The Tift County Board of Education has announced a partnership with XTRACT ONE to implement advanced weapons detection systems in all middle and high school campuses throughout the district. This proactive measure underscores the Board's unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all students and staff.

The 2024 Middle School Softball team was recognized at the board meeting for finishing their season as Region Champions with an impressive 17-1 record.

Team members include: Jayde Black, Ri Clements, Bella Eve Hobbs, Lucy House, Allie Lee, Ashlyn Massey, Jaylin McCant, Audrey Davis, Caroline Lodge, Hansley Luke, Abby Loveless, Drew Merwin, Addison Bennett, Kendell Drawdy, Brooklyn Meadows, Chloe Stuckey, Tessah Suggs, Kennadi Sumner and Sierra Swords. Coaches are Amanda Marshall and Brittany Kicklighter.

The Beyond the T Award recognizes individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the success of our students, staff and community.

Do you know someone who deserves recognition for going 'Beyond the T'? Click here to submit a nomination.

Bill Nguyen, a senior at TCHS, is the prime example of the embodiment of college and career readiness. He is a natural leader, he has vision, and he takes initiative. Bill’s passion for educating our youth about their health has led to him developing a curriculum for 4th grade students. He took the initiative to pitch this idea to Mrs. Gore who connected him with Mrs. Hope Vance and Mrs. Megan Story to leverage their CTAE students (Health Care and Early Childhood) to support his vision becoming a reality for Tift County Schools. 

How many high school students do you know who would spend their summer dreaming up a series of health education courses for elementary school students? He is definitely one to keep our eyes on. We can only hope that whatever healthcare field he goes into in the future, that he will come back home and serve his community here in Tift County.  

Mrs. Vance, the Early Childhood Education teacher at TCHS has taken these ideas and is working with her students to create engaging lessons that teach these concepts. Mrs. Story, Healthcare teacher at TCHS, reviews the materials to make sure they are accurate and also attends these sessions as a facilitator from the healthcare perspective.

We would also like to thank Mr. Willie Dean, Principal at J T Reddick, for listening to this idea and for his support in making this initiative come to life within JTR.

Mr. Lorenzo Simmons and the School Nutrition staff here at the Administrative Office and the cafeteria managers at each of our schools worked tirelessly following Hurricane Helene to prepare nearly 16,000 meals to distribute to our students. They quickly coordinated efforts to move inventory from each of the schools and set up two sites to package the meals to be distributed the following day. On the day the meals were handed out, they prepared a hot lunch to include in the meals. 

While we realize there were others who helped in this endeavor, it would not have been possible without this group and their hard work and commitment to our school system.

A TikTok that was filmed during the inadvertent lockdown at TCHS on September 24th inspired this Beyond the T award. In the video, all of the students are located in the room where they should be during a lockdown. Mr. Peter Pinnow is shown standing between the students and the door with a large stick in his hands ready to protect his students. The video went viral and people from all over the country reached out with comments about what an inspiration Mr. Pinnow is because of how he cares for his students and his courage to protect them.

A message from a parent in Texas said, "Thank you for having such an inspiring individual on your staff. Mr. Peter Pinnow IS the teacher that parents hope and pray that their children get each and every year."

In the aftermath of the school shooting that recently took place in North Georgia, there has been an ever increasing number of threats at many schools across the state. On October 23, 2024 Eighth Street Middle School experienced one of these events. As a result many parents came to the school to check out their children. Since the volume of parents at once is larger than what the front office staff typically manages, we had to call for backup assistance to help expedite this process. 

This group did a great job in calming the anxious parents and assisting with checking out the students. They checked out over 200 students in roughly 2 hours. This would not have been possible without their help. 

We would like to thank Kim Winters, Candice Steed, Paul Potier, Margaret Sanders, Tammy Slaven and Mr. Paul Nelson for handling this situation while providing grace and patience.

A few days later we had an incident at the high school that created the same type of situation as Eighth Street but on a slightly larger scale.  Many of these same individuals stepped in to help. 

Following that day, a parent sent an email to Mrs. Gore commending Mr. John Bowyer for his kindness and professionalism in dealing with a lot of concerned parents.

"I never once saw his smile fade or his attitude change.  His demeanor was extremely calming and very reassuring. As a mother of a high school student and also an employee of Tift Co Schools this will never be forgotten!"

We are excited to announce the members of the 2024-2025 Superintendent's Student Advisory Council! These exceptional students were selected based on their applications and letters of reference. Throughout the year, they will meet with Mrs. Gore to share their perspectives, helping shape decisions that benefit all Tift County students.

During their first meeting, the group engaged in discussion around safety and security in Tift County Schools and asked for the student's ideas on what we could do to improve our practices.

TCHS Senior, Brynna Burke, for being selected to serve on the 2024-2025 Georgia State School Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. Brynna is one of 74 students selected from across the state. She will provide a voice for Tift County and South Georgia on the impact of state policies in the classroom.

Tift's High school and middle schools had a strong presence recently at the Georgia National Fair in Perry and the Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie. Students showcased their skills in livestock shows and various competitions. Tift County students achieved 11 first-place finishes and earned 4 Grand Champion titles. 

Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and the Future Farmers of America (FFA), and the Cosmetology class of Tift County High School recently volunteered at G.O. Bailey Elementary School’s Fall Festival. The petting zoo showcased a variety of farm animals, offering an interactive and engaging opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn more about animals and farming practices. Cosmetology students offered hair and makeup sessions, and nail art.

Tift County is all about coming together to make a difference! Recently, we had the privilege to "Stuff the Bus" with donations to support neighboring counties in their recovery efforts. While we’re often competing with schools like Irwin, Fitzgerald, and Lowndes on the field or in the classroom, this was a powerful reminder that we’re all part of one big South Georgia family.

Thank you Tift County High School for coordinating this effort and to everyone who contributed! Your generosity shows the true spirit of #4theT and the strength of our community, united to help students and families in need. TOGETHER, we make an impact that goes beyond any competition.

October 7th - 11th was Georgia PreK Week. As part of our celebration for this week, we were able to share some great news about the Tift County Pre-K program! Recent GKIDS (Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills) Readiness assessment data shows that students from Tift County Pre-K classrooms are entering kindergarten better prepared than their peers from other Georgia Pre-K programs or those who didn’t attend Pre-K. We are extremely proud of our young learners and the incredible work being done to set them up for success!

Throughout Georgia PreK Week schools had several guest readers including members of the Board of Education, staff, parents, and community members. Mrs. Gore spent time in several classrooms that week reading some of her favorite books and interacting with the students.

Want to know when and where you can support our middle and high school student athletes? Click here to keep up to date on the latest events with the Tift County Athletics Calendar