GaDOE Recognizes John Hancock Award Schools

The Georgia Department of Education has recognized five Barrow County schools as 2024-25 John Hancock Award Schools, an honor given to institutions that demonstrate excellence in cursive instruction.

Cursive writing supports student development in multiple ways—enhancing spelling, writing fluency, memory retention, and freeing up cognitive resources for higher-level thinking.

“Learning to read and write in cursive is a lifelong skill that empowers students to engage with historical documents, think critically, and communicate with confidence. We are proud of our Barrow BOLD schools that have earned the John Hancock Award,” said Dr. Katherine Brown, BCSS Chief Academic Officer.

Schools are selected based on their students’ proficiency in cursive. Those where 90% of students can write their name in cursive receive the John Hancock Banner and Proficiency Ribbon. Schools where 90% of students can write both their name and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in cursive are awarded the John Hancock Banner and Ribbon of Distinction.

Congratulations to the following schools:

• Austin Road Elementary School - John Hancock Distinction Recipient
• Bramlett Elementary School - John Hancock Proficiency Recipient 
• Holsenbeck Elementary School - John Hancock Proficiency Recipient 
• Statham Elementary School - John Hancock Proficiency Recipient 
• Yargo Elementary School - John Hancock Proficiency Recipient