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The ADVANCE, September 8, 2021 /Page 3A
Photo by Deborah Clark
PARTNERSHIP — Shelly Smith, CEO at Southeastern Early College and Career Academy
in Vidalia, talks to local business and industry representatives who will team up with
SECCA to offer a fast-track pilot program focused on manufacturing and logistics. The
"Make It, Move It" program will provide high school seniors an opportunity to earn a
certificate as manufacturing specialists.
Make It
continued from page 1A
people to help fill the gaps.
“There has never been a
time when it has been more
difficult to find workers.
It has become a national
nightmare that I hope will
turn around soon.”
“The Make It, Move It”
program provides students
an overview of local jobs
and resources and helps
them develop competitive
employability skills and
valuable work ethics. Upon
completion of the course,
students will produce em
ployment documents and
have the opportunity to
interview for full-time jobs.
Donna A. Collins, Co
ordinator of Work-Based
Learning and Youth Ap
prenticeship programs at
SECCA, will guide the
pilot program. “ Make It,
Move It’ is a strategy to al
low students to experience
the world of manufacturing
and logistics and see op
portunities for future local
employment. SECCA lead
ers and business partners
hope that once students
and parents know what is
available, they will take ad
vantage of local opportuni
ties for rewarding careers,”
Collins said.
She added, “Manu
facturing is the lifeblood
of our economy. SECCA
is showcasing the manu
facturing companies in
Toombs, Montgomery, and
Treutlen counties to show
how products are made by
hand or machine and how,
upon completion of the
product, the business sells
the product to a consumer.
The goal of the initiative is
to promote manufacturing
as an exciting and reward
ing career for both salaried
and hourly positions.”
The local businesses
and industries joining
SECCA in this pilot effort
represent a wide range of
interests, from the food
service industry to printing
to commercial construc
tion. These partners in
clude: Chick-fil-A Vidalia,
the Georgia Department
of Labor, OSHA, Truax
Veneer, the City of Vidalia,
Sign and Stamp Solutions,
Advanced Fabrication, Me-
ridy’s Uniforms, Trane, 4H
Robotics, Robin Builders
and Oxford Distribution.
While a number of these
participants are provid
ing instruction on site at
SECCA, others are host
ing students at their opera
tions for an up close view
of production and shipping
logistics.
Smith said of the initia
tive, “This has come about
as a way to give these stu
dents knowledge about ev
erything from wage with
holdings, to learning how
to measure, to securely
package for shipping, to
reading an online order.”
In the last week of class
students will sharpen their
skills in mock interviews
that will be filmed and cri
tiqued. They will learn how
to dress for an interview
and learn how to prepare
portfolios and resumes.
The students will be
available for part-time
employment in January
through SECCA’s work-
based program, and they
will be available to inter
view for permanent jobs
around May 15 after gradu
ation. “We want this pro
gram to be a jump start for
seniors in high school to
meet a career path,” Smith
emphasized.
She admitted that in
the past SECCA has had
a difficult time attracting
high school students to
manufacturing courses. “I
think part of it is a misun
derstanding about what
manufacturing is today.
People still perceive manu
facturing as repetitive and
limited to manipulation of
material. That is not what
it is and it is becoming less
so every day. It is organized
and computer-driven.”
Smith continued,
“This is a fourth down
and punt position for us.
We decided to have a pilot
class instead of taking three
semesters and getting stu
dents to commit to a year
and a half of studies that
would be required for the
manufacturing specialist
certification. We said, let’s
do it in one semester and
give them some skills that
will translate directly into
work.”
On the first day of
class students received a kit
with the traditional items,
but also with a ruler, tape
measure and calculator.
“These kids need to prac
tice measurement a lot,”
Smith said. When plans
were being made for the pi
lot program, advisors made
a point of focusing on math
skills and measuring since
this was often observed as
a deficit with students.
The course outline in
cludes OSHA certification,
instruction on employabil
ity skills and work ethics,
instruction from six area
businesses and industries,
and preparation of employ
ment documents and job
interviews.
The maximum class
size is 30 students and all
of the participants were
deemed to have the capac
ity and the support to be
gainfully employed after
graduation, “but none has
a plan for a career or addi
tional schooling once they
graduate in May,” Smith
said. That is one reason it
is essential that this effort
is a success; that it captures
untapped talent and gives
students direction. But the
program, ultimately, will
benefit the entire commu
nity, including those indus
tries searching for a well-
trained workforce.
“We want this pro
gram to be meaningful
for the students and for
the program partners. We
hope this program will pre
pare these students to do
the kind of work this com
munity needs for them to
do,” Smith noted.
About SECCA
SECCA is a charter
school/regional career
academy for high school
students and an education
al partnership among four
Georgia school systems
(Montgomery County
Schools, Toombs County
Schools, Treutlen County
Schools, and Vidalia City
Schools) and Southeastern
Technical College (STC).
SECCA is the first char
ter school/regional career
academy partnership in
Georgia where students
from more than one school
district will attend classes
together.
By pooling resources
and working together for
the common good of all
students, SECCA partners
increase academic and ca
reer/ technical education
course opportunities for
high school students in
the Toombs, Montgomery,
and Treutlen area. As a re
sult, high school students
who participate in SECCA
classes can take high school
and college courses that are
directly relevant to their ca
reer and educational goals.
The expansion of relevant
educational opportunities
for all students will have a
positive impact on student
achievement, graduation
rates, career outcomes for
students, and the overall
economic development of
our community.
YEARBOOK DEDICATION — Robert Toombs Christian
Academy held its Yearbook Dedication on August 26,
The 2020-2021 Crusader Yearbook is dedicated to Mr,
Tommy Barfield, Mr. Barfield teaches 6th-8th grades. He
has been teaching for 35 years and has been named
Teacher of the Year five times during his career. Mr,
Barfield is an awesome teacher and friend. He shines fhe
light of God in his daily life and shares fhe love of Christ
with those he meets. We are blessed to have Mr, Barfield
as a part of RTCA. L-R: Carrie Anne Kennedy (Yearbook
Advisor) and Mr, Tommy Barfield.
SUDOKU Solu,ion ’ p°9 e WA
Fun By The
Numbers
Like puzzles?
Then you’ll love
sudoku. This
mind-bending
puzzle will have
you hooked from
the moment you
square off, so
sharpen your
pencil and put
your sudoku
savvy to the test!
Level; Intermediate
Here’s How It Works:
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine
3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each
row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row,
column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will
appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The
more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
3
7
3
1
4
9
8
6
2
3
8
1
6
8
7
9
5
6
6
8
2
1
4
5
2
7
COVID
continued from page 1A
tients have been vaccinated
but are not on ventilators.
According to DPH’s
COVID-19 online dash
board, as of September 7,
the cumulative area totals
since March 2020, when
statistics were first avail
able, are:
• Toombs County,
4,024 confirmed cases, 231
hospitalizations, and 122
confirmed deaths;
• Montgomery Coun
ty, 1,003 confirmed cases,
50 hospitalizations, and 23
confirmed deaths;
• Treutlen County, 804
confirmed cases, 58 hos
pitalizations, and 33 con
firmed deaths;
• Wheeler County, 574
confirmed cases, 41 hospi
talizations, and 23 con
firmed deaths.
Area Schools Update
Montgomery County
School officials announced
Friday that the system
has transitioned to virtual
learning for two weeks be
cause of the massive num
ber of staff, specifically bus
drivers, that are absent be
cause of COVID.
The school system
reports a total of 17 staff
members have tested posi
tive for the virus. Ten addi
tional staff are quarantined
due to direct exposure
to others with the virus.
These absences account for
18% of the staff.
The number of student
absences due to COVID
also increased dramati
cally. Montgomery County
Schools reported online
that 39 students are absent
because of testing positive
for COVID, while 157 stu
dents remain quarantined.
Interim Superinten
dent Mark Davidson ex
plained that going entirely
virtual for classes is not
what the administration
desired, but the move will
allow staff and students to
have time to quarantine
and heal from sickness and
return to normal school
procedures. “The decision
was made reluctantly, but
Please see COVID page 4A
OXLEY
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