Carrollton High School students secured eight first-place wins at the West Georgia Technology Competition: Carly Blakemore (9-10 3D Modeling), August Ochoa (9-10 Animantion), Tanya Aggarwal (9-10 Digital Photo Production), Richard Ashlock and Allan Lopez Chanax (11-12 Physical Computing), Venkata Koppireddy (11-12 Programming), Brylan Webb and Sam Duncan (11-12 Robotics), and Lucy Slappey and Alaina Dhople (11-12 Web and Mobile Apps). All top finishers qualify for the state competition, which will be held March 14 in Henry County, Ga. Hudson Hooten won second place in 9-10 Graphic Design, and the team of Xavi Escarcega-Rodriguez and Lomar Noel placed second in 11-12 Video Production. 
 

Carrollton High School competitors in the West Georgia Technology Competition are pictured from left: (back row) Allan Lopez Chanax, Brylan Webb, Sam Duncan; (third row) Lucy Slappey, Carly Blakemore, Xavi Escarcega-Rodriguez; (second row) Juliet Browning, Venkata Koppireddy, Omar DeJesus; (front row) CHS computer science teacher Robby Blakemore, Aaron Ashlock, Alaina Dhople, and CHS Assistant Principal Austin Williams. 
 

CARROLLTON, GA – All four schools within the Carrollton City district were honored with the Ready Georgia Seal of Preparedness from the Georgia Department of Education, recognizing schools with exceptional school emergency preparedness and continued safety efforts. Of the districts in Georgia, only 27 received a seal, with only eight of those districts having all of their schools as recipients. 

Schools must demonstrate a commitment to emergency operations planning, drills and exercises, training, security interventions, safety technology, and data analysis. Carrollton Elementary, Carrollton Upper Elementary, Carrollton Middle, and Carrollton High School all received this prestigious recognition.

Carrollton City Schools continually looks for opportunities to enhance safety protocols. With five on-campus school resource officers, the implementation of the LifeSpot application for active intruder situations, and door cameras at each school for added security, the district has worked to anticipate concerns and implement solutions, reinforcing the district’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all students and staff.

“Emergency management requires rigorous planning,” said CCS Assistant Superintendent Craig George. “This award is a testament to our district’s dedication to being proactive, rather than reactive, about school safety.”

The Georgia Department of Education, in collaboration with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS), recognizes schools for going above and beyond to increase school safety and minimize risk factors. Schools honored must meet specific safety criteria, including rigorous training expectations and behavioral threat management procedures.

“We are committed to refining our safety measures at every opportunity,” said CCS Superintendent Dr. Mark Albertus. “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority.”
 

Aerial view of Carrollton City Schools. Courtesy of Brian Carmichael Photography.

CARROLLTON, GA — Two Carrollton High School students were recognized for their work this week when the Carrollton Creative Writers Guild and Carrollton Arts Commission announced the winners of its 2026 High School Creative Writing Awards. This annual competition features poetry and short stories by students in grades 9-12.

CHS junior Juliet Browning won second place in the short story category for her work, “The Night the Sun Appeared.” With her clever writing of dialogue, Juliet brought her characters’ banter to life while vividly painting the scene with her prose. Likewise, fellow junior Samantha Berg placed third for her thriller short story titled “Outsourced,” which is set in the future with a high schooler reflecting on the progression and impacts of AI while experiencing the imminent dangers it brings. 

Adding to the excitement of the event, the students did not know their placement until they arrived at the luncheon and awards presentation on March 3. Once the awards were presented to the students in front of their teachers, family members, and administrators, the Carrollton Writers Guild provided workshops for the students to collaborate with guild members and discuss their writing processes. 

The competition, workshop, and event were sponsored by the Fulford Family Foundation, Jill Pierce State Farm, Vabella Publishing, Carrollton Civic Woman’s Club, and the Carrollton Writers Guild. The program was led by Carrollton Arts Commission President Dr. Howard Seeman and Carrollton Writers Guild President Dr. Elyse Wheeler, with Dr. Robert Covel announcing the recognitions for the prose presentation. 

Two Carrollton High School students, Juliet Browning and Samantha Berg, were recognized for their creative writing skills at the 2026 High School Creative Writing Awards luncheon at the Carrollton Center for the Arts on March 3. Pictured from left are CHS Assistant Principal Erik Hardison, Juliet Browning, Samantha Berg, and CHS teacher Hunter Spurlock.