Dodgen Middle School

The 2018 Cobb schools teacher of the year is from Dodgen Middle School

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Cobb schools teacher of the year, Fred Veeder
Fred Veeder is overcome with emotion as Cobb schools supterintendent Chris Ragsdale announced Friday he’s the district’s teacher of the year for 2018. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

The Cobb schools teacher of the year presentation was disguised as something else for the seventh grade class at Dodgen Middle School Friday morning.

In order to keep a secret, and surprise the recipient, seventh grade teacher Fred Veeder, students were assembled into the auditorium and told they would be hearing from a Pearl Harbor survivor.

The special visit was even noted on the school marquee.

Veeder, who teaches seventh grade math, had been named the district’s middle school teacher of the year a couple weeks ago, and was overwhelmed and touched by the honor.

When the he took the stage Friday morning, his voice broke a little as he thanked his administration, fellow teachers, students and Cobb County School District staff.

“I feel so honored, so blessed,” Veeder said. “I feel like I have two families.”

Cobb Schools teacher of the year, Dodgen Middle School

As in his previous honor, Veeder mentioned his mother, a retired seventh grade math teacher herself (and who also was in attendance Friday) for help instilling the values and the desire to become a teacher.

After years as a gas station owner, Veeder finished his college education and began teaching at Dodgen 15 years ago. He said being named the district’s teacher of the year is an honor for the whole school, not just himself.

“There are so many wonderful teachers at this school that I have taken so many good things from” as a teacher, he said, his voice choking with emotion from time to time.

“It’s a blessing beyond belief. I don’t feel like this is just my award. This is Dodgen’s award, and I’m just a part of the family.”

Cobb schools teacher of the year, Dodgen Middle School

Veeder will next be in the running for the Georgia teacher of the year award. Other high-ranking Cobb schools officials were in attendance, as were East Cobb-area Cobb school board members Scott Sweeney, David Banks and David Chastain and chairman Brad Wheeler.

He was also thanked by Dodgen principal Dr. Loralee Hill, who has said of Veeder that he is ” a legend in our community.”

As the pep rally closed, she told him that “We are so blessed that you are here.”

Cobb schools teacher of the year, Fred Veeder

More East Cobb school news

 

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Davis ES, Dodgen MS named National PTA Schools of Excellence

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Press release from the Cobb County School District:Davis Elementary School

The National PTA organization recently named three Cobb schools as Schools of Excellence for 2018-2020: Davis Elementary School, King Springs Elementary School, and Dodgen Middle School.

The three Cobb schools were among only 278 schools nationwide to achieve the recognition for helping to empower parents to support student success. Cobb’s PTA Schools of Excellence accounted for almost 18 percent of the Georgia schools on the list.

According Davis Elementary PTA Co-President, Melissa Monroe, the award is a direct reflection of the hard work done by their community to help make Davis Elementary such a special place.

Dodgen Middle School“This award recognizes the efforts of all our many volunteers and families who work together to help strengthen relationships at our school. Davis PTA hopes to continue building an environment where all families feel welcomed and empowered. The success of our students is our number one priority, and PTA is thrilled to have such a strong relationship with the school,” Monroe said.

The President of the National PTA, Jim Accomando, reinforced Monroe’s thoughts in his own statement, “Research shows that when families and schools work together, students do better in school and schools improve. Davis Elementary, King Springs Elementary and Dodgen Middle and their PTA and PTSA programs have worked hard to strengthen their family-school partnership and create an environment where all families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success. We are pleased to recognize them as National PTA Schools of Excellence.”

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East Cobb schools pace county results in 2017 CCRPI test scores

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Timber Ridge Elementary School, East Cobb schools, CCRPI
CCRPI scores at Timber Ridge Elementary are up almost 18 points from 2015.

Seven East Cobb schools surpassed the maximum scores in the latest CCRPI test results released Thursday by the Cobb County School District.

The CCRPI—which stands for College and Career Ready Performance Index—is a state accountability measure that gauges overall achievement results and how schools are preparing students for the next level of education.

The CCRPI is formulated on a 100-point scale as follows:

  • Overall achievement comprising 50 percent (based on Georgia Milestones Assessment System);
  • Student progress totaling 40 percent (Milestones results from year to year);
  • The remaining 10 percent related to closing the achievement gap (between the 25 percent lowest-performing students in a school or district compared to all Georgia students).

Students at all three K-12 levels are tested, and the full state CCRPI results are available at the Georgia Department of Education website.

At the elementary school level, Timber Ridge (100.5), Murdock and Sope Creek (100.3 each) led all of Cobb, earning what’s referred to as “challenge” points in such categories as improved results among subgroups of students and innovative measures at a school, the so-called Exceeding the Bar (ETB) score.

Three Cobb middle schools, all in East Cobb, also exceeded the 100 mark: Dickerson (103), Dodgen (101) and Hightower Trail (101.5).

At the high school level, Walton’s score of 101.1 led the county as well. The high school achievement score includes graduation rates.

Cobb’s overall CCRPI score of 82.9 was higher than the statewide average of 75. For the high-scoring schools in East Cobb, those results were among the best in Georgia.

Timber Ridge’s score of 100.5 not only was a gain of 5.8 percent from 2016, but it’s one of the highest in the state (Lake Windward, in north Fulton County, topped out at 104.5). Timber Ridge scored 47.1 on achievement, a perfect 40 in progress, and earned 3.4 challenge points.

In a statement, Jeffrey Castle, the Timber Ridge principal, attributed his school’s results to “a supportive parent community, engaged students and motivated, highly-capable teachers who have the education of the whole child as their main priority.

“Our focus last year was on progress, with implementation of computer-based reading intervention programs, and on intentional delivery of rigorous instruction and congruency among curriculum, assessments and instruction.”

All but two of the 21 East Cobb elementary schools had higher scores than 2016, but the drops by Kincaid and Sedalia Park were slight.

The biggest jump was at Powers Ferry, with a score of 72.3 representing a 14.5 percent increase from a year ago, the fourth largest boost among Cobb elementary schools.

Although the achievement score at Powers Ferry was 26 and its progress was at 37, the school reported a score of 8.3 (out of 10) in closing the achievement gap.

In a release, Cobb schools said that measuring year-to-year progress in 2017 is not exact because of some minor changes to how the CCRPI is formulated. At all levels, science and social studies were removed as indicators in the progress and achievement gap categories.

Elementary Schools

2017 Score Change from 2016
All of Cobb ES 80.5 +4.8
Addison 93.0 +5.3
Bells Ferry 89.3 +7.5
Blackwell 86.2 +6.8
Brumby 67.8 +7.1
Davis 87.5 +2.4
East Side 96.3 +4.5
Eastvalley 93.5 +5.8
Garrison Mill 96.8 +1.5
Keheley 88.7 +2.6
Kincaid 89.9 -0.9
Mt. Bethel 96.4 +1.4
Mountain View 99.7 +7.8
Murdock 100.3 +6.2
Nicholson 88.5 +11.2
Powers Ferry 72.3 +14.5
Rocky Mount 97.4 +5.0
Sedalia Park 68.9 -0.1
Shallowford Falls 88.0 +1.0
Sope Creek 100.3 +6.1
Timber Ridge 100.5 +5.8
Tritt 96.8 +6.0

Middle Schools

2017 Score Change from 2016
All of Cobb MS 82.0 +2.2
Daniell 77.9 -2.1
Dickerson 103.0 +4.3
Dodgen 101.0 +1.4
East Cobb 79.2 +3.6
Hightower Trail 100.5 +2.9
Mabry 91.3 0.0
McCleskey 82.5 -0.3
Simpson 89.9 +3.2

High Schools

2017 Score Change from 2016
All of Cobb HS 87.3 -0.9
Kell 85.8 -6.4
Lassiter 99.9 0.7
Pope 92.9 -6.5
Sprayberry 86.7 -2.0
Walton 101.2 -1.2
Wheeler 90.3 +1.7

 

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Dodgen and Dickerson recognized for National Blue Ribbon school status

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Dodgen and Dickerson

In late September both Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.

Last week the Cobb Board of Education formally recognized the administrators and teachers at both schools.

Dickerson and Dodgen were among 342 schools nationwide earning the Blue Ribbon designation, and they’re among 17 East Cobb schools so named since the award began in the early 1980s.

In both group photos the school board members and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale are in the back row. The Dickerson staff, in the photo above: Dr. Carole Brink, principal; Sandra Alford, assistant principal; and teachers Rebecca Johson, Tara Thieme, Jackie Roche, Jennifer Attard, Maureen McLaughlin, Megan Lankes, Natalie Cornwell and Drew Starnes.

In the photo below, the Dodgen staff in the front row: Dr. Loralee Hill, principal; Gary Jackson, assistant principal; Sheri Dennard, Teacher of the Year, 8th grade lead and math teacher; Marlo Sharp, French teacher; Tonia Martin-Gatlin, counselor; and Tricia Eoff, counseling office clerk.

Dodgen and Dickerson

Dickerson also was recognized by the school board for recently being named recipient of an Award of Excellence in Physical Education by the Georgia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

Those recognized by the school board included Dickerson physical education teachers Maureen McLaughlin, Megan Lankes, Natalie Cornwell, Duane Perozzi and Drew Starnes. 

Cobb school calendar adoption for 2018-20 years expected tonight

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A reminder that the Cobb school calendar for the 2018-20 academic years are slated for adoption tonight.Cobb School Calendars

It’s the last item on the Cobb Board of Education’s regular meeting agenda. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District Central Office, 514 Glover Street, Marietta. (here’s a link to the full agenda).

Earlier this month, the board discussed Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s proposed calendars for the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 years, which would both start on Aug. 1 (previous East Cobb News post here).

While there hasn’t been the contentious reaction from school parents or on the board as in previous news, East Cobb school board member Scott Sweeney noted at the work session that he gets a lot of feedback from parents who want a later starting date.

Both proposed calendars have generally the same scheduled breaks—late September in the fall, mid-February in the winter and early April in the spring—as well as the usual Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday breaks.

For the 2018-19 proposed calendar, the last day of school would be May 22, and for 2018-19, the final day would be May 20 (The full calendar proposals are attached at the bottom of this post).

Also tonight, the school board will formally recognize both Dickerson Middle School and Dodgen Middle School, which were recently named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education (previous East Cobb News post here).

The board also will honor Dickerson, which was recently given an Award of Excellence in Physical Education by the Georgia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

Proposed 2018-19 Cobb school calendar

CCSD 2018-19 Calendar Proposal

Proposed 2019-2020 Cobb school calendar

CCSD 2019-20 Calendar Proposal

Dogden and Dickerson named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2017

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The latest East Cobb recipients of the National Blue Ribbon Schools designation by the U.S. Department of Education are Dodgen and Dickerson middle schools.

The two feeder schools into Walton High School are among 342 schools nationwide and the only two schools in the Cobb County School District to be honored for 2017.Dodgen and Dickerson, National Blue Ribbon Schools

For Dickerson, it’s the second time it’s been named a Blue Ribbon School, which has been given out since 1982. Dodgen’s addition makes it 17 different East Cobb schools that have been so honored (see the list at the bottom of this post).

So what, exactly, is a Blue Ribbon School, and what does a school have to do be named? Like the other winners this year and in the past, Dodgen and Dickerson are “exemplary high performing schools,” as measured by overall academic performance, including test scores, closing achievement gaps in school subgroups and other factors.

The Blue Ribbon Schools summary sheet for Dodgen also details a high participation rate in music programs and the school’s 2016 designation as being the best in Georgia in the Scholastic Summer Reading Program.

Here’s Dodgen principal Dr. Loralee Hill, in comments provided by the CCSD:

“This recognition is the result of our vision to allow students to grow academically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially through service and leadership. Our teachers and staff are committed to providing our students with rigorous and challenging opportunities that will allow them to gain the knowledge and skills to be successful in their next phase of life. This honor truly belongs to everyone associated with Dodgen Middle School.”

At Dickerson, a school-wide Lead by Example program transcends academics to include social and emotional interactions and relationships between students, teachers and staff. Here’s principal Carol Brink’s reaction:

“The Blue Ribbon Award is truly an honor and a shared celebration both in our district and our school community. However, I must say that at the heart of this celebration is truly the focus and commitment of our students and teachers who lead by example by putting forth their very best every day!”

Both of the above links contain more information about Dodgen and Dickerson, including their application statements for the Blue Ribbon Schools designation, including demographics, special programs and more.

Here’s a longer roster of all the Blue Ribbon School winners from East Cobb:

  • 2016: Mt. Bethel Elementary School;
  • 2013: Tritt Elementary School;
  • 2011: Timber Ridge Elementary School;
  • 2009: Hightower Trail Middle School;
  • 2008: Mabry Middle School;
  • 2007: Walton High School;
  • 2003: Dickerson Middle School;
  • 2001: Shallowford Falls Elementary School;
  • 2000: Lassiter High School;
  • 1996: Sprayberry High School;
  • 1994: Eastvalley Elementary School;
  • 1992: McCleskey Middle School;
  • 1990: East Cobb Middle School;
  • 1988: Murdock Elementary School; Sope Creek Elementary School;
  • 1986: Mt. Bethel Elementary School;
  • 1984: Walton High School.