Each year, the entrepreneur class at South Cobb High School welcomes a variety of professionals and community members. Their teacher, Jacqueline Valentine, is not shy about inviting guests to speak to her class as she aims to ignite a spark of inspiration and curiosity in her students, who will soon step into the career world themselves. 

Two of her repeat guests work every day to support the success of students and educators. 

For Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods, his annual visit to Ms. Valentine’s class is an opportunity to step back into his role as a high school educator. 

For Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, his visit with Ms. Valentine and her students is a time not only to engage with one of Cobb’s veteran educators and a class full of Cobb’s future entrepreneurs but also provides an opportunity for him to witness, in person, the high-quality learning taking place in Cobb.  

As Ms. Valentine aims to expose her students to a diverse array of voices and professions, the two superintendents, appearing on separate occasions, took the opportunity to share insights from their careers and engage with the students.

When students asked Superintendent Woods about his motivation to become Georgia’s school superintendent, his reply was simple—the students. He stated that his primary driving force was the desire to advocate for the best possible education and support for the students in Georgia. 

The South Cobb students were curious about the type of mindset needed to pursue a position like state school superintendent. Superintendent Woods told the students that they had to see themselves as leaders. You have to have a vision. You have to have a plan, and you have to be a person of integrity. 

“Integrity comes first,” Superintendent Woods told the students.

Both Superintendent Woods and Superintendent Ragsdale stressed the importance of student safety as part of their jobs.

During his address to students, Superintendent Ragsdale demonstrated the importance of being open-minded about where their career path leads them. While Superintendent Woods began his career as a classroom  teacher, Superintendent Ragsdale did not. He started his career in the IT world, but his career path still led him to the world of education, where he has been for 30 years and now leads the second-largest school system in Georgia and the 23rd-largest in the nation. 

“After spending time with Ms. Valentine’s students, it’s obvious she’s doing something special in her classroom. South Cobb has produced business leaders across the state for decades, and I appreciate spending time with the next generation of business leaders,” said Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.