Anywhere, anytime; learning without limits.
Following the Catoosa County Board of Education’s recent unanimous approval of Catoosa Online Academy, that is not only the academy’s slogan, it is a model of education available to all local students.
“The academy is a program for students who desire a challenging, highly flexible learning environment that is designed around their needs,” said Sawyer, adding that he will personally oversee the online school for Catoosa County Schools. “We are talking about starting a small pilot [school]. It will be a blended model where students can take a class virtually. The typical school day hours don’t always work for traveling students. Life sometimes happens and students need the online option.”
Ringgold High School principal Sharon Vaughn said hardly a day goes by when a student does not ask for another option.
“Our graduation rate is high in Catoosa County because of our access to the technology tool,” she said in reference to Catoosa Online Academy, of which she is in favor.
Other representatives from schools mentioned students who become pregnant while in high school and then need an online option. The students could continue completing their classwork while on maternity leave more easily online, she noted.
“I’m fine with moving forward on the academy,” Catoosa County School Board chairman Don Dycus said to Sawyer during a recent School Board meeting. “If you will take it on, I trust you because you always do a good job. I understand for it to be successful that it needs to start soon.” In other business:
o Catoosa County Schools Director of Operations Doug Suits reported that ESPLOST IV is supporting construction projects at Ringgold High School. He said a performing arts center is in the works to be built in the current side parking lot of the school. The center will house band and art classes. Parking will be moved temporarily to the former tennis courts behind the current lot as well as to the gravel lot by the fields. Construction is expected to start by May 1, and by Dec. 14, 2013, the performing arts center should be completed.
o Suits presented photos to the Catoosa County School Board of updates to the ESPLOST-funded construction projects at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School and Lakeview Middle School. He said LMS looks better now that the trees in front of the building and around the sign have been removed for better road visibility. The improvements make the school stand out more, he said.