The Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation has donated $1-million to the Hall County School District (HCSD) to expand the district’s Early College Program.
The donation will look to establish the Howard E. Ivester Early College North Campus. The addition will be housed in the former White Sulphur Elementary School facility off of Old Cornelia Highway.
The current Early College campus off of Atlanta Highway has reached capacity according to HCSD.
The new north campus will expand access to students in the northern part of the district.
“It is truly inspiring to consider that 45 percent of students at Ivester Early College are first-generation participants in college courses. This program is an incredible opportunity for students to take college-level courses while receiving the necessary support to succeed,” Superintendent Will Schofield said.
The Ivester Foundation’s President Lynn Darby said that they “wholeheartedly” support the expansion.
“The Ivester Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the Howard E. Ivester Early College. We have recognized for some time that the Ivester Early College needed increased capacity to serve the deserving students of Hall County,” Darby said.
HCSD is anticipating that the new campus will open its doors in the fall of the upcoming academic year.
