Irwin County Schools’ CCRPI Scores Continue to Rise

The College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) scores were just released by the Georgia Department of Education. The CCRPI is Georgia’s statewide accountability measurement as required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and provides a comprehensive road map to help educators, parents, and community members to promote and improve college and career readiness for all students.

We are extremely proud of the work taking place in our school system and in the classrooms in Irwin County! Our teachers and staff continue to focus on raising student achievement and creating life-long learners of the youth of Irwin County. The students also continue to work hard and continue to work towards the goal of being College and Career Ready. As we strive to raise the bar in our schools, we also pause to celebrate our successes.

Governor Brian Kemp and state lawmakers Tyler Harper and Clay Pirkle were on hand with Irwin County School District administrators, board members, and students on Thursday, April 18, as Google representatives presented their "Rolling Study Halls" initiative at Irwin County Middle School. Rolling Study Halls provide devices and wireless Internet access to students who ride the bus for 55 to 75 minutes each day, thus helping combat the "homework gap" for students who may not have Internet access at home to complete homework each day.

Irwin County is the first county in Georgia and one of only 16 other counties in the nation to have this initiative.

For more information on Rolling Study Halls, visit https://edu.google.com/giving/rolling-study-halls.

Irwin County participated in the Georgia School Bus Safety Program this week. This program is designed to record and report the annual safety inspections of each school bus operating in Georgia. Each Irwin County bus was thoroughly inspected by the GA Dept of Public Safety. Senator Tyler Harper stopped by during the inspection. Senator Harper's grandmother, Mrs. Shelvy Jean Harper, has been a bus driver for Irwin County School System for many years.

Pictured along with Georgia Public Safety and DOT personnel are Kerry Billingsley, Assistant Superintendent, John Hudson, School Bus Shop Supervisor, Mrs. Shelvy Jean Harper, Senator Tyler Harper, and Jessica Sirmans, Title Programs.

Irwin County High School senior Montana Goodman has been named the school’s 2019 PAGE STAR Student. David Martin, Energy Services Adviser of Irwin EMC in Ocilla, and Cathy Stott, President/CEO of the Ocilla/Irwin Chamber of Commerce, the local STAR program sponsors, announced the honor on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. Goodman selected Terry Spell, English teacher at Irwin County High School, as her STAR Teacher.

Montana, the daughter of Michael and Pam Goodman, earned the recognition for academic achievement and performance on the SAT. Montana has been in the Top 10 every school year and excels academically, being the top in her class. In addition to academics, Montana is a valued member of the ICHS tennis team. Montana chose Mrs. Spell as her STAR Teacher because “she has always been more than just a teacher to me. She pushed me to my limits and showed me that I’m capable of a lot more than I thought I was able to achieve.” Even after Montana stopped being in her classes, Mrs. Spell continued to be a mentor and supporter and Montana knew exactly who she wanted to choose as her STAR Teacher when given the opportunity.