Welcome to Beecher Hills Elementary School! Whether you are a newcomer to our school or an “old-timer,” we hope you will find this school year to be a memorable and exciting one. This handbook answers many of the questions you may have about policies, procedures, and activities at Beecher Hills Elementary School. It is our expectation that it will serve as a valuable resource to you throughout the school year.

Our goals are to develop every student mentally, physically, and emotionally by providing diversity in instructional experiences. These experiences will ensure the incremental acquisition of those fundamental skills necessary to produce life long learners.

A special thanks to all of the faculty members who assisted with the completion of this handbook. To our students, parents and community friends thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in our quest for student success.

Sincerely,

Carter E. Coleman, Jr.
Principal

History of Beecher Hills Elementary School

Beecher Hills Elementary School was erected in 1958 under the superintendence of Dr. Ira Jarrell. The school is located at 2257 Bollingbrook Drive in southwest Atlanta and was built to accommodate 500 students in grades K-7. In the 1980’s the organization of Beecher Hills was changed from K-7 to K-5. The original building has now been expanded to include an upper and lower cluster.

In its 32 years of existence, only seven Principals have administered Beecher Hills. The first principal was Miss Henrietta Starke (September, 1959-June, 1968). She was followed by Miss Regina Stearn (September, 1968-June, 1973)
and Dr. Gwendolyn Howard (September, 1973-June, 1978). The fourth administrator was Dr. Henry M. Harris, III (September, 1978-February, 1991). Dr. Gwendolyn W. Garrison came on board as acting principal on February 12, 1991. She retired at the end of the 1991-92 school year. The sixth principal was Dr. Gretchen B. Bess (August, 1992-June, 1998). The seventh and current principal is Carter E. Coleman, Jr. who was appointed in 1998.

The school colors for Beecher Hills are blue and white. The school mascot is the Beecher Bee. In April of 1991, our art teacher, Mrs. Jihan Abdur-Rashid, gave our BEECHER BEE a new personality. Its frown has been replaced with a smile, and its feet now sport tennis shoes.