Biography
Mt. Bethel is a kindergarten through fifth grade public elementary school which is part of the Cobb County Public School System . It is located near the Chattahoochee River in Marietta, Georgia, in a community known as "East Cobb." This area is a residential community in north metropolitan Atlanta. Mt. Bethel has over 1000 students. Mt. Bethel was named both a Georgia and National School of Excellence. In 1997 it was named as a Georgia Charter School. In 1988, the school also received national recognition for its Backyard Habitat, the first in the state. Mt. Bethel students are served by Dickerson Middle School, Dodgen Middle School and Walton High School.
SCHOOL PROFILE
Mt. Bethel Elementary, a suburban (K-5) school located in eastern Cobb County, Georgia, is in its twenty-sixth year of operation and serves a very stable student population with a transiency rate of 4.25%. Less than 1% of the students receive free or reduced lunch, and the student body has a minority population of approximately 12% composed of Asian (9%), Hispanic (1.5%), and Afro-American (1.5%) students. The test scores are well above the national average, discipline problems are few, and the parents are highly supportive of the school and its programs.
In 1986 Mt. Bethel was named a Georgia Public School of Excellence and a National School of Excellence. The school has also received national recognition for its Backyard Habitat (1988) and as a National Demonstration School for Physical Education (1979 and 1982).
The external forces which have a significant impact on the staff and instructional program at Mt. Bethel are an active Volunteer in Education program (with approximately 3,200 hours contributed this school year), an outstanding PTA (with more than 110% membership), a supportive Partners-in-Education Program (with seven very active business partners), and the innovative Mt. Bethel Elementary Foundation, Inc.(a tax-exempt fund raising organization). In addition, the combined community and school organizations which provide leadership and effective communications conduits are: the School Council, Partners in Education Council, Instruction and Assessment Council, Cultural Arts Council, Media and Technology Council, Social Committee (School Climate Committee), and the Curriculum Council.
The skill and professionalism of the staff is evidenced by the fact that over 40% have conducted workshops and made presentations on the county, state, and national levels in the areas of technology, autism, physical education, science, literacy, and the Arts. Many are active in professional organizations, and strong leadership is evidenced at each grade level and among the support staff. Almost 60% of the staff have completed advanced degrees, and 25 teachers have received gifted certification. Additionally, 37 teachers have been trained in the Artist in Residence Program to integrate drama into curriculum areas.
Currently, 62 faculty members have been trained in InTech, a technology program, offered at Kennesaw State University, that provides training in many different types of computer software and other forms of technology emphasizing instructional integration. Additionally, ten staff members have received further training in WebTech, a program that involves the use of the Internet and all of its resources in the classroom.
The staff is very stable with few changes. Presently, the staff of 112 is composed of 69.5 certified employees, 27.5 classified employees, 9 food service employees, and 5 custodial employees. Most newcomers to the faculty over the last several years have been the result of changes and retirement. From the 1994-95 school year to the present, the school population has grown from 980 students to 1,150 students. Since the area is "built out", very little change in population is expected in the next few years.
