This recognition reflects the work happening across our district every day to keep our students and staff safe. From reviewing safety plans to practicing drills and working closely with local partners, preparedness is something we take seriously.
Weāre grateful to our administrators, school teams, and safety partners who help ensure our schools are ready and responsive.
š Read more: https://www.daltonpublicschools.com/article/2713558

Isabella Parsons and Andrea Najera, both nominated in Communicative Arts, have been selected to move forward to the semifinal interview round. They will interview at Georgia Southern University on February 28.
In addition, Ogo Nwaba has advanced as a semifinalist in Vocal Music and will attend vocal auditions at Kennesaw State University on March 14.
Read more: https://www.daltonpublicschools.com/article/2713367

#CTAEMonth
As The Academy expands its cheer program to include Game Day Competition Cheer, Coach Hodges brings experience in competition cheer, stunt development, and athlete training. She most recently served as Assistant Cheerleading Coach at Tyner High Academy and has led instructional stunt camps throughout the Chattanooga area, focusing on building safe, high-level skills for middle and high school athletes.
Coach Hodges will build upon the foundation established at The Dalton Academy and lead the Pumas into an exciting new chapter of growth, school spirit, and performance excellence.
Read more: https://www.daltonpublicschools.com/news

Officer Cole McDaniel
Officer Kaleb Warren
Officer Sean Hudson
Officer Keidric Johnson
Officer Coleman Jenkins
Officer Bart Chandler
Officer Steve Johnson
Officer Fatima Ruiz
Supervisor Sgt. Steve Collins
Our School Resource Officers do so much more than protect our schoolsāthey build lasting relationships with our students and serve as role models every day. Their presence provides a sense of security, but their kindness, mentorship, and support truly make a difference. From greeting students in the morning to offering guidance and encouragement, they are an important part of our school community. We are grateful for the positive impact they have on our students and staff.

Our community partner, City of Dalton Parks & Recreation, is offering an exciting lineup of spring sports for students and families:
⢠Track & Field (Ages 5ā14)
⢠Lacrosse (Grades 3ā5)
⢠Baseball (Ages 4ā14)
⢠Softball (Ages 4ā12)
⢠Volleyball (Ages 7ā18)
⢠Team Soccer (Ages 6ā14)
⢠Drafted Soccer (Ages 4ā14)
⢠Adult Softball (Menās, Industrial & Church Leagues)
š² Registration Fee: $25
š Deadline: February 19
To register, call 706-278-5404 or visit daltonparks.org.
This is a fantastic opportunity for Dalton Public Schools students to stay active, build teamwork skills, and have fun this spring. Weāre grateful for strong community partnerships like Dalton Parks & Recreation that continue to support our students beyond the school day!

Coach Cole brings elite-level experience from A5 Volleyball Clubāone of the premier junior volleyball organizations in the Southeastāalong with a strong focus on player development, discipline, leadership, and character. As a former player and experienced coach, she understands what it takes to compete at a high level and is committed to creating an environment built on hard work, growth, and confidence.
Her leadership and passion for developing student-athletes will help strengthen The Academyās volleyball program both on and off the court.
Please join us in welcoming Coach Cole to The Dalton Academy!
š Read more: www.daltonpublicschools.com/news

The 19 Under 19 program recognizes students ages 19 and under who exemplify Junior Achievementās mission by demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, and a commitment to positive community impact. To qualify, nominees must have participated in at least one Junior Achievement of Georgia program and serve as a positive representative of JAās values.
Read more: https://www.daltonpublicschools.com/article/2707439

Hannah has served as a paraprofessional at City Park School since 2006 and is known for her reliability, positive attitude, and deep commitment to students, staff, and families.
Read more: DaltonPublicSchools.com

Last Wednesday, the Little Cats program hosted its first Pop-Up Class at the Beechland Resource Center, welcoming 17 future Little Cats students and their families!
Designed for children who will turn three on or before September 1, 2026, these Pop-Up Classes give families a preview of our strong academic and social-emotional foundation aligned to the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS).
Students enjoyed a Valentineās Day themed literacy lesson inspired by The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond. Through interactive reading and discussion, our future Little Cats explored kindness, friendship, creativity, and giving while building vocabulary and comprehension skills.
During small-group learning time, students created a Valentine āLove Bugā name craftāusing hearts to spell their names! This hands-on activity supported:
āļø Fine motor development
š¤ Letter recognition and sequencing
š Name writing attempts
š Letter-sound awareness
We loved seeing so many students independently write the first letter of their nameāand some even wrote multiple letters in the correct sequence!
We were also excited to welcome our community partners, Malisa Pedro (Whitfield Family Connection) and Stephanie Hogshead (United Way), representing The Basics program. Families received helpful resources and students took home board books to continue building early literacy skills at home.
We canāt wait to see our future Little Cats at our next Pop-Up Class on March 11th at the Beechland Resource Center, where weāll explore Safari Animals and participate in an engaging STEM-based learning experience!
Stay tuned for more upcoming Pop-Up Classes throughout the year! š¾š










From hands-on activities to engaging conversations, these students had a blast exploring different career paths and learning from real-world professionals.
A huge thank you to our community partners for making the day so meaningful and fun for our students! #DaltonPublicSchools #LearnLeadSucceed
#CTAEMonth


Yesterday, Dalton Public Schools high school juniors and seniors stepped into their futures at FutureFest ā a dynamic combination of a college and career fair designed to help students explore their next steps after graduation.
With over 60 businesses and local colleges in attendance, students had the opportunity to meet directly with representatives, ask questions, and discover the wide variety of pathways available to them. From interactive booths to hands-on experiences, our students gained valuable insight into what their future careers and college journeys could look like.
A huge thank you to all of the college and business representatives who helped make this event possible and invested in the futures of our students. We are especially grateful to the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce for their partnership and support in bringing this incredible opportunity to our students!
#DaltonPublicSchools #LearnLeadSucceed
Students showcased impressive, innovative projects across a wide range of categories, including video production, animation, audio production, robotics, graphic design, and 3D modeling. All participating teams previously advanced from the DPS District Technology Competition before competing at regionals.
In total, 27 teams representing 34 students competed at the regional level. The following students earned top honors and will advance to the GaSTC State Competition:
07ā08 Graphic Design: Adelaya Ware and Carmen Estrada, Dalton Junior High School
07ā08 Animation: Rebecca Duran, Dalton Junior High School
07ā08 Audio Production: Tucker Rewis, Hammond Creek Middle School
07ā08 3D Modeling: Brandt Bowers, Hammond Creek Middle School
07ā08 Digital Photo Production: Ayo Illesamni and Sofia Hernandez
Congratulations! #DaltonPublicSchools #LearnLeadSucceed
Read more: https://www.daltonpublicschools.com/article/2705184

First Student is hiring bus drivers for Dalton Public Schools.
Apply today at DriveWithFirst.com

Congratulations to Christian Verdel and Ethan Gomez, who were selected to participate in the Georgia All-State Band ā a highly competitive, statewide honor recognizing the very best student musicians in Georgia.
We are so proud of Christian and Ethan for representing DPS with talent, dedication, and excellence!

In honor of Black History Month, Dalton Public Schools is highlighting staff members who make a meaningful impact in their schools and communities. Michelle Long, District Attendance Improvement Specialist, plays a vital role in supporting students and families by helping remove barriers to attendance and ensuring students have the opportunity to thrive academically.
For Long, Black History Month is a time of reflection, purpose, and appreciation. āBlack History Month is a time to honor the resilience and contributions of those who came before us,ā she shared. āPersonally, it reminds me to appreciate my roots. Professionally, it inspires me to serve with purpose and help create opportunities for students to succeed and reach their full potential.ā
Through her work, Long exemplifies the values of commitment and service, using her role to make a lasting impact on student success. Black History Month serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring the past while continuing to build pathways for a stronger future.

Dalton Public Schools proudly announces the recognition of several exceptional students from Dalton High School who have been awarded AP Scholar distinctions by the College Board for their outstanding performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
AP Scholars are students recognized by the College Board for scoring 3 or better on three or more Advanced Placement exams. The following DHS students have been named AP Scholars:
Emely Aguirre
Giovanni Agundis
Valeria Alvarez
Nimrah Amjad
Collier Andersen
Bridgette Arana
Charlie Beckler
Teagan Bollwerk
Georgia Grace Brackett (Class of 2025)
Sydney Brown
Phillip Bui
Brissa Caceres
Jackson Callaway
Kevin Domingo
Emery Edgeman (Class of 2025)
Celia Espitia
Campbell Fox
Lilly Grafe (Class of 2025)
Davis Haynes
Andrez Hernandez
Lucy Hester
Caroline Hogshead (Class of 2025)
Amna Hussein
Mirian Jaimes
Taylor Lake
Brayan Lopez Villatoro
Emily Lopez
Cris Marquez (Class of 2025)
Andrea Marsh
Angel Martinez-Gonzalez
Soraya McEuen
Shepherd McKeehan
Kamila Montalvo
Rylan Olalde
Jocelyn Pacheco (Class of 2025)
Jesus Pena (Class of 2025)
Isabel Perez
Nora Pina (Class of 2025)
Elyanna Quintero (Class of 2025)
Angela Ramirez Ramirez
Itzel Raya
Josue Resendiz
George Ross
Georgia Sanders
German Santana (Class of 2025)
Rhett Simmons
Emilee Stansell
Max Steed (Class of 2025)
Karen Tercero
Alexander Lopez Villafuerte
Huda Rizvi Waseem
Walter Whittle
Jacob Wiggins (Class of 2025)
AP Scholar with Honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on 4 or more of these exams.
David Andrade (Class of 2025)
Charles Chappelle
Joao Dasilva
Kate Jones
Lanier Land (Class of 2025)
Joy Lin
Benny Phung
Stephen Robinson (Class of 2025)
Layla Smith
Denzel Vasquez (Class of 2025)
Sarah Villalobos
Charles Whittle
AP Scholar with Distinction is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more of these exams.
Ethan Dempsey
Robin Dong (Class of 2025)
Addison Eicholtz (Class of 2025)
Leslie Garcia
Hope Hambrock (Class of 2025)
Dalia Hernandez (Class of 2025)
Tasneem Issa (Class of 2025)
Hiam Maldonado
Scarlett O'Shaughnessey (Class of 2025)
Lainey Peterfreund
Annabelle Rollins
Xander Sane
Neha Shree
Blakely Thornton
CenCen Wan (Class of 2025)
These students have shown immense dedication to academic success and have achieved remarkable results in college-level coursework during their high school years. Congratulations!

Geovany Aguirre ā AP Scholar
Charles Cantrell ā AP Scholar
Alexandra Castillo ā AP Scholar
Isabella Celaya ā AP Scholar
Isabella Celaya ā AP Seminar and Research Certificate
Diego Cuna ā AP Scholar
Gabriela Mojica-Nava ā AP Scholar
Gabriela Ruelas ā AP Scholar
These students have shown immense dedication to academic success and have achieved remarkable results in college-level coursework during their high school years. Congratulations!
Read more: https://www.daltonpublicschools.com/article/2701784

š Monday, February 16: Mid-Winter Holiday
š Tuesday, February 17: Mid-Winter Holiday & Teacher Work Day
Thank you for planning ahead!

