Catoosa County College and Career Academy honors 169 students with industry credentials, scholarship and awards

The Catoosa County College and Career Academy honored 169 students at a cording ceremony that highlighted industry credentials, college credit, a scholarship from the GNTC Foundation and year-end awards, school leaders said.

The ceremony recognized students across multiple career pathways who earned certifications ranging from OSHA-30 and detention-officer credentials to National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) assessments and healthcare certificates. "This is an amazing day," Mark Pierce, principal of the College and Career Academy, said as he opened the event. "This is the culmination of all that we do."

The academy emphasized workforce readiness and postsecondary options. Amy Jackson, representing the Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) Foundation, announced that the foundation awarded a High School Graduate Scholarship to an outstanding student from each of the 38 high schools and college-and-career academies in GNTC's nine-county service area, totaling $37,500; she named Caitlin Bradford as the Year to Career Academy scholarship recipient. Jackson noted that "last year, the foundation awarded $68,000 in scholarships and financial assistance."

The ceremony also recognized 41 students who completed the EQ Bridge emotional intelligence certification, described by staff as a weekly emotional-intelligence course that some students took to the next level. "All students participate in a comprehensive emotional intelligence instruction once a week that is truly unique in the state of Georgia," the program's professional skills instructor, Keith Jones, said during the recognitions.

Teachers and students received special honors. Principal Pierce announced Alex Driscoll as the academy's Teacher of the Year. The annual "Magic Student of the Year" award went to Hayden Henry, who was selected from nominees submitted by each pathway. "You have seen 169 students cross this stage," Marissa Rower, chief encouraging officer, said, praising students for earning college credit and industry credentials that prepare them to continue postsecondary education or enter the workforce.

Students who spoke described what the academy meant to them. Lydia Delaio, a senior in the logistics pathway, said, "CCA is more than just a part of my high school. It's a foundation for my future." Hayden Henry, the Magic Student of the Year and a welding pathway senior, told attendees that the academy "means the world to me" and that staff "push me to be a better person."

Pathway instructors called out specific certifications and credentials earned by named students: construction students earned technical college credits and OSHA-30; criminal-justice students earned detention-officer and dispatch certificates and GNTC criminal-justice specialist certifications; information-technology students earned CompTIA A+ preparation and other cybersecurity assessments; health-science students earned up to four industry credentials including certified clinical medical assistant and certified phlebotomy technician; and machine-tool and welding students passed NIMS assessments or earned multiple GNTC welding certificates. The program also noted partnerships with local employers; for example, a logistics student said a CCA internship is set for Covenant Transportation.

School leaders and board members attended the celebration; Chance Micks, superintendent of Catoosa County Public Schools, and Dr. Melissa Butler, assistant superintendent, were both introduced during the program. Principal Pierce closed the formal program with logistical instructions for photo and signing stations and thanked parents and community partners for supporting students' pathway experiences.

The ceremony combined academic recognitions, industry credential announcements and scholarship news into an end-of-year celebration that school officials said underscores the academy's role in college and career preparation for Catoosa County students.