Current Superintendent of Social Circle City Schools and former Clarke Central High School Principal Dr. Robbie Hooker is featured above. Hooker was announced as the finalist for the position of Clarke County School District Superintendent by the CCSD Board of Education on Aug. 8. As a former member of the ODYSSEY Media Group, Amelia DeLamater, a fourth grade teacher at Whitehead Road Elementary School, worked with Hooker during his term as principal while she was a student at CCHS from 2013 to 2017. “I admired him as a student and now to be a teacher in the county that he is Superintendent of is a blessing and makes me very excited,” DeLamater said. “He has been a principal in our district and he very much understands Clarke County for its blessings and for areas we need to grow in. I am proud of him and I am proud to be a teacher in his school district.” Photo from ODYSSEY archives, graphic by Maya Clement
The CCSD Board of Education announced Dr. Robbie Hooker as the finalist for the position of Superintendent of the CCSD in a press release on Aug. 8. If approved by the BOE in the coming weeks, he will assume the position effective Oct. 10.
Since Dr. Xernona Thomas announced her retirement from the position of Clarke County School District Superintendent in November 2021, the CCSD Board of Education has been working to fill the role. On Aug. 8, CCSD educator Dr. Robbie Hooker was announced as the finalist for the position in a press release.
Hooker has held many roles in educational leadership, including serving as the principal at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School from 2003 to 2008 and the principal of Clarke Central High School from 2008 to 2016. He currently serves as the Superintendent of Social Circle City Schools, a position he has held since 2019.
“Dr. Hooker has worked in complex communities, including many years in Clarke County. He has a strong history of building leadership capacity and relationships which are critical to our culture and climate as well as other strategic priorities,” BOE President Dr. LaKeisha Gantt said in the press release. “The Board is excited about the direction of education in Clarke County under Dr. Hooker’s leadership. We are also grateful for Dr. Thomas’ leadership, as she has led the district through significant transitions.”
“I look forward to working with our governance team to focus on our students and make this the best educational experience possible.”
— Dr. Robbie Hooker,
Finalist for the Clarke County School District Superintendent position
Through his previous roles, Hooker has been named Teacher of the Year at W. R. Coile Middle School for the 1995-96 school year and Georgia High School Principal of the Year in 2013. CCHS Family Engagement Specialist Christian Barner is glad that Hooker will be the next Superintendent and believes his skills are well suited to the position.
“I’m really excited to see Dr. Hooker coming back home to lead in Clarke County,” CCHS Family Engagement Specialist Christian Barner said. “He’s a compassionate, humble, and intelligent leader, someone who listens and responds to the needs of the community. I couldn’t imagine a person more well-suited to be our next Superintendent.”
Hooker is looking forward to working in the CCSD again and aims to focus on student achievement.
“I am excited to return and join the leaders, teachers and staff at the (CCSD),” Hooker said in the press release. “I look forward to working with our governance team to focus on our students and make this the best educational experience possible.”
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