The Cobb Board of Education has announced a special-called meeting for Tuesday to elect officers and set its meeting schedule for 2026.
The meeting takes place Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office 514 Glover St., Marietta.
The meeting is open to the public but there is not a public comment session.
The board is required to vote on a chairman and vice chairman at the start of every calendar year; the chairman cannot serve in successive terms.
Board members nominate candidates to become officers; they must receive at least four votes.
In 2025 the chairman was David Chastain of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb and the vice chairman was John Cristadoro of Post 5 in East Cobb.
Both are Republicans, and as the party has held a 4-3 majority in recent years, the officers have been from the GOP
Democratic candidates have not been able to get any Republican member to cross parties to vote for officers in that period.
The 2026 elections include three board seats: Post 4, where Chastain is entering the last year of his third term; Post 2 in South Cobb, held by first-term Democrat Becky Sayler; and Post 6, in Smyrna-Vinings-Cumberland, held by first-term Democrat Nichelle Davis.
The first regularly scheduled Cobb school board meeting is Jan. 22.
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Across Cobb Schools, high school students have partnered with feeder middle and elementary school students to help spread Christmas cheer.
With the help of school counselors and social workers, students were selected to receive gifts based on need.
Pope’s 18th annual Shop with a Greyhound took center stage at Target, where an eager group of students rushed down the aisles searching for their favorite toys and essential items, such as clothes for the colder months.
More than 200 students from Brumby Elementary School were paired with a Pope student, allowing them to spend $115 on an early Christmas gift.
Over at Kell’s Shop with a Longhorn, students returned from a morning of shopping to help younger students wrap their gifts.
The school also had stations set up for face painting, ornament decorating, and photos with Santa.
With support from school counselors and social workers, students were selected to participate based on need. High school volunteers helped younger students shop for toys and essential items, including winter clothing, providing meaningful support to families during the holidays.,
Kell High School’s Shop with a Longhorn featured a full day of holiday activities. After returning from a morning of shopping, Kell students helped younger participants wrap their gifts and enjoy festive stations such as face painting, ornament decorating, and photos with Santa.
“The coolest part is that some of our high schoolers were once littles, and now they’re the ones helping — it’s come full circle,” said Ryan Hill, Shop with a Longhorn coordinator.
Additional events included Walton’s Shop with a Raider, Lassiter’s Shop with a Trojan, and Allatoona’s Shop with a Buc, among others held in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
These student-led initiatives often raise thousands of dollars to support fellow Cobb students in need. Beyond the gifts, the events create lasting connections, offering younger students positive role models while giving high schoolers the opportunity to give back and lead by example.
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A Wheeler High School graduate safely evacuated the Brown University campus last weekend during a mass shooting that killed two people, both of whom he knew.
Edward Kim, a freshman engineering major at Brown, said in a cable television interview that he got a message from his mother on Saturday afternoon after the shooting on the Ivy League campus in Providence, R.I.
“We felt that the right decision was to leave immediately,” Kim said in an interview with Katy Tur on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC;you can watch the full interview here.)
He was speaking from his home in Marietta, after Brown officials cancelled the rest of the semester and final exams.
Five days later, law enforcement across New England continues searching for the suspect, who is wanted for shooting to death Ella Cook, 19, of Mountain Brook, Ala., and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbeki national who attended high school in Midlothian, Va.
Nine other people were shot, with one having been released, one in critical condition and seven others in stable condition.
One of the victims is another Georgia student, Jacob Spears, 18, from Columbia County, who is recoverimg in a hospital.
Authorities in Providence have released footage of the man they say is the suspect, but he has not been identified, and they’re asking for the public’s help in locating him.
Kim attended the Wheeler STEM Magnet school and graduated in May. As a junior, he took part in a student walkout at Wheeler following a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.
Tur asked Kim if he would be reluctant to return to campus if the shooter was still at-large after the holidays: “Absolutely.”
He said a few days before the shooting there was a false alarm that he said students took seriously.
“The fact that we don’t have anybody in custody has brought a lot of fear into Brown students,” Kim said.
Kim said that he thought Umurzokov was from the Atlanta area because he mentioned to him specific MARTA stations, and that he helped him deal with some homesickness by talking about the Georgia Bulldogs.
“I still can’t believe he’s not going to be with us in January when we come back,” Kim said of Umurzokov.
Kim said in the MS NOW interview that he also had an interaction with Cook in August regarding joining a political e-mail list (she was involved with the Brown College Republican group), although he didn’t know her name at the time.
Kim, who supported Democrat Laura Judge in a Cobb Board of Education election in 2024 in Post 5 in East Cobb, also was a youth advisor for U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, a Georgia Republican, in 2023.
During the Wheeler walkout in September 2024, Kim spoke to the assembled students, saying that “in major moments of national social change, students coming together and speaking about their challenges pushed the needle. Could you imagine how behind Civil Rights would be without the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference? What about the Vietnam War? The movements were fought on college campuses, not the halls of Congress, not the Oval Office.”
On a social media posting, Judge—who’s involved with the gun-control group Moms Demand Action—said Wednesday morning that she had kept in touch with Kim as he started college, and that the tragedy at Brown “just galvanizes me to continue to enact change.
“It feels weird to say that I’m proud of the interview Edward gave, but I also know these stories must be told, so that the memories of Mukhammad Aziz and Ella live on.
“As always, hug your loved ones and continue to fight on. We do not have to live like this.”
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The East Cobb County Council of PTA has announced its school-level winners in the 2025-26 school year Reflections program.
The program encourages creative responses to a set theme, through the visual arts, literature, music composition, dance choreography, photography and film production.
This year’s theme was “I Belong!” and included 428 entries from students at 27 schools in East Cobb.
“This is an incredibly powerful, creative, and empathetic generation which brings us great hope for our future. All entries were thoroughly reviewed by professionals who donated their time and the feedback we heard from them was phenomenal!” the ECCC PTA said in a social media posting.
There will be an awards reception for all recipients on Jan. 26, 2026. The following were the winning individuals, as selected by an ECCC panel of judges. The students listed here will advance to the Georgia PTA competition:
Lassiter HS: Tia Douglas; Alex Hood; Riley Hood; Anna Hoover; Sangyethia Joseph; Hanae Miyazawa; Peter Seguin; Zoya Syed; Kaimi Trevison; Chris Wiggins
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The Cobb Board of Education will be asked to approve contracts on Thursday for renovation projects at two schools in East Cobb.
According to agenda items, the projects include replacing the annex at Tritt Elementary School at a cost of $7.9 million and making renovations at Daniell Middle School for $1.64 million
They’re among a number of construction projects on Thursday’s meeting agendas.
The board will hold a work session Thursday at 1 p.m., followed by a voting session Thursday at 7 p.m.
All meetings take place in the board room of the Cobb County School District Central Office, at 514 Glover St. in Marietta. An executive session will follow the work session.
The public meetings will be streamed live and you can watch on Comcast Cable or on a livestream on the district’s Boxcast Channel.
The Tritt project includes demolishing the current 12-classroom annex building and replacing it with an eight-classroom structure. Other work would include a new secure entrance vestibule, roof replacements, mechanical, electrical and fire protection upgrades, restroom renovations and additional parking and a paved fire lane, according to the agenda item.
The recommended bidder is R.K. Redding Construction, Inc. of Bremen and the estimated completion time is July 2027.
The Daniell project includes restroom renovations, roof replacement (annex building only), select door and door hardware replacement, electrical subpanel upgrade, and carpet replacement.
The recommended bidder is FS360, LLC of Atlanta and the project is expected to be completd in July 2026.
Funding for both projects would come from the Cobb Education VI SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).
The board also will be asked to approve a measure for the CCSD to take out $100 million in construction notes to begin 2026 projects. It’s a short-term loan that’s paid back at the end of the year.
School district officials also will present to the board a number of proposed changes to administrative rules, including a policy to formalize a ban on K-8 student use of personal devices during school hours.
The policy must be in place by January to comply with a new state law, the Distraction-Free Education Act. This summer the district said it would not be providing secure pouches for students to store their devices during the school day, as is done at Marietta City Schools.
The rule change to be presented to the board Thursday states that:
“Students in grades K-8 are not permitted to access personal electronic devices while on school grounds during school hours, including but not limited to cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, e-readers, headphones, earbuds, and other devices with functionalities, such as wireless communication, internet access, messaging, video recording, gaming, social media access, or data transmission during school hours. Any student found in violation of this policy and/or district rules/procedures during the school day shall be subject to progressive 9 discipline consequences as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.”
The proposal further states that:
“A student whose Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Section 504 Plan, or medical plan explicitly mandates the use of a personal electronic device shall be permitted access to the device as necessary to fulfill the requirements of the respective plan. Parents wishing to reach their child during school hours should contact their child’s school directly.”
Prior to the board’s Thursday night meeting recognitions will include the Walton High School girls volleyball team, which recently won the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state championship.
Heather Mullins, a teacher at Mt. Bethel Elementary School, also will be recognized for earning the 2025-2026 Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics Excellence in Teaching Award.
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Jorden Edmonds (left) and Kaelan Jones starred for Sprayberry as defensive backs, and will be headed to big-time college programs. CCSD photo.
High school athletes from East Cobb and around the country officially made their college choices on Wednesday on what’s known as National Signing Day.
That’s when they officially signed letters-of-intent to receive scholarship aid to the college or university of their choice.
Some athletes will be receiving full-ride scholarships—all expenses paid—and others partial scholarships. That depends on the sport and the number of scholarships available.
In football, most scholarships are full-ride. For two football players at Sprayberry, they will be heading to two of the top college programs in the country.
The Yellow Jackets had another outstanding season finishing 9-2, and reaching the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class 5A playoffs.
Defensive back Jorden Edmonds committed to the University of Alabama, and made it official in a signing ceremony Wednesday at Sprayberry.
Kealan Jones, another Sprayberry defensive back, had committed to the University of Georgia, but at the last minute decided to sign a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech.
“This is a summation of 18 years of really hard work for these young men,” said Dr. Pete Fominaya, Sprayberry’s head football coach, in a release issued by the Cobb County School District.
“Not only do you have to be great on the field, but you have to be great in the classroom and be a great leader to have an opportunity to sign in December. This is a really special group of young men. They’re high-character kids. They do the right thing, and I am proud to have been able to coach them.”
Five other Yellow Jackets signed their letters on Wednesday as well:
Lineman Taylen Swinney (Georgia Military College)
Defensive end Gabe Clarke (University of West Georgia)
Defensive back Noah Voltaire (Austin Peay University),
Offensive lineman Cash Barowsky (Berry College)
Quarterback Jaden Duckett (The Citadel)
The Kell football team was eliminated in the GHSA Class 5A semifinals on Friday at Creekside of Fairburn, the last Cobb football team standing. But before that on Wednesday, eight Longhorns signed their college letters:
Tight end Nathan Agyemang (Georgia Tech)
Defensive back Jowell Combay (Tennessee)
Linebacker Michael Domanik (Charlotte)
Defensive back Tony Forney (Pittsburgh)
Quarterback Kaleb Narcisse (East Tennessee State)
Linebacker Brayden Rouse (Tennessee)
Athlete Bryce Shelton (William & Mary)
Defensive back Jalen Williams (Arizona State)
The Cobb school district compiled the following college signees from other high schools:
Pope High School
Baseball: Drew Abney (Jacksonville State), Nick Bobrowski (Georgia Southern), Kayden Campbell (Ohio State), Ben Hill (LaGrange)
Lacrosse: Ashley Anne Braun (Delaware), Colby Brennan (Mars Hill), Lauren Ebersole (Pittsburgh), Cooper Heintzelman (Lincoln Memorial), Talia Olshansky (St. Bonaventure), Daniel Wahn (New Jersey Institute of Technology)
Swimming: Addison Clark (Florida Atlantic)
Volleyball: Jahan Lalli (Rhode Island)
Fencing: Joshua Riggins (Ohio State)
Softball: Emma Santamaria (Georgia State College and University)
Walton High School
Football: tight end Jude Cascone (Alabama) and linebacker Noah LaVallee (Florida State)
Wheeler High School
Football: Defensive back Brock Adams (Austin Peay), defensive back Landon Harper (Point University)
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At Hightower Trail Middle School, one family is finding an extra reason to be thankful this holiday season.
Three generations of the same family have found common ground through a shared experience— they’ve all taught and worked at Hightower Trail.
It started with Shari Tarter, a history teacher at Hightower Trail for 12 years until she retired in 2005. Although not currently a staff member, she is still well-known around the school. Her daughter, Amy Pease, is currently the Media Specialist at the school and has served there for more than 25 years.
The mother-daughter duo of Tarter and Pease worked together for six years.
Amy’s daughter, Mackenzie Pease, has continued the family tradition this year by starting to teach sixth-grade history at Hightower Trail. It’s the same subject her grandmother taught more than 20 years ago, as she now works alongside her mom every day.
“My mom is my best friend and role model, so it was a no-brainer that I would want to work alongside her. Having her here with me is so special, and it has made this school feel like a home…again,” said Mackenzie Pease.
“I think I am the most fortunate of the three of us in the fact that I had the opportunity to work with both my mom and my daughter at some point here at the Trail. I was raised by one of my favorite social studies teachers, and I think it is so cool that I raised my other favorite,” said Amy Pease.
As we approach the holidays, many will have the opportunity to take extra time away from work to spend with family.
For this family, the setting may be different, but they’ll continue to do what they’ve done for more than 25 years—spend time together.
The sense of community, quality of life, and principles that Cobb Schools stands for have been a big part of why this family has continued to stay loyal to Hightower Trail and Cobb.
“When we moved to Georgia, we chose Cobb because of the schools. I went back to teaching when our kids were in high school because of the quality of their education. Working alongside them has been such a blessing,” said Tarter.
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Powers Ferry ES students take part in a Turkey Bingo game to celebrate Thanksgiving. CCSD photo.
Submitted information and photo:
As Cobb Schools headed into Thanksgiving break, schools across the District embraced the holiday with unique celebrations that brought together students, staff, and families.
Dozens of schools, including Pine Mountain Middle, Addison Elementary, and King Springs Elementary, hosted Thanksgiving lunches featuring meals prepared by the Cobb Schools Food and Nutrition Services team. Families filled cafeterias to share special moments together.
“It brings in the community, our hearts are all in the same place, and we’re all thankful,” said Cobb Schools Board Chair David Chastain, who joined families at Addison Elementary.
Other schools celebrated in their own distinctive ways. Powers Ferry and Nickajack Elementary Schools hosted lively Turkey Bingo events, drawing family’s eager for a chance to take home turkeys, pies, gift cards, and more.
At Smitha Middle School, students helped assemble food baskets to ensure families in need had the supplies to prepare a Thanksgiving meal at home this holiday season.
These celebrations serve as reminders of the gratitude felt throughout the district. “When I walk down the halls, I feel empowered every minute I’m there,” said Pine Mountain Principal Dr. David Nelson. “Seeing how excited the kids are about something happening or something they’re learning is truly a blessing.”
As students depart for the break, Cobb Schools leadership expressed appreciation for the educators who make these moments possible. “We have so much to be thankful for at the district level and the board level, but it all boils down to being thankful for our teachers for creating an environment where students can learn, thrive, grow, and succeed,” said Chastain.
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This Giving Tuesday, Dec. 2, the Garrison Mill Education Foundation (GMEF) calls on parents, neighbors and local businesses to rally behind a bold vision: enriching every student’s experience through STEAM, an integrated way to experience the world through science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
As a parent-led nonprofit, GMEF is dedicated to creating joyful, hands-on STEAM opportunities that spark curiosity and confidence in Greyhound students. From robots in the school lab to new instruments in music class, every donation helps shape youthful imaginations that are more vibrant, inquisitive and future-ready.
“Giving Tuesday is about radical generosity,” said parent Amy Starr, co-president of the Garrison Mill Education Foundation. “At Garrison Mill, that means empowering our kids with the tools, experiences, and mentorship they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. When our kids are exposed to STEAM, you can wonder what new devices will they imagine and build? What new treatments will they create? What virtuoso performances will pour from their soul? What new ideas will they give a delighted world?”
This year’s Giving Tuesday campaign #GiveGMEF aims to raise $5,000 to support items like:
Robotics and STEM lab equipment
Teacher training and science salary supplements
After-school enrichment clubs (Foundation After School Enrichment Time, or FEAST)
Signature community events like Publix Math Night and Fine Arts Night
Support for the school garden, nature trail and Science Olympiad team
Grade-level field trips that connect STEAM learning to the real world
Microgrants for art and music programs
Every contribution matters to help GMEF deliver high-impact programs that make STEAM come alive for every learner. Donors are encouraged to check with their employers about “matching gift programs,” which can double or even triple the impact of their generosity.
“We support our kids throughout the year. That’s why we fundraise multiple times, including Giving Tuesday,” said parent Christine Killinger, GMEF’s other co-president. “We can reach maximum impact when more people join the movement, fuel the future and give to GMEF.”
To donate or learn more, visit GMEF’s Giving Tuesday page at GMEFoundation.org.
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Graduation honors years of dedication and achievement, celebrating our students’ successes and bright futures ahead. The Cobb County School District is pleased to announce the 2026 commencement schedule so students and their families can celebrate the milestone together.
Commencement ceremonies for Cobb’s Class of 2026 begin Monday, May 18 and continue through the evening of Sunday, May 24.
All district-hosted ceremonies will take place at the KSU Convocation Center.
Pope High School will take the stage for the first commencement ceremony on May 18. The commencement ceremonies will wrap up on May 24 with Walton and Sprayberry High Schools.
Additional information about each school’s ceremony, venue information including directions and parking information, access to live streaming broadcasts of the ceremonies, and video recordings ordering information will be available on the district’s commencement page.
Here’s the schedule for the six high schools in East Cobb, all at KSU’s Convocation Center:
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After a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured this past summer crossing Jamerson Road near Davis Elementary School, a new crosswalk has been installed in that area.
Cobb government and transportation officials were on hand earlier this week as students and their parents traversed Jamerson in a newly constructed crosswalk, along with flashing lights and warning signs for pedestrians and motorists alike.
Cobb commissioners approved spending $146,000 in SPLOST revenues for the safety enhancements, and Commissioner JoAnn Birrell was among those on hand for the debut (see Cobb TV video below).
Preston Veal, a student at Mabry Middle School, has undergone a long recovery after being hit by a van while crossing Jamerson Road near the school in late June. He was hospitalized with numerous broken bones and internal injuries, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for his medical expenses.
Veal, a member of the Lassiter Junior Trojan youth football program, was walking home from Davis on June 28 after shooting basketball at the school. Cobb Police said he was crossing from a sidewalk on Jamerson, east of Turtle Rock Drive, when he was hit by a van.
That’s near the only crosswalk across Jamerson serving the school.
Among those walking her child across the crosswalk was mom Courtney Chiang DiStefano, who told East Cobb News last summer that had begun a petition for a solar flashing light alert, along with crosswalk detectors, a chirping alert for pedestrians and for another crosswalk to be built to cover both sides of the school.
She didn’t get everything she initially asked for, but was pleased with the new safety measures this week.
DiStefano previously said she and her family use the crosswalk often to visit grandparents and to go to classes as Davis, but told us “the lack of a protected crosswalk with sufficient signage and protection puts our children and neighbors at significant risk.”
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Dodgen Middle School families were notified Monday that the school was briefly evacuated after what turned out to be a false fire alarm was triggered during the school day.
A message that went out from Principal Dr. Patricia Alford didn’t say when the incident happened, she but said that everyone was safety evacuated as Cobb Fire crews came to the scene to investigate.
“They discovered that a faulty smoke sensor was the cause, and it was replaced on the spot,” she said. “Once the repair was made, the system worked again and kids were brought back inside. We were able to continue our day with some minor adjustments.”
Alford didn’t give a time frame, but in her message thanked first responders.
East Cobb News has left a message with the Cobb County School District seeking more information.
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The chairman of the Cobb Board of Education said Thursday the body has no authority to act on a court settlement involving vice chairman John Cristadoro of East Cobb related to his private business affairs.
Cristadoro and his marketing company last month settled a lawsuit with a former client in Fulton County in which he was alleged to have misused $250,000 meant for the client’s advertising campaign.
The civil lawsuit alleged fraud, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, civil racketeering and gross negligence. There was no admission of guilt in the final consent judgment, but Cristadoro was ordered by a judge to repay all but $25,000 of that amount.
Reading from a prepared statement during a school board work session Thursday, Chastain said that state law prohibits any actions by school boards into members’ behavior outside of their official duties in elected office.
“This board of education does not exceed the authority that it has been given by exploring the personal lives of our board members in the same way we do not involve ourselves in the personal lives of our students, staff and parents,” said Chastain, a Republican from Post 4 in Northeast Cobb.
Becky Sayler
“If we extend our authority into the past and into board members’ personal lives, where does it stop?” he continued.
“Criminal charges filed years before a member ran for the board? Allegations made at divorces, adoption hearings? Comments on Facebook that a member is not fit or was a bad teacher? Defaulting on student loans or filing bankruptcy? Failing to make credit card payments on time?”
Board member Becky Sayler, a Democrat from Post 2 in Smyrna, had asked for a hearing to determine to determine if Cristadoro could have violated the school board’s code of ethics.
But Chastain—who never referenced Cristadoro by name in his statement—said that “I asked for input from my fellow board members. I was reminded the board had no authority on this, or any other personal matter, particularly personal matters occurring before the member was elected to the board.
“I will repeat this again: No board member has the authority to make any decisions. Anyone who suggests otherwise is simply wrong.”
During Chastain’s remarks, the three Democratic members tried to ask for points of order or clarification to see if the statement was being made on behalf of the whole board.
It was only after he had finished that Chastain allowed Democratic member Nichelle Davis of Post 6 in Smyrna to ask a question.
Laura Judge
When she wanted to know if his remarks spoke for all seven board members, some applause broke out. “The statement stands,” Chastain said, and he immediately continued with the work session agenda.
He said the statement would be the board’s only word on the subject. The board’s three other Republican members, including Cristadoro, said nothing.
Chastain’s statement appears to be the first in an open meeting by a Cobb school board member since 2019, when he and the board’s Republican members voted to ban board member comments during public meetings. Two of their then-Democratic colleagues claimed the move was an act of censorship to silence them.
Chastain, who also was board chairman at that time, did not reference the ban in making his remarks Thursday.
On Friday morning, Sayler said on her board member’s Facebook page that her attempt to pursue a possible ethics violation inquiry “did not have the support of enough board members to move forward. You, the community, deserve board members who are informed, thoughtful, and guided by doing what is best for students. I’m sorry that not enough of my fellow board members saw this situation with the same urgency and morals that so many of us did.”
Democrat Laura Judge of East Cobb, who lost to Cristadoro in the 2024 general election, said during a public comment session at the work session Thursday that Cristadoro’s legal issues are “a blemish on this district’s reputation. This was not a minor error or personal dispute. It involved the admitted misuse of $250,000. And yet, some of our long-standing board members and leaders seem willing to look the other way. That should alarm all of us.”
She also objected to Chastain’s handling of the statement “before even discussing it in executive session with fellow board members” but that “it shows exactly how decisions are being made in this district—without all voices at the table.”
John Cristadoro
Judge added that the matter shouldn’t be a partisan issue (Republicans have a 4-3 school board majority). But Chastain, in his remarks, alleged that’s exactly what was happening with Cristadoro, a Republican in his first year on the board.
“During my 11 years on the board there have been numerous requests to consider actions by board members which allegedly affected their elected positions,” Chastain said.
“Virtually of these allegations were made by members who were not part of the majority’s political party. Without exception and regardless of the board member’s political party we have declined. The board of education will continue its unbroken practice and limit itself to actions occurring within a board member’s term of office and his or her elected service.”
In his only comment on the matter, Cristadoro, right after the settlement, accused his critics of creating “fake outrage” over matters that had nothing to with his public service.
“It’s a personal case from a personal business, both of which have nothing to do with serving students, other than being a target by those who are trying to tear down Cobb schools,” he said.
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Coach Jerry Mahon is honored by Pope High School officials and his family as he marked his retirement in 2025. Photo courtesy CCSD.
Pope’s season-ending win in varsity football was the last game for a longtime coach in the Cobb County School District.
Jerry Mahon, an assistant coach for the Greyhounds the last 10 years, is retiring, bringing to a close a 50-year career in coaching and teaching that included tenures at Lassiter and Wheeler.
He’s been Pope’s offensive line coach, and his players excelled as the Greyhounds won 35–14, rushing for 385 yards against Riverwood.
“His countless hours of hard work and commitment have made Pope Football a better program,” Pope head coach Sean O’Sullivan said in a release issued by the Cobb school district.
“It has been a true pleasure having such a veteran coach on staff. We appreciate all his support and the positive impact he’s had on our team and community.”
Mahon said he had wanted to be a coach since he was in eighth grade, and started in Mississippi in 1976. After also coaching in Alabama, he moved to Georgia in 1997, and was an assistant and head coach at Lassiter.
That’s where he coached his son Jerry, Jr., an offensive lineman for the Trojans in the late 90s, and said “he’s one of the best centers I ever coached, so the opportunity to coach my son was a real thrill.”
In 2005, Mahon moved to Wheeler, where he served for 11 seasons before coming to Pope.
“Coach Mahon’s legacy in coaching will be left with the thousands of players and hundreds of coaches who have encountered his professional, faith-based approach to teaching life lessons,” Pope AD Josh Mathews said.
“I have witnessed a coach who cares for the heart of the athlete significantly more than he cared about the result of a game or match.”
Mahon said his motivational and teaching philosophy came from an adapted rhyme believed to be inspired by the fourth-century Christian priest St. Jerome.
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best. The key to all that right there is to never let it rest. You’ve got to keep working. Being average is halfway from the top, but also halfway from the bottom. You’ve got to be willing to put in the work. Hopefully, that is what I have passed on to my players and students.”
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Several months after placing specially-trained dogs in some high schools to bolster safety in schools, the Cobb County School District will be adding some more.
During a Cobb Board of Education session Thursday, the school board approved a special request by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to use up to $2 million in the district’s general fund balance for an additional eight dogs, and costs for their handlers and equipment.
Ragsdale said the funding would enable the district to have a dog and handler at each of the district’s 16 traditional high schools.
The district began the program earlier this yearthrough a state school security grant and $80,000 in district funding to purchase canines to as part of officer-led teams that can identify “person-worn or concealed-carried explosives and firearms.”
Without providing specifics due to security concerns, Ragsdale said that what’s called the Vapor Wake program has been successful thus far, and presence of the dogs and handlers is “so accepted in the schools.”
He did not identify which schools have had the dogs, but said the next phase is for all of the high schools to have them “as soon as possible.”
The dogs are trained to “continuously sample the air for concealed firearms and explosives, tracking potential threats even while in motion. This cutting-edge detection capability provides real-time security monitoring, allowing for a swift response to potential threats,” according to Vapor Wake program literature.
The program includes a partnership with Global K9 Protection Group, a private company based in Opelika, Ala., that provides canine-focused security solutions.
Major universities, sports arenas, theaters and other entities use Vapor Wake.
“It will not be a flip of the switch, and they’ll be here tomorrow,” Ragsdale said Thursday. “But it will get us a lot further down the road than waiting for the budget cycle to come around.”
The vote was 6-1, with Becky Sayler of Post 2 in South Cobb of Smyrna opposed, saying she needed more information since “this is the first I’m hearing of it.”
She made a motion to table a vote, but that motion failed.
Ragsdale said that the cost could come to $2.6 million, with additional funding from SPLOST revenues, for equipment and training. Existing district police personnel will be trained to be handlers, as is being done now.
The district has a general fund balance of $386 million. Ragsdale said the cost of the additional dogs would have to be added permanently each year, unless additional state security grant funding becomes available.
“To have dogs at every high school is a preventative measure,” board member Randy Scamihorn said. “We want to be informed and we want to inform the public. But we want to keep our layered security, where the bad guys don’t know what we’re doing.
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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday will be asked to approve renovations projects at several schools in the East Cobb area.
They include construction contracts at Addison Elementary School and Keheley Elementary School.
The board will hold a work session Thursday at 2 p.m., followed by possible voting action Thursday at 7 p.m.
All meetings take place in the board room of the CCSD Central Office, at 514 Glover St. in Marietta. An executive session will follow the work session.
The projects are funded through the current Cobb Ed-SPLOST VI sales tax. The Addison renovations will cost $1.344 million and will include new flooring throughout most of the facility, painting, restroom upgrades, new classroom windows and a new security entry area.
The work is scheduled to be completed by July 2026.
Similar work is planned at Keheley, with a cost of $2.986 million. The school will be getting roof, window and door replacements, new painting, restroom upgrades and new bus canopy. The project also has an expected completion date of July 2026.
The school board also will be asked to approve demolition of existing buildings at Kincaid and Murdock elementary schools for future projects to be scheduled.
Annex buildings will be torn down at both schools to make way for new additions, but estimated costs and construction timetables were not included in the meeting agenda.
Construction contracts will be brought to the board when those projects are ready to proceed.
The school board also will be asked to approve a contract to spend 3o school buses at a cost of $4.965 billion.
At the work session, the Cobb County School District’s 2026 legislative priorities will be presented, as will a school safety item for potential action that was not specified.
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Several public schools at all grade levels in East Cobb have been recognized as literacy and math leaders by the Georgia Department of Education.
These schools “demonstrated exceptional achievement or growth in reading and mathematics during the 2024-2025 school year,” according to the department, and as reflected in “annual end-of-grade or end-of-course assessments.
“The criteria recognize the crucial importance of grade-level reading in third and sixth grades and numeracy skills in fifth and eighth grades, and require higher growth from schools with lower achievement levels.”
More than 400 schools across Georgia have earned the designation, with 21 in East Cobb. Dickerson Middle School was recognized in both literacy and math categories.
Literacy leaders were given “based on the outlined criteriaat the elementary and middle-school levels, and at the high-school level based on the American Literature EOC, which is the state test for ELA in high school. Literacy Leader qualifications use the Georgia Milestones Reading Status indicator, which is based on the Lexile score associated with students’ performance on a subset of questions on the ELA assessment. GaDOE also recognized Literacy Leader schools for the2022-2023 and2023-2024 school years.”
The math leaders “met the qualifications for recognition as 2024-2025 Math Leaders. Awards were given based on theoutlined criteria at the elementary and middle-school levels, and at the high-school level based on the Algebra: Concepts and Connections EOC, which is the state test for mathematics in high school. Math Leader qualifications are based on students achieving the Proficient Learner level or above on the Georgia Milestones mathematics assessments. GaDOE recognized Math Leader schools for the 2023-2024 school year.”
Here’s our report from August on how students at East Cobb schools fared in the latest Georgia Milestones results.
Literacy leaders:
Blackwell ES (3rd Grade Gateway Growth)
Davis ES (3rd Grade Gateway Achievement, 4th Grade Growth)
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East Cobb Middle School Principal Michael Askew served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Submitted information:
The spirit of service runs deep in the Cobb County School District, where military veterans continue their mission by shaping young minds. From principals and teachers to social workers and custodians, these heroes bring lessons of leadership, perseverance, and purpose from the armed forces into Cobb classrooms every day.
At Rocky Mount Elementary, Social Worker Paul Pursell, a former U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant, says persistence learned in the military guides his work with families. “So much of what I learned in training really translates to what we do here,” he shared.
East Cobb Middle School Principal Michael Askew, a U.S. Marine veteran, uses his own story, learning algebra to set tank traps, to show students how classroom lessons can change lives.
At Tritt Elementary, kindergarten teacher Heather Garrett, a former U.S. Army specialist, surprises her students each Veterans Day when they learn she once worked in an Army motor pool. “My kids are always shocked to learn on Veterans Day that I am a veteran of the United States Army,” she said.
Rocky Mount custodian Winston Wilkinson, who served 15 years in the U.S. Navy, and Fair Oaks Elementary Principal Cathie Seibert, a former U.S. Army tank driver, both bring discipline, teamwork, and pride to their roles continuing their commitment to service in new ways.
This Veterans Day, Cobb Schools celebrates all who served and those who continue to serve by educating and inspiring the next generation. Their stories remind us that service doesn’t end with a uniform; it lives on in our schools, hallways, and classrooms.
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Megan Fisher and Maureen McLaughlin are sisters who teach health and physical education at Dickerson Middle School.
Recently they had to rely on their training and their sense of duty to save the life of a student who was in distress in the gym.
The student began to look ill after swallowing from a bottle of water. Fisher noticed he was choking on a plastic bottle cap, and she and Maureen worked to apply the Heimlich maneuver and back blows until the cap came loose.
“It’s one of those moments where you hope your instincts take over,” McLaughlin said in a release by the Cobb County School District. “We’ve trained for emergencies like this, but you never really think you’ll have to do it.”
Fisher added: “It felt longer than it probably was because our adrenaline was pumping. But as soon as I saw what was happening, I knew Maureen was there to help me. It was comforting to have her there.”
Here’s the rest of the story, which explains the sisters’ training with the Dickerson First Responder Team, which has CPR-certified staff and conducts drills throughout the school year to stay sharp.
“Because of their quick actions, they saved a life,” Dickerson principal Bradley Blackman said. “They didn’t panic. They didn’t run away. They jumped right in and did what they were trained to do.”
The sisters also were honored by the Cobb school district in its “Heroes Among Us” award.
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Thanks to Sean Kurkjian, an AP History teacher at Wheeler High School, who passed along to us these photos of his students who took home trophies last week at the first-ever Walton-Wheeler chess tournament.
Wheeler Chess Club members Rajveer Gaikwad and Dwij Bapat took home first place in the tournament, which was held at Walton.
“On October 25, 2025, we teamed up with Wheeler High School’s president and vice president to host our inaugural inter-school chess tournament at Walton High School!
“20 participants battled it out for $105 in prizes ($50 | $30 | $25), showing off incredible strategy and sportsmanship.
“We’re excited to make this a recurring tradition, building stronger collaboration and a thriving chess culture across Cobb County schools.”
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