
Happy National Custodian Day to all our incredible school custodial staff across ABSS! 🧹🧼 From mops to spray bottles, they ensure our learning spaces are safe and healthy for everyone. Thank you to all our custodians, including the Eastlawn Elementary crew featured here, for your hard work and commitment to our students and staff!


#ABSSAlert | Due to predicted high wind gusts and the potential for flash flooding and tornadoes from Hurricane Helene, all ABSS schools and district offices will be closed on Friday, September 27. This closure applies to all ABSS facilities and activities.
Debido a las fuertes ráfagas de viento pronosticadas y la posibilidad de inundaciones repentinas y tornados por el huracán Helene, todas las escuelas y oficinas del distrito de ABSS estarán cerradas el viernes 27 de septiembre. Este cierre se aplica a todas las instalaciones y actividades de ABSS.


From Dr. Aaron Fleming, Superintendent
We are heartbroken alongside our community at the recent tragic loss of two young lives. We have a team of counselors and support staff available to help our students during this difficult time. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our community. Please continue to keep family, friends, staff, and students in your thoughts and prayers.

🌟 Congratulations to our STAR Staff of the Month! 🌟
We're thrilled to recognize Paula Alcorn, Teacher Assistant at E.M. Holt Elementary School, for her outstanding dedication to our students!
Principal Leslie Hersinger praises Mrs. Alcorn's exceptional qualities:
"Mrs. Alcorn exhibits great character in the classroom and she is committed to serving students. She is always positive in addressing student needs and in her interactions with everyone. Mrs. Alcorn demonstrates kindness, respect and dedication to all students."
Mrs. Alcorn's motto: "Let your light shine everyday!" 💫 On why she loves what she does: "I love working here. It's all about connecting with students and making sure each one feels valued." ❤️
Thank you, Mrs. Alcorn, for your unwavering commitment to our young learners. Your positive influence helps shape bright futures!



🌟 STAR Student of the Month: Quest Garner! 🌟
Congratulations to Quest Garner, a 4th grader in Mrs. Landess' class at B. Everett Jordan Elementary, for being named our STAR Student of the Month!
Quest truly embodies the ABSS qualities:
🔄 Adaptable: Great communication skills and resilience
⚖️ Balanced: Shows empathy and a collaborative spirit
🚀 Self-Reliant: Embraces a learner's mindset and personal responsibility
💡 Solution-Oriented: Demonstrates critical thinking and strong problem-solving skills
Principal Dail and Mrs. Landess shared: "Quest is a well-rounded student in our 4th and 5th grade combination class. He is always willing to help a friend, either academically or by offering a witty way to cheer someone up. Quest is creative and tries his best on his assignments, even if the work is difficult. Quest is an asset to our class family!"
Keep shining bright, Quest! Your hard work and positive attitude inspire us all. 🎉👏





🌟 Our STAR district recognitions return! This month, we recognize Quest Garner from B. Everett Jordan and Paula Alcorn from E.M. Holt Elementary! We will be sharing more about them in separate posts. They were recognized at tonight's Board of Education meeting. Please join us in congratulating them! 🏆
🤔 What are STAR Awards? They're monthly recognitions for outstanding students and staff in the Alamance-Burlington School System who go above and beyond!
🎓 STAR Students embody the ABSS qualities: They're adaptable with great communication skills and resilience; balanced, showing empathy and a collaborative spirit; self-reliant, embracing a learner's mindset and personal responsibility; and solution-oriented, demonstrating critical thinking and strong problem-solving skills.
👩🏫 STAR Staff members shine through their responsibility, exhibiting good character, maintaining excellent attendance, and showing unwavering commitment to serving students on an ongoing basis.
🏆 Here's how it works: Schools nominate their Stars, with all student nominees featured on the ABSS website. Each month, one exceptional student and one outstanding staff member are chosen for special recognition, receiving a trophy at the Board of Education meeting. A special shoutout to our generous sponsor, B & H Trophies in Burlington, for making these recognitions possible!


We are excited to share that Annie Goldberg, school counselor of Broadview Middle School, recently earned the ASCA Certified School Counselor (ACSC) recognition, one of only 57 school counselors nationwide. The ACSC designation recognizes school counselors who are committed to the highest levels of professionalism, ethical practice and continuing professional development in their school counseling practice. Annie Goldberg will be honored during a special ceremony at the American School Counselor Association’s Annual Conference on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 in Long Beach, California.



As we bid farewell to Dr. Harrison on his final day as Interim Superintendent, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for his dedication and exemplary service to our #ABSSCommunity. Throughout his brief tenure, Dr. Harrison has demonstrated remarkable leadership, guiding our staff, inspiring our students, and fostering strong connections with families and community members. We appreciate the wisdom, experience, and compassion he brought to this role. Dr. Harrison's commitment to excellence in education and his genuine care for the well-being of all staff and students have set a high standard for leadership. As he moves on to new endeavors, we wish him the very best and thank him sincerely for his invaluable contributions to our schools and community.






As a student told us today, our brains get busy! 🧘♀️ Highland Elementary third grade teacher Sasha Denham is bringing mindfulness to her classroom with daily yoga sessions. Ms. Denham leads students through calming poses like "tree tops," "bird breaths," and "doing the laundry" to help them start their day focused and ready to learn.
This innovative approach will be featured on FOX8 "What's Right With Our Schools" segment with Cindy Farmer, airing next Monday morning and again on Thursday. You can look forward to interviews with Ms. Denham and student Candace, as well as footage of the class applying their yoga-induced focus to finding details in a passage about Mercury.





Statement Regarding Recent Threats on Social Media



Today, North Graham Elementary honored our local heroes with a heartwarming First Responders Parade. Students and staff lined the car rider route, cheering and waving flags as members of the Graham Police Department and Fire Department marched by. Fifth graders led a special program, including the Pledge of Allegiance, and raised the American flag. On this September 11th, we celebrated our local heroes and remembered the fallen, highlighting the bravery and sacrifice of first responders. Thank you to all who serve and protect our community!











Arts in Education Week Spotlight: At Pleasant Grove Elementary, 2nd graders explored the magic of color with art teacher Kate Gunther. Students created vibrant color wheels, demonstrating how primary colors (🔴🔵🟡) mix to form secondary colors (🟣🟢🟠). This hands-on lesson taught color relationships and laid the foundation for future art projects! 🖌️✨ #ArtsinEducation #StudentCenteredFutureFocused






🎨🏺 Arts in Education Week Spotlight: Woodlawn Middle students are molding their talents as part of the North Carolina Museum of Art Artist Innovation Mentorship (AIM) program! Under art teacher John Dodson's guidance, they've explored pottery and batik with guest artist Laura Daughtry, pottery instructor from Eastern Alamance High School. Their creative works even graced a summer exhibition at the Mebane Arts Center! Mr. Dodson shares, "This program is a fantastic way to expose students to the wider world of art. Students get to meet local artists that have continued to make art past their school years, some as a hobby and some as a career."
As we celebrate Arts in Education Week, programs like NCMA AIM showcase the power of creativity in schools. In its first year, AIM reached over 100 students and 5,000 community members across seven NC counties. Woodlawn Middle eagerly continues this journey, planning more artistic explorations with more guest artists and a potential school beautification project.





🎨🎭🎶 It's Arts in Education Week! We're celebrating the vibrant ARTS in our schools! Our dedicated educators and passionate students continue to inspire through visual arts, music, dance, and theater. Their creativity shines in classrooms, after-school practices, and performances. This week, we'll showcase arts education and the amazing talents across our district. Join us in celebrating and supporting the arts! These photos were captured at the Evening of Excellence event, North Graham Elementary art show, and Williams High School art show.





That feeling when the letter "a" looks exactly how it should on your whiteboard! Or is it that Friday feeling? Either way, we're grinning over here in Mrs. Dalton's class at B. Everett Jordan! 👍


What's your childhood favorite storybook? Devlin Popham, Media Specialist at Grove Park Elementary, reminds us of the magic of reading to kids: it boosts language skills, sparks creativity, builds bonds, and sharpens focus. 📖✨ #StudentCenteredFutureFocused



Great lessons start long before the bell rings, in those vital meetings where our educators dissect data and craft winning strategies for student growth. As seen here at B. Everett Jordan and Grove Park, our curriculum team is right there alongside our administrators and teachers, supporting them as they analyze results and figure out the best ways to propel our students toward success!



As our E.M. Yoder safety patrol raises the American flag, we're reminded of the spirit of service and hard work. 🇺🇸 Please remember that schools and district offices are closed for Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend, and we'll see you back on Tuesday!


Little hands, big dreams! 💫 Our youngest scholars are already putting their minds to work, creating masterpieces and building skills one activity at a time. They're showing us what determination looks like - crayon, glue stick, or scissors in hand! #ABSSFirstDay #StudentCenteredFutureFocused


🥬 Romaine calm, everyone! Our souper-hero 🦸♀️🦸♂️ School Nutrition staff just wrapped up an energizing Back to School event at Hawfields Middle. They've been cooking up a storm of knowledge, learning the latest in food prep and storage, cash and inventory management, and precise weighing and measuring techniques. 📚
Our culinary crew also beefed up on general best practices to ensure a strong start to the new school year. They're totally geared up and ready to serve our students with nutritious, delicious meals. We just wanted to say you're all so a-peach-iated! 🍑 Get ready for a great year of healthy eating!






