Rocky Branch Elementary School has been named an All-Star School by the Georgia Department of Education, an honor given to less than 5% of public schools in Georgia. Rocky Branch was honored as part of the “Georgia All-Stars 4 Learning” initiative for its very successful school focus on combining character education with STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics – throughout the school.

“I could not be more honored to lead such an exceptional community of teachers, staff, and students, and we are delighted to receive this award,” said Principal Laura Mason. “We work together as a family to ensure our students are solving real-world problems in a nurturing learning environment. Through this model, our students achieve at high levels, are supportive of one another, and I am so proud to be their principal.”

Rocky Branch Elementary School is both a National School of Character, as well as a Georgia STEM-Certified School. Each grade-level has its own focus, ranging from recycling at the kindergarten level to world hunger for 3^rd graders. The school has a variety of outdoor garden spaces, complete with a greenhouse, chickens, composting bins, and much more. As an example of marrying STEAM and character-learning, students in the cooking club use eggs from the chickens and vegetables from the school’s garden to provide home-cooked meals for students that may not have such over the weekend.

 “Rocky Branch Elementary School has done an excellent job utilizing project-based learning with both STEAM and character-learning embedded schoolwide,” said Superintendent Jason Branch. “I commend their entire school community and agree – Rocky Branch is indeed an All-Star School!”