Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) received a $2000.00 donation from Georgia Power for SECCA’s new Energy Pathway. The pathway will be offered in the 2019-2020 school year and offers students the skills necessary for employment and success in the energy industry. The Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Pathway prepares individuals for careers in the designing, planning, maintaining, generating, transmission, and distribution of traditional and alternative energy. “With the monetary help and support of Georgia Power, the Energy Pathway will become a reality,” said David Avery, Director of High School Programs. The donation will be used to purchase equipment, supplies, and other items needed for the program.

Pictured left to right: Greg Hudgins, Manager at Georgia Power, and David Avery, Director of High School Programs at SECCA.

The Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education have developed a rigorous new certification process for accrediting Georgia career academies. A team of eight leaders from across the state spent three days at Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) on the Southeastern Technical College campus in Vidalia to apply the new criteria to the local school.

The team interviewed parents, students, teachers, administrators, business and industry partners, and community leaders. They also reviewed hundreds of documents to verify program rigor, quality, and impact on workforce development.

At the close of the review, the team presented an oral report to SECCA and school district leaders. The results, according to the team leader, are excellent, and the four local school systems, SECCA staff and board members, students, parents, business partners and the community as a whole were commended for their collaboration to meet the needs of students and employers. SECCA serves four local school systems: Montgomery County Schools, Toombs County Schools, Treutlen County Schools, and Vidalia City Schools.

According to Shelly Smith, SECCA CEO, “ Our school superintendents and school personnel work tirelessly to offer courses through our career academy that will provide students with the credentials and skills needed to make successful transitions to post-secondary education and, eventually, a career. We are proud of the partnership SECCA has with the four school systems.”

Pictured left to right: Dr. Garrett Wilcox, Vidalia City Schools Superintendent; Mr. Hugh Kight, Montgomery County Schools Superintendent; Mr. Barry Waller, Toombs County Schools Superintendent; and Dr. Bradley Anderson, Treutlen County Schools Superintendent.

In December, employees from Southern Nuclear and Southern Company participated in SECCA's Lunch and Learn. SECCA personnel gave a tour of the career academy and made a presentation about the new energy pathway that will start in the 2018-2019 school year. Those participating were left to right in front row: Shelly Smith, SECCA CEO; Cory Foskey, Southern Nuclear Engineer/Preventive Maintenance Coordinator; Billy Ring, Engineer/EFIN Team; Tyler Edenfield, Engineer/EFIN Team; Joey Jordan, Engineer/EFIN Team; Brian Jackson, Engineer/Project Manager; and David Avery, Director of High School Programs at SECCA. Back Row: Greg Hudgins, Manager, Southern Company.

Parent night was held on December 13th for parents to learn more about the YouScience assessment. Teachers discussed results with parents and students.
YouScience provides users with a detailed description of each career including the types of people who do well in the field and their daily job activities. Career profiles outline current and expected job demand as well as the educational and credential requirements of each field. Pictured are JROTC instructor Leona Brooks, her student, Cadet Prado, and Prado's parents.

SECCA is providing better technology to give their students more personalized results. In the fall semester, SECCA administered the YouScience assessment to all of their students. The YouScience assessment gives impactful guidance to get focused on where the students want to be. YouScience combines aptitudes, interests, and 21st century careers to make the highest quality career and educational recommendations. Students in Betsy Avellaneda’s Automotive Program are shown taken the assessment.

The College and Career Readiness Mini Fair was held recently for all students enrolled in SECCA courses. Representatives from colleges and agencies were on hand to discuss college information and career options. Southeastern Technical College, Brewton Parker College, East Georgia College, Georgia Department of Labor, and Job Training Unlimited were a few of the agencies/colleges participating.

On Thursday, October 25, members of the Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) Board of Directors held a luncheon meeting with Dr. Lynn Plunkett who will lead the academy staff and board through the accreditation process between now and January 2019. Dr. Plunkett explained the evaluation criteria and documentation required for meeting State standards. A team will be on-site January 14-16 to conduct the assessment for accreditation, and members of the team will come from the Technical College System of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education, the Charter Schools Division, and other career academies across the state.

Pictured are back row, left to right: Dr. Tim Smith, former Vidalia superintendent; Hugh Kight, Montgomery County Superintendent; Henry Price, SECCA Board Chair and member of the Montgomery County Board of Education; David Avery, SECCA High School Director; Dr. Garrett Wilcox, Superintendent Vidalia City Schools; Dr. Brad Anderson, Superintendent Treutlen County Schools; Fred Godbee, SECCA Board member; Don Betts, SECCA Board member.
Front row: Shelly Smith, SECCA CEO; Dr. Lynn Plunkett, Georgia Department of Education.

On Thursday, September 27, students from Toombs County High School, Treutlen High School, and Vidalia High School visited Georgia Southern University for Future Georgia Educators (FGE) Day hosted at the Nessmith Lane Conference Center on the Statesboro Campus.

During the event, students were provided with various opportunities to learn about the teaching profession. Georgia Southern College of Education faculty and students presented workshop sessions on topics such as assistive technology for special education, school counseling, math education, language and cultural diversity in the classroom, and various teaching technologies that enhance classroom learning.

FGE Day is an initiative that is coordinated by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) in conjunction with colleges of education in Georgia institutions to provide professional learning, networking and college visitation for students who are considering teaching as a profession.

The Thunderbolts JROTC Regiment, which consists of students from Vidalia High School, Montgomery County High School, Toombs County High School, and Treutlen High School, hosted a Raider competition on September 8, 2018. The event had 22 teams representing 11 different high schools.

The Raider Competition consists of the following five events: three mile run, Cross Country Rescue Course (CCR), one Rope Bridge, tire flip and fitness challenge. All teams must complete all five events. The Thunderbolt Raider Team A placed second in the mixed category, and Team B placed 6th.

Mixed Category:
1st place- Bryan County JROTC, Pembroke, GA
2nd place - Thunderbolts JROTC, Vidalia, GA
3rd place - Statesboro JROTC, Statesboro, GA

At the Lt. Governor's 11th Annual Business and Education Summit, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle announced that Brooke Morris of Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) was the winner of the Lt. Governor's 2018 Student Leadership Award. The award is presented to one exceptional College and Career Academy student for outstanding accomplishments. Georgia's College and Career Academies (CCAs) offer students endless opportunities to further their careers and educational pursuits. The students selected as nominees for this prestigious award represent highly-motivated individuals who are actively engaged in their communities. Attending the event on August 27th in Albany, Georgia with her parents and former TAP teacher, Sabrina Campbell, Brooke accepted the award. She completed the Teaching as a Profession Pathway (TAP) through SECCA and is continuing her education at the University of Georgia.

Pictured left to right: Melinda Morris, Rodney Morris, Brooke Morris, Sabrina Campbell, and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle

During the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education Summer Conference, DOT Foods of Vidalia received the 2018 Business Partner of the Year Award for the Southeast Region. The conference was held in July, 2018 in Athens, Georgia. Mr. Robert Hadden, Operations Manager at DOT Foods, was presented the award along with Mr. Eric McDonald, Vidalia High School CTAE Director, Donna Collins, Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Vidalia High School, and Peggy Snow, Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Toombs County High School. Mr. Hadden plans to continue providing high school students with on the job training and future career opportunities at DOT Foods. Tim Truxel, DOT Foods Plant Manager, has spearheaded the partnership for three years and is very supportive of the program. Mrs. Collins stated, “It is partnerships like the one between the school systems and DOT Foods that allow our students the opportunity to learn work-ready skills while still in high school. I cannot say enough good things about DOT Foods.” Mr. McDonald expressed the importance of WBL and encourages other local businesses to become partners in the program.