January 2022 News

The following administrative appointments were announced on January 21, 2022.

Norman Smith Elementary Principal

Amy Williams has been selected as the principal of Norman Smith Elementary School, replacing Emily Clark who will serve as principal of Glenellen Elementary School.

Williams has served as the assistant principal at Pisgah Elementary School since 2013. Previously, she served for five years as an academic coach at Kenwood Elementary. She began her career in CMCSS in 1998 as a third-grade teacher and also taught Title I Reading. She earned the Distinguished Classroom Teacher distinction in 2006 and 2011 and was named the local Reader’s Choice Favorite Principal in 2016.

She earned her administration endorsement from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, M.A. in Education from Cumberland University, and B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Austin Peay State University.

Kirkwood Middle School Assistant Principals

Laura Boss, Kirkwood Middle School Principal, has selected two assistant principals to serve with her beginning July 2022:

Donna Myers has served as an assistant principal at Northeast Middle School since 2013. Previously, she served for 17 years as a special populations teacher at Kenwood Middle School. Over her 26 years in public education, Myers has served in numerous school and district-level leadership roles.

Myers earned her M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction and administration endorsement from Cumberland University and B.S. in Education from Austin Peay State University.

Scott Wainwright has served as the principal of New Providence Middle School since 2016. Previously, he served as an assistant principal at the school for 12 years and as a history teacher at Richview Middle School for six years. Before entering public education, Wainwright served as an Instructor Pilot in the U.S. Army for 11 years.

Wainwright earned both his M.A.Ed. in Administration and Supervision and his B.S. in History and Geography from Austin Peay State University.

Northeast High School Assistant Principal

Dr. Sheena Hanserd has been selected to serve as an assistant principal at Northeast High School, replacing Dr. Carolyn Kennedy who was selected as a Special Populations Coordinator for the District.

Dr. Hanserd has been with CMCSS since 2019, serving as the Student Access Coordinator, Adult High School Principal, and District 504 Coordinator. Before CMCSS, she had 15 years of experience in various roles in education in Memphis, Nashville, and Franklin, TN, including Special Education Teacher, Exceptional Education Consultant, Director of Special Populations, Educator Engagement Organizer, and Family and School Support Specialist. Additionally, she has served as an adjunct professor in special education at the University of Memphis.

Dr. Hanserd earned her Ed.D. in Leadership and Professional Practice and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and her M.Ed. in Special Education and B.S. in Psychology from Tennessee State University. She also earned Diversity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University.

The following administrative appointments were announced on January 10, 2022.

Employee Relations Specialist

Patti Koloski has been selected as the CMCSS Employee Relations Specialist. This ESSER-funded position will assist the Chief Human Resources Officer in conducting investigations, resolving human relations problems, promoting employee morale and well-being, collecting and analyzing employee retention and recruitment data, and overall focusing on improving retention and employee satisfaction.

Koloski has served as the principal at Glenellen Elementary School since 2015. Previously, she served as an assistant principal at the school for five years. She has 30 years of experience in education, working in public, private, and military school communities. Under her leadership, Glenellen was named a Reward School four times for performing in the top 5% of schools in the state.

She earned her M.A. in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University and B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. She received her Administrative Endorsement from Trevecca Nazarene University.

Glenellen Elementary Principal

Emily Clark has been selected as the principal of Glenellen Elementary School, replacing Patti Koloski who will serve as the District’s Employee Relations Specialist.

Clark has served as the principal of Norman Smith Elementary since 2017. Previously, she was the school’s assistant principal for three years. She began her career in CMCSS in 2009 as a teacher and has taught 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades at Sango, Rossview, and Barkers Mill elementary schools.

She earned her M.A. in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and B.A. in Elementary Education.

West Creek Middle Assistant Principal

Patrice Collins has been selected as an assistant principal at West Creek Middle School.

Collins is currently a teacher at Northeast High School and has taught courses in ACT Prep and Criminal Justice. Previous education experience includes serving as a fourth-grade teacher, college counselor, collaborative teacher, and substitute teacher. Before entering public education, she had roles as a Project Coordinator and Program Director for civic organizations and was a Staff Attorney for Circuit Courts in Kentucky. She served in the U.S. Army for three years active duty and six years reserve.

She earned her M.A.T. in Elementary Education from Trevecca Nazarene University, J.D. from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and B.S. in Organizational Management and Human Resources from Colorado Christian University. She received her School Administration Certification from Western Kentucky University.

Special Populations Coordinator

Dr. Carolyn Kennedy has been selected as a Special Populations Coordinator for the District.

Dr. Kennedy has served as an assistant principal at Northeast High School since 2016. She began her career with CMCSS in 2014 as a Special Education Teacher. Previously, she had 20 years of experience as a principal, assistant principal, and special education teacher in Tennessee and Texas. Additionally, she has served as an adjunct professor of undergraduate and graduate courses on Special Education for over eight years.

She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University, M.A. in Education from Tusculum College, and B.S. in Management from Park University.

Extended Behavior Support (EBS) Coordinator

Jennifer Ortiz has been selected as the Coordinator of the EBS Program located on the campus of Barkers Mill Elementary.

Ortiz has served as the Student Support Coordinator at Minglewood Elementary School since 2018. Previously, she taught special education for four years at Byrns Darden and Hazelwood elementary schools in CMCSS and one year for the New York City Department of Education. Additionally, she has experience leading school-wide efforts in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), trauma-informed schools, sensory rooms, and other areas.

She earned her M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee State University, M.S. in General and Special Education from Hunter College, and B.A. in English from Stony Brook State University.

CMCSS student report cards for the second nine weeks of the 2021-22 school year will be available on Wednesday, January 12. Parents/guardians will access report cards online using the CMCSS Parent Self-Service webpage at parents.cmcss.net.

If parents/guardians have issues accessing their child’s report card using CMCSS Parent Self-Service, they can contact their child’s enrolled school.

The report card available through Parent Self-Service is considered the official report card with comments for the grading period.

Parents/guardians can check their student’s academic progress on PowerSchool at any time. PowerSchool is the official grade book and attendance tracker for CMCSS. While some digital learning platforms have a grade book, please note that official grades will only be recorded in PowerSchool.

CREATING A POWERSCHOOL ACCOUNT

If you need to create a PowerSchool account, visit powerschool.cmcss.net, click the Create Account tab, and complete the form.

Families will need an Access Code for each child. Access codes can be obtained through the parents.cmcss.net portal by clicking on “Get Student Security Info” and following the steps listed in the video below.

PowerSchool Access Codes: https://ior.ad/7PBU

If you are using the PowerSchool app, the CMCSS’ District Code is P Z Q N.

UNDERSTANDING POWERSCHOOL AND REPORT CARD ABBREVIATIONS

Families may see several abbreviations in PowerSchool, including:

• N(#) ex. N1, N2, etc. This is the student’s current grade in the nine weeks.
• S(#) ex. S1, S2, etc. This is the student’s semester grade, which includes the nine weeks combined. For high school students, this grade will reflect the semester credits earned for that period. This grade will also include mid-term exams when applicable.
• Y(#) ex. Y1. This refers to the student’s cumulative grade for the year.
• OT On-Track. Students in grades K – 5 may see this designation on their report cards.
• AE Approaching Expectations. Students in grades K – 5 may see this designation on their report cards.
• BE Below Expectations. Students in grades K – 5 may see this designation on their report cards.

Watch this video to understand the PowerSchool dashboard:
K-2 Standards-Based Iorad: https://ior.ad/7MKm
3-12 Traditional Grading Iorad: https://ior.ad/7O3p

Note: Students in grades 3 – 5 may be assigned a letter grade and have letter grades available through PowerSchool. Report cards may also display the OT, AE, or BE information under College and Career Readiness.

Local first responder agencies are partnering with CMCSS to implement the national Handle with Care program in Clarksville-Montgomery County. Handle with Care is a program in which first responders work together with schools to provide proactive support for potentially trauma-affected students within the community.

First responders will identify children at a scene who have been potentially exposed to trauma. The child’s pertinent information, including name, birthday, school, and grade, will be sent by first responders in a confidential notice to the child’s school before the next school day. There is no information being given regarding the incident. School officials will receive the child’s identifying information and the three words “handle with care.” CMCSS will not be sharing any information with any person or entity as a partner in Handle with Care. Click here to watch a brief overview video.

The Clarksville City Council and Montgomery County Commission have approved the interlocal agreement. Training will take place in January 2022, and the program will be implemented next semester.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. Rezoning is taken very seriously, and the district makes every effort to ensure stakeholders are involved in the process. In May 2020, CMCSS began communicating the need for rezoning to families with the construction of the Kirkwood complex.

The population of Montgomery County has increased 27.7% in the last 10 years. Projections indicate the population could see a 40% growth rate in the next 20 years. The effect of this tremendous change can be seen in our local schools.

Growth in CMCSS

• CMCSS has a 30-year average growth of 677 new students every year.
• Current enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is 37,769 students.
• Oakland, Rossview, and West Creek Elementary schools have recently undergone expansion projects to address capacity. See the current capacity of each school here (pdf).
• School capacity has an impact on the flexibility of programming and extracurricular activities.
• Maintaining a capacity of approximately 85% is the goal of CMCSS.
• The goal of CMCSS is to not rely on portables as a permanent solution.

At the Jan. 4, 2022, School Board Study Session, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard on first reading the recommendation that changes be made to the middle and high school zone lines for the 2022-2023 school year.

In 2021, the district initiated the process of working with a third-party consulting firm, RSP and Associates, with expertise in school system rezoning. In collaboration with the consulting firm and community stakeholders, the CMCSS Zoning Project Team has studied and evaluated existing school zones and building capacities to identify opportunities to better serve students, per the district’s Zoning Procedure (OPS-P017). The following criteria guide the team’s work:

• Rezone as few students as possible
• The proximity of students to existing schools
• Transport students the least distance possible
• Equitable distribution of resources according to the learning needs of all students
• Enrollment capacity of existing schools
• Consideration of free and reduced lunch status (socioeconomic)
• Allow for future growth where possible (based upon Regional Planning Commission lot and permit data)

Taking these guidelines into consideration, the Zoning Project Team made the following recommendation to the School Board. (Click here to see the presentation)

CMCSS and RSP & Associates will host three public forums to gain feedback from the community regarding the rezoning recommendations. The community is invited to attend the following forums:

• Monday, January 17, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
• Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
• Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 5:30 pm (In-Person Meeting – Rossview High School)

A final zoning recommendation will be presented to the School Board on Feb. 8 for voting. District rezoning information can be found at cmcss.net/zoning.