Cass, Cedartown Capture Governor's Cup

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue today awarded Governor’s Cup trophies to Cass High School and Cedartown High School for improvement in SAT scores. The statewide competition was initiated in 2003 as part of an overall effort to raise Georgia’s SAT scores.

“Georgia’s students have stepped up to the challenge and have worked hard to raise SAT scores,” said Governor Perdue. “I am pleased to recognize the collaborative success of the students, teachers and parents and present these schools with the Governor’s Cup trophies.”

Last week, four Governor’s Cup winners were announced: the Class A and Class AA champions and two schools that tied for the Class AAAAA championship. Today, Governor Perdue visited Class AAAA state champion Cass High School in Cartersville and Class AAA champion Cedartown High School. Cass High School has seen a 63-point increase in average SAT scores over the past two years, while Cedartown students have raised the school’s average 55 points. The 63-point increase at Cass High School was not only the highest in Class AAAA but also the highest of any school in the state.

The governor presented the winning schools with a Governor’s Cup trophy and a $2,000 grant towards SAT preparation materials. The entire student body and faculty members received t-shirts as part of the recognition. The Governor’s Cup challenge is based on high school athletic regions and classifications previously assigned by the Georgia High School Association. The complete list of state champions includes:

Hawkinsville High School                                  Pulaski County             A

Oglethorpe County High School                        Oglethorpe County                   AA

Cedartown High School                                    Polk County                             AAA

Cass High School                                             Bartow County             AAAA

Northside High School                          Houston County                       AAAAA

Savannah Arts Academy                                   Chatham County                       AAAAA

 

“The 2009 winners of the Governor's Cup have made a commitment to high standards, high expectations and hard work, and they are getting the results,” said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, who joined Governor Perdue at Cedartown High. “Congratulations to the educators, students and community members at these award-winning schools.”

Regional champions were announced last week as well, with those schools receiving a trophy and a $1,000 grant to continue their efforts to increase SAT scores. AT&T is a partner in the Governor’s Cup, providing all prizes to winning schools.

The Governor’s Cup Challenge is a part of Governor Perdue’s efforts to improve students’ performance on the SAT and their potential for success in post-secondary education. Along with the Governor’s Cup challenge, Governor Perdue also launched gacollege411.org, an online resource providing post-secondary education planning materials to students statewide.

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Cox have also made free online SAT prep classes available to all high schools. Governor Perdue has placed graduation coaches in middle and high schools to identify students who otherwise might not graduate and help them back on the path towards a diploma.

For more information on the Governor’s Cup, please visit www.satrocks.com

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