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
ULHS and Cognia Celebrate Education Milestone - 100 Years of Accreditation
On Wednesday, February 26, Dr. Emily Klein, Cognia Senior Director, Southeast Division, visited Upson-Lee High School to present Principal Mr. Ricky English with a plaque and a flag recognizing Upson-Lee High School along with previous Thomaston and Upson County high schools for maintaining 100 years of continuous accreditation. Cognia is the parent organization of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC). For 130 years Cognia and its legacy organizations have held schools and school districts to their high standards for accreditation, and according to their records, the first Thomaston/Upson County high school received accreditation in 1924, marking a century of commitment to excellence in education within our community’s public school system. Upson-Lee High School opened its doors for the 1992-93 school year and has maintained continuous accreditation throughout its existence. The Thomaston-Upson School System holds district-wide Cognia accreditation. Cognia accreditation is rigorous, highly valued and recognized around the world as an indicator of district-wide excellence. Pictured l-r: Dr. Emily Klein, Cognia Senior Director, Southeast Division, ULHS Principal Mr. Ricky English, and T-U Superintendent Dr. Larry Derico #ULProud #weareUL
ULHS Principal Mr. Ricky English has announced the Class of 2025 Knights of Academic Distinction. These seniors have a numerical average of 95.0 or above (as calculated by the school/student information system in December) and have completed four Honors, Dual Enrollment, and/or Advanced Placement courses in each of the core content areas (E/LA, Math, Science, Social Studies). Three of the above-mentioned courses must be Advanced Placement (AP) and/or Dual Enrollment (DE) courses in at least three different core content areas.
BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the ULHS 2025 Knights of Academic Distinction!!! Lily Dover Entrekin Baity, Colton Douglas Cagle, Fiona Marie Chambers, Landry Brandon English (Valedictorian), Lexi Noel Greene, Kit Marie Logan (Salutatorian), James Ian Mayer, Lauren Grace O'Linger, Ronik Jayesh Patel, Karsen Lanier Pitts, Alexa Zuleyka Velasco, Kayden Danielle Wisham, and Trey Edward Webb #ULProud
#weareUL #classof2025
Upson-Lee High School Principal Mr. Ricky English has announced the Class of 2025 Top 2 Seniors. Landry Brandon English is the 2025 Valedictorian and Kit Marie Logan is Salutatorian. Valedictorian is the senior with the highest overall numeric average who has also completed four Honors, Dual Enrollment, and/or Advanced Placement courses in each of the core content areas (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies). Three of the above mentioned courses must be Advanced Placement and/or Dual Enrollment courses in at least three different content areas. Student must have been enrolled at ULHS in the junior year before the 2nd 9 weeks began and the entire senior year to be considered for this honor. Salutatorian is the student with the second highest overall numeric average who has completed the same courses described for eligibility of the Valedictorian. Pictured with English and Logan are ULHS Principal Mr. Ricky English and T-U Superintendent Dr. Larry Derico. CONGRATULATIONS to these OUTSTANDING ULHS students!!!
BIG CONGRATS to ULHS Science Olympiad team members David Eppinger and Logan Slaughter for winning FIRST PLACE this weekend at a competition at Berry College. Eppinger and Slaughter secured the first place finish in the Air Trajectory event by designing and building a compressed-air-powered device capable of launching projectiles with precision to hit targets at varying heights and distances. Way to go, UL!!!
After consultation with the Sheriff’s Office, local EMS, and the TU transportation department, we have made the decision to close school again tomorrow, Friday, January 24. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution for our buses, parent/staff drivers, and our young student drivers who may be driving themselves to school on secondary roads that could be icy and dangerous in the morning after refreezing overnight. As you know, we will always put student and staff safety first when making decisions such as this one. All schools will return to a regular schedule on Monday, January 27. Thank you for your support of Thomaston-Upson Schools!
Due to the probability of icy and hazardous road conditions, particularly on secondary roads, and our safety concerns for students and staff, the Thomaston-Upson School System will be closed on Thursday, January 23.
Due to severe weather and the probability of adverse driving conditions in the morning, all Thomaston-Upson Schools and Central Office will be closed on Wednesday, January 22. We will continue to monitor the weather and will release information about Thursday’s plans as soon as possible.
The BOE public hearing, scheduled for tonight at 6:00 PM has been canceled. This meeting will be rescheduled and information will be released as soon as possible.