Cherokee County School District Announcements 09-24 River Ridge HS Senior Named Gatorade Player of the YearChris Asbridge is the 2023-24 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year, and he’s the first honoree for the sport to be chosen from River Ridge. A midfielder and forward, Asbridge helped lead the Knights varsity soccer team to a 21-1 record and the Class 6A state championship earlier this year, earning him the Region 6-AAAAAA Player of the Year award. So far, he has earned 25 goals and 13 assists in his high school varsity soccer career. The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also, “high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.” A member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT), Asbridge volunteers as an elementary school mentor and youth soccer coach as well as with his church.—————————————————Woodstock HS Student Earns National Video Production ScholarshipSenior Kai Schutlz earned the $5,000 Game Day Excellence Scholarship from Formetco Sports, which produces technology including the video LED scoreboards used for school football games and other events. The award was presented at the company’s summer learning program for students who run video scoreboards or participate in other school video, AV, &/or social media initiatives. As part of the honor, Schutlz will serve as the Formetco Connect Student Engagement Ambassador for the next school year to share his feedback with the company and his expertise with other high school students. —————————————————Dean Rusk MS Choral Group Selected for Statewide EventThe Dean Rusk MS Chorus, led by teacher and choral director Joseph Salter, will perform at the Georgia American Choral Directors Association Fall Conference next month at Kennesaw State University. Only four middle schools were selected to perform at this event, which is attended by music educators from across the state. The chorus also earned a grant, the only one awarded in the state, to commission a new piece of music that will be premiered at the concert.—————————————————Schools Win State Honors for Excellence in EducationAvery ES and Bascomb ES have won the prestigious School Bell Award from the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals. The association presents the School Bell Award to no more than 10 schools in Georgia each year in recognition of outstanding curriculum and organizational leadership initiatives. It’s a rare feat to see two schools from the same school district honored in one year. Avery ES, led by Principal Dr. Lisa Turner, earned the award for its “You Are Loved” campaign. Bascomb ES, led by Principal Dr. Carolyn Daugherty, earned the award for its Bascomb Behavior Teams initiative.—————————————————Students Win Gold in Summer Special OlympicsCherokee County Special Olympics’ flag football team won gold at the Summer Games, and numerous students earned gold for individual swimming, tennis, and track and field events. Congratulations to the following gold medalists: FLAG FOOTBALLAiden Bailey, Creekview HS; Charlie Holderness, Creekview HS; Jamie Hunt (coach), Clayton ES; Wynn Murray, Mill Creek MS; Joey Sarrica, Transition Academy; Cody West, Transition AcademySWIMMINGLevel A Aquatics: Stevie Eifert, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy, 10 M Assisted; Alex Kozlowski, Dean Rusk MS, 15 M Walk; Sahasra Rajesh, Hickory Flat ES, 10 M Assisted; Bryton Rawlings-Peterson, Woodstock HS, 10 M Assisted; Colton Wagener, Liberty ES, 10 M Assisted, 15 M Floatation; Christopher Yancy, Transition Academy, 10 M Assisted, 15 M Unassisted Level B/C Aquatics: Xavier Baldonado, Sequoyah HS, 50 M Freestyle; Del Cannon, Transition Academy, 25 M Freestyle; Sean Ela, Mill Creek MS, 25 M Freestyle; Nicole Fox, Transition Academy, 50 M Freestyle, 25 M Backstroke; Davis Kohl, Tippens EC, 50 M Freestyle; Brayden Mays, Dean Rusk MS, 25 M Freestyle, 25 M Backstroke; Nicolle Valle, Etowah HS, 25 M Freestyle; Merritt Wilson, Transition Academy, 25 M BreaststrokeSenior Unified Relay: Xavier Baldonado, Sequoyah HS; Del Cannon,Transition Academy; and Unified Partners Leia Lankford, Woodstock HS and Brayden Spivey, Cherokee HSSenior Traditional Relay: Andrew Barnes, Sequoyah HS; Nicolle Valle, Etowah HS; Merritt Wilson, Transition Academy and Remy Wilson, Woodstock HS TENNISUnified Doubles: Brody Wright, Transition Academy and Unified Partner Aven Wright, Cherokee HSTRACK & FIELDMatthew Bek, Transition Academy, Turbo Javelin and Lyric Welch, Liberty ES, 100M and Turbo Javelin