Our Foundation

A Letter From Our Board President

Colleagues and Friends:

The Cherokee County Education Foundation (CCEF) was established in 2012 to create a mechanism for individuals and organizations to show their support for the Cherokee County School District (CCSD). I believe that there is no better way to secure our future than to ensure that our children are getting a great education. I am committed to the mission of CCSD and ensuring that our future is secure!

All my children either attended or are currently attending public schools and today my daughter and son in law are both teachers in the Cherokee County School District.

CCEF has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for grants to teachers to assist them with educating and growing our students. Thanks to many of you, CCSD had an outstanding 2018-19 school year and I would like to share with you just a few of our accomplishments. CCSD was named an Innovative District by The International Center for Leadership in Education and was one of only eleven school districts in the Nation to be recognized with this top award. CCSD ranks second among metro counties for average SAT Scores with the margin being 73 points higher than the National average and 68 points higher than the state average. CCSD also reached a new high in its graduation rate with 87.4% of the 2018 class earning their diploma within four years of entering high school and that is an improvement of almost 15 percentage points since 2012.

I promise you that every CCEF Board member is committed to ensuring that every child in Cherokee County gets the very best education possible, but we need everyone’s help in order for us to accomplish this goal. I am honored to have served on the Board of Directors since 2012 and thankful I work for Northside Hospital Cherokee, an organization that values education as much as I do.

Many Thanks,

Billy Hayes
Chief Executiive Officer, Northside Hospital-Cherokee
CCEF Board President

A Letter From Our Superintendent

Throughout my conversations over the past year with our teachers, staff and students' families, they have shared their gratitude for our community's public education champions.

The community's pride in our schools is both amazing and encouraging, as we work together to ensure our students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else.

Some of our proudest and most dedicated champions can be found among the board members, sponsors, volunteers and donors supporting the Cherokee County Educational Foundation.

The foundation's engagement and fundraising provide critically needed boosts to our mission. Knowing that the foundation and its supporters stand with us is incredibly uplifting.

The dollars granted directly to our classroom and programs each year make a lasting positive impact on our students’ success. I love visiting our classrooms and hearing teachers talk about the bright ideas funded into reality thanks to a foundation grant.

Our special programs to recognize the best of the best among our employees are made possible thanks to the enduring support of the foundation. From our TEAM Cherokee new teacher orientation to our Teacher of the Year and Support Staff Employees of the Year ceremonies to our Retiring Legends celebration, you generously help us shine the spotlight on our employees every step along the way of their career.

The foundation also lends its strong support to our efforts to engage families and business and community partners in our schools. From encouraging partners to join in foundation fundraising to sponsoring our Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year recognitions, we always can call on the foundation for assistance.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the huge heart you display daily for our students, teachers, and staff!

Sincerely,

Mary Elizabeth Davis
Superintendent of Schools
Cherokee County School District

A Letter From Our Executive Director

Dear Supporters,

Since its inception in 2012, CCEF has been guided by a commitment to ensure our students were given the greatest opportunity to learn and grow right here in Cherokee County. Our community continues to be a sought-after destination for business and families, due in large part to the incredible success of our award-winning school district.

CCEF seeks to raise funds to continue to support our Leadership Development and Training, District Wide Special Project Grants, High School Credit Recovery, CHOICE Program for Special Education students, Teacher, Volunteer, and Support Staff of the Year initiatives, and our Classroom Impact Grants. These initiatives have proven to successfully prepare students for graduation, encouraging them to continue their education or move into their chosen career path upon completion of high school.

We are very fortunate to have such tremendous community-wide support for all of our initiatives and fundraising events. Our Board works hard to govern the funds we raise, ensuring maximum dollars go directly to our students and teachers. The results are visible in our classrooms, our test scores, and our accolades.

We invite you to join us in our efforts to ensure that Cherokee County is the best place to live, learn, and grow!

Lisa-Marie Haygood
Executive Director