Rome City Schools celebrated state and national achievements during Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, including the Board's fourth consecutive statewide governance honor, districtwide recognition for cursive writing proficiency, and academic accomplishments at Elm Street Elementary School and Rome High School.
The Rome City Schools Board of Education earned the Georgia School Boards Association's 2026 Exemplary Governance Team Recognition for the fourth consecutive year. The distinction represents the highest level of recognition in the organization's Governance Team Recognition Program and honors school boards demonstrating effective leadership, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
"Our board members put in the time, ask important questions, and make decisions with our students at the center of everything they do," Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland said. "Earning this recognition four years in a row speaks to their commitment to Rome City Schools and the families we serve. Their leadership helps provide the foundation for the accomplishments we're celebrating throughout our district."
The district also celebrated a rare achievement as all eight Rome City Schools campuses earned the Georgia Department of Education's John Hancock Award for excellence in cursive writing instruction and student proficiency.
The award recognizes schools where at least 90 percent of participating students can write their names in cursive. State School Superintendent Richard Woods visited in September to present award banners to the district's principals.
"It's one thing for a school to earn this recognition, but having every school in our district receive the John Hancock Award is something truly special," Dr. Holland said. "You don't often see an entire school system recognized for an achievement like this. It speaks to the consistency of our instruction, the dedication of our teachers, and the importance we place on building strong foundational skills for our students."
Elm Street Elementary School earned two additional statewide honors, including recognition as a 2026 Title I Reward School, placing it among the top 5 percent of Title I schools in Georgia for academic progress. Elm Street also earned recertification as a Georgia STEM Certified School, recognizing its use of project-based learning to connect classroom instruction with real-world challenges.
The Board also recognized 20 Rome City Schools educators and staff members who completed the OPEN PE professional learning modules. Those honored included Gabby Fuller, Michael Eiser, Dr. Eric Holland, Matthew Parson, Michael Marra, Bill Stewart, Muhammad Abdellatif, Amanda Malcom, Kelly Carter, Kimberly Johnson, Alecia Jiles, Joey Powers, Jarrod Hogan, Chet Lindemann, Gerald Mitchell, Caleb Goode, Chad Cooper, Chris Boden, Jared Hughes, and Shaquan Cantrell.
"Physical education is a vital part of developing the whole student," Dr. Holland said. "Our PE teachers do much more than teach games and physical activities. They help students develop healthy habits, build confidence, learn teamwork, and understand the importance of staying active throughout their lives. Having 20 members of our team complete this professional learning demonstrates our commitment to providing quality physical education instruction across the district."
Rome City Schools also introduced its new Moving the Needle Award, recognizing teachers whose students met or exceeded the districtwide goal of increasing the percentage scoring Proficient or Distinguished in mathematics on the Georgia Milestones Assessment by at least five percentage points during the 2025-26 school year.
The recognition supports the mission of the district's Teaching, Leading, and Learning team to strengthen instructional expertise, develop leadership capacity, and provide exceptional teaching and learning support. Its vision is to make Rome City Schools Georgia's premier learning organization, where educators receive the support they need to deliver high-quality instruction, and every student graduates prepared for college or work.
Teachers receiving the Moving the Needle Award in mathematics included Chase Bowles and Jennifer Harlow of Anna K. Davie Elementary School; Joshua Reese of East Central Elementary School; Angie Ray, Amy Diem, Amber (Jade) Black, and Kenny Tribble of Elm Street Elementary School; Bailey Perry and Megan Tucker of Main Elementary School; Alondra Monterrosa and Ana Bryant of West Central Elementary School; and Lauren Hughes, Tasha McDaniel, Andrew Mathis, Amy Floyd, and Erin Davis of West End Elementary School.
Rome Middle School honorees included Stacy Cutchens, Sherri Stowers, Lisa Nichols, Kara Mincey, Jonathan Sanders, Mary Bennett, and Dustin Odom. Rome High School honorees included Edison Puccio and Chance Mcpherson.
Each recipient received a Moving the Needle banner to display at their school in recognition of their students' mathematics achievement.
Rome High School students also received recognition for their accomplishments in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and the National FFA Organization.
Rome High's FCCLA chapter earned multiple honors at the 2026 FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Alexa and Samantha Acevedo earned gold and placed sixth nationally in Repurpose and Redesign, while Leslie Vicente-Ramos and Kevin Lam earned gold and placed ninth in Instructional Video Design.
Brandy Ulloa-Ruvalcaba earned gold in Career Investigation. Yesica Saquic-Cux and Liliana Larios-Coxaj earned bronze in Public Policy Advocate, while Joshua Eaves received bronze in the Nutrition and Wellness Challenge Test.
Rome High's FFA chapter earned a Two-Star National Chapter designation. Iris McGahgee and Johannah Monson were named national finalists, while Madlyne Cruz-Hernandez earned a national bronze rating in the FFA Agriscience Fair.
Rome Middle School Principal Christian Barnes also presented an overview of the school's academic progress, including significant gains in mathematics. Among the highlights, 95.7 percent of students taking eighth-grade Algebra scored Proficient or Distinguished on the Georgia Milestones assessment, with 71.01 percent reaching the Distinguished level.
Barnes also highlighted Rome Middle School's state Academic Team championship, its second consecutive Georgia Math Leader School recognition, and its removal from the state's Targeted Support and Improvement list.