With a strong focus on career and skills development, Candler County is committed to producing wellrounded individuals who are prepared for the challenges that lay ahead of them. SOFT SKILLS CURRICULUM AND CAREER PATHWAYS Candler County Schools is an innovative district The district has developed a pivotal K-12 soft skills curriculum, known as the Seven Habits of a Happy Child. “It’s all about thinking win-win, being respectful, compromise, and teamwork, and then in middle school, expanding that with job shadowing experiences,” details Dr. Longgrear. “As we get into the high school grades, it is internships and opportunities to work with our regional and local partners. We start getting really specific and honing in on career choices, building that specific level of success, introducing them to the right people, working on interview skills and those core job skills that are so important to business and industry.” One of the highlights of the middle school program is the Amazing Shake competition.This international contest pushes students to think on their feet in a variety of challenging scenarios, including conflict resolution and professional networking. CTAE Director, Dr. Robbie Dollar, elaborates,“Last year, when we began that competition, we had upwards of 50 people engaged over a series of activities or events. Last year we had five students that traveled to Atlanta, to the Ron Clark Academy, and participated in the International competition.” The Amazing Shake draws significant community support, with local business leaders serving as judges and assistants in the event.“We’re a relatively small community, but as we have more and more individuals move into our community they are afforded the opportunity to be able to connect with influential people that may lend them a hand in any variety of ways, perhaps give them an internship or a work based learning opportunity, perhaps write a letter of recommendation on their behalf, or connect them with someone that they may know in a particular industry or at a particular school. So, we see it having many different positive benefits,” emphasizes Dr. Dollar. A FOCUS ON LITERACY Dr. Longgrear points to the importance of reading and understanding as a tool for future success. “Literacy is more than just reading Shakespeare and analyzing it,” he says. “It’s being able to read technical instructions and booklets to gather information, and then execute 323 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 11 CANDLER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
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