Innovation Academy

During the week of September 11-15 the students of the Anderson County Innovation Academy (ACIA) participated in college and career activities.  ACIA School Counselor Josh Anderson and the teachers of the Innovation Academy planned a plethora of events and guest speakers focused on the interests of their students.  

Some of the activities included a visit from Clayton Homes Transportation Team and Human Resources where the students learned about all the different jobs and opportunities at Clayton Homes. 

Aaron Madron from Regions Bank came on Thursday, September 14 and shared his expertise in job interviews.  Mr. Madron spent the entire afternoon with the student and even held one on one mock interviews with the students.  The feedback students received during this activity was "very helpful and a little scary too" stated  one mock interviewee student.  

Other guest speakers included a construction recruitment coordinator Bruce Meck, a registered nurse Kendall Bouldin, a cosmetologist Sharon Golden, and TJ Barber owner of an automotive business.  

On Wednesday, the students attended the Anderson County High School College and Career Fair.  During the fair students completed a scavenger hunt while visiting different institutions of high learning and businesses.

Friday the week culminated in a tailgate cookout of burgers and hotdogs.  A drawing for prizes was held with students earning tickets for a raffle for every event they participated in.  All participants then completed a post event survey to assess the success of the week and identify ways to improve it.  

The ACIA would like to send a special thank you to all the volunteer guest speakers who helped make the week a valuable part of our students educational experience.  We would express our gratitude to Anderson County High School and principal Ben Downs for allowing our students to attend the College and Career fair and for the use of their grill.  

The Anderson County Innovation Academy is part of the Anderson County School System and is composed of 3 programs, the Anderson County Online Learning Academy (ACOLA), the Bridge Academy (BRAC), and Opportunity Credits.  ACOLA students are home-based learners who complete their courses online.  The Bridge Academy is a dropout prevention program and also helps students who wish to graduate high school early. Students in the Opportunity Credits program can study courses not offered at ACHS or that won’t fit into their schedule and also make up failed courses.  For more information, visit their website at  Innovation Academy or contact school principal Jeff Harshbarger at jharshbarger@acs.ac

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For more information, contact Jeff Harshbarger at 865-755-3115 or jharshbarger@acs.ac