​We have some exciting news to share!
 
The Cheatham County School District has contracted with RevTrak, a national credit card payment processor, to provide our families with the convenience of making online payments for food service and school-related purchases.
 
Currently, parents can load money into their child’s Sykward nutrition account to pay for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
 
Middle school parents at Cheatham, Harpeth and Sycamore can make online payments for the laptop program.
 
At certain schools, online payments can be made for field trips, school fees and yearbooks.
 
Visit cheathamcountyschools.revtrak.net and click on your school to see what’s available.

The Cheatham County School District has named Tracy Wright as its new School Nutrition Supervisor.
 
Wright comes to the district from the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office ofSchool Nutrition.
 
She received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Master of Science in Chemistry with a minor in Biochemistry from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, before eventually becoming an award-winning chemistry instructor and science department head for Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood, South Carolina. 
 
After her career as a researcher and educator in South Carolina, she found her true passion in child nutrition. 
 
Upon moving to Tennessee, Wright served as the Director of the Auxiliary Programs Branch for the TDOE’s Office of School Nutrition and has presented her work at numerous school nutrition workshops and conferences.
 
She was a member of the 8th Alliance of LEAD TN, served on the Tennessee School Nutrition Association Board of Directors from 2016-17, led the Tennessee Healthy Meals Consortium as co-chair, and completed her Level 3 certification in School Nutrition.
 
Wright, who currently resides in Dickson, enjoys spending her personal time gardening, raising chickens and playing with her dog.
 
"I am eager to be joining such a wonderful team of individuals who are passionate about helping the children of Cheatham County establish lifelong healthy eating habits and ensuring that all kids in Cheatham County have access to delicious, nutritious meals,” she said.
 
Wright will begin her new role with the district on Nov. 27.

Oct. 22-28 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week, and the Cheatham County School District is celebrating.

The week is a time for Cheatham County to reflect upon the outstanding job performance of 64 school bus drivers who transport students to and from school and school-related events throughout the year.

“Our bus drivers are the first school representative the students see in the morning and the last they see in the afternoon,” Transportation Director Shanon Pickard said. “We know how much they do for the community, and we appreciate the job they do each day.”

The district has four drivers that have been driving for more 30 or more years: John Marsh (41 years), Jamie Wilson (40 years), Beverly Cobb (33 years) and Rita Edgin (30 years).
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The four were recognized this week by Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck and Transportation Director Shanon Pickard.

There are some students who set the bar. They work harder, show more passion and lead by example — in the classroom, on the field and within the community.

Wendy’s High School Heisman recognizes four Cheatham County students – Madison Tolle and Justin Anderson from Harpeth High School, Cassidy Cox from Cheatham County Central High School and Kyle Spurlock from Sycamore High School – and their dedication to never cutting corners by naming them school winners.

“These students are known by their teachers and friends for their commitment to excellence. We are excited and honored that a program like Wendy’s High School Heisman is also recognizing their hard work,” said Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck.

Since 1994, Wendy’s and the Heisman Trophy Trust have been running the same play to perfection: honoring more than 600,000 of the nation’s most esteemed students.

This year, Wendy’s will celebrate the accomplishments of thousands of the best high school seniors, awarding winners in five phases.

School winners will receive a School Winner certificate and a Wendy’s High School Heisman Patch.
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The Wendy's High School Heisman was created by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas in 1994.

​The Cheatham County School District hosted its first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) competition on Oct. 19 at Sycamore High School.
 
The new competition replaced the district’s longtime Science Fair.
 
Teams of 10 from each middle school and high school completed four challenges as part of the competition: Ping-Pong Tower, Problem Solving Vehicle, Projectile Shot and Fire Mouse.
 
Harpeth Middle School won the middle school title. Sycamore Middle School finished second and Cheatham Middle School placed third.
 
Sycamore High School won the high school division. Cheatham County Central High School finished second and Harpeth High School finished third.
 
A trophy was awarded to each winning school and each student on the winning team received a $40 gift card from Walmart.
 
As part of the event, Ashland City Elementary School students, under the direction of STEM teacher Kristin McQueen, also participated in the event. They did a great job hanging with the middle school and high school students. Each ACES student received a $10 gift card from Walmart.

Two Cheatham County schools were named “Reward Schools” on Friday by the Tennessee Department of Education.
 
Cheatham Middle School and Kingston Springs Elementary School were among the 169 schools statewide to achieve the honor.
 
Reward Schools are those in the top 5 percent of schools for academic achievement and the top 5 percent for student growth.
 
CMS was honored for student growth (Reward Growth), while KSES was recognized for academic achievement (Reward Performance).
 
“This is a wonderful honor for Cheatham Middle and Kingston Springs Elementary,” said Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck. “There was a lot of hard work that went into achieving this recognition, and we want to celebrate our educators and students for this great accomplishment. We hope to continue this success as we move the district forward.”
 
Schools earn a Reward Performance status if its one-year success rates for the “All Students” group are in the top five percent of schools in the same pool. Reward Progress designation means a school’s one-year TVAAS school composite score for growth places them in the top five percent of schools in the same pool.