and ensure that all students were being challenged at an appropriate level.  As a result, many teachers achieved adequate or high growth with their students, reflecting the power of intentional collaboration and data-driven instruction.”

The school will be recognized by the Cherokee County School Board and Superintendent of Schools at an upcoming School Board meeting.

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