Thomaston-Upson Schools

Thomaston-Upson County Schools is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community. Beginning immediately, we are implementing enhanced safety protocols for the 2025-2026 school year at all athletic, fine arts, and after-school events. Please review the full details in the flyer below and help us spread the word. Together, we create a safer Thomaston-Upson!

Thomaston-Upson July 2025 Newsletter.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wl_-fb9jG7ruHEx1W711mZFkYe1hhMtS/view?usp=sharing

Meet the Knights Community Event – August 6th

Upson-Lee High School invites the community to come out and show their support at the Meet the Knights event on Wednesday, August 6th, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM at the Upson-Lee Agricultural Facility.

This special evening is a great opportunity for community members to meet and celebrate student athletes and performers from the football team, softball team, volleyball team, cheer squad, band, guard, and cross-country team.

In addition to meeting the Knights, families can enjoy food, face painting, and fun activities for all ages. Come join the excitement and help kick off the new school year by supporting these talented students!

Thomaston-Upson County School School Times for 25-26

Mark Your Calendars! Thomaston-Upson Schools Open House Dates Announced!



We’re excited to welcome students and families back for the 2025–2026 school year! Join us for Open House at each school to meet teachers, pick up schedules, and get ready for a fantastic year of learning and growth.

Upson–Lee NJROTC Summer Orientation Camp 2025: Upson-Lee High School NJROTC program will be hosting its annual Freshman Orientation Camp on July 14th – July 17th, 2025. The camp will be held at the Upson-Lee High School NJROTC spaces and will run from 8:00 a.m. until Noon. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Although not mandatory, the camp will give students an early introduction to the NJROTC program, good citizenship practices, and the importance of physical fitness. Participants should have expressed interest in the NJROTC program while in 8th grade and requested the class with their guidance counselor. If there are any questions, please contact Upson-Lee High School NJROTC at (706) 647-6795. Instructors also can be reached by email at ankendall@upson.k12.ga.us or mbert@upson.k12.ga.us.

Upson-Lee NJROTC Announces Leadership Academy Graduates 2025 On June 8th – 15th, Upson-Lee NJROTC cadets participated at the NJROTC Area’s 8,9, and 10 – sponsored Leadership Academy. The training was held on the campus of the historic Riverside Preparatory Academy in Gainesville, Georgia. Upson-Lee NJROTC cadets received more than 60 training hours with topics including psychology of leadership, military drill, being physically fit, the importance of STEM, and much more. The young Knights trained alongside nearly 300 fellow NJROTC cadets who represented newly configured Area’s 8, 9, and 10 high schools in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. Upson-Lee’s Company Commanding Officer Cadet Lieutenant Commander Keelyn Quiller returned to Leadership Academy for a second year as a Cadre (specialty trainer) to a designated platoon. The cadets were accompanied by Naval Science Instructor Chief Petty Officer Anthony Kendall, who assisted in the training as a Platoon Advisor. This valued training can be seen as an investment in the schools NJROTC program and will aid tremendously in continued productivity and professionalism. Pictured left to right: Cadet Miles Self, Cadet Jeremy Demand, Cadet Kenya Montfort, Cadet Kenya Worthy, Cadet Commanding Officer Keelyn Quiller, and CPO Anthony Kendall.

It may be summer, but work continues throughout the T-U School District! This week, district and school leaders met for the annual District Leadership Retreat, held at Upson-Lee Middle School. School personnel reviewed and revised their continuous improvement plans, aligned expectations and goals, and focused on key performance measurements. The annual district retreat is an opportunity to review, reflect, and reimagine teaching and learning initiatives while strengthening the leadership's commitment to success!

The Upson-Lee High School Graduation will be live-streamed on the Thomaston-Upson Schools' YouTube channel. Streaming should start around 7:30 PM. The faculty processional will begin at 7:55 PM and the student processional will follow immediately after that. Congratulations to the ULHS Class of 2025!!! We're so proud of you!!! Live-stream link: www.youtube.com/@T-USchools #ULProud #weareUL #ULclassof2025 #makinghistoryontheturf

The ULHS Commencement tonight is a private event, and all guests must have a ticket to attend. Please view the Acceptable Behavior Guidelines for this very special event:

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we are giving a HUGE shoutout to our INCREDIBLE teachers!!! Today, we celebrate YOU!!! Thank you for all you do!!! We appreciate you more than words can say!!! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 2025!!! #ThankATeacher #ULProud #weareUL

Congratulations to ULHS seniors Breyden Zickefoose and Brodee Hurt who signed to play soccer at Southern Crescent Technical College!!! These young men will trade in their purple, silver, and black for the royal blue, green, and gold of the SCTC Tigers following their graduation from ULHS in May. Way to go, Breyden and Brodee!!! #ULProud #weareUL #ULsoccer

This weekend at the Upson-Lee Fine Arts Center, ULMS Stage Knights present Disney's "Alice in Wonderland Jr."!!! Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3, at 7 PM and Sunday, May 4, at 3 PM. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students. Children under 5 years of age are free. TU employees are free with valid district/school ID. Come and join young Alice as she travels through the strange world of Wonderland and encounters iconic characters, such as the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts. This is a timeless tale that is fun for all ages!!! See you at the FAC!

Please see Notes from the April 1, 2025, Board of Education meeting:

Please take a moment to complete our Spring 2025 Community Stakeholder Survey at https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/277481/1804/1 This survey is for our community and business partners to provide input regarding our District Improvement Plan. The survey will be open until May 9th. Thank you!!! #weareUL

Coming to the Upson-Lee Fine Arts Center April 17, 18, and 19: "The SpongeBob Musical"!!! When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world! "The SpongeBob Musical" is based on the animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg. See you at the FAC!

At the Tuesday, March 4, called board meeting, the Thomaston-Upson Board of Education approved Dr. Tiffany Taylor as Director of Secondary Curriculum and Student Services, as recommended by Superintendent Dr. Larry Derico. Dr. Taylor currently serves as Executive Director of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness in the Griffin-Spalding School District. She holds both a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Mercer University along with a B.S. in English, Secondary Education from the University of West Georgia. Dr. Taylor has experience as a teacher, graduation coach, principal, and district office director. She will move into this position in April 2025. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Taylor! We wish her much success as she steps into this fundamental role within the Thomaston-Upson School System. #weareUL

February 16-18, the Upson-Lee High School NJROTC Precision Rifle Team, consisting of Landow Barlow, Kaden Landers, James Mayer, Abigail Ozley, and Jayla Smith competed in the 2025 Navy JROTC Service Championship. The UL team proudly secured 16th PLACE IN THE NATION!!! Way to go UL!!! Team members James Mayer and Abigail Ozley both shot scores of 1,134. Competing against top teams from across the U.S., the Upson-Lee team demonstrated exceptional discipline, precision, and teamwork throughout the event. Their achievement at such a prestigious competition highlights the hard work and commitment of both the cadets and their instructors. The completion of this championship brings the NJROTC precision rifle team season to a close. The team is looking forward to training and preparing for next year’s season! Pictured from left to right: Jayla Smith, Abigail Ozley, Kayden Landers, James Mayer, and Landon Barlow. #ULProud

ULHS Principal Mr. Ricky English has announced the Class of 2025 Honor Graduates. These seniors have a numerical average of 93.0 or above (as calculated by school/student Information System). BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the ULHS 2025 Honor Graduates!!! Phakeylah Andrews, Ryan Anglin, Zakhyia Atwater, Addison Baughcum, Dustin Brooks, Dh'King Brown, Georgia Clark, April Cummings, Evie Daniel, Kiona Daniel, Aiden Daniely, Kaden Duke, Addison Ellington, Kendall Flowers , Jakobe Franklin, Kylie Gooden, Jacy Harrell, Kalisha Harvey, Ava Hemphill, Gregory Hughley, Brodee Hurt, Ava Jaudon, Kadence Johnson, Nytraevion Jones, De’Asiah Kendall, Kameria Kendall, Erika Legg, Ella Matthews, Athens McGlon, Allison McKinley, Kenzi Middlebrooks, JerCareya Neal, Zameer Rivers, Adriano Santos, Charity Santos, Francisco Santos, Hope Santos, Tereso Santos, Lily Sheppard, McKayla Thornton, Abigale Underwood, Brian Ventura, Grayson Weeks, Braden Williams, Amarah Wilson, Kiersten Wilson-Peoples #ULProud #weareUL #classof2025