The team at Fayette County Public Schools is dedicated to continuous improvement, and the district’s leaders put that commitment into practice at the annual Administrative Institute.

Hosted over two days at Sandy Creek High and Flat Rock Middle, the gathering kicked off summer with a chance for school administrators and county office staff to come together and sharpen their toolkits to help students. 

Kicking off with a Presentation of Colors by the Sandy Creek Air Force JROTC and a performance of the National Anthem by the Sandy Creek Advanced Chorus, day one featured Mike Schmoker, author of “Results Now and Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning,” as keynote speaker. 

Christy Todd, the 2022 Fayette County Teacher of the Year, was among the presenters during the day’s activities. 

Day two added a fun twist with participants invited to wear island shirts or demonstrate school spirit. Fayetteville Elementary’s Principal Dr. Monica Reckley went all out for her Tigers Cubs, wearing a full tiger costume. 

Members of Forsyth County Schools’ Student Advocacy Specialists shared the successes of their team in crisis prevention and promotion of student success. 

Breakout sessions focused on school improvement, and Fayette County High Class of 2022 Valedictorian Sara Ali offered inspirational remarks to the group. 

Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Patterson implored the crowd to take the event as a chance to both take a breath and challenge their own thinking. 

“The purpose is that you hear the messages that you need to hear and that you feel confident because behind each person in this room is 50 to 100 to 150 to 200 people that rely on your leadership,” said Dr. Patterson. “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”