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Special Recognitions » 2024-2025

2024-2025

March 11, 2025

Board of Education Special Recognitions 

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame 2025 Inductee
Coach Terry Holder (retired)

 
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Longtime coach for the Columbia County School District, Mr. Terry Holder (retired), was recently inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. His long list of accomplishments includes: being the first baseball coach in Georgia history to reach 500 victories, a career record of 588 wins (being 13th in state history), and winning 8 state titles in a 12-year span. Greenbrier High School’s baseball field is named in his honor, and Evans High School plans to do the same this baseball season.  

Other accomplishments include: 

  • He was the first head football coach at Greenbrier High School, and won three consecutive state championships in the first three years of the school’s existence. His team made playoffs every year.  
  • A 61-game winning streak at Evans High School from 1988-1990. The streak was only seven games shy of the national record at the time and is still the longest record ever in Georgia and the 14th longest in U.S. history. 
  • In 1988, the Evans High School team was Coach Holder's first state championship team. They were ranked 5th in the Nation by USA Today. 
  • His 1989 Evans High School team was ranked No. 3 in the nation by USA Today. They are the last undefeated team in Georgia history, a mark that has lasted 35 years and counting. 
  • In 25 years at Evans High School and Greenbrier High School he led his teams to 19 region titles. 
  • He is a 6-time Georgia State Coach of the Year and a 2-time National Coach of the Year Award winner. 
  • He coached the winning South Team to the title at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in St. Louis. 
 
Congratulations, coach, and thank you for all you do and have done for the students and staff of the Columbia County School District. 
 
 
 

Special Olympics Games of Georgia Winter Bowling Competition 

This year, four teams competed in the Special Olympics Games of Georgia Winter Bowling Competition! These teams practiced hard, focused on their goals, and brought back the medals!
 
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Team Panther Pride - Gold Medal Winners 

Cooper Claus, Lakeside High School 
Jevon Dunn, Lakeside High School  
Nicholas Holsten, Lakeside High School 
Kaleb Steele, Lakeside High School
(Kaleb was also named Georgia Athlete of the Month for March 2025.) 

Team Pin Crushers - Gold Medal Winners 

Parris Blakely, Evans High School 
Kate Daly, Evans High School 
Dawn Rittenhouse, Grovetown High School 
Sarah Wahman, Evans High School 

Team Strike Force - Brown Medal Winners 

Khoal Fountain, Evans High School 
Kymani Session, Harlem High School 
Joseph Zuniga, Evans High School 

Team Strike Zone - Bronze Medal Winners 

Michael Barker, Grovetown High School 
Bryan Belton, Jr., Grovetown High School 
Abdias Colon, Harlem High School 
Sky Rittenhouse, Grovetown High School  

Adaptive Physical Education Coaches: 

Steve Aaronson, Grovetown High School 
Corie Johnson, Greenbrier Middle School 
Crystal Stickland, Parkway Elementary School 
Mimi Tom, Riverside Middle School 

The Director of Special Education is Mr. Sharard Pritchett. 

 

AP Honor Schools Awards 

All five Columbia County High Schools were recognized as AP Honor Schools. This distinction is named in eight categories based on the results of the 2024 AP courses and exams. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college level learning at the high school level; students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit. 
Recognition is received in the following categories: 

  • AP Access & Support School - Schools with at least 30% of AP exams taken by students who identified as African American and/or Hispanic and 30% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
  • AP Expansion School  - AP schools with 25% growth in AP student participation from May 2023 to May 2024 and a minimum of 25 students testing in May 2023.
  • AP Humanities Schools - Schools with a minimum of five students tested in each of the following AP categories: one ELA course, two social studies courses, one fine arts course, and one world language course.
  • AP Humanities Achievement Schools  - AP Humanities schools with at least 50% of all AP Humanities exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
  • AP Schools of Distinction - Schools with at least 20% of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher. 
  • AP STEM Schools - Schools that administered at least 5 exams in each of four separate AP STEM courses (math, science, and computer science).
  • AP STEM Achievement Schools - AP STEM schools with at least 50% of all AP STEM exams earning scores of 3 or higher. 
 

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 Each School was named in these following categories: 

Evans High School - Principal Wade White 
AP Humanities School
AP Humanities Achievement School 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Greenbrier High School - Principal Chip Fulmer 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Grovetown High School - Principal Andrew Young 
AP Access & Support School 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Harlem High School - Principal Casey Dees 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

Lakeside High School - Principal Juliet King 
AP Expansion School  
AP Humanities School 
AP Humanities Achievement School 
AP School of Distinction 
AP STEM School 
AP STEM Achievement School 

 

 
 

Georgia Science Teachers Association
Teacher of Promise Award
Ms. Emily Flynt - Greenbrier High School

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Greenbrier High School biology and chemistry teacher, Ms. Emily Flynt, recently achieved the Georgia Science Teachers Association Teacher of Promise Award.  

Ms. Flynt is a first-year teacher at Greenbrier High School; however, her colleagues describe working with her as if they are working with a veteran teacher due to her natural talent as an educator. They also stated how she makes a huge impact on collaborative teams and brings insight that is helping everyone grow and to better serve all students. 

The association recognizes science teachers with one, two, or three years of teaching experience that show exceptional promise. The recipient receives a monetary award of $750 and either submits an article describing a teacher practice for the GSTA newsletter or presents a session at the annual GSTA Conference the following year. 

Her mentor is Ms. Crystal McDowell, and her principal is Mr. Chip Fulmer. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

National Beta Club - John W. Harris Leadership Award
Evans Middle School Junior Beta Club

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Named after Beta’s founder, the John W. Harris Leadership Award recognizes outstanding clubs based on how they embody the organization's four pillars of achievement: character; leadership; and Service. Congratulations, to Evans Middle School for being one of only five Junior Beta Clubs across the country to receive this award.
 
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Pictured from left: Evans Middle School Principal Dr. Michael Carraway; Jr. Beta Club Members Student Representatives, Daisy Troia and Addyson Johnson; Jr. Beta Club Teacher Sponsor Ms. Lisa Shouse; and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven Flynt. 
 
 

 

Lewiston Elementary School 

4-H Presidents

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Congratulations, to the 4-H Presidents from Lewiston Elementary School for leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the recent Board of Education meeting. Great job, student leaders!