The new $3.5-million addition to the Hall County School System will provide high school students with hands on skills in the hospitality industry featuring businesses open to the public and run by the students. Cagle said it opens a pathway, an alternative to students who drop out of school, with Georgia's dropout rate still too high.
"The number one reason a kid drops out of school is they don't see the relevance in what they're learning," Cagle said. "For so many kids they need a technical path of learning because 80 percent of the work force tomorrow is going to need some kind of technical training."
Hall County School Superintendent Will Schofield credited the Lieutenant Governor with setting the stage and providing the funding to make the "Oaks" a reality with initial grant funding that led to 21 career academies around the state.
"They're getting an education and it's real world and it's relevant," Schofield said. "We've got to open up our horizons and hold schools accountable for creating productive 21st century students and the Career Academy is a perfect example of a relevant education that prepares students for what awaits them out in the real world."
Students work in several business ventures at the Academy according to "Oaks" spokesperson Pat Ellis.
"We're now opening a coffee shop and a fine dining bistro and we hope the public will come in and eat with us," Ellis said. "The students love it because it's real work, it's not simulated anymore."
The new $3.5-million addition to the Hall County School System will provide high school students with hands on skills
. Cagle said it opens a pathway, an alternative to students who drop out of school, with Georgia
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle was the featured speaker Wednesday morning for the ribbon cutting and grand opening at the
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