The past year
showed the
power of partnerships,
as the
Cherokee County School
District’s business and
community partners found
a way, despite a global
pandemic, to continue to
support schools, educators
and students.
Whether they showed
their support by holding
virtual spirit night fundraisers,
donating boxed
lunches for teachers or
developing new career
education programs, CCSD
partners overcame obstacles
and innovated.
Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower
said CCSD’s partners
could have taken a step
back, as he knows the
pandemic negatively
impacted some businesses,
but instead they stepped
up.
“We faced many challenges
34 CLASS ACT | 2021-2022
over the past year,
but it was encouraging and
reassuring to know that our
partners stood with us,” he
said.
Partner engagement is
an important initiative for
the School District, and is a
focus of the Blueprint
five-year strategic plan and
critical to the success of
numerous programs,
especially the Career,
Technical and Agricultural
Education classes and
extra-curriculars in all
CCSD high schools.
One of the most significant
partnerships that
supports CCSD’s career
education programs is the
Cherokee County Workforce
Collaborative. Overseen
by the county’s Office
of Economic Development,
the Collaborative brings
together leaders from
CCSD, higher education,
government and businesses
to improve local career
opportunities.
The Collaborative’s
projects continue to grow
and include a summer
internship program for
high school students that
offers the opportunity to
learn about a specific career
field and earn a paycheck; a
student film summit and
festival that provides
connections to local film
industry professionals; and
two new endeavors – Be
Pro Be Proud Georgia and
the first-ever Cherokee
Skilled Professions Signing
Day.
Be Pro Be Proud Georgia,
launched in July 2020,
brings awareness of the
skilled professions directly
to students through an
interactive mobile workshop
and website that
features 15 of Georgia’s
most in-demand careers
along with statewide
training programs and
companies looking to hire
skilled workers.
The mobile workshop
visited all of CCSD’s high
schools and middle schools
as part of its inaugural
year, and will return to
provide more students the
opportunity to learn about
careers through hands-on
activities.
The first Cherokee
Skilled Professions Signing
Day, which is planned as an
annual event, was presented
in May by the Collaborative
and Be Pro Be Proud
Georgia.
Similar to national
signing days for athletes,
the event raised awareness
of the value of the skilled
professions by celebrating
CCSD high school seniors
who had committed to
pursuing advanced technical
training or careers in
one of Be Pro Be Proud
Georgia’s 15 top skilled
trades.
“With skilled workers
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