Ten area schools will receive additional help toward state and national goals to get as many students as possible into college.
The 10 North Georgia schools were among 29 across the larger region to receive grants totaling $194,975 from the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education, officials with the group announced this week.
SCHOOL GRANTSGrants from the Georgia Appalachian Center of Higher Education were awarded to 10 nearby high schools in North Georgia.Dade County HighDalton HighMorris Innovative HighGordon Lee HighLaFayette HighRidgeland HighMurray County HighNorth Murray HighPhoenix HighWhitfield Career AcademySource: Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education
“We are excited that so many superintendents, school principals, faculties and staff were willing to step up to the challenge of ensuring that their students graduate ready for college with real postsecondary choices,” said Shirley Davis, director of the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education, in a news release.
“The economic consequences of leaving high school without a diploma are severe,” she said. “We want every student to have college as a viable option.”
The Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education provides information and assistance to schools so they can help more students go to college.
Many schools use the money — which can range from a couple thousand dollars to more than $8,000 — for college field trips, college admission test preparation and financial aid counseling.
For some schools, the grant is almost a necessity, school officials said.
“We have a large number of kids who are first in family [to attend college],” said Whitfield Career Academy Principal Tim Fleming. “If they weren’t helping us, we would need to figure out something.”
Career Academy staff plan to use the $6,000 grant on students. It will pay for sophomores to explore career options by visiting industries that interest them and for juniors to visit college campuses. And some money will be used to offer “Apply to College Day” on Nov. 11.
Donna James, graduation coach at LaFayette High School, which has received the grant for the past five years, said that, for some students, the grant pays for their first visit to a college of any kind.
“A lot of the kids that we take on these trips have never been on a college campus,” she said. “It opens up a whole different outlook for them.”
Though the program is open to anyone who wants to participate, “the main target are kids who have the potential of going to postsecondary school but don’t think they can due to their financial or home situation,” she said.
Phoenix High School received a $7,000 award, said Mary Anne Fogle, English teacher and staff development coordinator, which will be used, among other things, to provide a Cyber Cafe Career Center.
The money also will bring Rita Fordham’s “Best Foot Forward” seminars to campus to help students polish their business and personal etiquette skills, she said.
“The goal is no longer to just put a diploma in their hand,” Fogle said. “The goal is to help map out their goals for the future and get them started.”