Cherokee Has "Successful" First Day of School

More than 38,000 students returned to classes this morning in Cherokee County School District schools and centers.

The district on Monday noted preliminary figures indicate 38,778 students attended classes on the first day, a record enrollment for a "well-planned, smooth and successful operations," the system said in a news release. 

The enrollment count is slightly higher than last year's first day of school, which maxed out at 38,222. 

The district believes enrollment will continue to rise throughout the year. 

Along with more than 38,000 students, the district's 4,400 employees, including about 2,300 teachers, also returned back to their normal school-year schedules. 

Cherokee's 350 buses in its fleet began their daily mission to transport about 70 percent of the district's population along 1,500 daily routes. 

Cherokee on Monday officially opened its new E.T. Booth Middle School, a replacement for its 32-year-old facility that was eventually demolished. 

The school building is 223,856 square feet and will house students in grades 6 through 8. Booth is slated to have a projected 1,621 students — 523 sixth-grade, 528 seventh-grade and 570 eighth-grade students — for the school year.

Booth will be complete with 95 instructional units including classrooms that all feature smart boards, computers and additional technology; computer labs; art and music rooms; a media center; gymnasium and a cafetorium.  

The new building will be a welcome addition to the Etowah Innovation Zone as the old facility was designed to hold 600 students, half of the entire student body at the school. 

While the school had a slew of portable classrooms outside the old facility, the school's hallways, restrooms, cafeteria and gym were all too small and created overcrowding conditions and scheduling challenges for school administration. 

The district also christened a new parent entrance at Holly Springs Elementary and new playgrounds at Clayton Elementary and Hickory Flat Elementary schools.

The system remains on schedule for the replacement Teasley Middle School in Canton, which is slated to open for the 2014-15 school year.  

The district's policies related to environmental/temperature concerns are being adhered to and implemented across its schools. Those policies include limiting the time students spend on school buses, allowing students to bring bottled water on school buses; and following guidelines for rescheduling and canceling outdoor athletic/band/extra-curricular activities, when necessary, due to high temperatures. 

“Our successful opening day today is evidence of the consistent dedication by CCSD staff to ensure that all of our students experience a positive school year in a safe environment so they can excel academically beginning on day one,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo said, adding district staff appreciates teachers and administrators doing everything they can to make the first day of school a success. 

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