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HireSmart Grants Help FCCLA Students at State Event
Ladd Soseby walked into the room alone. The “Chapter in Review Display” event at the regional FCCLA competition was designed as a two-person presentation. His partner wasn't available. So, Ladd stood in front of the judges and delivered the whole thing himself. He still placed in the top two of the region and advanced to state. Then he went home, revamped the entire project, and finished fourth…
Drone Program Builds More Than Technical Skills at Clarke Central
Cadet Alicia Arellano came into the Clarke Central drone program hesitant to speak up in class. Months later she was part of a team, teaching drone safety and piloting fundamentals to 180 of her fellow cadets. Cadet Ezra Long came in to learn how to fly and ended up learning how to fix what breaks, a skill he…
Life Skills, Not Lectures: Inside a Different Kind of School Day in Commerce
Every spring, Commerce High School's entire senior class spends a day learning to change tires, write checks, cook, budget, and sit through a proper etiquette luncheon. Five years in, it's become one of the most anticipated events of the year. This year's March 24th “Adulting Day” event received a HireSmart Cares grant for $1,800 to help cover the cost, part of the nonprofit's ongoing work to support workforce…
Revving Up Opportunity
Empower’s New Automotive Program Accelerates Student Success with HireSmart Support When Zach Holtzclaw walked into the brand-new automotive technology facility at Empower College and Career Center, he knew he was stepping into something special. As the inaugural director of the program, Holtzclaw faced the exciting challenge of building a comprehensive automotive curriculum from the ground up in a facility…
When the Lab Comes to Life: Empower Biotech Students Visit UGA
On a recent school day, Emily Gunderson's biotechnology students at Empower College and Career Center in Jackson County were in the middle of something most high schoolers never touch. They had spent the previous day cutting DNA with restriction enzymes, and now they were running gel electrophoresis, sending electricity through a gel to separate DNA fragments by size. They…
More Than Drones: How One Teacher Is Developing Future Professionals
Before a single drone is powered on, Lydia Prince's students are already working. They're on the practice field behind the old gym at Academy of Richmond County, building mazes by hand, thinking through the course their aircraft will eventually need to navigate. The flying comes later. First comes the planning. That sequence brings perspective. Prince, a Computer Science teacher at the Augusta high school, cofounded…
HireSmart Grant Helps Students See the Business Behind the Game
Ashton Ziegler knew the Atlanta Hawks ran on more than basketball. But standing inside State Farm Arena on Feb. 26, hearing directly from the people who handle marketing, sales, culinary operations, and fan experience, made it real. "It showed me how much goes into behind the scenes and how they all play a big part," he said. Ziegler…