Teachers were revived up and motivated for the new school year during the annual Brookhaven School District convocation Friday. City and state officials were present to cheer on the teachers as awards for outstanding achievement were handed to teachers and new members were welcomed to the Brookhaven family.

Every school wore bright matching t-shirts with inspirational logos that applied to their schools; such as “BES rounding up excellence” and BHS’s “failure is not an option.”

“This is a great day to be a teacher,” said Ben Cox, superintendent of Brookhaven.

He said for the next 180 days the teachers would have the privilege of influencing and teaching children.

Brookhaven teachers have seen a lot of growth this past year. Awards were handed out for every school to individual teacher’s who students who received high marks on tests the previous year. Over 50 awards were given. The most notable was for Zidia Bridges. One hundred percent of her algebra class passed the state exams, and they scored 11 points higher than the state average.

Mayor Joe Cox said at the ceremony that many things set Brookhaven apart and one of them is the strong schools.

“One thing never changes we are Ole Brook, strong and ready to make a difference,” he said.

Ben Cox said in his address to the teachers that being a teacher is a great experience. Each year they get a fresh start and are able to improve from the last. This year the teachers have the opportunity to be successful and influence the lives of children.

The send off speech made by Cox left excitement in the air. The new school year is right around the corner and teachers are ready for a new batch of students.