Candler County School District

The FY2026 budget will be considered for final approval by the Board on June 19, 2025 at 5:00 p.m., Candler County Board of Education meeting room. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. §20-2-167.1, two additional meetings will be held to provide an opportunity for public input on the proposed annual operating budget on May 29, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. and June 13, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. in the Candler County Board of Education meeting room. The Proposed Budget can be seen here: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3845/CCSD/5659422/BUDGETADVERTISEDFY26-To_Paper1.xls__-__Compatibility_Mode.pdf

The Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 17 at 9 am. Ticketed event. However, you can see the graduation live online here: https://www.youtube.com/live/fPXtPfe9ElA

Oak Tree Entrance is clear and open for drop off and pickup. Have a great day!

The Candler County School Nutrition Department will host its Summer Meals Program from June 2 through July 18 (except for June 30-July 4) at the times and locations on the flyer below for children ages 18 and younger at no cost.

The Oak Tree Road entrance to the school complex will be closed this morning (Monday). Please use the Highway 129 entrance instead.

NOTICE: If you live on a dirt road and it has been impacted by the recent rainfall, on Monday May 12, please meet your bus driver at the nearest paved road at your normal pickup time, if possible. If your road is impassable, please contact your child's school first thing tomorrow morning.

Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Teachers of the Year for each school! MES - Casey Moore MMS - Terrance Green MHS/MCCA - Dr. Vic Fordham Each year, Teachers of the Year are announced at the end of the school year for the upcoming term, giving them the opportunity to compete for Georgia Teacher of the Year in early August. We are incredibly proud of this year’s winners and grateful they’ve chosen to share their wisdom, passion, and expertise with the students of Candler County Schools. Congratulations to each of you—your impact is immeasurable!

On Thursday, May 8, the MHS/MCCA Class of 2025 will hold several important events: 8 am Cap and Gown Photos (group and individual) 9 am Senior Commitment Program (parents invited!) 11 am Senior March (parents invited!) The Senior Commitment Program is a time where each Senior will tell the student body their future plans. The Senior March is where every senior walks the halls of all the schools (PreK-12th) in our district and receives encouragement from all the underclassmen! As always, it's going to be a Great Day to be a Tiger!! #winateverthing #educationisbetterinmetter

Two MHS Students Named "Top 7 Positive Athletes" in their Sport Categories! For the eleventh consecutive year, the Positive Athlete organization is recognizing local athletes from all across the State of GA as high-character kids that have been nominated and confirmed by their schools as the most representative of “How Positive Athletes O.P.E.R.A.T.E.:” Optimistic Puts Team First Encouraging Respectful Admits Imperfections True Heart for Others Embraces Service This year, Positive Athlete is naming their “Top 7” Positive Athletes in 29 different sport categories as the “Most Positive” in their sport categories across the state. Locally, two of Metter High School's athletes were named in the Top 7--Adysan Longgrear in Girls Golf and Carter Gainous in Baseball. Adysan, a junior, and Carter, a senior, have not only excelled athletically but have also made significant contributions to their community and churches. Both are recognized leaders on the field and high achievers in the classroom. Though they humbly acknowledge they’re not perfect, Adysan and Carter strive to be positive ambassadors for their sports and dedicated stewards of their community. Over 6,400 nominations from coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers, and parents were submitted for the Positive Athlete program state-wide, representing over 440 public and private high schools. Local GA businessman Scott Pederson created Positive Athlete in the early 2010’s as a movement for more positivity in youth sports. In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show the above characteristics in order to be nominated. These award winners now have a chance to be named the state-wide winner award in their sport category, which will be announced in early May. The 2025 Georgia Positive Athlete Awards will be held in early June, and will be a night in which all scholarship winners and state-wide award winners are recognized. Positive Athlete, INC. is now a national organization based in Georgia that seeks to promote the benefits of positivity to young athletes around the country through awards, scholarships and special opportunities all around the country. Positive Athlete Georgia has awarded thousands of Positive Athlete awards around the State of GA for the past 11 years, in which over $350,000 in scholarships have been awarded.

Shoutout to Matt King and Mrs. Liz’s class for taking on a special project to beautify and maintain the planters in front of MHS! Their hard work is making our campus look even better—thank you for your care and dedication!

Senior Presley Douglas was awarded the B. G. Bowen Jr. Scholarship at the Metter High School Senior Honors Night last week. The $10,000 Scholarship is presented to an honor graduate of Metter High School majoring in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, Accounting, or Mathematics (STEAM) at one of the following: Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Southern University, or the University of Georgia. Applicants had to submit an essay to the BGB Scholarship Committee that described the character traits the student possesses that helped them overcome personal adversity, their degree of commitment to pursue a college education, and how they anticipate making a contribution to society in their chosen field of study. After submitting the essay and an extensive interview, Douglas was selected as the recipient. Douglas will be attending the University of Georgia in the Fall and will be majoring in Animal Health. This unique three-year fast-track program is designed to prepare students for early admission to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon completion, Douglas intends to pursue his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with the ultimate goal of becoming a large animal veterinarian. Mr. Ellis Strobridge (left), and Mrs. Rhonda Hendrix (Bowen representative) are shown presenting Presley Douglas with his $10,000 Scholarship.

🎉📚 Save the Date! 📚🎉 Metter High School and Metter College & Career Academy are proud to host Future Teacher Signing Day! ✍🍎 🗓 Date: May 8, 2025 🕛 Time: 12:00 PM 📍 Location: MHS Commons Area Join us as we celebrate our incredible Future Educators who are committing to teach and inspire the next generation right here in Georgia! 💛🖤 Let’s show them some love and support as they take this exciting step toward shaping the future through education. 🎓✏️

MHS Students Named "Top 7 Positive Athletes" in their Sport Categories! For the eleventh consecutive year, the Positive Athlete organization is recognizing local athletes from all across the State of GA as high-character kids that have been nominated and confirmed by their schools as the most representative of “How Positive Athletes O.P.E.R.A.T.E.:” Optimistic Puts Team First Encouraging Respectful Admits Imperfections True Heart for Others Embraces Service This year, Positive Athlete is naming their “Top 7” Positive Athletes in 29 different sport categories as the “Most Positive” in their sport categories across the state. Locally, two of Metter High School's athletes were named in the Top 7--Adasyn Longgrear in Girls Golf and Carter Gainous in Baseball. Adasyn, a junior, and Carter, a senior, have not only excelled athletically but have also made significant contributions to their community and churches. Both are recognized leaders on the field and high achievers in the classroom. Though they humbly acknowledge they’re not perfect, Adasyn and Carter strive to be positive ambassadors for their sports and dedicated stewards of their community. Over 6,400 nominations from coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers, and parents were submitted for the Positive Athlete program state-wide, representing over 440 public and private high schools. Local GA businessman Scott Pederson created Positive Athlete in the early 2010’s as a movement for more positivity in youth sports. In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show the above characteristics in order to be nominated. These award winners now have a chance to be named the state-wide winner award in their sport category, which will be announced in early May. The 2025 Georgia Positive Athlete Awards will be held in early June, and will be a night in which all scholarship winners and state-wide award winners are recognized. Positive Athlete, INC. is now a national organization based in Georgia that seeks to promote the benefits of positivity to young athletes around the country through awards, scholarships and special opportunities all around the country. Positive Athlete Georgia has awarded thousands of Positive Athlete awards around the State of GA for the past 11 years, in which over $350,000 in scholarships have been awarded.

MCCA Students surprised Mr. Doug James with a Retirement Party today in class! Mr. James will be retiring from the classroom at the end of the school year and staff/students at MHS/MCCA will miss him!

Get ready for an epic showdown! Metter High School's Boys Soccer team is taking on Irwin County in Round 2 of the GHSA State Playoffs! Join us on April 30, 2025, at 6 pm in The Jungle as our Tigers face off against the Indians. Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased at https://gofan.co/event/3573112?schoolId=GA23136 Let's pack the stands and cheer on our team to victory!

Help your child learn how to get smarter Studies show that people who believe in the value of hard work can face challenges, learn from them, and get smarter. When your child hits a learning obstacle, say things like, "I know you can do it. What else could you try?" Point out the effects of effort: "If you work on your project every day, you're sure to be proud of the result." Praise persistence, too: "You didn't give up until you figured it out! Your effort is making you smarter." https://tpitip.com/?15dY19702[

In celebration of World Book Day yesterday, local author Kevin Pittman visited Metter Elementary to share a selection of his books with our students. Kevin, who lives in Springfield, Georgia, has recently published several children’s books. He generously donated multiple picture books to our school library for students to enjoy. We’re grateful to Kevin for helping us inspire a love of reading in our students!

The Board of Education was happy to have a few Metter High School students at our Workshop this morning. (left to right) Rusch, Jordan, Colby and Alexandra are here representing Candler Youth Leadership. They also lead the Pledge of Allegiance and the Prayer for the Workshop.

Studying can be a group effort Sometimes, studying in a group can be more effective than studying alone. To help set up a study group before a test, have your child find three or four friends who want to work together. At group meetings, the students can list key facts, then quiz one another. They can also discuss long-answer questions they think might be on the test. Then, each child can provide an answer to one or two at the next meeting. https://tpitip.com/?15dW19702

Congratulations to BOTH the Boys and the Girls Track & Field Teams from Metter High School who are BOTH Region Champions!! More detailed results to come soon!