In an ongoing quest to meet a broader range of student needs, Catoosa County Schools expects to expand its high school options even further by 2021 with the addition of the College and Career Academy.
Now only in the beginning of planning phases, the program is one of many alternative models which Catoosa has put together over the past five years in an effort to achieve a 100 percent graduation rate, said Catoosa County Schools communication specialist Marissa Brower.
“We think it’s important, especially for today’s students, for them to have options,” she said. “When I was in high school, everyone went to high school. But that traditional model doesn’t work for every student. And we want every student in a Catoosa County school to graduate with a diploma. … For us to accomplish ‘Graduate Catoosa,’ we need to build something to where there is no excuse not to graduate.”
The new, conceptual program will partner with area businesses to determine the needs and employment opportunities in Catoosa County, specializing classes to give students the skills and education they need to join the local workforce.
Catoosa Online Academy was the first alternative method in the county’s quest to offer options to help students graduate. It was inspired by then-Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe student Lauren Alaina, who wanted to continue her studies and graduate from the school on time, even though she was across the country participating in “American Idol.”