204 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 make this community a better place to live and bring better opportunities for our people.” Providing Opportunities for Lifelong Success with a Fun and Forward Thinking Approach In terms of the district’s approach to education, Dr. Longgrear describes a forward-thinking model, where high school students sit down with educators and family members to develop a personalized graduation plan based on their career aspirations. He notes that this educational journey begins in elementary school with a program rooted in building essential soft skills from kindergarten through 12th grade. At the elementary level, inspiration is drawn from Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” to create “The Seven Habits of a Happy Child.” This program instills seven crucial steps to inspire student success, including concepts like thinking win-win, envisioning their future goals, fostering a positive mindset, and improving teamwork. As students progress into middle school, those skills are further enhanced through internships and apprenticeship opportunities in local businesses. A unique house system is also implemented to promote student success in a fun way. Longgrear elaborates, “It’s based on a Harry Potter theme, but it’s also modeled after the Ron Clark Academy. Each upcoming sixth grader is sorted into one of four houses, Trident, Aries, Bengal, Saber. They spin a wheel, they slide down this indoor slide that we have, and as soon as it lands on that wheel it tells them what house they’re in. Representatives from that house run-up, welcome them to the family, and from that point forward, they’re in that group.” The house becomes their support system throughout their middle school journey, emphasizing accountability for behavior, discipline, and active participation in the school community. These houses also engage in friendly competition, earning points based on merit to encourage positive contributions from each member. “It’s a beautiful middle school environment. Our principal started about two years ago, and it has just flourished,” he says. The Metter College and Career Academy (MCCA), in conjunction with Metter High School, has proven to be immensely beneficial for students, offering them a host of advantages. These include paid internships, and opportunities to earn technical college and college credits. “We have placed a large number of students in the regional industry, and there have been some game changers, where the graduates, within six months, are the highest salary earners in their house,” Superintendent Longgrear conveys. These successes are the result of valuable regional partnerships that align with the Candler County School District’s mission of providing well-paying job opportunities for its graduates. These partners include organizations such as the Georgia Ports Authority, Daniel Defense, Gulf Stream, CPE America, Candler County Hospital, and Oates Plumbing.
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